#but like?? being actually him?? he does NOT expect them to listen to him when he's just himself

[noxturnalpascal]

Devotion 🖤 III. Path to the Future (Ch 11)

CultLeader!Joel x OFC!Reader

Series Summary: When is it enough? When is it too much? When does Devotion become Obsession?

Visit the Series Masterlist for series warnings, cult info, timeline info, and HCs on ages. Reader has a nickname and some minor physical descriptions - is an OFC from Reader POV.

*This series is 18+ MDNI. I will not be listing individual chapter warnings as I don't want to spoil the plot of each chapter. Please see the series masterlist for entire series warnings to decide if this is for you.*

LAYOUT OF JOEL'S HOUSE PREVIOUS

III. Path to the Future

CH 11 (7.3k) Slowly opening your eyes, you see warm sunlight pouring in through the high windows in a familiar room, although a room you didn’t expect to see ever again. You blink a few times, already knowing you’re in the same clinic room you woke up in last fall. Your mind does a few somersaults, trying to recall where you’ve been and how you could be here again. It doesn’t take long for you to figure it out.

You sit up slightly and the first thing you see is Joel, sitting in his old chair at the foot of your bed, watching you. You see him break eye contact and look at your head, so you reach your hand towards your head but a clamping sensation on your wrist stops your hand’s upward movement. You throw the blanket off your arm and see that your right arm is handcuffed to the bedrail. The transition to being Joel’s prisoner is complete.

“Really?” you huff.

You look back at Joel and he gives you a shy smile, looking almost repentant. Almost.

You suppose if you’re being truly honest with yourself, you didn’t think he would actually let you go, even though you practically begged him to. He’d told you more than once that he wouldn’t let you get away and seeing as how he’d marched across the state to catch up to you after you left the farm, going back empty-handed probably wasn’t on his agenda. You knew this, but it didn’t make you any less annoyed to find yourself shackled to your hospital bed under his watchful eye. 

“Is this the part where you take a sledgehammer to my legs?” you ask, straight-faced.

The doctor walks in just then and gives you a surprised look, then smiles.

“Glad to see you woke up so quickly,” she says as she takes out a flashlight and checks your eyes. “Joel said you hit your head pretty hard.”

You grab her with your uncuffed hand, she jumps slightly.

“You have to help me,” you plead. She looks towards Joel and you squeeze her arm to draw her attention back to you. “Joel is the one who hit me on the head, you have to help me get out of here, you have to get Tess. Please get Tess.”

“Stop that, now,” Joel hums, then turns to the doc and whispers. “See, doc? She hit her head and she’s just been sayin’ all sorts ‘a crazy stuff. I’m just worried about her safety.”

Shit. While you were unconscious Joel apparently got in front of the situation and already laid the groundwork for his gaslighting, spinning a tale about the wound on your head and justifying the need to handcuff you to the bed. He thinks he can win this game? Maybe he thinks that because you haven’t even been playing it, you’ve been blacked out from a head wound he gave you. 

"You are such a fuckin-” you sneer at him.

“See what I mean? She’s been so mean, not like herself at all,” Joel continues in response.

“I’ll show you how mean I can get, Joel… Uncuff me from this bed.”

“We don’t want a repeat of last time, now do we?” Joel says to the doctor, then turns to you.

Oh, now you get it. You’d threatened these people with scissors all those months ago - when you woke up in an unknown place - and Joel is playing on that fear they apparently still have of you. He’s playing like you’ve lost your mind, like you’d be a danger to all of them if they don’t listen to him. Oh, he’s good. He’s downright diabolical.

“Joel,” you huff. “Don’t fuckin’ do that shit. I know exactly who is the threat here and it’s not me.” The doctor begins to slowly back out of the room, the growing tension making her visibly uncomfortable. You turn to her, pointing your finger at her face and screech, “You have to get Tess!” 

The doctor keeps moving slowly towards the door, not giving much merit to your shrill ramblings. You move your outstretched finger back and forth between Joel and the doctor, muttering curses under your breath and trying to figure out how the fuck to get out of this. You sound kind of crazy now, thanks to Joel for pushing your buttons. You wish this was easier, that he was dumb like those kids at the summer camp, but unfortunately you’re dealing with someone who knows all your tricks, who can see through your deceptions. Maybe he had a point when he said you two were alike. 

You’re going to have to play to the doctor, to get her to help you despite Joel’s planted lies. Convinced there’s few alternative options, you decide to try and fake a medical episode. You’ve had a knock on the head, it’s completely within the realm of possibility. You throw your body backwards on the bed and begin to convulse, shaking your limbs and rolling your eyes back in your head. You clench your hands and teeth, trying to mimic a seizure as best you can. 

It works. The doctor is back at your side immediately, calling for help down the hall, lifting your eyelids to shine a flashlight back in your eyes, yelling for Joel to hold your legs.

“That’s not real,” Joel calmly says.

The doc continues to shout orders at two nurses now in the room, one of them shoving something in your mouth to bite down on and the other holding your legs. The doctor is yelling at Joel, who continues to stand back in silence and refuses to help. You decide to up the ante and stop holding the full bladder that probably woke you up in the first place, letting yourself pee the bed while continuing to shudder and shake.

“Oh Fuck,” one of the nurses says.

“She’s faking it,” Joel says from behind them.

“That’s not fake piss,” the other nurse says.

“Go get Tess,” you hear the Doctor whisper to one of them.

---

You hear Tess’ voice in the hallway, and her steps pause just near the doorway of your room.

“What happened? Is she okay?” you hear her ask.

“She’s fuckin’ fine,” Joel mutters.

“The doc said-”

“She’s fakin’ it,” he hisses.

You can’t even stop the giggle that escapes your lips, as you lie there, having pretended to be unconscious after your incident.

“I thought you said you guys worked your shit out,” Tess says to Joel.

“Well he’s a fucking liar,” you answer, sitting up in bed and yanking your wrist up to clank the metal handcuffs on the metal bedrail.

She looks back at you and then back to Joel. You can’t see her face but he shrugs and looks away from whatever look she’s giving him.

“It’s a work in progress,” he growls.

She asks him for the handcuff key and when he gives it she comes over to the bed and unlocks your wrist from the restraint. She looks you over, touching what you now know is a bandage on your head from whatever Joel hit you with, and sees that besides being covered in your own piss you’re otherwise unharmed. 

“Can you give us a minute?” she says, facing you.

“I don’t think she should get up,” Joel answers.

“I was talking to you, Joel,” Tess says, turning to look at him. “I’m asking you to leave the room so we can have a conversation without you in here.”

A long pause goes by while her words work their way past his thick skull.

“Yeah, okay…” he trails off, looking dejected as he shuffles out of the room.

She turns back to you.

“You gave us all quite the scare there, ya know?”

“I’d had enough,” you shrug. “I couldn’t be near him anymore.”

“But you weren’t near him, I sent you pretty far away.”

“And yet, he still had a way of gettin’ under my skin… Also, and I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I had shit go missing and it just seemed like-'' Tess' face twists at your words and stops you mid-sentence. Realization washes over you. “Oh… so not crazy then.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, reaching out to touch your hand. “When I found out I made him stop.”

“I think you need a shorter leash on your dog, Tess.”

“What do you want me to do? Do you want to leave again? I’ll help you.” She asks earnestly.

“You think he’d let me?” You both exchange a look that says you both know the answer is no. “Then what am I supposed to do? What do you think I should do?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think, we can do whatever you want to do.”

“It matters to me what you think, Tess.”

“I- I know it seems like this is a deeply toxic relationship. But I think you’re both at war with each other, firing everything you’ve got over the walls you’ve both put up. I think - and you can tell me to fuck off - but I think that if you both put down your weapons and let each other past the armor, that you’d actually be really fucking good for each other.”

A long pause stretches between the two of you and then you scoff.

“Fuck off, Tess.”

“You don’t think so?” 

“You’re just saying what he wants you to, obviously,” you snide, even if you don’t really believe it.

“So none of your feelings for him were real?”

“How could they be? That wasn’t who he really is.”

“Sure it was. That was part of him. And this- this is also part of him.”

“Yeah, a fucking asshole,” you spit.

“So now you have the whole picture, right?” 

“Yeah, I do.”

“So you definitely don’t feel anything for him now.”

You open your mouth to immediately answer but your stupid fucking brain reminds you of the way you felt when he told you that he loved you and you choke on your words. Fuck. He said he loved you. He said that Bianca’s baby wasn’t his. He said you were all he wanted. You hated him. You hated the way his words made your flesh shiver, made your insides flip. You hate the effect he had on you, the way he’s making you doubt yourself now. 

You turn your head to hide the tears that have come to your eyes unbidden and spill down your cheek. Tess sees it, your whole reaction is so fucking obvious, but she’s gracious enough not to say anything. She squeezes the hand she’s been holding.

“Maybe just give it a little time. Then we can figure out what to do, okay?” she says.

---

After your little stunt the doctor insisted on observing you overnight and you didn’t have the heart to reveal your lie to her, so you stayed in the musty old hospital bed with Joel sleeping sitting-up in the chair that he moved in front of the doorway. The next afternoon Joel walks you from the clinic back to the house - his house - as if you don’t remember how to get there. Obviously he just doesn’t want to let you out of his sight. The first time he sent Tess to bring you there but he apparently doesn’t even trust her anymore. 

You see people watching you walk together, tending to their yards and pretending not to stare. It hasn’t been a week since you walked down the gravel drive of the farm but people have obviously heard about your little disappearing act. When you get to the porch you see a box filled with your clothes and trinkets you left behind at the farm sitting outside the door. When you step inside the house is eerily still, Joel’s footsteps coming in behind you loud in the unusual quiet. He comes up beside you, the box in his arms, and nods his head up the stairs.

“Where do you want your stuff?” he asks.

Your brows knit. What does that mean? “Which room is free?”

“You can have any room you want.”

You take a moment and then point to the door at the top of the stairs to the right.

“My room?” he asks.

“My room,” you answer.

You don’t actually expect him to give you his room, you were just fucking with him, but he walks up the stairs and brings the box into his room as you follow on his heels. He sets the box down on a chair and you watch in silence with a curious expression as he grabs his clothes out of the closet and lays them down on the bed. He goes to the dresser and grabs more clothes, placing them on top of the others and then gathering them in the blanket that was atop the bed like a fuzzy parcel. 

“There’s another blanket in the closet for ya,” he says as he heads out of the room.

You follow him to the doorway but don’t leave the room, watching him turn and bring his armful of shit into Tess’ room. That’s gonna be a shock for her when she gets home, you think to yourself. Shit, maybe fucking with Joel isn’t a good idea if it’s gonna screw over Tess, the only person who seems to be in your corner. He comes back out of the room and your eyes meet in the hallway. You jump back and slam the door closed, locking the handle. You’re not sure what his limits for being messed with are going to be and the bump on your head reminds you of his not-so-gentle nature. Probably for the best to keep away from him for a while.

