#i'm an awkward potato so I don't usually start conversations

[seventeenpins]

bad girl

pairing: joel miller x f!reader

word count: 4.1k

summary: you're staying in your hometown for a couple of months with your mom and relatively new stepdad. he walks in on you masturbating, and is surprised at the sort of porn you've been watching. no outbreak. very smutty. 18+

warnings: ooh god where to begin??, reader is kind of a detached menace but in a fun way?, masturbation, porn watching, infidelity, choking, pussy slapping, pussy eating, unsafe piv, dirty talk, big dick, daddy kink, bit of breeding kink, age difference (unspecified, but reader is late 20s, joel mid-40s or whatever you like really), begging, slight dom/sub vibes, readers mum is a ho, somewhat degrading language (probably other warnings????)

a/n: honestly don't know what happened here. one minute i was working on what i intended to be a lil daddy kink drabble and then it turned into a whole other beast. also--i'm a recently out nb person but feel most of my writing has focused on fem readers. any nbs out there who'd want smut more tailored to us??? doesn't come up in this fic, but in my heart joel miller is bisexual and would make for some gr8 gender play ahhhh

you had only met your stepdad twice before he married your mom, and only a couple of times since, and you could never quite get a read on him. he seemed quiet and gruff. upsettingly hot with his salt and pepper hair, and his biceps, and his little bit of tummy, but seemingly entirely unattainable (how your mom pulled him, you'll never know). your mom didn't have the greatest track record as far as not cheating on her husbands, and you didn't know how much or how little he knew about her past, but you were incredibly curious how long this one'd last.

he's polite. enigmatic. a man of few words. he had two kids, who you hadn't actually met yet, but they were a few years younger than you and away at college--one daughter from a previous marriage, the other adopted when he was a single dad.

you'd only been staying here for a couple of weeks, usually only home for two months out of the year to do some freelance work and catch up with friends, but since your mom got remarried (again) you're adjusting to the new dynamic. you didn't have the best relationship with your mom, but you didn't argue. didn't fight. didn't have enough interest or passion to try and make her angry. you had a mutual understanding--you'd stay here for a couple months of the year, rent-free, and you wouldn't get into it with her about how her four husbands and a dozen boyfriends in between them in the nearly thirty years you'd been alive had simply made you impassive towards most men, knowing they'd never be able to stick around, and instead you took what you wanted and then ditched them before they could ditch you. to say you had daddy issues was just the tip of the iceberg.

there's only been one family dinner night since you've been back, but calling it awkward was an understatement. you were sat in almost total silence, as your mom scrolls on her phone and joel scoops up some mashed potatoes and slaps them onto his plate.

"so, uh-," he begins, clearly not sure how to start a conversation, "how's your work been going? guessing it's pretty slow these months since you're able to take the time away? your freelance stuff going well?"

"sure," you agree, "it does get slow this time of year. freelance has been good. got a couple of projects i'm enjoying working on."

there's another silence.

"your momma said you'd been dating someone you met at your work? how's that been going?"

you laughed, thinking back to one of the only guys you'd mentioned to your mother, less out of a closeness to him and more because you wanted your mom to get off your case, "honestly, that ended a while ago. he was a pretty terrible lay."

joel clearly wasn't expecting that, and you smirked at him as he choked on the beer he was sipping, coughing and trying to cover up any spittle. your mom gently pats him on the back, still staring at her phone, not even listening. typical.

not sure how to follow this up, joel just shrugs and puts on a stoic face. "sorry to hear about that, sweetheart. what a shame."

you'd be lying if you said that didn't make your heart flutter just a little.

you've attuned to the general framework of home again. you've noticed a few other things, too. first, your stepdad seems to be taking a whole lot of evening shifts. second, your mom seems to be out when he's out, too, but always manages to slip in just before he gets home. finally, if there's one thing you know about joel, it's that if he's working an evening shift, you can pretty much guarantee that he's gonna be at least an hour later coming home than he says he'll be. more often than not, two. you've been here for sixteen days, and in the eleven days he's worked late, he's been late late. and this morning, joel said he wouldn't be home till at least 9pm.

it's only 5pm, so you think absolutely nothing of it when you pull up your favorite porn site, careless about keeping your bedroom door closed.

sometimes it takes you a long time to decide on what porn to watch. sometimes you want the release, and just need something that'll get you there quick. and then there are some days where you know exactly what you want. you know exactly how you want it, and you know just where to find it.

you've got an incognito browser up as you scroll through the page till you find the section you're looking for. click open a couple of videos in separate tabs. skip the ads.

place the laptop beside you, choose one to start with, and watch as the scene unfolds.

you need this. it's only been a couple of weeks since you've gotten laid, but you and your most recent fuck buddy have more or less broken up and you are extraordinarily horny, with no outlet besides your hand (and, technically, your trusty magic wand, but you forgot to bring your charging cable and she's only got so much life in her).

you focus on the scene, slowly dragging your fingers along your pussy lips, your other hand pinching and twisting at a nipple. you listen to the moans on screen as you tease yourself, dipping a finger into your tight, wet heat, and then adding another. the friction begins to build, and the pressure you're putting on your clit is just right.

"fuck", you let out a breathless moan as you start finger fucking yourself in earnest. your hips are stuttering and you feel it building so deliciously and you absolutely don't hear the knock on your door and the slight clear of a throat.

and then you register it, a couple of moments later.

you look up from your laptop screen and towards your door and you see your stepdad, cup of coffee in hand, and he's staring at you with an expression you can't parse, one eyebrow raised.

you buffer, taking a moment more for you to react to him, and you manage it in the worst possible way.

"fuck!!" you shout, slamming the laptop shut and practically flinging it away from you, pulling your hand from under the sheets and not-so-subtly wiping your slick on your duvet, and pulling your top back down over your tits. it's all done in a split second, and it was neither low-key nor quiet. you know your face is growing more flushed by the moment, and you can swear joel is actually smirking.

you stare each other down before you finally speak, "what are you doing home so early?"

"i live here," joel shrugs, takes a sip of the coffee, and then realises he might sound like a bit of a dick. "just- uh. just found out some... shitty news. decided to take the day off."

you almost forget the situation, quick to voice your worry--"are you okay joel? what's going on?"

he snorts. opens his mouth and closes it, as if he's decided better of it, and then opens it again. "just found out your mom's been stepping out on me. well. thought it was true for a while, but my brother just saw her with some guy. guess that's all the confirmation i need." he laughs, wryly, and his smile is dangerous.

"well shit," you say. it doesn't surprise you in the least, but you're not sure if it'd be better or worse to acknowledge that, and then you immediately remember your newest stepfather just caught you masturbating and you're deeply self conscious again.

"i'm really sorry, joel, but you've clearly-" you clear your throat, "caught me at a bad time. is there something i can help you with?"

he looks you up and down for a moment, and you can swear he's looking at your mouth for a second longer than you'd expect.

"well," he says, "i'd come up to see if you wanted anything for dinner. i was gonna order takeout."

there's a long pause.

"but now i'm curious about what i interrupted."

your eyes widen.

"let me see your computer. i wanna know what you were watching that you're so embarrassed of."

you immediately grab your laptop close to you and shake your head. this is something joel cannot see. "absolutely fuckin not," you tell him, and his smile gets sharper.

"i wasn't askin', sweetheart."

there's something dangerous about him now, and even though it frightens you, it's somehow exciting, too. commanding. persuasive.

he puts his mug down, and you barely think about what you're doing when you hand him the laptop, type in the password, and turn it around towards him.

you can't bare to look at the screen at the same time as him. it's fucked up and weird and he'd have every reason to avoid you forever after this, but there's a small (but persuasive) part of you that's telling you that this is a line he's willingly crossing, and there's a charge beneath it, and maybe you could get from him exactly what you want.

you study his face as he scrolls down the page. you hear him click, but no sound starts playing--he must be looking at the other tabs.

his eyes widen, and you can hear your heartbeat pounding as you watch his face.

you want him to say something. you need him to say something.

he hits play on one of the videos and the room is immediately fills with the sounds of slick flesh and moans and cries of "oh, daddy, oh daddy please--"

it's only then that he looks at you.

