#how they fawn over travis

[thissmycomingofage]

I've become so disillusioned by a certain someone that now I can't see any nice thing she does as anything but pr and well crafted com. It's a horrible feeling to experience after years of only seeing positivity and genuineness in everything she did.

[bullet-prooflove]

Bronco: Travis Wheatley x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989

Travis Wheatley falls in love when he sees you riding Bronco.

The Montana Rider’s Association are bringing back the women’s event for the first time since the forties and the prize, it rivals anything he’s seen in Dallas.

The aim of the game is to stay on the horse for eight seconds, no matter how much it may fight you. It’s messy, violent and adrenaline inducing.

“She needs the money.” Rip tells him as the two of them watch you from behind the fence that circles around the arena. “She’s just coming out of a messy divorce, she let the bastard have everything just so she could keep the horse. He told her he’d have it put down if he ever got his hands on it.”

The horse is called Artemis, she’s a white Arabian with a sleek coat and a glossy mane. They’re known as a light breed, excelling in both strength and agility, great for barrel racing. He’d fawned all over  her when he’d first laid eyes on her. She was a gorgeous creature, spirited, well cared for. The two of you are a match made in heaven.

“He sounds like a nasty son of a bitch.” Travis says as he sips from his bottle of beer, his breath catching as the Bronco tosses you. Those three seconds it takes you to move are the longest of his life but then you get back up on your feet, a little dirty, a little battered and you go again.

You’re the ballsiest damn woman he’s ever met.

“Malcom Beck.” Rip tells him and the name triggers something inside of Travis. He’s heard the rumours, cruel to his horses and to his wife, which was why she was always travelling the country competing in barrel rolling competitions. “He blackballed her from all the other stables, which is why we’re housing Artemis here. It’s not enough that he took everything, he needs to make her life difficult too.”

“She leave him?” Travis asks, his gaze straying down to his watch as he counts the seconds because your back on that Bronco and this time you’re staying put.

“The women she could put up with but then he tried to stop her competing, tried to take the horse.” Rip shakes his head, his palm rubbing across his grizzled chin. “It was the only thing that gave her any joy in that piece of shit marriage.”

You make eight seconds, and then you do it again and again and again until Lloyd calls you off because both you and the Bronco are both tired. Travis greets you at the gate with a beer and you press the cool glass against your flushed cheeks before you pop the cap off.

You have that look in your eyes, the same bright, exhilarated look that he gets when he’s competing. There’s a wildness in you right now, your husband he tried to tame it, stifle it but Travis he wants to run with it, all the way out into the mountains and however far it goes.

“You wanna get into some trouble tonight?” He asks you, his shoulder bumping against yours as you both sit down on the grass outside the arena. “No strings, just a mutual thing between two people who haven’t felt tenderness in a while.”

It’s quiet now, Rip and Lloyd are seeing to the Bronco whilst the others are camping up in the pastures with one of the herds. There’s a peacefulness to it, a stillness you never get tired of. You could live forever up here in the valley, soaking in the tranquillity of it.

“I don’t believe for a single second it’s been that long for you cowboy.” You say, leaning back in the grass. Travis follows suit, his arm propping up his head as he studies you.

The warmth of his body rolls over your skin, the hem of his t-shirt creeping up to reveal a slither of firm, tan muscle. It’s been a long time since you wanted a man, since you craved the unyielding thrust of his cock deep inside you.

“It’s been over a year.” He tells you, picking a daisy and using it to trail up along the inside of your forearm. It’s a euphoric sensation, the gentle trace of petals over your flesh sending a thrill of anticipation chasing through every single one of your synapses.

“I ain’t got nobody back home waiting for me and from what I hear you don’t either.” He murmurs, the daisy slipping from his fingers as his thumb chases along the line of your jaw. “Why shouldn’t we take a little pleasure in one another, enjoy ourselves.”

There’s an ache in you, a fierce heat that licks through your veins likes a wildfire as his nose trails along the length of yours, his lips ghosting lightly over your mouth. That kiss, it’s full of everything you’ve been missing, passion, sensuality and above all promise, promise that it’s not just about him tonight, it’s about you.

“Oh honey,” He whispers against your lips. “The two of us are going to have some fun.”

Love Travis? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[sincerelyrki]

MINI SKIRT

↳ profiles : homies

YN @ catlover300 : 04. known on campus for her visuals and famous parents. obsessed with prada. knows of enhypen because her stumbled across an edit of Heeseung and “fell in love”. 1/3 of their uni’s it girls.

↳ @ bunnynnie : yn’s priv acc. her posts mainly consist of her complaining about how the people at her uni treat her.

haemin @ milflover : 04. known on campus for being extremely closed off and cold. he doesn’t interact with anyone outside of his close circle. he’s only following his three friends and two artists (travis scott and lana del rey). has celebrity parents. 1/3 of yns childhood best friends.

taesan @ kingkongtaesan : 04. he’s known for being a playboy, flirting with whichever girl he finds cute. he’s scared of commitment because of his parents relationship. he has celebrity parents. 2/3 of yns childhood best friends.

sunwoo @ sunwxo : 00. had a gap year of 2 years. used to be an idols. famous on campus for his past as an idol. had a soft spot for yn and is the reason behind her prada obsession. everyone at uni rumours that he’s dating yn and he never denies is when asked. he met the others after one of his concerts, their parents buying them vip. has met enhypen. 3/3 of yns childhood best friends.

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SYNOPSIS ⮕ You know Jake Sim and you love Prada, it was already a perfect combination. You just happened to always be in the same place as him, at the same time. And that place just happened to be the Prada store. It’s not your fault that your Prada collection expands as your interactions grow. Especially not considering that Jake couldn’t stop himself from fawning over you (and your mini skirts).

taglist is OPEN ! send an ask or comment to be added xoxo

mini skirt taglist : @vousty @iheartjayke @kgneptun @woninluv @memooooca @rosas-in-the-garden @thea-herondale @letters2won @certified-ni-ki-lover @addictedtohobi @wonpoem @eunbiland @hae-luvr @t00miee @bbangricz @tytrackfebreze @cafeyuns @aerivrs @seunnimg @enhytan @enhaz1 @neocockthotology @jiawji @miumiuestmoi @sophi-ee @cha0thicpisces @manooffline @glassesyunjin @rinahch @jaklvbucb @rikizm @ilyjxdz @mnxnii @n1k1mura @hhoonsbaby @xiaoderrrr @artstaeh @nikisuar @who-tf-soddhi @jakeslvt | bold = can’t tag

perm taglist : @jwnghyuns

[deluweil]

Here's the thing, I have nothing against Lou/Tommy, but the accessive enthusiasm of him returning and everyone already talking about him showing up for next season,

Which if any of you watched for the last 7 seasons, it is very possible because writers love to drag temps over to the next seasons because apparently breakups are for season beginners, mostly (except for taylor),

is very off-putting.

1. Because the dude literally just showed up and they haven't even had one worthy make out session to even call it a situationship.

2. Buck hurt Eddie physically to get into Tommy's mouth and pants, which ruined it for me from the start tbh and Tommy had nothing to do with it, he was just there.

3. Buck has made Maddie's day, his coming out party - that is a big NO in my book. Because one, dude you literally came out, what if you decide eventually that you don't want this or don't want this with this specific first-guy-ever anymore? And two SHE IS YOUR SISTER THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS HAVE HER LEAVE ON HER HONEYMOON BEFORE YOU KILL YOUR PARENTS OF A HEART- ATTACK.

Even if they "seem accepting" to Buck’s face, this takes time to process, something better revealed in time and in private, once one is sure. Not thinking and talking about this the whole wedding!

