#jeremy jordan x you

[youaintnothinbuta]

A jack kelly x fem! Reader hanging out with the newsies then Les randomly blurts out “their kinda like mom and dad” Jack get really embarrassed and every bursts out laughing while agreeing

“They’re kinda like mom and dad.” — jack kelly x reader

Summary: see request^^

Pairing: Jack Kelly x fem!reader

Word count: 375

Warnings: none!! Fluff <3

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

You sat with Jack and the other newsies in your usual spot, on the rooftop of a building near the lodge. You lean back against the edge, listening to the others converse, while Jack sat beside you, holding you close, his smile lighting up his face as he jokes with the others.

“Hey, Finch, back up from the edge.” Jack calls out to him, reaching over to tap Specs to tell him to grab onto Finch’s shirt.

Les, the youngest of the newsies, pipes up from across the circle. “You know,” he says with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “Jack and Y/N are kinda like mom and dad.”

There's a moment of silence as his words sink in, and then the group erupts into giggles and agreement. You feel a blush creeping up your cheeks as you exchange a glance with Jack. Jack's expression is a mix of embarrassment and amusement, and he rubs the back of his neck as all the boys start nudging him, calling him daddy.

“Come on, Les, don't be ridiculous,” he argues, but his protest is met with more rowdiness from the Newsies.

“It’s true!” Race chimes in, grinning. "Making sure we're fed and safe, more parents than mine ever were.”

“Yeah, consider us practice until you start making your own.” Elmer added, Jack punching him lightly in the arm in response.

Jack shot you a sheepish smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “They’re not wrong,” you say, your tone teasing. He playfully nudges you with his elbow, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

“I guess,” Jack surrenders, the group continues to tease and joke, their laughter echoing off the surrounding buildings. Despite Jack's initial embarrassment, you can see the fondness in his eyes as he looks around at the ragtag family you've all become. Les and Davey had their parents to go home to, yes, but Les considered you just as much of a parental figure. He crawled over to Jack, curling up in his lap, Jack still with one arm wrapped around your waist, listening as the others continued their chatter. Jack takes your hand in his, squeezing it three times, one of the many ways he wordlessly tells you he loves you.

[equestriagirl16]

YALL IM-

IM LIGHTHEADED IM LIGHTHEADED IM LIGHTHEADED-

Btw his song from my playlist is Defying Gravity by Matt Copley I don’t make the rules💖

[lqveharrington]

Lucky King? | L.M.

summary: Lucifer takes pride in everything he has, especially his wife.

pairing: Lucifer Morningstar x wife!reader

includes: fluff, lucifer being a sweet and attentive husband and father, suggestiveness, possessiveness, that’s pretty much it (let me know if i missed any!)

a/n: okay but like, i am on serious hazbin brain rot, i have written more for HH than any other fandom so far.

Being the embodiment of pride meant that Lucifer constantly flaunted everything to his fellow sins and his people. And being the King of Hell meant he had a lot to brag about. Especially his family. God, Lucifer loved his family and would do anything to talk about them in every conversation.

An overlord meeting about movie productions on VoxFlix? Add romantic comedies, they’re his wife and daughter’s favorite. Speaking with Beelzebub about her different alcoholic beverages? Make sure to make mojitos, they’re his wife and daughter’s favorite.

He took pride in who he married and who his daughter was. After all, they were the royal family of Hell.

“Mom, I think it’s as tight as it can go— MOM!” Charlie’s eyes flashed red as she squealed, grabbing your arm.

“Sorry!” You tilt your head back as you let a laugh fall from your lips. “I thought you said—“

“No no no no noooo!” She turned around, eyes wide. “I think I’m good.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” You kiss her cheek and adjust her crown.

Charlie beamed at you and traded places with you. “My turn!”

You hum as she tightens the corset around you, eyes flickering up toward the mirror when you hear the door creak open. “Hey, handsome.”

“Hi, my love.” He pressed a kiss to your hand and then one to Charlie’s forehead. “Hi, apple pie.” He watched his daughter tug on the strings attached to the corset, moving forward when it seemed like you were going to fall from the platform. “Charlie, what are you doing to your mother?”

“Pulling her corset tight—“ She grunted as she held the string in place, tying the back. “There.” You gave her a thumbs up as she finished, watching her glow at your silent praise.

“Gorgeous as always.” Lucifer stole you from your platform, the devil’s tail wrapping around your waist.

“You know? Vaggie is probably looking for me! I should leave…” Charlie let out an awkward laugh and fled for the door. “Text me when you need me for the entrance!”

Lucifer dipped you down, chuckling when you let out a noise of surprise. “You look breathtaking, my love. Maybe we should just skip the gala and do better activities right here—“

“Lucifer!” You lightly smack his chest, face flushed from his words. “You horny devil!”

“Says the queen of Hell.” He captured you in a quick kiss, red lipstick staining his lips. “Come on, Charlie can handle it on her own.” He squeezed your hips as you walked over to the vanity with his head resting on your bare shoulder.

You glance at your beloved with a soft look, “Luce, we didn’t coordinate a whole gala just to have our daughter host it herself.” You clip on a pair of earrings, the golden snake and apple shining through the light. “We also didn’t have these outfits made for us just for them to be wasted away on our bedroom floor.”

“I mean…” He nipped on your exposed shoulder, earning a gasp and glare. “They made you a maroon dress with a slit exposing your legs, my love.”

“Because it matches your maroon and black suit.” You turn in his arms and tug at his lapels. “Which I have to admit, kinda does it for me.”

He smirked as he slowly pushed you up against the vanity, “Yeah? Maybe we should ditch.”

“Nope.” Your hands clasped behind his neck, eyes widening when you feel one of his hands trail down to your exposed leg. “Luce…”

“You started this.” He slotted himself between your legs and continuously peppered kisses to your collarbone and neck, softly sucking. “You’re a tease.”

“Lucifer—“ Your protests were cut off with a quiet moan, but you quickly covered your mouth when hearing him chuckle. “Nope, we’re leaving now.”

Lucifer separated from you, a wide grin adorning his face as he scanned you. He pressed a soft kiss to your lips, “Let’s go then, my love.”

You raised a brow but didn’t protest, letting him wrap his arm around your waist to guide you toward the ballroom. You both were quickly accompanied by your daughter as you made your way to the landing of the grand stairway.

The lights flashed off and the spotlight projected on the Morningstar family, the crowd’s voice hushed when spotting the monarchy. Lucifer gave a welcoming speech to the sinners, overlords, and sins who attended, making sure to mention his family and how they helped make the gala entirely possible. Final rounds of applause echoed through the ballroom as Lucifer finished off, letting everyone go back to their socialization and dancing.

“Mom,” Charlie caught you before you could follow Lucifer to greet his fellow sins. “Did you… Do you know why… You have bruises on your neck.” She finally mumbled out, eyes not meeting yours.

You felt yourself warm from embarrassment. Not only did your daughter tell you that you have hickeys on your neck, but you stood in the blinding lights with an audience staring at the three of you. No doubt photographers caught this and snapped photos for the internet. “Thank you for telling me, baby. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to murder your father.”

“Mom—“

You scanned the room before your gaze zeroed on Lucifer. He was laughing with Asmodeus before meeting your gaze and gave you a wink. Oh, he was going to pay.

“Lucifer.” You appear by his side. You give his fellow sin a quick smile but turn back to the little devil with a scowl. “Can I talk to you?”

“Of course.” He wrapped an arm around your waist. “It was nice catching up with you, Oz.”

You guided Lucifer back to a secluded hallway, eyes flashing bright red when you were alone. Within a blink of an eye, you had Lucifer pinned against the wall with your forearm.

