#Thank you for letting me cross stitch them!! <3

[somegrumpynerd]

Not the best picture cause it’s like almost midnight here but, I finished some of the bad sans sprites by @mcnotok :D

I still need to cut them out and add magnets to their backs but so far so good!

[punkshort]

i know who you are | 3. the accident

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Chapter Summary: You and Joel spend some time getting to know each other, but during dinner with Tommy and Maria, the truth comes out about your accident.

Chapter Warnings: language, angst, pining, sad!Joel, amnesia, slow burn, mild description of head wound/stitches, flirting, clickers, violence and some descriptions of injuries/blood

WC: 10.4K

Series Masterlist

Two Weeks Later

"This place is a lot bigger than I thought. I feel like I see someone new every day."

"Well, your brain did a factory reset, so you kind of are seeing new people every day," Ellie joked at breakfast one morning. Joel had been scheduled on early morning patrol shifts lately, so it was just the two of you before Ellie's classes started. You felt bad, but you grew to enjoy these mornings with just her. She was easy to get along with and she didn't pester you constantly about your memory loss. It was like she just accepted it for what it was and moved on. Joel, on the other hand, was a different story.

"What are you doing today?" she asked, pushing away her bowl of oatmeal.

"I have to go get these stitches removed," you said, your fingers coming up to brush across your injured scalp. "Couldn't come any sooner. They are so itchy."

She hummed and crossed her arms. "Surprised Joel didn't wanna come with you. He's been hovering over you non-stop."

"Yeah, tell me about it," you muttered. When you caught the playful glean in her eye, you backtracked. "Not that I don't appreciate everything he's done for me, it's just..." you trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"It's just a lot?" she offered, and you nodded, relieved that she understood.

"I didn't exactly tell him, either," you said, dropping your gaze to pick at your cuticle in shame. "Every time I go to the clinic, he scares the shit out of that poor doctor."

She laughed softly and stretched her arms out behind her head. "Joel does that to people. He comes off like a pitbull but in reality? He's just a golden retriever."

A slow smile stretched across your face as you absorbed her words, then burst out laughing.

"That is-" you began, cutting yourself off with another laugh, "the most accurate description I could ever possibly think of."

"I've known him for a long time, what can I say?" she said with a grin while throwing her hands up in the air.

Your laughter died down as you stared at the table, lost in thought. Glancing up at Ellie, you decided to see what else she might shed some light on.

"Do you know of a Ben and Lisa?"

She froze and looked at you quizzically for a moment before dropping her hands back down onto the table.

"Yeah, do you remember them?"

"No, no," you said quickly, waving her off. "I kept a journal. Y'know, from before. And I was reading it the other day and I mentioned them. Are they around?"

Ellie glanced around the somewhat crowded room before meeting your eyes again. "No, not today. They don't really come out much," she said, examining you carefully. "They have a small house on the outskirts of town. They are... homebodies, I guess? I think they've been in here, like, twice, since you guys arrived."

"So, they came here with me?" you confirmed, and she nodded.

"Yeah, the three of you arrived together," she said. Her eyes glanced up and saw a few classmates heading out the front door. "I better go, school's starting soon," she said, pushing her chair back and grabbing her backpack.

"Yeah, okay," you said, sitting back in your chair. "Thanks, Ellie," you called after her, and she shot you a quick wave before running to catch up with her friends.

You wished you had more time to ask her about Ben and Lisa. Were they together? Were they siblings? Friends? How did you meet them? What did they know about your past?

The questions were piling up as you let your mind wander. You didn't even realize Maria, Tommy's wife, had approached your table until she said your name for the second time.

"Sorry," you told her, shaking your head.

She smiled and pulled out a chair, joining you at your now empty table. "Don't worry about it. I wanted to check on you. How have you been feeling?"

"Better," you said honestly. "I haven't needed the Tylenol really, so I'm going to bring the rest back to Nick this morning."

"That's fantastic," she said, leaning forward. She regarded you quietly for a moment before speaking again. "Any luck on your memories?"

You sighed and shook your head. It was inevitable - everyone eventually asked you the same question, either morbid curiosity or genuine concern encouraging them. And you tried not to let it bother you, you really did. But you couldn't help but feel like a failure every time when the answer was no.

And then Maria asked the next question everybody always asked.

"How's Joel handling everything?"

You fought the urge to roll your eyes. Of course this was hard for him. It was hard for you, too, just in a different way.

"Alright, I guess."

"Are you two getting along? I know Tommy mentioned you were nervous-"

"Yeah," you said, cutting her off. "It was a little weird at first but it's not so bad now." You glanced around the dining hall, which was mostly empty. "Can you tell me a little bit about him? About us? I would ask Joel, but any time he tells me about some memory, I can see it hurts him. And I just can't stand to see that look in his eye again."

Maria gave you a sympathetic look and squeezed your hand. "I get it. It must be hard, I'm so sorry," she said, and you could feel the tears beginning to prick the corners of your eyes.

"I just feel like I'm always letting him down," you said, swallowing the lump in your throat.

"You're not. Hey, look at me," she said, forcing you to drag your eyes up to meet hers. "You're not letting him down. He loves you. You have no idea how much. That man has been head over heels since the moment you met. He'd do anything for you-"

"I know, and that's what makes this so much worse!" you exclaimed. "I'm sitting around that house all day - our house - waiting for my brain to fucking work and give him the person he's waiting for and I just can't! I can't-" you slammed your palms flat on the table. "I can't fucking-" you buried your face in your hands as you tried to conceal your tears. Maria rubbed soothing circles on your back, giving you time to collect yourself.

"Sounds to me like you're going a little stir-crazy."

You dragged a shaky breath in and nodded, letting your hands fall to your lap.

"What if we got you assigned some work around town? Something light, nothing too strenuous. Would that help?" she asked softly, and your pulse began to return to normal.

"Yeah, I think that would be nice," you said, flashing her a small smile.

"Your choice, then," she said, pulling her hand back, "what are you good at or interested in? I figure stables are probably not a good idea. Tommy said you were having trouble riding. Is there anything you'd like to do?"

You pursed your lips and thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure... can I get back to you?" you asked, realizing once again that you knew very little about yourself.

"Of course," Maria said before standing up from her chair. "You know where to find me whenever you think of something. Or if you just want to talk... I'm here, okay?"

You gave her a watery smile before whispering your thanks, then watched her make her way towards the doors. You sighed and looked around, realizing you were the only one left after the breakfast rush, so you pushed yourself to your feet and followed Maria's footsteps. You had a few more hours before Joel was supposed to come back from patrol, so you decided to walk over to the infirmary and get your stitches removed.

The streets of Jackson were mercifully quiet. Most people were working and the kids were in school, so you didn't run into too many folks on your way towards the other end of town. You wrapped your arms around yourself a little tighter. The chill in the air still lingered from overnight, making you shiver. As you walked, you looked around at the buildings like you normally did, trying your hardest to shake loose a memory, or at this point, even a flicker of a moment, but nothing came.

You trudged up the steps to the infirmary and stepped inside, grateful to be back indoors where it was warm. A little bell rang above your head, announcing your presence, and a moment later you heard Nick's footsteps coming down the hallway. When he lifted his head and saw you, his eyes immediately scanned the room, searching for Joel.

"All alone today?" he asked, then motioned for you to follow him.

"Yeah, Joel's busy," you said, and you swore you could see his shoulders relax.

"I know the feeling," he said, standing next to an empty exam room and holding his arm out to his side, inviting you to enter first, so you did. "I've been trying to get around to doing inventory for weeks, but I'm swamped. Can't seem to find a quiet day," he continued as he opened and closed some cabinets. He pulled on a pair of gloves and opened a drawer for some scissors before placing it on a clean washcloth next to the bed and putting his glasses on.

"Oh, speaking of inventory," you said, leaning to the side so you could fish the pills out of your jeans pocket. You held them out to him with a smile. "Didn't need them all."

"Excellent. Thank you," he said, plucking the baggie from your fingers and setting them down on the counter next to the scissors. "Glad they helped. And again, I'm sorry I couldn't offer anything stronger-"

"Don't be sorry, I understand," you said, then tucked your chin into your chest so he could get a good look at the back of your head. He began to carefully snip away at the irritating thread, taking his time to pull each and every piece out without tugging too much on your skin. You noticed aside from the two of you, the office sounded quiet.

"All alone today, too?" you asked.

"Yes, unfortunately," he said with a sigh. "My aide, Monica, got poached from me. They needed someone on patrol since-" he cut himself off and cleared his throat, and you frowned before you realized what he was about to say.

"Since they had to replace me," you finished for him.

"Yes."

Your lips pressed into a thin line as Nick continued to work away at your stitches. Another casualty in the hurricane that your accident seemed to cause.

"Hey, what if I helped you?" you blurted out, and his hands paused.

"You want to be my aide?"

"Sure. Well, do I need any medical knowledge? I don't know much, but I can help you with inventory or cleaning instruments or... whatever else you might need."

You could sense his hesitation without even having to see his face and you knew in an instant he was thinking about Joel.

"Maria approached me this morning about a job. She said it would be good for me and I agreed. But if I'm not qualified, I understand-"

"No, no, it's not that," he said, and you rolled your eyes. Of course not.

"Joel isn't the boss of me," you said after a moment. He stepped backwards and you lifted your head up to look at him.

"He's an intimidating man," Nick said by way of explanation. He snapped his gloves off and tossing them in the trash. "Why don't you run it by him first? As a favor to me?" he added with a half smile. You sighed and nodded before sliding off the bed.

"Sure, I'll talk to him when he gets back," you agreed, following Nick towards the front door. You thanked him before heading back down the street, your fingers gingerly tracing your closed wound before you shoved your hands into your pockets.

How the hell could one man manage to scare half the town the way Joel Miller did? You thought you were beginning to see a glimmer of the man underneath the hardened exterior, but what on earth drew you to him in the first place? What did your past self see in him that made you so enamored? And why couldn't you see it now? You were afraid the answer didn't so much lie with Joel, but with you.

You desperately needed to discover more of the person you were before your accident. Maybe then you would get some more insight.

When you got back to Joel's house, you decided to take what little quiet time you had left and read some more of your journal. As the sun rose in the sky, the day began to heat up a bit, taking away that frigid chill in the air, so you cracked a window in his living room and curled up on a worn out, but very comfortable, arm chair.

You flipped through the pages, your eyes landing on the last entry you read: Joel lied to me.

You never asked him about it. Either you were too afraid of the answer or you were too afraid he wouldn't tell the truth. At first, you tried to convince yourself that it was nothing. That maybe you had just gotten into a fight on that particular day and you were mad. But seeing how sporadically you had updated the journal, you got the feeling you wouldn't have written it unless it was important.

And why wouldn't you have elaborated? What could it have been? Something that was so serious, you didn't want to risk putting it down in writing?

You hadn't realized how long you were staring at those four words until you heard Joel's heavy footsteps climbing up the stairs of the porch. You snapped the book shut and looked up just as he opened the door. His dark eyes found you immediately and, as usual, you saw what you always saw - relief in seeing you again, the joy one had when they saw their other half, the attraction a man has for the one he loves.

Damn him and his expressive eyes.

"Hey," you said with a small smile, "how was patrol?"

"Not too bad," he replied, kicking off his boots. "Quiet. No infected. Me 'n Alex made short work of our route," he said, strolling over to collapse into the couch next to your chair. He rubbed his eyes with a deep sigh, his head resting on the back of the couch.

"Tired?"

"Yeah," he said, dropping his hand to his lap and rolling his head in your direction. "Glad I got tomorrow off. Maybe we can do somethin' together."

"Yeah, okay," you agreed. Maybe it would be a good opportunity to learn more about him without directly asking. His eyes drifted down to the journal in your lap and he jutted his chin towards it.

"Read anythin' interesting?"

Looking down at it for a brief moment, you thought about asking him what he lied about, but you ultimately decided against it.

"Yeah, actually," you said, flipping a different page open. "I wrote about a Ben and Lisa. Ellie told me we arrived together and they keep to themselves," you continued, looking up at him. His expression was unreadable. "Maybe I should pay them a visit one of these days. Maybe they can tell me a little about myself before-"

"Yeah, maybe," he said suddenly, then stood up to head towards the kitchen. You frowned, your eyes following him as he filled a glass of water. When he turned back to you, you were still looking at him, waiting for him to say something else.

"Why don't you give it a little time before you go seein' them," he suggested after downing his water in one gulp.

"It's been two weeks," you said quietly, "how much more time should I give it?" He shrugged and strolled back into the living room, leaning against the doorframe.

"What'dya wanna know?" he asked, avoiding your question. "I know you better than anyone. I can answer your questions."

"I didn't know you the whole ten years, though," you reminded him, unfolding your legs from the chair. "It sounds like they knew me longer. I just thought they could tell me how I survived-"

"For what?" he snapped, and his tone took a sudden turn. When you met his gaze again, the warmth was gone, and in its place was a face of stone. "What does that matter?" he asked, his voice rising a little. "You're here, you did what you had to do. We all did. What's the point in rehashin' it?"

"What's the point?" you repeated, bewildered. "The point is so I can learn about myself. So I can figure out the person I became, the person you fell in love with!"

Something flickered across his face for a brief moment before his eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed.

"You're right, I'm sorry," he said, the edge to his voice now gone. "I'll take you to see 'em one of these days. We'll go together. I haven't seen 'em in a while myself. It'd be good to catch up," he added.

"Okay," you said slowly, "thank you." He took a deep breath and angled his head towards the stairs.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower," he mumbled, and you nodded, your eyes following him up the steps until he disappeared around the corner.

Joel Miller was an incredibly difficult man to figure out. Just when you thought you knew who he was, he did something like that and it made you second guess yourself. You had determined that aggressive side came out when he was protecting the ones he loved. So who was he protecting this time?

"What'dya wanna do today?" Joel asked you around a mouthful of eggs from across your kitchen table.

"Um, I don't know," you said, pushing your food around on your plate uncomfortably. You thought spending time alone with him was a good idea, but when you woke up that morning, you felt nervous. "Did you have anything in mind?"

He sat back in his chair and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "If you were feelin' up for it, thought I could take you outside the walls a bit. Maybe teach you how to ride again."

You perked up at his suggestion. For some reason, you didn't consider leaving Jackson as an option.

"Yeah, that sounds great," you said with a grin, and his chest warmed at the sight. He missed seeing you smile. Then he remembered something that might make you smile again. He stood up quickly, his chair sliding back across the hardwood floor, and walked over to his backpack, still hanging by the door from yesterday.

"What are you doing?" you called after him, but he didn't reply until he reentered the room with his hands behind his back.

"Forgot I gotcha somethin' when I was out yesterday," he said, trying to bite back his smile. It didn't even occur to him until the last second that you might not like what he was about to give you, that maybe your tastes were different ten years ago, but it was too late now. Nervously, he held out two worn paperback books. You stood up with a curious look on your face and took them in your hands, your eyes running over the covers quickly before turning them over and reading the backs. He shifted his weight as he anxiously waited for your reaction, and when he was rewarded with another huge smile, he couldn't hold his own back.

"These sound great," you told him, glancing at the books again. "I love mysteries, this is..." you met his eyes briefly before shyly looking back down. "This is so thoughtful of you, Joel. Thank you."

He beamed with pride, thrilled that he was able to do something nice for you. "You're welcome, ba- ahem," he coughed, stopping himself from finishing his sentence. You looked back up at him, heat creeping up both of your necks. He cleared his throat and turned around, picking up your plates. "You're welcome," he said again, "thought you might be gettin' bored 'round here."

He rinsed the plates in the sink before heading towards the front door. You put your two books on the counter and trailed after him, the both of you sliding on your boots and jackets. Joel grabbed his backpack before opening the door for you and he followed you down the porch steps.

"Yeah, I'm definitely getting a little bored," you said, eyeing him up as you walked side by side towards the stables. "But speaking of that, I was talking to Maria yesterday and she suggested I get a job." His head swiveled over to you, lips parted in surprise, but before he could speak, you continued. "She said I can pick whatever I want, nothing too strenuous."

He nodded and looked straight ahead again, your words rolling around in his head. "Yeah, suppose that makes sense."

"Good," you said, pleased he was open to the idea. "So when I was at the infirmary yesterday, Nick mentioned-"

"Why were you at the infirmary? Were you in pain? Did you get hurt?"

"Joel, I was fine," you said with a huff. You pointed to the back of your head. "I had my stitches removed."

He stopped in his tracks, which made you skid to a halt. His arms reached out to lift up your hair but at the last second, he held back.

"Can I?" he asked over your shoulder, and you nodded. He gingerly lifted up your hair to take a look at your injury, which felt much better now that the stitches were gone.

"Made showering so much easier," you told him. He hummed and dropped your hair.

"Looks good," he said, and continued walking. "You shoulda waited, I woulda went with you," he added.

"It took ten minutes," you said, waving him off as the stables came into view. "But while I was there, Nick mentioned his aide got reassigned to patrol to fill my old position, so I offered to take her place."

"You wanna work at the infirmary?" he asked, and you shrugged.

"I don't know much, but he said I didn't need to. He just needs help around the office. Cleaning up, taking inventory, maybe help him with some minor procedures. Hand him tools and all that," you said, and Joel nodded slowly.

"Alright," he said, "if that's what you wanna do, sure."

And although you weren't asking for his permission, it felt like you got it, anyway.

As you got closer to the stables, the high pitched whinny of a horse in a nearby paddock caught both your attention. The horse looked smaller - younger - and was attached to a long rope, and in the center of the field holding the other end was a man around Joel's age. Even from a distance, you could see the clench in his jaw and the way his muscles strained to rein in the animal, but he was losing the fight. The horse was too young and too strong and kept pulling away, getting as far away from the man as possible before the lead went taught and the horse was forced to face the man again. Each time it happened, the horse let out a shrill whinny and stomped its hooves in the dirt, expressing its displeasure.

"That's Caleb," Joel said as you both paused to watch. "Must be breakin' in a yearling."

"Breaking in?" you asked, your eyes still glued to the horse, whose head was twisting around angrily, trying to break free.

