#it's about people being too nice and giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming everything is misinfo when disinfo exists

[orphee-aux-enfers]

If I learned anything in my master's degree, it was actually about differentiating mis and disinfo, because misinformation and disinformation are not synonyms.

Misinformation:

Incorrect or misleading information. Basically, being wrong or repeating something factually incorrect.

Disinformation:

Incorrect, misleading information designed to be deceptive and propagate wrong information to obfuscate the truth. Becomes misinformation when it's been shared and repeated repeatedly, but not when someone posts the initial incorrect, misleading information.

If you see someone posting disinformation, call it what it is. When I was studying propaganda and disinformation, we had to take breaks every fifteen minutes and check in with someone not immersed in it because even with training you are not immune to propaganda.

Calling a spade a spade is a very important skill.

[starwikia]

suicide cw

look i have been in this area before mentally. it sucks and i wouldn’t wish this on anyone. but, and this is going to sound callous, but i don’t feel any sympathy for james somerton. even if i hope he’s like. not dead. But thats all the amount of goodwill im willing to give him. The more i think about this really, the more angry i am. 

ngl this entire situation is another example of how white people weaponize their mental illness to avoid consequences. Im seeing it in real time.

this man has a continuous habit of using self-harm as a get-out-of-jail-for-free card. in both of his apologies, he has worded his supposed attempts in ways that were clearly meant to guilt people who displayed his plagiarism and overall horrendous history of racism and misogyny. i say supposed because, while i’m not saying those are lies and this would he such a fucked up thing to lie about that i don’t want to think he has, unfortunately, it’s been proven again and again that his word can’t be trusted, as he’s known to lie to try get out of consequences. Hes a proven liar. him lying about this is actually the best case scenario, because no one should go through this entire situation, wouldnt wish this on anyone, but you can only do this so often before people stop sympathizing with you. is this callous? Yeah, but like. I’m actually fucking angry he cant straight up take no as an answer. that this is how he reacts realizing he cant be one of the Cool Kidz™️ on youtube anymore. he acts like he DESERVES a career, like its not a privilege hes lost due to his own actions.

He lied about apologizing and forgiving people, he lied about giving the money to hbomberguy to give to ppl he ripped off (yknow, instead of doing it himself), he lied about the jessie gender situation and rewrote the narrative to make it so he isnt the bad guy, and hes the victim all along actually!

you can’t tell me that supposed last message of his isn’t meant to be a 13 reasons why esq attempt to deflect the blame “look i’m going to kill myself and it’s all YOUR PEOPLES FAULT for not letting me achieve my DREAM of being filmmaker IN PEACE!!! I just wanted Nick’s (the guy who I have thrown under the bus again and again) portfolio up!! Im just being a good friend dont you all FEEL BAD” he refuses to take ANY ACCOUNTABILITY of any of his actions and he IS STILL trying to shove the blame over to other people again.

it’s also pretty ironic people are like “uhhh well hbomber’s fans harassed him!!!” like hbomber outright told people NOT to HARASS JAMES!!! ALSO acting as if james doesn’t have a very real documented history of STRAIGHT UP sending his fans to harass and threaten smaller creators, more notably women, trans, and bipoc creators. especially after he’s stolen typically very personal anecdotes so he could profit from them. so why can he do it but the second people are like “hey this guys an actual piece of shit.” and he can’t handle it suddenly people are trying to white knight his shit? like no he doesn’t get that. he doesn’t get that at all just because he couldn’t handle the consequences of his actions. 

what? were supposed to stay quiet about a man profiting off of other minorities because he wanted to be the spokesman for all gay people? people tried to solve this on a smaller, more private scales for YEARS and he kept doing it. it was clear that the giant public video was the ONLY way to get people to notice. HE WOULDVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH STEALING 87 FUCKING THOUSANDS WORTH OF DOLLARS. HE CANT HANDLE THE FACT HE CANT GET AWAY WITH IT. 

am i supposed to feel bad for the guy who basically threatened a trans woman with the police? i don’t care what anyone says, it’s so fucking obvious that he threatened jessie by implying he was getting the police involved in their conflict. what am i supposed to act like that didn’t happen? are we supposed to pretend like he didn’t glorify nazi’s and outright said that gay people made up a good chunk of the nazis? That he didnt say america joined ww2 bc they were jealous of the NAZIS. WHAT WOULD POSSESS YOU TO FUCKING SAY THAT. but then? He gives women (not even women most of the time, he misgenders nonbinary ppl constantly) shit for writing mlm. are we supposed to act like he doesn’t straight-up sees himself superior and better than people of color and steals their works to put himself on a pedestal? Are we supposed to act like he didnt spit on our elders by saying “only the boring gays survived aids” like man! Fuck you! He BLANTANTLY MAKES UP HISTORY TO PUT HIMSELF ON A PEDESTAL!! HE ACTIVELY TRIED TO REWRITE LGBT HISTORY TO SUIT HIS FUCKED UP NARRATIVES!

yes this sucks ! no one deserves this but no one should be making him a martyr. Thats what he fucking WANTS! He wants to be immortalized as a victim!! (again, supposedly, it was reported hes alive but its not confirmed).

The shit he got isnt near the amount of fucking callous behavior hes done again and again. Again, to drill this point, EVEN IF HE DIDNT CALL THE POLICE HE THREATENED A TRANS WOMAN INTO THINKING HE DID!!! The fact he tried to use a head injury to justify years of the outright ghoulish shit fucking astounds me. Why the fuck did anyone in his life thought it was a good idea to let him TRY to come back. in the end, he had options. he didn’t need to try to make a comeback. HE DIDNT NEED TO FUCKING LIE OR IGNORE THE SHIT HE WAS CALLED OUT ON the reality is, he wanted to come back thinking he could shove it under the rug, was told that no dude, you’re not allowed to be a youtuber anymore. you’re done. you need to move on and went full nuclear. it’s not on anyone’s hands but his own. HES BEEN DOING THIS TO HIMSELF!! But nah man we cant call his shit out bc hell may or may not kill himself. Fuck the other minorities who have the same issues but worse and sometimes BECAUSE of him. This is going to SUCKKKK so bad when other ppl, specifically white gays, are going to weaponize this shit to get away with their stuff.

[teaboot]

you have some really evil, selfish and toxic ideas irt whos allowed to have friends, you know? i see pop psy people like you all the time making lists of things that are clear and obvious trauma induced behaviour, and then immediately flip to how if you have a friend who ever behaves like this they are evil and need to be cut off, theyre not allowed to have support systems to get better! you really hate bad victims, huh? if someone isn't demure and cowering and self effacing in their symptoms they don't deserve anyone? i got assaulted and when my friend group threw me out on my ass and called me too fucked up for acting erratic and strange in the aftermath and being unable to communicate why they used your posts to justify it. its sick that people like you will look at someone uncontrollably acting out their ptsd and go wow you aren't doing this nice enough to be tolerated! people like you talk so much about compassion but when it comes to people in actual crisis you don't give a shit. no, theyre acting too problematic. just cut them off! no one should help their friends!

original post

Please allow me to take this opportunity to make some things clear.

First, you do not know me. You do not know anything about me. You do not know where I've been, where I'm going, or where I am. All that you believe that you know is extrapolated from information I have volunteered to share. Information that is, by clear and honest choice, edited for both safety and personal security. Remember this.

Second, and I say this in the kindest of ways, because I have had to learn this lesson myself:

Nobody Owes You Shit.

Have you ever saved someone from drowning?

I have.

Do you know that a drowning person struggling to get air will instinctively drag you under them?

It's hard to save people in the water. It takes specific skills and knowledge that not everybody has. Not everyone can save a drowning person without drowning in the process.

The lifeguard needs energy, and strength, and expertise, and persistence.

The swimmer needs self-restraint, and composure, and the desire to be helped, and the ability to do what they can to facilitate their own rescue.

I believe in kindness, and generosity, and compassion. I believe in trying persistently, and in giving the benefit of the doubt wherever possible. I believe that people are good, and small, and trying. And I believe that I can give all the energy I have inside of me to help someone and still come up short.

So you're drowning? I'm sorry. That must be terrifying. That must be miserable. You must be experiencing the worst moments of your life. I hope someone nearby knows how to help you. I hope they have a raft you can climb into, or a rope for you to grab, or a float you can cling to. I hope things get better. I'll call for help, and give you what I can to get you to shore.

But don't you dare drag me under water and curse me for saving myself.

Now get out of my fucking inbox.

[yveaart]

kissin’ n hope they caught us — csc

you caught your boyfriend talking to a girl in your class a little too long during the discussion, her giggles traveling directly through your ear canals and sending big red flash warnings through your brain.

sure you should always trust your partner and let them freely to people, but it is her that you can’t trust. you and your boyfriend had took a quick cool off after a heated fight that now you were ready to discuss, but it seems like he was too busy.

this girl had been known to be having back to back relationships just to poorly cover up her huge crush on your boyfriend. if you were gonna be honest you we’re feeling uneasy but that isn’t like you, you were much more capable of punching her straight to the face if she attempts to make your boyfriend smell her perfume one more time.

you knew the routine by the back of your hand, you’ve been giving her the benefit of a doubt by showing her sharp stares whenever she flirts with him, today was the third period in row, and that was just for today. you can’t fathom how far she could go and you simply had enough.

you could tell cheol was already planning his third try for asking to be dismissed to the washroom but he just held a smile towards her knowing that your professor gave him one too many periods to relieve himself.

you grinned at the clock signaling g a few moments left until a quick break, you knew you had to do something. you weren’t one to be too kind to people to be sharing out your boyfriend. it was your time to show who he belongs to.

as the clock ticked your uninterested professor exited the room unbothered, as you saw her friends wait at the door like clockwork. she rises and skips to them while giggling as you swiftly place a note on her desk unnoticed.

you waved to your boyfriend as he let put a huge sigh.

“aw, but i thought you were giggling together babe?”

“it was insufferable but i had to be nice love”

“mhm how about i help you relax?” you said slyly grinning at him

he smiled receiving your message, you both got out of the room as you rushed him to the upper floor and led him to the computer lab on the farthest room of the floor.

you both giggled to yourselves having the lab to yourselves.

“you know i couldn’t handle it today” you fake pouted as you gently pushed cheol to the chair.

“thought you weren’t the jealous type love?” he said clearly teasing you as he raised his brows.

“oh you know that i was lying about that” you hiked up his lap as you said those words.

“i love it when you’re jealous anyway” he smiled as your lips connected frantically rising to make out session.

his hands gliding up and down your back as you massaged and slightly pulled on his hair, his mouth would slightly open from the pleasure.

you backed up looking at his face already looking like he’s fucked and his cute little glasses getting fogged up and stained with your sweat.

“more please baby” he sighed gasping for air, but you continued staring at him.

“what? do you want me to take off my glasses?” he asked

“fuck no, you look hot in them”

you once again connected your lips now that your mouth is gaping and your tongues collided. low moans were emitted from his mouth driving you to slowly grind on him.

“god i love it when you take control”

you smiled sucking on his neck knowing that someone saw you making out on that room and had to runaway from the scene after being told to by a note on their desk.

idc what yall say i believe in sub scoups☝️🤓

🫀see more drabbles on #yvedrabbles

[alexawynters]

Scarlet Whispers pt 5

Gif not mine

A/N: I.... as always, don't know how I feel about this chapter. Anything involving the 'horror' theme is... not my forte.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Female!Reader

Trigger warnings (let me know if I forgot to tag anything): Mentions of past child abuse, ongoing adult child abuse, stalking, horror, dubcon, kidnapping, stockholm syndrome, gaslighting, angst, smut. There will be bits of fluff tho.

Rating: M. Minors DNI

Masterlist with parts 1-4 here

You weren’t quite sure what woke you up later that evening, only that you found yourself staring at the opposite wall, and unable to go back to sleep. It didn’t happen often since coming to live with Wanda, but in the past, a nice warm cup of tea would help put you back to sleep, so you decided that would be your best bet.

As you quietly got out of bed, being careful not to disturb the witch, a light caught the corner of your eye: Wanda's phone. It was connected to the charger and blinking with a new notification. You couldn't help but feel curious. Shortly after arriving here, Wanda had informed you that due to her magic, there was almost no network connectivity available, whether cellular or wifi. None of your gaming devices or cellphone had any network connectivity, so you had to rely on Wanda to update anything for you whenever she left your home. Because of this, you tried not to bother her too much. After all, you didn't really need the most up-to-date patches since you couldn't play online with anyone anyway.

You were confused about why her cellphone had a new notification if none of your devices had network connectivity. You assumed she would have checked her notifications since the last time she went out, which was at least a week ago. Personally, you couldn't stand having any of those little banner notifications and always cleared them as soon as they appeared, even if it was just by swiping them away from the notifications bar without actually reading them. So, the sudden appearance of a new notification on her phone puzzled you. There shouldn’t be any service for it to have come in recently. At least, not if you trusted what Wanda had been telling you...

A heavy, gnawing sensation settled in the pit of your stomach, creating a sense of unease. Undoubtedly, it was a breach of trust. Surely Wanda, of all people, didn't deserve for you to go snooping through her phone. She had always been kind, helpful, and loving towards you. Yet, despite her unwavering support, at the first sign of something that didn't quite add up, you found yourself doubting her. Why didn't you simply ask her instead?

But.. was it the first time? You were having flashbacks to all those moments of deja vu.

Haltingly, you took slow, hesitating steps towards Wanda’s nightstand where her phone lay. You didn’t understand this feeling of dread within you. You wanted to attribute it to your general mistrust of the human race as a whole, but your gut was telling you this was something more. You were in danger, you just didn’t know how or exactly where, but it had to do with the witch who's been sleeping next to you.

Shaky hands picked up her phone, and with your thumb, you pressed the power button to turn on the screen. Unsure of exactly what you would find, and the notification was innocuous enough - a news article regarding some superhero. What caught your attention was the date - it was listed almost ten months since you and Wanda had left your parents’ house. To your knowledge, it’s only been a month or so.

This couldn’t be right. Ten months? No. That wasn’t possible. Did time flow differently here maybe? You wanted so badly to give Wanda the benefit of the doubt, but now that you had opened Pandora’s box, you had to keep going. Hoping you wouldn’t accidentally awaken the witch, you held the phone in front of her face, and it unlocked recognizing her biometrics.

You should probably go to the bathroom to view this without risking waking Wanda up, but your feet refuse to move. Instead, you remained standing there, opening article after article, all of which displayed the same date. Curiosity led you to check the calendar app for today's date, and you had to stifle a gasp as it confirmed what the articles had stated. While you thought it had only been a month or so, Wanda had kept you here for ten months, employing fantasies and electronics to prevent you from questioning her.

Your grip on the phone waivered as you began recalling those moments of déjà vu. As you concentrated and tried to break through the fog of those memories, clarity emerged. You had asked for freedom. Wanda had yelled at you. You had yelled back. Then, Wanda had used her magic to make you fall asleep and erase your memories, essentially starting over and preventing you from realizing how much time was actually passing. How many times had that happened?

Wanda was not keeping you here to help you; she was your captor. The need to escape fought violently against your desire to stay with the woman you had come to adore, even if she had kidnapped and lied to you.

You place the phone back quietly, trying to make your way out of the room as silently as possible. It dawns on you that you should probably pack a bag or something. You have no idea where you are exactly, but if you don't leave now, there's a chance you may never escape.

Quietly, you escape the confines of the house, and head out of the grounds. You aren’t sure exactly where you are going, but you know you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other until you reach civilization. Previously during your numerous strolls across the grounds, you had noticed a vague perimeter, but never had the witch allowed you to go too far. Now you were intent on heading beyond the boundaries she had set, and you were in the dark on what you would find.

Speaking of the dark, even though the moon and stars were visible on this clear night, you had forgotten to grab a flashlight. Or rather, you had elected not to bother looking for one in your hurry to flee. Consequently, the darkness felt more overwhelming than you were accustomed to. You stumbled multiple times, each instance you were praying that you wouldn't accidentally sprain or break something. You weren't sure what was worse - the possibility of facing Wanda's wrath if she should catch you, or dying from the elements if you were to injure yourself and be unable to continue.

As you approached the tree line that marked the boundary Wanda had set, you paused. This was the farthest you had ever been. In truth, you had never even been this close before. Whenever you got within about ten paces, the witch would always give you a gentle warning. Curiosity tickled your thoughts as to what would happen next. Not all of Wanda's magic was mere illusion; she had the power to alter reality itself. What would occur when you crossed the tree line? Would you plunge off the side of Mount Wundagore to a grisly demise, or would you simply step into the woods as they appeared to be?

Either option had to be better to take the risk than to remain a prisoner in what you once believed to be the safety of your own home. Summoning your courage, you stepped into the forest and were surprised to find solid ground. As you continued, each step affirmed that this transformation by Wanda was real - the mountain had truly become a beautiful countryside. Perhaps there was a chance to escape after all. Without hesitation, you ventured further into the forest, hoping to reach civilization on the other side or find a safe hiding spot within before Wanda woke up.