“Do you know how embarrassing it is to know that I went out there with bruises all over my neck? Or, better yet, that our daughter was the one who told me what was on my neck?” You seethed. You were beyond embarrassed and pissed, you’re surprised you haven’t become a full demon yet.

“To be fair, it was more than just your neck—“

“LUCIFER!” You use your free hand to reach up your collarbone. The room felt ten times warmer, and it didn’t help that you felt Lucifer’s devil tail decided to wrap around your calf.

He remained pinned on the wall, giving you a cheeky grin. “This is really hot.”

“Oh, my god!” You release him with a glare. “There’s going to be photos everywhere! What will the public think about—“

“Lucky king?” He shrugged as he let his fingers trail up your waist, pulling you flush against him. “Listen, we’ll get rid of the photos. But is it really a crime to show off what’s mine?”

You grumble a small response, propping your head on his shoulder. “You’re crazy, Luce.”

“I love you too, beautiful.” He chuckled.

The photos never made it outside of Pride Manor, but the teasing you received from the other sins made you flush every time. Lucifer listened to each jeer, a smirk present on his face from the constant reminder that you were in fact his.

Especially when the bruises scattered around you spelled out his initials.

©lqveharrington - all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms

[writing-fanics]

More than anything

Lucifer Morningstar x F!Reader

masterlist >chapter i > chapter ii > chapter iii >

[summary: now a fallen angel y/n visits her best friend someone she missed more than anything]

warning: slight angst: fluff: language: cavity inducing fluff

[Y/n] titled her head curiously, and walked towards the rubber duck on his desk. She looked at it curiously, “I-Is this supposed to be me?” She asked curiously, and he looked at her fluster quickly taking it from her hands. She smiled at her old friend, that she missed dearly.

“N-No,” He stammered, holding the rubber duck in his hands delicately. She couldn’t help but smile softly, “Its really pretty,” She commented, looking at it in awe.

Lucifer cheeks seemed to flush, as said this. “Yeah, it is.” He mumbled under his breath pursing his lips. Her eyes drifted towards the countless, framed family photos of the Morningstar family.

Lilith in all her beauty and grace, and the angel couldn’t help but feel jealous envious even. She has a beautiful family an amazing daughter and husband. But she could understand Lilith in a way, even though she shared the same beliefs as Lucifer.

She knew humans can be cruel horrible people. But knew there were goodness and kind ones. The ones who were willing to rehabilitate deserved a second chance. Lilith didn’t believe that humans could be good.

She leaned her shoulder against him slightly, nudging him. “In a way we’re similar,” She said, looking at him sadly, “Lonely, depressed,” She added, but then smiled at him warmly.

“But we can have each other’s backs now,” She gently nudged him, and he looked down.

“Like old times.” said Lucifer smiling softly, remembering the old times he spent with his friend. She looked off in the distance at the room, filled with countless different rubber ducks.

“Yeah, like old times.” She replied, and then she breathed in and sighed, “I really missed you.” She said, a slight tint of red to her cheeks. He smile faltered as he looked at her, and a smile couldn’t help but return to his face. A slightly sad smile but you could still sense the warmth, “Yeah, me too.” He said, looking at her.

“And I’m not going anywhere now.” She said, smiling nudging him slightly, and he looked at her confused. “Cause, I might've told Adam to go fuck himself and to suck my nonexistent dick. And flipped him off. And the highest Seraphim.” She said chuckling nervously, but smiling happily.

♱ [ꜰʟᴀꜱʜʙᴀᴄᴋ]♱

[Y/n] landed next to Charlie and stood next to her, "Fuck you, Adam!" She spat, eyes filled with hatred and anger. "You're only here because you were the first man!" She shouted angrily, fuming. Having had enough of centuries of embarrassment, "You're a narcissistic piece of shit! Go fuck yourself!" She spat, clenching her fists. Charlie's mouth seemed to drop.

"I'm not scared you!" She snarled, glaring at Adam and Lute. "Those are innocent souls down there, children. Who didn't know better. People who only did such things to do right." said [Y/n], looking at the other angels then looking up to glare at Seraphim.

"and you know of all angels here know that more than anyone," She glared, breathing heavily. "Sinners who are willing to change to redeem themselves deserve to be here more than anyone," She said, looking at them and then glanced back towards the portal.

"Here my resignation letter," She shouted, at the other angels. Grabbing her halo and throwing it on the ground, and stepping on it cracking it. Just as quickly as she did that her feature resembled that of a demon/fallen angel.

Lifting her head a smile on her face, "See you in hell," She spat, flipping off the other angels before sending a happy and proud smile, towards Emily Seraphim. Having no ill will towards the younger joy bringer.

"Wait what?" He asked looking at her in shock. "I told Adam to go fuck himself and to suck it." She said smiling, and looked over at Lucifer.

Who had pursed his lips inward as he held a finger to his lips, stifling back a laugh. [Y/n] couldn’t help but stifle back one as well, a smile on her face as their faces turned red. To only suddenly burst into laughter. Tears welled up in their eyes as they laughed, “Oh, I wish I could’ve been there for that.” He said, laughing as tears rolled down his cheeks.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, “Y-You, should’ve seen his face he looked so fucking pissed.” She laughed, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

“But it was so worth it.” She said, relaxing as she leaned her back against the wall looking up at the ceiling. Yet, Lucifer couldn’t help but feel angry once again an angel was banished for something they believed in, they didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve.

She smiled looking at him, “It was really worth it.” She said, a huge grin on her face and her looked at her, “Because now, I get to see you again.” She said looking down at her the ground, “I was so alone in heaven after you were banished, I wasn’t the same cheerful me I was so long ago.” She revealed, and lifted her head looking over towards Lucifer.

She smiled at him warmly, “But now I can be.” She said, hopeful. He smiled feeling her head lean against his shoulder, "I really missed you-" He stopped, looking over and smiled softly her head rested against his shoulder, her eyes closed.

"Too." He finished. She looked so at peace as her chest rose and fell; he hesitantly brushed a strand of hair tucking it behind her ear.

They were two idiots in love with each other. Two idiots too scared to confess their feelings to each others. Two idiots that shared the same dreams and ideas. Two idiots who even now still love each other.

Lucifer even before him and his wife split up. Deep down his repressed feelings for [Y/n], were still very much there. He truly did love Lilith and the daughter they share together, who has so much of her father in her due to his influence on her. Yet, deep down his feelings for his friend up in heaven still remained.

♱ [ꜰʟᴀꜱʜʙᴀᴄᴋ]♱

Lucifer mumbled to himself as he paced back and forth. His index finger pressed against his lips, in deep thought. He chuckled nervously running his fingers through his hair, "J-Just tell her how you feel, Lucifer." He said to himself, as he gripped his clothes nervously. Laughing nervously, "I must be in heaven because I'm looking at an angel!" He said, and his eyes widened in horror and shook his head.

"No! No! Absolutely not.." He said, groaning as he dragged his hand acrossed his cheeks and let out a long groan. He started pacing faster and faster, "H-Hey, Y/n! Are you angel cause I must be in heaven." He said, and it sounded absolutely horrible, corny and cheesy.

"Lu?"

A voice spoke from behind him, "ImustbeinheavenbecauseI'mlookingatanangel!" exclaimed Lucifer, and his eyes widened and cheeks turned red as he saw [Y/n] standing in front of him. "What?" She asked confused, looking at him. Lucifer looked at her his heart pounding against his chest, as he stared at her nervously.

'Tell her tell her just tell her'

He stared at her and he kept opening and closing his mouth slightly. The words he so desperately wanted to say, getting caught in his throat. "I-I ah, it's nothing." He said, and she looked at him and nodded.