"well aren't you a filthy girl, hmm?" joel ridicules, "and don't think i don't notice the trend with these little videos of yours."

it's humiliating. you almost expect to die out of embarrassment right on the spot.

"look at some of these titles," joel continues, "stepdaughter gets fingerfucked by stepdaddy, stepdaughter's pussy pumped with daddy's cum ASMR, jesus christ girl-" he laughs, incredulous, "letting my stepdaddy breed my little hole".

joel's staring you down and you still haven't said anything, and that just won't do.

"these the usual kinda thing you like to touch yourself to? or is this a new subject now that you're home, spending time around your stepdaddy?"

"i-" you start, "i don't know, i-"

it's not an act, you're pretty fuckin frazzled, practically cocooning yourself in your covers and you shrink back in shame, and this seems to amuse joel to no end

"how's this, sweet girl," he says, and you realise he's been getting closer and closer to you and now he's seated only inches from your bare legs and pussy, still covered up with your blankets, "you tell me to stop, and i'll leave this room right now and close the door and we can pretend i never saw anything here-"

"no!" you cry out, and then slap a hand over your mouth, eyes wide at yourself while joel starts to chuckle.

"or," he continues, "you can let your stepdaddy make you feel real good."

"yes-" you cry, and not a moment later, the blankets are being pulled back and he's stroking two thick fingers along your cunt.

"there's a good girl," he says, and actually groans as he dips into you, collecting your slick, "so fucking wet for me. it is me you've been thinking about, ain't it?" he asks.

"yes joel," you say, because it's the fucking truth. you've been thinking about him nonstop for a while now, thinking about how his muscled arms look in those stupid threadbare t-shirts, thinking about the sigh he makes when he's had his first sip of a cold beer, thinking about the silver of his hair, the brown of his eyes, and the mere idea of what his cock might taste like. "i've wanted you to fuck me since i first met you."

he lets out a fuckin growl and presses his fingers into you. "such a cute little pussy, already dripping for me, huh?" he moans, and it's two digits pressing into you, but you've been working yourself up for a little while now and you're already swollen and wet and they slip right in. he finger fucks you for a moment before turning back to the laptop.

"which one's your favorite?" he nods at your screen, "which one do you watch and wish it was happening to you?"

you swallow and click back to another tab.

"letting my stepdaddy breed my little hole?", he snorts, "you really are a dirty girl, aren't you? get up off the bed." he commands.

you obey, standing up and kicking off the panties still around your ankles.

"and take that top off," he commands, and you do, pulling your top up over your tits and melting at the sound of his groan at seeing you bare for him.

he sits down on the bed with his legs spread, jeans still on. "you come sit here by daddy's lap," he says, and you do, sitting in between his thighs, inching back ever so slightly until you could feel his hard cock straining against his pants.

he runs his fingertips down your body, down your breasts and torso, dipping into your bellybutton, before drawing little circles on your hips.

'hit play," he says, and you grab the laptop next to you and resume the video.

he copies the video, rubbing one hand along your pussy and the other holding your thighs open.

"that's it," he coaxes, "keep those legs open for me, yeah?"

you're about to agree, when he starts stroking little circles around your already stimulated clit and the ability to speak leaves you. all you can do is focus on trying to keep your legs open, but your thighs are already almost quivering and he only chuckles.

"barely even touched you and you're already stupid."

you tried to nod and let out a sad whimper, tipping your head back and resting on his shoulder. he keeps his thumb pressed on your clit while he pumps his middle and index fingers in and out of you. it's so wonderfully, deliciously wrong. it feels addictive.

"you're doing so good, sweetheart, fucking on daddy's fingers like that," he praises, and it sends another spark of electricity building in your centre. encouraged, you start rocking your hips towards him, meeting each thrust of his fingers. "ready for another one?" he asks, and you nod vigorously.

he takes a moment to hold open your pussy and lean over you to look at it, stroking his fingertips along the outer lips, gathering some of your arousal, and prodding back your hood to get a little direct contact with your clit that leaves you writhing and gasping. he's smirking again, and presses a third finger into you. he curls them upwards, fucking the digits into you so nicely, and you enjoy the sensation as your arousal builds and builds and builds and-- as you come, you white out for just a moment, and as you come back into reality you can hear him speaking to you, "oh you're clenching so tight on my fingers, messy girl, look how you're dripping so nice down my fuckin' wrist. you're a nasty little slut, just like your momma huh? but i know you're gonna be a good girl for daddy, ain't ya?"

you continue to grind on his hand as his fingers stay buried in you, as you ride out the rest of your orgasm. only when you still does joel pull his fingers out of you.

as if hypnotised, he examines the arousal coating them. then, quick as anything, he pops his fingers in his mouth and sucks off your slick, immediately looking sheepish as though this was the only line he'd just crossed.

as quickly as he had become shy, he switched back to overt confidence. "y'just taste so good, sweetheart," he says, and then starts stroking your pussy again. "you're gonna let me have a proper taste, aren't you honey?"

you nod helplessly. it's so fucking good, it's too fucking good.

he scoots out from behind you and you buckle a little, toppling back onto the space he left. he's in front of you now and presses your thighs apart again, dropping to his knees on front of the bed's edge. he runs his tongue up your inner thigh, chuckling at your whimpers as he bites and nips at the sensitive skin. he takes a tentative lick, drawing his tongue towards your clit, circling it gently, and then dipping back before pulling off you for a moment.

"y'taste so fucking nice," he breathes, and his exhale on your slick pussy is exquisite. "i could just drink you up."

he presses the hood of your clit back once more, leaving his thumb there, applying perfect pressure as he flicks his tongue directly on that bundle of nerve endings and you feel like you're on fire.

"fuck, joel, yes-" you cry out, but he pulls back and shushes you.

"shhh," he says, "you don't call me joel right now, baby."

"i don't-?" you say, taken aback by the sudden lack of contact. then it clicks. "daddy-"

he smirks, "that's a good girl, sweetheart. wasn't too hard, now, was it?"

"no, daddy," you agree, and he's already diving back in, pressing his tongue into you in long strokes, letting you grind against his nose, his lips, the scratch of his cheeks, every movement he's making is so fucking perfect.

as he devours you, he presses his fingers into you again, and then you can't help yourself. you rut up on him, totally unable to practice anything resembling self restraint. in between strokes of his tongue, he pulls back and tells you, "i'm gonna need at least one more from you, baby, before you even get to think about sitting on this cock."

you let out a crazed whine, feeling joel's chuckle as he dives back in, eating your pussy like he was made to do only that.

he continues to build you up and up and without warning, you reach your peak again and come all over his face, your wet pussy drenching him and he closes his eyes and eats you through it like a man starved.

"fuck, baby," he says, "you taste so damn good, i could do that all day long."

you're splayed out, totally bare, the slick on your thighs cooling with the lack of contact. joel's looking you up and down, admiring your flushed body as he starts to undo his belt and drop his pants, your stomach flipping at the soft thunk of his belt hitting the floor.

you could feel, through his jeans, that his cock wasn't small, but you sure as fuck didn't anticipate just how thick and heavy it would hang between his wonderfully muscled thighs.

"you'd better get over here and fuck me, old man," you tease, and he snorts, before pulling you towards him by your ankles and landing a smack on your bare pussy.

"watch your manners, girl," he sneers.