And yes, I know, Buck is impulsive, but think for a second, would you want your baby brother to hijacke your wedding after so long of planning it? I know I would have killed him.

Would have told him in advance that if he's bringing his new boyfriend to my wedding, he better tell our parents first. Because this is my fucking day!

I love Buck, but his self-centered personality rubs me the wrong way this season.

Maybe because I wanted to see him growing the fuck up after 7 years and so many traumas and experiences and therapy that he went through, but nope, same old Buck, only instead of the dating the girl who gave him attention, he's seeing the guy who gave him attention.

It's annoying, it's off putting and frankly I am so mad at the writers and Tim for this because these characters deserved better.

And don't talk to me about representation because Shonda did the bi representation in Station 19 perfectly to the point that I was bummed that Travis and Eli didn't end up as endgame even though I loved Emmett with Travis.

Again somehow the 911 writers managed to taint for me what should have been and amazing experience, independent completely of buddie, but no they managed to not only mix Eddie and Buck with Tommy, the whole thing came at the expense of Eddie, physically and mentally, because not only did Buck not apologized to Eddie, Eddie also lost his new friend who now fawns over Buck.

So screw this storyline, I hate it and I hate how everyone is OK with everything that happened in the story, just because Buck is doing a dude(kissing really, there was no doing yet).

There's a lot of blocking in my future, most are just ppl who either came in now because of bi Buck or those who came from other disappointing fandoms and are just here for the rep not the actual story.

But some of us have been here since S1, we want the rep, but we want it to be complimenting, we want to fall in love with the character before it turns into a LI, we want the emotion, the connection, the obvious love building over several years.

Like Casey and Gabby and Severide and Stella, like Maya and Carina, like Travis and Emmett (even though I liked Eli better for him) like Sullivan and Natasha.

I want an emotional payout, give up the surprises, and the wrecked trucks and ships, just tell a good story!

And for the love of all that's holy, enough with the last-minute changes, those never turn out well in the long run. They literally started from scratch when they made the switch between Eddie and Buck.

Also in my opinion, Eddie had a LOT more chemistry with Lou/Tommy than Buck. It would have made so much more sense, in the catholic guilt and internal homophobia department, the nun and supposedly commitment issues was weak at best.

It could have been epic. 😩

And yes, Buck could have started the season single, no harm in that, maybe make him, I don't know, actually growing into something that he would like without someone else to pet his ego? Go back to therapy, work for the LT. exams, be interim captain, realize his worth and learn to love himself for him, not because someone else gave him attention and that made him preen, get him somewhere worthy. Even lessons with Tommy without involving Eddie in this would have been great.

Just something that shows character development, because up until now all I get is S2/S3 Buck and I've seen that movie before, I want my money back.

I realize this is harsh, and normally, I would stick to the light and fun and ignore the rest, but this had to be said out loud so I can go back to that.

That being said, as I said, I will watch Madney wedding purely for Madney. Anything else is just a bonus. I can't wait for that bachelor party and see wth happens to Chimney.

Happy Monday, my loves. ❤️

[rfswitchart]

Who would be the IRL Huntlow...?

Ok, so I think I figured out the kind of couple Huntlow are, both as a couple and individually as Hunter and Willow……….. ……Have you guys ever watched Critical Role? It’s a Twitch series where ‘a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons and Dragons.’ Two of these dorky voice actors are Travis Willingham and Laura Bailey. For you Critical Role fans, you already know where this shit is going.

Hunter is more or less Travis. He’s a large man with training (Hunter is a former soldier, Travis is big on exercise and… I don’t think body building is the right word, but he’s pretty damn muscular.) Despite their outward appearance, Travis is absurdly good at mental math, he’s really smart (even if he does a lot of dumb things.) Travis is also a big scaredy cat, he’s not good with jumpscares and there is video of him going through a haunted house and being all scared. Overall Travis and Hunter are extremely similar.

Meanwhile, Willow is 100% Laura Bailey. Both are kind, caring, loving people………… Who will absolutely snap your spines if you piss them off hard enough. No magic, no powers. You’ll just get suplexed through a table. On top of that, Laura Bailey has the mentality of a 12-year-old boy. If she even hears the whiff of a dirty joke, she laughs and adds to it. She burps without so much as blinking. Hell, Laura has no problem casually threatening people or saying some surprisingly hardcore shit like it’s nothing. Sounds a lot like a certain Plant Witch, right? But it’s more than that. Travis and Laura are a couple who both fawn over each other, they’re silly together, they’re a mix of Morticia and Gomez and a pair of gremlins who just learned how to make mouth noises. They are two of the most chaotic people at the D&D table and have worked together on so many things. Like, seriously, this is from Gencon in 2019. That is Laura dressed up as a Gothic Lolita and Travis, this musclebound 6’3” man, falling head over heels for her in the background.

Is this not Hunter and Willow IRL? Would Willow not collect a metric ton of shiny math rocks (Dice, it’s a thing) on a regular basis? Would Hunter not try to be anti-romance in a D&D game, only to be romanced by his girlfriend AT THE TABLE? Also, Travis is hella into werewolves, to a point where his current character is an old gnome man who turns into a salient werewolf. IS THAT NOT EXACTLY THE CHARACTER HUNTER WOULD PLAY IN D&D?! My point here is that, if you need any help understanding Hunter (well say Noceda for the sake of this conversation) and Willow Park as well as their relationship with each other…. Please, I beg you, go watch Critical Role, and vice versa if you are a Critter needing a good series to watch like Owl House. Travis and Laura are just real life Huntlow.

[joealwyndefenseattorney]

okay let's have an adult conversation: why didn't he show up for taylor when she needed support? Why was he resentful of her success? Why didn't he go with her to several awards shows? Including the Grammys! Why did he party in her house whilst ignoring her all the time? Why did he want her to not be as famous as she is now while Travis is very open to it? Taylor wanted to be loved out loud but joe always seemed embarrassed by her. I want serious answers here, not fangirl deflections. Why didn't he answer what his fave taylor song was? Why did it always seem like he hated us, the fans? Why did he interact with several of his female co stars but locked her away in the basement of his heart? Or literally not see she was depressed as he left her behind at home (caging her) while he went to the bar?

Joe is a private person. Joe wants to only talk about his career not his personal life. This has been what we have known since 2016. Also, they both agreed to keep things private, Taylor changed her mind. And I’m sorry but most people don’t like Swifties, you shouldn’t expect Joe to fawn over any of you. We know nothing of how their private life in London was, everyone around them maybe knew how much she meant to him but he’s not obligated to tell reporters and fans any of that. He also has talked about her in interviews, told the story of how they started writing songs together. He didn’t out right ignore her- but he focused on his work as he should. Prior to Covid, they did attend events together, afterwards they didn’t.

[joesalw]

It all just screams PR. Travis Kelce is not on the cover of WSJ magazine if he’s not dating Taylor. He’s starting to age out of the NFL - he’s trying to prepare for life after football. And Taylor has a guy who is a fan who will fawn over her, but also is rich and famous. And happens to be the opposite of Joe in every aspect to shove in his face to show how him how “happy” she is and how wrong he was at the end of the relationship that he didn’t want to marry her. And now you have quotes from Travis that seem to directly hit at how Taylor appears to view Joe’s need for privacy. And this constant barrage of information of the timeline for when they are getting engaged and married and having babies and their plans for the holidays. And like - there’s just no way it can all be real. And if it is - girl has lost her damn mind and hope Travis is okay comforting her and going into hiding with her when it all finally hits her that’s it’s not all okay.

So on point!