---

A light knock on the door wakes you from your afternoon nap, the room now cast in a dim evening glow. You sit up in Joel’s bed and look towards the door - still shut and locked.

“Dinner’s ready,” he says through the wood, then you hear his footsteps retreat down the stairs.

You didn’t mean to stay asleep so long. How did you not wake up while dinner was being made? You unlock the door and head downstairs, the creaking stairs under your bare feet echoing off the walls. You turn into the dining room and see the long table empty, save for a plate of food set in front of each chair at the head and foot of the table. What the hell?

“Where is everyone?” you ask.

“Just us,” he says.

You eat dinner in silence, the silverware scraping the plates is the only sounds outside your own jaw chewing the food. He takes your plate when you’re done eating and washes the dishes alone in the kitchen. This is creeping you out, the quiet, the calm. What is he doing? Where is everyone? You think he must be waiting for you to let your guard down so he can pounce, so while his back is turned to the dining room you tiptoe out of the room and run up the stairs, diving in his room and locking the door behind you.

It occurs to you that he probably has a key for his own room so you grab the chair from the corner and place it in front of the door, wedging it under the handle. You used to see this in movies and never thought it would work but you remember Tess doing it the night he bit you, so you think maybe there’s some truth to it after all. You hear him walk past the door a while later and a closing door echoes from down the hall. 

He’s just there, on the other side of the wall, in Tess’ room. You wonder if he put something outside this room, maybe hung bells on the door, so he can hear if you try to escape. God, you think he’d probably put a leash on you if he had one. Shit, does he have one? You look over to the doorknob again, double-checking it’s still locked. You think you’re safe. At least for tonight. 

You’re suddenly regretting trying to fuck with him, maybe it’s best you just act pleasant, maybe he’ll treat you best if you go along with whatever the fuck this is. Maybe you’ll check with Tess tomorrow at breakfast and see about switching rooms. You don’t actually want his room, the room he most definitely has a key to. You’d rather share Tess’ room with her, and be safely locked away from him with someone. Just one night alone and then tomorrow you’ll fix it.

---

You’re awoken by a loud knocking, and it sounds like it’s coming from downstairs. You wait to see if anyone else is going to answer it but when there are repeated knocks you get out of bed and move the chair blocking the bedroom door. When you make it downstairs and throw the large front door open you see Tess standing on the porch.

“What, did you forget your key?” you laugh. 

This is a joke, because there is no key. The front door is never locked. You were told your first week here that everyone within this town could be trusted so no one bothered to lock their doors anymore. It gave you a warm fuzzy feeling inside and made you feel like after nearly a decade of fear, maybe you were somewhere that you could feel safe. Even after being harassed and kidnapped by Joel, you suppose that this is somewhere you still feel safe.

Tess gives you a strange look, but smiles.

“Is Joel around?” she asks.

“I dunno,” you shrug.

“Well when did you see him last?” she looks past you, around the house.

“At dinner, then he went into your room for the night. He wasn’t there when you woke up?” Your brows knit to match the confused expression on her face. “Oh, you didn’t come home last night?”

“What do you mean my room?”

“He didn’t tell you?” You blush a little and bite your cheek to keep from smirking. Don’t be an asshole, it’s not funny to fuck with your captor. “I took his room so he moved into your room. But it’s just temporary, I don’t want you to be put out, it was just a joke-”

“That- that’s not my room anymore though,” she says slowly and then repeats your words. “He didn’t tell you?”

Your smug expression melts away. “What?”

“I don’t live here anymore,” she says.

Just then you both hear a scuffle of boots behind her and look to see Joel walking up the steps, hair slicked back fresh from the baths. He looks between you and Tess, both of your faces marked with confusion. 

“Everythin’ okay?” he questions.

“Why does Tess think she doesn’t live here anymore?” you blurt out, acrimony lacing your words.

“Because she doesn’t?” He continues looking back and forth.

“Why would you kick her out? She had nothing to do with me leavin’, she didn’t know-”

“She didn’t move out as a punishment,” he clarifies. “Everyone found a new place to live, it’s just you and I here now.”

“Wh- What?” you stutter. Is that why you haven’t seen anyone else since you got back? You and Joel have been alone here and you barely even questioned it. A million questions race through your mind. You land on the simplest. “Why?”

“Why? Because you told me you thought we were meant to be together but you couldn’t watch me be with anyone else,” Joel says, moving past Tess and closer to you in the doorway as he speaks. “So there’s no one else now. It’s just me and you.”

Your cheeks heat. You don’t dare risk a glance at Tess to measure her reaction to Joel’s recounting of your humiliating confession. Joel moves to take your hand but you pull back, worried that you would melt into his touch and your armor would shatter, floating away like dust on the wind only to leave you naked and exposed right there at the front door for everyone to see.

Instead, Joel says he’ll be right back and moves past you and into the house. You see him head towards his office as you keep your gaze unfocused on the bustling square behind Tess. He comes back moments later and steps past you again, Tess turning to join him in bouncing down the stairs.

“Hey! Where are you going?” you call out to their retreating figures.

They stop and Joel turns around. “Got work to do,” he replies.

“You’re just gonna leave me here? Don’t you wanna chain me to the radiator or somethin’?” you shout loud enough that you’re sure some of the neighbors can hear.

“Do I need to?” he shouts back.

Tess elbows him, looking around and smiling an awkward grin. They both turn back towards the square and continue walking away, leaving you at the threshold.

Since you apparently have an empty house and nothing else to do, you heat up several pots of water, carrying them upstairs to take a bath in the tub. You've been wearing the same thing for nearly a week, so you discard your smelly clothes on the bathroom floor and sink into the hot water. You let yourself soak until the water grows tepid, thinking over Joel’s words as he left earlier. It’s just me and you. He’d sent everyone away, even Tess, because you told the idiot you were foolishly in love with him once. Now you’re in this house all alone with him. God, it sounds like a nightmare, you whisper to yourself, even as a thrilling feeling zips down your spine and makes your pussy clench.

Fuck, you hate him, why do you react like this? He’s a fucking maniac, a controlling narcissist who has hurt you to keep you from leaving him. Once out of the bath you plod around the house, naked and dripping, confirming what Joel told you this morning. Every bedroom, aside from the two claimed by you and Joel, is unoccupied. The beds are stripped bare, the dressers are empty of clothing, the shelves devoid of books, and any personal belongings that once adorned the walls or tops of nightstands have been cleared away.

You pass by the front door, checking the lock as you go, seeing it unlocked and thinking how crazy it is that he just left you here. He seems pretty confident you’re not going to set fire to all his flannel shirts, grab his gun from the locked case that he irresponsibly leaves the key on top of, and raid his pantry before you take off up the mountain. Then you realize that’d probably be a lot of wasted energy since you’re fairly certain you’d end up right back here within a week, Joel clearly unwilling to lose the game of cat and mouse you’re engaged in.

You utilize your time alone by snooping further, letting yourself into Joel’s unlocked office and walking around the sun-filled room. There’s so many windows in here but you don’t even care if anyone sees you snooping around in the nude. You run your fingers along the spines of the paperbacks on his bookcases, recalling afternoons spent with him in this room, alone. You’d practically sit on his lap, watching his mouth curl around the words while he read to you about doctors or dinosaurs, courtroom dramas or enchanted forests. The way you wanted him… could you ever feel that again? He seems to think so.

You sit down at his desk and start rummaging through all his drawers. He’s got pens and notebooks, patrol schedules and calendars, and several photographs of him with people you don’t recognize, taken on polaroid cameras in what looks like a Fedra QZ. You find several maps drawn out of the Valley, both the town and the larger community outside its crude walls. You move to put the maps back and a piece of cloth catches your eye.

You pull it out to find that it’s your pillowcase from the dairy farm. You’d come back from your bath one day this past spring and had noticed it missing. Inside the pillowcase are two books; the one he gifted you for Christmas and the one you’d lost at the farm. Tess confirmed your suspicions the other day but you’re still pissed off at this evidence that he couldn’t leave you alone, wouldn’t let you just move on. The last thing inside the pillowcase is a pair of your underwear and you stop to think, unable to remember any of those going missing at the farm.

Then it dawns on you when he’d taken these underwear. Unlike his other ill-gotten keepsakes these were something that you let him take off you. These were from the night you let him in completely, let him have every last piece of your mind and soul, let him devour you completely. The night you knew you loved him. Your body reacts again, a heat spreading across your chest and up your neck to your cheeks. You feel your core start to tingle and uninvited images of him between your legs plague your mind. That memory shouldn’t make you feel like this. He shouldn’t make you feel like this.

He’s a liar. He’s a manipulator. He’s a bad fuckin’ guy.

Joel comes home late in the afternoon just as you’re getting hungry, having only eaten some canned vegetables from the basement all day, with dinner in his hands. He sets the containers down at opposite ends of the table again as you take your seat, awaiting his reaction to the sight of you dressed in nothing but a t-shirt and the reclaimed underwear that he’d kept hidden away. You see his eyes dart down your legs as he moves towards his own chair, but he doesn't react. You notice the meal is packaged up the way that Kerri used to do it, when she would bring meals out to valley residents. 

“Still got Kerri making all your meals for you, your majesty?” you mock.

“Making food for everyone is Kerri’s job now, so yeah, I stopped and got us some,” he says calmly, not taking your bait for a fight. “I didn’t think you’d feel up to making dinner for us yourself just yet.”

The realization of his words hits you like a slap in the face. “You expect me to make your dinner?” you balk. Before he can respond you stand and throw your food across the room, watching the hot steaming meal splatter against the wall behind him. “I’m not gonna cook and clean and let you breed me like I’m your little wife.” You tip your chair over as an added flair in your little tantrum and turn to march up the stairs, shouting as you go. “I’m not playing fucking house with you, Joel.” 

Joel didn’t think it was going to be easy, you adjusting to being back home. He knew you were still upset with him - rightfully so - and that it’d take time for you to adjust, to find your rightful place here. He thinks maybe you never found your footing before and that’s part of why you used to be so meek and adrift. Now he sees a confidence in you that he never saw before. He knows what you’re capable of, he knows how meticulous and calculated you can be when you want something. 

So he’ll just wait. He’ll wait until you figure out what you want. If you don’t want to cook that’s fine, he knows you’re not very skilled in the kitchen anyways. He doesn’t care what you do, he just wants you to find something to make you happy, to make you want to be here in this life with him. There are so many jobs here you could do but you never seemed interested in the garden, or the household chores, or fishing, or apparently even milking cows. 

So what are you interested in? He'll leave you to sort it out on your own and when you’re ready you can let him know, and he'll give it to you. He’ll give you anything you ask for, you just haven’t realized it yet.

---

Every day after that follows a similar script. Joel leaves with Tess in the mornings and you spend the day lazing about, making messes, and snacking on anything you can find. Several days in you worry that Joel will get on your back about the dent you’re putting in the preserved food stored in the root cellar. You head across the square to Georgia’s house, who used to love boring you with stories about her six kids - all adopted here in the valley - and is now happy to feed yet another welcome face. You only have to endure her talking your ear off and you get a hot meal. It’s almost too easy. 

