#Tiger lovers

[heycrystalsmithart]

The end of 2022 - year of the tiger! 🐯🐅 I'm feeling inspired to do some tigers right now—one of my favourite wild animals. Nothing like them out there! Noble, dangerous, mysterious...

Cards, prints and canvases of this art available here in my shop.

by Crystal Smith www.heycrystalsmith.com

[justcatposts]

Ever seen a Golden Tiger sneeze?

(Source)

[fantasyas]

Awesome t-shirt for black jaguar lovers👌❤

What do you think?

[dragonsholygrail]

Your Tiger hybrid bf has always considered you, an adorable little Deer hybrid, his prey. He thought you prey when he first saw you, he knew you were prey when he began courting you, and he successfully completed his hunt once you finally agreed to be his. It was only normal, it was the natural order of things.

To have an unrelenting and never ending need to devour you. It’s what always happens every time you manage to find yourself on his bed and underneath his big, strong, and dominating form. Just like you are now as you writhe and squirm on the soft sheets as your Tiger hybrid bf ravages you.

His prickly tongue setting your every nerve on fire as he fucks your pretty pussy with his mouth, bringing you to orgasm again and again until it’s all swollen and puffy. Making sure to leave an absolute mess of your release between your thighs in his wake.

One would think that would be enough, but no, not to your Tiger hybrid bf. He hasn’t had his fill and you’re still able to keep your eyes open. He isn’t anywhere close to be doing done with you yet.

Briefly lifting off your limp form he presents his cock to you with pride. Smugly watching as you automatically spread your legs wider for him. Still eager even in your exhaustion. Your adorable doe eyes staring up at him through a foggy haze of lust and desire.

With your body so welcoming towards him, he can’t possibly miss the chance to slowly stuff a finger inside your sensitive walls, pushing back your pussy lips so he can relish in your overstimulated hiss. Stretching you out in a way that has your toes curling so he can prepare you for his length.

When your cunt is all ready for him, dripping and clenching around nothing, he finds it in himself to be merciful. Giving into your begging and pleading as he thrusts his cock inside you in one long powerful snap of his hips.

Your body contorting as you arch into the fierce pace he sets, his cock slamming itself inside you with a ferocity that speaks to a predator trying to capture its prey. Loud growls escape his throat as he chases after both his own orgasm and yours as well. A deep satisfaction coursing through him as he sees the effect he has on you.

Cries of pleasure ricochet off the walls as his thick lengths pushes through your tight walls, stimulating every nerve in your body. You’re practically buzzing, pussy pulsating as your orgasm builds. Every clench of your cunt along his length as your Tiger hybrid bf gritting his teeth even more. His fingers finding your clit with ease and you shriek, body jolting and clenching down on him again.

Your Tiger hybrid bf can smell your impending climax, your arousal thick in the air and he purrs as it mixes with his own. His scent marking itself on you. He’s eager to unleash his load deep inside your pussy, make his claim even stronger. Carefully pushing down on your naval it only takes a few more snaps of his hips before your orgasm crashes through you and you scream, squirting your addictive juices all over your bf’s face.

With a primal roar your Tiger hybrid bf cums right after you, slamming himself inside you to the hilt, and making sure you can feel it as his release splashes against your womb. He grinds himself into you, not willing to let out a drop but working you both through your climaxes.

When weak whimpers leave you, the overstimulation setting in, he finally leans back slightly to admire his handy work. Your body splayed out on the bed, positively fucked out and drooling. Eyes closed and so still it would almost appear at a quick glance that you were dead. That he had demolished his beautiful prey as he was meant to.

And he had, in his own way, of course.

[vita-divata]

My full artwork I did for @tigerbunnyfanzine last year 💚🩵 The zine turned out absolutely amazing!!

[bengals-barnesbabe]

Unattainable

Pairing: LSU!Joe Burrow X Original Fem!Character (unrequited) & LSU!Joe Burrow x BFF!Reader (eventually)

Summary: he’s the lovable quarterback that all women want to get their hands on, but none seem to successfully capture his heart.

Word Count: 1.3K

Warnings: 18+, language, drugs and alcohol

Asking a guy out requires strategy, asking a guy out who has girls that are friends requires a lot more technique, but asking a guy out who has a girl best friend is a hopeless task. You know when you can tell that they’re inseparable from just one encounter, but everyone assures you that there’s nothing going on between them. Yea, a horrible idea to start with. The ones- like your friends- who aren’t pursuing guys in this predicament severely underestimate the task, but continue to push you towards it.

So here you are at a party celebrating his victory on LSU’s football team and in walks Y/n. She spots you and rushes over to where you’re sitting.

“Skylar! I haven’t seen you in so long.”

Because your back is always to me.

“We should hang out sometime.”

A time when you’re not attached to his hip?

“You know what-

Her phone buzzed in her hand before she could finish. “Fuck I need to go, enjoy the rest of the party!”

She gives you a side hug then races back over to the door when in walks the man of the hour. Tall, kind, strong, confident and painfully unattainable, when she’s around nothing in the world exists to him but her and her ridiculously curly hair.

Y/n presses her lips to his ear with an urgent look on her face. Without waiting a second he takes her hand and walks back out. You don’t know what she said to get him to leave with her, but knowing them it could’ve been anything.

So here you are at a party for Joe Burrow, without Joe Burrow. A party you only attended to ask him out at, but here you are sitting by yourself. It was a dumb plan anyway.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The next time you tried to ask him out was at a bar. You were with some of your friends and everyone was having a great time getting drunk and letting loose, when Joe and his friends walked in. You immediately started fixing your hair, outfit, anything he could see if he looked over. The sounds of your friends drunk giggles filled your ears.