[scarisd3ad]

Superstar | football player!Joel Miller x popstar!Reader

Prologue - you belong with me

>> next

Masterlist

Taglist

Warnings - cursing, fake dating? Age gap based off of Taylor swift and Travis Kelce kinda hard launching their relationship last night, Joel has his both his daughters but they are way younger in this (Sarah being 9, and Ellie being 5), Joel is 37 and reader is 26, no outbreak au, and modern au (its around 2022 or 2023)

Summary - when you find out about a certain football player showing up at your tour you decide to reach out just because of all the dating rumors, but what if thoughs rumors turn into reality?

‘Can’t you see? You belong with me’

I let out a sigh as I throw myself onto my couch. I've been spending the last 3 months touring around the US and to say I was tired was an understatement. I pull my phone out of my pocket and begin scrolling through Instagram. my cat ollie hops up in my lap chirping in delight and rubbing his face against my arm. "Hi ollie" I coo as I drag my hand down his head and back. "Hi handsome how are you baby?" I coo as he curls up on my lap.

bringggg bringgg bringgg.

my phone that I had discarded next to me begins to vibrate and display a picture of my best friend Kailey. I pick it up and answer the call. "Yes?" she begins to talk "didyouknowthatjoelfuckingmillerwasatyourconcertlastnight?!!!" my brows furrow in confusion "k I did not understand a word you just said" she lets out an annoyed sigh "Joel miller the football player was at your concert last night" my brows stay in their contorted state because why the fuck would I care? a lot of celebrity's come to my concerts. "Okay?"

"Ugh y/n he said on some podcast that he wanted to give you his number" Joel miller was a name I've heard before, he was a popular football player one that all girl fawn over. "But he couldn't because you weren't doing a meet and greet" I have a feeling that this was all for some type of pr, to get in articles and shit. I've had an influx of popularity recently and a lot of men have claimed they went out with me or hooked up with me just for attention. "Do you really think he's telling the truth?" I can almost hear her eyeroll through the phone. "Just maybe you should dm him. maybe it will be good for you y'know after what happened with Andy." Andrew or Andy was my boyfriend, well now ex-boyfriend. we broke up after almost 6 years together, it was heart breaking to not only me but my fans too. I just haven't been up to date since because I thought he was it for me. "Okay, okay maybe alright?"

once we hang up, I go on twitter to see that Joel miller is trending. I push on the hashtag to see millions of screen recordings of the podcast. it's a podcast that he has with his brother tommy miller who also happens to be a football player. "So, I heard you went to y/n's tour" tommy says with a tiny smirk on his lips. "Yeah, I wanted to give her a bracelet with my number on it, but I couldn't" Joel says with a chuckle, tommy raises his brows "your jersey number or your number?"

"You know which one."

he was cute, I can't deny that he has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, just my type, but I think he's a little too old for me. I'm 26 he's 37 I think he'd get a bunch of hate online if we got together, right? maybe I should dm him, even if it didn't end up in a relationship I could end up with a cool new friend. I type his name into Instagram and push on the first verified account I see. the account is really just full of pictures with his daughters, his brother, and teammates. no girlfriend in sight. I push on the message button and begin to type.

'Hey, saw the podcast. thought we could may-' no too straight forward. 'Hey, wanna go out?' I decide to settle on just 'hey' because everything else I typed felt cringy.

joelmilleroffical

Me - hey

I let out a sigh as I drop my phone beside me and lean my head back against the couch cushions. "mreow" I look down to see ollies eyes wide open as he looks up at me. I place my hand on his head and begin to pet him.

ping

ollie begins to purr as I pick up my phone. it's a notification from Instagram. I push on it, and it takes me to Joels chat. butterfly's form in my stomach, I shouldn't feel this excited right? I don't even know if he was serious about wanting to give me his number.

joelmillerofficial

Me - hey! - 12:30pm

Joelmillerofficial - holy shit hey

Me - saw your podcast lol...was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime?

Joelmillerofficial- yeah, yeah that sounds cool whenever you're up for it lol.

Me - how bout tomorrow? you could come over swim in my pool. you can bring your kids if you want

Joelmillerofficial - sure I have to see if my mom can watch my girls.

the conversation is a little awkward, I just hoped that it wouldn't be like that in real life. I don't really expect anything from this I still don't think I'm really ready to date, Andy and I broke up 3 months ago. I think it's alright for me to be single for a while after a 6-year long relationship. the press was just starting to think that Andy proposed 2 months before the breakup, I was already thinking about rings, so was Andy's mom. the breakup was a total surprise, I didn't expect it, nobody did. I thought he was in love with me, he was nothing but loving towards me. yeah, he didn't like to call attention to our relationship, or talk about me in interviews, or post me but I just thought he want our relationship to be private, he didn't want everyone to know about every aspect of our relationship. maybe I deserved a man who would scream at the top of his lungs that I was his girl.

ping.

joelmillerofficial

Joelmillerofficial - my oldest want to come with me but my mom will watch my youngest.

Joelmillerofficial- what time should I come over?

Me - is 1 alright for you?

Joelmillerofficial- yup

I've never even met this man in real life and him and his oldest daughter are coming over to my house tomorrow. this is good branching out most of my friends are people in the same industry as me or people I met during childhood so meeting someone who has nothing to do with the music industry is cool. I know nothing about the NFL, and he knows nothing about the music industry, a match made in heaven. twitter is blowing up about Joel, every other TikTok or tweet is 'Joel x y/n???' or 'do you think they'll be the new it couple?'. whenever a new man enters my life it's like this, even if the guy is just a friend every article is speculating if we're dating or hooking up. I decide not to tell Kailey because I don't want her to freak out until something is official. knowing her she'd insist on being here, and then embarrass the fuck out of me. this is just going to be a cool getting to know each other thing that'll probably just end up in a friendship.

Taglist

@taylarxse @none-of-this-makes-any-sense @ktheunready @camixkami @skysmiller @mars743 @romeestrvjds @lightxzhan @alyhull @jenna-mcgraw19 @rainyblizzardgiver

[shinebrightlikeanarwhal]

fine... I'll do it myself...

They hadn't seen the little travis for almost 2 years, after honestly giving up, they manage to finally find a way to use the gear boy on the possessed Travis. He disintegrates like a normal ghost. Firstly, they assume they failed. Now they wont be able to find little Travis or Kenneths secrets, but they were so wrong.

A moment before leaving the closed off area there in, they hear a cough. Of a child. They don't know how, but a little, injured boy is now in Travis's place, human, with a scar where Little Travis's stomach hole would have been. No wings, no blurred deathly face, just a little boy, along side there usual red demon, who disappeared instantly.

He looked at the friends, shocked. He was scared and confused. But relived of the pain he had only mentioned to them subtly in there friendship.

Look at my creative lil menace to my good vibes!

Personally I was going to go with they never find him until red, in travis’ body, parades around the fact that he has the ‘cutest little brother’ with an odd birthmark.

Spurring on Sals now desperation to find Travis. The sweet little boy that only wanted friends. The poor boy who was constantly hurt by the people who were supposed to love him!

For yours i DID get lots of ideas!!

One HC that will never die is Red shape shifting to follow around someone. When Sal and Larry find this confused yet human, fleshy little boy. Red is in the form of a cat. Short hair and bright red eyes. A sleek kitty rubbing along Travis and purring out taunts that only Red saved Travis and Sal and Larry would have found his BODY if they were any slower.

Sal would probably have a fun time being a big brother to Travis. Bringing home an adorable child with soft blonde hair and the biggest doe eyes. A cute lil button nose that Lisa constantly fawns over. Larry is exasperated when his mom starts coddling this new baby boy. Henry is just taken aback at how a small child hasn’t ran screaming from Sal. In fact Sal seems to be running from the child half the time.