"It means he's tryin' to tame her so we can ride her," he explained, and you nodded. You both leaned up against the fence and watched the beautiful animal rear up and then dig its hooves deeper into the dirt, dust kicking up into a cloud around them. Caleb was struggling. Sweat was dripping down his face as he tugged on the lead and shouted commands at the horse, but she was having none of it.

The horse's whinnies were becoming louder and more panicked. The whites of her eyes showed when Caleb attempted to get closer, his skin tight over his knuckles from holding onto the rope. Once Caleb got close enough, the horse swung its massive head around in the air then reared back again with all its might, pulling Caleb off his feet unexpectedly with a shout.

"Shit," Joel muttered. He gripped the top rail of the fence and hauled himself over before you could even process what was happening. You watched, eyes wide, as Joel ran into the middle of the field, his arms raised up high over his head to keep the horse from stomping on Caleb.

"Hey! Hey!" you heard Joel's booming voice shout at the animal, drawing her attention off Caleb. The horse charged at Joel, but swerved away at the last second. Joel turned around and gave Caleb a hand, dragging him to his feet before the horse made its way back to where they stood.

"Hey," Joel said, softer this time, but his arms still stretched out in front of him. The horse skidded to a stop a few feet away, snorting and pawing at the dirt, its long tail flicking back and forth. Caleb stood and dusted himself off before taking a few steps backwards to catch his breath, but Joel remained in the same spot. He stared down the animal, the two of them silently sizing the other up. Joel's voice rang out again, just as soft as before. "Hey, shh, girl," he said, relaxing his stance a bit.

You stood cemented to the ground, entranced, as you watched the stand off between man and beast. Joel didn't look scared. He barely even flinched when the horse let out another high pitched squeal. He stood tall and firm, refusing to back down, and patiently waited for the horse to come to him.

He left his arm outstretched as an olive branch, his eyes never leaving the horse. He murmured low, soothing noises until it took a tentative step forward. Joel nodded encouragingly and continued to speak softly, earning him another step.

You felt a stirring low in your stomach as you continued to watch, with your jaw slack and your breaths shallow. Joel finally reached out and grabbed the lead, then ran the flat of his hand slowly up and down the horse's nose, giving it a little scratch between the eyes, and you clenched your thighs together.

After a few minutes of Joel calmingly murmuring to the horse, he handed the rope back to Caleb, who expressed his deepest gratitude before carefully leading the filly back towards the stables. Joel turned back towards you, dusting his hands off as he walked. Your cheeks felt warm by the time he made it to the other side of the fence and climbed over.

"That was..." you trailed off, not sure what to say. He smirked at you as he leaned down to pick his backpack up. "That was really impressive," you finally squeaked out. Unbeknownst to you, he could see right through you. He'd known you for too long and he especially knew what you looked like when you were aroused. He eyed you up and down before nodding towards the stables.

"It's 'bout respect and patience. You get what you give," he explained as he wiped away some sweat that formed on the back of his neck. Your mouth went dry at the sight.

"H-have you done that before?"

"What, break in wild animals?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at you, and you nodded. If he didn't already clock the way you were reacting, he wouldn't have said what he said next. "No. Only you."

You choked on your laughter and he grinned.

"I hardly think I can compare to a wild horse," you said, your cheeks on fire.

"You're right. Tamin' you was harder."

"I thought I was the one who confronted you about sneaking around? Which is it?" you teased as you followed him into the barn, the scent of hay and leather and the sound of horses gently snorting in their stalls invading your senses.

"Oh, you did. You just didn't like sneakin' 'round. Took a lot longer to make you fall in love and move in with me," he said. He walked up to a list pinned to a clipboard and scribbled his name inside an empty slot.

"Mm, and you really think you can do it again?" you asked, trying to sound doubtful but your smile gave you away. He glanced down at you, leaning against the wall for a moment, his eyes lingering on your lips and cheeks before chuckling.

"Oh, absolutely," he said lowly, and you felt your heart flutter in your chest.

"Alright, Casanova. Let's get a move on," you said, rolling your eyes and turning away, but not before he caught the excited glint in your eye.

Thank god for Joel's backpack.

That was the only thing separating you two as you clung to him from behind as he steered your borrowed horse through the woods. It was peaceful. Serene, even. It was hard to believe so many horrible things happened, and were still happening, in this world when you were surrounded by such beauty. And you might have been able to appreciate it more if you weren't so utterly distracted by your body's reaction to Joel. You couldn't imagine what you would be thinking and feeling if there wasn't a buffer between you. Had you been able to feel each and every strong muscle in his back and shoulders, or the heat rolling off him, or fully commit to memory his very unique and intoxicating scent.

No, luckily you had some distance, and by the time he reached the field he was looking for, you felt like you had regained your senses. You brushed off your earlier reaction to your hormones and nothing more by the time you slid down from the horse and joined Joel on the ground.

"It's so quiet out here," you remarked, looking around and shrugging off your jacket. By now, the sun had risen high enough in the sky to warm everything up around you, the frosty morning air long since melted away. Joel tied the reins of your horse around a tree trunk and took off his own jacket, slinging it over the saddle.

"We used to come out here a lot," was all he said, avoiding your eyes. You looked around again, trying to find something familiar. He could tell what you were doing and he shook his head.

"Don't try to force it, it ain't gonna do any good," he said, and you looked over at him, surprised.

"Sorry. I'm really trying," you said softly, looking down at the dirt. He looked at you sadly, just for a moment when your attention was on your shoes, then forced a smile across his face.

"C'mon, I wanna show you somethin'."

You followed him through the thinning trees towards the open field; the grass waist high as you hiked through it together, cicadas singing all around you as you walked. The sun was growing more powerful, but you weren't uncomfortable.

"This is my favorite time of year," you told him, and he glanced over at you. "It's not too hot, not too cold."

He smiled and looked straight ahead once again. "I know. You like warm days and cold nights."

"That's right," you said, pressing your lips together and wondering if there would ever be anything you could tell him that he didn't already seem to know. "You have a good memory."

"When it comes to you, yeah."

Joel held out an arm to stop you, your face angled towards the ground as you walked so you wouldn't trip. You looked up when you ran into his arm, first at him, and then at the scenery before you.

It was breathtaking. Somehow, without even realizing it, you were on top of a mountain. Or, close to it, anyway. Near the edge, you looked around and saw other hills and valleys surrounding you, green and lush and full of life. A flock of blackbirds swooped by straight ahead, and way down below, between all the jagged rocks, was a little lazy river.

"This is beautiful," you breathed, your eyes glistening. Joel studied your face while you were distracted, his eyes never once looking at the nature surrounding you.

"Yeah, I know," he whispered. You dragged your eyes away from the view and gave him a dazzling smile, one that made his chest ache, before sitting down at the edge of the grass with a sigh.

"Okay. What do you miss most about your life before?" you asked him out of the blue. His stomach lurched, his mind immediately filled with thoughts of a little girl with curly hair and dark brown eyes that once made him finally understand the true meaning of unconditional love.

"Barbeques," he choked out, hoping you didn't pick up on his mood shift.

"Mm, that's a good one," you said dreamily, still staring out over the edge of the cliff. "What was your favorite part?"

He felt himself relax a bit as you forced his mind to shift gears. "The music. The food. Just... lazy weekends, hangin' out with friends or family. Spendin' time with people I cared 'bout."

"What's your favorite barbeque food?" you asked, pulling your knees up to your chest and turning your head towards him.

He thought about it for a moment, his daughter's memory drifting back into the recesses of his mind. "Ribs. Or maybe burgers. Tough call," he said with a chuckle. You slapped the side of your leg and turned your whole body towards him excitedly.

"Oh, my god. Speaking of ribs. My brother - Matty - one time he was in an 'all you can eat' ribs competition," you said, a grin already pulling at the corners of your mouth. "He was like, 22 at the time and he could really pack food away. Like, really eat. It scared the shit outta my mom, she had no idea how he did it and still stayed so trim," you said, and Joel chuckled. "Anyway, he entered this contest and all of the other contestants were these, like, huge guys. I'm talking pushing 300 pounds huge, right?" you said, the excitement evident in your voice now as your eyes shone bright, making Joel smile even more. "So, anyway, one by one these guys are dropping like flies and my brother just kept mowing down all these ribs like it was nothing. It was down to him and one other guy and the other guy looked like he was about to tap out. The prize was like, a thousand bucks, and we were all getting so damn excited. He was gonna win!" you said, your voice getting louder the more excited you became. Seeing you that happy for the first time in weeks made Joel's heart feel like it was going to burst, so he played along and urged you on. "Then, Matty freezes. And I'm staring at him. And he's just staring down at his hands, and we're all like 'what the hell is he doing?' and suddenly - woosh!" you said with a giggle, using your arms for emphasis. "He pukes everywhere! It was so fucking much, Joel! And it was so disgusting, oh my god. People were running from their seats and dry heaving, and me and my parents are fucking dying with laughter," you said, your giggles growing louder the more you remembered. You wiped a stray tear from the corner of your eye as you continued. "Anyway, of course he got disqualified and he never could be in the same room as a rack of ribs ever again," you finished, flashing him a grin. But when you saw his expression, although he was smiling and giving you some obligatory laughs, you could tell it wasn't the first time he had heard that story.

"You knew that already, didn't you?" you asked, narrowing your eyes at him. He smirked and looked down at his hands.

"Yeah," he admitted, and you groaned. "But it's still a real funny story. I love the way you tell it."

"I wonder if there's anything I didn't tell you," you said with a sigh. He inched a little closer when he heard the despair in your voice.

"It doesn't matter. I love hearin' everythin' 'bout you," he said, and you gave him a little smile. "You could tell me a hundred times and I wouldn't care."

He kept saying that word. Love. Over and over, like it was nothing. You looked away, his eye contact too intense all of the sudden, and stared out at the beauty before you. But you could still feel the heat of his gaze on your skin. It sent a shiver down your spine. Your mind raced, trying to think of something else to say when he softly whispered your name. You tilted your head in his direction and the look in his eye caused you to temporarily forget how to breathe. He was staring at you like you were the only other person in the world. Like you were a siren, calling to him on the sea, or Aphrodite, knocking him to his knees in prayer.

No, no, no, you thought as he leaned in a fraction, his eyes flicking down to your lips. Too soon. Not ready.

A blood curdling screech echoed from somewhere behind you. Somewhere far too close for comfort. You froze, eyes wide and scared, but Joel whipped around and reached into his backpack, pulling out his revolver and knife.

Stay here, he mouthed, pressing a finger to his lips, and you couldn't remember if you acknowledged him or not before he crouched and disappeared into the long grass, leaving you all alone on the edge of a very dangerous cliff with some terrifying monster nearby. Slowly, trying very hard not to make a sound, you turned your head, searching for the source of the noise. As you scanned the field, the tall grass hiding Joel somewhere in its depths, you spotted it. It, being the only proper word.

It was hideous. Fucking disgusting. Half its face was overgrown with fungus plates, its mouth wide and wet and dribbling with blood, teeth yellowed and bared. It hunched over as it got closer and closer to you, snapping its jaw like a lion, trying to locate its next meal. You swallowed roughly as it got closer, its torn clothes and bent fingers coming into view. And the smell. The stench of death and rot filled the air, completely ruining the beautiful backdrop you were admiring mere minutes ago. Your heart slammed wildly in your chest, your breathing unsteady and your hands shook violently. You had nothing to defend yourself. You looked to your side, wondering if you could push it over the cliff if necessary. Where was Joel?!

Just as it was about to clear the grass and step into the clearing, Joel leapt up behind the creature and stabbed it in the back of the head with a loud grunt. It collapsed in an instant, blood spilling from its skull as Joel stood over the corpse, shoulders and chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath.

"Oh my god," you whispered, your trembling hands coming up to cover your mouth as you stared at the lifeless body. You hadn't seen an infected alive yet. And they were far more terrifying than you ever imagined. Tears welled up in your eyes that you quickly tried to flick away, but Joel already noticed.

"You okay?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed with worry as he cleaned his knife off in the grass.

"Yeah," you replied shakily, still staring at the dead infected a few feet away. You slowly forced yourself to your feet and walked around it, only stopping when you were safely in the grass. With a grunt, Joel kicked the body closer and closer to the edge until it tumbled over. You winced as you heard its body faintly thudding and cracking against the rocks and branches below. He glanced over at you, your face screwed up with a mix of distaste and fear, and he sighed.

"Wanna just head back?"

"Yeah," you said, looking at the view once more before following him through the tall grass. "It was nice while it lasted, though."

The two of you trudged through the grass quietly, back towards the woods. He could tell you were shaken up and he inwardly cursed the clicker for ruining what could have ended up being a really nice day with you. A day where he thought he was making some progress. He made you smile and laugh and he definitely recognized that heated look in your eye back at the stables, but all of those memories suddenly seemed so distant. It wasn't until the horse came into view that he even remembered why he brought you out in the first place.

"You still wanna learn to ride?"

You looked up at him, your perfect lips parted ever so slightly. It made him want to grab your chin and press his mouth against yours so he could remember what you felt like again.

"Oh, sure," you said, glancing wearily over at the horse as you approached.

"Why don't you take the reins and I'll sit behind you," he offered as he untied the horse from the tree. "That way I can take over if you're feelin' too nervous."

"Okay..." you agreed slowly, realizing that meant he would be pressed up against you for the entire ride home. And this time, there wouldn't be a buffer.

He laced his fingers together and bent forward, offering you a boost. You got a good grip on the saddle and delicately placed your foot in his hands before he launched you upwards. You swung your leg over and shifted in the saddle a bit, looking down at the back of the horse's head. Its long ears flickered back and forth, trying to shoo away the flies.

You gasped when the saddle shifted slightly and Joel climbed up behind you. Your body stiffened and you stared straight ahead as he got himself comfortable. You tried to block it out, but when his arms wrapped around you from behind and took the reins from your grasp, you realized it would be impossible.

"This is how you wanna hold 'em, see?" he murmured softly in your ear, and you immediately felt goosebumps break out up and down your arms. He hadn't been this close before. Not even when he was examining your head wound. His exhale tickled the side of your neck and you realized his lips were dangerously close to your exposed skin. When it occurred to you that he had asked you a question, you blinked and snapped out of it.

"Yeah," you said, and you hoped he would think your hands were shaking because you were nervous to ride and nothing more.

"Now we're ridin' western, so when you steer, you wanna pull the reins across, like this," he said, demonstrating with his hands over yours, and just like that, the horse turned to the left. "And you just do the opposite if you wanna go the other way."

"Okay, makes sense," you replied, surprised you were actually following along.

"You want the horse to move, you gotta squeeze your legs. Gotta do it hard, though. It's a big animal, they can't feel you if you don't squeeze hard."

"Uh huh," you said, so you gave it a try. You squeezed your legs as hard as you could and the horse slowly lumbered forwards, and you squealed with excitement. "I did it!"

Joel chuckled behind you. You could feel the deep rumble through your back and the little puffs of air from his nose on your neck. It made you shudder, and you tried to pass it off like you were cold. The horse began to slowly walk back the way you came, through the trees and past a little stream, and the longer you walked, the more confident you became.

"This isn't so bad," you admitted, and you weren't sure if you were talking about Joel's embrace or riding the horse. You were growing used to his arms around you now, even though you didn't really need his hands to guide yours, you didn't say anything. It was... nice.

"How do I make it go faster?" you asked.

"Well, you can give her a little kick, or you can click your tongue. You remember how to click your tongue?"

You laughed a little and without thinking, you gave it a try. Clicking your tongue experimentally against your teeth sent the horse rushing forward. Just into a trot, but it still took you off guard. You gasped and leaned back into Joel's chest, looking to steady yourself so you wouldn't fall. You could feel him laughing behind you as he tightened his arms around your waist and gave the reins a gentle tug, slowing the horse back down to a walk.

"Not funny!" you exclaimed, but your smile gave you away.

He missed this. He really missed this. He missed holding you and laughing with you and spending time with you. What he wouldn't give to kiss you again. He ached for the way you tasted, the way you moaned underneath him, the feeling of your smooth skin under his rough palms. Every day that passed he felt like he was forgetting little by little, and the urge to remind himself, the urge to pull you into his arms and kiss you deeply and take you to bed with him was becoming more intense by the day.

But he had to be patient. He could be patient. You'd come around, one day. He was sure of it.

By the time you made it back to Jackson, you were feeling much more at ease. Maybe this is what you needed. Some time away with Joel, just the two of you, so you could learn more about him. You had to admit, you were beginning to see a very soft and sweet side to him that you only caught glimpses of in the past.

Before today, you hadn't been able to understand the attraction. He was good looking, you already knew that, but you also knew that couldn't have just been it. That wasn't enough to share a love for one another that he classified as rare and meant to be. Now, it was starting to become clearer. There was something inherently sexy about the way he handled himself. The confidence he had, which, at first, came off as cocky, you now viewed in a different light. After the way he handled the horse in the pasture and the clicker in the field, you were beginning to understand.

Joel Miller was a protector. He cared deeply and passionately for the ones he loved, and he stopped at nothing to defend them. Sometimes that love was misplaced as anger, and that's where he kept losing you.

He had asked if you felt up to joining Tommy and Maria at the dining hall for dinner, and even though you were a little tired from your outing, you agreed.

As you walked down the street together, he had to fight the impulse to hold your hand. He still noticed the way people looked at you, their curiosity over your now famous injury getting the best of them, but once they caught his eye they quickly averted their gaze. It angered him, he couldn't help it. He didn't want you to feel uncomfortable. You didn't deserve to be gawked at.

You followed Joel through the crowded hall once again, and just like before, the crowd naturally parted for him. He seemed to be making his way towards the back, towards the same table as before, only this time Tommy and Maria were already seated and waiting.

Maria greeted you with a hug and you gave Tommy a quick smile across the table before sitting down between her and Joel.

"Beautiful day out today," Maria said off to the side while Joel and Tommy talked amongst themselves.

"Yeah, it really was. I'm gonna miss it when the snow comes," you said, giving her a face. "Who's watching your daughter?" you asked suddenly, glancing around as if you could have possibly missed a small child running around.

"Oh, Dina offered to babysit, so we jumped at the chance to get out of the house," she said with a laugh. "Did you do anything exciting today?"