[Y/n] stared at her friend longingly words she wanted to say, getting caught in her throat. Only a single tiny, "Ah," escaping it was barely audible. Biting down on her lower lip nervously, they really are two idiots in love.

"I was able to get an audience with the higher angels," She said, looking at him nervously, "I hope they listen to your ideas." She said, chuckling nervously as she scratched the back of her neck. Looking away, blood rushed towards her cheeks feeling a hand slowly take hers.

"Our ideas." He said, smiling at her and her body tensed up and she let out a tiny squeak. She smiled softly, as her heart pounded against her chest. "Yeah, our ideas." She said, as her heart skipped a beat. They smiled at each other for a moment, before making their way towards the higher angels. Excited to share their ideas.

Lucifer smiled softly, as he picked her up bridal style and summoned a portal to one of the many rooms. He glanced down at her as she slept in his arms, he walked through the portal. He stepped into one of the spare bedrooms, and placed her on the bed pulling the covers over her a smile growing across her lips.

He couldn't but think about how adorable she looked in her sleep. How her nose would scrunch up as she snored, and how she would drool in her sleep. Yes, he still missed Lilith very much so even though it's been seven years since they split. She was still his wife well ex-wife, and was heartbroken when she left him. He still wore their wedding ring on his finger, he still hadn't moved on in a way.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear once again, she smiled softly at the touch. His heart seemed to swell once again, so many things he wanted to tell her even now. He watched as her chest rose and fell underneath the blanket, and chuckled quietly and softly as she mumbled in her sleep.

"Hells, why does she have to be so cute!" He shouted, in his head looking at her his cheeks red. He remembered, the smallest things about her from years since past. How whenever she would laugh she would scrunch up her nose, and how when she would talk about something she was passionate about her eyes would light up and sparkle, like a thousand stars. How when shy or nervous she would twiddle with her thumbs. How was the most beautiful angel in all of heaven to him, and still is.

He knew there was no way he was going to be able to stop her, from helping in the fight between Heaven and Hell. She was too stubborn something he loved about her from so long ago. If something were to happen to either her or Charlie, he doesn't know what he would do.

Now that she's here before him after so many years, after they were too banished from hell and wouldn't be excused from an exorcists blade. He wanted to keep them safe and wanted to protect them.

More than anything.

a/n: to much too earlier or...idk am i doing good or no.. the next chapter wont come out till the final episodes come out so i'll know what events transpire.. (´つヮ⊂) also i was gonna end this on maybe Lucifer planting a kiss on the reader’s forehead as she slept but i wanna take it slow first.

taglist: @96jnie @mit-suri @koji-akeme

[libraryofloveletters]

Written In The Photos - Social Media Series

decided to take a little break from writing (I will still be writing after this, don’t worry!) but I didn’t want to leave you guys without content so I present the Written In The Photos series. each driver/player has a song and their post is inspired by said song :) I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed making it <3 // special thank you to my bestie @themandaloriansdiaries for all her help with song choices and all the cracked out convos we had to put it together. 

Carlos Sainz Jr - Smooth Operator by Sade

late nights, jet leg and messed up sleep schedules lead to words spoken which would normally be kept to themselves. 

Jack Grealish - Hot Girl Summer by Meg Thee Stallion 

party after party, Jack seems to be spotted with the same girl over and over again.

Lewis Hamilton - Loveeeeeee Song by Rihanna and Future 

he’s sick and tired of seeing you in private, he wants the world to know you’re his. 

Sergio Ramos - Way 2 Sexy by Drake 

working for a footballer isn’t easy, it’s even harder when everyone thinks you’re dating. ( footballer x pr manager)

Max Verstappen  - Can We Still Friends by Tyler, The Creator

even the best of the friends can have falling outs, especially when you’re on opposites side of the track.  (teammate/rival!reader)

Andy Robertson - I’m Still In Love With You by Sean Paul ft. Sasha and Jeremy Harding

so many years apart and you’re still in love with the same guy you’ve always been in love with.

Lance Stroll - Stuck With You by Ariana Grande 

every relationship goes sour, except for the one you had with a certain brown eyed boy. 

Pato O’Ward -  Sunday Candy by Nico Segal 

snapshots of love and life with the love of your life.

Jude Bellingham - P Power by Gunna ft Drake  

young and in love, you two find yourselves making headlines more often than not. 

Sebastian Vettel - Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado and Timberland 

can’t keep his hands off you and can’t keep the flirty comments away. (redbull seb) 

Kylian Mbappe  -  Hotel Room Service by Pitbull 

secrets unravel when you’re caught together in spain.  

Jenson Button - Money by Cardi B 

diamonds are a girl’s best friend after all (sugar daddy!jenson)

Ruben Dias - Golden Hour by JVKE 

you supported him through it all, it only made sense you were the one there in the end. 

George Russell - London Boy by Taylor Swift 

grey weather is a bit of a downer, unless you have someone by your side. 

Bukayo Saka - Star Boy by The Weeknd

proud, proud, proud; you showed everyone just how proud you really were. 

Mick Schumacher - Dark Red by Steve Lacy 

he only has eyes for one girl and it’s the one girl he wasn’t supposed to be looking at. (vettel!reader)

Neymar Jr - Tití Me Preguntó by Bad Bunny 

he promised to change, you were stupid enough to believe him but people never really change do they?

Lando Norris - Young, Dumb and Broke by Khalid 

regret makes people do crazy things. 

John Stones - I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston 

your husband winning the treble calls for celebration and you two finally get the night out you deserve. 

Esteban Ocon - Sure Thing by Miguel 

attached at the hip; the sunshine to his rain. you were everything to him. 

Erling Haaland - Sunday Mornings by Maroon 5

sunday mornings were a bit of a tradition for you, everyone notices when the pattern changes.

Pierre Gasly - Creepin’ by The Weeknd 

loyalty runs both ways, until it doesn’t anymore but nothing ever really changes, does it?

Virgil Van Dijk - Let ‘Em Know by Bryson Tiller 

some things never change, no matter how much you try. 

Fernando Alonso - I’m Still Standing by Elton John 

looking up and looking down, it never felt so right. 

Jordan Henderson - If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys 

with your 10th anniversary around the corner, you both get a bit in your feels.

Charles Leclerc - A Sunday Kind Of Love by Etta James 

races, weddings and races again; sundays hold a special place in his heart. 

Trent Alexander Arnold - One Kiss by Dua Lipa

all it took was one kiss and the floodgates were opened. 

Daniel Ricciardo - Woo by Rihanna

monaco is good to those who are good to it, especially those who win. every winner deserves a prize worthy of a king.

Christian Pulisic - Unforgettable by French Montana and Swae Lee

the star player and the ex girlfriend of his closest teammate are spotted together; you’re too unforgettable.

Kostas Tsimikas - Boyfriend by Ariana Grande and Social House

you were his until you weren't, but then you were again. the two of you tangled in the sheets and in a web of confusion; were you or were you not?

[gasolinerainbowpuddles]

𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚖 · · · · 𝙸𝙸. 𝚂𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 ║ ⓒⓗⓐⓟⓣⓔⓡⓔⓓ

𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚖 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 || 𝚗 𝚊 𝚟 𝚒 𝚐 𝚊 𝚝 𝚒 𝚘 𝚗 || 𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 | PAIRING(s): Joel Miller x fem!OC/reader

| RATING: explicit material | 18+ | CHAPTER CONTENT: fluff, flirting, pining, internalized negative talk | WORD COUNT: 8k

| CHAPTER SUMMARY: When Miller Contracting ends up in a bind, Joel wonders if you might be the solution to their problem.