Unknown to you, Wanda had set up protective barriers to alert her if you ever ventured too far. True to form, the moment you stepped beyond the tree line into the woods, her eyes snapped open, blazing with anger. You were leaving. Despite everything she had done for you. Despite the bond you two shared. The witch swiftly leapt out of bed, conjuring a portal not far behind you, determined to catch up with you. Did you really think you could escape her? You would dare? She would teach you. You belonged to her, and she was growing weary of this back-and-forth game you were playing.

As you fled through the forest, it grew denser, blocking out the moonlight. Initially, it seemed easy enough to navigate, but as you continued, the underbrush became thick, causing you to trip every few feet. The seemingly safe forest now loomed around you ominously, your paranoia starting to take over as you heard the skittering of various creatures around you. Logically, you knew they were probably just as startled as you, given how loudly you were thundering through their home. Still, that didn't stop you from feeling eyes on you the further you went, and you began to question if this had been a good idea after all. Unfortunately, it was too late to turn back, and you came to the uncomfortable realization that you didn't even know which direction home was.

A branch snapped somewhere to your left, causing you to turn your head so fast that you wouldn't be surprised if you woke up tomorrow with a crick in your neck. That is, if you managed to survive tonight. You froze in place, your heart pounding in your chest, your breathing loud in your ears as you strained to hear the source of the noise.

It was extremely unsettling for you to realize that the entire forest had suddenly fallen into complete and utter silence. No birds, no animals, nothing at all...

A leaf crunched. This time closer.

Fear seized your heart and you willed yourself to do something. Anything. Run. Hide. Just, something.

Suddenly, you became aware of a low growling sound approaching, and it became clear you were in serious trouble. Why hadn't you stayed inside the house? There must have been a logical explanation for the date change, and Wanda had always been kind to you. Maybe you were just remembering those arguments incorrectly. Now for your misplaced distrust, you were facing imminent death at the hands of something that likely had sharp teeth. Gods, how you despised sharp teeth.

A snarl to your left startled you, freezing you in place as your eyes frantically scanned the forest for whatever had made the noise. You could vaguely make out the silhouette of a creature on all fours not far from you, and your blood felt like it had frozen in your veins. Why hadn't you just gone back to bed next to Wanda?

As you witnessed the shape hurtling towards you from the darkness, a red streak intercepted it, accompanied by the yelp of an injured animal. You blinked and observed a fatally wounded wolf on the ground nearby. Your gaze followed the trajectory from which the red streak had come, revealing Wanda in her pajamas, her hands outstretched with red magic flowing through them, rushing towards you.

"Y/N, are you okay?!" Her voice was tinged with alarm. One hand extinguished her magic to gently hold your arm, while the other remained prepared for any possible threats. With a caring eye, she inspected you for any serious injuries, but found none. Satisfied that you were relatively unscathed, she finally registered your shocked face as you remained silent.

“Y/N what’s wrong? Why are you out here? Talk to me, please?” Wanda extinguished the remaining magic and took your hand, her ire at you dissipating at the fear of you having just been in danger that wasn’t from her.

“I- I had a nightmare. I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I just had to run.” You figured that would be believable enough - your night terrors sometimes had you fleeing for your life, you just usually accidentally woke up Wanda in the process before you could get too far. This would be the first time you would have made it out of the bed without waking her up.

Your gaze drifted back to the deceased wolf on the forest floor, and you couldn’t seem to shake the state of shock you were in. Wanda didn’t think anything more of your explanation, your night terrors happened often enough, and you didn't seem to be fleeing from her. It was the only thing that made sense to her. After all, everything had been okay earlier, there was nothing to indicate you were unhappy or would try to leave her.

Relieved that you were unharmed, and not attempting to escape, the witch focused on trying to calm you, as she could see telltale signs of you beginning to disassociate. Gently, she placed a hand to your cheek, tilting your face until you were making eye contact with her. “Don’t look at it, dorogoya, it’s okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you. Let’s go home, okay?”

In that moment, all you wanted was for Wanda to handle all your thinking. Anything else required too much effort, and honestly, you were too exhausted for anything else. You nodded and leaned into her touch, allowing your eyes to flutter shut as you embraced the sense of security she provided. Your hand reached up to cover hers on your cheek, interlocking your fingers with hers.

You heard more than saw the portal she summoned to take you both home, and blindly followed her through it back into your room. Hands still interlinked; she led you into the adjoining bathroom. At this point you had mentally checked out, completely overwhelmed by the night’s events. Under normal circumstances you would be mortified that Wanda was about to see you naked in this state - filthy, covered in scratches from your stumble through the woods, but you couldn’t find it within yourself to care. It didn’t help that you had entered a non-verbal state.

Wanda made it easier for you. Although this wasn't how she had imagined the first time she would see you naked, her main concern was to clean your wounds and ensure your comfort so you could fall back asleep. Tenderly, she assisted you in undressing, her eyes never lingering or straying where they shouldn't. She only took quick glances to assess any damage. You were grateful for her magic, which meant you didn't have to wait for the water to heat up to the perfect temperature.

She didn't bother undressing herself, but simply helped you into the shower under the falling water and followed in after. First, she helped wet your hair and then lathered it with shampoo before rinsing. The sensation of her blunt nails against your scalp was so soothing that you almost fell asleep. Then, Wanda took the washcloth, lathered it with soap, and started gently washing your body, beginning with your face. As gently as possible, the red head cleansed your wounds and removed the blood and dirt from your skin.

After deeming you sufficiently cleaned, Wanda turned off the water and began toweling you off, wrapping you up in a towel. She then discarded her own waterlogged clothing and began drying herself. While you stood there, feeling useless, Wanda grabbed pajamas for both of you and helped you put them on. After, she then put on her own pajamas before leading you back to bed.

“Do you want to talk about it, Y/N/N?”

You shook your head and climbed into bed after Wanda. Instead of the usual routine where she held you from behind as the big spoon, you surprised her by snuggling into her arms, facing her, and resting your head in the crook of her neck. Although you still had questions about the cell service on her phone and the months you were supposedly missing, Wanda has been kind to you, and she just saved your life. Those questions can be addressed another day. Finally feeling safe again, you allowed your exhaustion to consume you.

[not-neverland06]

Alone And Forsaken pt. 2

Joel Miller x fem!reader

A/N: clearly I don’t do one shots, I tried, I failed. I can’t help it he’s just so fine (@woodland-mist you asked so, here you go)

WC: 5.6K

Part one

You weaved through the throng of people in the town square, hoping to get by unnoticed. Maria had told you where to find Tommy, you should have known it wouldn’t be easy, nothing with him ever really was. 

“Y/N! Hey!” 

Nope

You had one goal and it was not to meet and greet with all your neighbors. You ducked your head down, hiding yourself in the passing throng of people and evading them. It was a new couple that had just moved to Jackson a few days ago. 

You, of course, had protested anyone new coming in after the incident with Abby and her people. But because you and the brothers had been less than forthcoming with what happened and no one had any reason to listen to your doubts. 

They’d been moved into the big house across from you and Joel, because they needed the space. 

Because she was pregnant. 

In three months your life was going to get very loud and very miserable. 

The couple was too nice for your taste. You’d just barely gotten used to staying in Jackson for longer than two weeks, then Maria went ahead and shoved the two friendliest people you’d even met down your throat. 

Maybe you were too bitter. Maybe everyone was right, you should try and socialize, give people the benefit of the doubt before you write them off. 

“Do you see where she went, honey?”

Then again, maybe not. 

You rushed into the Tipsy Bison before they could spot you. You were sure they would tell Joel about this when they spotted him on the porch with his morning coffee. And you were sure he would give you hell for it, but you already have to deal with Tommy this morning. They can go bother someone else. 

You glanced around the bar, spotting some blonde hair in the back. When you rounded the tables you could see Tommy was busy haggling with Sam, trying to trade a shirt for some of his roast beef sandwiches. 

“I think I’m offering more than enough for some sandwiches, Sam.” Tommy, being the de facto leader after Maria, was trying to maintain a semblance of diplomacy. 

Sam was a stubborn jackass and you knew if you didn’t do something this would take all day. You walked up and nodded a greeting to Tommy before glaring at Sam. “Give him the sandwiches.”

Sam glared at you, trying his damndest to look down his nose at you. “Mind your fucking business.”

Tommy straightened up, a frown on his face. Neither he nor his brother had ever been good at losing the whole Texan chivalry thing. They didn’t do well when someone disrespected a ‘lady’ in front of them. “I think you need to watch your tone, Sam.”

You held up a hand towards Tommy, stopping him from getting too riled up. You already had a less than respectable reputation in Jackson, didn’t need to drag him down with you. “Give him the sandwiches, and we won’t need to get Joel involved.”

Sam opened and closed his mouth, he glanced between you and Tommy, like he was trying to call your bluff. You couldn’t really help yourself as your hand drifted down to land on your holster, your fingers idly drumming against the leather. Finally he huffed, mumbled something prickish under his breath and shoved the sandwiches into Tommy’s hands, snatching the shirt. You watched until he retreated into the kitchen to address Tommy. 

“You probably coulda kept the shirt.”

Tommy shrugged, tucking the food in his pack. “Yeah, but we do things a certain way here. Can’t just go flashing your pistol at people.”

You scoffed, “Didn’t flash my pistol, I used your brother.”

Tommy chuckled and nodded his head towards the bar’s exit. You followed him outside, looking around to make sure the coast was clear of your neighbors. When you turned back to face him he was giving you an odd look. “What’re you so jumpy for?”

You sighed, “Your wife decided to move Mr. and Mrs. Rogers next to me and Joel.”

Tommy smiled and laughed, most definitely at your expense. “You mean Ann and James,” you nodded, ushering him along the sidewalk in case they popped up again. “They’re nice people, I think she’s just trying to get you to branch out.”

“Don’t need to,” you grunted out. Though, hunching over, hiding from anyone who wants to talk to you, you weren’t sure you were making a great case for yourself. You straightened up and glared at him, “‘Sides, I didn’t come out to chat about my new neighbors. I want to talk about the Harvest Festival and my ‘date.’” You couldn’t keep the disdain out of your voice if you tried, which you weren’t.

“Bob,” Tommy offered. You rolled your eyes and nodded. “What about it?”

“I’m not going.”

Tommy crossed his arms and smirked. “Says who?”

“Me,” you weren’t sure what he wanted from you. 

“And why not?”

Oh. Oh. That stupid smug little look was back on his face. How in the hell does he know? “I think you know why.”

He shook his head, “Nope, don’t think I do.”

He was really making you do this? “I can’t go because of Joel.”

“What’s my brother got to do with this?”

You opened your mouth, some argument at the tip of your tongue, but it was lost to you the second you tried to speak it into existence. Why couldn’t you go?

You broke apart from Joel slowly, neither of you in any sort of rush to end this. Idly, and without much thought behind it, your fingers traced the shape of his lips. You didn’t realize you were smiling until you saw the same soft expression mirrored on his face. 

“Been wanting to do that for a while,” his voice was quiet, as if he spoke any louder the trance would be broken. 

“I’ve been waiting for you to do that for a while,” your smile grew when the hands around your waist squeezed you tighter. He pulled you closer and you got comfortable in his lap, your hands moving down to play with the fabric of his shirt. 

He didn’t seem to mind the subtle exploration, his own hands mimicking yours. Now that you finally had the chance, neither of you seemed able to stop touching each other. You weren’t sure where to go from here. 

You hadn’t realized how desperately you had wanted this, wanted him, until you had him. You didn’t want to ruin the moment by overthinking or complicating something simple. Still, is everything going to change now?

Did that kiss mean as much to him as it meant to you? 

What did this mean-

“Hey,” you startled slightly, jolted out of your thoughts by the heavy weight of Joel’s hand on your cheek. “I can see that brain going. I can practically hear the rust flaking off the gears in your head.”

You scoffed and smacked at his chest, “Shut up.” But he was right, it was far too easy for you to get lost in your own head. Especially concerning him. You were grateful for the way he could anchor you in the present, drag you back out of a trap of your own making. 

Joel stood, his arms wrapping around you and dragging you along with him. You could hear his bones popping, you wanted to protest, tell him to just let you walk, but you knew he wouldn’t listen. He had that determined look on his face, the one that meant he was ignoring how old and worn out his back and knees were. 

Besides, you liked how strong he was. Relished in these little displays of strength, even if it was something as simple as carrying you to bed. You knew you needed to talk, you needed some sort of verbal confirmation that this was more than just two lonely souls looking for company.

But Joel just dropped you on the mattress, grumbled about getting your stuff from the guest room, and left. You changed out of your clothes, brushed your teeth, and waited for him to come back. When he did, he had changed too, he dumped a pile of blankets on the bed and got in beside you. 

He laid down and wrapped his arms around your waist, dragging you into his side. You looked down at where he was holding you, lacing your fingers together, and let yourself fall asleep. You two didn’t say anything else, you just reveled in each other's warmth, let the comfort you provided lull you both into an easy sleep. And when you woke up in the morning, he had breakfast ready for you, but he didn’t say anything about the night before. 

In fact, for the next week, there was no mention of you two kissing or what his vague, half-confession meant. Sure, now he greeted you with a kiss each morning and night, but other than that nothing had changed about how you two operated. 

You didn’t have anything to appease Tommy with as he looked at you expectantly. No, nothing had majorly changed between you and Joel and you hadn’t had a real discussion about anything. But, you didn’t really need one, you knew what you meant to each other. And you knew how hard it is for people like you and Joel to have those discussions. 

Emotions, romance, love were all such distant concepts, it felt so foreign to you. If you tried to date, or speak into existence how much weight he held in your life you know inevitably it would just end up complicating and ruining things. 

You were together, alive and not some mindless fungi outside Jackson, the rest was inconsequential. 

You just said, “Cancel it, I’m going with Joel,” and walked off before you had to be subjected to more of his smug face. 

You made your way back through town, the morning rush having calmed down now that everyone had gotten their supplies or found their assignments for the week. You were thankful not to spot any nosy neighbors as you made your way back, that was the last thing you needed after having to deal with Tommy’s questions. 

Neither you or Joel were really big fans of talking about your emotions, hell you’d have punched someone out back in the QZ just for telling you to look for the light. Gooey stuff was practically a foreign language to you now. 

You could function based on actions; setting out his coffee in the morning or a new book appearing on your nightstand when he’d gotten back from patrolling. It was all you needed to understand what you were to each other.  

You trudged up the stairs to the porch, Joel was sitting in his favorite rocking chair, a mug resting on his knee. His supply was running low, you were gonna have to find someone to trade with again. You had been keeping an eye out on your patrols, trying to see if you could find any beans. 

You weren’t really sure how coffee plants worked, if you planted the beans whether they would even grow or not. But it was worth a shot. 

“How’d it go?”

You let out a long sigh and threw yourself down on the chair next to him. It creaked under your weight but held up against the strain of its old age. You rocked back and forth, plucking at a string on your jeans. “Fine.”

He snorted slightly as he took another sip of his coffee. “Looks like it. Oh, Jason and Anna stopped by.”

It was your turn to laugh, you smirked at him, propping your head in your hand. “You mean Ann and James?”

He rolled his eyes and nodded, “Yeah, them.”

“You’re losing it, old man.”

He shrugged, “I don’t know, they were concerned about your hearing. Said they must’ve called your name ten times and you didn’t hear them.” There was a shit eating grin on his face as he stared at you, like he knew it was complete bullshit. 

You rolled your eyes and scoffed, “Please.” You sat up and leaned forward, irritation forcing you upright, “If I have to listen to her complain about how tender her breasts are again, I’ll shoot myself.”

Joel grimaced, giving you a disgusted look as he put his mug down. “These people know what T-M-I is?” He put too much emphasis on each letter and you couldn’t help yourself as you laughed. It was always funny to hear him get an attitude with that gruff Texan accent, he ended up sounding like a poor attempt at valley girl. He swatted your knee, trying to get you to stop making fun of him. 

“Tommy, come on, what’d he say?”

You shrugged, looking down and away from him, going back to playing with the loose thread of your jeans. “I don’t know, he was asking all these questions.”

Joel was quick to ask, “What questions?”

You rested your head on the back of the rocking chair, “Why I didn't want to go on the date.”

“What’d you say?”

Jesus, he was barely taking a breath. “I said,” you paused and looked at him, not really surprised to already find him looking at you. His gaze wasn’t as intense as you were expecting, more eager? You weren’t sure Joel got eager. “I said I couldn’t go with what’s-his-face to the festival because of you.”

“Yeah?” He smirked, leaning back in his rocking chair, a strange sort of male pride clear on his face. “How come?”