"Yeah, actually," you said, glancing at Joel, who was still talking quietly to his brother. "Joel taught me how to ride a horse. Well... re-taught me, I guess," you said with a small laugh.

"Thats fantastic. I'm glad you were feeling well enough to go out," Maria said with a warm smile.

"Oh, that reminds me-" you said, stopping yourself when Seth came over to take your orders. You just asked for what Maria was getting and turned your attention back to her. "I thought of a job."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she clapped her hands together. "Let's hear it!"

"I thought I could help out at the infirmary," you said, and she nodded along thoughtfully. "Nick was telling me his aide had to join patrol and he says he just needs someone to help do things around the office."

"That sounds like a great idea," she said, but you could hear the hesitation in her voice. When she glanced over at Joel, you connected the dots and sighed.

"He's fine with it," you grumbled, your gaze dropping to your hands.

"Fine with what?" Joel's voice asked from beside you.

"She wants to help out at the infirmary," Maria said, and Tommy grinned.

"Great idea, sugar," he said, "Nick could use the help. He's smart, but he's disorganized as all hell."

"I think it'll be good for you," Joel said, his knee knocking against yours under the table. "Help you get to know everyone a little better. Besides, if anythin' were to happen, you're in the right place," he added, leaning back in his chair so Seth could put his plate down in front of him.

"What do you mean?" you asked, picking up your fork and then scrunching your nose when you saw cherry tomatoes on your plate. Without even looking up, Joel speared the tomatoes with his fork and put them on his plate, then the three of you watched as he gathered his squash and gave it to you.

"I mean, if your head ever got to hurtin' again, then you'd be in the right place," he explained, looking up and licking the pad of his thumb. He frowned a bit when he noticed the table staring at him, and Tommy and Maria quickly ducked their heads to focus on their food, hiding their smiles.

"What?"

You dropped your gaze shyly to your plate and poked at the squash with your fork. "You know I hate tomatoes."

Heat crept up his neck a bit but he grinned. "The acid upsets your stomach," he said, and you chuckled to yourself, about to say something else when Jesse happened to walk by your table with some friends.

"Hey, Jesse!" Tommy called out, making him stop. He gave you all a quick wave before looking at Tommy expectantly. "Think you can join in on the 10am patrol tomorrow? Joel was just tellin' me he saw a clicker in that zone. Don't want any surprises like last time."

"Yeah, of course," Jesse said, then Joel frowned.

"Speakin' of last time," Joel said, his eyes drifting back and forth between the two men. "You never did explain how she got hurt on your patrol."

"That's right," you said, setting down your fork, "what happened? How did I fall? Was it the horse?"

Tommy and Jesse exchanged a nervous look. It was quick, but Joel still caught it. His jaw ticked to the side as he patiently waited for an answer.

"Uh, it was all so fast, and so much was happenin'," Tommy said, clearly floundering.

"Yeah, it's kinda hard to remember exactly," Jesse said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, try," Joel said, his voice dropping an octave. You turned your head slightly to look at him, not understanding why there was a sudden mood shift.

"We got ambushed by a small hoard," Tommy began, pushing his food around on his plate. "Thought we had it handled til a bunch more came outta nowhere," he continued, looking up to meet your eye now. "You were takin' down a runner, didn't see one comin' up behind you and it pushed you down. Knocked your head on a sharp boulder. Jesse 'n me took down the rest of 'em and that's when we realized you were knocked out cold."

You nodded, the story making sense as you remembered waking up to them yelling your name and their clothes covered in blood. But Joel wasn't satisfied. He knew they were leaving something out.

"That all?" he pressed, eyeing his brother. Tommy looked at Joel, a tense moment passing between the two before Tommy slowly nodded. He was about to open his mouth to speak when Jesse interrupted.

"It was my fault."

The whole table turned to look at him, taken aback. His hands were fidgeting at his sides as he avoided Joel's intense stare, trying to look anywhere but at him.

"I wanted to check out this department store. It was too big, we hadn't cleared the area, b-but we hadn't seen any infected in weeks a-and I thought we were good," he said, glancing up quickly at Joel, who was clenching his jaw and glaring at Jesse.

"What'd you need so bad from this store?" Joel seethed, and you saw Jesse swallow nervously.

"I-it's me and Grace's anniversary soon, wanted to get her something-"

Joel stood up quickly, his chair tumbling backwards, clattering loudly on the ground and silencing the room.

"So you wanted to get your girlfriend a present? That's why she can't remember a goddamn thing?" Joel roared, pointing at you. Tommy stood up and held his hands out.

"Calm down, Joel."

"I ain't calmin' down!" he shouted, and you jumped in your chair, scooting away from him and closer to Maria, who put an arm around you and urged you to stand.

"Let's go to the bar," she murmured, ushering you away as if she knew what was coming.

"I-I'm so sorry, Joel," Jesse stammered, tripping over his feet as he tried to put some distance between them.

"Sorry ain't gonna bring her back," he growled, rounding the table, his shoulders tight and his eyes wild. He reached out and grabbed Jesse by the collar before Tommy could react, and slammed him face first into the table. Food and cutlery went everywhere. People at nearby tables backed away but stayed to watch the fight unfold. Joel lifted Jesse up and smashed his face into the table again with a grunt, and this time you heard Jesse cry out in pain. You covered your mouth in horror as you watched Tommy try to pry Joel's hands off of him. "Wonder how many hits it'll take before you forget Grace. Maybe then we'll be even!" he shouted, pulling him back up by the collar. By now, blood poured from Jesse's mouth and his cheeks, mixing with tears as he tried to pull Joel's hands away. Just as Joel was about to slam his head into the table for a third time, you found your voice.

"Stop!!" you screamed, and by some miracle, he did. He still gripped Jesse's shirt in his hands, but Joel twisted his head around to look at you. Whatever he in your face made his fingers loosen their grip and Jesse stumbled backwards, collapsing into a chair as Tommy kneeled down next to him, trying to wipe away the blood.

Joel turned his whole body toward you, his face red and his chest heaving. His eyes were still crazed with anger but you could see it slowly melting away.

He took a step forward and you took a step back.

His eyes dropped to your feet, regret washing over him in an instant.

"Maria, can you gimme a hand?" Tommy called out, and she rushed over to help Jesse stand. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw them slowly leading Jesse towards the front door, no doubt in search of the doctor to help patch his wounds, but your eyes remained locked on Joel.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, not caring about all the onlookers still frozen in silence. But you did. You opened your mouth, then glanced around and thought better of it.

"Not here," you said under your breath, then stalked towards the exit, pushing your way past people until you felt the cool night air in your lungs.

You hurried down the street, wrapping your arms around yourself as you barreled home. You didn't turn around to see if he was following you. You knew he was. It was almost like you could feel him now. His presence draped around you like a scarf, surrounding you, engulfing you, suffocating you.

Storming up the porch steps, you flung the door open and walked inside, not bothering to close it behind you. You charged into the kitchen and paced around, your anger boiling inside you with nowhere for it to go.

"I'm sorry," he tried again from the doorway, trying to give you space. You stopped in your tracks and looked at him. His eyebrows were pinched together as he quietly waited for you to say something.

"Have you always been like this?"

His breath caught in his throat and he paused for a moment before replying. "Since we met? Yes."

"So you're saying I've caused you to act like a caveman when you hear something you don't like?" you shot back, crossing your arms defiantly.

"No, no, that's not - what I meant was, since you've known me, I've... had a temper," he said, quickly correcting himself.

You let a silent moment pass between you as you thought about what he said.

"It's no wonder it took me so long to fall in love with you," you said, and he winced. He looked away, trying to hide the pain, and you couldn't help but feel a little bad, but you stood your ground.

"It didn't bother you before," he mumbled, looking at the ground.

"Well, it bothers me now," you snapped, and he nodded.

"Okay, then I'll work on it," he conceded, looking up at you. "Happy?"

You snorted and rolled your eyes. "Thrilled."

Brushing past him, you marched up the stairs towards your bedroom and slammed the door shut behind you.

You could hear him moving around downstairs as you washed up and changed into pajamas, still seething at his behavior. How could you possibly fall in love with this man? You could barely figure out who he was - one minute he was soft and sweet, and the next he was bashing people's faces in. Even you could see it wasn't really Jesse's fault. The three of you would have agreed to check out the store together. Joel was just looking for someone to blame. It was immature and brutish and stupid.

Just as you pulled the covers over yourself, you heard a quiet rap on the door. You paused for a moment before rolling your eyes.

"Come in."

The door slowly creaked open and Joel slipped inside your room, glancing around at the bedroom you once shared together before looking at you.

"Can we talk?"

You furrowed your brow for a second before nodding, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward and perched on the side of the bed, facing the wall so you could only see his side profile as he sat, deep in thought. You pulled your legs up so your chin rested on your knees and waited.

"I lied to you."

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise and you couldn't help but think of the journal - Joel lied to me - and wondered if this was it. If you were going to get your answer.

"When you asked me what I missed most 'bout... before. I lied."

Okay, so probably not the lie in the journal, but still, your interest was piqued.

"What do you miss most?" you finally asked, and he sucked in a deep breath, his eyes glistening as he stared at the wall.

"My daughter. Sarah."

Your heart clenched in your chest and your gaze dropped to your hands. A daughter?

A long silence passed as you slowly connected the dots. The way he was with Ellie. The anger. The journal entry about Tommy having a daughter. The softness he kept hidden away.

"She died on outbreak day," he began, his throat already constricting. "Died in my arms. She was shot and-" he sniffled and took a deep breath. "And I couldn't save her. I held her and watched the light leave her eyes and I -" he choked back a sob and looked down, still avoiding your gaze. "I've never been the same," he finally managed to get out.

You swallowed back the tears that were forming. How couldn't you see? Of course he was hurting. Of course he lost someone. Just like you lost your family, he lost his. Were you that selfish and blind that you couldn't see it?

"Joel, I'm so sorry," you said shakily, but he shook his head.

"Just wanted to explain why I'm... whatever," he replied, giving up and rubbing his face.

Your chest ached for him. He was in pain and you couldn't stand it. Inching forward, you wrapped your arms around his neck, tentatively resting the side of your head on his shoulder. His hand came up to cup your elbow and he tilted his head so it rested against yours.

"I'm sorry," you repeated softly.

"Me, too."

You stayed like that for a while. Extending small olive branches to each other as you sat with the weight of what the world did to you both, and you finally began to understand what might have brought you together in the first place.

Please follow @punkshort-notifs and turn on notifications for fic updates ❤️

[mistydeyes]

hiiiii I LOVE YOUR WORK!!!!!!!! Can you please do 141 with a model reader who does Chanel,Versace etc and she gets an invite to do Victoria’s Secret runway and they see her down the runway how would they react

she’s not any model shes and icon,sex symbol,brains,she is the moment

big inspo for me ( I want to become a model)

AHHH I LOVE THIS! anon i feel you tho, every time i look on pinterest i just want to be a model! thank you for requesting <3

┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊

summary: The 141 has always had an odd connection of friends, allies, and connections. However, they can't deny that they don't enjoy your luxurious life as a model and the perks that come along with attending one of your shows.

pairing: Taskforce 141 x fem!reader

warnings: swearing

┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊┊

A series of events in Milan allowed the 141 to cross paths with you. Staying in a lavish French penthouse was far from what they had expected on a mission dictated by Laswell but her connections with your retired INTERPOL mother had brought them the extravagance of your home and lifestyle. Laswell had to threaten to have their court marshaled if they delayed their arrival home any longer. You thought of that brief moment in summer fondly as you left Gaz a voicemail. "I have a runway in New York coming up, let me know if you'll be on leave," you spoke on the phone, examining your manicured nails, "accommodations and champagne are on me." 

"This is nice," Price said, dropping his duffle onto the marbled tile of their hotel room. "Are you kidding, Cap?" Gaz said as he opened every door into the massive suite, "This is fucking amazing." When they got off the plane at JFK, they had not expected a private driver who brought them to the ornate hotel. The room itself had four separate bedrooms with two bathrooms filled with the best amenities. Soap had taken the opportunity to run over and open a bottle of champagne while Ghost pilfered the small shampoo and conditioner bottles. While the men explored the vast rooms and fought over the beds, there was a knock at the door. Price opened it to reveal a well-dressed bell-hop boy, holding a tray with an envelope. "Four tickets sent by one of the models," he spoke and Price handled the black envelope with embossed pink lettering. "Hell of invitation," he muttered before he looked at the runway time and shared the details with his team. "Wonder what she'll be wearing," Soap mused as he turned to take over one of the bathrooms.

Behind the stage, there was organized chaos with models running around in their silk robes in between the stations. The chatter roared as they chatted with the various hair stylists and makeup artists. "First VS show?" your makeup artist asked as she applied glitter delicately to your primed lids. "Yes, but not my first modeling gig," you smiled as you felt the pressure on your closed eyes, "Versace was beyond a mess compared to this." The artist laughed as she continued to prep your look. You could see mixes of pink and gold applied to your lips and the apples of your cheeks. "We think an olive green liner would look stunning on you," she said before holding a green eyeliner pencil in hand. You nodded in response as you shifted a bit in your robe. You gently closed your eyes again as you envisioned your latest outfit for the night.

Weeks prior you had visited the city to see your outfit for the night. A sage green bra and panty set decorated with pink and glittery flowers to resemble a meadow. Your wings were made of a delicate rose pink chiffon that was reminiscent of a fairy. "Do you like?" the designer asked as you walked around the stand and examined every stitch and detail. You smiled as you nodded happily, feeling the soft fabric under your fingertips. "Any particular inspiration?" you questioned as you made sure to feel the weight of the wings. "The newest line of Victoria's Secret," she spoke dreamily, "the delicacy of nature."

With your makeup and hair done, you walked over to change and receive the final touches from the design team. The group walked rapidly around your figure, assuring every detail would shine when the lights hit your walk. "Have anyone special here tonight?" one of the designers asked as he cut a few loose stitches. "Just a few friends from Europe," you spoke, hoping you didn't sound too entitled. You wanted to talk more but your odd friendship with a small special forces group would definitely reach some tabloids. "You look perfect darling," another designer spoke and you nodded before beginning to walk in your heels. "You can mingle with the others. Your collection is after the classics set," she reminded. You took a deep breath and made some facetious conversation with the other women. They were in awe at your previous shows but you just simply talked as if each was a mediocre experience. "Alright ladies, walk begins in five," a voice called over the comms and you lined up accordingly. As you watched the excited group in front of you, you wondered what you would treat the 141 to for dinner. You were sure if someone knew this is what you thought of before a show, they would laugh.

"Move up, Y/N," the stage manager directed, pulling you out of your food-related musings, "almost time for you to go on." You moved forward, getting into the comfort of your model walk you had done so many times before. You took a deep breath as you heard the live music stream through the curtains and the ethereal light peek through. You looked down at your attire one last time before the model ahead of you returned and it was your turn to awe the show. "Go, go, go," you could hear the stage manager command as the bright lights and menagerie of faces met your gaze.

"I think this is her!" Gaz commented, leaning forward in his chair. "You've been saying that for the past four models," Ghost corrected before he turned to see who was coming out next. As the men directed their gaze to the stage, you confidently strutted onto the platform. They were glued to your figure, perfectly accentuated by the flirtatious lingerie set. The details were delicate and encapsulated your aura. "Fuck." Soap whispered under his breath as the glitter and flower additions to your ensemble shimmered underneath the light. Your wings bounced and looked like they flittered in the air as you made your way in front of the watching crowd. "She's a natural at this," Price commented as he watched the way you walked in a straight line with an air of elegance in each step. He also couldn't deny the way you shined on stage and how the cameras clicked in rapid succession. As you reached the end of the runway, you took an opportunity to look over at the seats you had picked for the 141. You gave a small wink before blowing a kiss in their direction. 

Upon your exiting, there was a clamor amongst the group as to who the kiss was directed to. Primarily, Soap and Gaz were at odds thinking you made eye contact with them as you puckered your glossed lips. Price attempted to put a stop to them before Ghost spoke up. "I'm sure that was for me," he spoke quietly, leaving everyone to shelf the conversation and bring it up later over dinner.

[a-killer-obsession]

S 1&2👀

Congrats on 250 followers!<3

Deep Sleeper

Prompt: Somnophilia

Additional Tags: afab reader, she/her reader pronouns, dub-con, fingering, oral (giving? and receiving), p in v sex, facial, humiliation, threesome F/M/M

WC: 1.9k

Event Masterlist

“Night everyone,” you yawned, ready to leave the post-battle victory celebration and head to bed, “wake me if anything exciting happens.”

“Like we could wake you if we tried,” Killer snorted, receiving a round of laughs from the surrounding crewmates at your expense.

“Whatever!” You puffed your cheeks and huffed, “I'm not that deep of a sleeper!”

“Yeah?” Killer smirked under his mask, “you wake right up don't you?”

“Like that time you fell asleep in Dive's spot on the couch,” Heat laughed, “so she bit you!”

“I thought she was dead!” Dive clattered her teeth together as she giggled, “she didn't even wake up when House was stitching her up!”

“It was one time!” You pouted, “I was really tired!”

“Okay, then what about that time you fell out of bed during a storm,” Wire added, “and you came to breakfast with a shard of wood sticking out of your shoulder that you didn't even realise was there?”

“I have a high pain tolerance!” You frowned, crossing your arms and staring daggers at Killer for starting this. “I wake up just fine when someone wakes me, thank you very much!”

“No you don't, you narcoleptic bitch!” Kid roared, “Kil and I could fuck ya brains out and ya wouldn't wake!”

“Yeah? Bet!” You squinted at him, laying down the challenge. Sex was not something any Kid Pirate was shy about, but you were confident you'd wake up at that, especially knowing how big the two men are in that department.

“Yeah, and what do we get if we win?” Kid smirked, exchanging a knowing look with Killer.

“The two of you can freeuse me for a week,” you replied confidently, “and if I win, you take me off the bathroom cleaning rotation for the rest of the year.”

“Deal,” Kid held out his flesh arm and you shook it, Kid grabbing your hand hard and pulling you close, “Yer gonna look so pretty at breakfast with my load on yer face,” he purred in your ear, making you shiver, before you turned and scowled at him for appearances, despite the electricity pooling at your core.