"fuck!" you cry as you ride out the sensation, and he moves to slap you again, but your thighs are so slick his hand slips when he makes contact and accidentally presses you just right on your overstimulated clit, and to the surprise of both of you, you come again instantly.

he watches you, wide eyed, as you scream and your pussy clenches around nothing.

"you're just too easy, sweetheart," he laughs, "can't believe that little boyfriend of yours was such a bad lay when you're so goddamn easy. barely have to touch you and you're coming again and again for me."

"he'd just put it in, give it a couple thrusts, groan, and roll over," you snorted, loving the way joel's jaw clenches at your words, "besides, i prefer an older man."

"that's a damn shame, honey," he growls, "but i'm sure we can get ya taken care of."

you both realise at the same time that the video is still playing, as some particularly loud moans come through the speaker. you look over, and you swear you can see joel's eyes dilate as he watches.

that's a good girl, the man in the video croons, taking all of daddy's dick. wanna breed you full of me, fill you full of daddy's cum, you'd like that, huh?

you swallow and look back at joel. he looks ravenous.

"you love watching such dirty shit, don't you, baby?" joel asks, and starts teasingly rubbing your swollen clit again with his forefinger.

"yes daddy, please-" you agree, trying to chase the sensation, "please, i need your cock daddy, fill me up just like that-"

he lines himself up, notching the head of his thick cock at your entrance, and you're practically vibrating with need. it's not a want, it really is a need, if you don't have his cock right now you're probably gonna die and you need it you need it you need it so fucking badly

he laughs, and you realise you said all of that aloud, but you don't even have the capacity to feel truly shameful right now, you just need to feel him.

"c'mon, jo- daddy," you whine, "gotta feel you-"

"uh-uh, sweet thing," he chides, "i think you need to beg for it. you've got no manners, and knowing it's your momma who raised you it's pretty clear why, but you need to learn how to be a good girl. daddy's gonna teach you how to behave right here and now. got it?"

you let out a sharp exhale. "yes daddy."

"now beg."

two words shouldn't have such an ability to wreck you, but they do, and before you know it, you're rubbing your drooling pussy up against his cock head, rutting against him, begging and pleading-

"please, daddy, please fuck this wet pussy, you know how wrecked you've made me, turned me on so good, made me drip for you, made me come again and again on your fingers, i just wanna make you feel good, wanna take that cock, take everything you have to give, fuck me hard and fast and please, daddy, please--"

he cups your chin for just a moment, stroking a thumb along your jawline.

"that's better," he soothes, "what a good girl," and then he's slamming into you.

good fucking god he's huge, and you can swear you can feel every ridge, every vein, the swell of his shaft, the notch of his head, he's stretching you out deliciously.

you tilt your head back, leaving your throat bare, and let out a rough plea of, "choke me, daddy," and he doesn't need to be told twice, wrapping his hand around your neck and putting pressure in exactly the right spot. you can already feel the haziness building, and his thrusts keep coming fast and deep and you can feel the head of his cock brushing against your cervix.

"jesus christ, girl," he whines, and his thrusts start to falter a little, "you're gonna be the death of me. letting daddy use this nice little pussy just so he can feel good-"

his words begin to tip you over, and you know what you want-

"come inside me, daddy," you choke through the pressure around your throat, "fill me up, make yourself feel good, give it all to me-"

that does him in, and he lets out a strangled moan, coming inside you right as you come one last time, walls clenching tightly around his throbbing cock.

he releases your throat, and you both lay there for a minute, both totally fucked out.

after a minute, joel gingerly pulls out of you and lets out a weary groan.

"gonna be the death of me, woman," he snorts, and walks to your bathroom to clean himself up. he comes back a minute later with a cloth. you're expecting him to wipe you up, but first, he takes a moment to examine the cum that's dripping out of you.

"look so pretty like this, sweetheart," he smiles, presses his cum back into you, and then wipes down your slick thighs with the cloth.

"shit, joel-" you say, "who'd have thought you had that in you, old man?"

he rolls his eyes but he's still smiling, and then you sit together for a minute in comfortable silence. joel stands up after a while and grabs his coffee mug. takes a sip that you know must be cold by now, but he seems unbothered.

before he can leave, you stop him. "so-" you ask, "is this a one time thing, or?"

he shrugs, seemingly indifferent. "no reason i need to let your momma know what i know yet. and i reckon there's a lot more fun we can have before that happens."

you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding, and your shoulders relax.

"good." you say, and joel smiles.

"good," he repeats. "now, i know i've worked up quite an appetite and i'm guessing you might have, too. you pick the takeout, i'll go pick it up."

"thanks, joel." you smile, and you're already thinking of the next time as you scroll takeout options on your phone.

that's it. you're fucking addicted, and goddamn you can't wait for your next hit.

[the-kr8tor]

Hello! How are you??? I'm sorry in advance, I'm still figuring out how tumblr works.

There's a post by @undobutton that talks about an au where Hobie is a street musician. I think something Christmas themed would be really cute if you're interested in writing your own version. Totally up to you!

<3

I couldn't find their original post, special thanks to @undobutton, street musician au is credited to them. Thank you for requesting, lovely! Have a happy holidays 🫶

Pairing: Hobie Brown x gn! Reader/ Spider-Punk x gn! Reader

Tags: No use of Y/N, No specific physical description of the reader (except for their jacket), cw food mentions, some awkward flirting, Lovestruck! Hobie, FLUFF

ʕ⁠·⁠ᴥ⁠·⁠ʔ

When Hobie volunteered for F.E.A.S.T he never thought he'd be freezing his balls off in the middle of a busy intersection. The Santa coat he's wearing doesn't help much with the biting cold, good thing they let him wear his leather jacket underneath the red fluffy coat.

To his dismay, the red bucket to his side has stayed half empty since his shift.

The only consolation to the cold is you. Like clockwork, you come sauntering out of the busy crowd during the rush hour, your smile a beacon of warmth from the chill. You don't know him nor he knows you, but you always come to him with a greeting, always bearing gifts of hot cocoa, soup or a pastry to warm his senses. It's not just the treats you give him but also the welcome conversation. It started off with a polite ‘hello’ and ‘thank you for doing this’ and then you exchanged names, before he knew it, you two were chatting away like old friends. Now you're not strangers anymore, there's a blooming friendship that could be more if you two manage to thaw out the cold awkwardness of conversing in a public space.

The snow nips at his fingertips as he strums the familiar Christmas tune for the umpteenth time on his well loved guitar since he volunteered last week. Hobie kept repeating to himself throughout the jingle ‘for the kids, I'm doin’ this for the kids’ he huffs, puffs of clouds escaping as a wave of pedestrians passes him by without donating.

As if you've sensed his emotions, you come walking out from the subway, your fluffy red coat almost matching Hobie's, and a stark contrast to the rushing crowd's greys and white. The people seem to part just for you, like the sea making way for you to cross. Or maybe that's what he's seeing as your straight face turns into a grin as you spot him in his usual place.

“Hi, Hobie” you're suddenly right in front of him, Hobie suddenly feels warmer. Peeking down at his bucket of donations, you wince. “Not a good day?”

He shakes himself awake. “Better now that you're here”

“Where in the world do you get your charm in this weather?” you feel warm, your hands are suddenly sweaty under your gloves.

“It just comes naturally.” He shrugs, his smirk turning you into mashed potato. “Nice jacket”

You laugh, a better sound than the loud honking of traffic he's been attacked with throughout his shift.

“Yeah, well it's almost Christmas so I gotta stay festive, you know” you lift your arms to the side a little bit awkwardly. After mentally facepalming yourself, you take your wallet out to take a crisp bill to put in the donation bucket.

“Thank you, F.E.A.S.T appreciates your donation” Hobie does his practice script, but for you there's more heart put into it.