Joel overheard it somewhere near the cracker and chip aisle. He’d been here enough over the past few weeks to recognize disembodied voices of some of the staff or to see you helping Mrs. Baker load up her car time and again, the latter of which he repeatedly swore to himself wasn’t completely intentional. He told himself he just kept the same scheduled date and time with Jordan because it was easier that way. It had absolutely nothing to do with the little dopamine hit his brain got whenever he saw you or got to talk to you in passing when he came in to buy lemonade.

“No, what I’m saying is that we don’t have time for this kind of shit when somebody already called out sick for their shift,” the store manager’s voice came drifting around the corner. All the sickly sweet customer service had been drained from his tone, and Joel imagined this was what he sounded like most of the time. Your typical run of the mill asshole who acted too big for his britches and could use a swift kick in the ass to knock him down a peg or two.

“Sorry, it’s just Mrs. Baker comes every week, and she’s a really good customer. I’m sorry that Robert had to ring up a few more people on his own, but I loaded up her car as fast as I could.” There was that sweet voice he’d become way too eager to hear every week - not that he sought it out or anything. Except the kindness usually found in it had deflated into a mildly panicked rush of explanation.

“However you wanna play your ‘I’m just so sweet’ schtick is up to you, but not when we’re swamped with customers,” Jeremy snaps. “Now get over to produce and straighten it up. It’s a fucking mess over there!”

The heavy stomp of feet fades towards the opposite end of the store. Joel peers from behind the endcap and confirms his suspicions that it had indeed been you on the receiving end of that prick’s badgering. Your head was still fixed on Jeremy’s retreating form. Fists clenching and unclenching at your side. Shoulders hunched and tight, raised so high they're practically touching your ears. Then all at once your body slumps into an accepted defeat, and you let out a long, tired sigh.

“He always that much of an asshole to you?”

You whip around in comic speed, hands flying to your chest in surprise at Joel’s appearance. Your eyes had gone the size of dinner plates, and you sucked in a deep breath like you were squashing a genuine shriek of surprise.

“Oh, didn’t mean t’scare ya,” he quickly allays, taking a step back and raising an apologetic hand of surrender.

“N-No, you’re fine. I just didn’t hear you.” You shake your head and fix your face with a soft smile. “Sorry about that.”

“He talk to all the employees like that?” Joel presses again.

“Like what?”

“Like he hasn’t had his ass beat enough times to talk nice to people?”

The surprised giggle busts from your chest like a swarm of butterflies, and Joel can’t help but grin even if the response is a little different than what he’d been expecting. He chalks it up to the leftover nerves of being startled a few moments prior. “Oh, sorry. Yeah, he’s just- we’re one person short, so he just sort of gets that way sometimes when he’s stressed. Just a bad day kinda thing.”

It’s bothersome how dismissive you seem about someone talking down to you, and if that weren’t bad enough, you actually sounded like you were defending that asshole a little bit.

“S’not really a reason to give somebody a tongue lashing like that - especially not a lady.”

He clocks the tight smirk that curves your mouth. “Well, thanks for the sentiment, and I’m - again - I’m so sorry you had to overhear that. It’s definitely not the customer experience we want to offer here, and I apologize that your visit with us was impacted negatively. I assure you it won’t happen again.”

“You always apologize this much for stuff that’s not your fault?” He wouldn’t usually be so blunt, but that was at least the fourth time you’d said sorry in half as many minutes.

Your smirk fades into dust. “What?”

“S’just, I mean– he shouldn’t be talkin’ to employees like that, is all. I couldn’t imagine talkin’ to any of my crew that way. Bein’ in a bad mood ain’t much of a reason to chew somebody out like that.”

“You manage a grocery store, too?” “Besides, it doesn’t make for good business runnin’ it like that.”

You both talk over each other, and Joel lets out a soft chuckle.

“Oh, sorr–” You clamp your mouth shut before you can finish the dreaded word. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” You gesture for him to continue with what he was saying.

“You didn’t interrupt. We were just talkin’ at the same time. And, uh no, can’t say I’ve got the chops to manage a grocery store, but I do alright with my construction crew. I’m a contractor.”

Recognition dawns on your face. “Oh! Right! Miller Contracting, right?”

“Joel Miller of Miller Contracting, the one and only,” he confirms with a little wink.

Christ he needed to get a grip. Settling so easily into this sort of light, flirty exchange with you might not have been a conscious choice, but the last thing he wanted was end up being another creep hitting on you in the middle of your job when you didn’t have much choice but to stand there and engage. He was sure there was no short list of men who found all sorts of stupid things to ask for help with while you were just trying to get through your shift.

That small little grin was creeping back onto your features, and he tried very hard not to stare. 

“Yeah, I didn’t recognize you without your car underneath you.”

“Well I guess we gotta work on the ‘outside the truck’ branding then.”

You glance over his shoulder to the produce section. Right. You had work to do, and he was holding you up.

“Well, uh… wish I could say I remember your name, but in all fairness I don’t think you got your name and number slapped on the side of your car for me to use as a cheat.”

“Well, I don’t think my name and number would be super visible on my bike frame, but maybe I can work out some kinda sign or something and zip tie it on there.”

You look amused, but Joel feels like an asshole. He’d seen you on a bike a million times and riding in a car approximately zero times. You probably didn’t even own a car if he had to guess. He thinks about all the unseasonable rain this past summer and wonders what you do to get to and from work on those days. Certainly not ride your bike in the pouring rain. Hopefully you caught a ride with somebody or did one of those rideshare things Sarah was always talking about.

“Oh, m’sorry abou–I didn’t mean for that to sound–”

“You always apologize for things that aren’t your fault?” Your small grin spreads into a wide smile, and Joel breathes a little sigh of relief that he hadn’t made a complete ass of himself. He’s further relieved when you refresh his memory on your name and the street you live on.

“Right. Your dad and brother live there, too. Right?”

Your face pulls tight for a second before returning to something more neutral. “That’s us,” you confirm in a brighter tone than your body language tells.

“Well, I’ll let ya get back to it.” He points his thumb behind him towards your waiting work. “It was nice talkin’ to ya. Hopefully won’t be under the same circumstances next time,” he adds with a searching glance for Jeremy.

“Yeah, definitely. It was good talking to you, Joel.” You dip your head and walk off towards produce. Joel rolls his eyes at his fumbling social skills. Since when did he get to feeling like a nervous teenager just talking to somebody in a grocery store? What was more innocuous than talking to somebody in the middle of a grocery store?

He shook his head at his awkwardness and headed to the drinks. By the time he made it back to his truck, he was going to be late no matter how many red lights he managed to avoid. Maybe he should push Jordan’s next appointment back a little next time. Just in case.

You hadn’t meant to laugh, but it came out before you could stop it. After all, Jeremy’s soft toothed bite was a drop in the bucket of what you’d lived with your entire life. Sure, you’d been a bit nervous in the moment, but that was more Pavlovian response to a man being upset with you than any actual fear being present. Jeremy was an asshole most of the time, but it didn’t grate you like it did a lot of the other employees. You suppose you could thank your father for that built in function of desensitization to acerbic men.

You’d been seeing Joel crop up on a regular basis every week now, and it had sort of become something to look forward to. He was easy on the eyes and always polite. It was nice having that sort of certainty in a shift. Today had been the most you’d talked to him since he started showing up every week. You weren’t entirely sure if he was seeking you out the way you sought him out, but it didn’t much matter as long as you got that little boost of encouragement mid shift.

He was a captivating person, making these small microexpressions you couldn’t quite pin. You’d spent your entire life tuned into the tiniest of shifts in mood or body language so you could be prepared to keep it from changing into something unpleasant. Managing the mood of the room was always how you’d looked at it. It had become a useful tool once you started working after your mom skipped town. Yet another unintended gift from your father.