Kid and Killer gave you plenty of time to fall asleep, not that you needed it, you always fell unconscious hard and fast after a good battle and a good feast. The two of them made their way to your room, laughing and shoving each other, anticipating the fun they would have with your body. They knocked on your door, out of principle, but of course you didn't reply, which only made them laugh more. They entered your room with muffled snickers, even Killer having trouble suppressing his true laugh as they found you asleep face down on top of your covers, still fully dressed, shoes included, like you'd just flopped on the bed and immediately passed out.

“What did I say?” Kid laughed, “Fuckin’ narcoleptic!”

“Adds to the challenge,” Killer noted, pulling your shoes from your feet, “probably did it on purpose, thinking pulling her clothes off would wake her.”

“Sounds to me like she's askin’ to lose these clothes,” Kid smirked, pulling a dagger from his bandolier. He slid the blade under the edge of one leg of your pants, before sliding the blade up, cutting open the fabric, repeating the action on the other side until all that covered your ass was a scrap of denim. Killer removed the scrap, before tearing your panties and pulling them away as well, leaving you without clothes on your lower half and exposing your cunt to the men. Killer pushed at your thighs to spread your legs, your pussy pretty and inviting, a slight glisten to it from your earlier arousal.

“Pretty,” Killer noted, running his thumb through your folds, to which you still didn't wake, snoring softly as he touched you. “She's wet, she was really counting on us trying it huh?”

“Little slut,” Kid gave an amused bark, “let's roll her, I wanna see her tits.”

Killer rolled you over unceremoniously, and Kid was quick to rip open your blouse and run his dagger through the connection between your bra cups, your breasts springing free, nipples pert as the cold air breezed over them. Kid gave your nipple a pinch, watching your face for a reaction and smirking when you didn't even twitch. “She's fuckin' out of it,” he laughed, “let's have some fuckin’ fun, aye?”

The two of them stripped off their clothes, Kid even leaving his metal arm against the wall and Killer removing his mask - that was how sure he was that you wouldn't wake up. Killer knelt between your legs, nuzzling his nose against your clit before running his tongue through your slit. It wasn't often that he got to indulge in one of his favourite treats, since he didn't usually remove his mask, and he groaned against your cunt as your honey collected on his tongue. He lapped at your cunt, circling your sensitive bud and toying with your entrance. Your pussy leaked as he stimulated you, your body responding to the pleasure he was giving you even while unconscious, which pleased him greatly.

Meanwhile, the bed dipped as Kid knelt next to your head, stroking himself as he admired your pretty, plush lips. He ran his thumb over your lips, pushing it inside and feeling how hot and wet your mouth was. He rubbed his cock against your cheek, smearing precum on it, before rubbing his shaft against the seam of your lips. He used his thumb to pull open your mouth, pushing the fat head of his cock between your lips, just putting the tip in your mouth and making shallow thrusts before deciding to go a little further. He couldn't deepthroat you like this, but he could enjoy the way your cheek bulged as the head of his cock prodded against the inside of it. He held your jaw open just enough that your lips were still tight around his shaft as he worked his cock in and out of your mouth.

Killer began the process of stretching you out so they could take turns fucking your pussy, first bullying his tongue inside you before switching to his fingers, sucking on your clit as he worked two inside of you, then a third, pumping you slowly and scissoring his fingers to stretch you out. Killer curled his fingers and the two of them heard you moan softly around Kid's cock. “Fuck, do that again Kil,” Kid instructed.

Killer made come hither motions inside you, and your gummy walls fluttered around his fingers as you moaned again, your pussy getting tight around his fingers as a small gush of fluid came out of you. “Oh fuck, she came!” Killer laughed, “she fucking came and she's still asleep!”

“Now that's what you call a wet dream,” Kid chuckled, “she ready for a cock?”

“Yeah, you want to go first?” Killer asked, still pumping his fingers into you.

“Yeah, shove off,” Kid barked. The two of them swapped spaces, Killer opting to wrap your hand around his cock to fist himself with it, the head of his cock pressing against your open lips with each motion, his free hand playing with your tits. Kid lined his cock up with your entrance and pushed in, making you whimper in your sleep as his fat cock stretched you further. “Fuck, so tight and wet,” Kid growled, “her cunt is sucking me in, greedy slut.”

The two of them used your body in unison, even the jostling of Kid's increasingly hard thrusts not waking you from the bone deep sleep you were in. You made the occasional soft moan but made no sign of waking as they fucked you, Kid getting more daring with the speed and force of his thrusts as Killer slipped his cock in your mouth just as Kid had earlier. Kid felt himself getting close as you made little whines in your sleep, drool pooling at the corner of your open mouth and dribbling down your cheek and neck. “Swap with me,” Kid barked, “I'm about to paint that pretty face.”

The two of them swapped places again, Killer groaning as his cock slid inside you, squeezed tight by your hot wet cunt. Kid held your mouth shut as he rubbed the underside of his shaft against your lips, precum leaking from his throbbing cock before he grunted and came, spilling thick white all over your lips and cheek, some of it dripping into your hair. “Ha, nice,” Kid mused, slapping his softening cock against your cheek and using your soft skin to wipe away the last drips of cum. “Your turn Kil, paint her white.”

Killer didn't need much longer to get him there after watching Kid cum on your face, fucking you hard and fast in a manner that would have any conscious woman screaming in pleasure. He truly didn't understand how you hadn't woken up, he was really being rough with you, and his fingers would no doubt leave bruises on your hips. He pulled out quickly when he felt himself getting close, not making it all the way to your face but managing to coat your chest in a viscous spray of cum, a few rogue splashes making it to your chin as he straddled your stomach and panted. The two of them exchanged shit eating grins, knowing they had won the bet, before Killer climbed off you.

They removed the remaining scraps of your clothing so you would just assume you'd fallen asleep naked, knowing you were ditsy enough to forget you went to bed clothed, before getting their things and redressing. Killer scooped you up bridal style so Kid could pull back the blanket, and they tucked you into your bed, not cleaning off their cum purposely.

The next day nothing seemed amiss when you woke. You could have sworn you went to bed dressed, but you guessed you must have misremembered. You preferred to shower after breakfast, when there were less people taking up all the showers in the communal bathroom, so you sleepily made your way to the galley. Crew mates snickered and nudged each other as you made your way to the table where Kid and Killer sat, the two of them struggling to keep a straight face. You served yourself breakfast from the sharing trays on the table, shoving a forkful of eggs in your mouth before realising everyone was staring at you, slowly removing the fork and swallowing your mouthful.

“What?” You asked anxiously, worried there was some sort of spider on you or something.

“You got a little something in your hair,” Wire snickered, pointing at the side of your face. You touched where he pointed, your hand coming away covered in something white and sticky.

“Uh.. ARG,” you shouted as you realised what it was, wiping your hand on your pants, “KID THAT'S FUCKIN’ DISGUSTING!”

“Had to leave some proof,” Kid smirked, “we're gonna have so much fun with that tight cunt over the next week. Hope you're ready to not get any sleep. Or maybe we'll just fuck you in your sleep again.”

You groaned and pushed your plate out of the way so you could slam your head against the table in defeat. Maybe you should see a doctor about your sleeping issues. Or not.

Like my stuff? Consider buying me a ko-fi

Taglist: @daydreamer-in-training @chairmanraph @florcxo @luvnisstuff @nocturnalrorobin @fanaticsnail

[frvnkcastles]

Hii I love your work so much!! I was wondering if you would do Frank Castle x reader based off of Sunlight or Francesca By Hozier? I don’t know I just feel like with how deeply this man feels that one or those would be perfect for Frank and the reader.

I WOULD DO IT AGAIN ➵ F. CASTLE

Summary: A glimpse into the way Frank feels for you.

Warnings: Fem!reader, violence, reader has unspecified mental health issues

Word count: 1.2k

Author’s note: I fell in love with both these songs thanks to this request!! I tried to combine both of them, though I suppose I got more out of Francesca. I’m a little on the fence about this one shot in general, but I hope you like it! Thanks for your patience <3 Also, I keep forgetting to say this, but thank you so much for 700 followers!!! It means so much to me that we’ve created this little community of traumatized Frank lovers :)

There was nothing Frank wouldn’t have done for you. He had known that quite early into your relationship, his devotion for you growing more and more every day, even if you weren’t officially dating. In fact, your feelings for each other had gone unspoken ever since you had met, but he couldn’t deny they were there — he cared for you so much it terrified him, it kept him up at night.

He thought about the first time he met you often. He’d never forget the way you looked in that dress you had dug out of your closet just for the occasion, how the warm bar light illuminated your starry eyes and how you had been nervously gnawing on your lip while glancing at your phone for the millionth time.

”Whoever’s standin’ you up would regret if they saw you in that dress”, he had spoken up from across the mostly empty bar counter, and you had immediately looked up only to find a man so attractive your stomach did a somersault. Rough around the edges but undeniably easy on the eyes, even more so when the corner of his mouth had twitched upwards in a sneaky smirk, even when his stare was focused on the crowd behind you. You had shuffled on your feet, looking around to see who he was referring to, but when you had turned back to him, you found him gazing right at you, making your mouth run dry.

”I was supposed to have a date”, you had explained over the music, ”guess it was a waste of a pretty dress.”

He had chuckled at that. ”Well, for what it’s worth, you made this old sucker’s heart skip a beat”, he had shrugged before gesturing at the empty seat next to him. ”Buy you a drink?”

And ever since then, he had been hooked on you. You made him feel alive, you gave him a reason to get up in the morning. So when you had told him you felt like you were doing the opposite, his heart had shattered in his chest.

”I realize I have a lot of baggage. So I don’t blame you if you want to, I dunno, check out now”, you had explained meekly, distance between you as you both stood in your kitchen at an ungodly hour, fresh stitches on Frank’s abdomen. ”I guess I’m not a very easy person to be around, is what I’m saying”, you had added with a quiet chuckle, and at that, Frank had closed the space between you, his hand coming to rest on your cheek as he swallowed all the air from your personal space.

”You think I am?” he had stated matter-of-factly. ”You’re wrong, sweetheart. I don’t remember the last time it was this easy for me to be around someone. You make me feel… Yeah, you just make me feel. I can’t get enough of you. Don’t ever think I’d wanna get rid of you, ’cause shit, as long as you’ll have me, I ain’t goin’ anywhere”, he had explained, passion behind every word, and it had made you tear up.

”You know everything that’s wrong with me and you’re saying you still want to be my friend?” you had asked to confirm, and licking his lips, Frank had glanced at yours before nodding. He had forced himself to withdraw, not wanting to cross any lines, but he had given your hand a squeeze, nonetheless.

”Never been more sure of anything.”

He wasn’t letting go of you. As much was confirmed when his enemies caught whiff of you being involved with him — before he knew it, your name fell from the lips of his latest target, and he had seen red. The men were coming from left and right, punching him, stabbing him, each of them claiming their piece of the Punisher, but he wasn’t going to rest until he’d know you were safe. Their taunts of getting to his little girlfriend had pushed him over the edge, and with feral anger, he slaughtered the lot of them, not letting a single henchman slip out and get to you.

He had wanted to avoid you seeing him like this so badly. But as soon as he was done, as soon as the men lay dead at his feet, he was rushing out of the warehouse he had been lured into, just to make his way to you.

The urgent knock on your door in the middle of the night wasn’t a completely unfamiliar sound — you had stitched Frank up more than a few times, but you could tell something was wrong. As soon as you opened the door, a bloodied Frank burst through, his eyes wide and alert, his shaky hands clamoring to find purchase on your shoulders.

”Hey, hey, what is it? Are you okay?” you asked with worry, eyebrows knitted together as you tried to balance Frank’s larger frame, your hands resting on his arms.

”I—I needed to know you were okay”, he managed to get out, breathless and panicking, and nodding to promise him that you were, you attempted to meet his frantic eyes and calm him down.

”I’m okay, Frankie, I’m okay. Breathe, honey”, you reassured, and slumping against your body, Frank pulled you into a vicelike hug, squeezing you tight, breathing you in. Blood stained your clothes and hair, but your priority was getting Frank across the panicked state he was in, to assure him everything was okay.

”They said they were coming for you. I—I couldn’t let them. I wasn’t gonna let them”, he repeated, before grunting, ”I killed ’em all.”

Pulling away slightly, you looked into dark eyes with a disbelieving frown. ”You did that for me?” you whispered, and finding solace in your gaze, Frank found it in himself to catch his breath and understand that the imminent danger was over.

”You’re goddamn right I did. I’d do it again and again. I’d do anything for you”, he swore, letting his forehead fall against yours. You closed your eyes and took his hand, giving it a firm squeeze before pulling him towards the bathroom.

”Let’s get you cleaned up, big guy.”

Even after he had had time to shower, he was still on alert, constantly checking the windows and pacing around your apartment. You had to fight him to the bedroom, insisting that you both needed to get some rest, and he supposed he could do that — watch over you, make sure you’d get to sleep soundly. Soon enough, you were cuddled up in the bed and Frank was sitting next to you, resting against the headboard with his eyes laser-focused on the closed door.

”Hey, you can relax. They’re all gone. No one’s coming for me”, you reminded him softly, caressing his arm with tender fingers, and swallowing, Frank slowly and reluctantly sank deeper into the mattress to be closer to you.

”I ain’t ever lettin’ anythin’ happen to you. You know that, right?” he grunted, and with a nod, you reassured him.

”I know. You always make me feel safe.” His eyes softened at your words, and gently, he reached over to kiss your forehead, his lips lingering for a brief moment.

He really would have done anything for you.

[storm-angel989]

Hi, I hope you're having a good weekend. I was wondering if I could request a valentino One-shot where he finds out his daughter has been self harming and is depressed and how he and the other vees react? Thanks

Oh boy, has this one dredged up memories. 

For anyone who is going through this- I’ve been there. I promise you, it gets better. <3 My DM’s are open for anyone who ever needs to chat. Even if it feels like no one else in the world cares, I PROMISE I do. 

<3 Mandy 

Vox noticed it first. 

His niece, once bright and cheerful, seemingly overnight became sullen and withdrawn. Her usual routine of homework with him had changed somewhere. He couldn’t remember when she started slipping past him to do the homework in the quietness of the room. But always busy with his company, he chalked it up to being midyear and post break and didn’t press too much into it. 

He wished he had. 

Velvette saw it too. 

The change of clothing was her first clue that something wasn’t right. Her uniform shirts came in two styles- short and long sleeved. Skirts required. When reader sent the shirts down to be cleaned, Velvette noticed a hole in several. Unacceptable- no child in her life would dress like that. 

As she sat down at her computer to order a new set, she realized that she hadn’t seen a short sleeved shirt come down in awhile.  Unusual for the weather, but maybe reader was feeling a bit insecure about herself. She made a mental note to talk to her about it and pressed the order button before jumping back into her world of fashion. 

A pained expression crossed her face. She should have made that discussion a priority. 

Valentino watched his little girl start to fall apart at the start of her freshman year. He chalked it up to hormones and tried not to take her attitude shift too personally. After all, she was growing up. She had to know that she could come to them with any issues, right? He cursed himself for not paying closer attention, not talking to the others when he first noticed the change. 

Maybe then he wouldn’t be sitting next to his daughter, her head in Vox’s lap as he carefully worked to stitch her wrist closed. She was lucky, really, that Vox had pounded on her door when he did, even luckier that Vox didn’t value privacy over security. 

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she sobbed. “I didn’t mean to go that far!” 

He didn’t answer, his full attention concentrated on the movement of his fingers as they pulled together the well scarred skin. 

“Shussh, it's going to be alright,” Velvette said quietly as she stroked reader’s hair. “Let your Daddy patch you up, sweetheart. It’s going to be okay.” 

Valentino swallowed as his mind flittered to the camera images. He hadn’t seen the rest of her upper body in person yet, but the image of his daughter sitting with her shirt off, cross legged on the bathroom floor, a bottle of witch hazel and cotton balls next to her- as if she had done this a thousand times before. The razor blade in her hand as she pressed it deep into her shoulder- once, twice, three times, before she moved to her wrist. Her lack of tears scared him as much as the amount of blood did. 

It was an endorphin rush. He understood it. Self harm, cutting, was a way to take away the pain. It was a distraction, a form of natural high. No different than the millions of souls addicted to what he sold. Not that it made cutting an acceptable coping mechanism, but he could at least, somehow, see the biology behind it. 

“Please don’t make me go downstairs,” she begged. “Please don’t lock me up, Daddy, Uncle Vox Auntie…”

“No one is locking you up sweetheart,” Vox said soothingly as Valentino began to wrap her wrist. 

Valentino swallowed. Could they afford to send her to a mental health facility? Sure. Was it the worst thing in the world? No. But he wasn’t willing to do that, not quite yet. Not unless a professional told him she was a suicide risk. Not unless a professional told him that is what she needed to fight this. 

“Daddy, do you hate me?” She sobbed.

His heart broke. Carefully, he pulled reader into his arms and cradled her to his chest. He pressed the palm of his hand to her ear as he held her there, safe in his hold. 

“No. I don’t. I love you, ninita.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “You are my entire world.”

“Please don’t lock me up,” she repeated as she sobbed into him. 

He gently rubbed her back and looked at Velvette. Her eye caught his and she nodded, her fingers flying across the keyboard. He felt sick to his stomach as he held his child. He cursed himself again for not taking family history into account back when he first noticed the change in her. 

He knew depression ran in their family- hell, her mother had fought it all through her pregnancy on Earth before ultimately dying in childbirth. And Valentino wasn’t exactly free from the disease himself. And at the end of the day, depression was a disease. No different than a broken ankle or sprained wrist, and needed to be treated as such. There was no shame in it. There was no shame in any mental illness. He took a deep breath as he prepared to say his next words. 

“No one is going to lock you up, but this is what’s going to happen next,” he said softly. “Now that Daddy has stopped the bleeding, we’re going to go downstairs. All four of us. A doctor will be waiting there to talk to you. That’s all they’re going to do, talk. Do you understand?”

“I don’t need to talk to someone,” she began to sob again. “I don’t, I…It was an accident. Please don’t send me away.” 