“God Sky, just ask him out already.”

“She’s been crushing on him for forever.”

“If you want we could help you.”

Your eyes widened, “Kylie no. No one is doing anything, going anywhere or even looking at him.”

The girl scoffed, “weren’t you just eyefucking him?”

“Maybe you’re just not his type.” A voice joining the table whispered. Gina. She once tried to ask him out as well, when he declined she took it real hard.

“Of course I’m his type, I’m brunette and curvy like his ex.” You point out.

A wicked grin rose on her face, “maybe. But you aren’t a 5 '5-5' 7 curly headed and brown skin like his new girl.”

“They’re just friends.” The words felt like sand coming out your mouth.

“You know what, I’m gonna prove to Gina that every *hiccup* one has a chance.” Kylie stumbled off her stool and walked over to his table, it was more like a baby deer walking for the first time, then fell into him.

“Oh my god.” You cringed for her.

“She’s fucking stupid.”

“Gina, shut the fuck up.”

Over at Joe’s table, some of his friends were laughing at Kylie’s attempts at flirting with him, while y/n just looked amused. They ‘chat’ for a few minutes before you hear Ky say, “would you like to go out sometime?” You know his answer is probably going to be a no, but it’s all about how he answers and it was telling.

His cheeks blush a bit, some from the alcohol and from her question. Then he looks up at Kylie, but glances at y/n, who was now over at the bar, for more than a few seconds. You leave your seat before she comes back to the table. As you walk past the bar y/n smiles and waves at you before taking her drinks back to their table.

Why does she have to be nice?

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Walking into the victory party rushes a wave of deja vu over your body. This entire season felt like one giant celebration which was great for LSU, but you were partied out by now. Kylie invited you because she’s an LSU legacy, so this was a euphoric experience for her. You just wanted to find a random corner and maybe a joint to relax. Luckily there was an entire lounge full of stoners to keep your company.

An hour into the party Kylie came to check on you and immediately started laughing at your current state. “Sky, I think you’re living up to your name right now.”

You smiled up at her with lidded eyes. “This is all I ever want in life Ky.”

“Ok bubs.”

Unbeknownst to the two of you, Joe was on the other side of the lounge with his own drug of choice. You didn’t seem to notice him until his name was being shouted out.

Kylie looks over her shoulder and sees him. “Sky…”

You look around her and there he is, sitting with one leg propped on the other, LSU snapback backwards on his head and a cigar in hand. “He’s so hot, but so not worth it.”

“Since when? You’ve been trying to ask him out all year.”

You shook your head and took a deep breath. “Exactly all year it never worked out because he’s in love with her.”

“Who?”

“Her.”

Looking back over at him, Kylie watches as a girl with waist length braids walks over to him and sits on the couch.

── ⋆⋅ ♡ ⋅⋆ ──

“You asshole, you left me with the Js to get bodied in beer pong.” You pout reaching over for his forgotten cup. “What is this?”

“Don’t laugh.”

Like a reflex, a smile pushes your cheeks up. “Why would I laugh?”

Rolling his eyes. “Because I know you.”

“Fine I won’t laugh. Now tell me.”

“It’s lemonade with a shot of vodka.”

You finally take a sip of it. “It’s not bad, why would I laugh at that?”

“Because I had to cut open a CapriSun for the lemonade.” His face flushed at the confession and tried to look away.

“You’re so cute.” You smiled and turned his head back towards you.

“Yea, that’s a lot coming from the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” He takes your drink and sets it on the ground then puts out his cigar.

His eyes meet yours as you unconsciously scratch the back of his head with your fingers. “That’s sweet, but I’m not- JOEY!”

Without warning he lifts you up onto his lap, his arms go around your waist and yours wrap around his neck. You feel your face get hot, “what are you doing?”

“What I should’ve done a long time ago.” Then his hands bring your face to his and kisses you.

You freeze for a moment before melting against his soft lips and inhaling the rich spice from his mouth. His cap is knocked off as your fingers glide through his silky hair. A deep groan is sucked into your mouth and his arms tighten their hold on your body.

You’re on a cloud of pure bliss just the two of you until a few whistles are heard from the ground. He pecks your bruised lips once more before you hide in his neck.

“What took you so long?” Your giggles vibrate into his collar.

“You didn’t give me many signs.” You pushed yourself off his shoulder with enough force to almost end up on the ground, luckily his arms stabilized you.

“Joseph.”

“Hey it’s true, it’s not like you were the jealous girl who pushed people away from me. You tried to set me up with Skylar once.” He defends.

“Yea because I’m a nice person and yall would be cute together.”

“See you didn’t make anything easy for me.” He smirked.

Your eyes rolled so far back you could watch the memories of him with other girls. “I can’t with you.”

“Too bad, I’m not going anywhere.”

“I hate-

He ambushes your lips with a fervent desire that ends up with your teeth clashing as you start laughing. “Is this your way of getting me to stop now?”

“Yup.” And kisses you once more.

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

main masterlist

[hana-mural]

souyo taibani redraw

[tea-slur]

Hi friends!! I wanted to remind all of you that these patches (and so much more fun stuff) are up for sale on my ko-fi shop, which you can find using the linktree in my bio, or using this link right here!!

I am in the process of adding a whole bunch of pins and buttons to the shop to add to what I already have, so let me know if there is something you’d specifically like to see!