The trauma of death and rebirth hasn’t settled all the way. Travis would have horrific night terrors. RED would happily sleep beside him to enjoy every moment of a terrified Travis. Though only Travis knows the full story of his terrible childhood. He may never tell Sal or Larry, actually. Travis hates pity and if they knew they would constantly pity him! Who needs that when you’re almost a god!?

[sequestering]

Helloooo💙 for the fic ask:

✈

💀(take it as a compliment - because i went to a local game and the refs were hot and i thought of you)

👀

💋

thank you 💕 these are such fun ones!

💀 if you had to write an alternate ending to [take it as a compliment] how would you end it?

refs are so underrated!! the angry tension, the enemies to lovers, the forbidden romance of it all. so glad to have infected you with ref brain worms <3

so 'take it as a compliment' was only ever going to end one way, i.e. with some variation on a very sappy happy ending. that said, i did consider ending it on a kind of outside pov epilogue. i decided against it in the end, but i do still have several thousand words of tk trying to figure out why sid no longer refs their games while claude trolls him relentlessly. i might post it as a follow-up some day but for now a small section--

Travis begins with Google because where else.

They've got a red-eye back to Philadelphia, and he's still banned from the card table for "cheating" so it's not like he's got anything better to do. He pays the extortionate $20 for in-flight wi-fi and settles in for some research.

Sidney Crosby is still alive and still an active NHL officiator, which means Travis can rule out a few of his more wild theories. He didn't actually think Claude would hire an assassin or something, but if there was anyone who would, G's got the exact right kind of don't-give-a-shit energy.

Travis isn't wrong, though. A bit of time on the NHLOA website shows that Crosby hasn't officiated a Flyers game since the previous season. Given that he's based in Pittsburgh, it's unusual.

Reddit agrees with him. Or at least, a few Redditors in a random thread from last month have made the same observation. Weird, they call it. Travis reads through a few of their explanations with mild interest.

It's Gritty. suggests an account named JD1812, which Travis thinks is unlikely. It had taken him a few years of snooping, but he did once catch sight of the guy in the Gritty suit taking a smoke break. He's definitely just a balding dude, not, like, some eldritch monster.

Possibly a personal conflict of interest. If he started dating a player's sister or something they wouldn't let him ref those games, suggests another account. It's such a hilariously bizarre idea that TK has to laugh. He can't even begin to imagine anyone dating humourless, sour-faced Sidney Crosby.

There are a few more proposals. Reddit user TrueNorthStrong69 thinks that Crosby was taken off for bias, but that's also laughable; the NHL's never taken a ref off for being biased in its whole hundred-year history, it's not going to start by taking pity on the Flyers.

Travis reaches the end of the thread none the wiser. Really though, it's not like fucking Reddit was going to have the answer.

He closes the tab and shuts off his phone. Further up the plane, he can see the top of Claude's ginger head over one of the headrests. Travis narrows his eyes and glares. Fuck Claude and his secrets, he's going to figure this one out.

👀 what’s a fic written by someone else that you REALLY wish you wrote yourself?

hmmm i don't tend to think of fic as something i wish i wrote because if i did write it, it'd probably be very different. let's see...

i stumbled across confidence man by blaahaj recently which completely blew me away. i have a long fawning comment in my drafts that i need to actually post - the author has such a knack for nuanced, interesting but still very hockey-bro characterisation; it's gorgeously written; and the romantic italian (lmao) setting is catnip to me. the reason i mention it though is that the premise is genius, and as someone who's been playing around forever with a million different variations on a sports media guy/player au, i was very struck by how perfectly the author slotted the lead (in this case m tkachuk) into his sports media au role. it's hard to get aus right like that, but when you do mwah it can make for such a fab twist on the established character dynamic.

really though there are so many fics and authors i could mention here. this is such a fantastically talented fandom and i so often read a fic and come away thinking 'oh wow the writer did x so well, i really want to try that out myself.'

💋do you have any guilty pleasure ships that you really want to write for but are scared to?

not really! i don't think i've ever felt particularly guilty about liking a ship. there are a ton of ships i'd like to write for at some point in the future, but really the main hindrance to my writing is just time 😭

(✈ i will leave for the next ask....)

[somewhereinthepines]

How do you think Kaylee and Caleb think about Ryan and Chris? In ASB, Kaylee was trying to subtly push them together a bit, so I got to wondering how they view Ryan liking Chris and their dad liking Ryan. This sent me down a mini rabbit hole of thoughts that somehow led me to thinking, "Does Chris have something like a knot like in popular werewolf fiction?" I honestly can't remember how I got to wondering about that, and idk how it'd even work either, lmao.

Then, from that thought, I naturally jumped to the next randomised one, which was wondering about how Chris spent the year when Ryan wasn't there? The tapes he has of Ryan wandering around and staring into space got me thinking that maybe he'd watch those sometimes? They have eachothers phone number, too, so they call like they did a bit in ASB. It was just interesting to think about in the context of GP because the nature of their relationship is different. Chris has his obsession, and Ryan atm isn't quite on the same level rn, but he's still pretty fixated on Chris. With these things in mind, I just wondered how it might change how Chris feels/reacts to Ryan's absence during the off-season of camp.

Then, finally, I thought, "What if Ryan stayed with Chris during the off-season?" Idk what the circumstances would be, but Ryan just doesn't go home or doesn't live with his family anymore? I was thinking about what they'd do, obviously with Chris's parents around, he can't bring Ryan to the house. So they'd be at the lodge, or at least Ryan would be. It leaves a lot of room for potential domestic fluff or smut. Without the campers and counsellors around, Ryan would truly be in the wolfs den. I'd imagine Kaylee and Caleb might visit more without the noisy campers and nosy counsellors there.

i’d say, that they prob don’t think about it too deeply. like, ryan’s crush is pretty clear to everyone, who bothers to inspect his and chris’s relationships for more, than 2 minutes. but while kyalee thinks, that it’s fun and might be good for chris, i feel like caleb sort of avoids the topic. and not bc the hates the idea of it, more so, bc it’s very awkward lol. i mean, he’s the older out of the 3. he views ryan on the same level as kyalee, like as someone, who’s clearly younger than him. and his sister has a habit of having new, non-serious crushes pretty often. so he might assume, that ryan is the same in that regard. like that he’s confused or smth. and then, chris is his dad, who he considers to be good-natured, but a bit lame. not to mention, that ryan is around the same age category as them, and learning that your father is a ‘dirty old man’ surely doesn’t help, haha. so yeah, caleb would try to not dig too deeply into it. and nope, chris doesn’t have it, haha. i mean, in human form surely not. in werewolf one, he prob does, haha. but i struggle to imagine ryan surviving such an encounter tbh. 

ah, that’s a good question. i imagine, that chris has a lot to do around the campground, even when no one is around. then, he and the rest of the hacketts prob try to track down silas and all that business as well. but i feel like, chris doesn’t really believe, that they would ever find him. one would imagine, that it’ll be travis, who low-key gave up on everything, when in fact, trying to kill silas is in part of what keeps him going. compared to this, chris has a more cynical view on it. at least, in my fanon, haha. i guess, i always picture him as a guy, who really wants to help others, but considers himself to be beyond help. or maybe, not even worthy of it. i mean, i feel like while fandom adores fawning over travis’s situation, no one ever considers why chris had to be the one, who runs the camp. i don’t think, that it was a gift from his parents. i actually, assume that he was ‘trusted’ (read conditioned) into that position, bc travis was always a scapegoat of the fam, but in a way, he was ‘let go’. he could do whatever, bc no one cared all that much, which is still pretty bad, don’t get me wrong. but with this in mind, and added fact, that bobby is clearly the favorite child, it would mean that chris was automatically put into position, where literally no one, but him could ‘inherit’ the hackett’s quarry. and where he had to be the one to have a family, and be ‘the ideal man’ or whatever. all eyes were on him, bc there were things expected from him. nothing was expected from bobby. and in a way, from travis as well, but for different reasons clearly. with this being said, i don’t think that chris had it ‘worse’ than travis or smth, it’s just that he had to suffer through different sorts of parental pressure and most likely abuse too. travis has a stockholm syndrome toward his family, and chris was basically conditioned into filling the role, that no one else could. sorry, tangled up, haha. 