As you walk around the square in the afternoons, you greet the residents, coming out of their houses to give you hugs and handshakes, hand you flowers and treats to give to Joel. You’re not even sure you’re supposed to be out of the house so how are you supposed to pass on these gifts? Does he know you leave the house, does he have people watching you and reporting back to him?

You wonder sometimes why you haven’t just skipped town. Part of you is pretty sure that he’d come after you and drag you back again. You’re good at surviving but you’re not an escape artist and he easily followed your clumsy trail halfway across the state last time. But the rest of you, in a bewildering state of honesty, can admit that you don’t want to go. You felt wrapped up in grief before and thought you had no chance but to run away, but you were sad to leave the safety and comfort of the Valley.

The community here provides a good, comfortable life, the people here are friendly and kind, they protect what’s theirs and look out for each other. You have a warm, soft place to rest your head and are never short on things to fill your belly. There’s a wall between you and the outside world and people who patrol that wall to keep danger on the other side. You’re safe. Things are good here, and what’s more, you are seemingly under the protection of the Alpha dog.

God, how pathetic are you that the thought of Joel being feral and insane for you is giving you comfort right now? The way people look up to him, the way they talk about him like he’s divine… you used to think it was inspiring. Then you thought it was just fodder for Joel’s ego, so self-obsessed that he raised himself up on a pedestal like a golden idol. Now, you’re ashamed to find yourself getting a contact-high off the power, dizzy with the masculine energy that radiates off him, under the spell of the dominant strength that everyone else also responds to.

In the passing weeks Joel comes back every evening with food that you know is made by Kerri and you both eat it in near-silence. You’re not foolish enough to toss it around the room and go hungry again, but you still pepper in attempts to pick a fight with him at every opportunity. 

This isn’t as good as she used to make it. She must be losing her touch.

This is so salty. You’d better be careful, what with your blood pressure and all.

The rice is undercooked and the meat is overcooked. Ugh, this is barely edible.

You’re not even sure why you’re doing it, really, and you’ve definitely given it thought, since you’re left alone with nothing but your thoughts all day every day. Everytime you open your mouth and something rude comes out you wait with bated breath, wondering if that will be the thing that sets him off. Are you trying to piss him off? Are you trying to make him toss his meal at the wall? Are you trying to get him to throw you over the table again? 

No, you don’t want to see that monstrous version of him show its fangs, but you’d still be entertained to get a rise out of him. He’s been like a neutered dog since he dragged you back here, letting you berate and disrespect him daily. You’d like to see him show some backbone, to have a reaction to what you’re doing. With each passing day there’s a nagging feeling at the back of your mind that tells you he doesn’t care, that he’s getting tired of your attitude, that he’s losing interest. No matter how many times you tell yourself you don’t care - the thoughts still make your mind swirl with disappointment.

Worse than that though, is the sour feeling in your stomach when you sit across from him every night and watch him eat Kerri’s food. You know it shouldn’t bother you and you know that you never even actually saw them together, but it doesn’t stop the image of their two bodies entwined from inserting itself into the forefront of your mind. Kerri cooking for your man, touching your man, fucking your man. 

No, not your man. Fuck. He’s not yours, he’s anyone’s who has open, willing legs and you don’t even want him anyways. You hate him.

And yet, you can’t stop the jealousy percolating in your gut as you sit across the table and watch him shovel her cooking into his face. Finally, on the eighteenth dinner you eat together, Joel has had enough. You’re still wearing a snarky smile from the comment you’ve just made about the gravy being lumpy when he slams his palm down on the table, rattling the plates. Finally. You bite your cheek to stop your smile from growing.

“Can you stop being such a b-” he stops before he calls you the name on the tip of his tongue.

He watches your face as you react to his outburst. Your eyes go wide, your teeth peek out from your ghoulish grin. He stops himself before he can hurl the insult at you. You’re trying to get to him - you have been for weeks - and he’s been up till now able to resist your provocation. He doesn’t want to fight with you, he’s trying to be a good man and show you only the best parts of him. He’s trying to earn your love back. But goddamnit, he’s had a fucking shit day and your constant complaining isn’t making it any better.

He looks back down at his dinner and resumes eating, ignoring your comment. The gravy isn’t lumpy so you’re full of shit, you’re just being miserable because that’s your new normal. You shit all over him from the moment he gets home with dinner every night and then march upstairs and lock yourself away in his old room. Does he deserve to be punished for every shitty thing he’s done to you? Of course he does, but he was hoping you’d be willing to forgive him too. He thought he saw it in your eyes at one point that night at the summer camp, when you were remembering how you loved him once.

Why didn’t you just shoot him when you had the chance? You had the rifle aimed at his heart, all you had to do was pull the trigger. But you didn’t. Maybe you thought death would be too much of a kindness, too easy of a way out. Maybe you knew he’d come back here and face one of the most difficult springs leading this place and that having to figure out a way to slog through it would be a punishment worse than death.

That’s probably an over exaggeration - Joel knows - but sometimes he thinks he’s not cut out for this shit, for leading a community with so many moving parts. He’s the one who collects everyone’s grievances and is relied upon to find the solution for every problem, big or small. Today he got a report from the Mansfield's dairy farm - the same place you temporarily called home - that the milk output would be down this year. Joel cursed at the note sent in Hank’s own hand. The community had grown by just over ten percent from this time last year and more milk was needed, not less. 

He had an afternoon meeting that gave him more bad news; one of his trusted advisors, Peter, had taken stock of his personal supplies after the long winter and found that he was running short on food to feed his large family. He and his wife had taken in 6 kids - between the ages of 7 and 17 - and he half-jokingly told Joel that they were eating him out of house and home. Peter confided that he wasn’t the only one around town who was feeling the pressure of needing this growing season to be bountiful while also acknowledging that the shorter spring was going to hinder the yields.

After the bloody night at the lakeside camp Joel got to thinking about the safety and security of the community. He’d been distracted from his priorities for far too long, and he began implementing new rules as soon as he got back. He ordered that everyone start taking inventory of their stocks and sending him reports, in addition to letting him know what their upcoming seasons looked to yield and what was needed to ensure success. He did away completely with the evening meetings, declaring it safer to have everyone back home before darkness fell. Instead, he spends all his days meeting with people at an office he set up at the town-square, or traveling all around the valley to meet with people at their homes.

Joel had the idea to set up a cafeteria-style system utilizing two old restaurants - which Kerri and Tess staffed - that works to feed residents in place of the meals everyone used to meet up for on certain evenings during the week. Most families prefer to keep their own food stocks and prepare their own meals but everyone donates to the community as a whole, and so there is the ability for anyone who doesn’t want to or doesn’t know how to cook, to get a hot meal any day of the week. The only payments accepted are - as it always is in the Valley - an exchange of goods or services.

These changes have been in effect for over two weeks but Joel is still plagued by worries for the safety of his flock, including you. He doesn’t want to have brought you back here just to put you in more danger. So it was the cherry on top of a bad day when, just as he was about to head to the cafeteria and grab food, Tess stopped by to let him know that they’d just done inventory at the armory and found less guns and ammo than they’d had at last count. 

Joel remembers the promise of help you’d made to the skinny travelers you’d come across like a knife piercing his stomach. He knows they aren’t the ones raiding his armory - thanks to you - but that there are others like them out there. People desperate and willing to go to extreme lengths for survival. People who have perhaps already found their way past the Valley’s defenses. 

So to say Joel is stressed today might be an understatement. Still, he doesn’t want to fight with you. He wants you to be his comfort, his shelter in the storm. He wants you to be his rock. But lately it seems as though all you want to be is the rocky coastline his ship wrecks itself against. 

He stays silent the rest of the meal, not wanting to sink to your depths and get involved in another fight that ends in food all over the floor, cursing, and slamming doors. He stands to take your plate and when he sees that you’ve scraped all the perfectly good gravy off the food you ate - leaving behind a congealed puddle in the middle of your dish - he feels a twitch behind his eyeball. He’s trying to be a good man. God, he wishes he were a good man.

“If you think you could do better, I’m sure I could find you an apron around here somewhere,” he says.

He sees your smug face turn to his, lips forming a snarl just as he turns away to walk into the kitchen, and hears the scrape of your chair on the floor as you stand up. There’s a long pause and he walks slowly through the archway, waiting to see what your comeback could be, hoping since he took your plate that he left you with nothing to throw.

You feel it, the incandescent heat filling up the empty spaces inside you, alight at the way that you finally coaxed a reaction out of him. His snarky remark, his attention, his ire, focused on you. You hate how much you love it, don’t want to face how fulfilling it is that weeks of a calculated, spiteful attitude is finally paying off. And then a thought grips your heart like ice-cold claws; you still love his attention because you still love him. Then, your fists clench and your stomach coils at his repeated insinuation that you could be his dutiful little housewife, and spend your time in this house cooking and cleaning for him. 

You push away the thoughts that you might hold any affection for him. You don’t love him, you hate him. He’s seen what you’re capable of, he knows who you are. You laid yourself bare to him and yet here you are, stuck in his house with no real purpose, the expectation that you’ll replace the duties of all the women he sent away. You’ll cook, you’ll clean, you’ll get on your knees. Except apparently you don’t have to cook, since Kerri’s still doing that for him. Jealousy burns you from head to toe at the thought of what else she could still be doing for him.

“You said it was just gonna be you and me,” you shout.

He turns and looks into your face, red and scowling, before looking around the room just for good measure. 

“I don’t see anyone else here, do you?” 

He wishes he could be a smart-ass about it but he’s genuinely confused. No one but him has even stepped foot in this house since you came back, he even makes Tess wait on the porch in the mornings. You raise your arm and point violently to the plates in his hands. He looks down. The dinner plates?

“Dinner?” he questions.

You nod your head, yes.

“But that’s just-”

You fold your arms across your chest, pouting further.

“So you don’t want another woman making me dinner?”

You shake your head, no.

“But you don’t want to make me dinner.” It’s not a question, you made the answer pretty clear already.

You answer anyways, shaking your head, no, again.

He opens his mouth to argue and then immediately shuts it. He looks down at the dinner plates, then back up at you. A moment passes as he easily realizes why your anger would be directed at Kerri. She’s not just another woman, she’s the other woman, for all intents and purposes. The one you caught him with when you thought - when he let you think - that he only had eyes for you. He did, he only wanted you, but he was also an asshole accustomed to getting what he wanted when he wanted it. 

He fucked up. He broke your trust - one of the most precious things you’d ever given him - and he acted like it didn’t matter to him. If this is what you want, no more meals from Kerri, he’ll do it. He’s already told himself he’ll give you anything you want. Whatever it takes to get you back.

“Okay,” he says.