“Also, I wanted to dress up like my new favourite person” you say a little quieter, bouncing on the balls of your feet nervously.

“Santa’s your favourite bloke?” Hobie looks like he's questioning your taste.

You blink before you let out the most glorious sound he's heard all day. “Yeah, Santa’s my favourite guy” you say sarcastically, “I mean just look at him and his magnificent white beard” laughing, Hobie’s eyes widened.

You're flirting with him, shit, he thought, wanting to punch himself for his stupid reply. Composing himself with a clear of his throat, hiding it behind a chuckle, Hobie puts his charisma to work.

“Well, Your new favourite bloke has a present for you”

“What is it?” Your face hurts from smiling too much, yet it doesn't waver.

“As our biggest benefactor, you get to spend a day with Santa himself at Feast” Maybe that wasn't his best work, but can you blame him when you're looking at him like a child during Christmas morning? He puts all the blame on the cold for making his brain all foggy.

“Only if you want to that is” Hobie tries to save himself the embarrassment.

His awkward way of asking you out made you all the more fancy him, you're a goner. “I would love to, Hobie” you're sweating under all your layers.

He feels like his chest was caving in and your answer was the only thing that could hold it up. Hobie beams, a little too excited to exchange numbers with you.

In truth, you know there isn't some prize for the biggest donation, you weren't even close to the largest benefactor. Maybe that'll be a nice ice breaker for you when you finally go on a date with Santa.

[dollywheeler]

October 2nd, 1996

Dear diary,

Apparently, mom has run out of things to clean and is in instead coping with her nerves by continuing to sort through the stuff in the basement. She said she'd noticed some things while we'd been clearing space that she thought Mike might want back. It's already waiting by the door, as if she wants to make sure she doesn't forget - as if she only has one chance to give it to them. I almost tripped over the box when I rushed into the house to change and shower before coming here.

I don't think I'm nervous about it anymore. Sure, I'm worried about Mike and mom interacting - I have no idea what to expect from that. The theater had already been awkward enough that was only a conversation of about five minutes. Now they'll be spending the entire evening together. Hell, do they even know how to cook? Mike's letter said he could, but I just assumed he meant being able to boil potatoes and cook sausages to an acceptable degree.

It's going to be weird seeing him host.

The first time with Nancy had been weird like that too, seeing mom be the guest for once instead of the one in charge. Except, Nancy had been happy to let mom help, recognising mom's instinct to take care of her children. I doubt Mike will let her even step foot in the kitchen. Mike has always been stubborn like that.

I think he's caught on to me and Daniel - I mean, obviously he should have seen us at the dance, but he disappeared for a huge chunk of the night so I thought he'd missed most of the slow dancing. By the time I noticed him and Will return, the night was almost over and everyone was making the most of dancing with all their friends one last time. Still, he has this knowing look on his face when he watches us now, like he's sizing Daniel up. If he dares give his opinion though I might strangle him. So far he hasn't said anything, but he's generally been really good at being professional at school.

He doesn't go out of his way to talk to me unless I approach him first - which I only did to ask more details about Friday. Maybe I'm starting to look forward to it. Just a little bit. I just want to know what their house looks like from the inside, and even though it's going to be awkward talking about what they've been up to the last eight years, I can't help but be curious what life has been like for them outside of Hawkins.

The Stevenson's hallway light just started flickering, so I had to grab a chair and screw the bulb in tighter. Luckily that seems to have done the trick.

I hate when lights do that; it always sends chills down my spine. It's funny because I know it's nothing, it's literally just a faulty bulb, and yet I'm bothered by it. Sandy would joke it's because it wreaks havoc on my sense of perfection, which honestly might be the case. Blaming that one nightmare would make more sense, except nothing about that dream had been all that frightening. I think about it often, so even if it had been scary at one point, it's just a cool curiosity to me now, a weird association my brain makes; table lamp -> weird dream I had when I should have been too young to remember.

Speaking of; I handed in my final assignment for Will's class but I don't know if Will liked it. I mean, I think it's as well as I could have made it - even though the details on the wallpaper are lacking - but he always gets this weirdly pinched expression when he looks at it. Usually I would assume it was disappointment, like he'd hoped I would have done better, but even I'm proud of my drawing so I doubt that's the case. We'll see when I get the grade back.

Anyway, I'm going to get back to practicing guitar. I got distracted playing - or at least attempting to - 4 Non Blondes before, but I should get back to Where's My Mind? so that I can at least play one full song before jumping onto other things.

Love, Holly

[wendynoire]

Abomination Jail (part 1)

"It's over." Amity laughed as she whispered to Luz.

This was the first time Luz had been the one who was lifted into the air. Luz always got there first, picking Amity up and twirling her. It was a little odd that Luz didn't get their first again, but Amity didn't have much time to think about it before Luz had been taken by Camilla.

Clearly that's where Luz got her habit of twirling Amity from. Camilla made it look easy to pick up Luz.

It was obvious that Eda was unsure of the kind of welcoming she would get from Camilla as she and King held their hands out to greet the woman. It was a fair worry. While they had taken Luz in, cared for her, and protected her while she lived in the Boiling Isles, but they could hardly be called good influences.

"It's crazy to think Luz died, right?" King's voice was loud as silence fell over the room, Luz disappearing from Camilla's arms.

"What?" Camilla asked, blinking rapidly.

"Uh, I probably shouldn't have said anything." King noticed the sudden tenseness in the room.

"Luz Noceda." Camilla turned to the teen who was trying to sneak her way outside.

"Luz, what the hell!?" Amity yelled.

"Oh, uh, hi Mama, Amity... Sweet potato? Batata?" Luz jumped as she was caught taking a step back with each failed attempt to get the two women to calm down.

Seeing that it wasn't working, Luz let out a small, awkward laugh, before running for the door, having to stop when Collector blocked it, hands behind their back.

"What's... Going on?" Collector asked as Luz was enclosed in an abomination shaped like a cage.

The cage had a thick base and legs, which were used to walk the caged Luz back to Camilla and Amity. Inside the cage Luz was sat on an armchair that looked very soft, both the chair and floor sinking a little under her.

"Luz is in trouble because she died." Lilith didn't necessarily agree with placing Luz in abomination jail, but if that was the way to stop her from running away from the conversation then that's what it took.

"Is that something you usually get in trouble for?" Collector walked over to Lilith and giving her Hooty, who had decided to grow eyelashes during his time as a doll.

"It is when you promised to be safe." Camilla looked down at Luz sternly.

"And when you don't even say anything." Amity added, her own glare angry.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to die, but we were explaining the importance of kindness and forgiveness, so he was trying to befriend Belos after he had started taking over the Titan. Then I met King's dad and he brought me back with his power." Luz got off the arm chair and knelt at the edge in front of her mother and awesome girlfriend.

"She did look great as a part Titan." Eda nodded, titan Luz was reminiscent of her own harpy form.

"You were part titan!?" Camilla and Amity demanded of Luz in unison.

"Are you okay? Are there permanent side effects? Are there any non-permanent side effects? Are you in any pain? Is this going to affect anything?" Camilla showered Luz with questions.

"I... Don't know?" Luz shrugged. "If I didn't accept the powers then I wouldn't have been able to defeat Belos and we'd all be dead."

"Sit. Down." Camilla was not someone to be tried when she used that tone.

Luz quietly sat back down in the armchair.

"What did you even look like in Titan form?" Amity crossed her arms, though it was obvious that she was trying to hide her excitement.

"Oh!" Collector raised his hand excitedly. "I can show you! I can make the photos like Luz had of her adventures before!"

With a click of their fingers the Collector was holding many different pictures of Luz in her titan form. Unlike the pictures Luz had, these were 3d models in the 2d picture, allowing the person looking at it to see many different angles.

