#demon!josh vibes ?

[littlemisslipbalm]

Demonology: Me & My Dog

Series Summary: A new demon has come to Nashville. Josh and Jake's ways of life have been thrown off by her arrival. The angel and demon have lived with an understanding of one another, but with Y/N stirring up trouble and asking questions, they're forced to work out a new normal. And why is she so powerful for a human turned demon anyway, that's unusual, right?

Jake Kiszka x f!reader and Josh Kiszka x f!reader

A/N: This will be at least three parts! This first part is more about Josh and the reader, the second will be more Jake and then we will see with part 3 what is to happen. Please let me know what you think with comments and reblogs and messages to my inbox!! I want to talk about this bc I have been so excited to share it!!

Word Count: 5.4k | Warnings: alcohol consumption, strong language, allusions to sex - minor descriptions of sex but not descriptive smut (still 18+!!), dubious comprehension of angel/demon mythology, like this is fiction fr so if it does not make sense i am sorry but idc (but am also open to suggestions thx)

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Part 1: My & My Dog

When being told to stir up some trouble on Earth, Y/N was more annoyed that she had to go back at all than excited that she was moving up in the ranks. Afterall, she’d only died 50 years ago. It was already time to go back? She thought she had eternity down here. 

From what she’d heard from other members of the underworld, it’d just gotten worse since she’d left. Prior to 1976 had been a riot for her (1976 was not her favorite, but dying usually wasn’t in people’s top ten greatest moments), but now it sounds worse than Hell itself.  

Still, like a good little demon soldier, she trudged through the dim back rooms to find the dull office that would provide her with the necessary documents to take a corporeal form and inhabit the physical sphere for an extended period of time. 

“Can I bring my dog?” She asks, kicking at a piece of garbage on the floor. It littered the entire ground around her feet. 

“Dog?” The servant of hell inquired. 

“Chupacabra,” She corrects.

“Sure,” Their eyes raise from filling out the paperwork to the little animal beside her. “Extra form you need to both sign. Says he’ll suck the blood of at least five animals per earthly week while he’s there. We don’t do ESAs here.”  

“Fab,” She sighed in relief and scratched behind the ears of her dog that she had re-encountered shortly after arriving in Hell. 

The chupacabra placed his paw in some mysterious blood that had formed in the pewter catch-all dish sitting beside the papers and then pushed it onto the form. Signed, sealed and soon to be delivered. They were getting out of Hell. 

-

When she materialized on Earth, she wasn’t sure where she was exactly. The home office didn’t give that information, you just had to figure it out yourself. She had been hoping for her hometown of Los Angeles or another major city center she’d never been to before. Maybe London or Tokyo would be a fun change of pace. 

After walking what felt like 20 miles, but was probably half of that given that she wasn’t used to physical legs anymore, she came upon a sign as to where she was. A mural to be exact. 

It had only been woods and fields for the first half, but then there were more buildings. Coffee shops, bagel shops and something that was called a ‘Vape’ shops. Everything advertised themselves as historic music sites. But it wasn’t until 1504 Demonbreun St. that she fully ascertained she was in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. 

“Welcome to Nashville”

“Fuck yeah,” She smiled. A friend back in the day had been from here and told her about it a few times. It wasn’t a major capital city or home, but it was a city alright. And where there was nightlife, she was sure there could be trouble. 

She spent the rest of the day checking around her surroundings. Finding the place Hell had given her to lodge in. It wasn’t much but she remembered earthly delights and planned to spruce it up, give it a vibe. She wrote a note on the wall with a deep red pen she had brought with her a list of items she needed. Couch, rug, bed, posters, an electric guitar and lots of wine and clothes. The ink dripped down the wall and she smiled, swiping at it and placing it to her lips. 

She passed the rest of the daylight hours with great displeasure for the living people around her who barely seemed to notice her. Not that she looked any different than them, but it just bothered her that no one was as friendly as when she’d last been here. No one bothered to say ‘hello’, all they did was stare or talk into their rectangular devices she had realized were portable telephones half way through the day. 

Broadway St. seemed to be the place Y/N thought she’d find the most possible trouble. It was lit up like the Sunset and if it weren’t for all the horribly dressed people surrounding her, she would’ve felt right at home. 

At one of the bars, she got free shots from the bartender with a flash of her eyes. From the regular dark brown iris, they flashed an entire eternal glassy black. He smiled dreamily in the abyss and walked away after she winked at him. She swung back the shots and made her way to the dance floor. 

Raising her hands above her head, she began to dance. Her black lace dress hugged her curves and shifted with her. Her silver jewelry glinted dangerously as she moved. The lights in the bar shifted to stay red instead of the flashing multi-colors that had bothered her when she entered. She moved her hips to the music and slowly it transformed from a poppy song she didn’t know to Led Zeppelin. 

Robert Plant’s voice got everyone dancing the way they should and the vapes transformed into cigarettes and she smiled to herself feeling alive for the first time in a long time. Maybe being back wasn’t so bad. She drank more and danced more and saw people getting drunk and making out in corners and thought debauchery worked as trouble. Job done for the day. 

She relaxed into the sway of the music, writhing around like a snake as her skin grew dewey with perspiration. A tug at her arm brought her out of her euphoric state. All night she had made sure no one would bother her, but whoever this was didn’t seem to follow her rules. 

She opened her eyes, fully black once more as she stared at who was holding her wrist. She tugged back but his hold was secure. He pulled her to the side of the dancefloor, a space conveniently opening up. 

“Get your hands off me! What the fuck, man?”

“You can’t be here,” He spoke calmly. 

She narrowed her eyes at him. He had on a white plain t-shirt and light wash jeans, with opalescent beads hanging around his neck. His eyes were an oddly familiar light brown. His hair was shaved on the sides, creating a sort of mullet that she mildly appreciated if he hadn’t been so rude as to pull her away from her fun. That mullet exposed the golden earrings in his pointy ears. 

There was something different about him. None of it was in his physical form but she felt it, vibrating and extending around him. As if he had invisible light passing around and through him even in the dark dingy bar lighting. 

“Says who?” She finally tugged her arm free from his hold and crossed her arms across her chest, pressing her breasts up in the process. 

His eyes flicker to the movement before pressing his lips into a thin line “Says me.” 

She rolled her eyes, unimpressed. “And you are?” 

“Joshua. I protect this town," he says. He wrings his hands around the gold bracelets on his wrists. “You can’t come into these bars and just mess with everything about them. It’s wrong.” 

“Yes I can, Josh,” She smirks. “I’m a demon as you clearly already can tell. I can do whatever I want.” 

“Oh my God,” Josh sighs, exasperated already. “There’s already a demon here.” He knew the other one quite well and was at least able to keep him in check. A newcomer would mean more work. 

She shrugged. “Not my problem, angel. Hell sent me up here, guess they’re not happy with the other one’s performance.” 

She moved to go back to the bar for another drink when Josh looked like he was a million miles away. He’d really killed her buzz. Josh’s mentioning of another demon made her stop and ask as an afterthought: “What’s this other demon’s name?” 

“Jacob–er, uh, Jake,” Josh corrects himself. He hadn’t gone by Jacob since, well, since before, even if Josh wished he could just call him Jacob. 

“Groovy.” Her smile is wicked, her lips painted a red so deep it resembled dried blood. “Displeasure meeting you, angel. Come find me if you ever want to have a real good time.” She kissed his cheek before disappearing behind a group of people. 

-

Two weeks later, Y/N was seated on a bench in the park with her legs kicked up. She looked like she was a dead body–which more or less, she was, but the way she was sitting was unusual for someone who was supposedly alive. Her dog was perched unnaturally along the backrest, soaking in the sun he had missed. They looked out of place. 

She had come out in the midday to see if she could start any fights in the park. She’d quickly learned that malfunctions with their little handheld phones really upset the modern humans so she liked to mess with wifi and electrical connections every odd day or so just to keep up the no-good work. 

Her black RayBans covered her eyes as they surveyed the green grass for potential targets for a bit of a row. She sat as far away from the people as possible, so she had enhanced her vision as if using a zoom function. But soon something white blocked her vision. 

“Angel,” She practically growled. Her dog actually growled, sitting up. 

“Mind if I sit,” Josh asks pleasantly, eyeing the dog with caution. It looked like a normal dog, but a clip in his right ear and a strange red shimmer in his eyes made Josh think there might be something hellish about him. 

She took her feet off the bench and pushed her sunglasses up off of her face. “Finally want a taste of what you’re missing?” 

“No,” he states flatly. His eyes were still wandering between the creature and the demon. She was dressed in all black, typical. The dog was between cream and the lightest brown he’d ever seen, atypical. “Is this your dog?” 

“Yeah.” She smiles softly for the first time. Her hand goes to pet him between his ears and down his small snout. “He was waiting for me in Hell back’n the day. They made him a chupacabra for me as a ‘Welcome to Hell’ present.” 

Josh’s eyes widened in surprise. What had she done in life to receive a present in Hell? “They like you down there?” 

“Eh…I think I’m just a descendant of many a troublemaker. They knew I’d be an asset, especially when I arrived so early.” 

Her dog slipped into her lap. For a moment, he shifted as he stared at Josh. Big ruby eyes glowered at him, all his hair was gone, leaving something more resembling a pale soft dog-rat. Disturbing and wretched, nonetheless. He wrinkled his nose at Josh. 

Josh tried to smile, feeling awkward. Jake had insisted he find this demon Josh had encountered, needing more information about whether he was really in trouble or if it was procedural. Why Jake wouldn’t do it himself, Josh never got as many answers as questions he asked. 

“Do either of you have names?” 

She grinned. “Is this twenty questions? Why so interested in me?” 

“Just want to get to know my opposition,” Josh says lightly, praying for her to feel extra kind today. Afterall, she was a demon who was originally human and it was only a little while ago from what she seemed to like. He was pretty sure she’d only been down in Hell for 50-60 years, that was barely a human lifetime—and yet it was longer than hers. Far less than Jake. Maybe he could neutralize her, get her to see the bright side. 

“His name is Rune, now, but it used to be Rori.” She rubs over the dog’s hair, happy that he was softer on Earth. “He responds to both–for me. Not sure what he should be called now we’re back.” 

Josh waited patiently. The breeze was cooler than usual and looking at her, he had to assume it was her as well. She seemed far too powerful for a run-of-the-mill demon who used to be human. But she also seemed extremely unlikely to answer his questions if he got too personal. 

With her eyes uncovered, Josh watched them move around as she thought about something. It was almost like she was tracking something or doing some long form math equation in her head. Like she didn’t know what her name was and was looking for the answer. 

“Mine…well, now you can call me Sal.” She winks and Josh straightens in his seat, feeling strange. “Gonna write about me in your diary now, Joshua?” 

Josh pretends to laugh with a clipped “ha ha.” She smirked again, sliding closer to Josh on the bench. Rori grew annoyed and hopped off her lap, slinking off to climb a tree in hopes of finding a squirrel. Sal extended a delicate hand to Josh’s shoulder, beginning to play with the fabric of his shirt. He smiled tightly, not having anywhere to go if he wanted more answers. 

“You said you arrived early?” Josh’s voice is high as he feels her touch moving down his arm. Thankfully, being an angel kept him from feeling her entire influence, but her physical touch was enough to feel something…unholy. He didn’t want to imagine her abilities on mortals. “What did you mean?” 

“You’re fun,” She beamed. “If I show you some tricks I picked up in Hell, will you show me something?” 

“It depends what you want to see,” Josh tries to be diplomatic. 

Her head throws back in laughter. “Not that. No, I want you to want me to see that.” Her hand wanders to his wrist and toys with the bracelet before slinking to his thigh. Her voice was low and sultry, lips pressed to his ear. “Desperately.” 

Josh was starting to feel like he might have to leave. His breathing had turned shallow and he couldn’t stop staring at the carnelian stone hanging between her breasts. Her hand’s touch left him and she laughed again bringing him out of his reverie. 

“Hell, you’re pretty cute…I was a 27 club member.” She shrugged, turning away from Josh to stare out at the people again. “Had my heyday in the late 60s/early 70s and went out the same way I lived. Fast.” 

Josh thought about the 60s and the 70s. He’d admit those decades were a bit of a guilty pleasure for him. Nashville had been fun, not as crowded. He watched her again, seeing her eyes narrow looking at the couples and the groups of friends. 

“You weren’t from here?” 

“LA. Broadway’s kinda like the Sunset Strip, just a bit more loser-y…NashVegas, just like Liv said.” 

Josh was about to protest, but refrained, letting her reminisce. She did miss her friends from back then. They’d gotten up to so much trouble. Sometimes too much. 

“Best of times, worst of times kind of thing y’a dig?” She tapped the heel of her boot like she was trying to shake off something unpleasant. “Just glad I had my dog for most of the time. He followed me everywhere and everyone’d let ‘im in because he was such a doll. Died ‘bout three years ‘fore me.”

The more she spoke the more her accent of a bygone era of California popped up. Josh couldn’t deny how sweet she sounded when she spoke about that thing, demonic as the pair of them were. 

“How long’ve you’ve been up–er, down here?” She asked, barely realizing she had to correct for him. 

Josh cast his eyes to the sky, thinking. “Since the beginning. That’s like, 8000 human years, I believe.” 

“Get the fuck outta town!” She exclaimed, jumping in her seat to face him. Her eyes were alight with hellfire. “You’re a proper angel then?” 

Josh chuckled. “They don’t really take new hires upstairs, I’m afraid. Only very special occasions. It doesn’t happen much these days.” 

She regarded him for a moment, inventorizing him again now that she deemed him far more interesting than before. “Yeah, I was on a special list when I came down. Only a few others in my line, everyone else had to wait in this huge waiting room. It was…repulsive and I’ve been in the alley behind the Whisky.” 

Josh tilted his head, looking over her once more. He felt like he should know her, but he couldn’t understand from where. She looked so familiar. Her hair seemed to shift every so often and he couldn’t be sure if it was the light or mood dependent. He didn’t prod at her mentioning the special treatment in Hell, didn’t want to alert her to the fact, that from what he knew, that was extremely rare.

“Have you told your demon friend about me yet?” She asked.

“He’s not my friend,” Josh responds automatically. 

Her eyebrows raise as she turns her head back to him, scanning him for understanding. A killer upon its prey. 

“Secret lover?” She guesses. 

Josh can’t hide his face of disgust. “Jesus! No!”

“Homophobic?” She asks with a look of distaste. Not being for the gays was so not groovy. Half the musicians she hung out with back in the day were gay. And she wasn’t one for choosing when it came to sexuality. 

“No!” Josh cries. “I am more than an ally to that cause, not that angels really have sexualities…it’s just.” He sighs, rubbing at his neck confusion. “He was, is–I don’t know, my twin.” 

“Oh!” She beams, eyes once again lighting up in intrigue. She enjoyed learning things, it helped for using it against people at the end of the day. “So he’s also a proper demon. Fell and all that.” 

“Yeah, don’t remind me.” He sounded pained, as if he was reliving the entire thing. 

“Wow…” She blows out a breath. “That must be funky.” 

She continued when Josh said nothing. “Y’know ‘cause he’s your brother but also he’s–” She finished her statement by sticking her pointer fingers through her hair and wiggling them around. 

“Yes, I am aware.” Josh shakes his head. 

She stood up and stretched her arms over her head, revealing her stomach below the flowy lace top she was wearing. “Great catch up, I guess, angel. Wanna trade tricks later? I’ve already worked through most of the main bars here and I’m getting bored.” Nothing was keeping her interest, since every place she had to transform into her liking. 

“You want to hang out with me? You want to hang out with an angel?” 

She grinned, turning around herself once before dropping her arms and stalking back towards Josh, standing directly in front of him. She leaned over him, watching him straighten his neck and swallow thickly. His eyes flickered from her face to the carnelian again. 

“Everyone else is too easy around here. I need a challenge.” Her lips were right in front of his. “You seem like the perfect remedy for a wayward soul like me.” 

-

Josh wasn’t exactly sure why he agreed to meet the demon at some speakeasy she said she needed to try. He wasn’t fully sold on calling her ‘Sal’, something about it felt off to him. She didn’t even really seem to care for it either. Jake, he knew, was vehement that he wished to be called Jake. 

Jake was probably why he had come to the back door of a pizza joint that was actually the door to the underground speakeasy. He’d asked for more information on her. When Josh had inquired why Jake couldn’t just do it himself, his twin finally fessed up that he was actually not currently in Nashville at all. Leaving the heavy lifting to Josh, like always. 

Begrudgingly, Josh entered another bar with plans to meet a demon. Heaven forgive him. It was smokey inside the brick-walled cavern. Small candles lit the tabletops and narrow bar top. A small dance floor was packed as people danced slowly to a jazz band. In the corner of the room, he saw her hair almost glowing in the dark and he made his way over. 