You scoffed, glaring at him from where you sat. The hell was he getting at? “Why do you think, genius? Why would I go out with someone when I’ve got you?”

“You got me?”

You paused, irritation draining from your body as you stared at him. His face wasn’t giving anything away, he wasn’t closed off, just staring at you expectantly. “Don’t I?” You hated the way your voice went quiet, you wished it had been more confident, teasing, like you knew the answer and were screwing with him. You sounded too vulnerable. 

Joel let you squirm for a minute, you’re pretty sure he thought it was funny. Finally he sighed and leaned forward, his hand landing on your thigh and you could feel the warmth of it through your jeans. You hadn’t realized how cold you’d gotten until he was this close, walking furnace that he was. 

“Yeah, you do.”  You tried not to let the relief show, though you’re sure it did if his little smirk was anything to go by. He squeezed your thigh once before he stood up to go back inside. 

“Oh,” you suddenly remembered the last bit of your conversation with Tommy. “And I told him you were taking me to the harvest,” you called over your shoulder. It was your turn to screw with him, and if the way his shoulders tensed up as he paused in the doorway was anything to go by, he was just as excited as you about that ridiculous festival. 

“When’s your next patrol?”

Joel had found you an old mystery book on his last run, the same one you were reading now. You marked the page and put it down on the nightstand as he got into bed next to you. “Not sure, I think thursday. Why?”

He shrugged, leaning back against the pillows and gazing at you. “I was thinking I could go with you. We could go exploring that old art museum Maria told me was a couple miles out.” He reached out, tucking some hair behind your ear and you tried not to lean too much into him.

You smiled, almost accepting when you realized what he was doing and the smile dropped. You huffed out a breath and rolled your eyes. “Nice try, Joel, we’re going to the harvest festival.”

He held up his hands in mock surrender, “Got no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Really?” He shook his head, oh-so-innocent. You scoffed, “You’re so full of it. If I went with you, we’d miss the harvest festival. And who would have to listen to Tommy’s bitching? Me.”

“He’s my brother.”

“Then you deal with him!” You picked your book back up, deciding on ignoring him for the rest of the night. You should have known he would try and weasel his way out of this.

Honestly, once you’d decided you were going with Joel, the festival didn’t seem that awful or daunting. You’re a little hurt he wants to get out of it so badly. You weren’t that bad of company. 

“You ignorin’ me now?”

You shrugged, flipping through the book, not really absorbing anything. You’d have to reread this chapter tomorrow. 

A big hand found itself in front of your face, blocking you from reading anything more. Joel dog-eared the page, something you loudly protested to, and threw the book on his nightstand. “Joel, you know I hate when you do that.”

“Yeah, I know,” you rolled your eyes at his little smirk. “But you’re talkin’ to me.”

“Child. You’re a child.”

He leaned over you and shut your lamp off, ignoring your snippy still usin’ that. He settled down in bed and patted the spot next to him. You hesitated, only for a moment, debating whether you wanted to give him more of a hard time or just give in. 

It wasn’t a hard choice. 

You settled down beside him, your head falling on his chest and his arm naturally wound itself around your back. You tried to ignore the way your legs fit together, how you felt like a complete puzzle when you laid down beside him, the two of you fitting together perfectly. You tried even harder to ignore the way the thought made your heart race, but it was nearly impossible. 

Sometimes you resented Joel a little bit. Resented him for the way you lost control of yourself and your emotions when you were around him. Resented all the power he held over you and how unaware of it he seemed to be. 

“I really don’t want to go.”

You scoffed, your fingers tracing the design on the worn out t-shirt he was wearing. “You think I do?”

“Then let’s just skip it.”

“Joel, I already said-”

“We used to be able to just do whatever we wanted.” You paused as he interrupted you, closing your mouth and tilting your head up so you could look at him. “We went where we wanted, when we wanted. There weren't all these bullshit obligations like patrol, or making sure our shifts match up.”

You were silent, taking in what he was saying. It wasn’t hard to miss the resent lingering in his tone, or the way he spoke fondly of your past. Before you had responsibilities. But you must have been quiet for too long because he reached over and turned his lamp off, closing his eyes with a sigh. 

You stayed awake a while longer, just thinking about what he said. He was starting to sound like you, the same frustration and anger at being expected to provide for others. You were at everyone’s beck and call here. People viewed you as do-ers. Someone needed something done, you were the one to do it, and there was no arguing either, because everyone worked together here. 

The thought left a bitter taste on your tongue as you went to sleep.

“Come on, hurry up!”

Ellie was sitting on the couch, she ran the towel in her hand over her hair roughly. You stood behind the chair, scissors in your hand as Joel trudged down the stairs. You wrapped a towel around his shoulders to keep his wet hair from dripping on his shirt. 

Years ago, a time that feels nearly as distant as 2003, it was Tess who would cut yours and Joel’s hair. You’d sit down in the crappy apartment you had in the QZ and she’d use some blunted ass scissors to saw off your hair. 

Neither you nor Joel should have been trusted with any scissors, but when Tess was gone and you were on the road for too long Ellie and Joel would start bitching about their hair. Neither of them liked how it would touch their neck. 

Luckily while you were still learning there were no mirrors. They couldn’t see how horribly you had done. They would always run their hands through their hair and frown, like they knew something was wrong, but they just couldn’t prove it. 

The only thing you had to worry about for a while was just not busting out laughing every time you saw the bangs you accidentally gave them. 

Thankfully, by the time you reached Jackson you’d gotten good enough at it that they would still come and badger you for a haircut. They’d never had a chance to see just how horribly you had done in the beginning. 

“Oh, Jesse wanted me to ask you if you’d do his hair soon?”

You gave Ellie a noncommittal hum, running your fingers through Joel’s hair. “I like it long.”

“Cut it.” He didn’t exactly leave any room for arguments, he even crossed his arms, like you were actually going to pester him about it. You weren’t, but you were leaving some length, it’s not like he could cut it himself. 

He tilted his head slightly towards Ellie, “What’s Jesse want with her?”

You pushed his head back in place and started snipping. “What do you think he wants?” Ellie snorted, she got off the couch, probably already bored of sitting there. She went over to the mirror on the wall, running her hands through her hair and grinning. 

“Isn’t he with Dina?” You weren’t proud of it, but you might have picked up some information about people around town. Would you say gossiping? No. Would others? Probably. 

“Not anymore, they broke up a while ago.” Ellie turned around, hands on her hips as she stared at you. 

You momentarily paused in cutting Joel’s hair, ignoring his disgruntled complaint. “Am I missing something?”

Joel turned to face her as well, matching confused expressions on both your faces. “Yeah,” Ellie paused, like she was waiting for the two of you to connect the dots. You glanced down at Joel but he just shrugged. 

He tried, “I thought Jesse and Ellie were dating.” 

You rolled your eyes and shoved Joel’s head forward, going back to the haircut. 

“God! You guys, me and Dina are dating, we’ve been dating for like three months.”

”I thought you were friends,” Joel offered unhelpfully. 

“Clearly not,” Ellie sniped back. “You guys seriously didn’t know?”

You shrugged, “I don’t know what you kids get up to.” Ellie sighed and sat back down on the couch seemingly disheartened by your underwhelming reaction. “At least you can’t get her pregnant.”

Ellie sucked in a breath, “Right.”

Joel swatted your hands away from his hair, he better pray that doesn’t screw you up. “Ellie, what was that?”

“What?”

“That noise you just made.”

“Joel,” you interrupted, forcing his head back in place, “stop moving, dammit.”

“Dina’s pregnant,” Ellie rushed the sentence out in one, jumbled breath. 

You watched as Joel’s shoulders tensed and then slumped in front of you. “How’d you even get her pregnant?”

“What’re you doing?”

Joel closed the patrol log and shook his head, “Nothing, come on.” 

Your eyebrows furrowed in suspicion as you watched him walk off. He had spent way too long by the log book for him to have just been writing - Couple runners, took ‘em out -J

You wanted to open it up and look but he was watching you from the entrance of the garage. You shoved aside your curiosity and followed him out to the horses. He grabbed the reins of his horse, “Come on, Sunny.” He shook his head and scoffed as he mounted her, “Still think their names are ridiculous.”

“Sunny and Cher,” you pet the black mane of your own mare and huffed out a laugh. “How’s Ellie even know who they are?”

“I don’t know, must’ve heard it from someone ‘cause she don’t even spell Sunny’s name right.”

“And she’s a girl.”

He laughed, “And she’s a girl.” 

He led you both outside into the sunny woods. Snow’s completely melted now, you weren’t sure how Maria and Tommy managed to time their ‘Harvest Festival’ so perfectly but it was a good time to celebrate the incoming warm weather. 

“So,” you nudged Cher forward to walk alongside him. “Where are we going?” Joel shrugged but didn’t provide you any answers. “Clearly not Jackson,” you were going the opposite direction of the town. 

You glanced at the back of Sunny, the bags he had tied to her saddle, each of them far too stuffed for a simple patrol. “You kidnapping me?”

“Maybe.”

You sighed, rolling your head back and taking in the greenery of the woods. You were definitely eager for winter to be over. Something about the cold weather makes the infected go fucking insane. They're faster, meaner, and just over all bigger pains in the ass. Not to mention the fact that they travel in huge fucking hordes. 

Tommy always tries to pretend he knows about them, something about the barometric pressure making them migrate but you know he’s just full of it. You watched a pair of hare’s dart in front of you and Joel and took in a deep breath. 

God, you’d forgotten how nice it was to be outside without the sound of people around you. There was the sound of the horses' hooves squishing lightly over wet grass, the wind moving the leaves above you, and the distant sound of birds singing. But no voices, or kids, or people demanding favors.

You’d missed this, with Joel specifically. It’d been a while since you had this type of quiet with him. So, you didn’t push him too much about where he was taking you, just followed him down the path. 

You were fine not bugging him while you were on a lovely jaunt through a pretty forest. But it’s been an hour and you can’t feel extremities that really need blood flow. “Joel,” you tried to remain friendly but your tone was strained as you shifted on your saddle for the nth time. 

“Yeah?” He grunted out. 

“How much longer?”

“Not much longer.” He turned around and frowned at you, “Have some patience.”

You tugged on Cher’s reins, forcing her to stop while you glared at Joel’s back. “Patience? Joel, we’ve been out here since six. I’ve had a lot of fucking patience. But that ran out about three miles ago, right when I stopped being able to feel my a-”

“We’re here.”

Of course you were. 

Joel got off Sunny and offered you a hand down. You took it eagerly, more than happy to finally stretch your legs out. You were a bit surprised when he kept your hands locked together, he wasn’t normally one for touchy shows of affection. 

Not that you were complaining, you were more than happy to revel in the comforting feeling of his hands in yours. Though, his were definitely rougher than your own, you weren’t without your own callouses, but he’d had years of carpentry and being a contractor under his belt before the apocalypse. 

He’d paused in a field, the grass here was up to your waist which made it difficult to see where you were stepping and what you were stepping on. You kept close to Joel, the horses trailing behind you both as he led you through the field. 

It took a moment for you to realize you’d never been out here. You’d only been vaguely paying attention to the direction you went while you were on the horses, trusting Joel to know the way. But this was definitely unrecognizable, which was strange, you thought you’d found everything when you went exploring on your own. 

Out in the distance you could see a vague shape forming, some brown structure that you couldn’t really make out as the grass was getting taller. It only took a few feet to finally figure out what was looming over you. 

A fence. 

Fun.

You said as much to Joel, probably in the most sarcastic tone you could muster. He rolled his eyes and kneeled down. You couldn’t help but admire his arms as he dug his fingers into a rotten plank of wood and pulled. He managed to make a hole large enough for you to crawl through and motioned towards it. 

“Well, go on, smartass.”

You huffed, getting down on your hands and knees and squeezing your way through. You didn’t bother seeing what was in front of you, turning around so you could keep the way through open for him. The wood dug into your palm, splinters burying themselves in your skin. 

God, this better be worth it. 

He groaned as he straightened up, pulling you to your feet and stretching his back out. “Alright. Ready?”

”Yep,” you rolled your eyes as he walked in front of you. What could have been so amazing he had dragged you out here?

A house. 

Well, it was a nice house, better taken care of than you’d seen out here. Looked like an old farmhouse, two stories, and a wraparound porch. Something you would have loved a long time ago. Surrounding it was a tall fence, it went out pretty far, there was room enough for a large garden and then some. There were bits where the wood had rotted or had holes in it that looked like someone had broken through. But the grass was trimmed, a normal height instead of tickling the ends of your hair. 

Overall, nice, but you had no clue what Joel was doing out here. 

“What do you think?”

“It’s nice.”

Joel scoffed, he crossed his arms and stared at you, “Just nice?”

You laughed and walked up the stairs of the porch. It was cleaner than you thought it would be, no signs of aging on the wooden boards. “It’s a nice house, Joel. I just don’t get why we’re here.”

He sighed and walked up to you, you took in a deep, centering, breath when he placed one hand on your waist. He moved you slightly out of the way as he leaned in, opening the door up behind you. “We’re here ‘cause this is ours,” admittedly your eyes were on his lips and your focus was how close he was to you. 

It took you a second to actually process what he had said. You blinked and your eyes shot back up to his, “What?”

He nudged you inside and you stumbled over your feet as you went. The interior was even nicer than the outside. There wasn’t a spec of dust or decay, it was like time hadn’t had a chance to touch it. There was a couch, bookshelves, even an old record player. 

“Joel, what the hell are you talking about?”

He sighed and threw his backpack down on the ground. He walked over and took yours off your shoulders, nudging you to take a seat on the couch. “Been working on this for months.” He smiled a little, the wrinkles in the corner of his eyes crinkling with the movement.

You were still a little confused, eyes darting around the living room as you sat there with a dumb look on your face. “Look, Jackson was nice for a while.”

You tuned in enough to grunt in opposition. Joel chuckled, “Alright, fine, it was never my favorite. I was out here one day, looking for you,” he added with a light nudge to your knee. “Found this place.”

“And… What? Decided to test out Jesus’s favorite pastime?”

“I was a contractor before the world went to shit. Like riding a bike, it just comes back to you.”

“I just don’t understand. Why? Why put in the time and effort and materials?”

He scoffed, “Why do you think?” When you didn’t answer he rolled his eyes. “We always talk about disappearin’ and I thought this would be a nice place to do it. There’s already a perimeter up, just have to make some more repairs. Worked something out with Tommy, it’s close enough to Jackson that we got some power from the dam,” he stood up now pacing around the living room a little as he talked to you. 

You slowly became aware of the stupid grin growing on your face. The warmth that was spreading through your cheeks and stomach as you realized he’d done this, fixed up this old house for months in secret for you. 

That explained why he’d been complaining about his back so much lately. 

You stood up, cutting him off from his tangent about how you were still close enough to Jackson for supplies and to see Tommy and Elllie. You fisted your hands in the flannel he was wearing and tugged him down. “Joel.”

He smiled at you as his hands landed on your waist, squeezing a little. “Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Have I ever told you I love you?”

He pulled you in and grinned, “Not once.”

This kiss felt different than all the rest. Felt like something more final, like you both knew you’d reached the end and there was nowhere left to go. You’d explored all you could, fought your way here, and now you stood in this old house. The one he had fixed up and you knew you didn’t need to fight anymore. 

You just needed this, him in this moment. 

“Ellie?”

Ellie turned around at the sound of Dina’s voice. “Yeah?”

She nodded her head towards the patrol logbook, there was a strange smile on her face. “Might want to take a look at this.”

Ellie walked over, shooting Dina a confused glance before she took a look and let out a laugh.

We aren’t gone, but we’re disappearing for a while. You won’t find us, don’t come looking (I mean it Tommy) - J

end. — I do not own the characters or the game The Last Of Us, but this writing is my own all rights reserved © not-neverland06 2024. do not copy, repost, translate & recommend elsewhere.

TAGLIST: @chrysanthemum-00 @marimarvelfan

[raya-hunter01]

Cruising Love Pt. 2.1

Two Shot Request

Jey Uso x Black Female OC! (Kayla)

Jimmy Uso x Trin

Roman x Black Female OC! (Robin)

Sefa x Black Female OC! (Cameron)

Montez Ford x Bianca Belair

Rating: 18+

Warning: Smut,

Thank you for the request and for trusting me once again @royalkay23

Jey has planned a five-day cruise to the Bahamas and Puerto Rico for his girlfriend Kayla’s birthday. Jey is determined to make sure the trip goes smoothly as he’s enlisted his family and friends to help him plan the perfect wedding proposal.

His plans are in danger of going up in smoke as his toxic ex is also on the cruise and is desperate to rekindle their toxic burning flame.

Will Jey give in, or will he stand strong in his love and devotion to Kayla and leave the past in the past?