Amity's face went very pink as she saw the picture, quickly stashing it away to keep forever. How had she managed to get the Luz as a girlfriend?

"Can I see?" Luz asked meekly from inside the cage.

"No, take it as an extra punishment." Camilla said, also putting it away. It was a very good quality, and she knew Luz should eventually see it.

"Aren't we not supposed to force people to do things?" Collector leaned in to Luz, somehow in the cage with her.

"Yeah, but Mama can tell me what to do because she's my mother. Amity can tell me what to do a little because she's my girlfriend." Luz yawned, dying then removing an overly old white guy from the heart of the Titan was tiring.

"So parents don't have to show kindness and forgiveness?" Collector was trying to understand. "And girlfriends need to only sometimes?"

"No, but they're not going to keep me here for long enough to be harmful, and Mama has a duty to look after me, which means she makes some decisions for me." Luz rubbed between her eyes, she was really tired.

"Why is Luz in abomination jail?" Willow peered in to the Owl House, Eda having backed off from the situation with Luz to lie back down with Raine.

"Because she died." Amity was looking angrily at Luz as the Collector left the cage.

"Luz is dead!?" Gus pushed between Willow and Hunter to get in, stopping when he saw Luz in the cage.

"Nope, I am alive. Belos killed me, but King's dad gave me his power and I came back. Almost actually died twice before I came back though." Luz tried to reassure her friends.

"Hold up, kid." Eda got up again, hand on her hip as she too looked down at the teen. "I didn't know about that."

"I don't really understand what happened, just that it did. Look, I'm really tired, can we do this tomorrow?" Luz shook her head.

It was the portal realm that she was in, she was sure of it, she had seen King's dad when they were coming back to the Boiling Isles, and the same floating cubes she used to save Vee and talk to her mum were there. If she was asked to explain how that realm worked, why sometimes she sank and other times there was something solid to stand on she really wouldn't be able to.

"Alright, who's mine? Luz, Hunter, with me." Camilla called for Hunter to come, Luz obviously very limited in her ability to control where she went.

"Do we have a way home?" Luz was the one who had destroyed the original portal, the one they used to go home was falling apart when they used it, and the one they used to get to the Boiling Isles this time was closed.

"I'll make you one!" The Collector gleefully announced, Hunter walking over to Luz. He didn't look great.

"Please don't die." Hunter honestly sounded weak as he asked. "I already lost Flapjack, I don't want to lose you too."

"Hey," Luz grinned, reaching a hand out to take his. "I'm not planning on going anywhere, you're stuck with me."

"We'll be holding you to that." Gus grinned at her.

"When are you planning to let her out?" Willow nudged Amity with her shoulder, pointing to the cage.

"I'll change it tomorrow, but she'll stay in there and let us do everything until she has to go back to class. She died, she's not going to get hurt again any time soon." Amity looked away from Luz, blinking rather intensely.

"She's your girlfriend, you're allowed to cry." Willow moved a little closer. "But you are going to have to let her out alone eventually."

"She died Willow! Let me protect her, at least for a month." Amity furiously wiped away her tears.

"As long as Luz is okay with your protection." Willow walked back over to Hunter.

"Hunter, you lot are exhausted and, respectfully, you look like shit. We're going home, and you're going to sleep." Darius walked into the Owl House like he owned the place. It was obvious he had spent the whole time as a doll as his cloak was still perfect, not having been involved in any battle.

"Who are you?" Camilla looked the witch up and down.

"Camilla, this is Darius. He is, uh, was the head of the abomination coven. Camilla is Luz's mother, we stayed with her in the human realm." Hunter introduced the two with a shaky smile.

"That's nice," Camilla didn't seem to care who Darius was. "Come along Hunter, we're going home. Amity, do you want to come?"

"I'll just drop off Luz, I haven't seen dad, Ed, or Em much." Amity brushed under her eyes as she smiled at Camilla.

"Why would Hunter come with you?" Darius put a hand on Hunter's shoulders.

"Because he's my child now." Camilla pulled Hunter towards her.

"And who decided that?" Darius pulled Hunter back towards him.

"How about we don't play tug of war with Hunter?" Luz called from the cage, Willow gently pulling Hunter out of the grip of the two adults.

"Tell me," Camilla scoffed, "has Hunter ever even been to your house?"

"We all live in the Emperor's castle, so-"

"Oh, you mean the place that's been completely destroyed? Even more reason for him not to stay with you." Camilla grabbed the handle of Collector's door.

"So why aren't you offering your house for anyone else?" Darius asked.

"The others are welcome to come, but they miss their families. Hunter is our family." Camilla opened the door to reveal the inside of the house the teens hung out in while in the human realm.

[shelby-love]

MATT CASEY

Ex-military

Requested: yes (by anonymous)

Prompts: none

Warning(s): none

Word count: 1.1K

Author’s note: Wrote this in one go and I feel like its absolute RUBBISH! Sorry for the long wait hopefully it’s okay. I’d give it a 6 out of 10 just for the lack of adjectives!

p.s Don't make fun of me my friends I tried really hard to make this disarming thing seem legit! You can obviously tell I’m not cop material lmaoo.

Requests for One Chicago are closed! Click here to see for which shows/movies the requests are open!

~

"How on earth did he even manage to get there?" you mumble, drilling into the suspect with your eyes. The only thing that was currently keeping him from dropping 100 feet to his death were the ropes and the firefighter next to him that was making sure he got down as graciously as possible. Even though he did not deserve it whatsoever.

Wallace Boden glanced back at you, pulling his hands into the air. "Don't ask me officer."

You shook your head with a sigh, clutching the ends of your vest tighter with your hands if that was even possible. Your eyes came together as you squinted them to look past the sun, wanting now more than ever to have a pair of sunglasses on your face. Your partner, Jay Halstead, was leaning against a black SUV, arms crossed over his chest and a pair of sunglasses on his handsome face. He watched the scene unfold before him and unlike you, the sun didn’t seem to faze him.

The street has been closed off, as expected in a case like this one. The unit had come heavily prepared 10 minutes ago, only to find the suspect hanging from a broken window being held up by nothing but his own pants. But he did look surprisingly peaceful as the Captain of truck 81 carried him down to the ground.

Creating order was your job and so you stepped outside the human shield of officers to help the Captain. "I'm here to take him off your shoulders, Cap."

Matt visibly smiled, chucking the man in front of him to take off his ropes. "By all means detective."

The next few seconds passed in a blur, barely even giving you time to assess the situation properly. Somehow somewhere, a gun was pulled out in the man's quick haste to escape. Pointing it to the unarmed Captain was his shot out of there.

Or so he thought.

It wasn't that you were thinking, more so that the amount of experience you had was what kicked in and brought you to action. The speed with which you had jumped in with to disarm the man only came from familiarity, and not from the rank. You grabbed the slide of the gun, clutching it tightly and obstructing the slide from cycling into a shot. The peacefulness he had carried with him was now long gone as he started to trash around, attempting to remove your grip and have full control of the gun again.

You didn't have it and instead pulled your elbow into his face until you heard, rather than felt, a sickening snap of bones. Your leg flew in right after, sending him hurling to the ground.

With the gun now in your possession, you allowed yourself to breathe. Tossing the gun from one hand to another like it was a toy, you turned to the stunned Captain. With a swift move of your hand, the magazine flew out and the gun was officially rendered useless.

"You aright, Cap?" You asked with a smirk, glancing at his chest that was raising and falling rapidly as puffs of air escaped his lugs.

Matt gave you a thumbs up, letting out the last panicked breath. "I don't know how you guys deal with this every day. You-"

"I have experience. But it was still a risky thing for me to do, I apologize."

Matt's eyes widened, "No, no it's alright. You definitely looked like you knew what you were doing."

You smiled, flattered in a way. "The military does that to you."