She was dressed in a black pantsuit, with no undershirt, just a black lace bra and her same necklace. Rori wasn’t present, from what Josh could see, but based on their conversation earlier he had a feeling the demon dog was around, lurking. 

She groaned when she saw what Josh was wearing. 

“Angel, man, do you have any other clothes besides that?” She shook her head in disappointment. 

“Of course I do,” Josh huffed, looking down at his clothes not understanding what was wrong with them. 

“Change.”

“I can’t perform miracles just to change my outfit. That’s wrong.” 

“That’s wrong, it’s wrong,” She parrots what she thought was becoming Josh’s mantra. “God, Heaven sounds so stifling.” She rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers with impatience.

In an instant, Josh was dressed in a red velvet jumpsuit with sequins around the neckline. His arms were on full display, muscles bulging while the velvet hugged his torso and lengthened his height. He smooths at his hair and feels something come off his skin. On his hand, he sees glitter. He looks at her again and then down at his new clothes. She was eyeing the bulge veering to his right thigh. 

“Much better.” She grins. 

Josh rolls his hand in front of him quickly, almost like a benediction, and once again his outfit has changed. Now, he was in a cream and grey jumpsuit that was far less flashy of his own with his favorite sigil emblazoned on the chest. He left the glitter and sat down. 

Her unamused look makes Josh feel a little hot with shame. 

“A little miracle to make sure I don’t look like a demon can be forgiven.” 

“You looked foxy but whatever.” She rolls her eyes and flicks a hand at the table, producing a bottle of red wine for both of them. “You drink, surely. C’mon, don’t act like your demon brother hasn’t corrupted a few of those precious angel feathers.” 

Josh can’t help the smile that falls over his face. Not sure what was so endearing about her at this moment. The romantic jazz might have something to do with it. He loved jazz. He takes the drink gratefully and they sip in companionable silence. She was subdued. 

With one bottle down, they start a second and this is when she offers to show Josh a trick if he’ll show her something again. He shrugs in compliance, feeling well on his way to drunk. 

“But won’t the other people in here see?” He adds. 

“No, they all know to mind their own business. Plus, it’s dark in here.” She winks and suddenly Josh is staring at only her head. 

He can seriously only see her head and neck. She moves closer to him and now Josh is certain, she’s made her body disappear. She was a dishonest-to-god floating head. Her head glowed gold for a moment as she twirled in a complete 360 to really show herself off. Josh’s eyes were as wide as possible trying not to cry out in amazement. Then the rest of her body reappeared, straddling Josh’s lap. With her arms draped over his shoulder, her all black soulless eyes gazed into Josh’s, practically paralyzing him with her fiery warmth and intensity. 

“So what do you think, angel?” 

“I, uh,” Josh stuttered. He placed his hands firmly on her hips and moved her off of him. “That’s impressive. What’s it good for?” 

“S just fun,” She shrugged, undetered by Josh removing her from his lap. “Let’s dance and then you can show me your wings or something.” 

Josh didn’t have time to protest, as she grabbed his wrist with one hand and their second bottle of pinot noir in the other. 

She took a swig before letting it float in the air beside them. Her body swiveled around the dance floor, placing herself in Josh’s arms as he swayed respectfully. She sighed and sunk into the movement, drinking from the bottle every so often. When the song changed, she turned to face Josh, handing the wine to him. He drank obediently, which she felt was a triumph. 

Hands draped over his shoulders again, she pressed her body against his. He was strong, she could feel his toned stomach. Her regular eyes met his and she tipped her nose against his. He looked stoicly back at her, determined to be friendly but not fall into the trap she was so clearly laying for him. 

“You’ve got so many defenses up,” She whispers. “Why not do what you want for once? Loosen up. Indulge.” 

Josh smiles down at her and moves his lips to her ear. Polite as ever, he speaks soothingly. “I am having a lovely time with you, Sal.”

She groans, pressing his hands to her hips again, where the curve of her ass was. “I can gaurantee you’ve never had what I’m offering you…” 

Josh smiles knowingly, unconvinced. “I’m afraid I’m above your temptations. Is seduction your main area of expertise?” 

She glares at him, but there’s a glint in her eye. She loved the chase. The difficulty. 

“Debauchery in general, but with how many people wanted to have sex with me in my first life I have a specialization in seduction and desire.” 

He shrugs, moving his hands to a respectful place on her waist. His touch is light, but she feels the pressure of his thumbs pushing at the exposed skin. She smirks and snakes her lips up to his ear. 

The gold hoop glints and she flicks her tongue over it. “I could just show you what you’re missing. If you’d allow me to put it in your mind, we wouldn’t actually do it. You’d be in complete control. Halo intact. C’mon just a few images…it’ll be informative.” 

Josh sighs as the tug of her teeth on his earring. She was bad. Terribly good at her job. He understood why she was here. Jake wasn’t even in town. Damn him. If he did his job a little better, Josh wouldn’t be contemplating allowing a demon into even a small recess of his mind. But, Jesus, did he want to just see it. If it wasn’t real, it wasn’t really a sin to indulge. 

She stares at him, waiting for his response. Her hands run over his shoulders and chest. The music swells and Josh’s hands tighten on her waist as he looks up to the ceiling, praying for forgiveness. 

“For educational purposes,” He starts and she grins. “I will allow you to show me how you do your job. So that I may be able to thwart your wrongdoings better.” 

“It’s just a little sex,” She licks her lips. “Igniting passion in people makes more babies for you to teach heavenly values or whatever. God likes sex, Josh.” Her voice is sickening, it was like she was dripping in a delicious scent that Josh can’t get out of his head. Twisting his values and her intentions into something evil that somehow made wicked sense.

He’s been careful to only open up a small piece he knows he can close, but he almost loses his footing when he finally feels her stinging lips on his. She licks into his mouth and he’s about to protest before the images begin to flow through his mind. 

‘Good thing your brother doesn’t have to transfer information like this, huh?’ Sal says within Josh’s mind. 

Guiltily, he feels himself laughing. Though his physical body is still locking lips with her. 

The room she brings him to in his mind is dark, a red lamp in the corner where two bodies are rolling around. Sighs of ecstasy filling his ears. The smell of sex hanging in his nose.

‘You’re really missing out, angel. Could show you the best thing life, and death, has to offer.’ Her voice is softer in his mind. 

The scene changes. He’s staring up at her above him. Her hips are working over him steadily as her naked breasts bounce in front of him, her necklace is the glowing light now. Her voice is sinful as she moans praises for Josh. How good he feels, how big he is, how strong he is. The scene changes and he’s driving into her with her legs over his shoulders, she’s smiling sweetly up at him with her mouth open, repeating his name like a prayer. It shifts and she’s pressed face down in the grey silk pillows, her body spread out for him as he grunts and growls, thrusting ceremoniously into her as she screams for him to keep going. It’s melodic, every bodily sound and the scene of their physical bodies uniting is hypnotic. Like it was pre-ordained that he would fit so well inside her. He feels euphoric as it shifts once more. She is back on top, his hips press up into her as she grinds down. Their faces are pressed together as Josh holds her body close to him. Arms enveloping her fragile frame. The room is quiet as they are pressed skin to skin, her lips meeting his gently. Sharp gasps escape their trembling lips.

‘Okay, enough,’ Josh pushes away from the scene, feeling both aroused and confused. 

In the speakeasy, she pulls back from the kiss with a wipe of her lips. She runs her hands through her hair as she watches Josh. She had shown him every one of his fantasies, placing herself at the center of them. They weren’t particularly raunchy, it was all about connection to him and for once she didn’t tease. 

“I like you, Joshua,” She says, truthfully, allowing him to pull their bodies a little apart. 

He was flustered and confused and embarrassed, but he also didn’t want to run. She had kept her word, shown him a few things and left. He didn’t fully understand the words she had just spoken.

He shakes his head, an awkward smile on his lips there on accident, and she stares at him wistfully. 

“I haven’t had someone in my mind in a very long time.” 

“It’s okay,” She soothes. “You really are an angel. Maybe on this earthly plane for too long since you clearly have carnal desires, but they were sweet. Every man’s mind I’ve looked into had vile and cruel desires…” She paused, looking past Josh. “Even in my first life, all the men I knew wanted to hurt the women they supposedly loved.” 

Josh’s eyebrows shot up in shock. 

“The closest you got to dirty was having me in do–”

“Okay!” Josh cut her off. “I think it’s time to call it a night.” He turned and walked swiftly through the crowd, parting easily for him–definitely not a misuse of his miracles. 

“Fine,” She grinned wickedly and whistled for Rori, sauntering after Josh. 

Back on the street, it could’ve been daytime with all the lights compared to the speakeasy. She squinted her eyes in distaste, thriving in the dark and wishing she had brought her sunglasses.

Josh was turned away from her so she tapped on his shoulder, wanting his attention. Wanting to see him again. He turned slowly and the look on his cherubic face was troubled. She frowned, about to ask what got his wings in a twist. 

A shadow stepped into Josh’s light. His hair was long and messy, in need of a wash. His silver jewelry shined heavy on his tanned chest. His black button up was almost completely open exposing his torso and he held a wide-brimmed black hat loosely in one hand and a guitar case more carefully in the other. His eyes flashed yellow when he spotted Y/N.  

She straightened her posture under his gaze and gave him a defiant look. Rori growled, but stayed behind her legs. 

Jake ran his tongue over his bottom lip, taking in the woman shaped devil before him. “You must be the new demon in town.” 

She tilted her head at him and looked between Josh and Jake. “And you must be your brother’s keeper.” 

He took a menacing step closer, narrowing his eyes at his angel of a brother before returning his gaze to her. “Something like that. Now, farewell…or don’t, I don’t care.”

She opened her mouth to speak again but no sound came out. 

His eyes flashed again as he turned on his heel and said tersely, a command, “Josh.”

The pair disappeared into fog that had appeared as suddenly as the older demon along the nighttime sidewalk and then she watched it dissipate moments later, leaving no trace of the creatures. The men. The angel and the demon.

-

to be continued... join the taglist

[numberonenat]

i asked chat gpt to make a playlist based on each one of the obey me characters…

>> PART 2!!! <<

here's part 1 and 3: the brothers / the side characters

diavolo:

"kings and queens" by 30 seconds to mars

"hail to the king" by avenged sevenfold

"demons" by imagine dragons

"hall of fame" by the script ft. will.i.am

"power" by kanye west

"emperor's new clothes" by panic! at the disco

"my songs know what you did in the dark (light em up)" by fall out boy

"radioactive" by imagine dragons

"glory and gore" by lorde

"god's gonna cut you down" by johnny cash

"believer" by imagine dragons

"throne" by bring me the horizon

"can't hold us" by macklemore & ryan lewis ft. ray dalton

"sail" by AWOLNATION

"the man" by taylor swift

barbatos:

"smooth operator" by sade

"uptown funk" by mark ronson ft. bruno mars

"one more time" by daft punk

"careless whisper" by george michael

"every breath you take" by the police

"superstition" by stevie wonder

"fly me to the moon" by frank sinatra

"feeling good" by michael bublé

"just the two of us" by bill withers ft. grover washington jr.

"easy" by lionel richie

"can't stop the feeling!" by justin timberlake

"i want to hold your hand" by the beatles

"smooth" by santana ft. rob thomas

"i will always love you" by whitney houston

"at last" by etta james

solomon:

"imagine" by john lennon

"bohemian rhapsody" by queen

"wish you were here" by pink floyd

"stairway to heaven" by led zeppelin

"magic" by coldplay

"karma police" by radiohead

"black magic woman" by santana

"time" by pink floyd

"riders on the storm" by the doors

"lucy in the sky with diamonds" by the beatles

"i put a spell on you" by nina simone

"paint it black" by the rolling stones

"losing my religion" by R.E.M.

"sultans of swing" by dire straits

"sympathy for the devil" by the rolling stones

simeon:

"angels" by robbie williams

"halo" by beyoncé

"you raise me up" by josh groban

"i will always love you" by whitney houston

"lean on me" by bill Withers

"un-break my heart" by toni braxton

"wind beneath my wings" by bette midler

"in the arms of an angel" by sarah mclachlan

"true colors" by cyndi lauper

"hero" by mariah carey

"i believe i can fly" by r. kelly

"heaven" by bryan adams

"a thousand years" by christina perri

"you're beautiful" by james blunt

"i can see clearly now" by johnny nash

luke:

"pocketful of sunshine" by natasha bedingfield

"here comes the sun" by the beatles

"walking on sunshine" by katrina and the waves

"happy" by pharrell williams

"rainbow connection" by kermit the frog

"ain't no mountain high enough" by marvin gaye & tammi terrell

"all star" by smash mouth

"don't worry, be happy" by bobby mcferrin

"three little birds" by bob marley & the wailers

"i just can't wait to be king" from the lion king

"best day of my life" by american authors

"count on me" by bruno mars

"i'm yours" by jason mraz

"walking on air" by katy perry

"sing" by pentatonix

barbatos with michael bublé, frank sinatra and george michael is a vibe honestly lol BUT THEN THERES THE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE TROLLS SONG WTF LMAO

i love doing this is so funny

i'm probably doing a part 3 !!!

[gretavanfunk]

Fighting Fire (Series)

Chapter Eleven

Word Count: 8,843

Summary: Stevie and Sam never seemed to be what people refer to as "two peas in a pod" growing up. He got under her skin more times than she could count and Sam was desperate to be on a level playing field as his older brother and Stevie's best friend, Jake. One summer, Sam is forced to face his demons and in turn, Stevie is too.

Warnings: smut, 18+, minors dni, explicit content

This story is written and edited by me and it is my baby so I hope some people out there can enjoy it as much as I enjoy creating it! If there are typos, bear with me lol

Chapter Eleven Playlist for the vibes!

It was bright and early on Saturday morning when Stevie found herself in the heaps of the dreaded task of cleaning out the garage storage. Last night, the group had taken the boat out and had a nice afternoon together on the water, but Sam suggested that they utilize the twins' help while they could.

Sam and Stevie were sitting at the bow of the boat, his arm firmly placed around her hips, holding her close to him. Jake was driving the boat back to the dock and Josh was sitting at the back, watching the ripples in the water behind them.

"We can get a lot of stuff done tomorrow with them here," Sam said and Stevie looked over at him, "Like what?"

"Well," he smiled, "I know you don't want to do the garage! We can make them do it."

Stevie laughed and shook her head, "We could ask them for help, sure."

Sam leaned forward on his elbow, turning to smile at her and instead of talking about it anymore, he pulled her into a kiss, earning some indistinct shouting from Jake behind them.

So, here they were. None of them had stayed up very late after making the plans for the morning. They got up around six and started working, deciding to combine the garage cleaning and the garage sale all in one.

Stevie had been dreading this only because of how much stuff she knew her dad kept in here. However, Sam might have had a point about the twins being helpful to them in this task because after about forty-five minutes of working, they had already made a pretty big dent in the items they were keeping and getting rid of.

Stevie was chucking some junk into a trash bag towards the back of the garage when she heard Sam gasp. She turned and found him ripping an old sheet off of her dad's piano.

"Oh man," Sam muttered and ran his hand along the old, damaged wood of her father's piano, "What a beauty!"

She smiled at him and turned back to what she was doing, but stopped again when he spoke, "I gotta get this fixed up!"

Stevie watched him and chuckled, "For what, Sam? That thing is a piece of junk."

Sam opened the piano up to look at the keys and smiled, shaking his head, "Yeah, but it's my piece of junk, Stevie. I'm calling dibs!"

He pressed on a few keys lightly and looked at her, "Besides, I know a guy."

"A guy out in Nashville?" Stevie pestered, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sam nodded, "Mhmm, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind making a trip!"

"You really wanna keep that thing?" Stevie laughed and he looked at her with wide eyes, "Of course I do! I might even get a U-Haul to take it home! Or should I keep it here? What do you expect me to play when I'm here with you, Stephanie?"

The sentiment made her body tense, thinking about Sam coming back to visit her. Part of her was delighted by the possibility, and part of her was very unsure how to feel. It sounded as if they were exclusive and she didn't know what she thought about that. She was scared to get into a serious relationship, especially considering everything that happened the last few days.

She made a face and shook her head, "Maybe a piano that isn't falling apart?"

Sam scoffed, "Please! It's great! Don't even worry about it!"

Jake's voice behind her caused Stevie to jump, momentarily forgetting he was there too, "We will probably need a U-Haul or a trailer or something though! We can't fit all this stuff in the Jeep!"

"Jesus," Stevie clutched her chest, "I forgot you were here!"

"That'll happen sometimes with him," Sam chuckled and Josh chimed in too, "Too occupied with tunnel vision, hmm?"