🖤

NEXT

Thank you Bug and Beef for helping me with editing this beast. I love you!!

no taglists going forward - follow @nox-notifs & turn on notifs🫶

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[deliciouskeys]

So I liked what we have of season 4 a lot?! I don't know if I set my expectations really low, maybe didn't expect to get that fandom feeling back, but I think I can say with certainty that I've enjoyed e1-3 of s4 more than e1-3 of s3, and mayyyyyybe even more than e1-3 of s2. Some of the storylines don't interest me, but that was true of prior seasons too.

Things I am loving so far...

(under cut because there may be teensy weensy spoiler references)

Sister Sage! Yes, she says the lines that are in the trailer, but they are so misleading about the type of character she is. I LOVE her so far.

Homelander's frustration with being adored no matter what he does and his ennui about being surrounded with sycophants (which tbf, he engineered). I am SO glad they're walking that back to some degree. Related to point 1 above, I am delighted by the way he goes about solving this problem.

Every single scene with Ryan is so fucking good?? Like, Cameron Crovetti is the ideal Ryan of my mind's eye when I write fic. I feel SO bad for him. But I am loving the divorced plot and them jockeying to be his dad. Some of it reads like fucking fic, in a good way too. Like I can't believe the conversation between HL and Ryan after he comes back from Butcher's place actually happened on TV and not in my head.

I am actually SO SO happy they decided to outsource Billy Butcher's shitty tendencies to his Tyler Durden. I did not expect him to fucking apologize to Ryan for the S3 debacle. Even ~I~ felt apologized to for that "necessary for the plot but makes zero sense outburst".

I am loling every time Noir speaks. I don't know why, but I'm finding it hilarious.

I think they're actually doing a good job with A-Train's storyline, or a better job than I expected to justify how he becomes their new double agent.

I'm enjoying Chace Crawford's work in season 4. I like that he's sincere about the comic relief role.

Hughie is so charismatic, and for the first time in 4 seasons I think he elicited tears in me (in the scene right before his mom shows up when he's listening to his dad's messages).

I like Ashley's dialogue more this season than season 3. Part of that may have to do with me enjoying her character when she's angry rather than scared shitless or "trying to imitate HL"

I welcome the larger Victoria Neumann presence, and can't wait to see more about her past.

I enjoyed BIlly Butcher using a crowbar in a fight

I enjoyed seeing Antony Starr playing a mommy and a daddy and a.... secret third thing in the mirror.

What I'm meh about...

I hate to say this but the Boys' storylines are mostly dragging and feel disconnected. I'm already tired of Frenchie and Kimiko refusing to talk to each other and attempting to drink/drug their problems away. The mystery about why Frenchie is distraught was mostly solved right away, and Kimiko's mystery is still some derivative of her backstory in S2. It just doesn't feel connected.

Mother's Milk is fine, but I do think his character took a turn toward the unreasonable in season 3, and it has sort of continued. It's not clear to me why he's kicking Butcher out of the team multiple times, especially when Butcher saves them, and clearly has nothing better to do with his time. It feels especially cruel to kick him out when he tells him about the terminal illness.

Annie's storyline is.... fine, I guess. Maybe it will develop into something more interesting, but it feels like the writers don't exactly know what to do with her now that she's out of the Seven. I don't know why Firecracker had to have a personal vendetta against Starlight beyond being a symbol of 'wokeness'. I guess I'll wait to see if Annie's meangirl past becomes relevant as the season goes on.

Firecracker is okay. I'm amused that Homelander seems bored and annoyed by her, so I take it it's fine if we feel the same way too. It's certainly an interesting addition to the Seven to have someone so underpowered.

Hughie's mom frustrates me so much I wanted HL to come and laser her instead of Hughie after that chase. Her explanation made it worse for me, not better. I await to be proven wrong, but so far I think Hughie is being a really kind person to her. "Your father didn't want me to talk to you". But you were allegedly talking to him for years? And you son is in his 20s, I think you could have contacted without his daddy's say-so. UGH.

I don't really care about this so much, because I don't like character deaths, but it is pretty funny when Vicky doesn't kill Hughie or Butcher, and when Homelander is nerfed beyond all belief and is unable to laser Hughie in a closed space. I'll chalk it up to him losing a step or fifty with the enlargement of his prostate.

[luck-of-the-drawings]

[<==PREV PAGES] [NEXT PAGE==>(not out yet.wait a year.or maybe more.imagine.]

saw alot of comments on prev pages; saying 'i HATE that mean teacher! im gonna FIGHT HIM!!' & i LOVE the energy!! it WOULD be nice. to have that catharsis. but the story of young tidestrider is Not one of catharsis. it is a story of being so small and so special and sucking so bad.

[lunar-wandering]

do y'all think Macaque is falling back into the role that Azure and the others put on him by remaining on the outskirts of the group because he thinks his input/presence is unwanted (and yeah his presence isn't really wanted by MK and the others BUT. something about the fact Macaque is placing himself at the edge of the group, the edge that Azure and the others pushed him to, doesn't really sit well)

[aromanticasterisms]

women 👍

[guideaus]

ohhh my god, i forgot about this

[t1erradelfuego]

please do not read the tags i am being insane at 10pm on a sunday night

[fmhobeus]

jjk men and their red flags

a/n: i'm feeling problematic :> tell me what u think (agree/disagree/add more?) this is all for shits n giggles !! non sorcerer au kinda

kento nanami — (over)protective

but like... to the point where it feels like he's treating you like a child! he doesnt like to see you sweat or even work at all for that matter. he loves it when you cook but has bought covers for all the knifes. if he sees a burn on your hand get ready for a 10 minute long lecture. if you accidentally fall he wont let you get up for atleast 3 days to help you ""heal."" it's almost like he doesnt trust you to take care of yourself :') he probably has like 3 separate first-aid kits everywhere.

suguru geto — emotionally unavailable

i feel like this is explainable to his character (sort of.) i dont think that he'd make you feel isolated at all, he's be an amazing listener and probably memorizes every word you say. he listens to you rant and even trauma dump with insane patience. but at some point it feels as though you hardly know him. he's talk to you a lot but very little of it is personal and you hardly know what he's thinking because his ass is not tell you. he also unintentionally distances himself from people from time to time. this applies to you too and you can feel him getting emotionally distant sometimes. it isnt something he does knowingly but it sure ass hell bothers you.

satoru gojo — very clingy and needy

this nigga. he is so utterly clingy. and at first it's perfectly fine, even appreciated by you. you still love him like crazy of course but it is just overwhelming. he is like a child most of the time, he need you around him and is always accompanying you wherever you go, and he expects you to do the same. he also doesn't believe in "me time" because why would you feel better when you're away from him: (? want to hang out with your friends? what do you need them for: (? he's right there. he is also physically incapable of listening but boy is he good at making up.

toji fushiguro — controlling

he is so controlling omfg. it's usually subtle but sometimes he will outright just say no to things he doesnt like, not caring if you like them. it gets to the point where he actually starts to change your personality. he is very caring and that's his justification for this typa stuff. it is usually harmless stuff but he gets paranoid often. he doesnt let you wear miniskirts out if you're not with him. he doesn't let you befriend people he thinks are into you. he barely lets you buy stuff on your own, he usually gifts you whatever it is youre into at that moment. borderline turned on by fear and you being dependent on him.

choso kamo — has no social life outside you

pretty self explanatory. he doesnt have many friends outside you and isn't interesting in making them either. total loser. so taking him out to events, he probably doesnt interact much and chooses to look at you the entire time, which annoys your friends. he answers their questions pretty bluntly. he's never down to have people over and lowkey hates when you are.

hiromi higuruma — workaholic

also self explanatory. he leaves early, comes home late. you barely see him on the weekdays. sometimes he goes as far as ignoring your calls when in between cases. he calls you periodically but has to have an alarm set to remind him. he loves you very very deeply but is just used to working non stop T_T

[i-like-media]

I was wondering when they were going to play with the fact the Doctor is black now. 13 being faced with how people think of women was one of my favourite things in her era, so I was curious how they were going to treat his skin colour this season, if at all.

And honestly, Dot And Bubble exceeded all my expectations on the matter!

What a lot of episodes about racism and bigotry do is coddle the viewer. They make clear early on "this is an episode about RACISM and why it's WRONG!" As if you've never heard of the concept before and don't know it's bad. The episode will often portray racism in an extreme sense and show the viewer the main characters are above that.

What Dot And Bubble did, for the entire episode, was letting the viewer figure it out on their own. There was no coddling, only racism as it silently existed. A perfectly pastel and white community with not a single person of colour and the only visible outlier being a goth white kid. And in this world, the first thing the character we follow did, was to block a black guy with a face of disgust.

The title screen rolls and you're left to rationalise it. Surely it was because he was not in her contact list/saying all kinds of mind blowing stuff... Right? Except when Ruby enters her feed and talks about it, she actually replies back... With an eye roll, but she replies... and keeps talking... and listening.

The episode continues, still not a single POC besides the Doctor. They reveal this is an exclusive place for rich people, and eventually the character in question even admits she thought the Doctor was a different person because "I thought you looked the same".

What this episode also does well, is portraying a character we wish to see change and find a better life behind that change. We see Lindy struggle to navigate the world without her bubble, calling herself stupid, and we genuinely hope she DOES learn to be better, even as you slowly pick up on what's been going on sofar. You are left to hope she'll thank him and realise the error of her ways, and maybe find a new drive to think for herself.

And then she doesn't.

She stays in her bubble, doubling down on how she feels about the Doctor, how they're excited to be like their settler ancestors, and finally CLEARLY revealing to the viewers what's been off this whole time... and the scene asks: did YOU notice the signs? Did you see what went wrong along the way, or did you only notice just now when it's explicitly shown to you? And why do you think that is?

It challenges the perspective of the viewer and tells you to reflect on why you didn't see it coming, and that is so so powerful.

The Doctor's reaction to this scene..... 👌👌👌👌

His mouth is ajar, stunned beyond belief that after all he's done and all he can offer, the offer to literally save their lives, he is reduced to someone who's nothing more than the hue of his skin. He yells at them, telling them he doesn't care what they think of him because he's still the same doctor he's always been, and to still get rejected with a dirty look... Which hits extra hard when you remember how much the Doctor loves being himself. He LOVES being the Doctor again! And he walks with such a pep in his step, celebrating his existence and sharing it with all he meets... and then he tries to save some rich white kids from certain death.

His performance in that moment was literally phenomenal. It's a narrative that's so powerful and so creative in its execution, my jaw was still on the floor throughout the credits.

This episode is definitely up there as one of my favourites sofar

[libraryofgage]

Good Vibrations Part One

Hello, it's me, back at it again with another Steddie AU.

Anyway, if I were tagging this AU, these would be the most important ones: Deaf Steve Harrington; Tooth-rotting Fluff; Getting Together

If you wanna be tagged in future parts, just let me know!