but like with all this in consideration, it’s fairly easy to imagine why he would get so obsessed with ryan. and yeah, he for sure would rewatch the tapes, and enjoy phone talks, that they have. he never had anything like this before. a thing to truly look forward to. his kids are adults, so in all fairness, they no longer need him like they used to, and i feel like chris gets very aimless, when there is nothing for him to do, no one to care for, bc he has no idea how to live for himself at all. and yeah, in GP ryan’s and chris’s levels of obsession are a bit different. i suppose, partly bc chris’s mental state is also worse, than it was in ASB. he tries his best still, but cracks are starting to show more and more often. as for how he feels, when ryan is not around for months, i think that it’s a tricky question. chris is party terrified of himself and what he can do, so rational part of him says, that it’s good that ryan is far away from him, and that it might be better if he never comes back. but then, he also always longs for him to be back all the same. need vs care. obsession vs common sense. chris is very morale dualed, haha. esp when it comes to ryan. but i feel like, he’s prob one of the rare kinds of characters, who can overpower his own selfishness more often, than not. like, if i had to put all my supermassives otps into situation, where they had a choice to basically keep their ‘better half’ with them or have a chance to let them go with hope, that they can do better, that it would essentially be better for them, only chris and andrew would be capable of smth like lmao. everyone else, ryan included, would have the ugliest tantrum imaginable. even john with a similar level of self-hatred as chris, wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from being terribly selfish and keep andrew, no matter what it would have taken. this is partly why chris was okay with ryan killing him in WCA. he just assumed, well, it would be better for ryan. kinda a dick move tho. like ryan killed people for him, and he then, asks him to shot him lmao. 

and oh, funny enough, i had un-used plot, where ryan gets kicked out of the house by his mother. idk, where his grandparents are. maybe, they don’t exist in that au or they’re not close. so as result, ryan literally has nowhere to go. he asks kyalee and caleb, if they can hook him up with some temporary place, until he finds a job and will get out of their hair. but naturally, they call him an idiot and say, that he can just stay on the campground during that time, chris won’t mind. i imagine, that ryan would ask them to not tell chris why he’s here, make up some story. it also leaves a lot places for humor, bc ryan is city kid, he doesn’t know much about life in the country. but chris be there to teach him. so yeah, they would spent a lot of time together. just two of them. kyalee and caleb would also indeed have a chance to hang out with ryan more often, show him around and such. for a while everything will be alright with the world. which is smth that i really about the quarry tbh. their set-up is so deceptively cozy.

[theradicalscrivener]

Quick question about continuity in Acorn. In Chapter 4, Travis balks at assplay since he’s “never bottomed before” on account of his huge cock. In Chapter 6, the narration admits he’s “relegated to bottoming” since none of his partners before Curtis have been able to take his cock comfortably. Could it be that Travis has never actually had penetrative sex before the start of the series because of those two issues? Is there another explanation?

If it was just an oversight I totally understand since writing a serialized thing involves so much detail to keep track of. But since Travis gets plenty of attention from his preferred sex in this series alone, do you think he would have hooked up with people interested in topping him before he started working at Acorn?

Yeah. That was kind of what I meant. I should look back and review how I phrased it. If I recall correctly, I had mentioned that all of Travis's previous partners were like really enamored with his huge rod but it was too big for them to actually bottom for him. So it was a lot of fawning over his size and sucking him off. So, if he was going to get any penetrative action, he'd have to be the one bottoming, but given that the only guys who seemed interested in him only wanted to ogle his cock, he never got that far with anyone. So he was still half a virgin when he finally boned down on Curtis.

[sincelastsession]

I think what hurts the most is that I have love for him and I see his love for me. Everyone has told me he was wrong...and he was. He probably still is. He is probably sad and angry. I'm sad and angry. I feel like I screwed up. I feel like he screwed up as well though. I don't understand why I held myself accountable for whatever I did that hurt him. I don't understand why I fawned. I don't understand why he couldn't understand me. I was getting there. I didn't need him to treat me like sex needed to bed had. I understand he misunderstood me. I'm not like him. He seemed to want me to act like someone I'm not.

Even if I did tease him. A woman teasing a man is not thing she needs to apologize for. "Oh I'm so sorry I turned you on and you assumed I immediately was wanting to jump into sex.

Romance exists. Tact exists. Being a fucking man and being brave enough to admit that you're a very wrong fuckface and I'd love to call him an idiot but he's not stupid.

He didn't like my nature that made him feel like he couldn't be himself. All I asked was for my boundaries to be met with understanding and to be respected.

It hurts because sex is not everything in a relationship. Not everyone in a relationship has sex and not everyone in a relationship needs it to be happy. I don't think it would have been sex less once I was comfortable. I was looking forward to it. But I kept getting turned off.

What makes me angrier is that when he actually shuts the hell up and just doesn't bring up sex and talks to me about other things I find that attractive.

He had a problem with me bringing up other partners and even Travis my chosen brother. He had a problem with me talking to other people other than my therapist about how things were going. He was so worried about me talking to Travis about how something inappropriate he did because I didn't know how to articulate what to say to him about it. "I don't want him to think I'm some creep" Did he think about how I felt or how I thought it was odd to want to show me his dick even though I said no. That's I believe some form of harassment.

I chose to be kind to him today. He'd apologized for making me cry. "Hope your day is good, didn't mean to make you cry" I began to call him to accept his apology but then I said "Thank you for the apology" "But I think I need to process therapy so we can have a chat tomorrow I believe that will be a good time to talk."

I don't want to talk. I hate him and I like him at the same time but I know it wouldn't end well. It would be like self harm. I'd hurt him too. I'd break his heart.

I didn't want to admit to him I'm not over my ex. But why does it matter? I'm poly. I can be in one relationship and grieve another and date other people. That doesn't make me unfit to love someone or unethical.

I'm so conflicted feeling.

I want Matt to shoosh me. I want his domination and affection. I don't want him to be busy. I don't want to be alone. I'm tired of being alone. I've done that most of my life.

I want my ex. I miss him in my life as well. I miss what we had. I am so mad at him for fucking that up. I don't know how to explain it other than when I first met him and spent time with him I felt I knew him from somewhere, another time, another place, some weird shit like that. I can't shake any of if even if he's acting like a twat.

I'm not so excited about Hannah. She's not terrible so far but I don't even know if I want her in my life right now. I don't know how to explain.

The person I wanted most in my life is dead. I can't even remember his voice. I can't remember how the guitar sounded when he played. I will have to go listen to Coldplay Yellow and Nirvana and Hendrix and Marvin Gaye now. That was love. It was young love but it was real.

[bolontiku]

"Your Personal Incubus"

Chapter 2

Previous

Characters: incubus!Walter Marshall x reader

Posted: Feb 2nd

A/N: it's been a minute but work has had me exhausted. I'm sorry I hope this is good!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own the character Walter Marshall, and I doubt this is an accurate portrayal of that character. Sorry ✌

WARNINGS: smut inbound, office sex? Public, semi public smut, possessiveness, rough sex, monster fucking? choking, cursing NO UNDER 18

Like, Comments, & Reblogs are always appreciated and loved. 