"Gross and offensive," Jake muttered, "Focus, people! We have so much to do!"

Josh grabbed onto Stevie's arm, pulling her away from Sam and out of the garage to where he had been working on the set up for their garage sale.

"What do you think?" Josh asked and Stevie looked around, nodding.

There were a couple of tables with smaller items lined up in a very organized way. Josh had lined up some of the bigger items next to the tables and Stevie smiled at how much he focused on details.

"It looks great, Josh," she exclaimed, "Let's just hope people actually show up to this."

"Don't worry," he patted her back, "I've been listing everything on Facebook Marketplace as I've been setting them out."

"Oh," she looked at him with wide eyes, "Are you sure that's a good idea to do publicly since you postponed your tour?"

Josh shook his head and laughed, "Not on my profile, Stevie! On yours, of course!"

"Oh, okay," Stevie chuckled, "So you're just hacking me now."

"Better you than me," Josh smiled and pat her on the back.

Josh found his spot on a chair close by the tables and he kept his eye out for anyone who would stop to take a look at things while Stevie returned to her duties inside the garage with Jake and Sam. When she would say her dad had hundreds of things in the garage, she wasn't kidding. There were multiple shelves housing books on so many different topics: history, music, religion, philosophy, cars, sports, you name it.

She brought out boxes and boxes with all of his books, deciding against keeping any of them, and then she cleaned up the bookshelves and Jake helped her carry them out to the sale as well. Sam was now organizing all of the stuff they decided to keep which wasn't very much. Stevie was pretty impressed by her ability to let a lot of this stuff go, but she figured having the twins with her helped with that.

The canoes, the piano, all of the fishing and camping supplies, a tote full of photo albums and artwork and some back up supplies for the boat were the only things that Stevie was holding onto. Sam was rearranging where things went, minus the canoes that remained strapped to the wall. Stevie was wiping surfaces down when Sam smacked the tote down and popped it open. She watched him for a moment as he took a photo album out and opened it carefully.

She felt her cheeks flush when she watched him smile at it. It's not as if he hadn't seen whatever pictures were in there before, but the change in the context of their relationship made this scene a lot more emotionally loaded for her. She watched him as he took a sharp breath in through his nose, silently chuckling at a photo, but she kept cleaning and smiled to herself.

"Having fun over there?" she asked and he looked up at her, still smiling, "These pictures are adorable."

Stevie laughed, "Dad had my grandma's knack for photo albums."

She set the disinfecting wipes down and walked over to him, "Which one is that?"

"Hmm," Sam smirked, "Must be high school."

Stevie looked down at the album and saw the photo that Sam was chuckling at and her eyes widened at it. It was a photo of them. Just the two of them. It was puzzling for her to see it because there weren't very many times that Sam and Stevie hung out just the two of them back then.

However, in this photograph, their arms were over each other's shoulders, both making funny faces while their faces were painted and they were decked out in their high school colors, sitting in the stands at one of Jake's soccer games. Stevie was probably a freshman in this photo while Sam was in seventh grade. She laughed loudly at the sight of them, both looking ridiculously awkward with braces and weird haircuts.

"Oh my God," Stevie said and Sam laughed, "Yeah, kinda crazy!"

"What a rare piece of history," she snorted and he nodded, "Yeah, a picture of just you and me together? Pretty rare."

Stevie looked up at him and smiled, scrunching her nose a bit, "Well, that can change."

He looked at her with raised eyebrows and a small smile, "It better."

Stevie stood up on her toes and grabbed his arm, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on," she patted the photo album, "We can look at these later. Right now, we've gotta sweep this place out."

Sam rolled his eyes playfully, but he shut the book, tossing it back into the tote and closing it up before lifting it up onto a shelf. Stevie passed him a broom and she went back to where she was standing previously, grabbing the wipes and moving on.

Once Sam and Stevie were done with the cleaning, he went inside to wash up and make lunch and Stevie walked out to where the twins were, checking in on how everything was going. When she got there, she noticed Jake talking to one of the locals about one of the instruments that they weren't taking home with them.

"Hey man," Jake laughed, "You're not about to lowball me. This thing is one of a kind! The price is firm!"

She laughed at the sight of Jake trying to hustle this guy and she shook her head, walking over to them.

"Hey there," she said, "Jake, relax. I'll take twenty-five off of the price."

"Thank you," the man smiled, "I'll take it!"

Jake glared at her as she took the man's cash and he walked away with a mandolin.

"Stevie, what the hell?" Jake said, "I almost had him!"

She rolled her eyes and smiled, "Jake, I appreciate it, really. However, I'm trying to get this stuff out of here, so it's not a big deal."

He hummed and threw his hands up in defense, "Fine, fine! I hope that guy has a great day 'cause he just robbed you!"

Stevie laughed and shoved Jake lightly, "Go get some water, Jacob."

Jake stuck his tongue out at her and went inside the house. Stevie sat beside Josh, handing him the cash and Josh smiled, tucking it away into the cash box.

"You've already sold a few things on Facebook too," Josh said, "But, I told them they're gonna have to come pick the stuff up today so we'll see if that happens."

Over the next couple of hours, Sam brought out sandwiches for everyone and they all hung out, sitting around while people came and went. Sam had brought Rosie out with him and they ran around for a while too, Stevie enjoying the sight of him just having fun.

"You two are awfully coupley after not knowing what you are like what," Josh scratched his chin, "thirty-two hours ago?"

Stevie narrowed her eyes at him, hugging her legs to her chest, "Can I not just admire him without it meaning something?"

Jake laughed, almost choking on his sandwich, "No, you can't. It's Sam. Admiring him definitely means something."

Stevie rolled her eyes, mumbling something to herself and Jake stared at her for a second, waiting for her to stop acting like a teenager.

"Just date him for fuck's sake," Jake muttered, "What's the point in not telling him how you feel?"

"Well what if I don't know how I feel?" Stevie protested and Jake rolled his eyes, "Give me a fucking break, Stevie. You literally can't stop stealing glances at him anytime you can."

"Didn't you just punch him in the face for kissing me? Why are you suddenly pressuring me to label it?" Stevie glared and Jake smiled.

He gestured his hand to his younger brother who was now laying in the grass with his dog, "You're also the one who told me you wanted him. What are you waiting around for?"

Stevie sighed, not able to hold back a smile when she looked back at Sam and she took in a sharp breath.

Stevie tried to regulate her face before turning to Jake, "I'm just hesitant to dive right in, ya know? I want to hold on to what things are like right now before a label goes on to change it."

Jake stared at her blankly, physically revealing that he did not understand what she was saying.

Josh then chimed in, "That's fair. Sometimes labeling it can complicate things and I don't blame you for being hesitant."

Stevie clapped her hands together and gestured to Josh with a smile, "Thank you!"

"But, you do have to consider it," Josh continued with a small laugh, "Do you want whatever this is with Sam to just be a summer thing or not? He's going to go home and get back on the road at some point and you've gotta decide what that means for you, missy."

"God! Since when did you guys decide to fucking grill me all the time?" Stevie rested her chin on her hands and huffed in irritation.

"Since you started fucking our brother," Jake snapped back and Stevie gasped, hitting him lightly while Jake fought back a fit of laughter.

"Jesus Christ, Jake!"

"Just hoping you're thinking about this," Josh patted her back, "Cause you're really playing with fire when it comes to Sam's feelings, Stevie."

"Yeah," she rolled her eyes, "I know that, Josh. I can really like him without making him my boyfriend though, can't I?"

"Yeah, I guess you can," Josh laughed, "I'm just picking your brain about it. Be careful."

"Seriously, Stevie," Jake sighed, "He's improved so much since the last time I saw him and I'm not saying that's all because of you, but if you rip his heart out, we will all be back to square one."

"I'm not a fucking monster," Stevie gasped, "I don't want to rip his heart out! I'm just proceeding with caution, that's all."

Stevie sat back in her chair and sighed aggressively, "Besides! A lot of his meltdown had to do with extreme burnout! Not me! And I have good reasons for hesitating, given my history."

Jake looked at her and grinned, "I know, Steve. Relax, I'm just messing with you."

"But seriously," Josh sighed, "The conversation about where you stand will come up and I just hope you'll be ready when it does."

"Jeez," Stevie laughed, slugging Josh in the arm playfully, "Why do you have to make it sound so eerie?"

Josh held his hands up but was laughing loudly and shrugged, "The dramatics, they never leave."

Stevie shook her head and stood up, deciding to go hang out with Sam and Rosie instead.

For not having advertised any of this beforehand, they sold almost everything. They were only left with the boxes of books and bookshelves by the time they decided to throw in the towel.

Jake and Sam carried the bookshelves into the garage while Stevie carried the boxes of books and Josh started to break down the tables.

Once everything was cleaned up, they all went inside and Sam sighed, flopping himself onto the couch.

"So," he proclaimed, "What do you guys wanna do with your last night here?"

"I'm fucking tired," Jake admitted with a yawn and Josh nodded, "Yeah, maybe something a little lowkey?"

"Movie night?" Stevie grinned wide and leaned forward in between the twins, looking back and forth at them excitedly.

Jake laughed, roughing up her hair with his hand and nodded, "Yeah, I'm down for that."

"Great! You guys pick," Stevie squeezed their shoulders and turned on her foot to the kitchen, getting ready to make some frozen pizzas and Sam popped in too.

"No," Stevie pointed to him and shook her head, "Do not try to help me, Sam. You already do everything around here."

"Oh, come on," Sam whined, "Let me help you!"

"I literally do not even need any help," Stevie laughed, "This is so simple, anyone can do it."

"Fine," Sam pouted and he scooted a chair out from the dining room table, "Then at least let me watch you."

"Freak," Stevie made a face and laughed. She walked over to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him to stand up again.

"Actually, I do need you to do something," Stevie said and Sam raised his eyebrows in anticipation, "I need you to go claim the couch for us! I know Jake is gonna try to sit there cause he doesn't like the lounge chairs."

The most mischievous smile spread across Sam's face and he grabbed her face in his hands quickly, kissing her for a moment and chuckling when he pulled away, "Finally! My time has come!"

"Not if he's already sitting there," Stevie laughed and Sam let go of her, turning on his foot quickly and heading out to the living room again.

When he rounded the corner into the living room, Jake was on his way to the couch but Sam panicked, taking off in a sprint to beat him. Sam jumped onto the sofa spread eagle and almost knocked into his brother, causing Jake to widen his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jake asked and Sam was face down in a couch cushion mumbling back, "Reserving the couch."

"Come on," Jake huffed, "The chairs aren't as comfy, Sam."

Sam lifted his head and smiled at Jake, still catching his breath, "That's too fucking bad, isn't it?"

Jake rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, not swayed by Sam to sit somewhere else and Sam huffed, rolling his eyes too.

"Jake, there's a bean bag chair in the room Josh is staying in. Just use that!"

"Fine," Jake shook his head and turned around, walking upstairs.

Sam flipped himself over and laid very still, not trusting that Jake wouldn't try to weasel his way onto the couch once he came back. Once Stevie had put the pizzas in the oven, she found her way to him, chuckling at the sight of him laying so still.

"Why do you look terrified?" she questioned, causing him to jump at the sound of her voice.

"I was saving your spot," Sam sighed and sat up, giving her space to sit down.

"Okay, but you could breathe ya know," Stevie laughed, settling in beside him and looking over at Josh who was sat cross-legged, still flipping through the big binder her dad had full of movies. He didn't even bother looking up at them as he spoke.

"You should of seen him launch himself into the sofa, Stevie," Josh giggled, "It was like Mission Impossible."

Stevie smiled and looked over at Sam who bit his lip and shook his head, "Hey, maybe we should watch Mission Impossible!"

"Uh, no," Stevie interjected and Sam laid his head back against the sofa, leaning slightly to look at her, "Well, I'll tell ya what we aren't watching!"

Stevie hummed in response, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow to him.

"The fucking Hunger Games," Sam replied with a small smile on his lips.

Stevie scoffed, "Maybe we can start at the beginning so you'll know what the hell is going on!"

Josh shook his head and interrupted their banter, "Nope! Too sad!"

He pulled a disk out of the sleeve and held it up and smiled, "But this one is perfect!"

"What is it?" Sam asked and Stevie saw the writing on the disk that said "A River Runs Through It".

"Absolutely not," she protested, "That movie is so sad, Josh!"

Josh scoffed and shook his head, "It is not sad! It's a beautiful film about brotherhood and life!"

Stevie rolled her eyes, "No! If we're vetoing The Hunger Games, we're vetoing A River Runs Through It!"

"Haven't seen either one," Sam shrugged and chuckled at their bickering.

"Fine," Josh sighed and put the disk back but he was quick to pull out another one, "What about Dirty Dancing?"

"I can get behind Dirty Dancing," Stevie nodded and Sam groaned, "You guys like the stupidest movies."

"Dirty Dancing is a classic," Stevie elbowed him and he laughed, "Whatever."

"It's not like you're even gonna be focused on the movie anyway," Josh laughed, "You're too busy in la la land over there."

Sam flipped him off and before Stevie or Josh could further tease him, Jake came into the room holding a bean bag chair that was almost as big as he is. He threw it onto the floor with a huff and plopped down, settling into it.

"Did you pick a movie?" Jake asked and Stevie just laughed at how nonchalantly he entered the room.

Josh nodded, "Dirty Dancing."

"Nice," Jake muttered and Sam gasped, "What? Even you like this movie?"

Jake looked at Sam with a questioning look and he shrugged, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner, Sam."

Sam fluttered his eyes, gawking at Jake in shock and Stevie patted his shoulder, "You'll get it when the movie is over."

While Josh got up and was putting the movie in the DVD player, the timer on the oven went off and Stevie hopped up, prancing into the kitchen to take them out. She set them all on the stove top to cool and went into the fridge, gathering beers for everyone. Stevie fixed up everyone a plate and they all settled in with their pizza, beers and Josh started the movie.

Stevie took the rare occurrence of silence among the four of them to take in the moment. She smiled to herself glancing at each of them focusing on the screen and if her dad were here with them, it'd feel just like it did when they were all teenagers. Sam glanced at her and smiled when he saw her smile.

He tilted his head in confusion, "Everything okay over there?"

She looked at him quickly with tinted cheeks and she nodded, lightly laughing, "Never better."

After they were done with the pizza, Sam offered to take the plates into the kitchen but Stevie refused, mouthing off to him about how he had never seen this movie so he can't miss any of it. Josh ended up interjecting and cleaning up instead, so Sam laid back on the couch grabbing Stevie's waist as she was in the middle of protesting Josh's work and he pulled her back onto him, grabbing a blanket and tossing it over them haphazardly.

She laughed at his efforts and settled into him, curling up onto his chest and fixing the blanket over them. Sam's hands rest on her back and her arms wrapped around him. His skin was hot to the touch and he felt snuggly, instantly making Stevie smile softly. She listened with her ear pressed against his chest and his heart sounded as if it would beat out of his chest, causing her to smile wider.

Sam always made his flirting and affection towards Stevie look easy, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous as hell all the time. As much as he loved sneaking around with Stevie and the physicality of their relationship thus far, he was really relieved that it wasn't a secret anymore. That's why his heart was pounding, because here he was, with the person he truly believed he could love forever in his arms and his brothers just sitting there like it was any other day.

For years he had wished it could be just like this. Her head on his chest, Jake and Josh completely unbothered. Now that it was, Sam felt at ease. For the first time in a long time, everything in his mind completely stilled like the sun peeking through clouds after a storm. But, his heart was racing because he had never cared more about anything. If he made one wrong move, everything could change just as quickly as it all started.

Not that he ever even imagined doing anything to ruin this, but the thought made him extremely anxious anyway. On top of that, what if she ever changed her mind? While it helped that it was all out in the open, he still wasn't entirely sure how she felt. Besides saying she liked him. That could change in seconds too.

Stevie erupted in laughter at something in the movie and he felt her shaking against him. He smiled down at her and decided to let his stream of thought go, focusing on the moment they were in now. He might not have cared at all about this movie, but he wanted to pay attention to something that seemed to be something she liked. He rubbed her back lightly and his heart fluttered when her grip around him tightened.

As the movie went on, Sam noticed Stevie pressing into him a little bit more than before and he sat up a bit and looked down at her, noticing that she had fallen asleep. He smiled and swiped his hand over her forehead, pushing her hair out of her face. He wanted to keep her there and didn't want to disturb her. However, when the credits started rolling and the twins both stretched and got up out of their seats, he knew she would be upset if they didn't all say goodnight. Sam pressed a kiss on the top of Stevie's head and rubbed her back softly, trying in the nicest way possible to wake her up.

"Stevie," Sam whispered, "Wake up, babe."

Jake walked over and pretended to gag before he grabbed Stevie's shoulder and shook her, "Steve! Wake up!"