By now, the man was swarmed with detectives, and you didn't feel the need to interject, instead choosing the moment to walk the Captain to his truck. "You were in the military?"

"Mhmm," you mused, “That's where I learned how to do that."

You didn't even really know what name to call your little stunt. "Although I'm not anymore…in the military. Obviously. I mean, I -"

A heavy silence settled over you when you finally decided to stop rambling, thicker than the one surrounding the mass of police.

You felt incredibly awkward at that moment. Never knowing how to start a conversation with men, especially ones as handsome as Matt wasn't fairly uncommon for you. You scratched the back of your neck awkwardly, showing him just how real you were without even knowing it.

People whistled when they saw what you did, expected you to be bold and confident because of it.

You weren't.

It intrigued him, and so he smiled, showing you his gleaming teeth. "Well, I think what you did back there was mind-blowing."

"Really? You really think so?"

Somehow getting a compliment from him was more than enough. Not even Voight's words will fill you up with pride like Matt's did just now. For whatever reason unfamiliar to you.

"I guess I owe you now," said Matt suddenly. Just as you were about to shake your head dismissively did, he stopped in his tracks, making you do the same too. "How about I return the favor with a drink?"

You pretended to think about it for a second, your toes curling in your combat boots as you did so, "Yeah sure. I'd like that."

The two of you exchanged details, scheduling your meet to be the following Saturday at Molly's.

You joined your unit with a skip in your steps and heart that was threatening to jump out. "What's with the smile?"

It was Jay who sneakily joined you by the car, looking at you with a knowing gaze in his blue eyes. The sunglasses hung on his dark red shirt, now forgotten due to the shade from the building. "I have a date!"

"With whom?" He asked, eyes just a bit wider than usual.

"Captain Casey."

Jay wiggled his eyebrows at, whistling proudly and bringing out his fist for you. You placed your own fist against his victoriously. "Atta girl."

"I know right?" You agreed dreamily, "All because I risked my life to get that gun away from him."

"I don't wanna be that person," Kevin Atwater came up to you with a frown, "But I think being ex-military has something to with all this."

"What do you mean?" You asked him.

"Oh, you know what I mean."

Kevin turned on his heels and stalked away after that, leaving you dazed and confused. "I seriously don't. What's he on about?"

Jay chuckled, slapping your shoulder teasingly. "Atwater thinks being ex-military helps you get noticed."

"Does it?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

Realization shook you a little to late. Jay had already walked away by the time it happened, although his broad shoulders were still very much visibly to you. You glared at them and exclaimed after him, "There was chemistry before I did anything! I felt it!"

You did feel it, and so did the captain.

MASTERLIST

~

Here is the link to my tag list masterpost! If you want to be added to one of my existing tag lists (or perhaps new ones) let me know! :)

Tags (general): @fofisstilinski @short-potato @miranda0102  @httphiddlestan @caromichaela @xx-missunicorn-xx @jemmakates @theravenclawmarauder @httphiddlestan @tclaerh @chefdoeuvre @abimoon @sofiasamps @princxss-fia @thirstykpophoe ; (One Chicago): @lorenakaspersen ; (Chicago P.D.): @scarletsoldierrr​

[jung-snoopy-woo]

How I Met Your Grandfather

~Chapter 8~

(Gif Credit: @huiracha​ via tumblr, your gifs are super cute!! Please let me know if it’s not okay to use them 🙏🙏)

Other Chapters: Masterlist | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | Seventh | ninth (coming soon!!)

Pairing: Bang Chan × Fem! Reader, Twin brother! Felix Lee.

Genre: Mostly fluff, a tiny bit of angst.

Word count: 1.2k.

Warnings: mentions of the same insecurities from the previous chapters.

Summary: After saving her from drowning, Chan and y/n could finally(!!!!) start their date, watching the sunset together. In the meantime, the boys who stayed in the dorms decide on who’s going to do the dishes, but Felix can’t focus as he feels like something doesn’t feel right...

A/N: I’d like to start with thanking the beautiful anon for motivating me to continue writing. I was very very busy lately since exam season started, and I really didn’t think anyone still cares about this fanfic anymore so I was sure I wouldn’t continue writing, but your message really motivated me to write, and I’m so glad I did because it was so fun!! 

Also, I don’t know if it’s good enough but I really like the sunset and going to the beach so basically this is my dream date I guess?? 😂😂 

Hope you all enjoy reading!! 🥰🥰🥰

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

"Are you sure you're okay?", Chris asked you as the two of you were sitting on the warm sand, eating the cookies and the fruits, as the sun was beginning to set, the sky filled with beautiful shades of pink and orange. "I can drive you home immediately so you can rest and maybe some other time, if at all.. I mean... if you want to, we can--", your laugh interrupted his words.

"Yes, Chris, I'm fine now!", You said with a smile. You then looked at him, "Thanks to you... Mr. Keeper?", this nickname made him blush and finally he could join your laughing.

“Wait, so you baked these cookies??", Chris asked. “Yup”, you answered with a smile. “They were super easy to make actually!”. "Wow, really? those baking skills really do run in the family, huh?", he said, and you could only laugh in response.

"Oh, I almost forgot!!", He suddenly called. He opened his backpack and took a huge plastic bag out of it that seemed pretty full. He took out all the candies and snacks out of it, and your eyes widened because these were your favorites back in Australia and you missed eating them so much. He opened all of them and said "Ta daaaaaa".

After you two finished eating, you decided to have a walk on the beach. Chris got up first, and being the gentleman he is, helped you standing up.

"The sky looks so pretty at this time of the day", you said, trying to start a conversation. For some reason, it didn't feel awkward walking quietly with him like this. But you still wanted to know him better... and you liked listening to him talk, too.

Chris wanted to say it so badly. 'You're so much prettier'. But he didn't, as it was too cheesy and would probably make it too weird for you. And he didn't want to do that, of course. When talking to other people, he always felt like he has to start conversations, but to him, walking like this with you- the sea water touch your legs as the two of you walk side by side... It was perfect. He let his hand get closer to yours and finally held it.

You were a bit surprised at first (I mean, he was so quiet you thought you said something wrong??), not expecting him to do what you wanted to do so badly yourself, but his hand felt so warm and nice in your hand that you immediately held it back, looking at him with a smile. He returned a big smile and you could see how his ears turned a soft shade of red again.

"Y/n...", Chris started. You two were walking for a while when you finally found a nice bench, so you decided to sit there and look at the sunset together as some stars were showing. "I had a really great time with you today... I mean, it was scary at first. Very scary. But after the scary part, it was amazing"

You smiled. "It really was amazing for me too", you said, eyes meeting his. "And thank you... for saving my life and for making this date so great...", you let your head rest on his shoulder. He looked at you with the softest look omg you left him speechless... His ears couldn't get any more red right now.

"Y/n", he finally said. Gosh, how you liked the way he said your name. “Hmm?”, You turned to look at him, head still resting on his strong shoulder. "Is it okay if I do this...?", Your confused look changed to a smile in a second as he leaned forward, his soft lips touching yours, both hands cupping your cheeks gently, as warmth started spreading in your body.

Oh, it was a lot better than okay...

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

"Felix?", Seungmin's voice interrupted Felix's thoughts. "Hey, Felix, it's your turn... Is everything okay?"

The boys were sitting around the table, with snacks and soft drinks on it, as they were about to find out which one of them is going to do the dishes this time. And so they did it in the same way they have always made important life decisions like this- by playing card games.

"Yeah... I'm just...", Felix started. What was he feeling? He wasn't even sure himself. He was happy for his friend and his sister, of course. He trusts Chan to be the best boyfriend for y/n. But it doesn't mean this whole thing wasn't strange for him... which probably was the reason why he felt this strange pain in his chest that made it a little hard for him to breathe for a few seconds...