Regen Seven Seas Cruise

Nassau, Bahamas

Middle Deck

Jey’s POV

“I don’t know what the fuck happened, I swear,” I said looking into the cold eyes of Joe as we ate lunch. “Kayla cried almost all night and that I have a problem with that. She didn’t deserve that,” he said, each word stabbing me in the chest.

“I know she didn’t, but I deserved everything I damn got last night,” I said as Jimmy laughed out loud.

“Damn right you deserved to get your shit rocked. What I can’t figure out is why you did it purposely,” Jimmy said as I frowned at him.

“What the hell you talking about? Are you still drunk from last night?” I asked as he chuckled.

“Oh, I’m sober and now that you are, when are you gon’ admit your ass was drunk and them demons was talking to your ass,” he said as it was my turn to chuckle.

“I ain’t got no demons twin, I’m good,” I said as Sefa raised his eyebrow at me. “I beg to differ; I think Jimmy on to something. Now spill it or we won’t help you fix this fuckin shit show',” Sefa said as I sighed dropping my fork.

“It ain’t nothing to tell. One minute she was actin’ nice and the next minute, it was the old Danielle trying to reel my ass back in. I just thought if I danced with her, I could get her off my back,” I said as Jimmy frowned at me.

“Yo ass shoulda’ walked away the minute she approached you. That’s why you in this mess now, always too afraid to hurt folks’ feelings even when they’ve treated you like shit,” he hissed as I felt my frustration building as he looked at me.

 Judging me for being human and trying to give people the benefit of the doubt.

“Stop looking at me like that, I knew it was wrong and I stopped it. I told her I loved Kay, and I couldn’t do that to her and wouldn’t. I just don’t can’t imagine how it looked to ya’ll though,” I said to Sefa as he seemed in deep thought.

“It looked real bad bro; I saw you before the girls did and I couldn’t believe you would put yourself out there like that.”

“So, ain’t no old feelings hiding inside you for Danielle?” Joe asked as I growled at the thought.

“Stop playin’ with me Joe, you know I love Kayla,” I said as he sipped on his beer almost questioning if I was lying or not.

“Your subconsciously insecure,” Jimmy blurted out as I looked at him like he was crazy.

“Subconsciously insecure...What the hell you talkin' bout?" I hissed as Sefa pointed at Jimmy and nodded. “That’s the word I was thinking too,” he said as I felt attacked.

“Ok, since ya’ll got a therapist degree? What am I insecure about what?” I asked as Joe looked at the three of us confused.

“Yourself and whether you feel someone will love you for you or have a motive,” Jimmy said sending chills down my spine.

 He called me out on it and I couldn’t say anything as he read me like a book.

 “Jey, you seem to forget Sefa stayed wit ya’ll before he bought his house. He’s seen a lot of shit, we all have,” Jimmy said as Sefa sighed putting his head down, avoiding my gaze as the table got quiet and my thoughts began to drift.

Man, that was a crazy time when Sefa moved in with me. Danielle and I were at the height of our craziness, and it was a month before I found out about the money she had stolen.

The fighting was almost nonstop at that point every word out of her mouth was something to try to rile me up. Then when I would explode, she would throw on the tears and I would give in because I loved her.

Yea, definitely toxic shit…..

------

One Month before breakup.

“Look, my brother is upstairs can you keep it down,” I hissed as Danielle whined. “Ugh, why did you tell him he could move in. He could have gone to your parents, he is their kid,” Danielle said as I chuckled.

“Because I said he could, but I see what this is about. Your pissed because I didn’t buy that diamond bracelet you wanted so now you trying to get me worked up and start an argument,” I said onto the bullshit.

“You should count your blessings that I am even here. No woman wants a man who’s gone all the time, you should be kissing me feet. I’m still here and you should have no problem giving me anything I want. No woman will ever want you, your life is too fuckin’ complicated, Jey.” Danielle said sipping out of her wine glass.

 “Well, you can leave anytime you like because I ain’t buying that bracelet. You just spent three grand yesterday on clothes and shoes. Hell, I don’t want another you, I’ll stay single and die first. You gettin’ more shit than me and it’s my money,” I countered as she scoffed pouring herself another glass of wine.

“Fine, I guess I can cut back on shopping a little. I need to remember you’re not going to go far with this wrestling thing.  You need to save your little coins for when the glory ride is over.”

“Are you really sayin’ this shit to me because I wouldn’t buy you a fuckin bracelet or is this how you really feel,” I hissed in anger.

“I mean ya’ll a good tag team, but I don’t see ya’ll splitting up and taking the world by storm as single competitors. The crowd will never rock with you like that,” she said laughing.

“Danielle, you can be such a bitch,” I whispered sipping on my glass of brandy.  “What? I’m just letting you know the real deal; you know that right?” she said casually as I put my glass down and went upstairs.

“Aww, did that hurt your feelings! I’m sorry baby,” she said laughing walking behind me. “Leave me alone Danielle, I ain’t doin’ this shit tonight,” I whispered slamming the door in her face as she began pounding on it.

“Come on, I’m just preparing you because I love you.” she said as I began packing her a bag.

“Tired of this shit, it’s like begging for punishment. This toxic shit ain’t normal,” I muttered slanging the bag over my shoulder, storming out of my room.

“What are you doing?” Danielle asked in shock, seeming to sober up as I walked down the stairs. “Getting you out of my house since its very obvious you don’t want to be here,” I said opening the door and throwing her bag outside.

“Josh, don’t do this baby, I’m so sorry,” she cried going outside to get her bag as I slammed the door.

“Don’t do this to me! You know I love you, don’t do this,” Danielle cried beating her hands against the door as I fought the angel and devil inside me as to let her back in or not.

I couldn’t stand to see her cry, not even after the hurtful shit she had just said. I loved her and she knew it.

“Don’t give up on us baby, you know nobody will ever love you like me. Open the door so we can talk, I love you,” she sobbed as I hit the door in frustration, wiping my tears. Damn, why couldn’t we just be normal!

I looked up and saw Sefa at the top of the stairs frozen. “Do I need to call the cops.”

“Nah, everything is alright, Uce. I’m sorry we woke you up with this shit,” I whispered as he frowned.

“Don’t let her keep doing this to you, Jey. She is using you and you need to open your eyes,” he said before going back to his room.

“Jey, please open the door!” Danielle cried as I unlocked the door and let her back in. “I’m so sorry! I don’t know what came over me,” Danielle whimpered, running into my arms.

After all the shit she said to me I’m comforting her, WTF is wrong with me.

“I’m sorry Jey, I just feel like sometimes I don’t belong, and I don’t want to lose you. So, I just say things I don’t mean,” she cried as I held her close.

 “You ain’t gon’ lose me Dani, I love you. If it will make you feel better, we can go get the bracelet tomorrow,” I said as she nodded.

“Thank you, baby, you’re the best,” she sniffed as I cringed. Damn, the tears sure stopped really quick. She had got me again….

--

Sitting in the midst of the silence and remembering the chaotic shit that I had pushed out of my brain was making me see things even clearer.

“I feel fucking sick,” I mumbled as Joe’s eyes softened.

“Let’s lay off ya’ll, he doesn’t look so good,” Joe said as I felt my stomach churning even more.

“I am subconsciously insecure, they right. Sometimes I don’t think I’m not worthy of Kayla," I said actually relieved that I finally admitted it to myself.

“I saw firsthand some of the shit you went through. So, I get it, we all get it,” Sefa said as Jimmy nodded in agreement.

“How much does Kayla know about Danielle?” he asked as I sighed.

“Only that we broke up about her stealing the money, I could tell she knew it was more to the story, but she never pushed me,” I said as Joe rubbed his beard.

“Uce, you need to tell her everything and I mean everything. She deserves to know,” Sefa said as I nodded in agreement.

I’mma tell her, I just hope she listens when I do tell her.”

“You know we got ya’ back and gonna help anyway we can,” Jimmy said as we got quiet seeing Montez heading our way.

“Sorry I missed ya’ll text, Bianca had to check on some stuff and needed my help.”

“Nah, you good, Uce, it gave us a chance to have a lil family chat,” I said wondering what Kayla was doing.

--

Top deck

Kayla’s POV

After a good cry I dusted myself off and got ready for the day. This evening was supposed to be my first pre-birthday dinner and I was miserable sitting at the table with my girls.

“Passengers enjoy your time here in the Bahamas. Enjoy your island experience and be safe. Announcements and corresponding messages will be sent out as we grow closer to our departure time,” the announcer said as I sighed playing over my food.

“I’mma need you to snap out of this, we in the damn Bahamas,” Trin said as I took a deep breath.

“I’m pissed and I can’t help it. I mean why would he ever go near her? Does he still love her?” I asked truly trying to figure out how the hell did she even end in his arms.”

“Look, I know you’re mad but don’t let this spoil your trip. Tonight is your first birthday dinner and we all helped Jey plan it,” Cameron said as I cracked a small smile.

“Ya’ll always helping us out. What would we do without ya’ll?” I asked as Robin shrugged her shoulders and snickered.

“Catch some cases because I just knew you were gon’ throw that girl overboard last night,” she said as the rest of the girls laughed.

“It’s not funny ya’ll,” I said trying to avoid looking at them, hiding my own smile.

She better stay outta my way, I can tell you that. I always believe that you check your man, but I wanted to beat her ass so bad I could taste it.”

“She ain’t crazy, I heard when you mushed dat big ass forehead she got the hell on,” Bianca said as I laughed in spite of how I was feeling on the inside.

“She was doing all that big talk and hauled ass too quick,” Trin said as I played with my bracelet on my wrist trying to not think about beating Danielle’s ass.

“Look, go get a nap and get yourself together because we gon’ party tonight,” Robin said sensing my discomfort.

“Ok, I’ll try,” I said getting up giving them each a hug before I took that long lonely walk back to our suite.

Meliza Restaurant

Jey’s POV

“You think you slick putting that up under my girl post,” Bianca said looking at Kayla’s Instagram post and liking it.

“Look, I told no lies, she is mine,” I whispered as Kayla and Cameron walked ahead of us.

“You lucky she didn’t cuss yo’ ass out,” Sefa said as I smirked.

“She done told yo’ ass she is the visuals. You better get it together,” Montez said as we walked into the restaurant.

 “I am, ya’ll just stick to the plan to get us to sit by each other,” I said as Bianca snickered. “She gon’ cuss ya’ll asses out and I can’t wait,” she said walking away and shaking her head as I fixed my tie.

“Relax man, Joe is on it, that’s why he’s walking up there with Jimmy. They plannin’ to make sure ya’ll end up beside each other,” he said as I silently prayed that she’ll love the dinner and after this maybe we could talk.

Kayla’s POV

Reservation for Fatu,” Jey said as the host smiled. “We just got everything done Mr. Fatu, and we hope it’s to your satisfaction,” he said leading us to our table.

“Oh, this is nice,” Robin whispered as I looked at Jey in disbelief everything was beautiful. No matter what was going on at the moment I was thankful.

 “Thank you, everything is really beautiful,” I whispered as he smiled at me making my heart race.

“You never have to thank me baby, I love you,” he said kissing my hand as I felt some of my anger resolving but not for long as I saw everyone rushing to a seat leaving only the two chairs in the middle.

 “Come on sit by me Kayla,” Cameron said as I scoffed. “Ya’ll ain’t slick, I’m not sitting by Jey tonight. Somebody gotta move,” I said as Jey sucked on his teeth.

 “Your being childish,” he said as I rolled my eyes. “And you were acting single last night so I decided it’s only right to oblige you,” I said as he growled.

“I can move Kayla, come on,” Joe said waving me over as Robin slyly slid over and Jey took her seat previous seat.

“Sit down Kayla,” Jey whispered as I stood looking at him like he was crazy.

“Can I sit by you Cameron?” I asked as she got up and switched seats with me. Hearing the snickers at the table I knew Jey wasn’t giving up.

 “Sefa, can we switch?” Jey asked as I raised an eyebrow at his antics.

“Fine, we can sit in the middle together. I don’t feel like playin’ musical chairs wit yo’ ass all night, but don’t talk to me Fatu,” I said going back to my original seat, wanting to knock the smile off his face.

“See how easy it is when you just cooperate,” Jey said sitting down beside me as I looked over at Bianca who silently told me to take a deep breath.

Yea, this was going to be a long ass night.

The food was excellent, and the girls did a good job in keeping me preoccupied on the dance floor. I ignored Jey but it didn’t seem to faze him. “We need to talk babe,” he whispered as I nodded knowing he was right, but I didn’t feel like it tonight.

“So, what is the plan for tomorrow?” Joe asked as I shrugged. “Maybe check out the shops and the beach,” I said Jey cleared his throat as I looked at him. “Maybe we could grab dinner on the beach and get some alone time.”

“Aww, I thought after last night you would be asking Danielle,” I said without missing a beat as he sighed. “Damn, that’s cold,” Jimmy whispered as Trin hit him on the shoulder.

“Stop making it worse,” she hissed at him as rubbed his shoulder.

Jey’s POV

“Look, we are talking after this dinner, and I mean it,” I hissed as Kayla sipped on her glass of wine with a frown.  I didn’t mean for it to come out so harsh, I’m just frustrated as hell.

Out the corner of my eye I see the waiter approaching us carrying a glass of wine and sitting it in front of Kayla who seems perplexed.

“Uh, nobody here ordered another glass of wine,” I said as the waiter smiled.

“Compliments of the gentleman at the bar,” the waiter said pointing to a man sitting at the bar with his glass raised towards Kayla.

“Who the fuck is that and why is he sending you drinks?” I asked, pulling the glass of wine in front of me wanting to get some answers.

“I don’t know who he is, but give me back my shit,” Kayla said reaching over and taking the glass back.

“Kayla who is that?” I asked trying to keep my cool. “I don’t know but it was a nice gesture,” she said lifting her glass into the air towards the stranger before taking a sip.

“Ah, shit,” I heard Joe whisper as I shot him a look before looking back at Kayla.

“So, some random motherfucka just wants to buy you a glass of wine, huh?” I asked as she shrugged her shoulders.

“I guess so,” she said casually sipping her wine enjoying my discomfort.

“Hey, that’s the cutie from the club last night that bought us that round of shots,” Cameron whispered to Bianca and Robin as I sneered.

I didn’t have time to let my thoughts run away for long as he stood up and began walking towards us.

“Aye, keep your cool, ain’t nobody trying to go to jail. We ain’t in the states,” Jimmy whispered as this motherfucker stood boldly in front of Kayla and me.

He literally is eying her up and down like she’s dessert.

“I heard it was your birthday, so I ordered you a glass of wine,” he said reaching down, taking Kayla’s hand in his and placing a kiss on her hand.

“What the fuck?” I hissed as Kayla seemed confused but smiled. “Uh, well, it’s not my birthday yet, but thank you for the kind gesture,” she said as I rolled my eyes. “You are very welcome, my name is Colton,” he said as I growled.

“Ok, you can move on now Colton, this is a family dinner and you ain’t invited,” I said as Sefa touched my shoulder. “Aye, just breathe man,” Joe whispered as unclenched my fist.

Who the fuck does he think he is? Kayla is my woman, how dare he even fucking look at her.

“Could I trouble you for a dance.”

“Nah, she’s good, move on,” I said as Kayla sipped on her wine. “Sure, I would love to Colton,” she said standing up.

“So, you just gon’ act like I ain’t sitting right here, Kayla?” I asked as she looked back at me.

 “Yep, just like how you acted like I wasn’t on the ship last night when you were dancing with Danielle,” she whispered as Robin and Joe cringed.

I flinched at her words but didn’t say anything, instead I watched them like a hawk as she followed him onto the dance floor.

 “Uce, you need to breathe,” Jimmy said as I ignored him and looked over at Joe who seemed like he was just waiting for me to say the word.

“Go get her Joe, before I kill this mothafucka,” I hissed as Joe got up without hesitation and went over to get Kayla.

“You trippin ‘Jey,” Robin said as I growled seeing Joe coming back over without her.

“Aye, you gon’ have to handle that, Uce,” he said sitting down clearing his throat.

“What did she say?” Bianca asked as Joe sighed. “She told me she loved me, but to take my ass back to my seat. Yea, and to tell you to fuck off,” he said pointing at me.

“How bout you take your ass over there and get your own woman,” Trin said as I sucked on my teeth.

“Jimmy and Sefa go get her,” I said my eyes focused on this clown’s hands resting on her lower back as they danced.

“I don’t see why she can’t dance with him? What they doin’ is a simple two step, barely even touching. What you had going on last night was a ho bumping and grindin’ up on you and trying to kiss you,” Robin said as Joe leaned over and whispered in her ear as she rolled her eyes at me.

“I agree, it ain’t the same,” Trin said as Jimmy looked at me and I gave him the signal tuning the girls out.