You were still trying to figure out where Joel's mind had gone to after you corrected him about not having a car of your own. It almost looked like concern, but that didn’t make a lot of sense in the context of the conversation. And then he’d gone and apologized, but you weren’t sure why. You hadn’t taken any offense to his assumption that you had a car. Most people had to have a car to get hired these days because even the bus wasn’t considered “reliable transportation.” It was a giant middle finger to anybody unfortunate enough to not have the option of a personal vehicle.

Your thoughts drifted like they often did as to who that second lemonade was for. At first you’d deluded yourself into imagining that he got two for himself, but he’d just buy the bigger size if that was the case, right? It was sort of around lunchtime when he came every week, so maybe that’s when his girlfriend was available for a little work visit. Well, you assumed girlfriend. He didn’t wear a ring. Then again, he was a contractor. Sometimes they didn’t wear jewelry when they were working for safety reasons, right?

Dissatisfied with your meandering considerations, you focused your attention onto something more certain: how absolutely and insanely handsome he was, especially up close.

The whole contracting thing made perfect sense considering he was in pretty good shape for someone in his… 40s? 50s? He had enough grays sprinkled in his curly brown hair and patchy beard. He had a sort of authority about him that spoke to knowledge earned through experience while at the same time holding an air of confidence in someone who was comfortable with themselves.

He gave you the feeling that wherever he led, you’d be safe to follow. The unassuming, kind way he held conversation had you transfixed on the spot every time. There never seemed to be anything he was going after, no specific outcome or response he was seeking, and it had you chatting back and forth in an organic, instinctive sort of way that was foreign enough to make you feel out of sorts. It was rare that you were talking to someone without following the prompts or silent directions they laid out. And if carrying yourself in talk with someone without outside pressures wasn’t enough to manage, you had to force yourself to not stare at him.

The span of his shoulders was the stuff of wet dreams. They were the sort of shoulders you imagined gave rise to the phrase “weight of the world on your shoulders” because if any could support it they’d be his. His pronounced, curved nose winded down towards rounded, pink lips. His eyes crinkled whenever he smiled, and you had never thought the idea of fainting couches was actually a thing until he graced you with one of those Joel Miller smiles.

Come to think of it, the man explained a lot of idioms and metaphors that hadn’t really made much sense to you until you’d met him. A sight for sore eyes. Take your breath away. Go weak in the knees. Head over heels. You were sure there’d be more the longer you knew him. He was the sort of person who demanded something more than plain speech. He had something innately poetic and beautiful about him, and you felt yourself wanting to know as much as he’d let you know.

Whatever you’d yet to learn about him, one thing was certain: Joel Miller was a bright spot in your otherwise pathetic life.

“C’mon now, Jennifer. This is gonna put us in a hell of a spot,” Joel groans into the receiver.

Loud sniffles and a hiccup come through the other end. “I-I can’t s-s-see him! I’m already m-moving out this w-weekend. It’s over. He f-fucking broke my heart, Joel! I c-can’t d-deal with this! HE BROKE M-MY FUCK-FUCKING HEART!”

Joel scrubs a hand over his face. Jennifer had been a great secretary/sometimes personal assistant over the past seven years. He didn’t think too much of it when Corey started working for them a couple years ago and hit it off with her. It wasn’t long before he was turning a bit of a blind eye when they were getting a little too cozy in the office. It was happening more frequently as they were clearly going out of their way to see one another, but it wasn’t affecting anyone’s work so he let it slide. Besides, he didn’t want to be the grumpy boss dumping water all over the flame of young love.

About a year ago when Corey proposed, Joel and Tommy felt pretty good about their decision to not intervene on the budding relationship for the sake of professionalism or whatever else. Now, listening to Jennifer sobbing and quitting over the phone after she’d found out Corey had been cheating on her for a few months? Yeah, Joel is second guessing every time he maybe should’ve hit the brakes a little harder.

“Listen, Jennifer,” he pleads. “I know it’s fucked up, and I’m not makin’ excuses for him. I have every mind to kick his ass myself, but the thing is right now that you are the only thing keepin’ these books and calls and appointments together. If you quit right now, me ‘n Tommy are gonna be royally fucked.”

She lets out a new round of sobs, and Joel winces at his poor choice of words. “Listen, Jennifer, we can’t do this without yo–”

“I’m s-sorry, Joel, but you’re gonna h-have to,” she chokes out before the line goes dead.

Great. Perfect. The time of year when they catch up on all this shit, and now Corey had to go be a fucking moron about everything and wet his dick in someone who most definitely was not his fiance. Joel had tried calling Jennifer back multiple times to talk her into not quitting, but she shut him down every time. The only thing left to do was try to salvage what he could of everything she’d left behind. The phones were ringing way more than usual, and it took everything in Joel’s power to not find Corey every day and wring his neck for causing such a massive disruption.

Joel wasn’t a total stranger to all this stuff, but he hadn’t been in the throes of it for nearly a decade. Jennifer was at the helm for all this stuff for nearly 7 years, and Sarah had done most of the job before Jennifer came along. He'd taken it for granted, not having to worry about much of anything when it came to administrative stuff, and it was coming back to bite him in the ass.

Around the week and a half  mark since Jennifer quit, Joel had finally moved all the files and calendars into his home office. Most of the time he felt ready to light a match and not look back. His main focus was keeping payroll uninterrupted, staying on top of current project accounts, and following up with payments and client satisfaction.

He missed a weekly appointment with Jordan because of all this hubbub, which meant he also missed a week getting to see you. He’s tired and on edge now, but at least he has a chance of getting to see you. Mrs. Baker is fiddling with her trunk, and he isn’t sure if she just arrived or is on her way out. When she shuffles towards the driver’s seat, Joel safely assumes you’d already loaded up her car and headed back inside. “Hey there, Mrs. Baker,” he greets with as much warmth as he can muster.

“Hi, sweet boy,” she calls back. She frowns a little as if she can tell something is off, and she says as much to him. He explains the main points of his current predicament but makes sure to leave out all the details of the stripclubs and the hidden dating apps. “Aw, well that’s a shame,” Mrs. Baker tuts. “We’d be better off if there were more youth like the sweet girl who helps me with these groceries.”

“That I agree with ya on one hundred percent, ma’am.”

“Such a sweet girl. Reminds me so much of my granddaughter. You know, Ruthie? Sweet girl. Always so helpful and looking for ways to be helpful. Smart as a whip, too. Seems a little sad sometimes, but what do I know.” Joel isn’t sure if she means her granddaughter or you, but he doesn’t get the chance to ask. “Anyway, you take care now, and tell that brother of yours I said hello.”

Joel promises to do just that and heads into the cold store. Much to his delight, he doesn’t have to venture very far inside before he spots you. You spot him, too, and he swears you look happy to see him. “Hey there. Met the President of your Fan Club out in the parking lot again.”

You laugh and shake your head. “Mrs. Baker is the President of everybody’s Fan Club, I think.”

“Tell that to Sandra Bigsby from when we were about 6 or 7. Mrs. Baker couldn’t stand her. We didn’t much care for her, but it was always sorta funny to see an adult show so much dislike for a kid.”

“Oh, you know Mrs. Baker? Or, well, I guess you’ve known her your whole life?”

“Yeah, pretty close to. Went to the same church growin’ up. She and my folks were friendly.”

“Well that says something, doesn’t it? That she still remembers you all these years later?”

“Yeah, I s’pose it does,” Joel admits with a faint blush. “And, uh, she’s pretty vocal about how nice of a person you are and helpful as all get out, so there’s that, too. You know, if we’re talkin’ about her stamp of approval meanin’ somethin’.”