"He's just worried because Chan hyung is on a date with his sister right now, and..", Minho said, with a smile, but once he saw Felix's worried look he stopped joking, amusement leaving his face. "Oh, come on, It's going to be okay! We already talked about this- Chan hyung is a good guy, and I'm sure y/n can take care of herself...".

"I know, I know", Felix said. "I trust Chan hyung, and I trust my sister to make the right choice. But still... I have a bad feeling for some reason..? "

"Your twinny-senses are tingling?", Jisung asked, shoving two potato chips in his mouth.

Of course, that's how you two called the way you could tell when the other lied, and when you just knew stuff, but they weren't REAL...

"Well, I don't know, I just feel like--", Felix started.

"It's the twinny-senses", Jisung continued, still chewing.

"Uhmmm, I.. it's not like--"

"Just tell him that it's your twinny-senses", Hyunjin said, rolling his eyes. "Jisung hyung wouldn't stop it if you don't", Jeongin added with a nod, whispering.

Felix sighed. "Yeah, it's my twinny-senses", he said, looking at Jisung who looked at him as if waiting for him to continue. "And.. they're tingling?". Felix said with another sigh. Now Jisung finally looked satisfied as he nodded with a proud smile.

"I'm sure it's alright", Changbin said, patting the younger's back. "This situation is probably just a little weird for you",

"I think so too", Jeongin added. "I mean, Channie-hyung is coming very soon and you sleep in the same room with him so... It's probably going to be even weirder for you two".

"Oh no...", Hyunjin covered his mouth with his hand, not able to hide his smile.

"Oh, our Jeonginnie...", Jisung said with a chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Felix, don't listen to them, everything is going to be okay", Seungmin said.

"And you don't have to talk about it to him, you know", Changbin added. "I sleep in this room too, so if the situation gets too awkward, this hyung will help you!", He pointed at himself, gaining some snorts of laughter from the others.

But it did lift up Felix's spirit. "Thank you Changbin hyung--", he said, smiling. 

The sound of a key turning in the lock made them all freeze.

Chan was now standing in the living room, with a smile on his face. "So...", He started. "Who's doing the dishes this time?"

Everyone was quite at first. Chan's hair looked curlier than usual, meaning it was soaked and dried in the cool air, which makes sense as he probably couldn't help it but swim, being the sea-lover he is. But what caught their eyes was his clothes that still seemed a bit damp and were pretty wrinkled. Now, why wouldn’t he take off his shirt to get in the water?? It could be a great way to impress y/n as they all know how great his body looks... 

"It's Felix", Minho's voice finally broke the silence. "Felix is doing the dishes this time".

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

A/n: Hope you all have a wonderful day, please stay safe and happy! In case any of you is also insecure about the way they look, please know that you’re beautiful, loved and very important!! 

My DMs are always open so feel free to message me  💖💖

[thadelightfulone]

Keep Me In Mind

Part Two of my submission for the Quarantine Writing Challenge hosted by @shaekingshitup​ and @chaneajoyyy​. [PART ONE]

Took this as an opportunity to write for someone new...ENJOY!

Pairing: Thick Black!OC - Lexi Washington and Rome Flynn

“One night, Rome! That is all I asked for. Was that too much? I just don’t understand how he could do this to me again.” She cries into the phone.

“Hey, hey, hey.” She quiets down, “Just breathe,” and he can hear her inhaling deeply on the line, “Where are you now?”

Lexi called Rome crying about Drew again. Last night, he once again ruined her plans for the evening. Drew knew she wanted a night to herself, and she even told him to go out with his boys. All she wanted was a few hours to relax and unwind from the bullshit week she had. And he couldn’t even do that. Drew was there when she got home, yelling, screaming, and acting a fool with the guys online instead. Rome knew this already because he was online with them.

Rome waits a few moments, then repeats his question. Lexi takes her time answering him as usual, knowing that she is going to tell him so he can pick her up. This has become a routine for them. She calls him complaining about her boyfriend, he listens and then offers to take her out to get her mind off things. It shouldn’t even be a part of their relationship, but it is; this is what they have become.

“At the house.” She steps out of the kitchen into the doorway to grab her coat and purse, “I’ll be on the steps.” Opening the door to go out, she slows once he speaks.  

“Nah, stay inside. I’ll let you know when I’m there.” Lexi closes the door, turning on her heel and heading past the kitchen.

Lexi walks to the office and sits down at the desk, “Ok, text me, so you don’t have to come inside.”

“Lex, relax.” He jumps in his car, starting it up. “I got you. You just choose where you want to go, ok. That’s all I want you to worry about.”

“Yeah, ok. I’ll see you when you get here.” They end the call, and Lexi looks at the picture frame on her left. It is a photo of Drew and her in better times, enjoying the natural beauty at her favorite park. Before things became so strained that they could barely talk to one another without it turning into an argument - he makes a demand of her, and she wants him to ask respectfully. She makes a simple request, and he fights her tooth and nail just to avoid doing it.

Lexi closes her eyes, she is so sick of the fighting and his treatment of her and their relationship, but she doesn’t want to leave. She loves him, and she believes somewhere deep down, he loves her, too. She has no idea how they got to this point, but she has hope it’ll get better.  

Folding her arms on top of the desk, Lexi puts her head down and nods off. Only waking when she hears voices coming down the hall towards the office. She sits up and tries to wipe her face of any sleep real quick. A short knock precedes the door opening, and she sees Rome walk in with Drew behind him. He stays at the door.

“Yo man, the next tournament is in a week. You playing with us, right?” Drew asks, clapping him on the back.

Shrugging him off, “Of course, you know you need me.” Rome looks over at Lexi, who is fluffing her hair and rubbing her eyes before standing up, “Ready to go?”

“Yup,” she walks over to Drew and kisses him on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, sure.” He steps back into the main hall, then turns around, walking backward as he faces them both, “Oh, and can you bring me back some chips and ice cream? I finished both earlier.”

“Really, Drew? You were just out, why didn’t you get some?”

“It’s not my job to make sure the pantry stays full.” Rome shakes his head while Drew smiles at her, “Besides, I didn’t say anything about you finishing off the rest of the Crown last night.” Turning back around, he makes a left down the hall. Lexi groans.

“Come on, let’s go,” Rome interjects before Lexi can follow after him just to say something back. He has been here when one of their arguments started, and he does not feel like playing referee today. Grabbing her shoulders, he leads her away in the opposite direction towards the front of the house.

Walking to his car, Rome opens the door and lets her get settled as he makes his way around to the driver’s side. He watches as Lexi leans back in the seat, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. They both sit there quietly. Rome’s eyes on Lexi taking in the view from the bottom up. Lexi is wearing classic white slip-on Vans with some dark denim jeans and a pink and purple ombre peasant top. Her burgundy and dark brown natural curls twisted out, framing her face. Rome smiles while staring at her when she removes her hands from her face.

“Can I get my face back?” Big black eyes behind rose gold-rimmed glasses along with the deepest dimples he has ever seen laugh at him. Her laughter causes her cute chubby cheeks to rise and her eyes to flutter. "I hate when you do that, you know?" She pushes at his arm.

Shrugging the push-off, Rome looks over at Lexi, "Do what?" Starting the ignition to warm the car up, he sits back in his seat, waiting for her answer.

"That!" Lexi points at his face, "That right there." She grabs her phone and tries to snap a picture of him. Rome turns away before the flash, and she catches a perfect profile shot of him. He is looking out the front of the car, his 5 o'clock shadow appearing between his mustache and attempt at a beard. Spotting a new short cut, she can see the waves coming in. And she knows he is smiling at her even while he faces forward. The beautiful bastard. She saves the picture and puts her phone away.