[drunkewok]

Tiger Inside Masterlist

Stray Kids Mafia (Ongoing)

Taglist

"We need to have a talk."

My fingers trembled as they traced the words on the paper. Y/n. They knew my name. My pulse began to race, breathing increasing significantly. My eyes flicked between my front door and my sliding door out to the patio, ensuring both were securely locked. Panic began to set in as I scurried across the floor and drew the curtains, shutting out any light from the outside world.

I should have known.

Likes, reblogs and feedback always greatly appreciated

Pairing: Lee Know x reader

Current WC: ~115k words

Genre: Series, Enemies to lovers, Mafia AU

Synopsis: After years spent away from the family, two strangers start frequenting your place of work, only to bring daunting news. Flung back into the world of the mafia, you try to adapt to your new normal and work alongside a team of eight skilled members to uncover a mystery and take down an enemy who keeps themselves in the shadows.

Warnings: 18+, Minors DNI, drinking, swearing, violence, weapons, death, PTSD

Disclaimer: Any portrayal of Stray Kids or any other idols in this story is purely fiction and do not at all reflect their own personalities or how I view them as a person, it is purely for the sake of the story.

Please do not copy or repost my work

Artwork by StreetLightMoth

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

[missedmilemarkers]

[albarthos]

"He just wanted to order sushi"

[drarrily-we-row-along]

"Do you wanna..." Draco asked, nudging Harry's shoulder with his and nodding toward the door.

It had started six months ago, this thing between them; casual, stupidly-hot sex after they spent the day at Andromeda's with Teddy. Falling into bed the first time had been almost an accident, but every subsequent time had been very intentional as far as Harry was concerned.

Still, he found himself pausing at Draco's question. Not because he didn't want to but-

Draco shrugged nonchalantly and sauntered toward the door, "It's alright if you don't want to," he said. Harry opened his mouth to interrupt but Draco continued, "It's like that infernal little tiger sings, 'if a friend doesn't want to play with you, you can find someone else to do'." he added, singing it in his soft baritone.

And Harry burst into giggles as they walked out the door and onto the street, "it's something not someone, you wanker!" he laughed.

"The point stands," Draco replied, eyes crinkled at the corners as he watched Harry, clearly delighted by Harry's response.

He laughed and barely resisted the urge to brush his fingers over the crinkles, "I like you," he said.

Draco seemed just as surprised by this confession as Harry was himself. His cheeks flushed a pretty pink and his mouth opened and closed for a moment without any words coming out.

"And," Harry continued, feeling a bit braver because of Draco's response, "it's not that I don't want to take you home and fuck you into the mattress until you're incoherent and sobbing my name-"

He huffed and crossed his arms but Harry pressed on.

"-but I'd really like to take you to dinner first."

He blinked, "You would?"

"I would," Harry affirmed with a nod. "I'd like to date you, Draco, not just sleep with you."

"Would you?" he asked, lips curving into an impossibly charming smile.

Wrapping his arms around Draco's waist, he leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, "I really would."

"Lead on then, Mr. Potter," he said, taking a step back and taking Harry's hand in his own. "What did you have in mind?"

"How do you feel about Italian?" Harry asked.

But the truth was that it didn't really matter where they ended up because the joy was in the journey, not the destination.

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

Read more of my fics here

[fairweathermyth]

MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE. This famous phrase originally occurred in Act-V, Scene-IV of William Shakespeare’s play, Richard III. Here, King Richard III yells out loudly this famous phrase, “A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!” In the middle of a battle, his horse is killed, while the king wanders to find it in the battlefield for hours, killing everything coming his way with fatalistic rage.

St. Vincent, Year of the Tiger + Neko Case, Middle Cyclone + Jeff Buckley, Lover, You Should've Come Over

[seasneeze]

[silken-moonlight]

Introduction for

Zyran Rosefall

This is a collaboration with @the-witches-creatures and @strawberrypoundtown. Please go and check out their characters and stories. They are wonderful writers with beautiful and creative minds.

Lets Talk about Zyran

Name (chosen): Zyran Rosefall

Nicknames: Smitten Kitten

Age: 28

Gender: Male

Kind: White Tiger Shifter

Height: 1.98 m/6'5

Eye color: White/very light gray with feline pupils

Hair color: very dark brown/black with a few white strands

Hairstyle: Wore a buzz cut for years, currently growing it out and styling it slicked back.

Job: Bassist and part-time translator for prestigious companies

Hobbies: Music, reading, meditation, mixed martial arts, his motorcycle

Guilty pleasures: Sweet teas, iced coffee, cheesy romance novels, the scent of eucalyptus

Upbringing: Zyran lived a very privileged life. He was born to rich parents who underestimated how much a child was a responsibility. The young Tiger shifter was raised by his grandfather since the age of three years old. His grandfather, an old-money businessman, took great care in raising him to be a good man, doing everything differently so he wouldn't end up being like his parents. Zyran learned to control himself, his body, and emotions at a very young age, making him appear very serious and cold.

Character: He is very protective of his found family—his bandmates. While he would do anything for them, he is very closed off and introverted. He takes a lot of time to open up, if he ever does that. His bandmates are the select few who are able to make him lose his carefully built self-control. He is a good listener and cares for his bandmates’ feelings and needs. He himself also demands attention all the time and can be very possessive. Mostly he stays silent, preferring to watch and stalk. Very in touch with his tiger side, he spends a lot of time in his tiger form.