"Hey, asshole!" Sam chuckled and Jake flipped him off, "Oh please, she's obsessed with you already, Sam. No need to be Mr. Gentle all the time."

"Still! Don't scare her awake, you dick," Sam shook his head and Stevie yawned, opening her eyes and looking up at Jake.

"No," she whined, "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes, you did," Jake laughed, "And now we're going to bed so I wanted to say goodnight."

"Boo!" Stevie frowned and stretched, getting up off of Sam, "But after we sleep then you have to leave!"

"It's probably better that we leave you two alone," Josh chuckled as he approached them and stood beside Jake, "You clearly have things to do."

Jake made a face and looked at Josh with a frown, "Don't be a fucking freak."

Stevie laughed and she stood up, giving each of them a hug.

"Fine! Goodnight!" Stevie sighed and Jake rustled her hair, "Don't be sad! We'll have breakfast together tomorrow morning before we leave!"

He kissed the top of her head and Stevie nodded, "Okay, okay. Sweet dreams! I love you!"

"Love you," Jake smiled, letting her go and yawning before turning to go up stairs following Josh.

Stevie looked down at Sam and smiled, reaching her hand out to him, "Come on."

Sam smiled up at her and grabbed her hand but just as she began to pull him up, he yanked on her hand and pulled her back onto him. She grunted and hit his chest, "Sam! Come on, let's go to bed."

"Can we just stay here for a second?" Sam asked, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her closer to him, cuddling into her.

"Yeah, I guess so," she sighed, wrapping her arms around him again, "It's nice, isn't it?"

"So nice," Sam sighed, resting his cheek on her head softly, "I could stay here forever if it was socially acceptable."

Stevie smiled, but she didn't say anything further, leaving Sam questioning if she felt the same way he did, but she was still holding onto him and right now, that was enough for him. After a moment, Stevie lifted her head to look at him and she grinned, searching his face and taking a moment just to enjoy it.

"Ya know, if someone had told me that we'd be here like this a month ago," Stevie began and her smile widen, "I probably would've tried to punch them in the face."

Sam laughed loudly and nodded, "Which is reasonable."

"But, as surprising as it is," Stevie reached her hand up to his face, "I'm really glad that we are here."

Sam lowered his hands to the back of her thighs, pulling them forward and causing her to yelp with a string full of giggles. Sam sat up a bit, inching his face closer to hers and planting a kiss on her lips roughly. He didn't have words for the way it felt to hear her say something like that, but he figured kissing her was enough.

Stevie kissed him back and just as she was trying to pull away, Sam brought her back in, making her laugh and mumble against his mouth.

"Sam," She said and he hummed against her, continuing to kiss her and she pulled back. This time, he let her go.

"Let's go to bed, babe."

"But it's so far," Sam whined and Stevie chuckled, pushing her hands against his chest and lifting herself off of him and standing up.

"Suit yourself," Stevie shrugged, "But I know my bed is a lot comfier than the couch."

"Good luck sleeping without me next to you," Sam doubled down, turning over on his side and snuggling into the throw pillow.

She scoffed and crossed her arms, "Puh-lease! See you in five minutes."

She turned around and headed towards the stairs and Sam looked over his shoulder to see that she was actually leaving him there.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, "Wait for me!"

Stevie heard Sam scramble to his feet and she chuckled, turning around to wait for him to catch up to her.

"I can't believe you were just gonna leave me on the couch by myself," Sam gasped when he reached her, grabbing at her waist and she laughed, "I can't believe you thought I would have any problem with just leaving your ass there."

He grinned and shrugged, "Good point."

He took her hand and lead her up the stairs to her bedroom, which was beginning to look more and more like her space after this weekend. Minus the very important decor upgrade it needed, of course. It was definitely beginning to smell less and less like her dad.

Stevie felt bad for thinking it, but with the full house and the twins here to help get so much of the work done, she didn't even really think about her dad for the last few days. Which overall was kind of a nice break from thinking about him constantly for months on end. Of course, there was the occasional sentimental moment that one of them would bring up when they found something in the house or in the garage, but it didn't feel the way it felt when she first arrived to the house.

It felt a lot more peaceful now.

Maybe she was too distracted by Sam and that was to blame. Or maybe she was forced to face his space and his stuff and she could actually be healing? Either way, she felt better so that's all that really mattered to her. Plus, with Sam's skin on her skin, it was hard to think about anything else.

Now, they were both perched on their knees on top of the bed, Sam's fingers lightly brushed her navel, gripping the hemline of her shirt, pushing it up and pulling it over her head as she smiled and lifted her arms for him to remove it. This was the first time that Sam wasn't so quick with his movements and the way he looked so focused at her made her think he was taking his time deliberately.

Sam was, in fact, taking his time. He never did complain about a steamy secret hookup, or a desperate exchange and he never would dare to. However, he didn't want to just fuck each other to sleep. He wanted to love her. He wanted something he could hold onto and remember in case this didn't last forever. It probably sounded stupid. Maybe even a little weird, but the way Stevie was smiling with her nose scrunched a little and her cheeks tinted pink, he knew she enjoyed the fullness of his attention.

It didn't take Stevie long to catch on to Sam's pacing and she was slow in her actions too, leaning forward slightly and touching the edge of his shirt, only letting her hands slide up underneath it and feel his skin. Sam let out a deep breath, only flinching slightly at her cold touch. Stevie's lips curved up at this but she didn't say anything, only scooting herself closer to him.  Sam swiftly grabbed at the back of his shirt, pulling his shirt over his head so they were even.

Stevie then popped off her bra and the two of them sat there, smiling softly. Sam took a moment to just look at her before he held her hips, pushing her back onto the bed. He looked down at her and smiled lovingly before kissing her gently. When he pulled away, Stevie's face was flushed and she bit the inside of her cheek.

"This is different," Stevie admitted and Sam hummed, "Just a little change of pace, baby. I'm multi-talented."

She snickered and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, leading him back to her lips. He kissed her deeply, deeper than he ever had. Stevie was quickly lost in it. Anytime they were together, Stevie had a hard time focusing on anything else, but this kiss completely consumed her. It was gentle and soft, but was dripping with desperation. She had never been kissed like this.

His hands started on her hips but they were exploring every curve of her body, soft to the touch. He clutched her shorts, tugging them slightly and she lifted her hips to help him take them off. Sam backed away from her, tossing her shorts off of the bed and scooting back away from her. He hooked his arms under her legs and pulled her closer to him and her breath caught in her throat. When he lowered himself down and settled his head in between her legs, she gasped quietly and sat up quickly.

Stevie grabbed his face, lifting it to look at her, "Sam, wait! Are you sure you want to do that?"

Sam tilted his head, eyebrows knitted together and a small questioning smile on his lips, "Uh, Stevie? I've been pretty fucking sure of this for a long time."

She grinned, cheeks heating but worry washed over her features again and Sam lifted himself a little, still holding onto her legs, "You okay?"

"It's just uh," Stevie sighed, running her hand through her hair, "Nobody has ever..."

Sam's eyes widened and he sat up a little straighter, clearing his throat, "Um, I'm sorry. Nobody?"

Sam was more than surprised. He was actually very shocked. In his mind, Stevie always was a girl who could have anything she wanted, just with the bat of an eyelash. This was the first time he was seeing that maybe that was just because he was the one that would do anything she wanted. He had to admit, however, that seeing her so nervous made him feel like his heart was about to explode. It was cute. So ridiculously cute even, he almost forgot about how shocking this new development was.

She felt her face become aflame and she shook her head, "Um, no."

Sam couldn't help but chuckle slightly, stopping himself to avoid her feeling even more weird about it.

He shook his head, "You mean to tell me that you dated the same guy for six years and he never once went down on you?"

Stevie shrugged, "No, not even once."

Sam raised his eyebrows and laughed, "But you went down on him, right? 'Cause I know you've definitely done it before, from experience."

She laughed at him and shrugged again, "Yeah, I mean, of course I did."

"What a cunt," Sam rolled his eyes.

He rubbed her legs gently and softened his eyes, "Do you want me to?"

Stevie bit her lip, not sure on how to respond. The sight of him so eager between her legs made her feel so intensely that the answer was obviously yes, but she wasn't sure if she should just skip ahead.

Sam picked up on her nerves and continued, "Because personally, I really, really want to."

Stevie bit her lip and smiled, "Okay, yeah. I want you to."

Sam reached up and kissed her lips, pushing her onto her back again.

"Take a deep breath, honey," Sam whispered, "Just enjoy."

Sam resumed his previous position and Stevie adjusted herself against the pillow below her head, looking up at the ceiling and taking a deep breath. Physical intimacy never made her this nervous before, but this was uncharted territory and it felt so... personal.

She wasn't expecting the surprise that came over her when Sam's tongue lapped against her the first time. It was warm. Warmer than she imagined it would be and Sam was hesitant at first, trying to ease Stevie into it. He peppered kisses on her inner thighs and ran his tongue between her folds a few times, feeling her body relax after becoming used to having him there.

Then, he switched focuses onto her clit, wanting nothing more than to hear her angelic voice. He buried his face a little closer to her, flicking his tongue against her at a steady pace. She gasped at the feeling. It was unlike anything she ever felt before and she was a little too nervous to look down at him, but she did and she was glad. His eyes looked back at her, more intensely than they ever had and without thinking, her hands flew into his hair.

"Oh fuck," she whispered, "Keep going!"

He groaned against her in response and she moaned, overwhelmed by the feeling. Sam quickened his pace, switching between his tongue, and sucking on her and he smiled when Stevie started to wiggle against him, arching her back.

"Fuck, Sam," Stevie panted, "I'm gonna come!"

Sam held onto her tighter, and she tried scooting away, but he never lost contact. He was getting a little tired, but he had her right where he wanted her and he thought about it for a moment, before using a trick from Stevie.

He started humming a song while trying to keep an even rhythm with his tongue, which proved itself a little bit difficult. However, Stevie started to move her hips against him and he smiled, feeling her legs shake.

"Holy fucking shit," Stevie sighed, letting herself fuck Sam's face until she settled from her high, laying still and gasping for breath. Sam was wearing a whimsical grin when he got up, grabbing his t-shirt and wiping his face on it. Stevie opened her eyes and realized that she pretty much rode his face and she gasped, "Oh my god, I'm sorry."

"Ha!" Sam chuckled, "Do not apologize to me. That was the hottest thing I've ever seen."

She laughed and shook her head, "That was unlike anything I've ever felt in my life."

Sam laughed, crawling up to lay down beside her and pulling on her hips until they were in a spooning position, "You don't want to feed my ego too much."

She sighed, pushing herself against him and taking a deep breath, "Don't worry, I would never."

"Although, you don't really have to," Sam pressed a kiss into her shoulder blade, "You kind of stole the show with that."

Stevie felt Sam's erection pressed against the lower of her back and she smiled, wiggling her ass a bit against it, making him hiss.

"Babe," Sam muttered, "Please, this isn't about me."

"Oh, I think it is," Stevie snickered, "Wouldn't want to be selfish."

"No," Sam sighed, wrapping his arms around her tighter, "I just wanted to make you come tonight."

"And I want to make you come," Stevie protested, "Come on, baby, put it in."

Sam laughed lightly and Stevie felt his breath hot on her neck.

"Sam," Stevie whined, "We don't even have to move! Just fuck me like this."

"Awww," Sam teased, "You're tired, huh?"

She laughed and nodded, "Exhausted, but I'll still do some work, babe."

She reached her arm behind her, grabbing onto his thigh and feeling the fabric of his shorts, "Come on, take these off."

"Alright, alright!" Sam giggled, "Since you're fucking begging!"

"I am not," Stevie rolled her eyes, "You wanna hear begging?"

Sam stilled himself, raising an eyebrow and nervous to respond, "And if I do?"

"Hmmm," Stevie smiled, thrilled that Sam couldn't even see her face, "I'd probably say something like pretty please?"

Sam laughed, "You can do better than that."

Stevie immediately moved her hand farther down between them, grabbing his dick tightly and making him jump.

"Damn, doesn't that hurt your arm?" Sam jested and Stevie ignored him, "Sam, I need you inside me, now."

He laughed, "That's not really begging, is it? More like demanding."

She let go of him, bringing her arms forward and crossing them over her chest, "Fine, suit yourself. I'm going to sleep just fine."

"I will too, thank you very much," Sam muttered, snuggling into her and she rolled her eyes. Stevie made it a point to keep moving every few seconds, trying to create some friction against him and after about a minute of this, Sam groaned, "Jesus fucking Christ, Stevie!"

He loosened his grip around her, pushing her away from him and she grinned to herself when she heard him shuffling around, wiggling out of his shorts.

Without any warning, Sam grabbed her leg, pushing it up and spreading her just enough to push himself into her. She sighed, relieved that she had won. Their brief little power trip argument didn't steer Sam clear of his plan to be intentional with making love to her. He didn't move very aggressively, thrusting into her gently and slowly.

"Is that better, baby?" Sam whispered, "Want me to fuck you so lazily like this? Nice and slow?"

Stevie just hummed, too focused on what he was doing to speak and he kissed her neck with multiple small kisses.

"Hmm," Sam continued, "Cat's got your tongue all of a sudden?"

She groaned, "Shut up, Sam."

He laughed, and pulled her closer to him, reaching his arm around her to grab her chest, massaging her softly and keeping his pace, wanting to last longer than he had been recently. However, because he was taking his time so much this time around, it was hard not to notice how much more he could feel her. They both were hot to the touch and because of the events only moments before, she felt more wet than she ever had. Sam's breathing was heavy, trying not to make it so obvious by how quickly he was already unraveling.

But Stevie could sense this, in the way the pads of his fingers dug into her skin a little bit harder and the way she could feel the breath escape his nose at an unusual pace. So, she grabbed his wrist, moving her hips against his own movements.

"Come on, Sammy," Stevie sighed, "I wanna hear you, babe."

"Shit, Stevie," he groaned loudly, "You're so fucking wet, I can't focus."

"Mmm," Stevie whimpered a little, letting her own facade slip a little, "You feel so good, Sam. Like you were made for me."

"Fuck, Stevie," Sam panted, "You can't say shit like that."

She craned her neck to try and face him, although she wasn't very successful, "Even if it's true?"

"Oh God," Sam grunted, clutching onto her tighter and thrusting faster.

"Mmhmm," Stevie smiled, "You're perfect, Sammy baby."

Sam's hand reached up to her shoulder, holding onto her and pulling his dick out of her, moaning rather pathetically. Stevie smiled, imagining what he looked like behind her and she bit her lip as she listened to his breathing even out.

Then, Sam giggled and she giggled too. He let go of her and smacked his lips, "Well, I'll be right back."

Sam got off the bed and Stevie laughed, turning around and watching him scurry himself to the bathroom. When he shut the door, Stevie sighed and reached out to where his body was moments before. She smiled and closed her eyes, feeling whole and a bit embarrassed for how much she wanted him to come back so quickly.

Sam looked at himself in the mirror for a moment when he was done cleaning up and he couldn't even try to stop himself from smiling. Stevie's words replayed in his head. She said it was true, but she could've just been saying that in the heat of the moment. However, he thought about what came next.

"You're perfect"

Nothing had ever made him feel so validated and loved. Even with thousands of fans screaming at him at every show, he had never felt the way he felt right now. He was just standing here in the locked bathroom, smiling at himself like an idiot and feeling childishly giddy. He took a deep breath and rand his hands through his hair before leaving the bathroom and making his way back to the bed. He saw Stevie laying there with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips and he smiled too, laying his hand on top of hers gently.

She opened her eyes, taking in a sharp breath and she chuckled, "Oh, you're back!"

"I'm back," Sam winked, "Now let's go to sleep, darling."

Sam lifted her arm and took his place beside her, draping the covers over them softly. He held her hips, pulling her close to him and kissing her forehead, "Goodnight, baby. Sweet dreams."

She hummed, wrapping her arms around his torso and nuzzling her face into his chest, "Goodnight, my love."

The pet name made Sam's heart jump to his throat quickly. All she did was say the word. That's all she said. Well, two words. My. Love. People say it all the time when they're fooling around. God knows he's been given that name quite a few other times. But this time? From her? It meant something entirely different than it ever did before. Did she mean it the way he had hoped she meant it? Did she love him the way that he so consumingly loved her?

Sam let out an uneasy breath and after an amount of time that to him, felt like an eternity, he whispered, "I love you."

She didn't respond, she just laid against him, breathing deeply and Sam bit his lip as he nervously eyed her sleeping body. He kissed the top of her head and closed his own eyes, begging for sleep to come.

The next morning, Stevie woke up first, before the sun was even fully up. The sky outside was a soft shade of indigo, giving the room a blue tint. It was earlier than she was used to waking up, but that was probably due to the uneasy sleep she got after hearing what Sam confessed to her last night.