“A’ight let’s go Sefa, but I ain’t trying to get cussed out,” Jimmy said as Trin shook her head. “I hope she do cuss yo’ ass out because he needs to be takin’ his ass over there and not ya’ll,” Trin said as Bianca shook her head and looked over at Montez who he held his hands up.

 “I ain’t goin’ over there so don’t look at me like dat. I do got some sense,” he said as she seemed pleased with her answer.

Kayla’s POV

I want him to feel how I felt last night. If you feel how I felt last night, maybe you will think before you put yourself in these stupid positions.

“Ya’ man seemed very upset, I didn’t mean any harm,” Colton said as I nodded. “He’s really mad about something else, it has nothing to do with you. Plus, it’s just a harmless dance and I’m Kayla by the way,” I said as he smiled.

“Yes, it is, and I meant no disrespect. It’s just you looked like you could use a break and it’s nice to meet you Kayla,” he said as I smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I said as he looked over my shoulder.

“Here comes some more of your friends,” he whispered as I rolled my eyes. I knew it was Sefa and Jimmy

“Uh, sis, Jey wants to holla at you right quick,” Jimmy said gently touching my shoulder as Colton cleared his throat and stepped back.

“I don’t give a damn what he wants Jimmy.”

“Let’s get some air sis, tensions are high, and we just need to cool off. Uce, is feeling some type of way-” Sefa started as I interrupted him.

“Tell your brother I’m a grown ass woman and I don’t give a damn how he’s feeling. He can kiss my ass for all I care, now relay that message,” I whispered to him so Colton nor Jimmy could hear me.

Sefa nodded, rubbing his hand over his beard before walking back towards our table with Jimmy in tow.

The anger that flashed across Jey’s face as Sefa relayed the message didn’t frighten me at all as he stood up and began walking towards us.

“Look, Imma head out, my friends are back,” Colton said pointing at two guys standing by the entrance as they smiled and waved.

“I think it’s best,” I said waving back at them as Colton nodded. 

“Have a good rest of your trip, and Happy Birthday Kayla.”

“Thank you and the same to you,” I said as Jey casually tapped him on the shoulder before we could go our separate ways.

“Sorry to cut in, but it’s my turn,” Jey said grabbing my hand, pulling me to him before Colton could even respond.

Reading the room, Colton held his hands up in surrender. “She’s all yours big guy, I was just about to leave anyway,” he said as Jey smirked at him.

“I’m glad you realize that, now take yo’ ass on,” Jey said as I shook my head. “Bye Colton and thanks,” I said as he smiled and waved before walking back over to his friends as Jey wore a deep frown.

“That was rude,” I said as he scoffed. “Yea, it was rude and I don’t give a fuck. You really think I was gon’ let that shit ride, another man trying to push up on you, fuck you thought was gon’ happen.”

“Jey, I’m a grown ass woman,” I hissed as he licked his lips caressing my hips.

“Yea, you are and I’m a grown ass man. So, I don’t mind coming to get my woman,” Jey said as I smiled.

 “Oh, really, because I wasn’t aware I was your woman because you damn sure seemed to have a lapse of memory last night,” I said as he pulled me closer.

“Look, I get it, Kay. I hurt you, but when are you going to actually listen to me and let me explain,” he said as I pushed him away.

“When you actually understand how that shit made me feel and want to have a real conversation about why you even put yourself in that kind of position to begin with, especially with her, and speak of the devil, there she is.”

“What are you talking about?” he whispered as I pointed to the entrance and there stood Danielle with a smirk.

“Let’s just go Kayla, it ain’t worth it.”

“No, I ain’t going nowhere, this is my night. That bitch can leave,” I said as Danielle, and I stared each other down from across the room.

Sefa’ POV

“I know this isn’t happening,” I whispered seeing Danielle and hearing Cameron’s sharp intake of breath.

“I’mma beat this bitch ass,” Bianca said as Montez shushed her.

“Don’t shush me….I’m just sayin’ she got one time and she mine,” Bianca said as he tried to calm her down.

“All the places on this fuckin’ island and she’s here,” Robin said as Joe seemed speechless. “It’s the audacity for me,” Trin said as Jimmy nodded.

“Damn, she really just thinks she can do what she wants,” Jimmy said as Kayla and Jey came and sat back down.

“Boo, you ready to go?” Robin asked as Kayla laughed.

“Nah, I’m about to beat her ass and then we can leave.”

“Excuse me, what?” Jey asked as Kayla took off her earrings.

“You heard me, I’m bout to beat her motherfuckin’ ass, and then we can leave,” Kayla said louder as Bianca smirked.

“That’s my girl, whoop dat bitch ass. She been playin’ in your face like she ain’t got no sense.”

“Maybe we should just leave,” Joe said as Danielle walked in front of Jey and Kayla.

“Joe, I love you for trying to be the voice of reason, but she got this one coming,” Trin whispered as I saw Kayla shift in her seat wearing a smile.

Danielle had just walked into the lion’s den and didn’t even know it.

Kayla’s POV

“Aww, Jey you still going all out for special occasions I see,” Danielle said picking up a glass from off the table as I smirked at her, as Jey was livid.

“Leave Danielle-” Jey hissed as I interrupted him.

“Jey, don’t say another word, I got it. Danielle, let me holla at you on the terrace,” I said standing up with my glass a wine as everyone looked on almost scared to move.

“Oou, you in danger girl, and don’t even know it,” Trin whispered as I smiled, playing it cool.

“Sure, I see no reason as to why we can’t have a conversation like grown women,” she said heading towards the terrace as Jey stood up.

“Kayla, baby, I can-”

“Your not needed for this conversation,” I said as his eyes pleaded with me to not do anything crazy.

“I’m fine….It’s cool,” I said giving his hand a comforting squeeze before following her onto the terrace and closing the door behind me.

The waves crashing upon the shore represented my own anger that was raging inside me as we were finally standing face to face.

Her smugness pissing me off, but I couldn’t let it show. I needed answers first, and after that…..  Oh, I’mma  beat dat ass for the 9-9- and the 2000’s.

“I’m glad we could talk after last night,” Danielle said as I nodded.

“After last night, I was so crazy angry. I was wondering what I’d do if I saw you again.  I mean would I just lose control and beat yo’ ass on site.” I said as Danielle backed up slightly holding her hands up.

“Now, you said we were going to talk,” Danielle said as I smiled.

“You know I even dreamed about throwing your ass overboard last night,” I said casually taking a sip of my wine as she seemed nervous.

“So, are we going to talk, or are you going to keep threatening me.”

“We are talking Danielle, but let’s be real…..I don’t know you, but let me make it crystal clear.  Stay away from Jey, or we’re gonna have a problem,” I said as she smirked.

“Oh, so you speak for him now. Man, where did he find you, Ms. Perfect?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, but it’s none of your business. Danielle, why did you show up here?” I asked truly curious.

“Well, you are the longest relationship he’s been in since we broke up four years ago. I’m trying to figure out what makes you so damn special,” she said as I shook my head, this bitch was asking for it.

  “I speak life into him and I’m actually there for him. Something, you didn’t do, apparently,” I said as she rolled her eyes.

“Look, Jey knew he couldn’t do better than me, so he was ok with it. Normally he realizes the error of his ways and then we fall right back into our routine within a month. It’s just takin’ us a little longer this time,” Danielle said as I looked at her like she was crazy.

“It’s been four years!” I shouted as she sneered at me. “Like you are delusional as fuck. Baby, it’s been over between you and Jey. It was over a year before I even came in the picture.”

“I’m not delusional, I’m speaking facts.”

The more she rambled, the more things started to make sense. She was a toxic ass narcissist, emotionally abusive, and God knows what else and in that moment of realization, I saw red.

“You made his life a living hell, didn’t you?” I whispered as she smiled.

 Yea, I’m done talking now. Without hesitation, I flicked my glass of wine in her face as she gasped in shock.

“That was for showing your fuckin’ face here,” I said as she tried to wipe her face off with her hands. “You fuckin’ bitch,” she said whispered through gritted teeth.

“Yea, that’s me, and don’t you forget it.” Rearing back, I punched her in the face, as she collapsed to the ground holding her jaw.

“That one was for Jey,” I said as she used the railing for support to pull herself up. “I’m going to kill you,” she whispered as I tackled her, our momentum causing us both to go over the railing, and onto the sand.

The force of our landing knocking the wind knocked out of both. “Shit!” I hissed, rubbing the back of my head momentarily, but regained my senses seeing Danielle trying to run away.

Shaking the cobwebs loose, I kicked off my heels and grabbed her by the leg “Nah, you been talkin’ all dat shit, what’s good!” I yelled slanging her back down onto the sand.

“Ah! Your crazy!” Danielle screamed as I climbed on top of her punching anywhere I could as she tried to block my fists with her arms.

“Bitch you gon’ learn today, this ain’t what you want!”

Jey’s POV

The loud crash was enough for us all to run onto the terrace to see what the hell was going on.

There was Kayla on top of Danielle in the sand unloading on her ass as Danielle was screaming trying to cover herself up.

“Uce, get her ass before they call the damn cops,” Sefa hissed as we both jumped over the rail running to separate the girls.

“Kay, come on that’s enough,” I said pulling her off of Danielle as she kept a tight grip on her hair.

“Let go! Let go!” Danielle screamed as Sefa pried Kayla’s hands out of her hair, but not before Kayla broke her other arm free from my grasp and punched Danielle a couple times on the back of the head.

“Damn! You can’t get her, Jey!” Joe yelled as Jimmy was helping him get ahold of Danielle.

“I got her! Ya’ll just get her ass outta here!” I yelled as Kayla tried to break free.

“You bitch! This ain’t over!” Danielle screamed as Jimmy and Joe were dragging her away.

“You damn right it ain’t, cause’ every time I see you, it’s on-site bitch!” Kayla yelled struggling against me as the girls came over to help calm her down.

“Calm down, Kayla, you got her, and it’s done,” Trin said as Kayla finally stopped fighting against me.  

“I got you, just calm down baby. It’s over, alright,” I whispered as Kayla turned and looked at me with tears in her eyes.

 “I’m sorry,” she whispered as the girls surrounded her, pushing me away in the process before I could respond.

“Ya’ll take her and get her cleaned up,” Sefa said as Montez picked up Kayla’s shoes up the ground and handed them to Cameron.

“I’ll go check on Joe and Jimmy,” Montez said as I nodded feeling a migraine coming on. All this was my fault….

“I’ll go pay so we can head back to the ship,” I said just feeling defeated watching the girls comforting Kayla when it should have been me.

Yep, night two official had gone to shit.

@reci24 @southerngirl41 @vebner37 @jeyusos-girl

@melaninsugababy @romanreignkisser @bebesobrielo

@arination99 @2-muchsauce @bakugoumarianawrites

@empressdede @alyyaanna @christinabae @anonandwannakeepitthatway @venusesworld @jeyusosgirl  @theninthwonder @mya2real  @justazzi @whatdoeseverybodywant @reignsboy19 wooahmiri alichesmi pytbgeezy

[stardustprompts]

how to sell a haunted house - grady hendrix sentence starters change tenses/pronouns as needed !!  some lines have been edited for clarity / length / ease of roleplaying tw ; death , alcohol , language , mental health

‘you need to sit down.’

‘what did you do?’

‘jesus, i’m sorry I’m not doing it the right way. i’m sure you’d be perfect at this.’

‘I find knowing these details makes it easier.’

‘you should have a drink, too.’

‘i’m not going to die. not for a long time.’

‘just because we shared a bathroom for fifteen years doesn’t mean you know a thing about me.’

‘my yoga instructor knows more about me than you do.’

‘I knew you’d do this. I knew you’d show up and start telling everyone what to do.’

‘look, I know you need to be in charge, but I’ve taken care of this.’

‘stop telling me how to deal with things. things are dealt with. I dealt with them.’

‘you can’t argue with someone when they’re upset.’

‘I don’t know what got into me, but I overreacted and I’m not proud of if it, and it wasn’t fair to you.’

‘you always needed everyone looking at you.’

‘I didn’t do it for attention. I did it because I was upset.’

‘I don’t like coming in here anyways. it’s got bad vibes.’

‘you can’t put a price tag on love.’

‘being here is really bad for my mental health.’

‘I know you don’t like me because i’m not successful enough for you.’

‘i’m actually happy with my life.’

‘if we aren’t related, if we met today, we wouldn’t chose to be friends.’

‘I don’t think we should be in here at all. I think my plan was better.’

‘don’t you feel the vibes?’

‘this is happening too fast. we need to slow down.’

‘your house is haunted.’

‘every single time I give you the benefit of the doubt, or I try to help, it comes back and bites me in the ass. every! single! time!’

‘our house is not haunted.’

‘i’m telling you there’s weird vibe. I can feel it in my gut.’

‘methinks thou doth protesteth too much.’

‘ghosts don’t exist.’

‘there are true things and there are false things, and there are no in-betweens.’

‘there are facts, like houses and car accidents and cremation, and there’s bullshit like ghosts and vibes and exorcisms. and if you start getting the true things mixed up with the false things, you’re fucked!’

‘reality is not a consensus!’

‘when you don’t like the way a conversation is going you deflect with personal attacks.’

‘you’re like some kind of emotionally abusive octopus entangling everyone in your word tentacles.’

‘even I know that you don’t go back in a haunted house after dark.’

‘the only things here are memories, and those can’t hurt us.’

‘you’re very threatened by new ideas.’

‘I offered to stay tonight because I thought it would be good for you. i’m hoping it gives you some closure.’

‘why are you so mad at me? is it because you feel guilty?’

‘i’m sorry you remember it that way because that must feel terrible, but that’s not what happened.’

‘stop telling me what I remember!’

‘no one ever says no to you, (name) because we’re all scared you’re going to lose your temper.’

‘oh, fuck you. nice try, (name), but fuck you.’

‘no matter what you did, I still don’t want anything bad to happen to you.’

‘everything has to be a big production and you’re the star.’

‘everything has to be a big production and you’re the star. all because you can’t face the fact that your life is sad and empty.’

‘it’s a little late for you to start being my brother now.’

‘you blew my mind. it felt like we were the only two people left in the world.’

‘no matter what, I don’t want to ditch you here with a bunch of ghosts.’

‘right now what you need, for once in your life, is to listen to me.’

‘the way you’re laughing is actually really, really scary.’

‘none of this is real.’

‘stop being scary.’

‘I don’t think I’m well. I think something is really wrong inside me.’

‘don’t you fucking laugh at me. for the first time ever, my life finally makes sense.’

‘I don’t think I know what’s real anymore.’

‘my explanation is logically consistent. yours is all magical energy.’

‘it was absolutely terrifying.’

‘how much trouble are you in?’

‘look at me. you’re not crazy. this really happened.’

‘don’t make this funny.’

everything you’ve seen tonight, i’ve seen it too.’

‘i’m sorry I wasn’t stronger.’

‘it was easier to pretend nothing happened.’

‘my entire life I’ve always known something was wrong with me. i’ve spend my entire life scared that if didn’t do everything exactly right, reality would unravel around me and I’d lose myself again.’

‘I forgive you.’

‘I hope you feel better. i’m fine.’

‘I didn’t think you had it in you.’

‘get out of here.’

‘all the things I did, I want to forget.’

‘i’m not doing it! i’m not doing it again!’

‘you need to get out of here right now.’

‘it won’t hurt me, but it’ll hurt you. you have to go right now!’

‘don’t let him do this again. don’t let him take over.’

‘I need a beer.’

‘an apology would go a long way.’

‘can you keep it down? I had to lie about what happened to a lot of people.’

‘are you seriously upset with me because I saved your life?’

‘you need to accept reality.’

‘you’ve become such a grouch.’

‘I wish you’d let someone take care of you.’

‘do you agree that there are forces greater than this world and we are helpless in the face of them?’

‘we don’t have time to fuck around.’

‘i’d like to say this the weirdest shit that’s ever happened to me but I have a bad feeling it’s about to get a lot worse.’

‘I told you this was a bad idea.’

‘I think we’re fucked.’

‘this is wrong. what you’re doing is wrong.’

‘let’s talk about something that’s actually interesting.’

‘it just hurts a little. and by ‘a little’ I mean ‘a lot’ and also ‘all the time.’’

[wisteriadaydreams]

Can you write a Tanjiro oneshot where he realizes his feelings for the reader after Nezuko gets annoyed at him because keeps crashing girl time between her and the reader while they're all recuperating after a mission at the Butterfly Mansion because he wants to spend time with the reader and Nezuko getting annoyed at him lets him realizes his feelings?

PARTY CRASHER

pairing: Kamado Tanjirō x fem!reader

genre: fluff

words: 1.9k

Part 1

Nezuko can sing praises about her older brother for hours.

She thinks he’s one of the most observant and perceptive people she has ever known, even with his sensitive nose providing an advantage. He’s the kind of person that would subtly lend a hand, showing his kindness through small gestures. At the same time, he is not hesitant to step up and defend for others when the situation calls for it.