Shifted form: Giant white tiger with dark brown stripes

Divider Credit: @thecutestgrotto

[bengals-barnesbabe]

Pairing: Joe Burrow x Singer!FemReader

Summary: From the LSU Tigers to the Cincinnati Bengals, their friendship never faded. Their feelings, however, grew stronger and even more oblivious. So obviously this was the job for Venus’ closest friends. Or will 3 years of dancing around each other crash down in 3 days?

Chapter 17: Operation Tiger

#Track9 Masterlist

Warnings: men with feelings, lots of feelings, all the feels, foul language, oblivious characters, angst with a happy ending.

A/N: ITS OUT! I DID IT and now I'm never reading it again, but y'all enjoy. If there are some grammar errors blame Grammarly (we got into a fight at 4 am). Also I edited this while having a dumb allergic reaction to my cat.

Word Count: 5.6k

Part Six 🖤

Friendships are a beautiful thing. Friend groups should be cherished for what they’re worth. These groups are rare, not because they’re hard to make but because they’re hard to keep. All friend groups have rules to keep the status quo for everyone involved. Team Shiesty even had some before they were ever known as Team Shiesty. An unspoken rule that they shared with all other friend groups was:

No one in the group should date anyone else in said group.

Fortunately for them that rule had yet to be broken.

Unfortunately for them two of their founding members had fallen for each other before the group could fully assemble. Which leads us to Operation Tiger. Our quarterback and Venus had been dancing around each other for far too long so the Atlanta natives of the group took it amongst themselves to create a new rule.

If your best friend is hopelessly in love and extremely oblivious to her suitor’s feelings for her, you HAVE TO INTERVENE.

˚₊‧ʚ♡ɞ‎‧₊˚

“If there’s one thing I don't miss about Atlanta, it's that damn traffic.” Venus lays back in her seat as the calmness of the suburbs settles in around her. Joe sat beside her in the driver’s seat, one hand on the wheel and the other tapping the hood as they came to a traffic light. He can’t help but smile at the look of pure boredom on the girl's face.

“I don’t understand why you wanted to drive 2 hours through awful traffic when you could've just hired a driver.” 

“Some of us like driving, you know. Plus it wasn’t that bad.” He shrugged as she pointed out the entrance to her parents' subdivision. 

“Yea yea, take your next 2 lefts then the first right and we’ll be at the house.” He nodded, following the directions through the never-ending neighborhood. 

“I remember absolutely hating it when we moved here. Part of that was just because I was in middle school, so I hated just about everything.”

“You think we would’ve been friends back then if we somehow went to the same school?” He asked jokingly before taking the last right. 

“Honestly J? Maybe? I was an emo chorus girl, but I wasn’t really afraid to talk to anyone if I needed to. I was also kinda nerdy so there’s that.” She shrugged. Soon they reached the cul de sac next to her house and he parked at the end of the driveway.

“Well I was the nerdy jock going through a very awkward puberty stage, so you would have never talked to me. You were probably too cool for me.” He smirked.

Venus playfully smacked his arm and shook her head, “I don't know what Mars told you, but I was not cool, I just talked to people.” Looking up at the light maroon house before her, the hidden anxiety about Joe meeting her parents crept its way back to her mind. 

‘But you were just friends, so it wasn’t that big of a deal, right?’

“You okay?” A shiver made its way up her spine before turning to the baby blue-eyed blond. “Take as long as you need, but I’m pretty sure someone saw us pull in.” He smiled. Blinding.

She attempted to match his expression, “I’m good. Just mentally preparing for the drama film that we’re about to walk into.”

Joe chuckled while pulling the key from the ignition and softly caressing her fidgeting hand. “Let’s go make you the main character then.” She let out a jittery laugh and attempted to shake the nerves off, but her fingers tangled with a loose string of her shirt. ‘Maybe this set wasn’t the best idea.’

Slowly her door was pulled open revealing Joe there with his hand out. Venus took a deep breath and let her friend guide her towards the door. Before either of them could knock or ring the bell, the door was yanked open by a girl with shoulder-length locs.

“Fucking finally! Come here.” Venus squeals as her best friend crushes her in her arms. A fruity but earthy perfume and castor oil fill her senses, images of the days when they walked around the mall complaining about their parents and school teachers flashed in her mind.

“I missed you so much babes.” They break away to wipe away the stray tears that had been shed.

She cupped and smushed Venus’ cheeks with her hands. “I missed you more, you’ve been held hostage by Louisiana long enough. I almost forgot how short you were.” Venus gasped and punched her in the arm.

“I take all of it back, I hate you.” She smirked.

Mars smiled while rubbing her arm, “damn, I forgot how hard you hit.”

“Can y’all move away from the door, so I can see this bitch?” A voice pleaded from behind them.

Mars rolled her eyes then moved over so the curly haired Latina could have a turn. “RiRi.” 

“Oh good, you still look how we left you.” She smirked before pulling her old roommate into a hug. 

“I’m going to try and not take offense to that because I’m excited to see you.”

“What? It’s nice to know that Louisiana or anyone else didn't change you.” She says, eyeing the man behind her.

“Yea speaking of height, can we address the giraffe in the room?” Mars winks, tipping her head like an imaginary hat.

Joe chuckled then ran his hand through his hair. “Guys, this is Joe. Joey, these are my best friends in the entire world, Riana and Mars.” 

“Hey, you can call me Joey if you want. It’s really nice to meet you.” He smiles and awkwardly waves.