"So, you don't want me looking at you?" Quickly turning her way, he sees her slowly nod at him before nervously biting her lip. Putting the car in gear, he begins to laugh, "Not gonna happen." They pull off, and Rome grabs her left hand with his right, squeezing it before settling it on his thigh.

Lexi looks down at their hands intertwined; it's not a new sight because they do it all the time. But for some reason, today, it just feels different and not necessarily in a bad way. "Where are we going?"

Focusing on the road, "Have you eaten today?" Rome inquires. Lexi rolls her eyes, focus outside of the window while mumbling the answer. "Lex?"

"No," she huffs out.

"When was the last time you ate?" He stops at a red light to look at her fidgeting in the passenger seat.

Groaning, she finally looks back at him. "Not since lunch yesterday." He squeezes her hand on his lap. "I did- I did have food to eat last night, Rome, but I was so pissed off about Drew being home and fucking up my evening-" she sighs, "I couldn't bring myself to eat it. So, I let him have it."

"And drowned your sadness in that bottle of Crown I left at the house?" She nods her head in response, "You don't even drink whiskey." He proclaims.

"I know.” She whines, “Why do you think you didn't hear from me until this afternoon?" Lexi rolls her eyes, "On the plus side, I did get to soak in my bathtub and woke up there, too." She starts laughing, and Rome can't help but join her.

"What am I going to do with you, Lex?" What am I going to do about you? He thinks to himself.

The light turns green, and Rome takes off. The car is quiet again except for the radio in the background. Everything I Miss At Home by Cherrelle is playing softly. Rome peeks over at Lexi, who is quietly singing the song. Loud enough that she didn't think he would hear her.

Rome pulls up in front of a restaurant. He parks the car and gets out to catch the passenger door before Lexi does. He didn't need to rush because she is dumbfounded, looking up at the familiar place.

Hearing her door open, Lexi looks up at Rome. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" he replies, helping her out of the car and closing the door behind her.

"Italian, Rome?" He is still confused by her comment as they enter the restaurant. They are greeted by the owner, who remembers Lexi from the previous evening and shakes her hand, welcoming her back. Rome looks at her as she nervously says hello to the man. "This is my favorite Italian restaurant.

"Ahhhh, so your dinner last night was from here?" She mouths yup as the owner leads them to a table. Rome follows behind Lexi, eyes roaming her body and especially those thick hips swaying in her jeans. He inwardly groans as she slides into the booth.

"Well, I knew you loved Italian. I just didn't know you knew about this place." He finally replies while sitting down.

"Yeah, I love this place. It's actually where Drew and I first met." Lexi ends that statement, gently realizing how awkward this must be. "I'm sorry."

Rome taps the table before looking up at her, "No need to apologize for that."

"But I mean, he's -" Lexi stops speaking as Rome shakes his head.

 "I know who he is." He cuts her off, "And I know who you are. There's no need to say any more than that." Rome picks up the menu, sighing behind it.

He didn't mean to act like that towards her, but he didn't want to talk about Drew. He didn't want to talk about anything that reminded him that Lexi does not belong to him even if that is part of a long-overdue conversation between the two.

Putting the menu back down, "I should be the one apologizing to you." Lexi looks up from her menu, confused. "Why don't we get something in your stomach first, and then we'll talk?" Like it was planned, Lexi's stomach answers for her, and they both laugh, erasing the quickly rising tension at the table.

Lexi orders her favorite dish from the night before, Stuffed Chicken Marsala, and decides to get it over mashed potatoes tonight. Rome orders Chicken Florentine over Angel Hair pasta. They both order different flavored Italian sodas and Minestrone to start.

Their food arrives, and they eat in comfortable silence. Lexi sneaking peeks at Rome since she can’t figure out what he wants to talk about with her. They have always been able to talk with one another about everything, so this doesn’t make any sense. He looked so serious when he brought it up, too. He cut her off when speaking, and he has never done that before. If she is honest with herself, Rome has always been there for her in ways that Drew never has. Finished with her food, she drops her fork on the plate and openly scrutinizes Rome, hoping he will look up from his plate so they can start this conversation.

Rome senses Lexi’s eyes on him and pays so much attention to his food that he scrapes the plate while cutting his chicken. He completes the task at hand and puts the knife down. It feels like he is under a microscope, and Rome doesn’t understand where this nervous energy around Lexi is coming from. He has always been her sounding board and a voice of reason for when she wants to just talk in a judgment-free zone. And she has been that for him on occasion as well, so what changed?

His phone vibrates against the table, and he looks down at it. Drew. The unspoken matter between them. Why is he calling him now? “It’s your man.” He tells Lexi.

“He’s your best friend,” she declares. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom while you two talk or whatever.” She sets her napkin beside her plate and gets up from the booth.

Rome watches her before picking up the phone. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“When are you guys coming back? I want my ice cream.” Drew complains into the phone.

“Are you serious? As long as we have been gone, you could have went and got some.” Rome states matter-of-factly.

“I know, I know. But I asked her to get it for me. So, I expect her to do that.” Rome pulls the cell away from his ear to look down at it. This cannot be the same dude he grew up with acting like this. “Can you make sure you stop before bringing her home?”

“Yeah. Bye.” Rome ends the call, not wanting to entertain him anymore. The waitress appears as Lexi makes her way back to the table.

“Would you like anything else?” She asks them. Rome nods at Lexi, who shakes her head.

“No, that’ll be all. Thanks.” The waitress drops off the check and collects their plates before leaving them alone.

“What did your bestie want?” Lexi smirks at him.

“Stop that mess.” Rome waves her off as he takes cash out of his wallet to pay for their meal. “He wanted to know when his ice cream would be making it home.”

“The ice cream? But not me?” Lexi questions.

“I was kindly asked to make sure we stop before bringing you home.” Rome stands and takes Lexi’s hand, helping her up.

“Wow, ok.” They wave goodbye to the owner and waitress on their way out. “You are just taking me straight home, right?” She asks as they get into the car.

“Is that what you want?” Lexi shrugs as Rome goes on, “Is it worth the argument?” He starts the car, heading back towards their house.

“No, but I am over whatever game he is playing.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “I just want to be respected and treated as an equal. Something he stopped seeing me as a long time ago.” She grabs his left hand, linking their fingers before settling them in her lap, “Why can’t he be more like you?” Under her breath, why can’t he be you?

Rome is quiet until George Duke’s No Rhyme, No Reason plays on the radio. He starts singing along, knowing exactly how the man feels except he isn’t married, but he definitely finds himself wanting the woman next to him. Lexi smiles in the dark while listening to him sing.

The car stops in front of the house, and Lexi mentally prepares herself to deal with whatever mess Drew is about to start. Rome comes around to her side as she gets out. He grabs her hand in his as they walk up to the front door. Turning her around before she goes inside, he sees the tears start to run down her face. Rome leans over and kisses Lexi’s cheek, “Just keep me in mind.”

[thefloorisbalaclava]

I want to talk with people on this site and make friends but they all seem so cool and everyone already knows each other so I'm kind of the odd one out. I don't want to be a bother because I'm just kind of a potato and I don't want to be "that person" who just kind of butts in on things even if people are inviting anyone who's interested; if you don't approach me I probably won't approach you even if I really, really want to. And I kind of hate it

I'm the same way. I will seriously look at someone's blog every day, admire it but still not add them because I'm pretty awkward. I'm usually shocked if any of them ever find me and follow me. I've gotten better but there are still a few people out there that I won't follow because I don't feel good enough, you know. I've gotten a little better now that I've kinda found my place but it's still tough for me. I'm even worse in person.I'm not really in any position to give advice but talking usually helps me so maybe if you do start talking to these people and putting yourself into some of those conversations, you'll make new friends. It doesn't hurt to try...(I'm should definitely take my own advice but I won't)...