Your face softens into a bittersweet corner tug of the mouth, like you hadn’t heard anyone say they were proud of you for a very long time. “She’s a very nice lady,” is all you mumble in return.

“That she is,” he agrees. “And, uh, you know, good judge of character ‘n all.” The thought had already started formulating in Joel’s head: would you be somebody that could help with a few phone calls and appointments until he found a replacement for Jennifer? “It’s actually sorta funny that she’d be talkin’ about how helpful ‘n smart you are because I’m actually lookin’ for a bit of help with something right now.”

You pause and turn your attention to him fully, brow pinched in curiosity.

“Well, you know the whole Miller Contracting business. We’re actually in a bit of a bind at the moment with secretary type help. Had our girl quit outta the blue on us, so I’ve been tryna do my regular stuff on top of all the stuff she managed.”

“Oh no, that sounds awful. I’m so sorry.”

The sincerity in your voice made Joel’s chest feel tight. “Yeah, it’s been about two weeks now, and I’m about ready to pull my hair out to be honest with ya.”

“No, I’m sure it’s a lot to deal with.”

“Yeah, that’s sorta where I was goin’ with this,” he presses. “I wouldn’t suppose– I mean, I know you work real hard here ‘n all, but if you were lookin’ for somethin’ like some extra hours, I mean….”

You tilt your head and purse your lips. “I just work at the grocery store. I don’t have any skills for office work or anything,” you breathe in a self-deprecating laugh. “I’ve never done any stuff like that, really. I don’t have any experience, I guess is what I should say.”

“I mean, yeah, some of it is using computer programs and whatnot, but a lot of it is just picking up a phone and followin’ up with clients and appointments. I’m sure you know how to use a phone.” Joel scratches the back of his neck and looks off to the right to displace some of the jittery nerves he seemed to get whenever he had to hold conversation with you.

“How do you even know I’d be helpful?” You ask this like it’s a genuine question, as if you can’t fathom a scenario in which you’d possess the capabilities to do something more than what you currently do. It makes Joel feel sad for a passing moment knowing that Mrs. Baker must’ve been talking about you and not her granddaughter Ruthie when she’d said all those things: sweet girl, always so helpful, always looking for ways to be helpful, smart as a whip, seems a little sad sometimes.

If anything, it strengthened his resolve to talk you into it. “I trust Mrs. Baker, and so do you. So, if she says I’m a nice young man or whatever, and you believe that to be true, then you also gotta accept that she vouches for you as somebody that could really help me out right now.”

Something about this seems to land with you. It occurs to Joel that asking you to place the trust in someone else’s view of you is easier than trusting your own beliefs and judgments. Seems a little sad sometimes echoes again as he watches you consider his request.

“I mean, is it–I can’t cut my hours here,” you say like you’re talking yourself through it aloud. “And I don’t have a car, so if the office is – I don’t know where the office is, so if it’s kinda far off then I wouldn’t be able to get there.”

“No no, no need to cut hours,” Joel assures. “And I actually just moved all of it to my home office so I could work on it after hours, so it ain’t too far from your house.”

“Oh?” You perk up at that. “That’s actually, yeah. That could actually work, I think.”

“And I ain’t lookin’ to short ya or anything on pay. It ain’t like a personal favor or somethin’. I would pay you right,” he rushes to explain. He was glad you didn’t think it was creepy or unprofessional he was asking you to work out of his house. You didn’t seem too put off by it at all. In fact, you seemed to have rooted in something that made you almost excited about it. The tentative hope that bubbled up in you gave him a strong urge to say or do something that would give him the opportunity to do it again. And again. And again.

“No, of course not. I know you wouldn’t do that, Joel.”

God, the way his name rolled off your tongue was like butter sliding down a hot biscuit. 

“So, you need me a couple days a week or ….?”

“Ah, well, yeah I’m willin’ to take up as much of your time as you can give me, if I’m bein’ honest.”

The easy smile that spreads across your features makes Joel feel like his brain just shut off and restarted. He blinks a few times and smiles back, a loose goofy thing he hoped didn’t make him look like too much of a dope. He gets himself together enough to exchange information with you and get a rough schedule for your help over the next couple of weeks. He apologizes in advance for his training abilities, but you just laughed it off and tell him it’ll be fine.

He had a feeling you were right.

You felt like you were flying the entire bike ride home. Not only were you going to have a secret stream of income that your father couldn’t touch, you were going to be spending more time with Joel Miller. The man who every time you talked to him it felt like you were slipping into a cozy warm bath. This type of thing was what the Kenzies of the world experienced, not you.

You tamper down your floaty feelings of happiness in case your dad was already home. The last thing you wanted was to rouse his suspicions about anything. You breathe a sigh of relief when you don't see his car in the driveway. It’s all a giddy blur getting inside and plopping down starfish onto your bed. You open your ancient slide screen phone and scroll down until you find Kenzie’s text thread.

You: how’s the job stuff going? miss u at the store :(

Kenzie: omg same :( but its going so good! ive already met so many ppl

You: I knew you’d hit it off right away typical kenzie lol

Kenzie: omg stop haha is jeremy being a tool still

You: the same so yes

Kenzie: ugh hes the worst istg

You: actually wish you’d been there the other day when he was being so loud getting on my ass that a customer overheard him

Kenzie: omg did they complain

You: no they just made sure I was okay it wasn’t like awful or anything just more awkward than anything Jeremy had always walked away

You: *already

Kenzie: was this customer a boy lol

You: no not a boy

Kenzie: aw booooo tomato tomato i thought u were gonna tell me a night in shining armor came to ur rescue

You: all I said was not a boy ;)

Kenzie: oohhhh a MAN?

You: lol yes Joel Miller

Kenzie: uuummmm mr lemonade hottie?!??!!

Kenzie: 👁️🫦👁️

You: ha ha yes

Kenzie: omg i would hav e died hes so hot

You: he was very nice :)

Kenzie: yeah ok and hot

You: I mean yeah duh

Kenzie: 💀

You: actually he offered me like a side hustle thing today

Kenzie: 👀

Kenzie: um explain pls bc that sounds kinda sus 

You: 🙄 the secretary at his contractor business quit I guess so he needs some help with phonecalls and stuff until he can hire somebody else

Kenzie: ummm he could just hire u 🤨

You: I don’t have the experience for that no way

Kenzie: u could learn in like 2 secs

You: yeah I guess we’ll find out soon

Kenzie: when do u start

You: next Tuesday

Kenzie: ok when he offers u the job pls let me be there when u quit in jeremys face bc i wanna see it 

You: yeah okay kenzie 😐

Kenzie: look at us out here becoming business professionals omg love that

You: you’re crazy lol

Kenzie: i know 💃

You laugh to yourself and let the phone slide beside you on the mattress. It felt nice to finally have something good to share with somebody.

The agonizing wait for Tuesday finally passes. You have the day off, and Joel shifted his schedule around to dedicate the entire day to showing you the ropes. You waited for your dad to leave for work and then biked over to Joel’s.

“Mornin’,” he greets warmly.

“Hey, how’s it going,” you return.

“Bit better now that I got somebody else to help with this clusterfuck.” He stills for a moment like maybe he shouldn’t be speaking to a quasi employee with such coarse language.

You wave a dismissive hand in his direction as he gestures for you to come inside. “I’m not going to tell you how to talk in your own home, Joel.”

And what a home it is. The space is muted but cozy, all earth tones like things grow and flourish here. Like the stories the walls hold are those of good times passed and good times to come. It makes your heart ache in such a distinct way, longing for something you don’t even know.