**Please Do Not Repost My Work**

You were thinking of him. 

The building was large and full to the brim of people, yet it took him less than a thought to find you. On the fourth floor he leaned against the wall watching you with a small smile playing at his lips. Eyes drifting down the length of you as you held your drink in front of you, smiling politely as you nodded along to the man standing in front of you. 

Walter watched for a second more, he liked the way the dress you chose hugged your hips, hips he loved to pin down as you writhed under him. He pushed away from the wall as the man speaking to you reached out and touched your hair, stepping closer and you stepped back smiling at him. Rolling the sleeves up on his sweater, long strides took him directly to your side, his blood heated as you laughed softly at whatever this man had said. 

You knew that large hand that splayed across your back, warm turning to hot, making you shiver and your eyes fell to the drink in your hand.

"There you are sweetheart," he leaned in, pressing his lips to your cheek.

"What are you doing here?" You asked looking up at him. 

It was a relief to be honest, if you had to listen to Brett go on any longer you would have to pretend to be sick. The man loved to listen to himself talk and you were sure he had bagged every girl he had gone after thanks to all the office talk. It was confusing why he was talking to you at all?

It was still surprising to see Walter here, he had frowned when you had brought up the office party, which had deterred you from asking him to come at all. 

He leaned down, crowding you with his larger frame and stepping between you and Brett, lips brushing against your cheek yet again, "every desire-" he hummed before pulling away.

It shocked you, you desired to have him here? 

"Brett Chambers, I'm sorry, we have yet to meet?"

"Walter Marshall," he took the offered hand, fangs shining as he gripped a little harder than needed. 

Brett winced, extracting his hand and glancing at you quickly. The man dwarfed you, and did he have fangs? He reached out to catch your attention, annoyed at the way you looked at the dark haired stranger when you should be fawning over him, and was surprised when the man caught his arm. He nearly stumbled as the large man pushed his arm away, but he caught himself.

Walter cooked his head to the side, smile still in place, "it is nice to meet you Brian-"

"Brett-"

"Mmm, Y/N asked me to come but work had me tied up."

"Oh, Y/N… Work? What do you do?" He pushed down the twinge of jealousy, the man was very handsome and he had noticed all the women had been staring at the way he loomed over you practically taking up all the space in the office. What the fuck was going on here?

You looked up curious, would he say he was a sex worker?

"I am a detective," you blinked, surprised as he produced credentials. 

Brett looked at you, "you never said! How wonderful, and after Travis!!"

You flinched at the name.

Walter felt you tremble, hated the way you dropped your head, "excuse us." He didn't wait for a response, instead gripping your hand in his and moving through the crowd towards the first empty office he could spot.

*

You had a million questions as he shut the door behind the two of you, clicking the lock in place. "Wal-" 

He cut you off, hand wrapping around your throat tight enough to stifle any sound and dragging you forwards into a bruising kiss. You whimpered into him, jolting as his large hand slipped up under your dress and pressed your panties aside to dive into your folds and up into your cunt without error.

"There you are," he groaned as you panted against his lips, eyes closing involuntarily. He watched as your face screwed up, struggling to hold back any noise, he slid in a second finger, crooking both as he pumped them in and out of you. Thumb swirling around your clit, a smirk finding its place as your mouth fell open and your grip tightened on his biceps.

"I heard you thinking of me, thinking of me while smiling at that imbecile-"

You gasped as he added another finger, "OhhHhHhh!" Shaking your head, unable to form words as he was knuckle deep inside of you. "A-are you angry?!" your body trembled despite your will to be still.

Walter frowned, "angry? No," was he? Why did you smile at that man? Allow him to step into your space? He growled, possessive as he caught your mouth with his, fingers delving into you as you gripped his shoulders frantically, hips jerking into his hand. You made a little noise he cut off, tightening his hold on your throat, "shhh," he warned, feeling your walls clamping down on his fingers before he swallowed your little cry. 

It was exactly what he wanted, needed as you came, slick coating his thick digits, digits he pulled out of you and pressed to your lips, satisfied only as he watched as you lick them clean.

He moved you quickly, you stumbled over your feet as he did so, pressing you against the wall and rucking your dress up around your waist as you hurried to unbuckle his belt. Walter hissed as you wrapped your hands around his girth, shook his head as your tongue slipped out quickly. He had other plans. 

You cried out as he kneeled down enough to wrap his large hands around the back of your thighs and lifted you effortlessly, you could only wrap your legs around him and muffle your shout against his shoulder as he drove into you completely with one quick thrust.

"Unngh!" 

He wanted more of it. 

Dragging out painfully slow before he drove in quickly, ignoring your little muffled cries in favor of listening to the way your ass clapped against the office walls as he plunged into your tight cunt. 

Why was he so angry? You clutched at his shoulders, nails dragging into the soft worn sweater he seemed to favor. Tears stung your eyes as he thrust into you mercilessly, you sucked in a breath, bit into his shoulder as you felt his cock throb deep inside you.

"w-Wal-Walter!"

He licked along your skin, he could see the imprint of his fingers around your neck already, a tinge of guilt making him slow as you attempted to adjust to his width by stuttering your hips. He grunted softly as he fucked into you, his, you were his, that man had no right to touch you-

"I'm sorry-"

The words made him pause as he sank into you, you gasped a little at the reprieve.

"I want to see you…let me see you, it's okay."

He let out a little groan as he drove in a bit harder than was necessary, enjoying the way your breath slammed out of you and the way you dug your nails into his shoulders. Walter pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of your mouth, humming soothingly as tears pooled in your eyes, "go on," he growled quietly, driving in harshly, your ass slamming against the office wall, "tell me, say you want to end this. That you want that man instead of me."

He knew though, it was not your desire to end this. Not yet, you thought of him almost every moment. You made him think of you. It was irritating and unnecessary, he was yours and you were his. It was that simple. 

You whimpered as you felt his cock pulse inside of you, yet he slowed, taking his time now. Sin. This was sin. It was sinful. The way you woke and thought of him first, wanting to feel him, to have his hand wrapped around your throat, have his heavy thick cock filling you up, to be unable to move as he growled your name into your ear. 

You shook your head, leaning forward and canting your hips into his, taking him deeper. "Let me see you," you repeated softly against the skin of his neck, daring to lick along his jugular, nibbling at his jaw, ignoring the way he swallowed. 

You felt claws dig into the supple skin of your thighs, tail flickering behind him and you let out a little gasp as you looked up to meet his darkened gaze. Horns curling back along his curls, but it was still Walter, Walter that fucked into you, Walter that made your breath hitch as he filled you, Walter who licked into your mouth, forked tongue battling with yours for a brief moment when you gave into him. 

It was your Walter. 

He let out a dark groan as your walls fluttered around his cock, clenching down, as he dragged his claws along your soft skin. You arched into him, giving him what he needed, a larger transfer of energy, you went slack in his arms, whimpering quietly with each rock of his hips as he pumped you full with his seed. 

The laughter and chatter of the office party filtered into the room as you sucked in a little breath, fingers dancing across his soft sweater. You giggled a little, perhaps you were cock drunk or delirious, at this point you really didn't care, Walter had you pinned against the wall, back in human form, hands bruising the back of your thighs as he breathed heavily, thick chest rising and falling quickly. 

"Walter?"

"Mm?"

It seemed as if he had been in a daze, he blinked at you before leaning in to claim your lips. Soft and sensual, dark and sinful, how could he be all wrapped in at once? It felt as if he was everywhere, he was certainly still completely seated in you and still hard and full. 