“Ohhh I see the appeal now. You’re the silent awkward athlete who likes to surprise people with his abilities.” Mars points out.

“Really? I can see some fuckboy tendencies from here.” Riana replied. 

Venus was dumbfounded, “you just met- can yall bitches be nice, damn?” 

They shared the same smirk before properly introducing themselves to the quarterback, then winked at their friend before retreating into the kitchen. 

“I’m sorry about-

Before she could finish her dad walked into the room. His eyes went to hers, Joe’s then right back to hers with a smirk, he shook his head and grabbed a jacket from the coat rack beside him. Oh fun.

“Y/n, my daughta! Who have you brought into my kingdom today man?” A loud off-key Jamaican accent fills the air as he pulls on an Atlanta Falcons bomber jacket.

Joe stifles a laugh as Venus’ face deadpans. “Joe, this is my father- don't take him seriously. Dad please.” 

The man raised a brow and smirked. “I know not of what I’ve done to earn this treatment oh! This man of anotha tribe threatens my position, I must take charge.”

Venus leans back with her arms crossed. “Did you and Malik watch Black Panther again? Cause your M’Baku impression isn’t any better, probably because you were raised in New York and not Wakanda.”

Her father shrugs and pulls her into a hug. “Maybe I just wanted to embarrass you in front of your new boyfriend, you know show him who’s boss around here.” He winks in Joe’s direction.

As he kisses her head, she pulls away and thumps him on the back of his. “Well, you’ve succeeded- with the first part! Everyone knows I’m the real boss around here.”

The old man snorts. “Yes, yes I know. She’s been bossing me around since she learned to walk, so I’m excited for someone else to take that place.” Making his daughter roll her eyes as he winks again.

“She does have a nook for making sure things go her way.” Joe chuckled.

Venus whirls around a smacks his arm. “You two are not supposed to be ganging up on me, you’re not even supposed to like each other right now.” 

Joe rubs his arm feigning an injury. “I can’t even play anymore, I should see a doctor.” 

While her dad punches the air. “Yes, finally a win for my Falcons. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long. I’d like to thank my wife for agreeing to go on that date with me, my daughter for injuring her star quarterback boyfriend-

Venus gapes at the dramatic men, then shakes her head and walks away. “I can not believe this is happening, he’s not even my boyfriend. How do I find these ridiculous people?”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

After meeting the rest of Y/n’s family, Joe was finally able to shake some tension off his shoulders. For the past few days, all he could think about was this moment. Football he could practice, he knew the expectations on that field. But this, meeting the parents of the woman written all over his heart, was anxiety-inducing. No amount of preparation could prepare him for how it will all eventually go down. He hoped they’d be overjoyed and give him their blessing and by the way it’s going, he’s more than hopeful for this outcome. 

The plan leading up today today was she would catch a flight to Cincinnati Thursday night and then fly to Atlanta together the next evening. Nowhere in the plan did it say that Y/n could show up Tuesday night completely unprovoked and surprise him after he got back from practice. 

Even though they had been friends for years, he had never been so nervous to be around her for those 3 days. He tried to remain as calm and normal as possible; they joked around, cooked together, and shared the same bed as they normally would. 

Joe wasn't a total idiot, he knew their relationship was tiptoeing along the lines of something more. But after a year of helplessly pursuing her in college, he thought it’d be better if they were just friends. Eventually, he gave up on that idea altogether because, with the feelings he was harboring for her and Ja’Marr’s constant need to nag him about how dumb the situation was, the only one that needed convincing was her.

But this weekend was what he was playing the long game for, it’s his final chance to come clean about how he truly felt. And he hoped those feelings were reciprocated or the entire weekend would be a bust. And he definitely wouldn’t be playing the best tomorrow.

As soon as she left the room the temperature felt like it had been dialed to 100, Joe had never wished he had his headband so badly without being in the middle of a grueling practice. Her father gestured to the white couch behind him and they took a seat. 

“Your home is beautiful.” Joe starts as he’s trying to conceal his nervousness, but the constant wiping of his palms on his jeans tells another story. 

“Thank you, I assume Y/n told you that she hated it when we first got it.” Her dad chuckled trying to lighten the air. 

“Oh yeah, the whole moody middle school bit too.” He could only imagine what she was thinking about this interaction and how wrong it would be when it was revealed. 

“If someone had told me that kids didn’t like moving so close to their school, then maybe we wouldn't be here. But that’s not what I want to talk about and I doubt you’re here to hear about how much I don’t know my daughter.” The older man smirked.

“How’d you guess? But yeah, there’s something I felt would be best to talk about in person, if that’s okay with you, sir?” The quarterback clasps his hands together and straightens his spine.

“I thought so. How long have you been in love with her?” Joe’s eyes widen and his mouth dries as the gentleman relaxes his stance.

“F- shit sorry, wasn't expecting you to- wow um how did you know?”

The dad lets out a dry chuckle, “I’ve been in your spot before. I know what a hopeless man in love looks like and you didn’t take an eye off of her until she was completely out of your sight.”

“She seems to be the only one that hasn’t noticed it, but as cheesy as it sounds I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t in love with her. I’ve never been one to believe in myths like ‘love at first sight,’ but there’s no other way to describe it. I transferred to LSU for a fresh start, I just wanted to play football then when life finally started working out in my favor, she walked in. She’s funny, beautiful, smart, talented- the whole package. I’m kinda glad we didn’t date back then, I know it was only two years ago but I wasn’t ready for a woman like her.” He smiles fondly as the memories of them flash through his mind.