“It’s a bit of a mess, sorry,” he apologizes.

“It’s really nice here, actually.” 

He offers you coffee, which you politely decline. He shows you his makeshift setup in his home office, and you spend the first few hours together just familiarizing yourself with the basics of the operation. You listen intently, categorizing and organizing every bit of information he shares. You’re determined to prove yourself, even if this isn’t a long-term thing. You watch his eyes squint when he’s explaining something more detailed. You watch the way his large hands grip so delicately around the mug of coffee, voided pitch black and bitter for a man who conveys neither attribute himself.  You watch how his lips purse and flatten as he takes the time to explain things to you, pausing every now and then to make sure you’re understanding what he’s saying.

If watching wasn’t distracting enough, his shoulders would bump into yours every now and again when he’d lean forward to point out something on the laptop screen. His knees would knock against yours or a thigh would rub when he’d reach across you for a second to tap a few keys on the far end from him. The smell of him was intoxicating when he rested an arm along the back of your chair to lean in and explain something on the screen. It was a heady almost floral – no, citrus – sort of scent, mixed with an earthy bit of coffee and moss and woodwork.

The programs themselves seemed straightforward enough, but navigating and manipulating them was where the struggle would lie. Despite his hesitance at training you on all this, he had an amazing knack for adjusting his communication closer and closer each time to what was most comprehensible to you. It felt intimate in a way, his ability and desire to modify himself just so that it might be an easier undertaking for you.

By the time you get to lunch, you feel almost dizzy in the space with him. When he excuses himself for a minute to take a call from Tommy, you take the first deep breath you’ve had in a long time. You busy yourself with something so he doesn’t return to find you being lazy. You look over Jennifer’s physical calendar books and contacts. She has such legible, neat handwriting. Different bits of information are written in different colored inks – a sort of profiling system, you think.

At the bottom of each contact’s field on the page, there’s a small purple note. It’s always something random written there, no discernible pattern other than tidbits of personal information one might use to individualize an interaction. Factoids about a birthday or a vacation spot with a year next to it. Little snippets like do not call after 2 pm! or observes both Christmas and Hanukkah. Reminders like friends of the family and send copy to wife.

Besides all the helpful Purple Prompts – what you deemed them to yourself after reading the 6th or 7th one – the account overviews are also immaculately organized. The dread of getting anywhere near close to this level of competency starts to creep up on you and pull down. You push it away and focus again.

“Yeah, those are her handwritten things,” Joel announces as he walks through the door. “I haven’t gone over those much if I’m bein’ honest. Mostly just been tryna keep all the digital stuff goin’.”

“She’s very tidy,” you note.

“Definitely had all our ducks in a row,” he agrees. “That’s the downside, I guess, of havin’ somebody so damn good at their job. When they leave, it takes multiple people to do a poor imitation of ‘em.”

You grimace slightly at his remark, which prompts him to hastily add, “Not that you’re a poor imitation of anybody! I just meant it– you know– listen, you’re doin’ great.” He runs a hand through his hair, mussing it even more than it already was. Bits of silver catch in the light when he tilts his head. There was something so attractive about a man who wasn’t afraid to let his grays come through. Not holing himself up in the bathroom every week for 20 minutes with a bottle of Just For Men and a beer while he painted away any traces of wisdom and experience.

“Do I have somethin’ in my hair?” he worries as he runs his hand through it again. You realize you’re staring.

“Oh, no! It looks great!” you squeak out in embarrassment. “You look great. Very handsome.” Your eyes bug out in shock at the casual compliment word vomit. You turn in your chair quickly and busy yourself with the laptop. Joel just chuckles softly and settles into his chair next to you.

“Wow, brown nosin’ the boss already, huh?” he teases. “You better watch out before I start fishin’ for compliments.”

“I wasn’t–I didn’t mean to–I’m sorry,” you stutter.

“Hey now, I’m just kiddin’. It’s good for an old man like me to have his ego boosted every now and then, right?”

You snort and shake your head but keep your eyes glued to the laptop screen where you’re busy doing a whole bunch of nothing. “You’re not even old.”

“Okay, now you’re really just butterin’ me up.”

“No, I swear. You don’t look old. To me.” Your face feels like it’s a million degrees and counting.

“Oh? Can I get that in writing?” he laughs. “Would come in handy to show Sarah the next time she gives me grief for my creaky knees.”

“Oh yeah, that’s your daughter, right? The one who did all this before Jennifer?”

“That’s the one, yep,” he confirms. “Little shit gives me a hard time any chance she gets. Between her ‘n Tommy I’m tempted to say it’s borderline bullying.”

You giggle at his tellings of family and downtime and home life. It sounds nice. “Oh come on, you can’t be that old.”

A glint of amusement dances in his eyes, mouth tugging up in one corner. “Go on. Give me your best guess.”

You scoff and get a little nervous. You don’t want to offend him. Truth is, it wouldn’t matter if he was old. He was kind and sweet and drop dead gorgeous. He motions for you to wager your guess. “Um. I dunno. Um. Fourty…. three?”

He tuts and leans back as if to take in all your audacity at guessing so low. “Oh c’mon now, give me a real guess.”

“That was a real— ugh, okay. Um. I mean. I dunno, fifty six?”

“Now you’re just gettin’ wild with it,” he busts out in a deep laugh. 

You fidget your hands in your lap, fingers picking at imaginary pieces of dead skin hanging off of them. You’d never really been good at telling people’s ages, and this felt like a test you were failing somehow. “Well, I don’t know! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. It was stupid.”

“Aw, don’t say that, sweetheart. You’re not stupid, not one bit. I’m just teasin’ you. I’m comin’ up on 50 in a coupla weeks, actually.”

Sweetheart. It had poured from his mouth like a thick nectar, burning a sugary halo into your ear.

“Oh, happy birthday!” you say in a way-too-breathy-to-be-appropriate voice.

He waves you off but thanks you anyway. “See, you sorta had it. Just in between the first and the second number, yeah? You weren’t too far off. No need to feel bad or anything like that. And certainly no reason to feel stupid.”

“Okay, gotcha,” you agree quickly in the hopes that he’ll stop complimenting you. 

“Besides, you’re what? Twenty… er, twenty?” he offers weakly.

It’s your turn to roll your eyes at his ridiculous guess. 

“Hey now, it’s different for ladies,” he protests with an impish smile.

“I’m the ripe old age of twenty three,” you hum with a shrug. "Twenty four in a few months."

“Christ, you’re makin’ me feel ancient now. Sarah was already born by the time I was twenty three.”

“No, I think that’s just a generation thing. My parents had us young, too.” Your stomach clenches at the conversational transition to your family. If Joel notices your odd change in posture or behavior, he doesn’t say anything.

“Hm, maybe. Maybe so,” he agrees. “Well, it’s due time for a little break. You don’t have to stay in here – unless you feel more comfortable doin’ that.”

You realize you didn’t pack anything to eat. “Um, I think I’ll actually just, uh, head back home for a little bit if that’s okay. I forgot to pack anything to eat like a moron,” you huff in self-directed impatience.

“You ain’t dumb. Quit sayin’ that. It’s worse than you apologizin’ all the time,” he gently chides. “Just come on down to the kitchen with me, and I’ll make you a sandwich or somethin’.”

Your mouth hangs open for a moment in surprise at his earnest appeal for you to not tear yourself down. It was a far cry from your usual day to day. “Okay, but only if you’re sure?”

He lobs one of those devastating smiles your way. “Very sure. Let’s go.”