He’s someone who would always take the smaller portion of food, who would remember what someone likes and dislikes and how they prefer their food to the last detail, who was trusted by the whole village to mediate a fight while also knowing when to take a step back.

And yet, for all of his attunement to other people’s emotions, he is glaringly and unbearingly out of touch with his own heart.

Case in point, he is wholly convinced the only reason he is seeking you out is because he likes spending time with you.

Now, would Nezuko say that this sentiment is not valid? Of course not. After all, she likes to be in your company herself. You have an inexplicable comforting and heartwarming presence that she could bask in and forget for a moment that she is anything but human. That is not to mention your kindness, tenderness, bravery, and willingness to help others. And it’s nice to be with a girl close to her age for once.

(The boys do provide good company, but there are times when she needs a break from their rowdiness.)

To be honest, she could easily sing praises about you as well.

So yes, Nezuko can fully understand why he likes to be in your presence. Her annoyance comes with the fact that he incessantly seeks you out. Every. Single. Night.

Even on nights that he’s fully aware you’re spending time with her.

The first time it happened, she could forgive her older brother for barging into some private girls’ time, as she does enjoy being with him. Ever since her speech became limited due to the bamboo muzzle, she has become content with sitting back and listen to other people talk. Furthermore, it’s clear from the way you visibly brighten up when he walks into the room that you like being with him, too. No harm done with letting him in for a few hours.

The next few times it happened, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and reasoned that he simply didn’t know that this was supposed to be private time. However, when it began to occur every single time you decide to spend time with her (he’s using his nose to find you, she knows it), Nezuko began to have an inkling that there’s more going on.

After all, her older brother is already hounding your time in the daylight, what with training and eating meals together and all. What other reason could he have for wanting to monopolize your time during the night as well?

Her answer comes late one evening, when you were running a comb through her hair and humming a simple melody under your breath, the notes seeming to seep into her skin and making her remember happier times. It would have been like any other night if Nezuko hadn’t catch the adoring look in Tanjirō’s eyes.

It’s different from the tender and protective gaze that would watch over their younger siblings whenever they play around with one another. It’s also different from the glimmer that would make his eyes sparkle and his smile to stretch from ear to ear when he’s around his friends.

This is like a fire that is lit from the inside, tempering his molten red eyes into gemstones that catch and reflect the light. It glitters like crystalline snow on a sunny day, and then softens until it resembles a low-burning hearth that warms more than just one’s body.

He looks at you like you’re embers, like stars, like fireworks and the sun and every source of light rolled into one. 

(He looks at you like how their father used to look at their mother.)

Nezuko wonders how she could have missed such a look, for once she noticed it, she realizes that he looks at you like that all the time. She wonders if he knows he looks at you like that. She wonders if you know that such a gaze is reserved for you only.

Unfortunately, she can’t ask you that when her brother’s in the room.

But even without verbal confirmation, she’s able to pick up signs that more or less answers her question.

From the way both of you hang on to each other’s words to how he would sneak into the kitchen to bring you your favorite snacks, to how you fuss over him for training too much and pushing his body to the limit.

To how you look at him like he’s the sun rising over the mountains, like the moon on a starless night, like flowers and the gentle breeze and everything beautiful in nature.

And while this revelation makes her happier than anything else, there’s only so much patience a person can have watching two oblivious individuals so blatantly mooning and pining over each other. So, Nezuko resolves to do something about it, for both of your sakes (and for her sanity).

She decides to approach her brother first, fully knowing that any attempt at breaching the topic with you would promptly be interrupted by him anyway. When the night falls, the young girl zips through the hall like a slayer on a mission, intent on finding Tanjirō. Soon enough, she spots the burgundy hue of his hair as he walks down the hallway, and without wasting a moment, she grabs his hands and drags him into the nearest room.

“W-woah! Nezuko, slow down! What’s wrong?”

She turns to face him after closing the door, conviction burning in her eyes. Now comes the hard part, how is she going to get through to her brother without her speech?

“Nezuko, is everything alright?” Tanjirō asks in concern, trying to understand why his little sister just pulled him into a room like there’s a crisis.

She makes a few noises that would take a mind reader to decipher, but it seems to him that she’s trying to figure out something.

Suddenly, an idea flashes in her head, and she quickly snatches one of his hands, turning it over so that his palm faces her. Nezuko taps her nail on his palm emphatically as a sign to tell him to pay attention. She slowly begins to write words on to the surface, making sure to mind her speed so he has enough time to process them.

“Onii-chan...I think...you like... (Y/N)-chaaA-EEHH? W-w-what are you talking about?”

Nezuko had anticipated this reaction somewhat, but she didn’t expect his voice to suddenly rival that of Zenitsu’s. She taps his palm multiple times to get him to focus.

“You know what I mean, onii-chan. You’ve been spending a lot of time with her.”

“That’s because she’s my friend.” He waves his free hand around frantically. “Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with her?”

The young girl gives him a deadpan look. “You’ve been spending time with her almost every single night for the past few weeks, even when she’s with me.”

“Yeah, well, that’s...so I like hanging out with her. But I don’t spend that much time around her...right?”

“Onii-chan, my room has essentially become your room now. It’s fine the first few times, but it’s hard to get some alone time with just her, you know. She’s my friend, too.” Nezuko huffs, and her brother at least has the decency to look sheepish. “Look, please really think about the reason why you like being around her so much.”

He runs a hand through his hair, his eyes drifting to the ceiling in thought. “Well, she makes me laugh, and she encourages me whenever I’m feeling down. And I like talking to her too, and making her laugh. There’s just something about it, it makes me warm all over every time I hear it. And her smile...one smile from her and I feel like everything is better. No matter how many hours I’ve spent with her, it never feels enough. She...she makes me feel comfortable, like I’m safe. Like I’m...home.” He utters the word reverently, like it’s something sacred and holy. Red colors his cheeks like blooming roses. “I feel all tingly and soft inside, like I’m lying on a bed of clouds. But then there are times when I feel like my nerves are all on fire when I’m around her, my tongue gets all tied up, and my feet seems to stop all function. I don’t think...I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way before. What is this?”

“I think you already know the answer to that, onii-chan.” She finishes, her eyes softening as she watches the revelation dawn on him. He lights up for one dazzling moment, and then his expression proceeds to crumble.

“Oh no! How am I supposed to face her now?! What am I going to do, what am I going to do?” He paces rapidly around the room. “I feel like my heart’s going to burst!”

Nezuko takes a hold of his shoulders to stop him from burning a hole through the floor. She turns him around to face her, firmly squeezing them to get him to calm down. 

“Nezuko, what if she doesn’t return my feelings?” His head hangs.

‘Oh, if only you knew.’ She makes a series of what she hopes sounds like reassuring noises, while clenching her fists in a “it’s okay” motion.

“Are you saying that I shouldn’t worry?”

“Hhmm!”

“Well, what can I do?” It’s not like I can just walk up to her and tell her how I feel...” He trails off at the sparkling look in his sister's eyes. “WHAT?! NO-NO, I can’t do that!!”

She nods vigorously and continues to try and encourage him all the while hoping that his head doesn’t explode like a volcano. Her poor brother looks like he has steam coming out of his ears.

“What would I even say? What if I stutter or trip over my words like a fool in front of her?”

Nezuko rolls her eyes and snatches his hand again, quickly jotting down some words for him.

“Just tell her how you feel. She’ll understand.”

He stares down at his palm, the words his sister wrote down imprinting on him until they were bones deep. “You know what? You’re right, Nezuko. I’ll–I’ll tell her. The worst that could happen is we remain friends.” He swallows as his heart clenches. He then pulls her into a hug. “Thank you, Nezuko! I’m going to find her right now!”

The girl flings her arms into the air and lets out a string of cheerful noises. As her brother runs out of the room, she makes sure to give him a few reassuring pats on the shoulder. She gazes after the sight of his disappearing back and shakes her head affectionately.

Hopefully her brother will go through his plan and save everyone from having to continue seeing you two act like pining, lovesick puppies. Speaking of which, if he does, then that means you two will become a couple, huh?

That would mean romantic dates, wouldn’t it? And you would probably want to spend more time around each other.

“Wait...” Nezuko swirls around in panicked realization. “Does that mean he’s going to continue to cling to her in the night?”

She slams open the shoji door and chases after her brother.

“ONII-CHAN!!!”

©️ wisteriadaydreams

➺ All of the following works belong to me. Please don’t repost, copy, or steal my content off of Tumblr. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

[busycucumbermelon]

Love gone horribly wrong 

Summary: you were an outcast and your village happily give you to the troops little did they know the prince was looking for his new potential wife 

 Warning: obsessive Prince, overprotective sister, fighting, blood,

Ever since you were a little girl, you always dreamed of finding someone of a royal status. You’d fall in love with him and life would be perfect but This just wasn’t what you expected.

yesterday, a few royal knights came into the village. You were kind of known as an outcast. You had a small friend group and stuck to it, and occasionally got into fights with the more wealthy families.

so the village happily handed over you and four other women, all outcasts around the same age

you were expecting to be put in dungeons or tortured you didn’t know why, but you were just preparing yourself for the worst case scenario

but instead, each of you got your own room next to each other, five rooms all together, and each room was a beautiful dress like one a Royal would wear to a ball . Yours happen to be periwinkle, a color known to be reserved to one of the Royals that was closest to the prince

you were a little scared to wear the dress, but before you could truthfully think too much about it, a maid  walked in she seem to have quite a bit of distain for you. She made your bath before you could even touch the dress, and afterwards she pulled the corset a little too tight, you can’t really take deep breath‘s.

after that it was around 9 AM and you were finally able to meet back up with the other Outcast.one of them is your twin sister and the other your best friend

The rest were quite nice to you just didn’t know them as well as you knew your sister and best friend the rest of the day you were taught etiquette lessons and anytime you acted out of line, you’d get a swift ruler to the wrist or hand, never the same spot more than three times so there wouldn’t be any blisters

no one could ask why this was happening, only that the prince had a signed it himself.

This unsettled you a bit although you were an outcast you were able to hear quite a bit of the elders talk and majority of the men… now that you think about it only women really had good things to say about him

Women would say he was sweet, and always had nice gestures and was full of compliments Majority of people would call him eye candy, knowing there was no way to truly be with him because of their low status he would have to marry a a royal or noble woman

Men would call him rude, stuck up and majority of everything he did with someone either would never be talked about, or would somehow work around to making him look better,or whoever else look in the complete wrong. the elder said he was disrespectful, commanding a few of them to stand when it was almost impossible for them, your father being one of those men safe to say you didn’t like him, even though you didn’t know him, but you were used to giving people the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe the prince was turning a new leaf, and this was how he was going to show it, inviting some random outcast to whatever event was being held the next night

Majority of the other women around you were excited, hoping they be able to see the prince some even going as far as to say, they would dance with the prince, but truthfully, you were hoping this would be a fast event, a nice gesture, and then perhaps giving all of you extra food, and then sending you back to your village

Much to your delight, the evening was very fast you were even able to make friends with one of the butlers and maid they were both very nerved up by all the Royals, and also equally confused that all the of staff had gotten a bad feeling because the prince was happier than usual, but none of them decided to voice their opinion , since they knew they’d meet reprimand

By the end of the night around 10:30 the queen requested everyone to leave except the five of you the only people in the entire room who had ever been in a farm or worked out in the fields

to everyone in this room you were scum, and you knew it being singled out like this did not help if anything it just put a lot more attention to you 

You could feel your chest tightening up you tried to convince yourself to take deep breaths, but with how tight your corset was you just couldn’t

After everyone had left, the queen commanded all of you to stand in a line before the prince made a speech of his own majority of the women at first were blushing like crazy to see him, but you had a sick feeling like something horrible was going to happen. You just chalked it up to your corset being too tight and you freaking out a little.

The prince scanned all of you, his eyes landing on you for a moment longer, because of the periwinkle dress, you were wearing before a small smirk pulled at his lips when he remembered he had snuck one purple dress in just to cause a little bit of drama although that shade did complement your skin tone

After that the prince, announce something that made your blood run cold

“For a bunch of outcast you’re all pretty cute but that’s beyond the point you’re all going to be here for another week. I’m going to have my own date with each one of you and afterwords will spend the night together and I’ll decide who I will be perhaps marrying by the end of it, so I hope you’re on your best behavior especially for our date”

Even after hearing him, say that a bunch of the girls just overlooked it as him being overly mean because his mother was there, or him being awkward, which kind of fit into majority of their fantasies, including your best friend and sister, no matter how much you tried to convince them that something about it was wrong and it wasn’t just the prince being nervous. Why would he be you’re a bunch of outcasts he said it himself!!

In return, you only got excuses such as his mother was there he wanted to stay professional he got overly nervous everything was half hearted and you’re always brushed off

One day you were trying to convince your sister that maybe she should just not participate during the day of her date  since it could go terribly wrong during the time you were wearing the periwinkle dress you only got three dresses so you’d have to cycle them out quite often. during the day the royal who had designated purple as her color, ended up walking over to you

First insulting you for wearing her color, second insulting you for daring to think the prince, would do anything ill mannered, and after that,she turned to your sister and was about to say something about how she never had a chance with the prince and add something on about it just as you’d looked up to see how crushed your sister was this made you furious,  

Sure you are the littlest sibling but you were the one with the most fight no matter who it was no one who knew you would ever dare to be rude to anyone you were friends with 

Before you could think about it, you stood up and punch the girl in her face. She stumbled back a bit, holding her nose, but before someone could separate you, you had to hit her at least a few more times none of her rich, proper friends were strong enough to pull you off, and by the time castle guards, your sister had to manage to calm you down make you wash a bit of the blood off your hands and sit back down

Since you were someone, the prince had invited there, the guards couldn’t do anything for one they were ordered not too and for two all of them were too scared that the prince would have something to say directly to them, and no one really liked the royal.She was very stuck up, so everyone was  silently, grateful that you knocked her down a peg, that still didn’t stop her from yelling at you though again for the dress

When you finally told her, it was a gift directly from the prince, and it was periwinkle when you got it for some reason, she went dead, silent, not that you cared much

Little did you know she was off to the prince to give him a word of her own just to make sure you never had a chance to be married to him she wouldn’t let that happen, and she wouldn’t even let the date happen matter of a fact she wouldn’t even let your mean minuscule sister get a date with her future husband how dare you punch her in the nose and think you could still marry the man that was meant to be with her you’d see you messed with the wrong Royal

[cavillsbitch]

Hi my fellow Hotch fangirl :D

May I please request a Hotch x Fem!Reader scenario where the reader is a firefighter and ends up hospitalized due to a severe emergency which causes him to admit his love for her?

ooooo this is a good one…

aaron hotchner x firefighter!reader

cw/tw: descriptions of injury/trauma, hospitals

-

It wasn’t really supposed to happen like this.

Of course, as timing would have it, you were getting ready for a date with your extremely attractive and smooth talking FBI agent… “boyfriend” named Aaron Hotchner when you get an emergency call for a car accident. Normally you would hope that they would get enough help and you wouldn’t have to go since tonight was your night off, but it seemed to be intense enough to warrant most if not all hands.

Since you pretty much lived at the fire house, which is partially why you were unlucky enough to be expected to go on the call, you were already there getting ready when the call came in. You shot a quick text to Aaron that you’d have to reschedule and started gearing up to leave the fire house on the truck with everyone else.

You weren’t quite sure what to make of your relationship with Aaron. He had never asked to make your relationship official, but the two of you acted like a couple. You’d been seeing him for about three months when you can, given that the two of you had very demanding jobs. You definitely loved him, but you wouldn’t dare be the first to admit that between the two of you given Aaron’s past. The last thing you’d want is to overwhelm him or scare him away. However, you feared that your feelings were stronger and that you’d end up hurting yourself in the end. You hoped that Aaron would reschedule the date and maybe… just maybe you’d grow a pair and open up a conversation about your relationship. Maybe.

“Y/N, quit daydreaming and let’s go!”

The loud booming voice of your captain shook you from your thoughts as you strapped on the last bit of your gear and ran to the trucks.

-

Aaron never saw himself getting back out there after Haley died. He’d given Rossi the benefit of the doubt (he just needed him to shut up) and gone on a few dates, but nothing had ever come of any of it. However, a case of two ago had brought him a beautiful young (too young, he’d though and worried about) woman that just so happened to be a firefighter on the scene. He knew it would be completely inappropriate to ask for her number on the case, so he implored Garcia to track her down and call her, giving her his personal number. As luck would have it, she called him and he asked her out.

She really was lovely, he thought. He admired the way she loved her job, her passion, her work ethic, and the way that she listened to him and was interest in what he had to say. He never thought he would find someone after Haley died, but he was falling fast and afraid he would bring it up too soon.