The words Valentino wanted to speak caught in the back of his throat. Every part of him wanted to wrap up his daughter and hold onto her tight, to protect her from everything that caused her this pain. He looked to Vox and Vox leaned over. 

“We know sweetie, and we believe you,” he said soothingly. “We won’t let anyone take you away from us, okay? But you don’t have to suffer all this pain. The doctor will help with that, we promise. But this isn’t a negotiation.” 

“And even if the doctor does say you need to be hospitalized, it isn’t the worst thing in the world. It isn’t as scary as it sounds, I promise. I’ve been there,” Velvette added quietly. “Val, she’s waiting. Downstairs. Whenever we’re ready.”

“Val? I can carry her,” Vox said quietly as he knelt down next to them. “If you want.” 

“No, I got her,” Valentino replied as he swept her up in his arms. To his immense relief, she didn’t fight. “It gets better, mi amore,” he said softly as the four of them made their way to the elevator. “I promise. And you are never, ever going to fight this alone again. We love you. I love you.” He swallowed. “Even if you’re scared, know that I love you. And that this life doesn’t have to be riddled with overwhelming sadness and pain. I promise. I promise you it gets better.”

[kitixie]

Little Girl Gone (pt 3)

Synopsis: After Tommy fixes you up, you can't help but let old feelings get in the way. Then, the unexpected happens.

word count 2.8k

information/warnings: cursing, talk of death, not too much, the LIGHTEST hint of smut activity. this chapter is very strange to me, i wrote 3 different versions of it, and this is the one that i felt would carry the story further. not proofread!!

taglist: @budugu, @ajmiila02, @filmtv2022, @cyphah, @ce1iat, @thenattitude

thank you all so so much for reading, i hope you enjoy this chapter!! please leave a comment if you had questions, critiques, anything!

As you sat in the back office of the Garrison, waiting for Thomas, you heard the wails of a man coming from the bar. You could hear every single time a punch connected here, a kick landed there, and the screams that punctuated each. If you strained your ears hard enough, you could hear small grunts and pants of air coming from another man, who you assumed to be Tommy. The beating continued for another few moments, and all you could do was listen. The cries and moans of pain eventually stopped, followed by a distinct voice. 

“Get ‘em out of my fuckin’ pub. I’ve got to go see about my girl.” 

It was Tommy, and he called you ‘his girl’ in front of everyone. 

Tommy entered the office, wiping his hands with a bar rag. You noticed the slight red tinge on the cloth, but decided to let him handle it, he was Tommy Shelby after all, surely he’d had worse than a couple of bruised knuckles. You watched him, as he cleaned his hands and then looked at you. Without speaking, he moved to his desk and opened one of the lower drawers. He pulled out a small white box, marked on the top by a small red cross. 

“C’mere, Love. Let me see that cut.” He said, motioning for you to sit on his desk while he sat in his chair. 

You walked towards him, wringing your hands together out of nervousness. Not only were you nervous because you were about to have his undivided attention, but him calling you ‘his girl’ still rang loud in your mind. You approached his desk, standing in front of where he was seated in his chair. He stood, hooking his hands under your arms, and lifted you so that your ass was directly on top of his desk; you were fairly certain you were sitting on some important legal documents. He softly grabbed your chin, and tilted your head to the side, allowing for him to get a clear view of your face. He gave a little ‘hmph’ and opened the first aid box. He pulled out a spray, an ointment, and a bandage. You realized how lucky you were to not need stitches when you saw the plain needle and thread also in the box. 

“This is going to sting Love, so just sit still for me, okay?” He spoke, turning your head so that you had to look him in the eye. 

“Okay, Tommy.” You nodded. 

He began with the spray, which stung like hell, but you were tough and you wanted to be good for him so you sat still as frozen concrete. The small smile that appeared on his face at your little grimace didn’t go unnoticed. 

“Good girl. The next thing shouldn’t sting, but still, don’t move.” He said, the deep baritone of his voice making your ears heat up. 

While Tommy was applying the ointment and bandage to your forehead, the two of you began talking. He told you a little bit about the war, as you were young and left almost as soon as he got back. He still felt guilty speaking about it to you now, in his mind you were innocent, despite how you just beat a grown man's ass into the dirt a few moments prior. He thought that you should never have to know about war, about mass casualty. He told you about the tunnels he helped dig and operate, and every once in a while when he would get choked up, you would rub your hand along his arm that was still doctoring your face. One particular moment made you realize just what he had been through. 

“We were down there, it was dark and it stunk. My God, Y/N, it stunk. People died down there and we had no way to get them out, no way to even try and get them help. Towards the end, one of my comrades, one of the few I was actually friendly with, he got hit. We never even saw it coming. He got left down there, and sometimes, I still see him…” Tommy trailed off. 

You watched him with sympathy as a single tear rolled out of his eye. Tommy had seen you cry plenty, but this was the first time you had ever even seen his eyes water. 

“Shh, it’s okay, Tom. Why don’t I tell you more about my time up North? Did you know thats where I went? Up North?” You said softly, trying to get him to come out of his head and back into the present with you. 

“I knew you went North, Y/N. I called around about you until I found someone who knew where you were. I just wanted to know you were safe.” He said. 

Tommy had looked for you? Not only looked, but he knew where you were this entire time? So much for ever truly getting away from the Shelby’s, you laughed at yourself. 

“Well then how come I never heard from you? If you knew where I was, why didn’t you ever stop in? Or were you watching me so that you’d be able to stop me from ever coming back?” You scoffed, now leaning back on your hands since he was done with your cut. 

“Of course I wanted you to come home, Y/N. I didn’t reach out because I thought you ran away from me. I didn’t want to scare you off the continent, so I settled for just knowing you were safe.” He replied, packing up his first aid box. 

You studied his expression, and savored his words in your mind. You had been holding feelings for Tommy since you were 16. You were both grown now, and although you couldn’t be certain, the things he was saying sounded an awful lot like something you’d say to someone you cared for. You decided to bite the bullet, and expose your younger self. 

“Look Thomas, we’re both grown, professional, adults right?” You said, cocking your head to the side. 

“...Right?” He answered, giving you a puzzled look. 

“Well then, I’m just going to out myself, and if you don’t like what I have to say then we’ll pretend I didn’t say it,” you paused, just trying to see if he would interrupt, he didn’t. “I have looked at you in so many ways Tommy. I’ve seen you be a brother, a friend, an enemy, but all you ever were to me, since I was sixteen years old, was Tommy. My Tommy. I have pined after you and wanted you since I was sixteen, and you never gave me the time of day. I don’t know what you mean by all of what you’ve said, especially earlier when you were poking fun at me over dinner, but I can see that you care for me Tommy. I’m not sure how thick you think these walls are, but I heard you call me ‘your girl’ earlier. You have opened up to me without reserve like I have never seen you do before Thomas. Never. I’m saying all this to say a few things. One, I didn’t say goodbye to you because I couldn’t face you. I knew that if I had to look at you, and have one last conversation, that I would hold onto that for the rest of my life, and those words would be the only ones of yours that I could ever hear in my head. Two, I want you to understand, and make no mistake, that I like you Thomas. Not just in a ‘well he’s fine, I like him way’, but in a way that makes my ears hot, that makes me want to giggle like a child and swing my arms around. I like you in a way that is bordering on love, Tommy. And three, I need to know if you feel the same way. I need to know. Even if you don’t, even if you have never looked at me like that and you never will, and all I will ever be to you is an annoying family friend, I need to know.”

You took a deep breath, unsure of what was going to come next. You felt a single tear roll down your cheek, but not from sadness, from relief. You had been holding onto these feelings for years, you never shared them with anyone, their weight was your own. You watched his face as he processed all of this. Practically watched the wheels turn in his brain. You had watched him so much, that you had his beautiful face committed to memory, forevermore trapped in your brain. This version of Tommy, the version where he hadn’t yet opened his mouth to tell you that he doesn’t like you, that he doesn’t see you like that, was perfect. He was beautiful, all soft pink lips and tortured blue eyes. You even thought the dark colors under his eyes from being sleep deprived were pretty. You took one last photo of him in your mind, before he opened his mouth. He stood from his chair, putting him above your eye level. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it shut again. He did this a few times, each time the look in his eye changing with the opening and closing of his mouth. Finally, he spoke. 

“Y/N, I am rarely left speechless, but I think you’ve caught me here, Love.” He said softly, bringing his hand up to cradle your jaw. 

He leaned his head in towards you, slower than you ever thought it possible for a human to move. Once you realized what was happening, a million thoughts ran through your head. Were you really about to kiss Thomas Shelby? Was he really about to kiss you? Here? In his office? You never imagined this would be his response to your love-fueled ramblings, but this was the best outcome you ever could’ve hoped for. You had fallen for this man many years ago, but those feelings weren’t like regular school-yard crushes. They never went away, never dwindled, never stopped or changed in any negative value. You had filled your own head with imagined words he’d said to you, convincing yourself that if he ever noticed you, just once if he could see you for the woman you truly are, that he would love you, or like you at least. But now, after you had confessed and outed and embarrassed yourself in his office, now is when he chooses to notice you? Here? While your face is bandaged up from a bar brawl that you got into? You weren’t the typical woman that Tommy Shelby went for, not now. He would go for women who were outwardly dainty, yet fierce inside. Women who carried small pocket knives in their dress pockets, and would brandish them as a ‘party trick’. Tommy Shelby did not go for women who held their own, physically. He did not go for women who stole knives off of fighting opponents, who held their composure getting fixed up in a dark back office, women who went away for five years and turned up without so much as a ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’. 

Your inner monologue quickly settled, as you realized that you had created all of those thoughts within a few milliseconds, as here stood Thomas before you, still leaning in to press his lips to yours. You waited, breath hitched, eyes slowly closing, lips slowly parting, your hand coming to rest on his waist, just waiting for the fiery moment when his lips touched yours. 

“Aye!” A crash came through the doorway. 

Tommy jerked back, taking his hand and all your thoughts with him. You stared at him with an open mouth, chest moving wildly up and down, and then turned to the man who ruined your fucking moment. Arthur Shelby. 

“What in the hell do ya’ two think your doin’? ‘Specially you, Y/N. Why the fuck are ya startin’ fights in my pub?” Arthur asked, his hands resting on his hips. 

“I didn’t start shit, Arthur. Maybe make sure you don’t let fuckin’ creeps in the door and I wouldn’t have to teach these men a thing or two!” You shouted, mad at Arthur for many reasons. 

One, how dare he come in here and start talking at you, not even asking if you’re okay? Two, He just ruined the best fucking moment you’d had in five long, miserable, dry years. 

“Oi, Arthur, you could at least ask her if she's okay,” Tommy remarked, turning his attention towards you again. 

You stared at the two brothers, feeling the slightest bit unhinged. You had yelled at Arthur when he was acting like a reasonable buisness man, of course he’d want to know why there had been a knife fight in his pub. However, would it have fuckin’ killed him to wait five more seconds before he came barging in? 

“Arthur, I’ll go over all the details tomorrow,” Tommy spoke again, “For now, lets get Y/N back to Watery Lane. I’m sure news has spread and Ada and Pol will skin me if I don’t let them see her in one piece before I take her home.” 

The three of you headed outside, loading up into the Shelby car. You sat in the back, with Tommy driving and Arthur in the passenger seat. There was no conversation made on the way back to the Shelby home, only silence. You watched as buildings passed out of the window, wondering what was going to come of you and Tommy now? There had been such a buildup, and obviously he felt some kind of way about you, right? 

Once the three of you made it to Watery Lane, it was absolutely pouring outside. A thunderstorm had come from seemingly nowhere, lighting the sky up in streaks of white-purple light every few seconds. The rain fell heavily against the roof and windows of the car, and Tommy offered you his jacket as a cover for your head. You accepted his offering, and the lot of you scurried as fast as you could into the foyer of the home. 

“Y/N, I don’t think I’ll be able to take you home tonight, Love. Are you comfortable staying here?” Tommy asked, now that Arthur had wandered off deeper into the house. 

“Of course, Tommy. It won’t be the first time I’ve slept here. But is there room for me?” You questioned, realizing that either everyone was home (for once), meaning all rooms were occupied. 

“Don’t worry about that, we’ll find you a good place to sleep.” He said, a sly smile coming across his face. 

After explaining the whole situation to Polly and Ada, you were beyond tired. It was well past midnight at this point, and you could barely hold your eyes open. Tommy seemed to take notice, and bid the two other women goodnight for the both of you. He took your hand and lead you up the stairs to his room. 

“You can borrow some of my clothes to sleep in, okay, Love? I’m going to go to the bathroom to change, just open the door when it’s safe for me to come back in.” He said, handing you a folded up shirt and pair of boxers. 

You quickly stripped off the wet clothes, hanging them to dry in his closet. You ran your fingers through your damp hair, trying your best to smooth it out from the rough night you’d had. You cracked open the door of Tommy’s room, and saw him standing in the hallway, gazing at the door. Once he snapped out of his trance, he came into his room and shut his door behind him. 

“You look good in my clothes, Y/N.” He whispered, barely loud enough to be heard. 

You felt your cheeks blush at his comment. You saw him walk behind you, and then heard the creaking of bed springs. 

“Where am I going to sleep, Thomas?” You asked, not understanding why he was getting into bed when the situation hadn’t been resolved. 

“Right ‘ere, Love,” he patted the other side of his bed, “I don’t bite, I promise.” He smiled. 

You gave him a hesitant look before climbing into his bed, suddenly feeling relaxed by his smell. His presence was all around you. You could smell him on the sheets, you could hear his breathing behind you as you lay on your side, and then, you could feel his arm around your waist as he pulled your back flush to his warm, bare chest. 

“Goodnight, Y/N. Sleep well, Love.” Tommy whispered, still holding his grip on you. 

“Goodnight, Tommy.” 

[toxicanonymity]

Ethyl's house

500 words, night walks AU - neighbor Ethyl

One afternoon, Joel was outside getting the mail when Ethyl got home. He saw her Oldsmobile crawling into the cul-de-sac with her hands at ten and two. She was hunched forward with her big glasses above the steering wheel as she pulled into her driveway. Joel lingered at his mailbox. For a moment, he wondered how well she could see the pool from her house, but she likely went to bed before sundown.

After she parked, she got out of the car, hung her purse on her inner elbow, and popped the trunk. Joel put the mail back in his mailbox and walked over to her driveway. In the trunk there were two paper grocery sacks, and she was taking apples out of one to make it light enough to carry. She didn't mind making multiple trips. She would do it with a smile.

“How ‘bout a hand with those,” Joel offered behind her.

She marveled at his strength as he repacked the bag and picked both of them up.

She shuffled in front of him, holding her purse under her arm in one hand and her keys out in front of herself in the other. She unlocked and held open the carport door to her house.

An older chihuahua whined from the den before standing up from its little bed, stretching with its tail up, then shaking his head, jingling the collar.

“That's Barney,” Ethyl informed Joel.

She turned on her small oven, and and took a pan of cookie dough out of her modest fridge while Joel unpacked the groceries. The oven handle was almost as high as she was tall.

Her home was neat and simple with lots of cross stitch and knitted blankets. She gave him the full tour, with Barney silently sniffing behind them, wagging his tail. The smell of chocolate chip cookies began to fill the air as she sat Joel down on the sofa and showed off family photos. There were photos of her and her late husband traveling the world. They didn't have kids. There were photos of her sisters, her niece, and her great nephews.

When the oven timer went off, she shuffled back into the kitchen. She gave Joel a plate full of cookies and a 1970s juice glass of whole milk, but she didn't partake. She smiled while Joel enjoyed them.

“Oh,” she raised a knobby finger. “Let me send some with you.” She brought back a tupperware and told him he better save some for you.

Joel raised his eyebrows with a silent smile. She smiled and covered her mouth, oops. Then croaked, “I'm not trying to be a busy body, Joel.”

She reached for his hand, and he patiently waited for a but. Her hand was cold on top of his.

“But if you've got something special, treat it special.”

He swallowed and looked down.

“And hang onto it as long as you can.”

She squeezed his hand, and he nodded silently.

-----

-----

thank you for reading!

tag list because this is night walks canon

@silkiers @eiviea @evyiione @queerly-anxious @chernayawidow @ambassadortotrilliusprime @fandomsfallnomore @djarinxore @blackvelveteen1339 @manazo @taeslarityy @str84pedro @lokanda  @kyloispunk @filthfairy @fieryglutenfreechickennoodles @harriedandharassed @moonlightdivine @worhols @fan-fiction-floozy @cutesyscreenname   @weddingfairy @pedropascal-whore @spideysimpossiblegirl @feministfanboi @prettypartyfavor @am-3-thyst @babeincolor @switchbladedreamz @within-the-depths @may-machin @sloanexx @paleidiot @yourmistysecret @bean-is-reading @rainstorms-library @am-3-thyst

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Whisked Away 3

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Part of the Sweet and Spicy AU

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You get a job at a bakery but your new boss only adds to your work

Character: chubby!baker!Thor

Please comment and reblog if it’s not too much. I always love getting to chat about these stories and hearing all your ideas! You all are wonderful and loved.

You set the icing bag down and step back. You press your hands against the front of your apron as Thor shifts closer to the counter. You watch him nervously as he turns the tray by the corner and considers your work. Each cookie is a variation of the cross-stitched them. The most detailed shows roses, while the others are intricately lined with grids with scalloped edges. 

He hums and sucks his teeth. You cringe and push your arms down straight, overly aware of yourself and your body. You should at least try to hide your desperation. His cheek dimples and he smiles as he faces you. 

“When can you start?” He asks. 

You nearly sway. You can’t believe it. You’re misunderstanding him. You shake your head, “pardon?” 

“You do good work, so... I’d like to hire you,” his tone is jovial. 

“Right, uh, when... when could I start?” You scrunch up your fists as you feel your insides buzzing. This can’t be real. It’s so sudden. Too good to be true. 

“If I’m being honest, right now,” he turns his large palms out, “however, there is the matter of paperwork and all that.” 

“Right,” you nod. 

“Tomorrow?” He suggests, “bring in a blank check and I can send the forms you need to fill out tonight. Is that too soon? Am I too desperate?” 

You almost laugh as he asks the questions in your own head. You let out a breath. It’s real! 