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

----

Steve has blown through three pairs of hearing aids in the past year. The first pair had lasted a few years and needed replacement because of normal wear and tear. The second pair was sacrificed during that fight with Jonathan. He hadn't been wearing them, but they'd been in Steve's pocket, and he'd landed at just the right angle to feel them shatter. The third pair was taken by the Russians because, despite Robin's shouting and cursing at them for being dumbasses (and this was before she actually knew what they were for), they accused him of recording their kidnapping and torture.

Honestly, he wouldn't recommend fighting Russians and Billy and Mind Flayers and driving while nearly totally deaf.

The funniest part of it all, though, is that Steve doesn't even use hearing aids regularly. He normally only wears them at home. The pair lost to Jonathan were present because, well, that whole day had been a lot for Steve, and he needed the comfort of knowing he could stop reading lips the moment it became too exhausting for him. The pair lost to the Russians was because he'd been getting ready to tell Robin about being deaf. She'd already clocked the weird things he does (well, weird to her, normal to Steve), and he figured letting her in on the big secret would bring them a little closer.

Of course, that didn't go the way he expected. Robin thought he was confessing love and decided to beat him to the punch. That's how he learned Robin is a lesbian, and Steve couldn't let her be the only one admitting to something like that, so he told her about being bi and his long-standing, hopeless crush. And being deaf. But the bi with a crush thing seemed more important in the moment. She took it in stride, it brought them closer, and then Robin asked if Steve could teach her sign language.

Which meant that Steve had to learn sign language because he never had. Between not wanting to feel even more different than he already did and trying to convince his parents that, really, everything was fine and he didn't need to go to a special school for deaf and hard-of-hearing kids, he'd never learned. Learning it had somehow felt like an admission of weakness, and that was the last thing he wanted. But he learned for Robin, and they stumbled through sign language together, creating new signs only they knew.

But that's all in the past now, and Steve is working his ass off at Family Video to afford a new pair because he refuses to ask his parents for money. If he asks them, they'll come back, and that's the last thing he wants. They don't need to have all their worries confirmed that Steve is helpless, and he doesn't want them anywhere near Hawkins "Hellscape" Indiana.

So. Working his ass off, taking extra shifts, and babysitting the kids as much as he can to make up for the whole Friends and Family Discount he gives their parents. He's exhausted, but he gets to recharge somewhat during his lunch break.

About a ten-minute walk from the Family Video is a record store, which Steve has started visiting daily to just breathe. The lone worker in the store is usually too busy listening to her own music to pay Steve any attention, letting him wander and try to determine which records will best serve him.

Steve drifts over to the rock and heavy metal section, hoping to find a new album but unsurprised when he doesn't. He browses through them anyway, moving past Metallica and Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. He already has all of these albums on his shelf at home. He has the cassette tapes for them, too.

But he really wants something new. He likes the novelty of experiencing unfamiliar vibrations through the speaker, letting them thrum through his fingertips and into his bones. It's fun and relaxing, and after all the bullshit he's been through lately, he probably deserves something relaxing.

After glancing over a few more familiar albums, Steve sighs and glances at the counter by the door. The lone worker is standing there, headphones over her ears, and idly flipping through a magazine. She's chewing gum, and Steve braces himself for the sheer hell of trying to read her lips without making it obvious he's reading her lips while she's got something in her mouth to disrupt the normal shape of words and sounds.

But he has to try. Steve takes one more deep breath before walking over, shoving his hands into his pockets when he comes to a stop at the counter. The girl raises a hand, motioning for him to wait, so he stays quiet as she finishes reading her page. She flips to the next one before looking up, not making any move to pull her headphones off.

"Hi. Do you have any new rock or metal albums coming in soon," Steve asks, feeling the vibrations of speech in his throat and hoping his words aren't too loud.

They don't seem to be. The girl doesn't flinch or pull back. She just looks him up and down, taking in the polo shirt and the nice khakis and the Family Video vest he forgot to take off before leaving. Finally, her neck and shoulders jerk slightly, and Steve knows she's huffed in annoyance. "No," she says, the word clear enough in the shape of her lips for Steve to know it immediately.

He frowns slightly, his fingernails digging into his palms. Steve wouldn't mind just leaving now, but something keeps him there. He just...he really wants new music. He needs something new. "Are there gonna be any shows nearby?" he asks.

The girl rolls her eyes and says something, her mouth distorted by gum-chewing. Steve can barely make out the words "you" and "check" from her response. Thankfully, it's accompanied by a vague gesture at something behind him. Steve looks over his shoulder to see a bulletin board with flyers plastered across it.

"Right. Thanks," he says, nodding to her before walking over. The flyers are all different colors with various fonts that scream for Steve's attention. Some of them are for bands, some are advertisements of garage sales or instruments in need of a new home, and others are just business flyers from stores nearby.

He's seen the bulletin board before, but he's never actually paid attention to it. Steve has always been laser-focused on browsing the records. But now, Steve carefully reviews each flyer advertising shows. Some are for comedy shows, which he immediately dismisses. One seems promising, but then he sees how far it is, and Steve definitely can't do an overnight trip like that.

Finally, Steve sees a flyer advertising a show at the Hideout later that week. It's close enough that he won't be out overnight. The place is kind of seedy, but Steve figures he can find some corner near the stage to hide. Or he can bring Robin and let her help him navigate any potential social situations. He tugs the flyer off the board, gaze lingering on the "Corroded Coffin" emblazoned across the top.

He knows the band. Of course, he knows the band. He's extremely familiar with their singer. From a distance. Honestly, Eddie Munson probably doesn't have the best impression of him, but Steve's heart never really cared about that. Because Eddie is like everything Steve wants to be: he's loud and unafraid of being so, he doesn't care about his image and how others perceive him, and he looks like his laugh sounds beautiful. Steve wouldn't know if he's actually right about that last point, but Eddie throws his head back when he laughs, eyes crinkled and hand over his stomach like his muscles ache.

His mouth suddenly feels dry, but he's also filled with unprecedented courage. Steve has graduated (barely), and that means a significantly lower chance of running into Eddie during the day if watching the show somehow goes wrong.

Steve folds the flyer into quarters and stuffs it into his back pocket. He'll be overly aware of it being there until Robin starts her shift and he can show it to her, but that's okay. He throws a quick thanks over his shoulder as he leaves the shop, glancing up at the bell he can't hear that signals the door's opening. He vaguely remembers what bells are supposed to sound like (he'd heard a few before losing the ability to hear them), but he doesn't let himself dwell on it.

Instead, he focuses on the trip back to Family Video, keeping an eye on the road to watch for any cars he wouldn't notice otherwise.

----

When the final bell rings, Eddie Munson can't get out of class fast enough. He'd been packed for the last five minutes, and he slid out of his seat the moment that first peal rang out. He has a gig to prepare for, and every second counts. At least, each second counts until he notices something (or someone) that could prove entertaining for a while.

He spots Dustin alone near one of the exits, and Eddie decides to relieve the kid of his isolation. He waits until he's behind Dustin to shout, "Henderson!" and throw his arm over the kid's shoulders, ignoring the way he jumps like he'd been expecting an attack.

"Holy shit!" Dustin shrieks, jerking back to look up at Eddie. "Don't do that, man, you're gonna give me a heart attack."

Eddie snorts, waving away Dustin's concern as he continues toward the exit. The general flow of students trying to get out helps him along, and Dustin doesn't seem to realize they're actually moving until they've gotten into direct sunlight. "You're fine," Eddie says, "Anyway, whatcha doing all alone, Henderson? Lose your way?"

"No, I have...stuff to do today," Dustin says, shrugging as he blinks to acclimate to the sunlight.

Oh, yeah, way too cryptic for Eddie to not dig for more. "Stuff? What kinda stuff? Got a hot date? Going shopping with your mom?" he asks, and then he gasps dramatically and moves to stand in Dustin's way. He puts both hands on his shoulders and very seriously says, "Be honest, Henderson, you're seeing another DM, aren't you?"

Dustin stares at him for a few seconds before rolling his eyes and shrugging his hands off. "Who else in this town DMs?" he asks, "Other than Will, I guess, but he's still working on a campaign."

"Fair," Eddie concedes, "so, whatcha really doing?"

After a few seconds of getting nudged by the students around them, Dustin sighs and says, "I have chores, okay? But that doesn't sound cool to say, does it?"

Fair. Eddie nods in agreement and moves out of Dustin's way, continuing to follow him. "So, what, your mom picking you up today?" he asks.

"No, Steve."

"Oh, the famous Steve."

Dustin nods, looking over the parking lot before pointing to one end. "Yeah, he's awesome," Dustin says as Eddie follows the direction of his finger.

And standing there, leaning against the hood of his car and looking to the side where a group of trees is swaying in the breeze, is Steve Harrington. Steve "The Hair" Harrington. King Steve. The worst thing, Eddie thinks, is that Steve looks good. His hair is still perfect, of course, and his stupid little striped shirt is pulling against his biceps and riding up just enough for Eddie to see a tiny sliver of tanned skin above his jeans. He looks a little tense, but Eddie chalks that up to him being back on the campus after already graduating.

"Harrington? You've been talking about Steve Harrington this whole time?" Eddie asks, his voice a little strained, "How the fuck do you know Steve Harrington?"

"He's my babysitter," Dustin says, his voice implying that much should have been obvious, but Eddie wants to grab his shoulders and shake until his head rolls off.

Steve Harrington doesn't babysit. He doesn't know nerds that talk about D&D. He doesn't drive nerds around. At least, he never did in high school. Granted, Eddie never actually talked to Steve, but everybody knew that Steve Harrington was too cool for, well, anything that wasn't the typical jock and popular guy shit.

As he's thinking about the last time he saw Steve Harrington (in the halls, while the guy had bruises and looked worse for wear), they get within shouting distance. And Eddie has zero impulse control when Wayne isn't around, so he doesn't think before shouting, "Hey, Harrington!"

Next to him, Dustin whips his head to glare at Eddie. And Steve Harrington doesn't fucking react. He just keeps staring at that group of trees like it's the most fascinating thing in the world. "Dude," Dustin says, grabbing Eddie's arm and yanking harshly, "don't shout like that."

Eddie frowns, anger beginning to simmer in his stomach at the complete lack of acknowledgment. "Why are you upset with me?" he asks, gesturing at Steve as he continues, "I'm not the one being a douchebag here."

Dustin opens his mouth, about to say something, only to snap it shut once more. He frowns like he's just realized he can't say something, and huffs with frustration. "Just...just don't do that," he finally says, keeping a hand on Eddie's arm and dragging him across the parking lot. And, yeah, something is definitely weird here.

Instead of just walking up to Steve, they make a large arch until they're within Steve's line of sight.

Eddie watches as Steve notices them, seeing Dustin first and pushing off the car. He relaxes for a split second until he sees Eddie and his shoulders tense again.

Great.

Once they're close enough for Eddie to count the moles above the collar of Steve's shirt, Dustin grins and says, "Hey, Steve." But it's odd, because Eddie has never heard Dustin talk this slow or this carefully, like he's doing his best to enunciate his words.