“And what about now, do you think you’re ready to start a relationship with my daughter that could potentially last a lifetime?” For the first time, Joe looks your father in his eyes with no fear or anxiety.

“Sir you don’t understand, I mean you do, but I’ve pictured Y/n as my future since we met. I grew up pretty well off, but I wanted to put in the work doing something I love so I could provide what I had for my future family. After a year in the league, there’s only one thing missing from my life, and it’s her. I mean I spent 3 days with her just in the house and I felt like I could do that for the rest of my life. I’ve known that she’s the one for me since we met, now all I need to do is finally tell her that.” 

The old man smiles as a few tears streak down his face, he wipes them away and then holds out his hand to the young quarterback. Joe takes his hand and gets pulled into a tight hug. “There’s nothing that makes me happier than when someone shows the same love and devotion to my little girl that I’ve been trying to show her for years. As long as you promise to keep a smile on her face and love in her heart, you have all the blessings in the world from me. Thank you, Joe.”

They let go with permanent grins on their faces. “No need for that, I’d do anything for her.”

“Good. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”  

“So, you think she believes that we’ve been talking about ‘ball this whole time?” Joe joked.

“As long as she stayed out of this room, 100 percent. She’s clueless when it comes to it, so we could make up a term and she’d be convinced.” The men share a laugh before a head pops out of the kitchen.

“Hey, you guys hungry? Food’s ready. Let’s eat everyone!” Her mom announces.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

As the food is going around the table, Venus sneaks off to grab her purse. By the time everyone is settled, she clears her throat and stands next to her father. 

“So, I have something to tell you guys. No, I’m not pregnant, dating, engaged, married, or dying; before you start to conjure up some random assumptions.” She glared at Malik, her younger brother, who was holding in a laugh.

“First, I just want to thank everyone for coming. I know the last 2 years apart were hard but ‘time makes the heart grow fonder’ says some random dead guy.” Most of the table chuckles. “But seriously, I’m glad all my best friends could meet and hopefully talk about how much of an amazing person I am.”

“Venus keep talking and I’ll tell him all about how amazing you were in high school.” Mars smiles as the girl’s eyes slightly widen.

“Okay, as most of you should know, there’s this little game happening tomorrow. Nothing big or fancy, and I definitely didn’t bring one of the players to dinner, but I digress.” She shrugs extremely unbothered, causing her father and the quarterback to snort.

“Since I now hold the title of Assistant Physician Technician at Baton Rouge Clinic, I still have no money thanks to my glorious student loans. But y’all should still thank me for becoming best friends with some random football guys because everyone will be attending their first NFL game tomorrow night.” She cheesed fanning herself with their game day tickets.

Joe smirked as she sat down after handing over the passes. “Wow, and you said they were dramatic.” 

“Did you or did you not say that I was gonna be the main character when we walked in? I’m just doing your expectations justice.” Joe shook his head and draped his arm over her chair while pulling her a bit closer with his leg.

After dinner, all the women, except Venus per her mom’s request, help clean up the table and take the leftovers to the kitchen. 

“I don’t understand why we can’t drag Y/n over here to help.” Riana scoffs. 

Amina, Venus’s mom, shushes her and pulls the two girls into the empty dining room. “I’m having Malik distract her so we can talk about what is going on between my daughter and that footballer.”

The girls share the same knowing and scheming expression. “We may have an idea about that.” Mars starts.

“Yes, and what is it?” Amina crosses her arms.

Riana glances into the living room to make sure no one is eavesdropping, “ok they really are just friends right now, but we know that they have really strong feelings for each other. I came up with a plan to finally get V to do something about the tension and I’m very proud of it.” She smiles.

Mars rolls her eyes and rubs her temples. “Her plan is absolutely ridiculous, but we know it’s going to work because we’ve been friends long enough to know what makes that girl tick. So it involves his ex, a woman she hated more than anything when they were dating.”

The African mother nods but sucks her teeth, “why hasn’t she told me anything?”

“Cause you’re scary. Ow-” Mars elbows Riana before butting in. 

“She didn’t even want to tell us until we kinda forced it out of her. She doesn’t want to let herself revel in it for too long because she doesn't want to get her heart broken again.” She stretches the truth just a bit, the older woman did not need to know how their relationship actually worked. 

“That makes sense, ok go back out there.” The girls let out a much-needed breath as they were dismissed. “Wait, what do you mean again!”

Back in the living room, your brother is sitting on your dad’s armchair flipping through a photo album dedicated to your childhood. The three-seater next to him is now occupied by your mom and friends, while you and Joe are sharing a two-seater on the other side of the armchair. After learning the truth about you, your mom takes special notice of the fact that you’re sitting with your legs across Joe’s lap and one of his palms wrapped around your ankle.

“Oh look here’s a pic of Y/n trying to catch balloons while her pants are falling down.” Malik attempts to show J before you yank the book out of his hands.

“Ok, that’s enough, let’s put the album away now.” 

“Hey we were getting to the best part, I was in the next frame.” He fake pouts.

The scowl painted on your face causes him to break out into another laughing fit. “I despise you.”

“Come on babe, it wasn't that bad,” Joey smirks, then looks down at his phone. 

He just called me- which doesn't matter because you’re best friends duh. 

“Shi- it’s almost 7, we gotta go. I have to meet with Taylor in like an hour.”

“Why so late?”

“Who’s Taylor?”

“Taylor Swift?”

“A meeting past 5 pm is a criminal offense.”