"Incubus…" you sighed softly.

He flinched, did you hate him? 

"Walter, can you let me down now?" 

He grunted, nodding, looking a bit sheepish. 

"I thought… you didn't want to come?" You asked, cleaning up slowly. He had been a bit rougher than usual, had it been because of Brett? 

You felt his hand cup your jaw and winced, laughing softly as you wrapped your smaller hand around his wrist, "it's alright, I'm okay."

"You have a bruise-" 

Your eyes widened as he scowled, was he angry? At you or himself? "I'm alright, if it was too much I would have said so." His hand dropped away and you felt that ache return to your chest. Was he really here for you? Or because the contract bound him to you? Where was the line? How could you define what was going on?

"Let's go."

You nodded and felt a little jealous as he looked impeccable as ever. Still, your heart flipped as he placed his large hand along your back, leading you to the door. Was it just you thinking of this? "My makeup!"

"You look beautiful," he answered without hesitation. 

His answer made you feel lighter.

He could bend you over the desk… he paused thinking of how wrecked you had looked a moment ago, tears streaming down your face as he fucked you against the wall. He hadn't liked seeing that man talk to you like that, the way he had looked at you, stepped closer into your space when there was a whole office floor he could fuck off to. You yelped a little as he tugged you into his side, the crowd chatter louder once you had stepped out of the darkened office. 

Brett smiled, backing away from the door, "did you manage to straighten everything out?" 

You nodded, looking up at Walter as he kept himself between you and the blond. Had he been trying to listen? Did he think you had an argument? "Thanks" You mumbled a little suspicious and leaned closer into Walter.

"Anytime you need any help, of course, my office is open to you .. and yours."

Walter grinned, you felt your face heat as his hand slid lower along your waist, your knees weakening. It was Brett's office you had just been thoroughly fucked in. 

"Thank you Brandon, I am so glad my girl is well taken care of when I am not available."

His girl?

"It's Brett," he corrected and laughed, loud and brash, the sound grating on your nerves. "Y/N, let's continue our conversa-"

"Forgive me, I have to steal her away," Walter cut in, not waiting for an answer as he stepped away. You giggled softly, delirious, it was the only answer right now as you stared at Walter's broad back following him out of the office.

[ratcatcher0325]

Nobody’s Fool (Chapter #5)

Chapter 5! Penn sings and then has a crisis over breakfast. How relatable.

Previous: Chapter #4

Next: Chapter #6

CW: Adult language, dehumanization, references to abuse

Reblogs > Likes. Thank you!

________________________________________

NOBODY'S FOOL

Chapter #5: Quarter-Sized Crisis

[Eveline's POV]

Wow. I wiped my tears away, as I held this musical miracle in my hands. He’d stopped crying, long enough to heave a big sigh, which, coming from his tiny frame came across as quite funny. In an instant, we were all laughing hysterically, instead of crying. “Well, fuck. I’m glad we got high and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks, eh, Riley?” Staring down at the little man in my cupped palms, Riley replied, “Uh, yeah, fuck yeah, dude…” I placed the little man back on the table, letting him stand on his own two feet.

He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly unsure where to go from here. “Hey little guy…” Dani purred. “Up for another one?” She grabbed the hat off of his head, playfully, putting it on her finger instead. He lunged for it, as though a simple jump could get it back for him. Everyone smiled.

“Okay…. Why not? Maybe I just had beginner’s luck!” He was so fucking cute! Dani went on to show him the melody and bridge for one of their new songs off the most recent album. The one they were touring with. He picked it up in less than five minutes.

I sat back, watching them play this time. Loving the music and camaraderie that was flowing between us, but most especially fawning over the world’s tiniest guitarist. He played like a fucking expert, peering up at his fellow giant band mates over the shock of his messy hair. He made little faces, played little riffs in the music, he was jamming like any seasoned musician.

Soon, they’d run through the whole fucking album. Every song. He learned their whole album and kept pace with them. Their acoustic sound battling the EDM blasting through the support beams in the ceiling. We drank, we laughed, we played and sang. Swilling a beer, while hunched over the coffee table, his bearded chin resting on his arm, Travis was regarding Penn earnestly. “Alright, alright, I might be tempting fate here… and you’ve already impressed us all more than enough, but… can you sing too? I did my best with the lyrics just now, but that was usually Spence’s department… as you can tell by my, um, admittedly unsophisticated pipes…”

Penn looked unflinchingly into Travis’s eyes, “Honestly, I don’t know…” he chuckled. His lack of self awareness and misunderstanding of his own impressive talent were positively adorable. This little man had no ego to speak of. Sweet little guy. “Here, what was that last song we did? Can you pull up the lyrics for that one? I can try to do it on my own?” We all did what we could to set up the music.

**********************

These humans accommodated me like I was some venerated saint. This was all so backwards to me. Travis pulled up lyrics on his phone, propping it up for me to see. I sat down on the edge of that thin box the guitar had come in, and cleared my throat.

“Okay… uh here we go…” following the words on the phone screen, I played the song and sang.

[LINK to Song]

I noticed as I progressed through the song, all four faces came closer. Resting their heads on arms, hands or elbows, they were all drawn in by this something I was creating from nothing. I liked the way it felt. I hit the last note and sang the last lyric. A beat of silence and then applause. Loud, overwhelming. No one had ever applauded me, unless it was sarcastically, for anything in my life. I felt high on whatever this good feeling was. Eveline held me and kissed my hair and face. I hugged her thumb.

Travis suddenly placed his hands on the table, “Okay guys… I know we are all a little drunk…. But… hear me out…. I think we may have just found our lead singer and guitar player…. I mean, if you want, of course…” He looked at me. I froze.

“Woah, woah, what? You mean, have a pet headlining our band?” Dani looked at me, slack jawed.

“Dude, are you tripping right now?” Riley.

“Look, I know. It’s never been done before. Nobody has ever even thought it could be done before…. But it can…. It just did. We could be pioneers here…. Cmon, guys, he’s more talented than all of us put together and that was after just one night. He can pick up the music faster than anyone we know…. I mean, we need a replacement if we are going to finish this tour, don’t we? I don’t know… maybe this will blow up in our faces. Maybe we will get laughed offstage… but what if we don’t? You know… think about what that would mean for pets like him everywhere….” My blood was thrumming in my ears. I didn’t know wether to be exhilarated or terrified.

Everyone was staring at me, expecting a response. “I…. I…”

“Give him a chance to think about it?” Eveline’s calm voice reverberated over my head.

“Yes! Of course! We have to all agree anyway, and I don’t think I’ve convinced these two quite yet….. Penn, it was an absolute honor, sir…” Travis stuck a finger out for me to shake. A human calling me sir??? I never thought I’d live to see the day… I gripped his finger tightly.

“Thank you, for, for everything.” I meant it. He winked at me.

“Oh no! It’s time to go?? I don’t want to leave this perfect little face!!!” I found myself being held in a different woman’s hands, these adorned with bubblegum pink nails, my face scrunched between them. “Oh and here’s your hat back…” she handed it to me, I placed it on my head.

“Listen, little dude, rock the fuck on man, you’re amazing!” Riley offered me a fist bump which was pretty hilarious when I pressed my minuscule fist into his.

“It’s time for us to hit the road and get back to our hotel… but think about what I’ve said, won’t you Penn? Goodnight, Ev. Thanks for having us over… this was… better than I could’ve ever imagined.” And like that, they shuffled out the door into the frigid night and there was one human and one pet.