“Sure, that sounds good,” you agree.  

“Then I suppose that means you’re hired,” he announces and offers his hand, “welcome to the team.” 

You look at his thick fingers before you reach for them. You shake his hand, his covering yours entirely, and he clings for just a minute before he releases you. 

“I’ll pack these up to go,” he spins and marches across the kitchen. He takes out a square box and returns to the counter, “you can take them home to your sister.” 

“Uh, oh, thank you, you don’t have to do that.” 

“Please, a little celebration,” he says as he uses a rubber spatula to transfer the cookies, “I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear the good news.” 

“Ah, yeah,” you wring your hands then stop yourself. “Thanks.” 

“Of course,” he closes up the box and holds it out. “Tomorrow at six? You can open with me.” 

“Sure, I can make that work,” you smile, trying not to let your doubts break through. That might be a problem for Delaney. 

🍰

You put the box down on the table as Delaney sits in her recliner. She clacks the long needles together as she grumbles at her latest project. She gave a curt grunt at your entrance; she must be fighting another stitch. 

“Why don’t you grab your frame?” You suggest. 

“Bored of it,” she shrugs as you approach, “you bring me goodies?” 

She peeks over her shoulder towards the table. 

“Yep. Cookies,” you answer, “owner was really nice. Let me take them.” 

“Oh yeah? So...” she looks up at you, “how long til you know?” 

“I already do,” you can’t help a large grin, “I got it.” 

“You got it!” She shoves aside her knitting, “that’s...” she grunts as she pushes herself to the edge of the chair. She waves you away as you try to help, “amazing.” 

She stands and turns to you, pulling you into a crooked hug. You embrace her, your heart beating with joy. You haven’t been this happy in forever. You haven’t seen her this excited in just as long. 

She lets you go and to your surprises, stays standing. She groans as she stretches her arms and shifts around. She rolls her walker away from the side of the chair and leans on it. She’s not moving too bad. She wheels around you to the table and you follow. 

“There is one thing. I have to be there at six,” you explain, “so I might have to get you up early--” 

“Uh uh, I’m not getting up before sunrise,” she scoffs as she flips open the lid of the box, “I can get myself up.” 

“Right, I know, Deli, but if you need anything, you can call--” 

“Hey,” she takes a cookie out and considers it, “you need this job.” Her mouth slants as she looks at you, “we both need you to have this job. I’m not stupid,” she glances back at the cookie, “this is really cute. You did this?” 

“Uh, yeah, part of the interview,” you say, “it was... different. Nice place though. Family business, I think? His daughter works there.” 

“Ah, some old dude, huh?” Delaney angles herself to sit on the dining chair with her special cushion. “Fun.” 

“I guess he’s older. Big.” 

“Fat?” She chuckles. 

“Don’t be mean,” you shake your head, “tall... and a bit... pudgy, I guess.” 

“Huh, well, that’s not too bad. Better than some slave driver. Can’t be too bad if he gives you free cookies.” She takes a bite and her eyes nearly roll back as she hums, “oh my god!” She says through a mouthful and swallows, “these are so good. Have you tried one yet?” 

“No, I... my stomachs all knotted up.” 

“You got it, relax. Have a cookie before I eat them all,” she shoves the box towards you. 

“Alright,” you take one and nibble along the edge. You take a large bite as the sweetness crumbles onto your tongue. You cover your mouth as you nearly moan. She wasn’t being dramatic. “Oh god.” 

“Right?” She breaks off another piece, “this is like sex in my mouth.” 

“Ew,” you scrunch your nose up at her. 

“What? I ain’t no prude,” she scoffs, “actually, I've been talking to this guy online.” 

“Del,” you warn her. 

“I’m an adult,” she snaps. 

“I know,” you say, “I’m not saying anything except be careful. I remember Colin.” 

“Mm,” she frowns, “so do I. Jackass.” She reaches for another cookie, “you better bring home more of these.” 

“Uh huh,” you swipe the box towards you and close it up, “and you better slow down. You haven’t even had dinner.” 

“You are such an old lady,” she whines. 

“One of us has to be the mature one,” you sniff. 

“That’s fine. I like being the fun one,” she chortles and takes a massive bite, “mph, I could live off of these.” 

[stxrslut]

LOVE PLEASE write smth about Doctor!jj where his girlfriend needs stitches and he's making fun of her when he puts them because she's soo dramatic over it (i was too lmao 🤕) OR maybe some headcanons for him because the way you're writing for him is too good?? 🤨🫶🏻

awh thank you ml <3

you’d fallen off of your bike and sliced your arm on a jagged rock, so now you’re sat here, having your arm prepped for stitching by your boyfriend.

he’d set you up pretty well, piling your corner of the couch up with extra pillows and blankets to make you comfortable.

he’d given you some numbing cream after he cleaned your would, which has now kicked in, making your arm tingle strangely.

“It’s only three, so it shouldn’t take me more than five minutes… if you keep still.” he raises his eyebrows at the last part, looking at you expectantly.

“I will keep still,” you huff, holding your arm out for him to start on. he nods and starts getting to work.

you had lied. you are not keeping still, in fact you’re squirming all over the place, meaning jj has to keep halting his movements in order to not rip your skin.

“seriously, I’m nearly done if you’d just let me—” he tries to hold you down, but you just squirm.

“it hurts jayj!” you complain still trying to get away from the needle. he nods, trying to keep his voice sympathetic and not irritated when he speaks.

“I know, s’why I’m trying to get it done with.” he exasperates, looking up at you. “c’mon it’s just one more.”

you just pout, crossing your free arm over your chest, “I’ll only do it if… if—”

“If what?” he raises an eyebrow, looking at you like you’re the most dramatic girl in the world.

“I’ll only do it if you give me really good head after.”

“okay, deal done. now keep still.”

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

thank you for all the lovely fics you've been sharing with us, and congrats on 1k followers! For a request...how about the first time Ed has a cold after he and Stede get together? With some sweet sweet Stede caretaking of course <3

Yes!! Sweet caretaking incoming!

Send me a prompt and I'll write a 1k word fic!

--

“It’s just a cold, man, seriously!”

“Mhm.” Stede crossed his arms, looking down at Ed where he was still refusing to let him get out of bed, deeply unimpressed. “How about a deal? If you can make it more than ten seconds without coughing your head off, I’ll let you get up.”

“You’re on,” Ed said, immediately, which turned out to be a bit of a terrible start, because talking irritated his scratchy throat and sent him immediately into a bout of painful coughs.

Ed tried to hide them by pretending he was just clearing his throat. Judging by the look on Stede’s face, he wasn’t buying it.

“It’s just a cold,” Ed repeated, staring down at his lap. He’d woken up with a pounding headache, swollen sinuses, so much nasal congestion his head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton balls, and a sore, achy body. He was aware he probably couldn’t have looked more pitiful if he’d been trying.

“Ed.” Stede sat next to him on the bed, holding out his hand in an open invitation. Ed took it, lacing their fingers together. “Why are you so resistant to admitting you should just stay in bed today?”

Part of it, genuinely, was that Ed had been up and about with much worse than a little head cold. He’d once had to time leading his crew while they sailed through a squall around stitching himself up so he wouldn’t bleed out before they made it to calmer waters. This little cold was something he never would’ve thought about staying in bed for, and that was the honest truth.

So:

“I don’t need to,” Ed said, honestly, with a shrug. “I can tough it out. Plus, we’ve had that reservation at the new restaurant down at the market for weeks, and you’ve been looking forward to it, and I don’t want you to miss it, and-”

“Ah,” Stede said, in that specific, annoyingly smug voice way that didn’t exactly say there it is, but might as well have. “We can always reschedule.”

“But-”

“I don’t want to go if you’re not feeling well,” Stede shrugged. “You’ll just have a miserable time, and I’ll be worried about you, because I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Ed said automatically.

“Well, you wouldn’t deny the love of your life the opportunity to take care of you, now, would you?” Stede tapped the tip of Ed’s red, snuffly nose with an index finger. “You stay right here. I’m making soup.”

Ed could have fought it; he knew Stede wouldn’t force him to stay in bed if he really didn’t want to. But a day of laying in bed with Stede fussing over him was starting to sound kind of…nice.

Stede made him a big bowl of tomato and roasted red pepper soup, darting from the kitchen to the bedroom every few minutes to bring Ed handkerchiefs, and tea with honey to soothe his throat, and cream to spread on his chest to ease his congestion, and books to keep him entertained. Ed was a little feverish, and Stede insisted on checking his temperature exclusively by pressing his lips to Ed’s forehead.

The soup was, technically, edible. Stede had somehow managed to overcook it, and also undercook the peppers, which were still a bit crunchy. Red peppers also probably hadn’t been a smart idea for a guy with a cold; Stede knew Ed loved peppers, but they didn’t help his streaming nose.

It was the best soup Ed had ever eaten. He scraped his bowl clean.

Then Stede started looking like he was about to climb back into bed with him, and Ed stopped him with a hand on his chest, not letting him get within smooching range.

“You don’t want to kiss me right now, I’m gross,” he said.

“You are not gross, you’re sick!” Stede looked genuinely offended on his behalf. “You poor thing, you deserve extra kisses right now, if anything.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” Ed acquiesced easily. His cheeks were sore from how swollen his sinuses were, but Stede’s kisses were incredibly gentle. “Maybe no cuddles, though. I don’t want you getting sick, too.”

“Love, we slept with you quite literally on top of me,” Stede said reasonably. “If I’m going to catch it, I think I already have.”

“Oh,” Ed realized. “Oh, no. You’re going to be the worst patient.”

“I resent that accusation,” Stede said. “I’ll have you know that I am a model patient.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that in a few days.”

“Hey, Ed?” Stede shut him up with a gentle kiss, smiling against his lips. “Just let me hold you.”

Ed mimed zipping his lips shut, moving over in bed just far enough for Stede to climb in before snuggling up into his side.

He hadn’t realized how cold he was, how much his sore, sick body was just longing for comfort, until he had Stede next to him. He sighed in relief, cuddling up as close as he could, clinging to Stede’s middle. Stede was warm, and soft, and knew how to hold him just right to make him feel better.

“There we go.” Stede pressed a kiss to Ed’s forehead. “See, this is nice, isn’t it? We’ll run a bath in a bit, I think - the steam might help clear up your sinuses.”

“Sure,” Ed agreed. He swallowed, some of the doubts he’d been trying to ignore pushing back in. “Are you sure this isn’t a bother? And you’re not mad about your reservation? And I’m not just annoying you?”

“There is nowhere else I’d rather be,” Stede promised. “You’re the love of my life, even when you feel a bit like shit, and you’re sneezing all over my nice handkerchiefs and sweating through the pillows.”

“Mm.” Ed felt himself starting to drift off. “Just wait ‘til I sneeze on you.”

“Just part of the job,” Stede accepted bravely, and Ed fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

[elwenyere]

INCEPTION WIP?????????? IM SO HYPE WHAT THE HELL

Thank you so much for this ask, Anon: I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear excitement for an Inception WIP. <3<3<3 I've been reading and enjoying many delicious Arthur/Eames fics lately, and an idea started percolating that has now brewed up enough flavor notes that it has moved from daydream to WIP. Here's a little snip for you:

.....

“You remember the last job we ran?”

Arthur feels a stitch pull taut between his brows: of course he remembers. He remembers every exercise from every day of training, despite their respective armies’ least ethical experiments in psycho-cognitive readjustment, and if any of them were to go, it wouldn’t be the one responsible for the three years Eames has spent avoiding him. 

Eames makes a little noise of affirmation, crossing his legs to give himself a reason to shift position and widen his view of the bar.

“It seems we’re not the only ones who found it memorable,” he says. “Associates of the injured party paid me a visit about six months ago.”

Arthur lets a breath out slowly through his nose. March 14, just after a job in Gdansk, Magda had told him Eames got caught up in a bar fight: torn rotator cuff, broken collarbone, fractured wrist, and an arrest warrant trailing him for putting two men in the hospital and fleeing the scene. 

No firearms had been mentioned in the news reports Arthur scanned, which makes abduction more likely than a hit. And they’d found Eames at work, which means they have aliases in addition to army records - unredacted reports, which means political capital, money, incentives that outweigh any aversion to burning bridges.

“How many names do they have?” he asks.

Eames stills in the act of tilting his glass. A moment later his mouth twists instead: a bitter curl of a smile.

“No need to worry, Arthur. Whatever you think of my reputation, I assure you the price of my integrity is higher than they can afford.”

Arthur’s lips purse: a twinge of irritation - at himself or at Eames, he’s not sure.

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

[kyojurismo]

Hii!! Would you be able to write a Sanemi fix where they get into an argument but then it’s super fluffy 🤭 like groveling and stuff! Thank youuu 🫶🏻

# sanemi shinazugawa

tags : gn!reader, sanemi is harsh with his words, tiny bit of angst, fluff, r gets injured but it’s nothing too serious, my gf shinobu makes an appearance, not proofread bc i wrote it late at night lmao.

a/n : hello! it’s taking me so long to catch up to all the reqs but i was in a mood for something like this so here we go! hope you’ll enjoy it <3

“dumb as fuck!” his voice was harsh. maybe more than usual. “the fuck is wrong with you?! you’re completely out of your mind!” you were used to sanemi reacting like this, so it didn’t exactly hurt you hearing him talking like that.

“i was trying to help!” you explained, stopping the bleeding with a clothe. it wasn’t too bad, consider to most injuries it was a simple scratch, if you know what i mean. “i’m a hashira! i don’t need help, i can handle myself!” he spat at you, his gaze hard. “i know you’re stronger than me, thank you for the reminder! but you didn’t noticed there was another demon so maybe you did in fact needed help,” you tried to reason with him, your eyes focused on your wounds.

sanemi nervously walked back and forth in front of you, visibly stressed. the kakushi were taking longer or maybe he was unusually impatient.

“i’ve been killing those monsters since i was a kid, i was fine on my own,” he crossed his arms and sighed loudly, still going. “oh right, lemme get you a special medal for your service, mister! i forgot we’re talking about the killing machine of the demon slayer corps!” you were sarcastic at this point, you had enough of his snappy personality for now. he was being exaggerated.

you two eliminated all the demons nearby, you simply jumped in to help him while he was fighting the stronger one and that’s how he was repaying you. dipshit.

“i’m not in the mood, y/n. cut that shit,” he sent you a glare, visibly angry. as always. “you’re not in the mood? i save your ass, you thank me saying that i should have minded my damn business because you can handle yourself and you’re the one not in the mood to talk?!”

you got up, wanting to get away from him. his eyes were on you, ignoring your words completely. “you’re injured, sit back down,” he warned you, his tone was still the same. “fuck you,” you snapped and went sitting away from him, hoping the kakushi would get there soon.

─────────────────────

shinobu just finished stitching up your wounds, cleaning them and providing you with some medicines. she checked sanemi too, but he was fine. she could feel the tension between you two but didn’t push herself in. you thanked her and watched her leave before lying down in your bed, sighing.

sanemi was still there, staring at you. you could feel his eyes burning onto your back and it was starting to fuelling your anger towards him for the way he treated you.

“sanemi, i swear i’m not—”

“i’m sorry for the way i treated you.”

you two spoke at the same time. you turned around and glanced at him, surprised.

“i was scared alright? i saw your blood and lost my mind, you were careless because the demon you were fighting was still aiming at you, but you had to run to me and watch my back,” his tone was surprisingly calm, as if the previous anger never existed. you let him talk because you knew it was hard for him. “i can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

“nemi…” you felt bad for treating him in such manner, but part of you knew that even if his intentions were good, the way he acted was the worst ever. “i know what you think, i do the pull the same shit with genya but… i don’t know how to behave in that case.”

he slowly walked closer to your bed and sat down next to you, his hand grabbed yours and he held it tightly. the gesture was sweet even if his face still showed his hard expression. “maybe don’t treat us like shit, huh?” you tried to joke, offering him a kind smile. “mhm… i’m sorry, for real.”

you knew he was. he always felt bad whenever he acted that way. you sat up and squeezed his hand, before moving to kiss his lips. it was a quick but meaningful kiss, you both knew that. “i know you’re sorry, nemi,” you assured him and he timidly smiled at you, looking down a bit embarrassed.

“you were amazing before, you know that?” his words made you chuckle, because his praise was a way to hide his embarrassment, but it was okay. deep down, you knew sanemi thought very highly of you, not only as a lover but also a slayer.

reblogs & comments are super appreciated! thank you for taking your time reading it, i hope you enjoyed it. have a good day / night <3

[foreverindreamlandd]

Awake My Soul • Epilogue

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

WC: 4.7k

Summary: It’s been 5 years since zombies first began their invasion, and despite everything you’ve been through, you’ve managed to survive up until this point. Now it’s time to face your most dangerous challenge yet….the grumpy, untrusting, fiercely protective Bucky Barnes.

Chapter Warnings: Mentions of needles, shots, syringes, blood, stitches. I think that's it???

A/N: Welp :,) We finally made it to the end!!! It was a fucking year ago that I first had the idea to write a zombie apocalypse enemies to lovers fic...and I cannot believe it's finished. Thank you everyone for the MONTHS (I posted the first chapter freaking six months ago this Thursday) of love, patience, and support while writing this fic. It was a beast, but I would go through all of the hard moments again to experience the amazing reactions and kind words you shared with me. A million thank yous and I love yous <3 Oh and thanks for letting me talk about Twilight a fucking LOT.

Series Masterlist

**There is a playlist for this fic, but linking it here messes up the tags so feel free to check it out in the series masterlist!

“‘Don’t turn her into a squirrel. I can’t bear to watch it.’ Claudia grasped Lucinda’s wrist.”

The children giggled, sitting criss-cross applesauce on the ground in front of you.

“‘You can’t know squirrels lead charming, contented lives. I’m sure she prefers to be a human maiden.’”

“A squirrel!, Ella thought. I had to keep her from making a squirrel of me.”

More laughter. You moved your eyes to the chair next to yours, where a giggling child sat, attention totally on you as Shuri took hold of their arm, syringe in hand. 

You kept reading, maintaining the child’s attention on the story while Shuri injected the purple serum. They only winced a tiny bit, but continued laughing as Ella tried to convince Lucinda not to turn her into a squirrel.