“Y’all are so unbelievably nosy.” 

Joe throws his head back laughing. “I love your family, I don’t know why you didn't introduce us sooner.” Yea.. I definitely don't know.

“Zac Taylor’s his head coach. Remember there’s kind of a game tomorrow.”  

“Yeah and I may have ditched a meeting so we could drive up here,” J says sheepishly, once he’s done dying of laughter.

During his fit of laughter, some of his hair flung out of place giving him a more shaggy look. “You didn’t have to come if it was gonna get you in trouble.” Forgetting where you are for a moment, you begin to fluff out the front of his blond locks, then rake your fingers through the rest before settling on the back of his neck. 

His fond eyes meet yours. “I wanted to, plus you were just gonna make the trip yourself or end up ranting about not going while I’m trying to sleep?” 

You squinted and shrugged. “Touché.”

“Wait, you’re sharing a hotel room?” Your brother’s voice breaks you out of your bubble. When you look up, everyone’s eyes are glued to you. You’re now hyper-aware of your hand that’s been gently scratching his neck, your legs that somehow always end up in his lap, and the cautious hold he has on them. 

Removing yourself from his space, you begin to gather your stuff. “Um yeah, there was an empty spot that was already paid for and J offered me the bed.” 

There were no prepaid rooms left. 

“That’s very nice of you Joe.” Riana winked. 

A deep flush crept up his face, “It was nothing, what are friends for.” 

Mars beamed, “Exactly. He knows the real value of friendship. I mean look at him, breaking preset rules about boy-girl friendships.”

Your brows furrowed as you studied the two women. “Okay? We’re going to go now. Thank you for everything and I’ll see y'all tomorrow at the game.”

Your mother’s face brightened as you hugged then walked towards the door. Joe dapped up your dad and brother following your exit. “Thanks for the chat.” He smiled, then joined you in the rental. 

“That went really well.” You relax buckling your seatbelt

“Mhmm, told you you were anxious for no reason. Shit I was worried for no reason.” Joe says as he puts the car in reverse.

“You were anxious, really?”

He nods. “Oh yeah, more than you think.”

“Huh, I couldn’t tell. Hey if this NFL thing doesn’t work out maybe you should try acting. Today’s performance was outstanding.” You chuckled.

“Yeah absolutely not, I can barely do commercials and they want me to ‘be myself’ or whatever that means.” He shakes his head as your laughter bellows.

The ride back to the hotel was peaceful, the roads were clear, and the sky filled with stars, it was the perfect night. Until Joe’s phone started buzzing every 5 seconds. He tried to ignore it by listening to cars zooming by, but whoever it was really wanted his attention.  

He sighed. “Could you get that for me?” 

“You’re very popular tonight.” You snorted, then picked up the phone. Your face dimmed as you read the series of ‘I miss you’ texts all coming from the same number. It was unknown but you could tell they weren’t from some random fling. Your gaze was locked on each message, you could bet money on who they were from. She used to be obsessed with the idea of him. He gave her a chance for a few months, she started changing him into someone else. He stopped hanging out with you as often and-

“Who is it?” 

“If it’s Zac just tell him we’re on our way.” His words floated around unanswered. 

“Y/n?”

You broke out of your trance and looked over at the man driving before quickly turning your attention to the world outside the window, “it was nothing. Wrong number.”

The phone was placed on ‘do not disturb’ and forgotten about for the rest of the ride. 

The atmosphere in the car didn’t change from that moment, a perfect silence was replaced with a frigid one. You spaced out for the remainder of the ride, not wanting to show how it affected you. Joe noticed the odd silence but dismissed it as fatigue from the long day. Which it was, that could never ruin the comfortableness of their surroundings.

The car finally pulled into the Hilton valet entrance around 10, you unbuckled yourself then sunk into the seat. The late hour meant you had to wait for someone to come outside, in the meantime you attempted to lose yourself in the night sky. The antsy feeling bubbling under your skin was beginning to eat away your patience. Joe, finally able to get a good look at you, watched the way your knees bounced, the way your hands were picking at themselves and the lack of attention towards him.

“Ok what’s wrong, you were fine all night until you saw my phone. So what’s bothering you?” 

You scoffed, it’s just like guys to identify the problem not even realizing it was the problem. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“Fine, if you aren’t going to talk then I will.” Your gaze was unwavering from the doors of the Hilton.

“Damn okay, look I feel like I’ve been trying to say this for the last two years, clearly I haven’t been very successful. Y/n I don’t like us being so far apart. I mean, location wise and relationship wise- yea. Fuck. Joe just do it.” Some part of you would’ve laughed at his inability to coherently express himself, but you couldn’t get past the irony.

“I really like you Y/n, I have for a long time and-

Shaking your head, you can’t help the words that start flying out, “bullshit. How can you say that when Megan or some random bitch is constantly blowing up your phone?”

“Megan? Y/n there’s nothing going on between us anymore, that ended over a year ago. You are the only woman I have feelings for, I don’t care about whoever’s in my DMs or calling me up.” As he went on the feelings of doubt still lingered.

“I somehow don’t believe that Joe, call me fucking insecure but if you wanted me to believe that you would’ve blocked the numbers. It’s like you wanted to know that they’ll always want you and you can go back whenever you want.” Your vision began to blur with unshed tears. You don’t believe the words falling from your lips, this has never been a problem between you. But this is more than just a fight with your best friend.