I turned back over my shoulder to look up at her. Her eyes were wet again. “Come here, let me hold you….” I did so, and she gathered me up, pressing her forehead against me, “You are an incredible little person…. I want you to know that. You are gifted. And I’m so glad that you’re here with me. I…. I’m so proud of you, my little cowboy….” I hugged the side of her face, relishing in the rush of blood I felt flowing through her temple. “I think it’s time for rest now, don’t you?” I nodded, exhausted by the day.

Before I knew it, we were ready for bed. I was in fresh new pajamas, no longer put to bed in the living room, but cradled in the hand of this amazing human, nestled in her chest just over her heart.

“Goodnight. Thank you so much for all you’ve done for me….” I whispered. No response. Her breathing was heavy, slow. She was already asleep. I was not long after her.

********************

When I awoke, the first thing I sensed was the tiny body balled up over my heart, his head cradled on the pad of my ring finger, his hand resting in the space between my fingers, his tiny, warm breath ebbing and flowing against the surface of my skin. This was absolutely precious.

I didn’t want to move for fear of waking this adorable little man. I laid there, stock still in the cool and cloudy haze of an overcast afternoon (of course we had slept away the whole morning) remembering all that had happened just last night. The incredible music, the bright spark of unfiltered joy that gleamed in his sweet little eyes. The way he watched and listened intently to the gigantic musicians around him before imitating their sound perfectly. The smell of beer, the peals of tipsy laughter. The way his little mess of curls felt on my lips as I lifted his hat. The thrum of his tiny heart, pounding against the flesh of my thumb as he held on to me, not out of fear now, but with a desire to just be close. The sound of his voice, his pretty little voice, as he sang. My whole body felt warm and light.

I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face, as I bit my lip, relishing in this wonderful feeling. Then, I felt the tiniest squeeze on my finger, as a little hand tightened and relaxed its grip. I felt his hair rustle against the fabric of my shirt as he slowly stretched awake. My sweet little guy.

Then I felt his warm, groggy eyes on me, staring up, a smile on his lips. “Hi…” I whispered. “Hi….” He breathed back, as he rolled onto his stomach, propping his head up on his elbows. I stroked between his shoulders and down the length of his back with my fingers.

“How are we this morning?” I loved tracing his spine, his ribs, his muscles.

“Mmmm sleepy again, now that you’re massaging me….” He yawned, rubbing his tired eyes.

“Awww, poor boy. I’m glad my touching you is finally relaxing…. You did not like me being anywhere near you just a few days ago….”

He rested his head back down on the surface of my skin, “Mmm…. Well, you manipulated me by buying my affection and tempting me with fame and fortune through your friends…. So… I think, really, I’m just a poor, innocent victim of your evil charms and tricks!” He had raised his head to look at me now, smirking at his own joke.

“Oh yeah, you’ve found me out… I’m truly the master manipulator here…. Guilty as charged!” I heard a little grunt escape his lips as he shuffled around again, “You okay?” He nodded.

“So. Sore. Especially after everything last night…. Kinda pushed myself….” He flopped onto his back, wincing.

“Poor darling…. Come here…” I slowly sat up to a seated position, picking him up gently and laying him flat in my hand. “Well, today you don’t have to lift a finger if you don’t want to…. You need to rest to heal up.”

He smiled up at me, “Oh yeah? You trying to fatten me up so you can eat me? I still won’t be much more than an appetizer….”

“But even still, I bet you’d taste delicious!” I snapped my teeth at him, and bit into his shirt, holding it in my teeth. He jumped when I did this. But then, as we stared at each other, my nose millimeters from his body, my breath cascading over him, I suddenly felt embarrassed, I could practically feel his pounding heart on the tip of my nose. The way he looked at me, face flushed, eyes wide… I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I dropped his shirt from my mouth. “Woah, hey, didn’t mean to scare you…. You okay, little one?” He squirmed on my hand, avoiding my eyes.

He cleared his throat, “Uh… I’m… it’s fine, I’m okay. S-sorry…” I carried him with me to the living room, plopping him down on the couch, on top of one of the pillows. I leaned down, brushing his hair with my thumb, “You need anything, while I go make breakfast?” I was so delighted when he leaned into my touch. He was joking with me, cuddling me… this was a far cry from his quaking and calling me ma’am just a little while ago.

“The guitar, please?” Sweet boy. I set him up with the instrument and left my phone beside him with the app.

I leaned down and kissed his hair, before surprising him with the tiny hat in my hand, plopping it on his head. “There you go, now you’re ready! I’ll see ya in a few.”

***********

I watched her recede into the kitchen, adjusting the hat to fit properly. How had I gotten so lucky? In just a few days my life had transformed from a hellish nightmare I felt certain I’d never wake up from to this quaint and lovely little slice of heaven, I felt certain I didn’t deserve. I could hear the clinking and rattle of pots and utensils and a gas stove clicking on in the far off distance. Was this even possible? To be taken care of like this? I shook my head in disbelief, no answers to the thousands of questions rising to the surface of my mind.

I looked about myself, this massive room where my life had changed twice in the matter of two days. I could hear the echo of the music we had made the night before. I cast my gaze down to the instrument in front of me, a marvel in its craftsmanship. A tiny replica of Travis’ own guitar, it was a deep, almost black, brown with highlights of cherry when turned to the light. It had black trim and two holes in the body curling like filigree. I placed my fingers on the strings that didn't actually serve their purpose, and started to play around with sounds and melodies, discovering the possibilities of this instrument as I went.

My heart pumped blood faster through my head and chest as the thrill of making music ignited that spark I’d felt for the first time last night. I thought about Travis’ drunken proposal, and a wave of excitement (or alarm?) crashed through me. Did he really mean what he’d said? Would he recall he’d even said it? Was it even within the realm of possibility for a tiny, useless scrap of nothing like me to dream of such things? I swallowed hard, struggling to process all of this.

That’s when she reappeared, carrying a plate with her. I snapped out of it as she approached, delicious smells emanating from her direction. She sat before me on the floor, placing the plate on the seat beside me. My mouth watered looking at the eggs, yogurt, bacon and fresh muffin piled on the white ceramic. I clamored down, stiffly, from the pillow and kneeled before the lip of the plate. I think my eagerness to eat was funny to her because she chuckled, rubbing my back with her fingers. “Someone’s excited! Here, hungry boy, don’t bite me please!” I felt my face go hot as she pinched some of the muffin in her fingers and offered it to me. Had I done something wrong? Should I have waited to be told I could eat? Was she going to pull back the food as soon as I reached for it?

I was stuck, wary and confused. Starvation had always been a tactic my former owner had used to keep me well behaved and just to entertain herself by teasing me and watching me suffer. I shivered, remembering that for all the good I had found in my new home, I was still at the mercy of the giant people around me. They decided if I ate, drank or slept. They could make me do anything they wanted me to with an easy flick of their wrist. I depended on them for everything.

Eveline, even she, with her kind, compassionate eyes, soft touch and soothing voice, even she could decide to punish me if she got angry, and it would be hardly any effort on her part to do so: a flick of her fingers against my skull, one finger pressed against my chest, a morsel of food held just millimeters away from my pathetic reach…. I shuddered. Even she held my whole world when she picked me up inside her hand. She had the power to decide every detail of my existence and wether I deserved to keep breathing.

I hated, deeply, profoundly hated the fact that this was so. That I had no power in this life, as a tiny little living toy for people to pass their time with. I envied the dogs with their lolling tongues and stupid eyes, the cats, mice, fish, snakes and any other animal that humans took into their homes and kept for their own entertainment. Those poor, stupid creatures didn’t know any better. They weren’t aware. They couldn’t have an existential crisis realizing the futility of their own tiny, meaningless existence, like I could.

[queer-things-and-stuff]

Travis fawning over how cute his wife is is the cutest thing ever I’ll never get tired of it…