Tonight was supposed to be perfect, which he’d let Dave help plan. He was going to take her to a very very nice dinner downtown, take her for a walk on the river afterward, and maybe… he would take her back to his place, if she wanted. He still couldn’t believe that she was interested in him being older and widowed and being a single father, but he hoped that she was in it for the long haul like he could already tell he was. He was ready for her to meet Jack, he was ready for all of it. He loved her.

Then, he felt extremely disappointed when her text came through that she would have to reschedule.

Obviously he understood more than most people that work was unpredictable, and he responded that way. However… he couldn’t help the intense feeling that he felt thinking that maybe she was having second thoughts. He tried to shake that, already looking ahead at when he could reschedule, and decided to call the restaurant to cancel the reservation.

Shortly after he received the text, Rossi knocked on his office door, “Shouldn’t you already be home getting ready to go pick up your hot date?”

Aaron chuckled pathetically to himself, “If there were a hot date, I’m sure I would. She got called in for a pretty bad accident, so she can’t make it.”

Rossi nodded, “More time for you to think about how you’re gonna ask her to be in your life more permanently?”

Aaron kept his eyes down at his desk, mindlessly making a note on a file. “It’s complicated, Dave. I have a lot of baggage. She’s young, she’s got her whole life. I don’t want to make her feel like she needs to be ready for that kind of commitment.”

Rossi shook his head, “If she wasn’t ready to be with you, she would tell you.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Aaron mumbled, closing a case file and looking at his friend.

Dave shared a sympathetic look with him, “Look, Aaron, if that’s the case then so be it and move on. She’s a great woman, but there are other great women out there.”

Aaron knew that he wasn’t ready to put the time in to find other women as great as you were. He figured that if this didn’t work out, he might give up all together on finding love again.

Rossi’s eye wandered to the bullpen, where Prentiss, JJ, and Morgan were crowded around Reid’s desktop. His eyebrows furrowed, “What are they doing?”

Hotch stood, walking past Rossi to stand outside of his office, “What are you all doing?”

Morgan popped his head above the crouched group, “Bridge collapsed, fire and EMS crew were already responding to an accident on the bridge when a semi hit the support beam underneath, lot of casualties.”

The color drained from Aaron’s face as Morgan gave details. He could hear the reporters continuing to talk on the screen. Rossi looked at him and realized, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Aaron…”

Quickly without realizing, he bumped Rossi out of the way to grab his keys and briefcase before practically running down the stairs and out of the BAU.

-

Pain.

All you could feel in pain in your body.

But, you were alive… and in a hospital?

The beeping of whatever machine you were on was making your head surge with pain as you came to slowly. You had on a neck brace, your right leg was in a full cast, and you were in pain. Lots of pain.

As you woke up, a nurse entered to check on you. She asked you what today’s date was, who the president is, and other questions. She pushed more pain meds for you when you complained before asking, “What happened?”

She checked and noted your vitals from the machine, “The north bridge collapsed, you were responding to an accident on the bridge when it happened. You’re lucky to be alive.”

You nodded, remembering some things then. You’d fallen, but you weren’t sure how far or where you landed. The memory scared you, and you shook it away. “My leg is broken?”

She nodded, “The doctors had to repair it in surgery, but with lots of physical therapy you should be just fine. You had trauma to your neck, which we may have to keep an eye on. You were very close to being paralyzed. Again, you’re very lucky.”

She said she would grab you some food and water before exiting your room, leaving you alone.

You suddenly felt very emotional, trying not to cry. You knew many of your friends probably died, you weren’t sure exactly what happened, and you were alone in a hospital, broken and sad.

Turning to find a tissue, the nurse came back in with a tray of food with water, and a visitor.

Aaron Hotchner was in your hospital room.

“We told him he had to wait until you were awake to come in, he gave us quite the hard time about that…” she set your tray down and helped you wipe your eyes and nose with a tissue.

“I’m not sure what husband wouldn’t want to see his wife immediately.”

Maybe you’d forgotten more than you realized. Did he just say…

“Sorry, sir. Policy. Call me if you need anything,” she said to you before leaving again.

You suddenly became very aware of how awful you probably looked at the moment in front of this man who absolutely was not your husband… and absolutely had no obligation to you.

“Husband, huh?” you reached for your water and tried to sip it, not seeing the straw on the tray. Aaron stood up and grabbed the straw, helping you take a drink.

“It was the only way they’d let me come in here at all.”

You nodded as you finished the cup of water completely, allowing Aaron to take it from you and set it on the tray. He sat in the chair right next to you and you sighed.

“I’m… sorry about this. Did they call you? They might have went through my phone contacts and tried to find someone to call.”

Aaron furrowed his brow as he usually did, shaking his head, “What? No, Y/N… I saw the collapse on the news at Quantico and came right here. I was here before you were, I think.”

You turned as much as you could to look at him, “Really?”

He chuckled in disbelief, “Yes, really. I thought I’d lost you. I can’t believe you’re alive, from what they told me.”

You looked at him, noting the sincerity in his eyes. You knew that he lost his ex wife, and you couldn’t imagine what he felt now having… whatever you were to him in life threatening danger.

“I’m really sorry, Aaron. I’m happy to be alive. I still… don’t really know what happened but I am glad I’m alive.”

He nodded, lightly grabbing your hand, “I am, too.”

You looked at the time, it was almost 4 in the afternoon, the day after the accident. “How long have you been here?”

He looked at the clock then, too, “Since about 8 last night.”

“What? Aaron, you’ve seen me now, I’m alive. Go home. I’ll call when I’m sent home.” You almost laughed in disbelief thinking about how long he’d been waiting for you to wake up.

He shook his head immediately, “I’ll stay, besides, we didn’t get to have our date, and I’ve missed you.”

You sighed, again, “You don’t have any obligation to be here…”

He sat up straight, “Of course I do… I… I love you.”

Your eyes widened as his confession sunk in, a mix of excited and happy and scared and anxiety swirling through you, “Really?”

He smiled as he reflected, “Yeah, I do. I love you.”

You smiled back, squeezing the hand that was still in yours, “Well I’ll be damned, I love you too, Aaron Hotchner.”

He smiled bigger and laughed as tears welled in his eyes, “I’m so relieved to hear you say that.”

You smiled as he leaned in to kiss you gently, a kiss more meaningful than any of the ones you’d shared before.

“So,” you started, “About that date… might have to be rescheduled even later than anticipated.”

[ghoulishautism]

"Clockwork is a bitch, which is why Frostbite should be Danny's father figure"

Ok listen I see your criticisms and I understand them, they are valid and narratively sound. But Clockwork being a weird out of touch time god bitch is the best part about him, ok? Hear me out for a second.

Dont get me wrong I love Frostbite. Hes the wise leader who happily takes Danny under his wing and teaches him how to get his ice powers (which he has always had since season one COUGH)- and is overall a very nice dude, even after a brief misunderstanding with the icicle thorn thing.

But i feel like hes...too nice? I don't know how to explain it, but he feels too yes-man ish. That isn't to say Danny doesn't deserve some positive treatment after everything hes been through, but I also believe someone as young as Danny needs someone to be able to tell him when hes wrong or over his head.

Clockwork is the dude who honest to god doesn't want to deal with the stupid 14 year old who keeps screwing with the timeline. He is a literal time god and is, by definition, too old for this shit.

Clockwork does have elements of a wise mentor, so I don't know why people always act like hes some mean dude who hates Danny? I just think his handling of Danny's situation in both the episodes hes in (TUE and Masters of Time) paints a guy whos kinda out of touch, but also represents a kind of tough-love guidance someone Danny's age needs. Like he was willing to give Danny the benefit of the doubt in TUE ("He'll make the right choice"), but then steps in once Danny has proven otherwise.

Why there are people acting like Clockwork was the only cruel one (besides the obvious villain) when that whole damn episode was written around a kid's loved ones dying at a McDonalds explosion because he cheated on a standardized test is beyond me. Like honey thats just Butch Hartman writing- hes kinda known for having this bitter air to his work (even on episodes he hasn't directly written for).

You could still argue that Clockwork's handling of Danny is a bit much, and I would agree to an extent, which is why I propose this to settle the debate:

Danny can have more than one father figure in his life. Mind blowing concept, I know. In fact I think him having both Frostbite AND Clockwork (and Jack, remember him guys? He exists) would be a good balancing act between the two approaches.

I'm not saying Clockwork and Frostbite should make out, but if you wanna see things that way-

[lilacmingi]

SCROOGE

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Grumpy Seonghwa x Christmas enthusiast!fem reader

Word count: 3,480

Note: Another imagine from my Christmas series on Wattpad from 2021 <3 since this imagine originated on Wattpad, there will not be any continuations

You brought your hand up, tapping your knuckles against the door of your soon-to-be home. The hinged barrier swung open, revealing Seonghwa, the owner of the apartment.

"Hi. It's Y/n. We went out for coffee last week to talk about me possibly being your new roommate." You told him.

"Yes, I know. I called you yesterday saying you could move your stuff in."

"Right." You chuckled, nervously. "I don't know why I said that."

"It's fine. Do you need help?"

"Yes, please. It's not much, but it'll take me a while to move it all by myself."

Seonghwa stepped aside, allowing you to roll your suitcase inside.

"Wow. This place is nice. Very spacious." You commented.

"Thanks. Let me show you to your room."

You followed him down the hallway to the empty bedroom that would soon be full of your stuff. When you saw an ad for the opening online, you were quick to contact Seonghwa because you heard the room was mostly furnished. There was a queen sized bed that just needed sheets and a comforter, a few shelves and a desk. Just the basics, but it was enough for you.

You thanked Seonghwa and placed your suitcase by a wall before leading him to your vehicle where he helped you take out boxes, carrying them up to the apartment.

As much as you wanted to talk with him and get to know your new roommate better, you couldn't. Carrying the boxes from your car and to the apartment left you breathless.

Seonghwa walked behind you, his eyes catching sight of writing on the box he was carrying. Glancing around the side, he saw the words CHRISTMAS STUFF scrawled on the box in bold sharpie. His top lip curled in disgust. Just thinking of the holiday made him want to hurl. Too much cheer, too much happiness, too much music, and too much for him. You seemed like a nice person, so he tried to give you the benefit of the doubt and attempt to look on the bright side.

She's just got this one box. She's probably not one of those overly cheerful people who are obsessed with Christmas. He thought.

You let out a huff as you set down the last box.

"Finally. Thank you for helping out."

"No problem. I'll leave you to it. If you need any assistance, just let me know."

"I will. Thanks."

Seonghwa gave you a small nod before closing the door and leaving you to yourself.

"Okay." You rubbed your hands together. "What first?"

It didn't take long for you to get settled in. Before you even knew it, you had all your boxes empty and everything was put together. You had your sheets and comforter on the bed and put all your little knickknacks and other items onto the shelves. You smiled to yourself as you took a gander around your new room. Thought you had just moved in, the place was honestly already starting to feel like home.

You had been staying with Seonghwa for almost a full month now. It was nearing the end of November and you couldn't help but notice the lack of Christmas decorations in the apartment. Normally, people would have their trees and decorations up by now, but the whole pace was bland and didn't give off any holiday cheer at all.

"I noticed you don't have any Christmas decorations." You mentioned as you waited for yours and Seonghwa's ramen to cook.

"I'm not really a Christmas person." He answered.

"Oh." You frowned. "Well, to each their own."

As you stirred the noodles in the pot of boiling water, an idea popped into your head.

You decided right then that you were going to take it upon yourself and decorate the apartment, making it look festive for the holidays.

The next day, you left to go Christmas shopping. You had brought a few Christmas decorations with you from home, but it wasn't enough—you needed more.

A few hours later, you returned to the apartment with an armful of bags. Thankfully, Seonghwa didn't seem to be around as you lugged the newly purchased items to your room.

Once you had everything unpacked, you started to decorate, stringing garland along the shelves in the living room, placing little nutcrackers along the windowsill, all while listening to Christmas music.

You hummed along as you strung tiny fairy lights across the coffee table, maneuvering them around the tiny reindeer and snowmen figures.

You heard a door open, followed by the shuffling of feet. Turning around, you saw Seonghwa standing at the end of the hallway that connected to the living room. You thought he wasn't home, but it appeared he had been in his bedroom the whole time.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Decorating." You answered with a smile. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"I don't love it." He answered. "But you live here too, so I guess it's fine."

"Ah. Good." You turned your attention back to the task at hand, bobbing your head to the festive music.

You heard Seonghwa's soft footsteps for only a moment before the sound ceased.

"Could you turn off that noise?" Seonghwa asked, seeming a bit irritated.

"Oh. Sure. Sorry."

"It's fine." He muttered, walking out of the room.

You did what Seonghwa asked and turned the music off, opting for headphones so you could listen in peace and enjoy the music without disturbing him. His reaction kind of stunned you. He said he wasn't a Christmas person, but his reaction almost made it seem like he hated the holiday. You didn't think about it too much, as you still had a box of Christmas stuff from your house to put up.

By the time you were done decorating, the place had a cozy and festive feel to it, one that made you feel warm inside. Seonghwa may not care much for Christmas, but there's no way he can't like the bright and festive decorations you put out. A proud smile spread across your face as you admired your handiwork.

Seonghwa returned to the room, walking over to the wall where you had hung two stockings. His face scrunched in distaste as he lifted one of them up.

"What is this?"

"That's your stocking." You told him. "It has your name on it."

"Well, I don't want it."

"What? I painted our names on the stockings myself."

"I didn't ask you to get me a stocking."

"You didn't have to."

He grumbled in response.

"You know, it's proven that Christmas decorations lift your mood." You told him.

"Not mine."

"We'll see about that."

A few days later you and Seonghwa were sitting in the living room watching TV. Your eyes drifted from the screen to a huge empty spot in the living room. As happy as you were that you decked the place out with Christmas decor, something was missing.

"We need a tree." You commented aloud.

"No we don't. What you did is plenty."

"Come on, Seonghwa. You can't have Christmas without a tree."

"If you wanna go, by all means, knock yourself out, but I'm not going."

"Don't be such a Scrooge." You ruffled his hair playfully. "Plus, I could use an assistant to help choose the perfect tree."

Seonghwa gave you a hard glare, but stopped when he saw the bright expression on your face. As badly as he wanted to say no, he couldn't.

"Alright, fine. If it'll make you happy, I'll go." He gave in.

"Wonderful!"

Once the both of you were all bundled up, you jumped in the car and drove off to the nearest Christmas tree farm.

"There it is!" You pointed.

You pulled your car into a parking space and stepped out into the lot. A sign at the entrance of the tree farm read: Get your Christmas trees here! You hurried across the small parking lot, Seonghwa dragging behind. Closing your eyes, you took in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the trees.

"Do you smell that?" You asked.

"Not really." Seonghwa muttered.

You ignore his response, scanning the selection of evergreens.

"Let's look at this tree." You pointed. "It looks really nice."

You walked over to said tree and began inspecting it, running your fingertips along some of the the needles as you walked around the fir. Upon inspection, you shook your head.

"There are some dead limbs on here. We don't want that."

"Of course we don't." Seonghwa remarked sarcastically.

You continued your search, passing by trees that didn't catch your eye. You finally came to a stop when you spotted the perfect tree. It was the perfect height, not too tall, but not too short either. The fir was perfectly healthy and had deep green needles.

"This is the one." You stated.

Glancing around, you called one of the employees over, showing him the tree you wanted.

"Alright. We'll get it all wrapped up for you." He told you before walking off.

As you waited, you spotted a man dressed as Santa Claus sitting in a large, red chair under a small awning. There were no kids around, so you decided to have some fun.

"Hey Mr. Claus." You greeted the man as you approached.

He smiled warmly. "Hello, young lady. What would you like for Christmas?"

"Oh." You were surprised he asked. "I didn't expect that." You chuckled.

"Why? You're never too old to get a Christmas present from Santa."

You smiled, then began to think about what you wanted. You knew Santa wasn't real and that this wish couldn't be fulfilled, but you wanted to tell the man anyway. You leaned in, whispering something in his ear.

"Oh a very kind wish." He responded with a nod.

His eyes trailed over to Seonghwa who was watching you from a distance, a soft expression on his face and a slight twinkle in his eye.

"I have a feeling it'll come true." Santa told you.

Oblivious to Seonghwa's staring, you gave the man in red a gentle smile.

"We'll see."

You returned to your grumpy roommate who put on his usual sour expression when you walked up.

"What was that?" He asked.

"Oh. I was just talking to Santa." You answered with a shrug. "I thought it would be fun."

"Aren't you too old for Santa Claus?"

"Apparently not." As you answered Seonghwa, you spotted a small stand nearby serving hot cocoa and gingerbread cookies.

"Ooh. They're selling hot chocolate. You want some?"

"I don't know."

"You're seriously gonna turn down a delicious, hot, chocolatey drink? It's chilly out here. A hot cocoa would warm you up."