Steve flashes a grin and ruffles Dustin's hair. "Hey, twerp, you're late," he says. He then glances at Eddie, his grin becoming a little smaller, and says, "Hey, Munson."

Wait. Steve Harrington knows Eddie's name? And he called him by it? He said Munson, not Freak. Eddie stares at Steve for a few seconds before nodding. "Harrington," he says, "how the fuck did you become a babysitter?"

Is he just imagining things, or is Steve looking at his mouth? Like, really intensely. He's definitely not, because Steve looks up after a few seconds with a raised eyebrow. "I needed some extra cash. Also, don't swear around Dustin. I'm the one who gets in trouble when he curses in front of his mom."

Something about the words makes Eddie grin. Never in a million years would he have guessed that he'd be talking to Steve Harrington. And he would have laughed you into Mordor itself if you suggested their conversation would be about Dustin Henderson swearing in front of his mother. "What's his mom do when he swears?" he asks.

Because he can feel the conversation veering into something potentially embarrassing for him, Dustin lets go of Eddie and starts pushing Steve toward the driver's side of his car. "Okay, we gotta go. So many chores, so little time," he says, his voice back to that normal speed and enunciation.

Steve frowns slightly, looking down at Dustin and tilting his head just slightly. "What?" he asks. Instead of actually answering, Dustin just makes some vague gesture with his hand and looks at the car. "Oh, right. Go ahead and get in the car. And, uh, see you later, Munson."

"Is that a promise?" Eddie asks before he can think better of it.

Steve pauses, looking at Eddie's mouth with a slight scrunch to his nose. He seems to be considering something as Dustin scrambles into the passenger seat, watching them with narrowed eyes. Honestly, Eddie is surprised he's not blasting the horn to hurry Steve up. Finally, Steve comes to a decision and meets Eddie's eyes again. "Your band has a show tonight, right? At the Hideout? I was planning to go. So, yeah, I'll see you then, I guess."

And with that, like he hasn't just fucking rocked Eddie's world, Steve Harrington gets into his car. He makes sure Dustin is buckled before waving at Eddie and pulling out of the parking spot.

Eddie finds himself waving back, staring dumbly at the car as it pulls onto the street. It only hits him a few seconds later that Steve Harrington is coming to his show. At the Hideout. His metal show. A Corroded Coffin gig at the Hideout.

Holy. Shit.

[catcze]

⠀「 Giving them random kisses (part 2) 」 

Reblogs are greatly appreciated !!

「 FEAT : 」 Wriothesley, Neuvillette, Lyney, Kaveh, Alhaitham (separate) x GN! reader

「 ### : 」 fluff n romance ! Some heavy kissing, but tbh nothing that warrants much more of a warning. Kaveh's is... a little sad, but it ends well ♡

A long-overdue part two !! Listen guys pls pls pls dont let this flop i actually efforted on this one haksdj 💔

⠀「 WRIOTHESLEY 」

He's initially pretty surprised, but he recovers quickly and smoothly.

He hasn't had many people showering him with affection, so it's a bit of a learning curve with you being so sweet to him.

Does his best to reciprocate though! He doesn't want you feeling like he loves you any less.

He ends up liking the surprise kisses more than he could have ever thought ♡

"Hey Wrio," you murmur from where you sit on his lap. Your boyfriend is engrossed with the documents in his hand, though one arm is still wrapped around your waist, holding you against him.

Wriothesley doesn't look up when you call his name. His eyes are still trained on the fine print, though he does acknowledge you with the tilt of his head and a, "Hm?"

You take his momentary distraction to reach up and pull his face down so you can reach it and plant a small, sweet kiss on his cheek. It's delicate and chaste, just the press of your lips to his skin, as light as the landing of a butterfly, but from the corner of your eye you see the way his eyes widen and the telltale flush of his cheeks.

He gulps, his entire body turning warm under your touch.

"It's nothing," you say, one hand still cradling his cheek. The documents crinkle in his grip, and you smile. "Just wanted to remind you that I love you, is all."

Before you can even realize, Wriothesley is craning his neck and turning your head so that he can press a full kiss against your lips, heart racing as he steals your breath. The way he kisses you is frantic, rough. Like he can't get enough of you in the moment. Like his heart is about to burst out of his chest, and the only thing he can do about it is kiss you harder.

When you finally separate, you're both heaving for air, foreheads pressed together and breath mingling. Every one of his exhales tickles your lips, and under your palm, you can feel how his heart thumps in his chest.

Wriothesley's breath is ragged when he speaks; breathless like he's just ran a marathon. "Just wanted to remind you that I love you too," he whispers.

⠀「 NEUVILLETTE 」

He's been around humans for a long time. It's to be expected that he's had enough time to observe what humans in love do.

Specifically with kisses, Neuvillette has always been a little intrigued.

What is it that makes the meeting of lips so enjoyable for humans? Is it different from the act of holding hands? From the act of linking arms as you walk down a street together?

It's with you that he finally finds his answers.

"Neuvi!" you call, walking into his office. There's a beaming grin as you close the door behind you, bags of takeout food in your hands. "I've brought lunch!"

Neuvillette raises his head the moment he hears your voice, his lips curving in a soft smile. By the time you've approached, rounding his desk and giving him a kiss on the forehead in greeting, the Iudex has already put away his case files and has cleared a place for you on his desk.

You perch on it with ease, one of Neuvillette's hands coming up to push you up, and place the takeout bags beside you. "Hey," you tell him with a smile, looking down at him from where you sit.

"Hello." Neuvillette's eyes glitter from this angle, and the way he smiles so fondly at you makes him look nothing like the scary Iudex that some people think he is. If anything, with the way he looks at you, he just looks like any other man in love. One of his hands find yours, gently weaving his fingers between yours and caressing the back of your hand with his thumb. "Thank you for bringing me lunch," he says. "You didn't have to."

"Mm, it's not for free, though!" You tell him with a grin, and one of his brows rise.

"Oh?"

"Mhm," you nod sagely, leaning forward so that your lips hover just above his. There's a smile on your face, and one of your hands goes to his shoulder to steady yourself. "I want a kiss for all my hard work."

"is that so," he muses, expression becoming just the slightest bit teasing. "Does the one you took upon arrival not meet your requirements, my dear?"

"That was nice, but I want a kiss kiss, Neuvi," you tell him, pouting just a bit.

Neuvillette chuckles under his breath, one hand coming up to cradle the back of your neck and pull you in closer. "That can be arranged," he murmurs, just before his lips meet yours.

⠀「 LYNEY 」

A relationship with him consists of so! many! kisses!

My guy acts like he's gonna fall ill if he doesn't have a kiss from you every so often.

Literally, he takes any excuse to kiss you that he can get!

And if you're the one initiating a little smooch? He'll be over the moon!

"If you're trying playing a magic trick on me, you're already cheating," Lyney laughs. He's seated on a chair in the the Hotel Bouffes d'ete, a silk handkerchief covering his eyes. One of his eyebrows are raised, and there's a joking quirk to his lips. Although he can't see it, you roll your eyes and tighten the blindfold.

"You're sure you can't see anything?" You ask when you think you've got it tight enough. You wave a hand in front of his face, and he doesn't even flinch.

"All I'm seeing now is my life if you were not in it, mon amour. Nothing but endless darkness." He's grinning while he says it, but you know he means every word, cheesy little shit that he is. You grumble the thought aloud, and he has the audacity to laugh.

You pull away, keeping one hand on his shoulder so he still knows you're there. "Alright smooth talker," you say. "Give me a number from one to ten."

"Ooh, a very intriguing question," Lyney hums. "I'll take the safe route... and go with five."

"Okay. Final answer?"

"Have I ever been one to take back my words, mon amour?"

You grumble again, and his grin widens. Your hands rise to cup his face, tilting it up for easier access. Lyney is lost for a second, lost on what you could have up your sleeve— then you press kisses to his face in rapid succession. One of his forehead, another two on each of his cheeks, one on his nose, and a last one on his lips. That one you drag out a little longer, feel his lips against yours with a familiarity that only you have ever known, before it ends too quickly. Five kisses, just as he's asked.

When you remove the blindfold, he stares at you, light flush high on his cheeks, lips tingling with the urge to kiss you more.

You grin. "Good enough of a magic trick for you?"

⠀「 KAVEH 」

For Kaveh, your kisses are nothing short of an oasis in the middle of the desert.

When he feels at his lowest, debt and impending deadlines creeping in on him, there's nothing that pulls him out of his headspace like affection from you.

If he feels like he's about to drown, you pull him out of the water.

For that reason, he welcomes every ounce of affection you can spare.

"Kaveh, it's late," you beckon him from under the sheets, a yawn crawling up your throat. "Come sleep. You can continue your work in the morning."

"Go first," he says, leaning over another set of schematics, hand pushed into his hair in frustration, a deep frown marring his face. "I'll join you once I finish this." His voice is distant, distracted, as if he's just spitting out preset lines in his head.

You've been saying that for hours now, you want to tell him. It's hard not to feel a little neglected when your boyfriend refuses to look at you for hours at a time— when he continues to run himself ragged despite all your best efforts at trying to make sure he doesn't break himself in his pursuit of perfection.

When Kaveh sighs once more, slamming his hands on his desk in frustration and groaning so loudly you're sure Alhaitham is cursing him out from his room, you slip out from under the sheets and walk over to him.

"Kaveh," you say again, a hand on his shoulder.

"What," he snaps at you before he can help it, teeth bared. When he sees how you flinch, hand threatening to pull away, he quickly looks down, staring at the sheets of paper with shame and regret. "I'm sorry," he says in a quiet voice, head hung and hands trembling. The fight and frustration drains out of his body, leaving him tired. Tired and feeling terrible.

You sigh— you don't blame him for the outburst. Archons knows he's been on the receiving side for a few of your own bad moods. That's just how some days can be, being graduates of the akademia. Gently you take hold of his cheek and guide him to look up at you, and when his eyes hesitantly meet yours, you smile a little sleepily.

"I forgive you," you say, giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead, moving down to his nose, and then ending on his lips. You can feel just the slightest curve of his smile as you kiss softly, feel the way his shoulders relax just a bit under your care.

"Come on. You need rest," you tell him, gently tugging him to his feet and leading him to the soft, warm bed. This time, he does not protest.

⠀「 ALHAITHAM 」

With him, it's a little difficult to randomly kiss him, because he's very rarely caught off guard.

He intercepts a lot of your attempts!

Whether it be side-stepping you to make you gasp in affront, or stealing your thunder and kissing you before you can kiss him— needless to say it's a challenge.

Good thing you always rise to challenges.

From the moment you enter the living room and perch yourself on the couch beside him, Alhaitham is squinting at you in suspicion. You just grin, not dissuaded by the sharp look in his eye.

"You're planning something," he say, snapping his book close.

You gasp, pressing a hand to your chest. "Who, me? Bold statement, mister grand sage."

"Acting grand sage. Non-permanent."