Once the child was all set, Shuri dismissed them to go back to their seat, and the boy sitting next to them got up for their turn.

He looked a lot more nervous, hands trembling as they sat in the chair, biting his lip to keep it from quivering.

You took his hand, pausing your spot in the book to meet his gaze to give them a quick wink and reassuring smile.

He smiled back, squeezing your hand.

With that, you kept reading, and before he knew it, he was returning to his seat.

“Alright,” Shuri said a few children later, clapping her hands together. “That’s everyone. Can we all give Miss Y/n a mighty thank you for reading to you all?”

The kids grumbled out thank you’s and Shuri scoffed. “That was so lame, guys!”

“Can she keep reading?” one of the kids begged. “We wanna know if Lucinda breaks Ella’s curse!”

They all erupted in cheers, and you laughed. Shuri looked over at you with a shrug.

You held the book up. “I’m happy to keep going if you all are.”

They cheered some more, and you continued on for the next hour.

At one point, you looked up to the back of the outdoor space to see Bucky leaning against a tree, arms crossed in front of him, a small, content smile on his face.

As your eyes met, he scrunched his nose at you, smile widening, and you felt the same butterflies form in your stomach as you had when you first met him a year ago.

The morning after your grossly romantic Twilight date, you and Bucky headed over to the lab to meet with Bruce, where he and Peter proposed their crazy idea to you.

To pass on the cure to as many camps as you could.

When the bite mark on Bucky’s neck proved that the serum Bruce had created work, the scientists got straight to work on the next phase of the project: mass distribution. To turn the serum into something that could be administered to any and everyone, so that you could finally be rid of this world-ending virus.

That morning in the lab, Bruce opened up a metal briefcase containing what had to have been hundreds of small vials of purple liquid, a glimmer in his eyes that could only be described as hopeful.

“We could send you out to a couple of camps at a time. You’d get to know their leaders, make them feel comfortable and help show them that what we’ve created works. They could even help spread the word, distribute it to more people. There’s the potential to have everyone cured within the next five years.”

Five years. The same amount of time you had been in this mess in order to fix it.

What would the world even look like in five years? Would it be something worth fighting for, or would it be a lost, desolate place?

You looked up at Bucky by your side, squeezing his hand to get his gaze to meet yours.

When you saw the expression on his face, one a perfect mixture of skepticism and hope, you knew your answer.

Even if the world wasn’t worth fighting for, Bucky was. Your Shield family was.

So with a shrug, you looked back at Bruce.

“When do we start, Doc?”

It started off with Asgard, the home of Thor and Loki, two brothers who had met their untimely end shortly after you and Bucky met them.

You, Bucky, Steve, Bruce, Yelena and Kate set out a few days after developing a plan of execution.

Their leader, Valkyrie, was obviously skeptical. But when you and Bucky relayed the story of your brief encounter with her fallen friends, and with some fancy science jargon from Bruce - and a thorough inspection of the bite marks you and Bucky shared on your necks - she was a bit more willing to participate.

The group stayed there a few days, getting acquainted with the members of camp, allowing them to grow comfortable enough to realize none of you were a threat.

Then came administration. Bruce worked with Valkyrie and their medic Jane to teach them how to properly inject the antidote, bringing the adults up first to ease into the concept of being poked with a needle for the kids.

When it was finally time for the kids, there were still some who threw a fit when Jane tried to coax them into the seat, wailing and crying and creating way too much noise and attention to yourselves.

“We gotta do something,” Yelena muttered, eyes scanning the trees that bordered the camp. “If these kids keep screaming over a damn needle we’re going to be swarmed by walkers before nightfall.”

Bucky, who was on your other side, leaned down till his lips were by your ear.

“Remember what you did that time AJ scraped up his leg so bad he needed stitches? And he was freaking out, not letting Bruce anywhere near him?” You turned to face him and he shrugged in a couldn’t hurt to try way.

Without a second thought, you walked over to the kid, crouching down to get to their level.

“This feels really scary, doesn’t it?” you asked, taking their hands. They nodded. “I hate doing things that scare me, too, even when I know that doing the scary thing will help me or help the people that I love. You know what I try to think of whenever I feel afraid?”

The kid’s bottom lip jutted out and they nodded again. You smiled.

“I think about a man named Bilbo Baggins, who was a very small person.” You raised one hand just below the child’s head to display Bilbo’s height and they giggled. “Bilbo had to leave his home where he felt safe to go on a long, terrifying adventure with a bunch of strange - and very smelly dwarves - to go fight a dragon. Now, he absolutely did not want to go on this adventure, because he had never done something so scary in his life. And he not only had to try and defeat a dragon, but he fought trolls, giant spiders, and many other monsters along the way, and each time he fought those things he was terrified. There were many times he wanted to cry and run home where he felt safe. But you know what?”

“What?” the kid immediately responded, eyes now wide and excited, free of tears.

You squeezed their hands. “He found the courage he needed to save those smelly dwarves who had become his friends. And the more courage he had, the less scary all of the monsters became.” You cocked your right brow up. “Do you think you could be brave like Bilbo right now?”

The child bit their bottom lip, chest rising as they took in a deep breath. On the exhale, they nodded.

Your smile widened. “There we go. I know you can handle this, and I’ll be right here, okay? I won’t leave unless you want me to.”

Jane took a step forward, needle in hand and the kid’s hands tightened around yours. “Stay please.”

You nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Their eyes shut tightly, and Jane moved quickly as she injected the serum into their arm.

“Look at that,” you said softly. “All done.” The kid opened one eye. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

They nodded, a smile forming on their lips. “Was I brave?”

“The bravest. No dragon would ever dare to mess with you.” You winked and they giggled, letting go of your hands and walking away.

You were about to stand up and return to Yelena’s side, when a young girl ran up in front of you for their turn, eyes wide.

“Can you talk more about Bilbo? How big were the spiders he had to fight?”

You looked up at Jane, who simply shrugged before grabbing a new syringe.

“They were massive,” you replied, extending your arms out wide. “So big, in fact, you could probably ride one of them…”

Not even thirty minutes had passed, and now all of the kids were huddled beside you, eager to hear more of your recollection of The Hobbit, eyes bright with excitement, barely even registering that they were here to get a shot.

You made a mental note to bring a book with you wherever you went, just like you used to when you first were on the run with your parents.

“You’re amazing, you know that right?” Bucky asked when everyone was done and you walked over to him.

“Tell me something I don’t know, Beefcake,” you joked, winking at him.

His arms wrapped around you, pulling you closer. “Seriously, though. That just changed the entire mood in the camp. Not just the kids, but the adults who were relieved to see them so relaxed.”

“Well, it was all thanks to you,” you reminded him, chin resting on his chest. “I wouldn’t have thought to do that unless you said something.”

He smiled. “Guess we make a good team.” 

You wiggled your brows. “Hashtag dream team.”

Bucky groaned, rolling his eyes and crushing you within his hold and you wheezed out a laugh.

When you left Asgard, an extremely grateful Valkyrie expressed that any member of Shield was welcome back anytime, and if you ever needed aid, they would answer your call.

“I can’t believe we did it,” Yelena muttered as you started your journey home.

“Neither can I,” Bruce mumbled, and you all whipped your heads at him, shocked. He shrugged. “What? I suggested we try, I didn’t know if it would actually work out this well!”

Your next destination was a smaller, nomadic camp, led by Hope Van Dyne. It was her, her parents, her partner Scott Lang and his daughter, Cassie. Hope and her parents were also scientists, and were intrigued by Bruce’s development of the antidote.

“We have our own mobile lab,” Hope’s dad, Hank, said, “We could recreate this serum and help distribute it, since we travel around so much anyways.”

“You’d do that?” you asked.

He nodded. “Anything to help undo what those Hydra bastards did.”

It didn’t take long for Bruce to teach them how to recreate the serum, and the rest of you spent that time working with Hope and Scott to work out the locations of other camps you could travel to.

“There’s a guy called Strange, who has a network of people all over. He’s based in New York, though, so you’d have to travel a ways to get there. That area is still largely populated with unturned though so it would be a great spot to get this to.”

“You could show me your old stomping grounds, Beefcake,” you said, bumping his shoulder with yours.

He chuckled, looking over at Steve. “We can go back to Coney Island, Stevie.”

Steve groaned. “I still get nauseous thinking of that place.”

After leaving Hope’s camp, Bruce decided to return to Shield to keep working on creating more antidotes, leaving the rest of you to continue traveling from camp to camp.

You asked Steve if he was going to go back, since he was technically Shield’s leader again now that he’d returned from the dead.

Steve shook his head. “Sam and I talked about it a while back, and he’s going to remain in charge. He’s so much better at it than I was, and honestly? I never really enjoyed it. Doing this, going out and helping others with you and Bucky, this feels right.”

You smiled, wrapping your arm around him for a side hug. “Well, I’m more than happy to have you tag along. I need to hear all the embarrassing stories about Beefcake.”

You heard Bucky groan behind you. 

After a few months, you had reached dozens of camps. Each one made you feel more and more hopeful, knowing that so many were still surviving after so many years. You had even run into people that Shield saved from Hydra when they came to rescue you. They welcomed you with open arms and tear-filled eyes.

Now, you were at the settlement known as Wakanda, by far the most established and advanced camp you had been to yet. Their sassy, smart as hell leader Shuri scoffed when you showed her one of the antidote vials.

“Dammit! I was so close to figuring it out.” She lifted her arm, tapping the screen of her watch until a holographic DNA strand circled above it. “I was at, like, a 76% rate as of this morning!”

You and Kate exchanged glances after gaping at the crazy device on the woman’s wrist.

“Is all of your tech this advanced?”

Shuri smirked. “You have no idea.”

“We gotta get Banner and Parker here,” you muttered, and all Kate could do was nod.

Once Shuri was done administering the antidote to all of the kids and they had finally relieved you from reading Ella Enchanted, she told you that a celebration was being held in your group’s honor. A way of thanking you for helping their community, as well as welcoming you into their family.

She led you over to four massive, long wooden tables that had been set up and dressed up in various shades of purples and gold, with jars of fireflies lighting the space in a dim, hypnotic glow.

The food was by far the best you ever had in your life, even compared to the meals you ate in the before times. The vegetables were perfectly ripe, the meat was tender and coated with spices you had never tasted, and the bread.

“I’m taking a hundred loaves of these back with us,” Bucky murmured to you, mouth full of sweet rolls. The moan he let out after taking the first bite was sinful. “I never want to eat anything else for the rest of my life.”

“I hope you intend to share with your one true love, Beefcake,” you replied, shoving your own face with the warm, delicious bread.

“Sorry, Sweetheart, but you’ve officially been replaced.” You punched his flesh arm and he tried to laugh through a grimace. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Everything I have is yours or whatever the hell they say.”

You gave him a rueful grin, taking another bite of your roll.

The two of you nearly shit your pants when men and women started grabbing instruments and playing music with reckless abandon, pounding on drum heads and singing their hearts out.

“Relax,” Okoye, Wakanda’s general, chided, patting your back in mock comfort as she bit back a laugh. “Shuri has this place soundproofed. Nothing can be heard outside our borders.”

Bucky looked around. “So we’re….safe?”

Okoye rolled her eyes. “You guys. So paranoid. What is there to be afraid of? It’s not like their are flesh-eating monsters swarming the earth or anything.”

The three of you paused for a beat before bursting into a fit of laughter. Okoye patted your shoulder once more and then went over to join others who had now begun dancing to the music.

You turned to find Bucky smiling at you, a suspicious light in his eyes.

You frowned. “What?”

He held out a hand. “Wanna dance?”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “What? Since when do you dance?” you asked incredulously.

“Since I was fuckin’ four years old. Ma’ was big into 40s music. She had Becs, Stevie and I dancing all the damn time.” His hand extended out further. “So?”

You bit the inside of your cheek. “I got some bad news, Beefcake.”

His brows furrowed and you sighed. 

“Ya girl can’t dance.”

You expected Bucky to frown, to feel disappointed in your lack of skill in something he apparently loved.

Instead, his smile widened, reaching out to grab your hand and dragging you to the newly formed dancefloor. 

“That is going to make things way more entertaining for me,” he said, stopping short so that you crashed into him, your hands pressing against his chest so that you didn’t break your nose in the collision.

Before you had a chance to regain your balance, Bucky was pushing you away, expression mischievous as he began a string of maneuvers, alternating between twirling you around, spinning you in the air, stepping in directions you didn’t think possible.

He was an unrelenting machine.

“Bucky, the moment you lose momentum,” you gasped, unable to catch your breath in all of the commotion, “I’m going to do the Yelena leg thing and kick your fucking ass.”

His grin widened, and he pulled you into him, hand resting on your back as you dipped down. You nearly let out a yelp at the feeling of falling backward, but Bucky kept a secure hold on you, nose rubbing against yours. Instead of falling, you felt as if you were floating mid-air.

“Baby, when I’m done with you, you’re going to need to be carried to bed.” he growled in a low, husky voice.

You blinked a few times in response.

He kissed you. “That’s what I thought.” 

The next morning, you and the gang packed up your things and got the horses settled for the journey home.

You snuck a piece of sweet roll to Hades, who nuzzled you immediately after in an attempt to find more somewhere on your person.

“Sorry, buddy,” you laughed, stroking his nose. “That’s all I got.”

He snorted in dissatisfaction.

“I can’t believe you gave the horse that last sweet roll instead of me,” Bucky pouted, massaging Alpine’s front legs.

You glared at him. “That’s because Hades is the one carrying me home since my legs are in so much pain from last night thanks to you torturing me!”

Bucky scoffed. “You had a fuckin’ blast, Sweetheart. Admit it.”

“Don’t worry, Y/n,” Steve said as he approached. “I’ll show you a few dance moves that will put Bucky on his ass in no time.”

Bucky groaned at the smug look that formed on your face. “I’m stealing your best friend, Beefcake. He’s mine now.”

“Hey,” both Bucky and Yelena said in unison while you and Steve laughed.

Shuri approached then, brow quizzical from the commotion. “Sounds like you all are in high spirits this morning. Happy to finally be leaving this wretched place?”

You rolled your eyes. “As if. Being here has been amazing. I thought Shield had nailed apocalyptic living, but you all blew us out of the water.”

The young scientist laughed. “You all are welcome back anytime. And don’t forget to bring your friend Banner along so I can harass him to dish his secrets on using your crazy blood to create a cure. I still consider that cheating, you know.”

Just as you were about to respond, Nakia walked over with a group of children with grins that threatened to split their faces in two. They each carried flower crowns in their hands.

Enough for the group.

“The children made these for you,” Nakia said, her usual angelic smile on her face as she watched them approach you all, extending the crowns out. Yelena, Kate, Steve, Bucky and yourself bent forward so that they could place them on your heads. “As a token of your kindness and friendship.”

You pulled the young girl in front of you in for a hug, trying to fight back tears as you squeezed them tightly. “Thank you,” you whispered.

You walked over to hug the rest of the children, then Nakia and finally Shuri.

When all of the goodbyes were complete, the gang mounted their horses.

Bucky looked over at you and you beamed. “You look so pretty in that flower crown, Beefcake.”

He blushed, quickly turning his attention to Alpine’s mane and trying to force a scowl on his face, though you could see the corners of his mouth twitching.

“So, where are you headed now?” Shuri asked.

“Home for a bit to rest and restock on antidotes,” you replied. “Then we’re off to a camp up north called the Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Shuri’s chin lowered as she stared up at you with an are you fucking serious expression. “Guardians of the Galaxy? You’re kidding me. Sounds like a bunch of assholes.”

“I said the same thing!” Yelena and Bucky exclaimed in unison…again.

You were still laughing as Hades trotted off into the woods.

“Baby,” a low, grumbly angel spoke to you in your dreams. Calloused, gentle hands stroked your cheek. “Wake up, Sweetheart.”

Your eyes slowly fluttered open, focusing in on Bucky and the dark forest behind him. Once your brain processed that you were not in the safety of your bedroom at camp, your eyes widened and you shot up.

You were in the middle of the woods, still on your way back to Shield from Wakanda.

So why was Bucky waking you up at this hour?

“What is it?” you asked. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, resting a hand on your shoulder in comfort. “It’s fine,” he whispered, eyes scanning the ground where the others slept. His hand moved down to grab yours, moving the both of you to standing. “Come follow me?”

Your eyes narrowed now, fingers interlacing with his as he led you East. “What’s going on, Buck?”

He looked over his shoulder, and the moonlight peeked through the canopy of trees above just perfectly enough for the smile on his face to glow.

“Wanna show you something.”

The two of you walked in silence for a few miles, the soft crinkling of leaves below your feet the only sound made in your vicinity.

Eventually, Bucky’s gate slowed to a stop, and you looked up to find yourself standing at the bottom of a cliff.

One that looked vaguely familiar.

You let out a small gasp. “Is this…?”

Bucky nodded. “This is the cliff where you and I first met.”

The cliff that you had found as a refuge for you and the two young, scared boys you had found lost in the woods, running away from a hoard of zombies. 

Two boys you debated even helping, since you were so used to being on your own and not having others to look after.

It was impossible to imagine a world where you hadn’t helped them, where those boys wouldn’t have a claim on a piece of your heart forever, just as their mother did, their uncle, and everyone else in Shield.

Still, you knew that the old you, who had stumbled upon AJ and Cass, could never have dreamed of what would follow after helping them find their way back to their mom.

You wouldn’t have a home. You wouldn’t have a family.

You wouldn’t have found your soulmate.

A small snort escaped you. “Is that what you would call it? You pinning me against the wall and threatening to kill me?”

A sheepish expression covered his face, and you knew he was blushing. “Would it be weird to say that even then - when I wasn’t sure if you were a danger to us - I kind of wanted to kiss you?”

There were those dang butterflies again. “Not at all. With the way you were displaying your strength, and your voice all growly and dangerous? That was super hot, Beefcake. Even if you had actually killed me, I would have been more than fine with a parting kiss before you took my life.”

He rolled his eyes, chuckling. “Oh really?”

Suddenly, his hands were gripping your arms, and he was just barely using enough force to guide you to the cliff wall, pinning your back against it.