“I don’t know what I can do to convince you that you’re the only one I care about.” He huffed laying back in his seat. Then his eyes widen, “wait you wouldn’t feel this way if you didn’t also have feelings for me.” A bit of hope fills his chest.

“So what?” You finally meet his crystal blue eyes. “You clearly have other priorities, so let’s just leave it at that. I’m tired so let’s just talk tomorrow.” With that, you left the car and entered the hotel.

“Y/n! Wait!”

The next few minutes are a blur, the bellhop rushes past you to help with the bags as you hand the lady at the desk your ID. Once she hands you your key, you b-line to the elevator, not waiting for a second. By the time Joe gets to the desk, you’re already in the room.

The lady at the desk confirms his identity and reminds him of the meeting he has with Taylor, but all he can think about is how this night went so bad so fast. He takes the elevator to the 12th floor where both their room and the meeting are and enters the one cracked open while his bags are wheeled further down the hall.

“Well look who’s decided to grace us with his presence. You were supposed to be back over an hour ago.” His manager, Dan, presses.

Joe takes a seat at the opposite side of their round table and runs his fingers through his hair. “Shit happens, can we start now?”

Coach Taylor takes a note of his behavior and quickly runs through everything he needs to know. He lectures for a total of 20 minutes and answers questions for 10 before he runs out of material. The entire time Joe took the sloppiest notes of his life and couldn’t care less about what the chicken scratch said. “Well that’s it, any other comments, questions or concerns?”

“How do you make a girl listen to you?” 

That raises the older mens’ attention just as quickly as when he walked in.

Zac speaks up first, “in my experience you need to have something to say that’s worth listening to.”

“I told her that I love her.”

Dan’s eyes widened. “Y/n?” The player nodded.

“And she didn’t believe you?” He nodded again.

“What happened before you said it?”

“Nothing, she was quiet the entire ride but something changed during the last 10 minutes. I got some spam texts from an unknown number and she got awkward. Then when we got here she brought it up again, but it didn’t make sense. She had no reason to be upset.” He huffed.

The older men looked at him amused. “What?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Did you read what the messages said?”

He shrugged. “No, why would I?” 

“I don’t know man, maybe because she read them and got upset.” Zac pondered.

“Give me your phone.” He hands over the device per his manager’s request. The man quickly goes through the messages before putting the phone back in his eye line. “Read it, aloud.”

“I miss you….. Why was she replying? She doesn’t compare….leeching off you…taking advantage. What the fuck?” His brows knitted. 

“Now do you see why she was mad?” Dan smirked.

“Fuck, I need to fix this.” Joe gets up and marches towards the door. “Oh and thanks for the help. I’ve been saying that a lot today.”

By the time Joe enters the room, he’s got a full speech in his head that he's gone over several times and he’s prepared to unleash it immediately upon seeing you. Except there’s no trace of you in the room. Your bags are gone, your phone isn’t near a bed, neither of beds even look like they’ve been touched. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. There’s no way I messed up for a third time.” 

He starts pacing the room. This was supposed to be his chance, this was going to be the story he tells the grandkids. They were supposed to hear about their great love story and carry on his legacy. But instead he’s going to die that weird uncle that’s obsessed with cartoons and UFC. 

He finally sits down in the chair next to your bed facing the downtown skyline replaying the day’s events in his head and completely ignoring the door next to his own.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

The second you got to the room all you wanted was a hot shower to help relieve some of the stress and tension from the car. It only took about 5 minutes for the young bellhop to come to the door, you gave him his tip, grabbed your duffle and went straight to the bathroom. You oiled your scalp then placed a shower cap over your hair and spent 30 minutes underneath the boiling water. 

After doing your much needed self care routine, you left the bathroom steamy and with 40% less stress than before you started. You softly shut the door then turned around to see a figure sitting next to your bed.

“Joey?” He gets up and slowly turns around, the sight of his red eyes, tear stained cheeks and messy hair makes you crumble.

“Oh my god, what-

Before you could finish he takes a few long strides towards you and pulls you into him. “Baby what happened?”

“I can’t lose you again.” He croaked. “Y/n, it’s always been you. I love you more than anything. Nothing she said in those texts was true, I’d give you the world with everyone still on it. You’re my biggest supporter, you’re the only one that knows me on a deeper level than -fucking- myself. I don’t wanna go another minute without you knowing how much you mean to me, how much I fucking love you and how much I’d do anything just to make you smile. I’m sorry I waited so long to tell you. I just wanted it to be perfect, I wanted to have a story that would transcend galaxies. I-

“Joey!”

He finally stops and stares into your eyes. “I always loved how rich and glittery your eyes got when you’re in the light.”

What a goof.

You rolled those glittery eyes, pulled him down by his collar and crashed your lips against his. After the initial shock wears off, he returns it making you sink into his hold. His hands dig into the softness of your waist and your arms wrap around his neck with your fingers immediately finding their home scratching and running through his hair. His hands wander further down mapping every inch of your body before one softly grips the meat of your ass causing a ‘gasp’ to leave your lips giving him the opening to allow his tongue to explore more of your mouth. Your bodies rock together until your knees hit the edge of his bed and you fall into it without breaking apart your lips. He grabs a hold of your thighs and flips you over so you’re on top. A sharp tug at his roots releases a deep vibrating groan that causes flutters in your lower stomach. 

“Joey.” A whine finally breaks you from the heat of his mouth. You open your eyes to his dazed eyes and smiling bruised lips. “Yea?”

“I love you too.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

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A/N: As always: likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated and welcomed.