"Same thing," you dismiss with a wave of your hand. His stare only narrows further. "Now! I need to you do something for me, dearest love of mine. Give me your hands, would you?"

And although his nose wrinkles at the cheesy nickname, he complies, albeit a little hesitantly. One of the perks of him being your boyfriend, you suppose— lessened questions about any shenanigans you might pull.

When you're securely gripping his hands, weaving your fingers together and ensuring that he can't pull away (his brow furrows when he tries. He's getting more suspicious about what you're about to pull) you grin.

"Okay. Now close your eyes."

"I'd rather not," Alhaitham shuts you down immediately, and you frown.

"Please?"

"Tell me why, first."

"Just—! I pinky promise you'll like it. I super swear that you'll like it!"

And eventually he relents, eyes falling shut. You cheer internally, and before he can change his mind, you swoop forward to give him a kiss. The surprise of it catches him off-guard for once, and his hands clench yours, but just as you'd expected he doesn't try to pull away— if anything, he pushes back into the press of your lips, kissing you even harder than you kissed him.

When you separate, your face feels warm and your palms are undoubtedly sweaty, but he hasn't let you go for a second. Alhaitham swallows down a gulp of air, chest heaving just a little, and you feel the bubble of victory in your chest. "See? I told you you'd like it."

[saerotonins]

actor!toji headcanons

ft. fushiguro toji x reader

content warnings: fluff, parent!reader, megumi is yalls son, just overall cuteness

wc: 918

note: this is my apology for that nanami angst i posted days ago heh

jjk actor au masterlist

as an actor:

very intimidating man, from his aura to his build, oh boy, who wouldn't be scared

but to everyone's surprise, he's actually just a really goofy and adorable man with a really good resting bitch face lmfao

is actually a household name in the acting industry! definitely those types of actors that once casted into a show, it's guaranteed to get hella VIEWS AND RATINGS

has been in the acting industry for YEARS and has a ton of experience but is still very humble

is actually very shy when his co stars tease him whenever his fans thirst for him whenever he's on screen and he's just a blushing mess LOL

i mean he's a literal dilf so 

believe it or not, this man has been in more romance shows and movies than action, especially as a VILLAIN

his fans couldn't believe it either

so when he was first casted in jjk as a villain who kills CHILDREN they were so ecstatic!

and boy were they so happy when toji SURPASSED their expectations because he was so good!

also so happy that he was casted together with his son, megumi, in the same show!

they usually go to the shoot together and even when he doesn't have a scene to shoot and only megumi does, he drives him off to the shooting site whenever his time permits

it's actually so adorable 

in contrast to jjk!toji, he's really a hands on father to him and is actually very supportive of megumi going to the same career path as him

megumi is also the definition of nepo babies who deserved what they got but that's another discussion 

at first though, he is kind of hesitant especially knowing how toxic can it get with the industry but when he saw his son's determination, he eventually gave him a green light and supported him along the way

this man is so fucking strong OML the producers are so grateful the most of the time he helps cleaning up with the equipment once filming is done

literally lifts them up like it's nothing BYE

listen, this old man is RIPPED and really likes to work out 

he's like pedro pascal who is like really chill but really cheeky when it comes to fanservice LOL he is so adorable 

megumi is kinda cringing though 😭 it's understandable though because that's literally your father trying to act cute and he's a teenager so i don't really blame him

also a big gentleman, again, contrary to his role, he is actually very good with the ladies and often checks with his co stars especially when a fight scene is being filmed

profusely apologized to satoru when their fight was filmed because he literally has to do the stunts himself and make everything believable as much as possible 

has ig and twitter but barely posts unless it's a promotion or a thank you post for the team

he's very active in stories though 😭

and i mean VERY VERY active

you know that point where a person posts too much stories and the lines above almost look like dots??? 

yeah that's him 😭

mostly posts the behind the scenes and his family there!

has a pet chicken that he posts there too

no he's not vegan... he just doesn't eat chicken 😭

as a husband:

oh yeah another married man on set sorry ladies he’s off the market

a very romantic and private lover

especially when you're the only one in the family who is not involved in show business

looks forward to coming home to you all the time

the type of husband who says, "i miss my spouse," on set out of nowhere and his co stars just sigh in faux annoyance 

this man is WHIPPED 

his lines is always and SHOULD always be practiced with you, because aside from his fans (not really though since he's already an established actor), the only approval he looks for is from his lover

is really happy and giddy (almost like a teenage boy like SIR you guys are already married for YEARS) when you praise him and has this really boyish smile which happens very often btw

he's such a fucking sap please

as mentioned, he is kinda shy about the thirst but is not uncomfortable and actually goes along with it

you on the other hand GO HAM with it LOL

you're one of the fans lmfaoooo

a very BIG ONE

unlike him who is not active on twitter, you actually reply to fans and agree what they were saying and fangirl/boy with them which is actually so adorable LOL

his fandom is having a field day of you gushing about your husband like you're not married to him and have a literal CHILD with him bye

both megumi and toji, especially toji, are very protective of you so any slanderous rumors from the tabloids and any defamation will immediately face a lawsuit 

and fans love it when y'all fight back!!

if they stan either toji or megumi, it's immediately a given that they also stan you LOL

your boys both find it cute that even you have a very supportive fanbase like theirs

[cheemscakecat]

Fun/Interesting details in Expiration Date

Heavy knows that Pauling is calling them, and lets Scout be the one to answer. Also, road safety because he’s not distracted driving.

Medic is so hyped about tumor bread.

Hoovy smelling the sandwich and deciding it’s safe to eat [or that it doesn’t matter at this point].

Pyro standing like that. He don’t know what’s going on, but he’ll still be polite. Also, Sniper just chillin in the back with a poker face the whole time.

Medic smiles at Soldier as they walk past. Engineer’s got that Conhager death-cheating focus at the moment.

Spy’s eyes widen angrily when he realizes it’s Scout at the door and then he smirks like; “Oh hi! Twelve hours was enough time for you to get bored of my absence, then?”, not expecting a sincere apology [maybe one orchestrated by the other teammates, but not Scout].

There was some vitriol behind that “***”, look at his nose. He does not want Scout to gloat, try to prank him again, or give a fake apology. And that’s valid, since the team dying is something Scout should have taken seriously, and the last wishes handled with respect. He crossed a line that Spy doesn’t take lightly.

Dad, I threwed up. But in all seriousness, that’s the “My family is dysfunctional, and I don’t know how to be emotionally honest with people” posture.

See my bucket scene analysis for more on these two.

He didn’t say “You’re terrible with girls” in a snide or smug tone, he said it with like actual parental concern. “Scout, no you have three days! Do you want to die rejected or die before you can enjoy being together? No. Don’t do this to yourself.”

Look at that cup, he did not need a refill. This fake smirk and disinterest is Spy’s way of checking how serious Scout is about this last wish and taking his advice. And when he goes “This never leaves this room” Spy perks up.

Medic was taking a sample of bread tumor puss [or injecting it with something].

They have a whole entire wrestling ring, how did I never notice that?

This is one of those multiple choice questions where you can choose more than one answer and have it be right. But the chicken in combination with the other options looses you points, and just taking the chicken is like the token wrong answer.

Spy sighs when he realizes Scout chose just the chicken. Like chile, I gave you multiple options and you still went with your go-to that doesn’t work!

This room has a gym floor, which implies Spy took a bunch of fancy stuff from one of his rooms just for this date training. Also shoutout to the other teammates for helping with this.

Okay, so most of these decorations came from Pyro, who Scout is terrified of. Archimedes came from Medic, who Scout also doesn’t want to make angry, and the grass cutouts are potentially part of the base camouflage. But that disco ball? That belongs to Scout, he just doesn't want anyone to know he’s real into that. [The team would not judge, but his brothers would, so.]

Man when he gets his heart broken, I hope he finds the right girl for him. He deserves better than Pauling always making excuses to turn him down instead of telling him like it is.

Foreshadowing Solly being romantical towards Zhanna. Look at this content man.

Spy holding his knife like this. There’s no reason for it to be a threat, so he’s just genuinely in the habit of doing this while listening. Or while nervous, which also makes sense.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

what it’s like to bring the jjk boys to…have dinner with your family!

ft. fushiguro megumi, fushiguro toji, gojo satoru, geto suguru, ijichi kyotaka, inumaki toge, itadori yuji, kamo choso, kamo noritoshi, mahito, muta kokichi, nanami kento, okkotsu yuta, panda, ryomen sukuna, todo aoi, yaga masamichi, yoshino junpei, zenin naoya

warnings: not all of these are romantic! reader is lowkey desi coded in some of them. reader is mentioned to have a brother, dogs, aunts/uncles, and cousins in some of them. reader slanders like 75% of the characters. honestly the characters might be ooc too i wrote this two years ago for fun and giggles and just found it again and wanted to post. also tw naoya!

FUSHIGURO MEGUMI

Literally perfect

Your parents love him

Your dogs love him

You love him

Was kind of quiet at first but settled in eventually and opened up a bit

Was still kind of reserved but that’s to be expected from him

Your mother found it sweet that he tried to hide behind you when your uncles started interrogating getting to know him 

He let your younger cousins play with his shikigami so that your dogs could get a break from being bothered

Really liked the salad your mother made and asked for the recipe

1000/10 

FUSHIGURO TOJI

Actually not too bad

Was polite enough and liked the food

Showed your parents pictures of Megumi as a baby

They were suitably impressed

Your cousin asked him where he goes to the gym

He told him he doesn’t believe in gyms (thinks they’re oppressive institutions designed to disadvantage the poor?)

Did give him a discount code for some random protein powder that he’s sponsored by though

Asked your parents to donate to his charity

They were happy to do so and thought it was amazing that he has a charity

You decided not to tell them that his “charity” is literally just his bank account

4/10 for scamming your family

GOJO SATORU

Solid 7/10

Goofs around a lot but he did come so he gets points for that

Your parents hated him at first but then he showed them the album of cute Megumi pictures he has saved on his phone and they switched up

“He’s so responsible for raising a kid so young! And it’s not even his!”

Bullshit

He does NOT raise Megumi and you were the one who sent him half of those pictures 

Demoted to a 6/10 just for that but at least your parents like him

Also the fact that he had an album was cute

Somehow managed to keep the dirty jokes to a minimum

Your brother kept making fun of his eyes being so blue so halfway through he had to switch the glasses out for the blindfold

Surprisingly high spice tolerance

GETO SUGURU

Honestly really a fun guy!

Actually brought his own dish to the dinner??

AND IT WAS GOOD????