She didn't say anything in the moment and decided that fabricating sleep was the best way to go. Things just mellowed out! She didn't want to start any fights up again just because she was nervous about something that she already knew. It wasn't any surprise to her that Sam loved her. She knew that he did and technically, this wasn't even the first time he said it. He literally confessed to her that he had been head-over-heels in love with her for years. But, removed from the heat of the moment argument that they were in the first time he said it, it felt different. Now, she was sure that he meant it and the thought of that scared her.

She looked at his sleeping face and smiled nervously. She liked Sam. She really, really liked Sam, but she wasn't ready to confirm whether or not she loved him. Yes, while everything was settling down and working out, she still had a lot to figure out and so did he! He had only been going to therapy for a few weeks and both of them had a lot of work to do to the house and to themselves.

On the other hand, she couldn't lie and say that hearing him whisper it to her last night made her heart want to explode over and over again. She took a deep breath at the memory and she began to slowly roll herself away and out of Sam's grasp. She knew that Sam would cook them all breakfast again if she didn't beat him to it first and she knew she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. Plus, she wanted to do something nice for everyone. While she has been here with Sam, she hasn't really had to do any actual work besides dusting her dad's old stuff and she was very grateful for that, all romantic feelings aside.

So, when she successful got out of bed without waking him up, she snuck into the closet and put on some clothes, tiptoeing through the room and slipping into the hallway carefully. When she got downstairs, she let out the breath she was holding in and she yawned, making her way to the kitchen and jumping out of fear to find Josh already there, sipping on tea at the dining room table.

"Fuck! You scared the shit out of me," Stevie breathed and Josh looked at her with surprise, "Woah! You're already awake? That's a first!"

She narrowed her eyes at him and started to put her hair up, walking to the sink and turning the water on to wash her hands, "Maybe I woke up early to make breakfast for everyone, did ya ever think about that?"

"No," Josh took a sip, "And I know that's not what got you up before seven, Stevie. Everything okay?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yes. Just couldn't sleep that well."

Josh watched as she opened the fridge, taking the eggs out and setting them on the counter. He knew she was leaving something out, but he also knew he wouldn't have to pry to get her to talk about it. She opened the egg carton and sighed deeply. Josh's lips curved into a smile as she looked up at him and opened her mouth.

"He said it," Stevie blurted, "Last night as we were going to sleep."

"Said it?" Josh questioned and his eyes widened after a second, "Like? The thing?"

She nodded, "He said love. He said he loves me, Josh."

Josh gasped, "I knew he would but I didn't think he'd say it now! What did you say?"

She looked back down at the eggs and bit her lip, earning more of a grilling tone from Josh.

"Stevie," Josh taunted, "You did respond, didn't you?"

She rubbed her jaw with her hand and sighed, "No! I pretended to be asleep!"

"Steve-"

She wagged her finger at him and frowned, "Don't even start lecturing me, Joshua! I panicked, okay? What was I supposed to do? Tell him I wasn't sure?"

Josh hissed and shook his head, "Eh, I guess not?"

"Exactly!" Stevie took a deep breath, "Besides, the dust from this weekend has just settled and I'm not ready for another thing."

Josh stared at her carefully and breathed deeply in through his nose, "Well, it's going to happen again, ya know. Probably more likely when you're awake. So, I guess you've got something to think about."

"God," Stevie cracked a few eggs into a big bowl, "It feels like all I ever do it think. I want to stop thinking!"

"Well," Josh chuckled, "I have something for that!"

"Josh," Stevie rolled her eyes, "No. I don't need any of your weed."

He shrugged and took another sip, "Whatever you say! I think both of you could chill the fuck out."

She laughed at Josh's knowing expression and continued to cook the house some omelets. When they were done, however, it was still rather early and she didn't really want to go bother Sam or Jake but Josh grabbed her shoulder and shook his head, "Jake needs to get his ass up anyway. I'm not trying to spend all day getting home."

She chuckled and Josh patted her cheek, "I'll go wake them both. Don't worry!"

She smiled, "You are a saint."

Once Josh finally got the two of them downstairs, Stevie had already been sitting there for a few minutes, with the table made and while Jake and Sam were groggy and a bit grumpy, they both wished her a good morning and sat at the table with smiles. Sam kissed her temple before taking his seat beside her. It only took them a little bit to wake up and the four of them ate breakfast together, cracking jokes and laughing loudly.

Stevie felt bittersweet about the twins leaving. While their visit was way more dramatic than anyone bargained for, she was overjoyed to have them all here with her again. While she was excited to be alone with Sam again and to hopefully figure some of this shit out, she couldn't wait for Jake and Josh to return again.

"We'll see you on the fourth!" Jake assured Stevie with a squeeze a few hours later when the Jeep was packed up and they were saying goodbyes, "And this time I won't just drop in unannounced."

She had already said her goodbyes to Josh and he was a bit more serious than his twin, reminding Stevie that she had to address what she truly felt about Sam. So, this jesting from Jake made her crack a smile.

Stevie laughed, squeezing him harder, "I love you. Thank you for everything you did for me this weekend and always."

They pulled apart from their hug and Jake smiled, "I love you too! It's my pleasure, of course! Who knows, maybe you'll be in Nashville too before you know it."

Stevie rolled her eyes, "Mmm, we'll see."

He winked at her and the twins got into the Jeep, waving excessively while backing out and down the road. Sam and Stevie stood side by side, waving obnoxiously at the twins and about halfway through them leaving the property, Sam grabbed her hand, linking his fingers with hers. While Stevie was so unsure about a stupid four-lettered word, she was sure of how comfortable it felt to be swinging her hand with his as they walked back up to the house.

[broadwayinabox]

My custom Sweeney Todd shadow/light boxes are on sale this Wednesday, March 6th

The first 5 prototype boxes will go on sale March 6th (around 12pm PST)

These are first prints of this design and will sell at a discounted price, $60 (plus shipping). After this initial run the price will increase.

Details:

Boxes are modeled after the stage design of the 2023 Sweeney Todd revival featuring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. Prototype boxes are first run designs and may have minor flaws (most of which are totally unnoticeable to anyone but me, an insufferable perfectionist.) Designs are hand drawn, modeled, 3D printed in white PLA, and then stacked in 8x8in shadow boxes. The back of the box is customized to hold lights that run off of 2 coin cell batteries. These boxes are meant to be freestanding, there are no attachments for hanging. Hand painted/burned vellum paper diffuses the lights creating a spooky red glow. Finally the frame of the box is splashed with red paint to give it a real demon barber vibe.

Find them on my brand new Etsy shop!

[sammykiszkasunusedshoes]

Josh in the new music video looked so good.

but I want to talk about the end, where he sings "blow it up, to give him, all of our love"

tell me that wasn't demon!Josh vibes.

I can't remember who originally started that demon Josh fanfic where he like ran this night club cult thing, but that fox was so amazing and this music video reminded me of it so much.

[daemon-404]

👁hi

Do u have Joshua facts? Dosen’t matter how mundane or vague. Do you have them?

Ahemhm. hm Uhh yeah sure

He heard the word "satanist" a single time when he was like 21, and without doing any research on it, developed his entire personality on the vibes he got from it. He's been "studying" the occult since then.

He loves saying he's one of those badass gamers who plays like. COD and shit, but he's a hardcore Animal Crossing fan at heart.

He works as a nurse, surprisingly. His parents had big plans for him originally... Anyway, that's why his hair is Like That. He lets it down to hide the pink. He's not the most pleasant nurse but he does ok.

He has 2 cats. That's it that's the fact. They're both rescues.

He's technically in my 'oc dump' universe where I just put ocs with different non-fleshed-out stories so his world is actually the most developed based on just the amount of content in there. he's a big fan of Shawn and the Violas which is ... a band, in that universe.

That universe exists with a somewhat basic magic system. So, the occult there is actually, tangibly real, although most people don't take it into account because it's very rare and no one's really figured it out (no history of wizards or anything...). Mostly it just comes down to secluded groups and occasional charmed or enchanted items. Usually Josh gets his spells and shit from forums and they don't really work (because it's just people making shit up), but he managed to find a way... idk, somehow... maybe like, with an old tome or some shit I haven't really decided. Anyway, he managed to find a way to summon a demon (we know who that is wink wink)

[thefootnotes]

scaled & icy live

an hour, huh? i best get comfy.

it's all under the cut xx

the graphics are kinda funky

OH IS THIS WHERE THE PANSEXUAL FLAG COLOURS CAME FROM OKAY

i can get hype about some pink blue and yellow fr

wait is this meant to be the dema morning show?? thats so fucking funny though. thats actually so fucking funny.

okay wait so in this dema universe, in the lore, twenty one pilots is still a band? tyler joseph and josh dun are still a band?

why is he sad :(

"is that. number 16 cotton candy" bitch ofc it is

YEAH JOSH WHERE ARE YOU

u good tyler

whats with the wookie noises

into choker tho is beautiful

THE STAGE AGH

sorry brief mention to how fucking good josh looks in this video oml

the stressed out bridge coming in there????

wait are these the bishops little minions or smth cause theres too many of them to be the bishops

this is a vibey little live version

man sidenote im so ordering merch this weekend

wait wahts the light thing at the back

is that supposed to be the nine towers?

oh into migraine?? was not expecting that

"depresS" everybody fucking freeze. "ive thoughts."

into morph??

its a little all over the place but in a good way?? does that make sense

wait no bring back tylers agonised screaming

"my personal favourite, mulberry street" i hate you but same

YES MULBERRY STREET

KEEP YOUR BLISS THERES NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS FUCK YEAH

the murals. yes

josh just doin his lil bounce in the back tho

whats with the chick wtih the teddy bear

that guy was not there before was he???

and back to the piano. agh.

the little adlibs afkdlsjfdsklfjsld

see in my head all these dancers are banditos and i will take no argument

in two days i will know this mulberry street choreo by heart. just saying

when tyler and josh are looking for people for their next venture i will be ready. im telling you now.

that girl in the front in the skirt ate that

wait whos this girl

LANE BOY FUCK YEAH

whats with the gas masks? are you my mummy? /ref

wait where did josh's shirt go not that im complaining

anybody want to learn this choreo with me too

wait i wonder if i can convince my partner to do this at our wedding actually (long long way away but i picture it being Highly Amusing)

joshs hair is just so good in this video idec

joshua william dun was that a lip bite and a wink. god fucking damn

oh hello guitar

into chlorine?? okay this setlist is. wow

whats with all of joshs costume changes??

okay tylers coat is eating here now tho

shy away yessss

the set for this is so interesting too

shy awAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

his little dance is so cute stop

also side note josh ate that fit so hard

"it brought tears to my eyes" same, dude. same.

ok that was fucking weird

that shirt should be so ugly so why is he kind of eating

the outside yes

josh in the onesie wtf😭 he's so!!!!!

hey bud where u goin

just casually breakdancing in the street. ok

"shut uP!" lmaooo

the water into the night sky into the backdrop is beautiful

THE UKULELELLELELELLELELE

WAIT HEATHENS ON UKE??? THIS IS GORGEOUS

wait he's in a boat thats so fucking cool

the sets for this are jsut fucking brilliant

i love this being just sort of him and the ukulele. i love it.

torchbearers back yaaaaay

ohhhh jumpsuit???? and the set gives the mv vibes

and then immediately into heavydirtysoul???

tyler periodically turning into a velociraptor is feeding my soul tbh

why are the hosts gradually looking more and more demonic/dead

SATURDAY AYYYYYYY

the disco ball lmaoo

the vibes here are immaculate

wait???? is that jenna?????????????????????

her sweater is so fckn cute tho

him getting off the phone and just going "oooooooooooooooOoOooooooooOOOOOOooOoOOOOOOOOoooooo" is such a mood

the BOOMBOX yES

LEVEL OF CONCERN FUCK YEAH

oooooh the backdrop here is fire?? the colour palette fdjklfjkldj

the remixed vibes of all the songs are fucking slapping. are they available to stream or anything anywhere??

riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!!!!!!!!

the visuals have been on point this entire video can i just say

also tylers shirt is so cool???

all the horn instruments are intriguing me

josh is so!!!!!!!!!!

car radio!!! car!!!!!!! radio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this song mostly just makes me want to cry actually. but

wait the mask!!!! the!!!! mask!!!!!

THE MASK IS OFF!!!!

well that was short lived

all the sirens and the freaking out and hes just like 🥰👉👈👏👏

NEVER TAKE IT

everythings on fire. again.

the little adlibs are so fucking cute tho

also i love when tyler just fuckin. screams

the three guitars in the one shot is such a fuckin vibe

the two in the back just clapping😭

and then there were two....

the lil dragon omg

oh look whos back on the couch

choker again????? yay??????

no tyler dont be sad :(

the overhead shot of all the sets>>>>>>>>>

yeah bitches you better clap for them

wAIT THEYRE CLAPPING FOR US

no cause josh and tyler at the end there kdfjfsdjfjdksl cuties

wow okay so much to unpack there im gonna go grab some chocolates and soda water

okay i've got the chocolates and soda water.

wow! so that was quite the experience. i can kind of understand how it all ties in with the clancy storyline, but it also feels like its not really *integrated* in the storyline. at least not for me at this point.

i really really enjoyed that whole video itself, regardless of lore. it was just a very interesting and cool way to present those songs

god i wish!!!!! there was a higher quality video. i couldnt find one on any of the sites i normally use, most of them said they were taken down, so.. :(

i dont really get what was happening with the woman and the man, the hosts? like i get that they were hosting but their whole vibe was off and they kept seeming to look injured/possessed/straight up weird. so.

im gonna take a quick break, maybe 15 minutes, to just draw a little bit and have some food and water and then i'll come back to the saturday video. i'm just sort of losing my focus and i need to do something else rq to kind of get my head back into it! so brb!

[full-tiltboogiearc]

went a lil' crazy with my half-realized mood boards today and came up with two OCs (technically three but idk if harley quinn!chaeyoung will be a thing bc writing in fandoms is intimidating but)

on your left you'll see a josh hutcherson oc with drive 2011 and hotline miami and nobody 2021 vibes. a mercenary of sorts with a code name who travels across the country doing different jobs, never staying in one place in his crappy delorean-esque car. this gig has run in his family for two generations, starting with his grandpa, then his dad, both retired veterans in a special, confidential department of the us military. they all share the same name, and it’s known in that contract-work life that they’re all related, but they’re untraceable. and the big difference with his generation is he’s not as good at keeping cool, actually he’s quite the hothead and is notorious for killing people when he doesn’t have to (his dad and grandpa mainly relied on stealth and disarming, not killing). maybe he’s pissed off the wrong guy and has people coming after him, idk! i’m thinking for fun this’ll be set in the 80s!

tw: mental abuse mention // on your right you’ll see my feral reject cerberus-esque demon dog girl. she was once hades’ right hand girl, kinda like joker and harley quinn, except the thing is instead of the three headed cerberus dog she was one of three other girls who were basically vying for the asshole’s attention. she is the runt of the litter basically. she decided one day she was fed up being a guard dog for somebody who didn’t appreciate her, so she left the depths of hell and embarked (ha get it, bark) on a journey to earth in search of a new “owner.” long story short she’s a stray attack dog. and she doesn’t hide it much either. you might see her rummaging through garbage in the alley or gnawing on the severed arm of somebody she saw being a dick to someone else (she kinda has PTSD from hades and just wants all people to be free of their abusers, tbh) and decided to maul, kill, and eat.

they’re both unhinged. who wants them

[luwupercal]

Abnett When He Put a reference of Emps possibly being Alexander the great probably thought is was a cool thing but I can't stop thinking of Hephaestion's death and Alexander's grief of it, because if we say Emps is Alexander that shows a lot of his old personality if he did change from Molech or time. It showed that he did care once and showed real emotions. And Oll story can still make sense since Alexander is a conquer and did sometimes call himself god I think. That and Alexander actually died about 8 months later after Hephaestion's, at about 32 it puts lots of thoughts of what the Emperor was during it. Sorry for this rambling but this is just really interesting to me. I'm kinda surprise no one is talking about it. Sorry again

NO THIS IS FASCINATING THIS IS FASCINATING I HADNT HEARD OF THIS. i hadnt ever considered the emperor as alexander the great but now that youve put the idea in my brain i kind of LOVE it. thats a very good historical figure to put the emperor as having Secretly Been tbh

in fact in a brilliant moment of serendipity one of my favourite historical factoids is that apparently (APPARENTLY. do not quote me on this. alleged statements & hearsay only no sources) to transport his body for burial they laid alexander the great to rest in like a tub full of honey bc it slows down rotting since honey doesnt rot at all + lemon demon has a song called Sweet Bod about a different practice involving burying corpses in honey (this time for pseudo medicinal purposes) that ive always strongly associated w the emperors corpse and the cult built around it lololol

also do not ever apologize for sending me asks, zero worries, I love to hear peoples thoughts on warhammer even if i disagree lololol. I like to see different perspectives!! It's enrichment to me. like a zoo animal given a hollowed out pumpkin full of hamburger

a lot of times im like ehhh... about the whole "emperor having had compassion once" thing but i do think him having been Alexander the great is actually really good for this. as far as I know this dude (which isnt very to be frank!) he was a guykissing boyking mass conqueror who was a historical figure when julius caesar was alive who died of twink death which ticks a lot of boxes for my thoughts on what the emperor couldve theoretically been while young (super long time ago, still a conqueror, immature in a way that makes a lot of sense with the ways the emperor remained immature to his sorta-death) with the bonus of making him a menliker 360 which as a fellow menliker series x i approve of very heartily. this might be how it works for me.