"Alright, fine. I guess I'll have one."

"Perfect." You smiled and headed over to the small stand, ordering two medium hot chocolates.

The man working at the stand had your drinks ready before you knew it. You started rummaging around in your bag for cash only to stop with you saw Seonghwa reach across the counter with money in his hand. You glanced up at him, but he kept his gaze ahead as he grabbed his drink. You followed suit, taking your beverage. The warmth from the liquid seeped through the cup, radiating onto your cold hands. You took a sip, the sweet, cocoa coating your tastebuds and warming you from the inside out. You let out a hum of satisfaction before taking another sip.

"Thank you for paying. You didn't have to, but I appreciate it. That was very nice."

"It's no problem." Seonghwa answered as he sipped on his cocoa.

About that time, one of the tree farm employees approached you to let you know the tree was ready. Behind him were two other employees with your tree resting on their shoulders.

"Thank you so much. My vehicle is this way." You motioned, leading the group to your car.

They tied the tree snugly to the roof, ensuring that it didn't fall off on the trip home. You paid the man who you spoke with about the tree and bid him goodbye, wishing him a Merry Christmas as you left.

"This stupid tree is making a mess." Grunted Seonghwa. "Look at all these pine needles."

"That's just part of it. We can always clean it up later." You told him, reaching for another ornament. "Why don't you help out?"

"I'm not decorating."

"At least put this one on."

Seonghwa sighed, pushing himself up from his spot on the couch. When he reached for the ornament, he stopped. Pinched between your fingers, hanging from a silvery string was an ornament of Toothless the dragon. Seonghwa blinked a few times before bringing his eyes up to meet yours.

"What do you think?" You inquired with a bright smile. "He reminds me of you, so I thought it was fitting that I buy it."

He didn't answer—he couldn't.

"Oh. Check this out. I got one for myself too." You pulled out another ornament, this one depicting the Light Fury.

If Seonghwa's eyes weren't wide already, they sure were now. Seeing you grinning brightly, holding both ornaments made his cheeks warm. Did you not realize that the two characters were in love in the movie? Were you aware of what you were doing?

Based on the cheery gleam in your eye, you were completely oblivious to the fact and he didn't know if that made the situation better or worse.

"Seonghwa?" You called.

He blinked himself out of his daze, returning to reality.

"Sorry." He murmured, taking the ornament from you.

"Look at the bottom." You urged.

He turned it upside down. Written in tiny, white letters was, Our first Christmas 20XX

Seonghwa's face was on fire at that point. First the matching ornaments, now this? It was all becoming too much and it didn't help that he had a massive crush on you.

"It's..." He started to speak again, but the words were stuck.

"You're speechless." You chuckled. "I'm glad. Why don't you hang it on the tree?"

He slowly moved towards the fir, hanging the ornament on a branch. He momentarily debated about going back to the couch, but decided not to.

"I don't mind helping out." He told you, his voice coming out quieter than he intended.

Your face lit up at his offer.

"You mean it?"

He nodded.

You let out a small squeak of excitement. "Grab an ornament and put it wherever." You told him, gesturing to the box of festive tree decorations.

He then began pulling ornaments out of the box, strategically placing them onto the tree, making sure each one was spaced out just right and filled in any gaps.

Once the tree was finished, you stepped back and got a look at it. The lights you had strung around the fir were ready to be plugged in. You couldn't wait to see what the tree looked like all lit up. As you prepared to plug in the Christmas lights, you noticed Seonghwa was out of the room. Before you could call his name, he came rushing in with a handheld brush and dustpan, dropping to the floor to sweep up the needles littering the hardwood panels.

"Sorry." He chuckled softly. "I can't stand it."

Once he cleaned up the needles, you placed the tree skirt around the metal base that held the evergreen.

"Alright." You clasped your hands together, grabbing the plug once again. "Are you ready?"

"I suppose." Answered Seonghwa.

You shoved the plug into the outlet, the tree coming to life, giving off a warm glow and illuminating the room. A soft gasp left you as you marveled at the festive sight before you.

Despite the merry spectacle in front of him, Seonghwa's eyes were on you the whole time. The lights on the Christmas tree reflected off your large eyes, making them twinkle in wonder and doubling your cuteness. He could feel himself falling even harder for you, which wasn't totally a bad thing.

"You know what we should do next? Bake cookies."

Seonghwa was quick to regain his composure, acting indifferent and pretending like he wasn't just ogling at you.

"I've had enough Christmas for today, thanks." He responded.

"Baking cookies isn't a Christmas thing." You told him.

"Still. You can bake them yourself. I'm not interested."

Truth is, he was interested. He hated Christmas for so long and suddenly you come along and start changing his mind in just a few days. The idea was nearly impossible for him to comprehend.

"Are you sure? This is my last offer." You told him.

Seonghwa sucked in a deep breath, weighing his options. If he baked cookies with you, then he would be able to spend more time with you, which he really wanted. So, in the end, he agreed.

In all honesty, he enjoyed baking with you. Did you make a mess? Yes, a little, but the important thing is you both had fun and also made some delicious chocolate chip cookies.

You were right. Baking cookies isn't just a Christmas thing, but it did somehow feel festive, which Seonghwa, for once, didn't completely hate.

Christmas approached quicker than you had anticipated. You didn't have anywhere to go or anyone to hang out with, so you opted to stay home and have your own little Christmas party with Seonghwa. He wasn't too keen on the idea, but you knew that you would somehow win him over as you had with other festive things.

You managed to talk Seonghwa into letting you play Christmas music. To your surprise, he was more easily persuaded than you expected.

You were currently baking gingerbread cookies that Seonghwa helped you make. The two of you sat in the living room playing board games and card games while the cookies baked in the oven. Seonghwa had just beat you at an intense game of UNO when you heard the oven beep from the kitchen.

"Oh! The cookies are done." You pushed yourself up from the floor. "I'll be right back."

You exited the room, going to the kitchen to take the gingerbread cookies from the oven. They looked incredible. Each one was perfectly shaped like a little gingerbread man. The next step was to decorate them, then they would be ready to eat.

"Hey, Seonghwa. If you wanna come help decorate the cookies they're-" You came to a stop when you saw him standing by the tree near the window.

"Look." He pointed. "It's snowing."

You walked over, standing beside him and peering out the window. Sure enough, there were large, fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky in a flurry, coating the street below in white powder.

"Wow." You marveled. "This is perfect. A white Christmas."

"Y/n." Seonghwa called out softly.

"Yes?"

Seonghwa took your hands in his, taking a step closer just as a slow Christmas song begin to play, the music filling the room.

"Can we dance?" He asked.

You nodded, sliding your arms around his shoulders. Being in such close quarters made you feel a bit bashful, so you tried to distract yourself by focusing on the song.

Seonghwa held you close as the two of you stood by the window, swaying to the music and watching the snow fall outside.

"Look up." He told you.

You did as he said, lifting your gaze only to spot mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

"I thought you didn't like Christmas." You remarked with a smirk.

"Not entirely."

You knew what was coming next and you were more than ready for it.

"What about decorating the cookies?" You asked, your eyes glued to his lips.

"The cookies can wait."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he closed the gap between you, placing his lips gently on yours.

Your hands that were previously resting on his shoulders moved to his hair, gently running your fingers through it. You could feel Seonghwa's body relax under your touch, meaning that he was enjoying it. You couldn't help but smile a little against his lips.

"I have a confession." Seonghwa uttered once he pulled away.

"That you like me?" You grinned.

"Besides that." He chuckled shyly, his cheeks tinted pink.

"What's the confession?"

"You made me appreciate Christmas. I've never really been a fan of Christmas. It's just too merry, too happy, and too bright—but seeing the way your face would light up whenever you would do anything Christmas related, made me see things differently."

You couldn't help but smile at his confession. Truthfully, you had noticed a change in him over the past month, and knowing that you played a part in that made you happy.

"So, that means you'll participate in Yuletide traditions?" You asked, hopefully.

"Perhaps."

"Then let's go decorate those cookies." You took his hand, attempting to lead him to the kitchen, only for him to swiftly pull you back towards him.

"First, one more kiss."

Hongjoong ❄︎ Yunho ❄︎ Yeosang ❄︎ San ❄︎ Mingi ❄︎ Wooyoung ❄︎ Jongho

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

[anartificialsatellite]

I've been thinking about it because I've seen some insightful posts cross my dash recently on related subjects, and I think one of the big sources of bad blood in this fandom stems from an inability to really agree on the fact that we are in the Hetalia fandom and not the Actual Literal Real Life Political Entities Called States/Countries fandom, no matter how much those characters may have their characterization and backstory inspired by aspects of the history and culture of Actual Literal Countries.

What I mean by this is that the expectations people have of how they and others should conceive of, react to, interact with, etc. Hetalia countries are all over the place because some people approach them as if they are characters inspired in some way by aforementioned political concepts and some people approach them as the actual country -- And to complicate this I think most people differ on who, when, where, and to what degree they do this and perhaps more importantly, the degree to which they think other people are or should be doing this.

In essence I think at least this specific issue comes down to an ability to see one's own favorite or least favorite characters or even OCs and know that, you know, this is my country-themed Boy that I am playing with and obviously I know they're not the same thing, yet struggling with the uncertainty of whether other people know that they aren't the same, and rather than saying "Well maybe they're just like me and their opinion and understanding of the Country is more nuanced and complex than their opinion of the Boy," sometimes/often then defaulting to the assumption that they don't have that separation.

And when we assume they don't have that separation, then it follows that there is a direct correlation between how they treat the Boy and how they feel about Actual Country, whether it is in the "i'll excuse the Bad Government and Bad History because I love the Boy" direction or the "I love the Boy because I excuse the Bad Government and Bad History" direction. It means that a difference in interpretation or minor historical inaccuracy suddenly becomes A Big Old Deal because instead of being wrong about a Fake Thing, they are now assumed to also be wrong about a Real Thing (and so probably lots of other real things too) and that is way more important.

And, alright, look, I won't even say that nobody is like that, because I know for a fact there are people with genuine bad opinions about characters who also have those genuine bad opinions about real countries and people from those countries, though I would argue that typically they're in the category of already having had bad opinions before Hetalia. (Those people also tend to be obvious in other ways.) And there are also definitely people who are wrong about history in minor ways who also happen to be wrong about history in big and important ways.

But people come to a fandom for different reasons, and they get different things out of their fandom experiences, and the assumption that we can tell how they feel or how much they know or care about a thing by simply looking at how they play with the characters and concluding there is a 1-to-1 correlation there is not, uh... It's definitely not nice, for one, but it's also not conducive to a welcoming or enjoyable community, and I'll go ahead and say that it's pretty arrogant, too, whether one means to be or not.

Giving people the benefit of the doubt, adjusting our expectations and assumptions, approaching other fans as people who have the same capability we have to differentiate between a Hetalia country character and an Actual Country, and above all presuming good faith unless/until given a reason to think otherwise, would go a long way towards making the fandom experience better, broadly and individually.

[chels-void]

Worries and a date

Sigma x Reader

" Ah—...how would i even.. "

You can't convince me that this ube keso man with one of the most hellishly layered hair in the universe—did not plan for weeks or tried to find a way to properly approach you without making you uncomfortable.

Every layer of hair he has is a layer of anxiety and worry, for himself and probably the casino, congratulations— you're a part of the layers of worry.

God has simply forsaken him just by birthing him with that haircut.

He may have panicked in the process because of his own thoughts; however, He's quick to compose himself and collect his thoughts.

He tried to not make it obvious while he was working, but the casino employees definitely noticed somehow, Some did joke lightly about it, Comically, he just sweat dropped in slight embarrassment.

He's never asking for help from nikolai again, he tried—but lets say he just found it "shocking." — I'll leave that to your interpretation.

He's trying not to suffocate himself in his own thoughts.

But he did get a few advices from a few people in the casino, some said flowers, some said food or just pure honesty with words.

So with that he spent WEEKS trying to see what you'd most likely love to be approached with, a very worrisome process he'd say, definitely.

He keeps glancing at your mannerism and actions throughout the week just to make it nice enough.

"I shouldn't ask them in a crowded place if they don't like that— would a more private and gentlemanly approach do well?..wait— no that sounds like I'll put them in too much pressure to accept...argh— !"

He certainly would ask himself many, many questions.

And you know what this man did?— simple is an understatement for this one.

He bought himself some flowers that his brain said reminded him of you or at least wanted to convey, Spent almost 3 hours writing something when the time comes he's approaching you, and a little cupcake of your favorite flavor, If you do not like cupcakes, assume it's your favorite dessert !

The bouquet looks to have Lavenders, roses, tulips and chrysanthemum, he most likely did some research on it for awhile.

I need me a man/woman like this, Good lord when.

I think he'd probably invite you to a cafe politely at a time where there's less people, for the benefit of you and himself, Works well in his head— Seeing that if you don't like being surrounded by busy noises of a cafe and etc.

And maybe also to save him from the embarrassment if he does happen to get rejected on a date and you walk away with a sorry and a bow.

Ah.. he's so dreamy 😔...

You'd most likely be the first to arrive in the cafe, but you obviously have your doubts if this is simply a hang out or a potential date, either way— you'd be satisfied.

Surprising that the cafe is so quiet?— calm.

Or maybe the fact theres only a few people in here.

And another surprising thing is that the waitresses/waiter's of the cafe escorted you to a seat that gives you the decent privacy you'd ever want in a cafe near a window with good lighting even !— just makes you question even more if it was just a hang out or a date.

You're internally giggling at this point, i mean— i would too, you already placed your bets it is.

Sigma made it quite obvious— a product of his panic and worry caused it, but you can feel his effort wholeheartedly.

He enters holding that bouquet, his little memorized speech of agonizing effort and admiration and a tiny dessert you'd definitely enjoy.

You'd giggle because he looks so silly and sigma just scratches his head in embarrassment as he takes a seat across you.

"You know... you're already taking me out on a date right now by just having me in front of you in a cafe— mhmhm ! "

"Ah..— do i say...uhmm..."

"I'm all ears, I'd love to hear it."

I guess he already took you out on a date before he even got to speak— but certainly he's glad it went well.

- @ ok chell | Twt

[elysiansparadise]

Hello! Your posts are so lovely. I’ve asked a question in the past which you were nice enough to answer. I’m hoping it’s ok to ask another question. I’ve been wondering what your thoughts are on Mercury in the 12th house. Thank you for your time. ♥︎

Hello love, thank you so much for your words, and of course you can ask again [even after this as long as the ask box is open].

Mercury in the 12th house

These people are usually quite restless mentally, they are very curious people, especially for what is not easily perceptible to the average person. These natives can know a lot about many things but some of them tend to doubt their own intellectual capacity and intelligence. They are people who are either very quiet and choose to keep all their important/personal comments or opinions to themselves, or when they were younger they were forced to keep quiet or were not made to feel free enough to be able to deliberately speak their minds. They find it difficult to find a person with whom to talk in depth, with whom to open their minds, ironically they tend to prefer deep conversations and may have problems maintaining a casual conversation. They can be somewhat anxious people, especially in the social field, since although they have a unique understanding of others, they find it difficult to open up or feel that they can speak much or be understood by the people around them. Your mind is a great place, but many times intrusive thoughts and anxiety or restlessness can make your mind feel like a double-edged sword. This placement indicates that the native may have felt lonely or that they preferred to isolate themselves from the people around them.

They have a unique ability to understand people easily, people can feel that the native is someone trustworthy, who knows how to listen and who understands them like no one else. They are excellent advisors who sometimes give advice that could benefit them if they took it themselves, they have a very unique way of seeing things and perceiving what is happening around them. They may have talents or abilities for art such as drawing, singing or even writing, they have artistic and multi-talented minds. They can express themselves better through art, and often more effectively than they feel they do verbally. They have a very deep way of speaking and expressing their thoughts, their mind is complex and beautiful, a paradise that not many have the fortune to explore. Their way of speaking is soft and often has this healing quality to it. It is very common for these natives to have diaries or write a lot about their experiences, journaling can be very healing for them. Their imagination is a very strong point of theirs and a talent that can be very remarkable.

They are people who guard a giving and generous nature with caution, for fear of being treated unfairly. Many times they feel that they listen more than others listen to them or pay attention, they want to find friends or people to make bonds with that give them the fair treatment they deserve. These people make decisions based on experiences that they have had frequently, but there are times when they have many ideas about the possible outcome of a situation, which can lead them to "just know" what will happen later. They may have trouble falling asleep or sleeping for long periods. It favors the learning of topics such as esotericism, astrology and even psychology. These natives can have a unique way of intuiting things, so it's no surprise that they are curious about tarot or other forms of prediction. They are very dreamy people, but they fear not being rational or becoming "too idealistic". This placement favors traveling a lot, it is an indicator of traveling abroad and getting a lot of inspiration through them.

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