When he let out a low, threatening growl, you responded with a high-pitched wine.

And then, he leaned forward and crushed your lips to his, his tongue colliding with yours.

If he hadn’t killed you that night a year ago, he was definitely going to tonight.

His hold on you softened, one hand moving to wrap around your waist. But first, his thumb tucked itself under your shirt and grazed along the rigid scar of the first zombie bite you got on your stomach, tenderly feeling along it until his fingers squeezed the soft fleshy part of your hip. 

You used your now free arm to wrap around his neck for support as your head grew dizzy.

Eventually, time forced you to pull away for air, your foreheads pressed against one another, chests moving up and down as you both worked to catch your breath.

“I should have done that night one,” he gasped, kissing the bridge of your nose. “Would have saved myself a lot of mental turmoil.”

You giggled. “True, but I gotta admit that watching you switch from Mr. Beefcake Grumpypants to soft mushy lovey dovey Beefcake was an absolute delight. And besides…” you caged his face between your hands, eyes boring into his, “I wouldn’t trade any part of our story for anything.”

His jaw clenched beneath your hands. 

You continued, “Every experience, every hardship, all the shit we went through, I’d go through it all again to have the good moments found in between, to get us to this point, right now. And every time, I’d fall in love with you.”

Bucky kissed you again, soft and slow this time, and you knew he was telling you that he felt exactly the same. That he’d fight heaven and earth for you over and over again, just as you would for him. 

When he pulled away, he kept his lips close enough to graze yours as he responded.

“And you call me a softie.”

You giggled, pretending to squirm out of his now tight hold as he peppered your face and neck with kisses.

“I love you, Sweetheart. Forever.”

“And I love you, Beefcake. Always.”

The gate started opening before you could officially make out the ragged Brookfield Boarding School for Girls sign.

Your pace quickened the moment you walked into the camp, eyes locking onto AJ and Cass as they ran toward you.

AJ lept into your arms, his small limbs wrapping around your neck as you embraced him. You looked to your left just in time to see Cass do the same thing to Bucky.

Sarah and the others took their time heading over to you, smiles on their faces at your return and the heartwarming reaction from the boys.

When AJ finally loosened his hold, you lowered him to the ground. His arms shifted to circle around your waist, not ready for the hug to end just yet.

“Welcome home, Y/n!” he cheered, body jumping up and down in excitement as he clung to you.

Bucky - after also putting Cass down - reached out to put an arm around your shoulder, tucking your body into his.

You looked down at AJ, scrunching your nose at him, then looked over at Cass.

Then to Sarah and Sam.

To Laura and Clint.

Pepper, Morgan and Dum Dum.

Bruce and Peter.

Wanda, Vision, Billy and Tommy.

Sersi, Druig and Makari.

Yelena, Kate, and Steve.

Each one of them meeting your gaze with as much love and care as you gave them.

Bucky kissed your temple, and when you looked up at his bright crystalline irises, you found your entire world. 

Your true home.

You smiled.

The End.

[gildasfantasy]

Id really like to credit my friend panda for helping me out on editing my story because they noticed mistakes I made <3 besides I'd like to have new ideas so it you guys want me to do something new like, new ships or share your plot ideas it'd be great !! I do oc/yn X any character from any show and game and fluff+nsfw+angst ect!!

First times in a relationship's can be scary especially if everytime you've had sexual contact, it wasn't filled with love you so desperately craved

Husk and angel had formed a friendship after their bonding near the bar that night, it was clear to everyone that there was more than friendship between the two and after awhile they made their attraction be known and a loving relationship blossomed between them but they promised to never let this relationship out the hotel to reach the ears of Valentino, angels boss. Many months has passed since they made it official and they found themselves at the 8 month mark, husk being the awkward romantic he is, he wanted it to be something immensely special for angel just to show how much he genuinely loved him.. Husk examined the stores down the pathways of the somewhat busy area but no matter how hard he searched all he could find was bondage stores, lingerie stores ect; and he didn't want that, he didn't want angel to think he was just like all the rest of the men he had to deal with and additionally, husk wasn't a big.. sex fiend.. sure he got urges but he had boundaries and the thought of leather wear and overly threatening sex felt disgusting to him, so he despised these types of stores..eventually after a long day of trying to search he sighed, he'd been to every ring, even the lust ring, but still he hasn't found what he felt was right for angel, what was he supposed to get for someone that gorgeous? He was down on his luck til he heard two strangers talking down the sidewalk as if they were married and raised his head to look at the imps. One imp had black hair, 'a girl' he noted absent-mindedly, and the other imp had white hair, 'a guy'." 'excuse me? Sorry, I don't mean to listen in on you folks but am I right to assume you're both..?" "Together? Yea we're married' the white haired imp spoke, his voice kind of scratchy that made husks ears twitch ever so slightly, 'great! I need help, me and my boyfriends 8 month mark is comin' up and I can't find anything romantic.. everywhere I look it's just.. sex novels or over-the-top sexual stores.'

The black haired imp girl spoke excitedly, her southern accent bounced off of her husband's demeanor like a bouncy-ball on a whiteboard "Well hi thereee! You're alright to ask, sugar —"

"I'd suggest checkin' out LooLoo Land stores! Even though its a theme park they have the gosh darnedest cutest things, my mox got me a thang from there!' 'christ' husk thought to himself, already he formed a headache solely because of her loud voice but despite it, he thanked her, she was kind enough to help "thanks" *his deep voice grumbled but his expression was as if he were genuinely trying to force an awkward smile and eventually they changed paths and husk found himself on the way to the infamous looloo land, loud blaring music and the sound of kids screaming and crying made husk furrow his brows and groan but it was worth it to find something angel could love..perhaps after an hour of searching he found it.. a stand filled with stuffed animals and one caught his eye immediately.. a white bear with crossed out red eyes stitched in along with round red cheeks at each side of its smile,

he knew it'd be beyond perfect for his angel and he threw a coin at the stand-man, a determined look plastered on his face. Husk picked up the toy-gun and shot water at the wooden stands. No matter the amount of times he hit them though, the standman rigged the game and after draining his coin pocket dry, Husk had enough and tackled the man. Pulling him close by the collar and holding a sharp claw up to his neck. "Give me the fuckin' bear." He growled, and while he would usually never lose his composure, he was not going to let that bear be dangled in front of him. Feeling the man shudder with a nod, he backed away to let him grab his prize; the bear and his money back in full. He loved it, the texture of the bear and the way it felt on his fur made him know Angel would adore it. A proud look made its way to his face subtly and he walked out of the park happily, believing that to be enough from LooLoo land today. he deserved everything. Angel deserved the universe, in Husk's eyes and as he walked, he found his eyes gravitating towards a jumper on the way back home. It was beautiful; the jumper was white with flowers trailing up the sleeves in pink stitching and a heart cutout on the chest and on the back. It looked as if it was made for Angel, with a lighter wallet and a newfound bag in his claws, along with a bouquet of Devil-Eye flowers (Mammon Special!) he made his way back home. Husk smiled as he walked through those hotel doors and stood in front of sir pentiouses big portrait on the wall and sighed. "Wish me luck, buddy." he muttered as he made his way to the second floor of the hotel and faced the door of Angel's room, staring at the picture of his boyfriend and their friends. It made Husk's heart melt and his fur grow hot at the beauty of Angel. with courage that took a few minutes to tame, he twisted the doorknob and opened it to see his Angel sitting with a book in his top hands. He cleared his throat lowly and watched as Angel perked up and smiled, "Whiska's! Ya made it!" he said In disbelief

lord, Angel adored husk more than afterlife itself

He knew Husk was genuine, but a part of him still doubted he'd show up for their 8th month. He was pleasingly surprised to be wrong as he pecked both sides of Husk's face and massaged his fingers into his cheek fluff and slid them up to scratch behind his ears; causing Husk to purr and melt lovingly into his touch and for his leg to ever so slightly start thumping "ah what's this then husky, this fa' mee?" Angel said teasingly, his tone joking to ready himself to be wrong. Angel couldn't believe it, he nervously took the gifts and smiled at the bouquet 'husk' he spoke 'i don't know what ta' say..' his voice seemed much softer as he sat down in his bed, the silk curtains draped up and the pink lighting above set such a pretty tone to the scene.. he placed the flowers down against his bedside table before taking a look at the jumper, sliding straight into it and it fit so perfectly. Husk could barely believe his eyes, all four arms fit so perfectly and angel suited it so well, it made husk feel hot N heavy, his cheeks slightly pink tinted 'i knew you'd like it ange' " he smiled softly just before angels tears slipped, his hand covering one side of his face to wipe his tears.. husk didn't know how to respond, 'aye what's wrong ange'.. do you not like it? I can take it bac-" "no!- no I love it I just.. didn't.. expect it' he admitted with a smile.. the two of his arms connected to his waist wrapped around himself like a self hug.. his heart was racing and in that moment husk was the only one he cared for, the only one he ever wanted to be with and die with.. he placed a kiss against husks lips, but it was soft, like their lips had barley even touched.. and before he could respond again he made contact with the bear husk had 'won' for him and got ecstatic "huska' it looks like me' awh you big-' he immediately wrapped his arms around husk and buried his cheek into his head, his fingertips stroking his cheek.. Husk laughed and held angels back to pull him closer, like this hug wasn't enough contact for him.. in the moment it's like a piece of a puzzle finally clicked and he took a deep breath, pulling away and holding one of angels hand 'i.. want.. you to know I'm ready' he smiled and this confused angel, 'ready fa' what huskie..' he responded like his heart dropped to his stomach 'to be intimate with you' he whispered, his eyes drifting up to meet angels gaze 'oh.. huska' don't force ya'self for lil ol' me.. I can wai-" "no, I want this.. I want you but I don't know.. what, I'm doing.. I'm scared I'll embarrass myself y'know' he sighed as he traced his fingers through his hair to push it back, a huff leaving his lips and his eyelashes fluttering shut to avoid angels stare 'aright then but.. I.. can help, we all start somewhere yaknow?'

It'd been awhile since husk had been intimate with anyone, the last time he did he was alive and walking earth, but this felt so different because he WANTED to be perfect for angel.. so he smiled and took his boyfriends hands, and kissing him, a passionate, gentle kiss that burned straight through with not just love but lust too, for once angel felt genuinely... Turned on by the thought of sex and he slowly shuffled down, propping himself up on his bottom elbows while his other arms hoisted around husks neck, the dim room only lit by the pink lighting above angels bed had made it feel so much more perfect, husk, being the nervous guy he was didn't know where to touch him so instinctively he moved his hands up to hold angels chest fluff and immediately angel pushed back, panting with only drool stringing their lips together, 'shit, I'm sorry' husk said immediately before angel shook his eyes, eyes wide and breath heavy 'nono, husk it's okay I just want expecting it, it's hard to..' husk frowned and lay flat against angel, his head against his chest fluff 'we don't have to do this ange' trust me I'm not a sex-maniac, I'll wait til you can feel safer with this whole thing' he spoke reassuringly, his hands moving up to hold angels cheeks, swirling his thumb just under his eye 'husk, it's fine, I want this but it's hard to.. know what people are gonna do when all I've ever been through was abuse and unconsenting touchy sex yaknow..' 'yea I know sweetheart' husk lifted himself up a little, angels legs around his waist as he peppered soft kisses down his neck towards his arms 'ill be gentle with you my love.. let me show you what love is, trust me, all I ever want to make you feel is my love'

And with that angel smiled and nodded, his head slowly cocking back as a sign of angel giving himself over to husk, at this point they could hear their own heartbeats as well as each others heartbeat, the sensuality raising the heat through the roof as husk slipped off angels shorts..his hand sliding down his hips and down his v-line til eventually he found himself grasping at angels cock, slowly moving his hand in a up and down motion while undressing himself, angels moans felt like music to his ears, knowing he was capable of actually making angel feel good sent knots of love and lust into his gut and he craved so much more..

but at the same time, watching angels face, his brows furrow and his mouth agape, his pretty waist jolting up and his hips bucking into husks touch as if he wanted more friction, god he looked gorgeous like that and husk let his desires take control. He pulled his hand away and slid his arms under angels back with his palms behind angels head, fingers interlocked into his hair before finding himself entering angels hole, a groan leaving his lips while angel wrapped his arms around husk, their bodies close enough to make the heat somehow hotter, angel seemed to grip onto husks fur and pull like he needed even closer so husk obliged and pushed himself up against angel, his head buried in his chest fluff and loud purrs alongside moans escaped his lips, he was quite the sensitive man, not very aggressive dominant, and angel adored it, The shockwaves of love being pumped into angel overwhelmed him, when it was more loving, it just felt better to angel, he let this pleasure be known via his whimpers, moans, cries, whispered begs for more, not just that but his body reacted so strangely.. his legs twitched and perked up sometimes and his hips arched upwards, the spiders hands gently stretching behind husks ears 'good kitty' angel whispered 'fuck, my god' hmmnph.." be cried out quietly all the while husk slowly thrusted into angel, his dick twitching inside angel causing a reaction from both of them, husker tightened his hug like grip on angel, holding him closely 'i love you, i love you, god.. i love you angie..' he moaned in chants, his hips bucking and his hands squeezing his hair, gently tugging at it as he opened his mouth, drooling a little as he did so.

Angel let his head fall back and succumbed to husks movements and words, his eyes slowly drifting backwards and eventually his moans became so loud that they clogged his throat sometimes, he was choking on his own pleasure.. his legs squeezing around husks waist and his hands unable to comprehend where to hold next. He wanted all of husk so he tried to speak through his moans despite the struggle 'i love ya.. t..oo..gh..whiskas" he whined out just as he felt himself release on his own chest..his hand moving up to cover his mouth and muffle his pretty moans.. and the sight of that to husk sent electricity down his guts, and almost like a wild animal, his last thrusts became power filled and he moved his arms from under angel, he found himself squeezing under angels thighs while also lifting them up a little, and let himself vunerabalise, his semen filling angel quickly. He forgot how good it felt to be intimate like that with someone and it was enough to make them both moan while hugging at eachother tightly.. the relaxation setting in while they gently rode their high out together "Christ" husk huffed through a chuckle, slowly pulling away from angel and sitting up, his eyes focusing on the quite red and lovely spider Infront of him.. he finally faced his fear and he did it, he let himself be that vulnerable with someone, "You ain't gonna leave are ya?' angel said almost nervously, despite his broken speaking and loud breathing, there was a sense of seriousness and scarseness to it 'what? No, no, baby, I'm just gonna get ya something to eat.. I ain't gonna just have sex with ya and not treat ya like a prince after' he reassured while standing up, sliding on a dark red robe he left behind the last time he went to angels, a smile forming from ear to ear that made angel feel easy 'ya really doin' that fa' me?' he spoke back as he pulled up the silk bedsheets, not taking his eyes of husk the entire time.

'of course ange, sweetheart, you deserve it' husk responded while leaning in and laying a kiss on angels forehead

[vshthestmpede]

Dearly want Vash to have a little patch of red geraniums to sew on to his jacket, as a memento of Rem. And/or jewelry of red geraniums. Just something nice that'll last a long time.

closest to his heart - vash (platonic or romantic)

word count; 664

warnings; mentions of death

note; honestly this was so fun to write, such a nice little thought to have a significant remembrance of rem. thank you so much for requesting, i truly appreciate it!! <3

cross-posted to ao3

you had stumbled upon vash's little treasure when you had decided to take on laundry duty. you had saved his iconic red jacket for last, the specific garment always being an item of your curiosity - how it lasted this many fights, how it remained in such good condition.

well, upon closer inspection, you saw that it had plenty signs of wear and tear. a few patches of a different shade here and there caught your eye but what really stood out was the bright red patch of flora sewed somewhat decently on the inside of the jacket.

you sat cross-legged on the floor of the motel laundry room, the jacket splayed across your lap as your fingers gently ran over the edges of the patch. you pictured the jacket on vash and noted that this patch landed just over his heart when he wore it. you smiled to yourself as your mind began to wander, pondering the significance of the flora and what exactly they meant to vash.

"(name)? oh! you're doing laundry on the floor?"

you flinched, looking over your shoulder sheepishly to find vash in the doorway, clad in a ragged white tee and some pajama pants. he noticed the patch in your hands and smiled softly, coming in and taking a seat next to you.

"i was coming to see if you wanted some help," he explained, stretching his legs out and leaning back on his hands. "you like the geraniums?"

you looked back down at your hands, brushing a thumb over the flora and nodded.

"they're very pretty," you replied. "what made you sew them in there?"

vash reached over and gingerly prodded at the odd stitching. "ah, so you could tell i tried to sew it myself. did a pretty mediocre job, if i do say so m'self. the reason, though, is that they remind me of. . .of rem."

you watched as he choked on his words, then took a deep breath. you put your hand over his and gave it a small, comforting squeeze, to which he gave you a small smile and continued on, his gaze settling on the ceiling above.

"rem was the woman who sacrificed herself to save humanity years and years ago. she was like a mother to me. someone who loved both nai and myself to no end. she was a beautiful person, inside and out. rem would have loved you, (name), if the two of you would have met. sometimes, you remind me of her. the way you both are so selfless, so caring, it's uncanny. rem loved red geraniums, they were her favorite in the whole galaxy, so carrying that patch is me carrying rem close to my heart wherever i may go."

when his story was met with soft sniffles, vash turned to look at you and was met with tear-filled eyes as you clutched his jacket to your chest.

"(n-name), don't cry!" even as he wiped your tears away, he couldn't help but laugh as you blubbered and wiped furiously at your eyes. "c'mon, let's get the rest of this laundry done. no more tears."

the two of you finished up and set off to your respective rooms to rest for the night only for something in the back of your mind keeping you from resting.

the next morning, vash woke to find his red jacket folded neatly on the beside table with a small piece of parchment on top of it.

thank you for telling me your story. i hope you don't mind that i fixed the stitching. i hope you know that rem would be so proud of you and how far you've come, vash.

(name)

vash smiled softly, folding the parchment up and sticking it inside the breast pocket of his jacket. he pulled the jacket into his lap and opened it up, admiring how neatly the geraniums were sewed. he ran his fingers over the stitches, his mind starting to find ways to thank you.