AND the whole hephaestion thing u say is SO FUN AND INTERESTING as a characterization thing... forget shipping the emperor with malcador or whatever the one person he considered his soulmate died before oily josh was a twinkle in marys grandmothers eye. which is i think so fucking true and real to him. + the like rage of being nearly allpowerful but you still cant bring back the person you loved most who died young slots really well into the emperor i think it gives him an achillean flair just a little bit of. you know when dads casually drop Lore about their life and its the most deranged shit youve heard in your life and hes just made it such a normal part of his life he never really thought to bring up his Backstory. i feel like this is the vibe by 30k. im imagining the custodes furiously sharing memes in their custodes only discord server about every completely bananas Emperor Lore Drop

the questions im mostly bubbling with rn about all of this are stuff like. at what points the historical record was lied to. like in 40ks version of history was alexander the great adopted or did the emperor do a kill and replace w the original alexander (Erebus/Marneus Calgar style) or was the backstory completely different and if so, what were the historical ramifications...... i obviously dk a lot about alexander the great but I just Think it Works™️. It Works Great

thank u Very much for the ask this is cool as hell to think about o7

[curedestiny4]

I was cleaning the shelves at work yesterday while listening to my favorite childhood show “Crashbox” and I think to myself; “Self, I wonder if that demon family you know ever got around to watching the show and thought about what’s their most favorite game.” Welp, it’s a long shot but here I go.

Balthazor: Yep this one’s a no-brainer. According to episode 4 of “Neighbors From Hell”, he seems to really enjoy riddles quite a lot. And I thought “Hey! If he loves riddles, his favorite game should be “Riddle Snake!” He’ll have a blast at it!” Well, that’s only one of the two games I thought he would enjoy the most not because he’s a father that loves stuff like this but also alleviate grim situations. Next game I thought Balthazor would like the best is “Psycho Math.” It could just be me but I thought this would give him the thrill and excitement he wouldn’t normally see in Hell or Earth, I mean come on! The host of said game is Professor effin’ Rocket, for Satan’s sake!

Tina: Uhh yeah, I may be overthinking this one a little but I think she would dig either “Haunted House Party” for its atmosphere and having more than decent famous dead humans or “Mug Shots” for its female host and testing testimonies as well as jurisdiction. Hey just cuz she’s a housewife that doesn’t mean she can’t have fun. I mean really, let the succubus go at it!

Josh: No surprise here, his favorite games would be “Eddie Bull” or “Poop or Scoop” since they’re both animal-related games. Granted, he does like other stuff but I felt like this would be an appropriate answer for the little scalawag.

Mandy: I gotta be honest, this one’s probably a little tough since Mandy’s personality and interests weren’t all the way out there. At least not yet. Nevertheless I would say the games she would enjoy are “Sketch Pad” for the cool, hip vibes and “Paige and Sage” because of the valley girl theme.

Vlaartark: Oh boy, where to start with this? First off, he mentioned about something that involved his level with sophistication and elegance. I thought “Dirty Pictures” for its elderly hosts and paintings. (yes it’s called that but it’s not what you think, you sickos.) “Word Shake” for the host and the aforementioned premise of the game. Good luck trying to get through those games, old man.

Pazuzu: This one had to be easy and not because of the gobmutt having a rock-star look. I figured he would love “Radio Scramble” for its unique musical style and anagram puzzles. Oh my kami, if I could just hear him sing the songs the host would throw at us.

[standupcomedyhistorian]

Hi, everyone!

As a huge Black Mirror fan, I was psyched about the new season but had tempered my expectations after season 5's awfulness.

And well...

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

This was legit the best season since season 3! 🙌🏼

I absolutely adored Demon 79 (very Swarm with the awkward murders), and Loch Henry got SO intense with the crazy twist. I also LOVED the mask parallel with the BAFTA statue...so clever!

I'm seeing that people weren't into Mazey Day, but I enjoy any paparazzi takedown, and the early oughts setting was fun (loved seeing Zazie again since Atlanta ended). Very "Britney's New Look" on South Park, and I didn't pick up on the double meaning of "shoot me" until reading the comments (oy!). Loved the use of Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole" as well!

Finally, I was SO impressed by Josh Hartnett's acting in Beyond the Sea. I remember when he was a big teen heartthrob (I had a roommate that was obsessed with him in college), but I hadn't seen him in anything since that abomination Pearl Harbor with Ben Affleck. Let's just say...he has aged really well, and him growing a beard in space reminded me of Bo in Inside! Haha

Just noticed the Y in "Beyond" is the symbol from White Bear...nice (I've even made that icon on my Rubik's cube)!

Aaron Paul was also FANTASTIC in that episode. Fun fact: Bo and Aaron had a weird and hilarious interaction on Twitter after Aaron saw what. for the first time. The parenthetical asides are so clever!

My least favorite was definitely Joan Is Awful. Too over-the-top for me, but Salma Hayek was pretty funny in it, and boy did I love the Michael Cera cameo (George Michael!).

What did you think of the newest season of Black Mirror? What's your opinion of Charlie Brooker and his writing—do you think any episodes will be nominated for an Emmy? I could easily see BTS getting a nod, particularly Josh and Aaron.

I'm also now really excited about a "Red Mirror" spinoff if it maintains the campy '70s vibe...reminded me of Hammer horror films ✌🏼

[gretavanfunk]

Fighting Fire (Series)

Chapter Twelve

Word Count: 7,028

Summary: Stevie and Sam never seemed to be what people refer to as "two peas in a pod" growing up. He got under her skin more times than she could count and Sam was desperate to be on a level playing field as his older brother and Stevie's best friend, Jake. One summer, Sam is forced to face his demons and in turn, Stevie is too.

Warnings: alcohol abuse, reckless behavior/driving, heated arguing, themes of grief, themes of anxiety/depression

This story is written and edited by me and it is my baby so I hope some people out there can enjoy it as much as I enjoy creating it! If there are typos, bear with me lol

Chapter Twelve Playlist for the vibes!

It had been three weeks since the twins left the lake house and since then, things have completely mellowed out for Stevie. She was shocked at how easily everything had changed. However, she wasn't about to complain about it. She thought Sam was kind before. Compared to where she and Sam started in the spring, their relationship was shocking. Once the twins knew everything, he had this new sense of confidence about him that Stevie hadn't had the privilege to witness thus far.

They would cook dinner together every night. He would make physical contact with her any chance he could; holding her hand, touching her leg, pushing hair out of her face, standing close enough to her that their arms would touch, anything. It grew easier for Stevie to understand how sweet and caring Sam was with each passing day.

Each day was more fun than the last, which made it increasingly difficult for her to think about the dreaded L word. She enjoyed spending time with him and all of the romance that came with that. However, Sam and Stevie never actually talked about anything serious in the context of their relationship. Or at least they hadn't yet.

And Stevie knew that Sam wouldn't press her about being his girlfriend. He made that very clear when he didn't seem to care that Stevie didn't want anyone to know they hooked up in the first place. While she didn't have to worry about Sam talking about labels, she still had to deal with Josh and his daily calls and texts, asking for updates. She stuck to the same response every time.

They were, to put it simply, having fun.

Aside from being insufferable, Josh kept his word about helping Stevie shop online though and she was slowly getting closer to the lake house being hers. It was easier for her to focus on redecorating now that most of her dad's stuff was rehomed, that's for sure. However, she kept a bit of his presence here. It wouldn't feel right if she hadn't.

Now, they were almost in the middle of June and the weather was beautiful. Stevie and Sam spent most of their time outside and today was no exception. The pair was utilizing the hammocks discovered in the garage clean out on the back porch. Sam lay facing the pool and Stevie lay facing the house. They both had their laptops in their laps and earbuds in their ears, Sam attending his therapy session and Stevie finally having enough mental stamina to try and write.

They didn't have to be together for this, but that's just something they started doing together and the earbuds were to help drown out Sam talking, so Stevie wasn't overhearing something she shouldn't or causing him to hold back on being truthful. Occasionally, they would brush against each other's hands and Stevie would hold on for a second before she went back to typing.

Stevie didn't necessarily know what her game plan was for her writing, but she just started anyway for the hell of it. She would never admit this to anyone, but most of her writing was about Sam. It helped her sort everything out in her mind, laying out the timeline of the two growing up together versus where they were now. She had only started writing about a week ago, so Stevie was still getting into their past. It was more like journaling than anything else.

When Stevie saw Sam smile, close his laptop, and lay his head back, facing the sun, she popped her earbud out.

"How was it?" she asked, and Sam sighed, "Good. Hard. She brought up stuff I don't want to start thinking about yet, but I have noticed that happens frequently."

Stevie laughed and nodded, "Ah, yes. Pretty frequent."

Sam sat up and smiled at her, squinting his eyes from the sunshine, "Whatcha workin' on over there?"

Stevie smiled, looking at her screen and shaking her head, "Just some writing. That's all."

He sat up straighter, "Oooh! Oooh! Can I see?"

"No," Stevie saved her work quickly and shut her laptop, "It's not ready!"

"Come on," Sam reached for her, "I'm sure it's great!"

"No!" Stevie exclaimed, giggling and lifting her laptop to hold it away from him, "I'm not ready for an audience!"

"Are you recounting all of the crazy sex we have?" Sam smirked and Stevie's eyes widened, "God, no, you freak! Why would I share that with anyone?"

"Because it's mind-blowing," Sam wiggled his eyebrows, "That's why!"

Stevie chuckled, thinking back to how she actually just got to the part where she talked about when Sam got braces, "You wish that's what I was writing about."

"Well, you're blushing so," Sam laid back, still smiling at her, "You must be writing about me."

"Wow," Stevie rolled her eyes, "Conceited much?"

"Just let me read it," Sam pouted, "You need a second set of eyes, don't you?"

Stevie glared at him, "Not yet, Sam. Maybe when it isn't just a string of unorganized thoughts."

"Fine," he rolled his eyes, "But I better be the first to see it!"

Stevie laughed, shaking her head, "Whatever."

Sam yawned and stretched his arms up. Stevie watched him and took a sharp breath when she caught herself staring at the exposed skin from where his shirt was riding up.

"What do you want for lunch?" Sam asked, pretending he didn't just catch her staring. Stevie looked at him blankly and then she smiled.

"I don't know," she muttered, "What do you want for lunch?"

Sam rolled his eyes and swung his legs over the side of the hammock, standing up. He grabbed his laptop, tucked it into his side, and shrugged.

"I don't know," he sighed, "You girls stay here. I'll figure it out."

He bent down, kissing Stevie before making his way back into the house and Stevie smiled, looking down at Rosie who was curled up on the ground, lying between the hammocks. This was an equation for a perfect summer, in her opinion. If only she hadn't been under such pressure about whether she and Sam were dating. Why did it even matter? It's not like there was anything else happening other than them just having fun on the lake and in the pool and playing house together.

She supposed it wouldn't always be like this though. Sam would eventually need to return to his very fast-paced and high-profile life. They would have to stop spending every waking (and sleeping) moment together. So, in the spirit of Josh's endless pestering, Stevie guessed she would have to take his advice and think about where that leaves her.

Would Sam go home and back on tour, and they just pretend that none of this ever happened? Well, the logical part of her brain knew that wouldn't be possible. At least not for him. However, was it even possible for her to carry on and put this summer behind her?

The thought immediately made Stevie's mind go blank. She didn't want to think about it. What would she even be able to do about it, anyway? Move in with him? That was not realistic, especially now that she was technically living in two separate homes. If she did leave Michigan, for the first time in her life, what would she even do in Tennessee?

It's not like Sam would be around most of the time anyway. The band's schedule is so insane and when they're touring, they spend most of the year traveling. Stevie didn't want to leave her life here behind just to continue being lonely somewhere else. She groaned and rubbed her face with her hands, already feeling overwhelmed with her thoughts.

However, a small lightbulb came on when she thought about Jake. Somehow, someway, Jake had been able to maintain a long-term relationship with his schedule and she wondered if he would give her some advice about it. She did know that talking about Sam with him was slightly weird for them both, especially considering how fresh this was for Jake. But he did want her to talk to him, right?

Stevie chuckled, thinking about how Jake would probably regret requesting to know Stevie's thoughts, but she pulled her phone out anyway and dialed his number.

"Hello?" Jake answered a lot faster than she was expecting him to.

"Hey!" she smiled, "What's up?"

"Not much," Jake muttered, "What's up with you? Everything okay over there?"

"Everything is great," Stevie sighed, "A little too great if I'm being honest."

"Oh," Jake laughed, "Are you calling me 'cause you're paranoid about Sam being too nice to you?"

"No," Stevie rolled her eyes, "I'm calling 'cause..."

She hesitated and bit her tongue. Stevie quickly realized that she hadn't asked Jake for dating advice since they were in high school and doing it now, regarding his younger brother, made her feel pretty stupid.

"Stevie?" Jake asked, "You're freaking me out."

She sighed again and blurted out quickly, "How do you keep a healthy relationship with your career?"

Jake was silent for a moment and then Stevie heard him laughing. Quite loudly.

"Jake," she spat, "I'm being serious! Is it difficult?"

After he regained his composure, he took a deep breath, "Sure. It's difficult sometimes."

"Well, it's been seven years," Stevie said, "How do you do it?"

"Oh my God, Steve," Jake chuckled again, "You're scared to date a rockstar, aren't you?"

"Shut up! I am not," Stevie pouted, "I'm just... curious!"

"Well," Jake sighed, "What about you and me, huh? We've stayed best friends the whole time we've been apart! You already kind of know how to balance that, don't you?"

"Not really," Stevie laughed, "In case you forgot, I just miss you all the time!"

Jake chuckled and took a deep breath, "True, but we have always managed to stay just as close as we were when we were kids!"

"Jake," Stevie shook her head, "This is different! I'm not in love with you."

Stevie froze when she heard Jake gasp on the other end of the phone and she panicked, quickly trying to retrace her steps, "All I'm asking is, how do you make it work when you spend so much time apart?"

Jake giggled, knowing not to press her about what she admitted, "Sometimes it's hard to be gone for so long. Calls always help. Sometimes you go on the road together just to have a little bit of quality time. And sometimes, when the time away from home is longer, you make a vacation out of it together! It's like working, but a lot more fun."

Stevie remained quiet, thinking over what Jake was explaining to her and she nodded, "Yeah, okay. Makes sense."

"Bottom line is," Jake continued, "Whatever you're doing, wherever you are, both of you will have to make compromises. Just like any other relationship."

"Compromises, right," Stevie nodded, reminding herself how little Ryan had compromised for her before.

"If you're both important to each other," Jake sighed, "You'll find a way to make it work. You'll always make time for each other."

"Okay," Stevie laughed, "I was just wondering."

"You've already got a small taste of it though," Jake pointed, "With all of us being in the same band, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess," Stevie sighed, "But I just keep up with you on social media most of the time."

"Yeah," Jake responded, "Things will change. But they will change regardless of whether you date Sam or not. Either way, something will change. It depends on whether or not you want to stay connected to him."

Stevie hissed, knowing the answer to that scenario, "Okay, thanks, Jake. This is helpful."

"You got it, Stevie," Jake confirmed, "I know you'll make the best choice for you, being in love and all."

"Oh my God," Stevie groaned, "Shut up!"

Jake belly laughed, "I love you!"

"Love you too, jerk."

She hung up just as Sam opened the back door again, "Who was that?"

"Your stupid brother," Stevie laughed, and Sam carried two bowls out with him, sliding the door closed with his hip, "Oh, Josh again?"

"No, Jake this time," Stevie said, "I needed to ask him about something."

"Oh," Sam smiled, walking over to his hammock and sitting down, "Something about your writing?"

"My writing," Stevie nodded, "Yeah."

Sam narrowed his eyes, "Okay... That's believable."

He handed a bowl to her, "Anyway, I made you a salad!"