Your mother wants you two to get married now

Asked if he could take some leftovers back for Mimiko and Nanako

Which was very considerate of him actually

Your mother told him he didn’t have to return the dishes she packed the food in

Let your brother win at Scrabble

Listened to your mother talk about the auntie drama

Apparently he’s going to start putting coconut oil in his hair now

Your parents are going to adopt him and kick you out

9/10 would’ve been higher but he didn’t beat your brother’s ass at Scrabble (he wanted to “make a good impression”)

IJICHI KYOTAKA

Similar to Nanami in that he and your father got along really well

Your brother called him “goofy”

He had to go to the bathroom and cry after that

He did compose himself and came back to eat

Can handle spicy food quite well

Complimented your mother’s cooking

Brought flowers as a thank you for the dinner

Was super sweet and grateful to be invited at all

11/10 would definitely invite him again

INUMAKI TOGE

Everyone was really excited to meet him

Let your cousins play with his hair and do his make up and paint his nails

Was your partner for Charades and you two won by a LOT

Kept sneaking treats to your dogs

Your mother ordered seafood for him because he could only speak in rice ball ingredients and she thought he really wanted salmon

He did eat it though

He would be a 10/10 but he accidentally used his Cursed Speech on your aunt so 8/10

ITADORI YUJI

Somehow lit the grill on fire

Managed to put it out but he did lose his eyebrows in the process unfortunately

Looked stupid without eyebrows

Spent most of his time hanging out with the little kids

Your family actually really liked him though

He’s too sweet to dislike

Helped wash the dishes and did not break any

7/10 because you almost had to call the fire department

KAMO CHOSO

Showed up an hour late

Was friendly but kinda nervous and awkward at first

Loved the food

He and your brother are best friends now

Genuinely he gets along better with your brother than with you

Impressed your father with his history knowledge

3/10 was too perfect and now your parents keep asking why you’re not more like him

KAMO NORITOSHI

He hates kids

Spent the entire first half running away from your cousins

Once he finally escaped he got along great with the adults

They really liked how responsible and mature he is

Thought it was impressive that he’s going to be the clan head

Your aunt told you that he was a keeper and you should “marry for money, hope for love”

Started crying when your mother asked him if she could hang up his jacket for him

It reminded him of his own mother who he was forced to leave as a kid 

All of your aunts have unofficially adopted him now due to his tragic backstory

Deserves 10/10 just for being relatively normal 

MAHITO

-892378/10 your parents couldn’t see him because he’s a curse

He was very happy to hear that and nearly destroyed your house

You had to call Geto halfway through to chase him off

Your family was thrilled to see Geto again though so at least there’s that??

MUTA KOKICHI

Sent a robot in his place obviously

Everyone wanted to know why you brought a robot to dinner

They thought you had hit a new low

You had to explain that Mechamaru was basically his body because of how weak his actual body was

Nobody believed you

-3/10 he was nice but it was overall a humiliating experience

NANAMI KENTO

Cannot eat anything spicy

Started tearing up at the appetizers alone

Had a massive stomach ache afterwards and his face was red for like twenty minutes 

Your father liked talking to him about business and the economy and shit

Did not get scared when asked about his plans for the future

Actually has plans for the future

Your brother is kind of gay for him tbh (??) and threatened to marry him if you don’t 

10/10 because he still finished everything on his plate so he didn’t seem rude even though he was lowkey dying 

OKKOTSU YUTA

Tried his best

Your dogs tried to leave with him because they liked him so much

He brought gifts from Africa for your entire family

Did stop a toddler from getting kidnapped

Is physically really good at grilling but emotionally cannot handle the stress

Had a mental breakdown when you asked for a vegetable burger

Made the discovery that he really likes corn and proceeded to eat all of the corn you had bought for the night so nobody else got any 

Summoned Rika and allowed your cousins to use her as their dress up doll

Rika was very nice and enjoyed the experience

She wants to be a fashion model now

2/10 he burnt your vegetable burger and you were really looking forward to having some corn

PANDA

Is a panda

Your younger cousins thought he was adorable

You got asked multiple times if he was a furry

5/10 he was only invited because he had nothing else to do and you had to chase him with a hose beforehand because he refused to bathe

RYOMEN SUKUNA

-1244129/10

An asshole but what’s new 

Told your family to “go back to where you came from”

Degraded your parents

Degraded you

Degraded everyone really

You got into a fight with him and Gojo had to intervene

Did ask for one of your mother’s recipes so he could get Uraume to cook it for him

She did not give it to him

TODO AOI

See you thought this would be hell on earth

But it wasn’t???

Played with your dogs

Carried your cousins around on his shoulders

Your uncles were impressed by his muscles

He saved a kitten that was stuck in a tree

Did not ask a single person about their type in women

Annihilated everyone in Wii Sports Resort

Absolutely sucked at Just Dance though

He thought he was too manly for the wrist strap but then he threw the remote into the TV while playing Wii bowling and it broke

6/10 he said he’d pay for a new one

YAGA MASAMICHI

Literally your boss

Only invited him because you wanted a raise

He liked the food

Exchanged sewing tips with your mother

200/10 you got the raise

YOSHINO JUNPEI

Really cool!

Gave everyone good movie recommendations

Someone gave him a baby to hold and he nearly dropped it

Burnt his hand on the grill

Found your uncles’ shitty jokes funny so they all liked him

He was decent at debating with everyone and having intellectual conversations even though he cried whenever someone disagreed with him too harshly

Your parents were very dismayed to see the cigarette burn scars on his face

Your mother told him he could always come to your house if he needed to

4/10 because he almost gave a baby brain damage 

ZENIN NAOYA

Told your parents about your sex life

Called your mother “woman”

Your cousins have a crush on him solely based on his looks

He thinks he has a harem now

0/10 they are all like 13 years old

[churipu]

PERIOD COMFORT 𓆝 ⋆｡𖦹°‧

ִ ࣪𖤐 featuring. gojo satoru, itadori yuuji, nanami kento

ִ ࣪𖤐 warnings. period stuff, cramps, fluff.

note. new layout :> anyways, just reminding everyone that has sent in requests that my ask is only open to talk as of now and it will take a little long to have them out, but i assure you that everything in my inbox will be written! thank you

𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔

gojo didn't know how periods felt. so he looks up for things he could do to make you feel better — one time he actually considered buying one of the period cramps simulation machines because he didn't like seeing you in pain alone.

keyword: considered.

you had to drop the machine out of his trolley, and the male was definitely not happy about it. he tried arguing about it with you, saying how he's your 4lifer and he doesn't like seeing you in pain alone because of period cramps.

"satoru, 'm okay. i go through this every month, 'm not gonna die because of this." you tell him, handing his phone back.

gojo whines out, "but baby, i don't like seeing you in pain. i wanna be in pain with you," he shakes you back and forth gently.

but when you were content with your choice — he accepted begrudgingly. pouting out, refusing to speak to you for at least the next fifteen minutes because he couldn't stand being apart from you that long. so instead, he searched for what he could do to help.

"look, i got three chocolates, and i got you extra pads and tampons because tiktok told me to. and i got salonpas because i heard they can actually help with cramps," gojo presented proudly, "and then lastly, me. your amazing boyfriend."

you, previously, laying down on the couch, sat up slowly with a small smile at his attempt to help you with your period.

"thank you 'toru. this means a lot to me."

"i still think i should buy that machine though, baby."

𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐈 𝐘𝐔𝐔𝐉𝐈

he's confused. he knows about periods, but he didn't know it pained you. the young male was in a training session one morning when you called him, expecting a cheery greeting from you.

oh, he didn't. instead here you were, moaning out in pain, "yuuji, you busy?" he could vaguely make out a sharp hiss from the other line.

yuuji was indeed busy. but he told you, "no, no. are you okay? what happened?" he was in the middle of a hand-to-hand with megumi, instinctively raising his hand to stop — and megumi stopped immediately, knowing it was important for yuuji.

"period cramps . . . can you come over, please?" he was confused, tired, and sweaty. but he didn't care about that — the male was worried because were periods even supposed to hurt you?

"of course, baby. i'll be there in a sec." he ended the call and shot a look to kugisaki, "what the hell does period cramps mean, does your . . . you know, hurt or something?"

kugisaki had to give him a one minute lecture on what he should do, step by step. yuuji listened thoroughly, running to the nearest convenience store to get what kugisaki told him to: sweets, chocolates, pads and tampons, and your favorite snacks.

and it took him no longer than eight minutes to appear at your doorstep, knocking a couple of times. still sweaty and stinky, "y/n? it's me."

"door's unlocked."

he opened the door hastily, making sure not to drop any of the things he just bought. lightly sending a kick to the door to shut it, "hi baby, how are you feeling?"

"not good. i feel like 'm gonna die." you writhe out, curling into a ball on your bed. the male approached you, putting down the things, "you stink."

he chuckled, stroking your head, "'m gonna borrow your shower, and then cuddles?"

you nod, "please."

𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐎

nanami is always ready. he just knows when your period is coming, hell, he's even more accurate than your period tracker application.

"i brought you chocolates and ice cream, and a heat pad for your cramps." nanami mumbles out, kicking his shoes off as he enters your house carrying a plastic bag.

"how did you know it was my period?"

"i remember it," that was better than any "i love you" or "i miss you".

the male's always ready to bring snacks, sweets, and heat pads for you. nanami will do what it takes to cease your period cramps since he knew he couldn't feel it like you did. he feels really awful: giving you back massages, head massages, kisses to your stomach.

he said he'd "kiss the pain better".

which actually works.

i think he knows your period schedule better than you do. he'd always remind you that your period's coming soon as a heads up, and you listen to him all the time. to the point you had to delete your application since it was pretty useless at this point.

"darling, your period's coming up soon."

"really? didn't i just finish last month's . . ?" you mumbled, a little annoyed that your schedule's coming up so fast.

"in a few days, if i'm guessing — three maybe?" he replies, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head.

© CHURIPU 2024 , DO NOT COPY OR REPOST ANYWHERE

[celestialprincesse]

💕⏲️

I just know that Simon Riley is utterly feral for his partner who knows how to cook.

This man is 6'4 and 220lbs, and on top of that, built like a fucking bear. That said, he needs to eat a lot to sustain that amount of physical mass and strength.

When he was young and just starting out, he'd get his calories in through whatever means necessary. The occasional raw egg was chugged and he basically existed on ready meals and chicken.

What he doesn't expect is to fall, hard. Not only does he fall for a civilian. Oh no. He falls for a baker.

They're basically strawberry shortcake incarnate and love their job. (Who wouldn't)

Simon is like utterly perplexed when they make food? for him? Listen, this man isn't exactly receiving affection at all times from all angles, and now he's being barraged with fairy cakes and slices of quiche and brownies? He literally doesn't know what to do with himself.

They're utterly smug when Simon starts to develop a little soft layer of fat over his washboard abdomen, which to them means that they're doing their job right.

He's really worried about it at first, but when he sees the way they frown when he passes up on a scone or slice of pie, he realises that not only is he healthy and happy, but he's got someone that really really wants him to be.

He asks them to teach him how to cook and bake, and he's actually an incredible baker. He's meticulous about measurements and cook times, and even goes so far as to buy himself an apron 'So he doesn't get flour on his clothes' - totally not so he can match with his partner.

.𖥔 ˖

Self indulgent bcs I love baking but haven't found the time lately🥲