Stevie looked down at the plethora of vegetables before her and smiled up at him, "Wow, so colorful!"

"I needed to use them before they went bad," Sam smiled too, "Plus, it's nice and refreshing with this heat."

"My compliments to the chef," Stevie took a fork from him and laid back, swinging in her hammock.

Sam laughed at her and did the same, "You haven't tried it yet! It could be horrible."

"Nothing you make is ever horrible," Stevie made a face at him and took a bite, "I would be shocked if it was."

She suddenly widened her eyes and pretended to gag, jokingly, "Oh, God! It's disgusting!"

"Told ya," Sam winked, knowing she was messing around, and she smiled.

They sat together, munching on their salads and dealing with Rosie who was batting back and forth between them, taking turns laying her head on their laps.

"Rosie, stop begging!" Sam exclaimed, "We have talked about this!"

He then purposely dropped a carrot for her, and Stevie giggled, "Maybe she wouldn't if you weren't such a sucker, Sam."

Sam pouted, "She's just so cute though!"

Seconds later, Stevie felt her phone buzzing and when she looked down at the screen, she groaned when she saw Josh's name.

"What do you want?" Stevie snarled as she answered his call, "Um, you're in love?"

"Josh, shut up! Sam is right here!" She looked at Sam apologetically and Sam narrowed his eyes at her, suspiciously. She got up from the hammock and walked farther away from him, feeling his eyes on her as she whisper-shouted to Josh.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Stevie gritted her teeth, "Does nothing stay secret between you and Jake ever?"

Josh chuckled, "I just happened to be there when you called him, that's all. So, are you going to tell, Sam?"

"Eventually," she sighed, "Probably! I don't know! Stop bothering me about it!"

"Sorry, sorry," Josh sighed, "Fine! I'll stop pestering you! I am glad you're thinking about it though."

"Jeez, being on a break is really getting to you, isn't it?" Stevie laughed, "Watch some reality TV or something, Josh!"

"You better tell me if anything happens, Stevie," Josh complained, "I'm dying over here."

"Bye!" She hung up and looked back at Sam who was no longer looking at her, and petting Rosie instead. She walked back to where he was and he looked up at her, talking to his dog.

"Stevie is keeping secrets, Rose," Sam whispered, "Has she told you anything?"

"Sam, come on," Stevie frowned, "Josh is just nosey!"

"Well, I knew that already," Sam laughed, "But what is he bothering you about every single day that I can't know about?"

Stevie looked at him for a long moment and sighed, realizing that this game of telephone she had been playing with Josh was exhausting and all of it was becoming ridiculous anyway. She didn't want to lie to Sam longer than she had, so she braced herself.

"You," Stevie said plainly, sitting on the hammock across from him.

"What about me?" Sam asked, sitting up, so the two of them were head-on.

"The other night," Stevie sighed and looked away from him, "I heard what you said. I just pretended that I didn't."

Sam's face dropped, immediately understanding what she was talking about and he shifted in the hammock uncomfortably, "Oh."

She set her bowl aside and reached for his arm, "I'm sorry! I panicked and didn't know what to say back to you, so I didn't say anything at all."

He sighed and nodded, "It's okay, Stevie. Seriously."

"You're not mad?"

"No, I'm not mad," Sam laughed, "I'm a little embarrassed, sure, but I'm not mad. I wouldn't want you to say it back to me unless it was true."

"Sam," Stevie whined, but Sam cut her off.

"It's okay that you don't feel that way," Sam sighed, "I can't force you to reciprocate it."

"I really care about you," Stevie whispered, and Sam nodded, meeting her eyes with a soft smile, "I know."

She frowned slightly, feeling extremely guilty. Especially for how graceful Sam was about it and he squeezed her hand.

"I don't want you to stress about it, seriously," Sam said, "The last thing I want is for you to try and convince yourself that you love me. That's so much worse."

"Well, I don't have to convince myself of anything," Stevie assured him, "Ya know, I've said it before and didn't truly mean it. I don't want to make that mistake again."

"Totally fair," Sam nodded, "and just to be clear, I mean it. It's honestly the first and only time I've ever been sure of anything."

Stevie felt her guts bubble up with nerves and she let out a shaky breath, "Hmmm."

Her feelings overwhelmed her, so she quickly grabbed both of their empty bowls and stood up, "I'll do the dishes since you made lunch! Want to go swimming?"

Sam laughed at her, knowing she was anxious by his words, "Yeah, swimming is fun."

Later that night after Sam and Stevie were both showered and relaxing after their afternoon of swimming, Stevie was lying on the sofa with her head rested against Sam's arm and he was sitting there, strumming on Rosetta. When he started another song, Stevie immediately recognized it and she gasped, sitting up and turning to him.

"This is the song!" Stevie exclaimed and Sam perked up an eyebrow, eyeing her questioningly, "What song?"

"This song! It's the ass tattoo song," Stevie laughed and Sam stopped strumming, his lips parting slightly, "Are you fucking serious?"

"Yes," Stevie continued to laugh, "Two of us wearing raincoats, standing solo in the sun!"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Sam laughed too, "Jake plays this song as an interlude every goddamn night and now I have to think about him playing that because you guys have matching tattoos on your asses?"

Stevie smiled, "Aw! He plays that every night?"

"Oh please," Sam rolled his eyes, "Don't get all sappy about it now!"

"That's sweet, Samuel!" She hit his arm lightly and shook her head, "It's our song! That means a lot to me!"

"Okay, okay," Sam rolled his eyes again, "I guess it is sweet or whatever. But now I'm going to hate that part of the show."

"Nuh-uh," Stevie smiled, "You'll be thinking of me!"

Sam looked at her and made a face, "Wow, conceited much?"

Stevie laughed and inched closer to him, pecking his lips. They resumed their positions and Sam continued to play the song, mostly just because he knew Stevie would've complained if he didn't and he had to admit it was pretty adorable when she started to sing along.

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the soft music he was playing and the bugs chirping outside the window until Stevie's eyes grew heavy and Sam took note of it. He sighed and set Rosetta up against the couch.

"Come on, Stevie," Sam whispered, "Time for bed."

"Mmm," Stevie mumbled in response, "Can you make us some tea before bed, babe?"

Sam caught a breath in his throat, coughing a little and nodding. It was the first time that Stevie had referred to him with a pet name outside of her bedroom in the context of sex and he was taken aback by the sound of it coming out of her mouth so casually. Sam kissed her forehead as she sat up and stretched, and he entered the kitchen.

Stevie took it upon herself to put Rosie into her crate and make her way up the stairs without him, deciding to get ready for bed while she waited for him. While Sam was downstairs making tea, Stevie's phone rang again but she was surprised to see that it was Ronnie and not Josh.

"Hello?" Stevie answered and Ronnie immediately started squealing, "Stephanie Taylor Madsen! Why am I hearing about all this Sam drama from Josh and not you?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? That little gossip!" Stevie laughed, "I swear I was planning to fill you in eventually."

"Mmhmm," Ronnie mumbled, "Sure you were! First of all, how did this happen?"

"It's kind of a long story," Stevie sighed, laying on her back, "But, it started the day after we went to Electrick."

Sam carefully carried the mugs of tea in his hands while he pranced up the stairs to the bedroom. He was about to kick the door open when he overheard Stevie talking and stopped to listen closely.

"The twins and I came up with a plan to convince Sam to come to the lake house with me to make sure he'd stay out of trouble," Stevie chatted, "And it was insanely easy to get him to agree, which I guess I now know a bit more as to why."

He heard her laugh, and stood back, a bit shocked by what he was hearing. However, he leaned in again, fearful of what he might hear next.

"Project Lake House is what we called it," Stevie said, "And it's been working if I'm being honest. Although, Josh has informed me that it was more of my idea than anyone else's."

Sam's jaw clenched and he decided he didn't want to hear this conversation anymore. He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel gutted by hearing what Stevie had said. All this time, this had been some ploy? Could Sam even trust that the feelings Stevie shared with him were true? Maybe she had just been using the way he felt about her to get him to feel better. Why else wouldn't she say she loved him? She had been pretty convincing up until this point.

Sam took a deep breath, and turned around, tiptoeing back down the hall and the stairs again. He wanted to confront her right then, but he knew he didn't have the energy to start another fight or say things he would later regret. So, he set the mugs of tea on the kitchen counter and grabbed Stevie's keys, leaving the house without any idea where he was going. All he knew right now was he was angry and he felt a deep ache in his chest.

"I wasn't expecting any of this to happen, Ronnie," Stevie laughed, "Honestly, this is exactly the opposite of what I thought would happen."

"Well," Ronnie chuckled, "You definitely were the last one to figure out he was in love with you."

"It was pretty obvious," Stevie said, "I guess I was just focused more on how much he pissed me off."

"So," Ronnie giggled, "You love him?"

Stevie took a deep breath, but erupted with laughter, "Yeah, I love him."

Sam knew it was a bad idea when he sat at the bar but he also knew he couldn't be at the lake house. He couldn't drive back home and leave her stranded there either. The bartender saw one look at the misery on his face and he smiled, "Rough day?"

"You could say that," Sam sighed, "I'll have tequila, please. You could just leave the bottle here too."

The bartender hissed in sympathy but did what was asked of him. Sam took the first shot without any hesitation, and he let out a deep breath as the alcohol coated his throat on the way down. The voice in his head that was telling him not to do it began to shrink with each passing second and he decided he would accept whatever was going to happen with this choice.

After about twenty minutes since she hung up the phone, Sam still hadn't returned, and something told Stevie something was wrong. She got up and walked to the door, peeking her head out into the hallway.

"Sam?" Stevie called and there was no response.

She walked farther out and tried again, looking over the railing, "Sam, what's going on down there?"

However, Stevie didn't hear a single thing. No response, no movement, nothing. So, she walked down the stairs to find the house empty of Sam. The two mugs of tea were on the kitchen counter and when she held one of the mugs, it was cold. She frowned, not liking the way this looked. As much as she didn't want to, she went to the window and cursed when she saw that her car was gone.

"Oh fuck," Stevie whispered, and she immediately ran back upstairs, grabbing her phone and trying to call him. When he didn't answer, she called Jake.

"Two calls in one day," Jake laughed when he answered, "You've gotta relax Stevie."

"Sam's gone," Stevie blurted, and Jake's laughter stopped, "What? What do you mean he's gone?"

"I don't know where he is, Jake! He was making tea and now my car is gone!"

"Hey," Jake's tone shifted, "Relax, I'm sure he's okay. Maybe he just ran to the store or something. Did something happen?"

"No! We had a pretty great day today and I was just waiting for him to come back to bed with our tea," Stevie frustratingly cried, "I was on the phone with Ronnie while he was downstairs, and I guess he just took off?"

"See? No need to worry right away," Jake encouraged, "He'll be back, I'm sure."

Stevie took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right. But he didn't answer when I called him."

"He's probably driving back to the house as we speak," Jake said, "If he doesn't get back in an hour, call me back, okay?"

Stevie nodded, "Okay."

When she hung up, she was doing her best not to freak out. However, she decided to call Josh, just in case he had talked to Sam about something.

"Hello?" Josh answered, "Did you tell him you were in love with him? Oh my god, what happened?"

"Sam left," Stevie said, "Have you heard from him at all?"

"Um, no," Josh responded questioningly, "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing happened!" Stevie exclaimed, "I was waiting for him to come back to bed with tea, and now my car is gone, and the tea is cold!"

"Maybe he just needed something from the store," Josh said, and Stevie sighed, hoping that the twins' intuition was correct, "That's what Jake said too."

"No need to worry, Stevie," Josh chuckled, "I don't think he'd leave without telling you."

"I don't know," Stevie bit her lip, "I have a bad feeling about it."

"Give him some time," Josh encouraged, "Maybe he forgot to bring his phone with him or something."

She nodded, "Okay, okay. You're probably right. I'll just wait."

"Okay," Josh responded, "Let me know when he gets back, okay?"

"Okay," she sighed again, "Bye, Josh."

Stevie took a few deep breaths when she got off the phone and grabbed a jacket off the hook by the door. She went onto the front porch swing and decided to wait for him. Although, the eerie quiet of the outdoors was not very helpful in calming her nerves. She decided to set a timer for one hour, although that felt like a really long time to not do anything. Stevie was fidgety, rocking back and forth on the swing and rubbing her hands on her thighs. So, she tried calling him again.

Sam, on the other hand, did not have his phone. This fact was not something he realized, even though he cared very little about his phone now. Once he would returned to it, however, he'd find several missed calls from his brothers and Stevie.

When Sam arrived back to the house, it was well past the hour mark when Stevie's alarm had been set to go off. However, at about forty minutes into the timer, she turned it off and called Jake again.

"I know it hasn't been an hour," Stevie sighed when he answered, "But he still isn't back and I'm so anxious about it. I'm getting on my bike and I'm going to go look for him."

"Stevie," Jake sighed, "It's really late and way too dark for you to be biking out there by yourself! Just stay at the house and wait for him. What if he comes back while you're gone?"

"Then I'll probably see my car on the road, Jake," she combated, "I can't just sit here and wait. It's eating me alive!"

"Okay, okay," Jake groaned, wishing he could be there with her, "Just don't bike around for too long out there! You need to be concerned about your own safety too."

"I'll be fine," Stevie rolled her eyes, "I'll call you if anything happens."

"Okay," Jake said, "I'll be here."

So, Stevie went into the garage and fished out her bike which was a bit too small for her to ride now, but she didn't care. She got on and started down the drive and in the direction she'd take to go into town.

Sam was not sure how many shots of tequila he consumed while he was at the bar. He stopped counting after the third one. He also had no concept of time or how long he had been sitting there, feeling sorry for himself. He did know, however, when he sat in the driver seat of Stevie's car, that he probably shouldn't try to drive back to the house. It was dark and he was drunk, so when he pulled up to the lake house without any mishaps, he laughed.

Anger washed over him again when he thought about how Stevie was here, probably still spewing bullshit to whoever was on the phone. Instead of going inside the house, Sam looked down at the dock and saw the boat bobbing against the water. If he could drive home drunk, surely, he could also drive a boat.

Sam stumbled his way down to the dock and untied the boat from where it was fastened. He went to the back and turned on the engine, shouting with joy when it roared to life. When he sat in the driver's seat of the boat, he realized he didn't know how to turn on the lights but he gave up only after a few seconds and turned the boat away from the dock and out further into the water.

Stevie had been biking for approximately thirty minutes when she decided to head back to the house. Jake was right, it was way too dark to see anything and if she hadn't seen the car by now, he couldn't have gone to the store anyway. When she reached the end of her driveway, she hopped off her bike, pushing it the rest of the way, too tired to ride it anymore. However, she threw it to the ground as soon as she saw her car had returned. She ran up to it, peeking in the window to see if maybe he was still in it. When she saw that he wasn't, she hurried to the porch, heading back into the house but just as her hand touched the doorknob, she heard it.

It was a terrible sound. Like a deep screeching and crashing, but it was loud. She took a deep breath before she looked out into the direction the sound came from. She couldn't really see much from where she was standing so she ran over to it. When she had a better view of the dock, that's when she realized what had happened.

The bow of her dad's boat, his pride and joy he had named Pearly Queen after an Eric Clapton song, was smashed against a boulder on the shore. Stevie ran her hands into her hair and bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears at the sight of it.

Then, she remembered Sam and that had to be where he was. She took off running down to the shore, waist-deep in lake water by the time she reached the boat. Stevie waded in the water until she reached the back of it, grabbing onto the railing and using all of the strength she had to hoist herself up and over it, landing in the boat on her back. She stood up quickly, seeing Sam also lying on his back and she rushed to him, "Sam!"

His temple must have hit something on his way down because it was bleeding and she held him, "Sam! Are you okay?"

"What?" Sam croaked, "I-I don't know, I was just taking the boat out and I slipped or something."

That's when she could smell the alcohol on him and she leaned away from him, not understanding what it was she was supposed to be processing here.

"Wait," she muttered, "Are you fucking drunk?"

"Pssh," Sam smiled, his eyes still closed, "I had like one drink, Stevie."

She let go of him, backing herself away and feeling her hurt radiate through her body.

"You took my car to the bar, drove back here drunk, and took the boat out for a joy ride?"

Sam opened his eyes slightly, hissing and holding his head. He sat up slowly and when he got a better look at her, he became more aware of what had happened.

"What the fuck, Sam?" Stevie's voice raised, "What the fuck were you thinking? I thought you were making tea?"

"I was making tea," Sam slurred, "but then I heard what you said on the phone."

"What I said on the phone?" she looked at him, confused, and remembered that she told Ronnie she loved him, "You heard what I said to Ronnie? Why the fuck would you go drinking after that?"

"Because I was pissed, Stevie!" Sam exclaimed, "I- I am pissed!"

"What?" Stevie scoffed, "Why?"

"Project Lake House?"

Stevie's eyes widened, realizing he must not have heard the entire conversation.

"You set me up," Sam spat, "A-and you manipulated me! You fucking lied to me!" "Sam, I-" Stevie pleaded and he shook his head, "Was any of this even real?"

"Sam," Stevie stood up, "Of course it was real! How could you even ask me that?"

"You said it was your plan to keep me out of trouble," Sam protested and she rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I thought bringing you out here and giving you something to do would help you! I didn't bring you out here with any malicious intentions!"

"That's what it feels like," Sam looked away from her, "It feels like you used my feelings for you to keep me here."

"Sam," Stevie crossed her arms over her chest, "Maybe if you didn't jump to fucking conclusions and actually talked to me about this before you went off and got fucking wasted and destroyed my dad's boat then we wouldn't be out here fighting right now!"

"What?" Sam narrowed his eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"Fucking look at it, Sam! My dad's boat is smashed to smithereens because of you!"

Sam looked over his shoulder at the rock that was inconveniently taking up the place where the bow should have been.

Sam stood up quickly, grabbing the back of the seat to steady himself, "Stevie, I'm so-"

"Save it," Stevie's jaw clenched anger coursing through her more than it ever had, "Let me guess, you're sorry? You didn't know?"

"Steve-"

"God, you're so fucking selfish," Stevie's eyes welled with tears, "I can't fucking believe I let myself be so stupid too."

She turned to leave and Sam jumped to grab her wrist, "Stevie, please don't."

She shoved him off of her with a sob and jumped down from the back of the boat, wading quickly through the water and back up onto the shore. Sam was quick to follow after her, sobering up from the instant regret that filled him. Stevie wasn't running, but she might as well have been considering how much Sam had to catch up with her.

"Stevie, wait!" he called, and she turned around abruptly, tears streaming down her face, but hot, intense anger in her eyes.

"If you didn't run away after what you heard, Sam, you would've also heard me tell Ronnie that I love you," Stevie shouted, "My mistake though. You're just the same selfish, attention-seeking prick you've always been! I can't believe I let myself be so foolish in believing you'd actually changed."

"Stevie, you don't mean that," Sam said, tears stinging his own eyes.

"Oh, but I do!" Stevie yelped, "Look at what you've done, Sam! All because when things get hard and even slightly upsetting, you just run away and drink yourself into oblivion! I was so fucking worried about you! I went looking for you and this is what you were doing? Just because your brothers and I were trying to help you?"

"What was I supposed to think, Stevie? I was fucking heartbroken that you could play me like that!"

"Except I didn't play you, Sam! I'm fucking in love with you! Out of my mind in love with you! I risked my relationship with Jake for you!" Stevie screamed back, pushing his chest with her hands, "And you were so quick to believe that all of that was a lie? Do you even know me at all?"

She continued to cry harder, shuttering and she just looked at him for a moment and groaned in agony, "I'm leaving. I'm going back home. Get a bus ticket back. I don't trust you to be here by yourself and I don't want to be anywhere near you."

"Stevie, please," Sam cried, "Don't do this."

She took a deep breath and stared at him, holding her hand out with her palm up, "Give me my keys."

"Stevie," Sam whispered, tears running down his cheek and Stevie's expression didn't change, "I'm fucking serious, Sam. Give me my fucking keys."

Sam took a deep breath, staring up at the sky as he took her keys out of his pocket and placed them in her hand. She didn't say anything else before she went back into the house, leaving Sam out there alone with the consequences of his bad decisions. She took out her phone and called Jake again as she stormed up the stairs and started rushing to pack up her suitcase again.

"Stevie?" Jake answered, "Any word?"

"It's over," Stevie sobbed, holding her toiletry bag against her chest and sobbing, "We're done."

"What?" Jake gasped, "What the fuck happened?"

"He took my car to the bar, Jake," Stevie sighed, "Then he got fucking wasted and he crashed my dad's boat."

"No, he didn't," Jake's voice was hushed and Stevie cried nodding her head, "He did. It's fucking destroyed and I'm leaving."

"What? You're leaving?" Jake asked, "Right now?"

"I can't be here," Stevie shouted, "I can't even fucking look at him without feeling like my heart is being ripped out of my fucking chest. I just have to go the fuck home."

"Stevie," Jake sighed, "It's like almost one-thirty. Can't you wait until tomorrow?"

"No," she sighed, "It's okay. I think driving will help me not to fucking think about it."

"Why the fuck did he just leave and go to the bar?" Jake asked and she groaned, "He overheard me on the phone. I was explaining everything to Ronnie and he overheard me talking about the plan you, Josh, and I made. He thought I was playing him."

"Oh," Jake hissed, "Okay, yeah. That sounds more like him."

"Except I wasn't playing him, Jake," Stevie's eyes filled with tears again, "And he took off before he could hear me telling Ronnie I love him."

"So you admitted it?" Jake questioned and Stevie sobbed, "Yeah, but none of that matters anymore. I never want to see him again."

"Steve," Jake's voice dripped with sadness, "You know you don't mean that."

"I have to mean it," Stevie inhaled sharply, "It's too hard if I don't."

"Stevie, I'm so sorry," Jake whispered, "Do you want me to come back?"

"No," she shook her head, "Don't even bother. I'm sure Sam's gonna take off to Nashville anyway. I'm sorry I couldn't help him."

"No, no," Jake shushed, "Don't say that, Stevie! It was never your job to fix him. Just get yourself home, get some sleep and I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Text me when you get there safely!"

"Okay," she sniffled, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

She hung up the phone and took a deep breath before she zeroed in on packing again. Once she had enough of her things, she ran down the stairs and out the door again. Sam was sitting on the front steps and he looked up at her as she passed him.

"Stevie, please," he begged, "Don't leave. Can't we just talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Sam. I'm done."

She unlocked her car and threw her bag into the trunk, slamming it shut and stopping at the driver's door to look at him one more time.

"I'm serious about you taking a bus home," she stated, "I want you out of here tomorrow."

She yanked her car door open and Sam stood up abruptly, rubbing his hands against his legs nervously.

"Stevie, please don't leave. I love you."

She bit her lip, not even bothering to look at him, "You should have thought about that before you fucking ruined everything."

Stevie got into her car, slamming her door shut and turning it on before she left him there in a hurry. Once Sam was no longer in her line of sight, she put her seatbelt on and took a deep breath.

Maybe Stevie had let me anger get the better of her. Maybe she had overreacted but every time she went over the events in her mind, she was just set on fire with her emotions all over again.

She knew that leaving the lake house was the best thing for her to do. She didn't want to be around Sam, especially with how intensely she was feeling. She didn't want to risk them going around and around in circles all night.

On the other hand, she did slightly feel bad about all of the things she said to him. But, she was so hurt by his recklessness, she thought some of it was warranted. Stevie had never been very good any controlling herself when she was angry, exploding pretty easily when she was pushed enough.

Her mind flashed back to the sight of the boat. All of that hard work her dad had done, wasted in a split second. She bit the side of her cheek thinking about how stupid Sam had been. Why couldn't he just talk to her about how he was feeling instead of lashing out?

Stevie was stopped at a stop light and realized she was driving in silence, dwelling on her thoughts. She wasn't sure if music would help right now, especially since most of the music she had been listening to lately reminded her of Sam. So, she took another deep breath and used her pause in the drive to dial the only other person she could think to call, and the one who was probably dying the most to know, Josh.

Tag list (Can't believe I have a tag list for this omg thank you!!): @fleetingjake

[jojameswinter]

WAIT OMG I went back and read the entertainment weekly interview and I remembered josh pate said this about jiara “So it won't be like a romantic rival [coming between them], at least not for a while, but more like JJ's demons and how is he going to deal with his traumatized past and settle into something that's healthy without being self-destructive. That's going to be great to see” josh said “at least not for a while” that means jj and Kie will still be together in season 4 and through that time jump because they still have so much they want to develop and explore with their relationship because they still want to show how JJ can “settle into something that's healthy without being self-destructive” so I’m not worried they broke up during the time jump but I am worried about the writers adding a romantic rival I mean it will be fun to see jealous JJ and Kie as long as they are endgame

I didn't feel as though jiara was broken up during the time jump! We didn't really get confirmation per se, but I still got that affectionate vibe from them.

I think they'll be some picture of "together" S4, though to what degree/how it will be shown, I'm not sure. I think we will see the angst still drawn out as they both work through their issues separately and together in a different way than what we were presented with S3. Plus, we'll get to see their relationship within the Pogue dynamic and that'll be so fun!!!!! 😍

I agree that little jealousies might be kind of interesting to play with, but I really don't see them creating a serious romantic rival when they built up jiara for an entire season (and even before). It just doesn't fit with the characterization either. Jiara being in love is so serious to both of them with their best friendship as the basis, their loyalty and respect for each other - giving that trust to each other is so sacred. I'm not sure either one of them has really done that, truly been vulnerable to someone else. I really see them being endgame, even with obstacles thrown their way.

I'm so excited that they'll be able to get on S4 faster!!!!! We are truly winning!!!! ❤️

[thedeal-if]

DEMO RELEASE DATE! Announcements, what to expect, and many thanks!

DEMO RELEASE: May (Prologue + Chapter 1)

It's real, it's coming, and I'm so excited!

I'm a senior in college who's currently getting through (surprisingly, may I add) her last year in this, well, hell that is higher education (that, here in Spain, means I'm doing both my last four-month period, my internships, and the bachelor's degree thesis, and it's a lot, and I lose the will to live, sometimes /j). The Deal has been a delight and a dream to write, my two-year-old child. I'm sure everyone interested in the supernatural and in (hot) demons and angst will find it worth their time!

What I'm about to announce now is, of course, subject to change. I can't promise to have everything coded by May (not counting the prologue + chapter 1, that's personal, you WILL have that), BUT my plan would be to make the initial demo five chapters long, write and code the rest of the story, then gradually publish a chapter each week. I calculate five chapters would be about... 100k+ words? Maybe more, maybe less. The entire story is very tightly outlined up to Paradiso, the third part, but I can always get a new idea that changes everything, adds more content, or completely disregards a previous section. Given that I code everything properly... the PLAN is to publish a chapter each month! Chapter 1 in May, 2 in June, 3 in July, etc, etc.

Inferno is... going to be long. 24 chapters divided into two parts + prologue, and epilogue. I want to take the time to sincerely thank everyone for your support. Even just one like gives me a motivation boost!

What can you expect from the initial demo in May? Good question! You will:

Meet Josh and Villanelle. Determine the nature of your relationship with them (you can have a conscious or unrealized crush on them, be friends with them, or be 'meh' about them).

Discover THE MC nickname... 'Dot'!

Determine who your MC is, and the main traits that will make up your character. Every trait has its up and downs, a benefit and a disadvantage. Ex, outgoing Dot thrives and thinks clearer when surrounded by people, but they are at their darkest when they are by themselves.

Your Dot can be either: Impulsive or Cautious, Flirty or Shy (active romance only), Charming or Stoic, Sarcastic or Genuine, Outgoing or Introverted, Courageous or Cowardly, Rude or Friendly, Cynicism or Idealism, Team worker or Solo

Choose your physical attributes: Sex, gender, pronouns, hair (color, texture, style, length), eye shape and color, skin, build, whether you wear glasses (or not, or contacts), your facial hair or lack thereof, height, clothing preference, tattoos, scars, and piercings!

Choose who you were in high school. Chapter 1 offers three starting points that will gradually branch out and become more specific. Dot is a character too, and they will develop with time.

Each past will shape the way the story is narrated too! A more artistic MC will see the world differently, and their own inner world will be portrayed differently. Who you were, who you are, who you will be: it all has an impact on how you behave.

Explore your (negative) feelings about how your life has turned out four years after you were forced to become the head of the family

Meet the demon who is your boss... *shudders* William

Meet Chrissy, your sister!

If you play your cards right (or not) you can even meet one of the other ROs earlier than you normally would.

Seriously, thank you guys again for everything. If you ever want me to clarify anything about my satanic child or my characters I would be more than happy to answer, my ask thingy is open! Meanwhile, I will try my best to give you the best story I can give.

Probably going to update sometime in the near future to publish some moodboards that I made a while back. Just so you get the general vibe of each RO, a song that I think represents them and... the 'face claim' (plus Villanelle's birthday is coming up next week and I have something short and sweet prepared). Other than that... see you all in May!

[revols-headcanons]

dead end: paranormal park headcanons

logs, although he wants to be an actor, hates musicals because he finds the songs repetitive and tedious. he wants to be a film major with a minor in english literature. in contrast, josh (who has a neutral view on musicals) wants to be a film major with a minor in some business course.

norma’s next hyperfixation after pauline is not only supernatural demon things, but books and shows that also analyze potential unearthly things. norma scoffs when she watches those fake ghost shows.

badyah learns that she’s aro ace and she’s like “wow, i didn’t know I could think men are objectively attractive without being romantically or sexually attracted to them.”

courtney is non binary and uses any pronouns. barney asks why they chose a feminine name (bc there’s a decent amount of genderqueer people who use either gender neutral or non-human names (i.e: alex or brick)) and courtney responds with “I like the vibe of the name. it gives off troll energy.”

logs can play the guitar but only kind of? he tries to brag (show off) to barney and then fumbles around with it, missing many strings, but getting a decent play through of a song.

barney’s family -> his grandma is a bigot but (before she was told that barney was trans), she would buy barney anything and help him with whatever. after she learned that barney’s not only trans, but also gay, she immediately stopped funding his hobbies. his parents didn’t even acknowledge it until after canon. barney was such a good older sibling for patrick (until there was a brief gender crisis barney had which pushed everyone out), which is why patrick cares for him so much. when barney told his parents about being trans, they were like “ooh idk kiddo, that’s going to be uncomfortable to explain don’t you think?” while patrick was like “aww sweet a brother now!” and immediately got it.

norma’s family -> her father is dead, her mother is the most supportive mother alive, and her older sister (in graphic novel she has a sister) has a general distaste for her. her sister makes passive aggressive comments about norma’s (autistic) behavior— not noticeable enough to be considered bigotry but not unnoticeable. her mother, ever the one to avoid conflict, says that her sisters just angry at xyz factors. norma never really sees her sister due to working at phoenix parks, school, and her sister being in college.

log’s family -> his mother is unaware that she’s homophobic. like she’ll say something like “who’s the man in the relationship” without realizing the response will be “both of us.” that’s the main reason he hasn’t come out to her yet. his sister is 100% an ally who squealed when she learned. she was like “oh my god that makes so much sense. that’s why you seemed bored whenever I tried to set you up on a date with a girl!” his parents are divorced so he hasn’t seen his father in years.

badyah’s family -> her family in general just doesn’t really care for lgbt+ things because it’s never really affected them until now. badyah has to make a whole slideshow presentation for her family describing what aro ace is and what that means for her future. her family is like “okay…? just say ur going to be single forever w no kids?” to her, which isn’t entirely accurate for some aroace people, but badyah’s like “… close enough!”

zagan and norma in fact don’t end up dating because norma doesn’t jump from crush to crush easily, and she doesn’t get romantic feelings (at most zagan is a rejection rebound). they do become friends though who shit talk the angels.

out of barney, norma, logs, badyah, courtney, and josh, josh is the token straight cis white man of the group, and he’s constantly given (joking) shit for it. i would add pugsley to being a token… straight? but that’s a literal dog.

[myhusbandsasemni]

🍂November Week 2 Update🍂

I wasn't very productive this last week compared to my first week in the month, but it be like that sometimes and that's okay.

Masterlist - Previous week

I have 3K in Death's stewards. Here's a snippet for you:

His father looked in his eyes as Anna pulled a book from down off the shelf. Dimitri wondered what his father saw exactly. He knew he looked the same, with hollow eyes and cheeks from his near constant illness, but his father paled and moved to kneel by Dimitri’s chair, taking Dimitri’s hands into his own.  Josh had tears welling up in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks as Anna turned around, taking a breath to suggest something when she saw the state of her husband.  “No,” she whispered.  Josh looked at her and nodded, a small sob hitching in his chest.  Dimitri bowed his own head as the grief crashed into his mother. 

The tapestry is going well and I'm getting some serious progress in on it

I started reading Hounded and it's very interesting, honestly. I'm vibing with the lore.

✨Bonus Projects✨

I finished two of the cross stitch christmas presents for friends. I'll post pictures when I finally get to putting them together. For now I'm just sewing in the patterns.

I started working on a quilt. I am having a very good time with it.

I have two more pairs of jeans to cut up then I'll see if I have enough squares for the whole thing.

I also joined a game called Paper Demon and did some art for that. I'll make a separate post for that because that's more difficult to explain and I have a lot of art to show for that. It's a really fun game.