He hasn’t made somebody else a sandwich since Sarah was probably in her late teens. He’s overthinking it now: how do you fold the ham so it sits right? What angle does the cheese go? He assembles it in the most presentable way he can manage, but he doubts you’d have any complaints. You don’t seem like the type to complain, even if it might be warranted. Even if you might want to.

At first it just read as polite and good home training, but the more he’s around you the more he feels like it’s just a veneer. Not that you wouldn’t be kind and considerate of your own accord, but the inclination to do so feels very much forced at times, like there’s some small voice in your ear constantly dictating which move should come next. Sometimes you get flustered at some perceived wrongdoing on your part, all imagined, and Joel just hopes he isn’t unconsciously doing something to make you feel so nervous.

It’d hit him like a lead cloud when you came into his home and looked around as if it was some sort of breathtaking sanctuary. He felt the waves of immediate, riveted comfort rolling off you. And then that small smile of yours when you’d said it’s nice here, actually, the one that plays so timid on your mouth like you’ve taken a lot of nerve to speak whatever words fell from your lips. He couldn’t help but soften and drink it in. 

He tried so, so hard to not stare at you while he was trying to go over the basics of the company and its workings. Every unintentional bump or glide against you felt like a scorching surge of electricity straight through him. And your face when you were concentrating, how you’d sometimes nibble on your lower lip when you were listening really hard to something he was saying. He’d had to look away a few times when his cock started kicking against his thigh in appreciation.

But then you’d gone and done that thing again where you talk down to yourself. Sorry this, stupid that. He hoped he wasn’t making you feel that way. He wanted to see that same smile that softened your face when you’d first arrived. He kept lunchtime light on conversation, letting you take the lead on it. Turns out you’re a bit like himself in that you don’t feel the need to fill every moment of silence with something. The comfortable silence felt nice, though. It wasn't often he could just sit with somebody and enjoy solitude together. It was a different sort of peace to have that with someone.

Eventually he spoke up, though, not wanting to give an impression that he didn’t want to talk to you. You seemed more relaxed now, and it warmed his blood to think he might’ve had something to do with that. You’re agreeable, as always, when he mentions pay at first might just be an under the table situation until he figures out if he needs to - or is capable of - adding another employee to the roster. You seem perfectly fine with his cash offer. In fact, he thinks you seem to be relieved in a way. He’s not sure what to make of that, but he doesn’t spend too much time on it. Not when you’re sitting across from him smiling about something and laughing under your breath as you tell him some random little tidbit.

Every morsel feels like a feast, but you? You’ve made a glutton out of him. He might be able to drink you until he’s sick, but he doesn’t think he could ever drink enough of you to be satisfied.

You hope and pray that baking Joel a cake for his birthday isn’t too weird. Now that you’re standing in front of his door, the same door you’ve frequented over the past few weeks since you started, you sort of wish you hadn’t done a lemonade flavor cake. It felt sort of personal but in a forced way. You should’ve just went with chocolate or something and made it less pushy and awkward.

But you forget all about that when he opens the door for you and erupts into the biggest smile you’ve ever seen when he spots the confection. He grabs it up like he’s elated and eager and over the moon at your silly little gesture. Your eyes flit to where his band t-shirt flexes against the bulge of his bicep and tugs across his chest. Your eyes wander down to the curvature and fit of his jeans against his hips and thighs as you follow behind him into the kitchen. The denim clings and pulls as he bends towards the counter to set the cake down. You can feel the heat on your chest creeping up your neck.

“This is just– thank you,” he says in earnest.

You smile back at him and shrug. “Just thought I’d brown nose the boss some more, you know?”

His whole face lights up at your gentle teasing. “Well, it’s working.”

“Would it undo it if I said I didn’t want to put candles on there because I didn’t want to risk burning the house down? Fifty is a lot, you know.”

He breaks into a deep belly laugh at that. “Sarah would give you a gold star for that one.”

He grabs you up into a loose, friendly hug. Your hand shoots to his chest and snakes up in a fraction of a second. He pulls back, still smiling, and rubs your back. “Thank you. Really.”

“It’s nothing,” you insist.

You both pull away from one another and eat a slice of cake.

It’s nearly the end of the month, and Joel has a growing funny feeling lodged in his chest. Once he thought it, he couldn’t unthink it. Once it crossed his mind, it had boomeranged back and rooted itself firmly into place and exploded. You look like you belong here in his home. It melded around you as if you’d always been a part of it - were meant to be here -  and what was worse was every time you were here it felt like a missing piece had come back to fill the empty space left behind. 

He wishes he could blame it on that hug when you’d brought him cake for his birthday, when your hand grazed across his chest and left a blazing fire in its place. But, no, it had started before that, and it was only getting worse. He listens to you now taking on a sometimes alright sometimes difficult client. They were behind schedule on starting a project for him. He was a repeat customer, but he was no nonsense about things.

“No, of course, Mr. Dillard. And I hate that all this is going on when I know it’s probably a tough time for you, too,” you say softly into the landline in his home office.

There’s some gruff sound on the other end.

“Oh, I apologize. I just– Joel had mentioned about Duke passing last year, and I know the first anniversary of something like that can be so difficult.”

Joel’s head cocks to attention at that. He hadn’t said any such thing. He leans in closer to listen to whatever it is that you’re concocting. There’s a long pause and then softer speaking.

“Oh, of course. I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have said anything– Oh– no, right —”

Another pause and a muted voice. You nod your head and purse your lips in agreement and faux understanding even though Mr. Dillard can’t see it.

“He mentioned it when I told him you were on my list of clients to call next. He has a memory I would kill for, I swear. And he’s always had a soft spot for dogs– oh my god, don’t tell him I said that, though. He might kill me if I’m going around telling everyone he loves fluffy puppies,” you giggle.

He hears what sounds like gentle laughter over the receiver before more unintelligible comments.

“No, and we appreciate how wonderful everyone is being about it. We’ve certainly been trying to put on a brave face, you know. She feels terrible about having to exit like that, but we keep telling her she absolutely should be focused on her health right now.”

More garbled conversation on the other end.

“Well I’m not at liberty to say, but I cannot express how much that means to us that you’re asking after her. I just know she appreciates all the support with how fast everything happened. Yeah. MMmhhhmmm. Yes, your thoughts and prayers mean so much to us, and I will definitely let her know that you are thinking about her.” 

Joel’s jaw would’ve been on the floor if possible. Mr. Dillard was okay for the most part, but god could he be a jerk if you caught him in the wrong mood. Here you were pulling some story outta your ass that had him doing a 180º and asking after Jennifer’s health after her brisk departure.

“Okay, now. I’ll be back in touch very soon, Mr. Dillard. Alright. You take care now. Buh-bye.”

You set the receiver down and scribble a few quick notes in purple ink. He doesn’t remember when he’d bought a purple pen. Had you bought that to just keep up with Jennifer’s established system?

“You’re amazing,” he laughs – an incredulous tone.

You knock him out with one of those bright smiles of yours.

tagging a few people who showed interest (lmk if you wanna be removed):

@witchy-and-persnickity @sheepdogchick3 @tuquoquebrute @ellenmunn @akah565 @goodwithcheese @koshkaj-blog @umnitsa @ellenmunn @jupiter-soups @pastelnap @fadajnaoqkzalq @confusedpuffin @zooty-and-fruity @drunk-and-capable @cumberpegg @witchy-and-persnickity @persephone-girl @lovelyjess69 @verybigvag @nutterbitter @sunshinehaze1 @tuquoquebrute @beelzebeth87

[moody4world]

ICE BOUND❄️

A/N: finally managed to finish this fic and i personally love it so i hope you guys do to!!

BEFORE READING: look up what a one handed biellman is. Personally for Michael i envisioned Michael B jordan but feel free to envision whoever you’d like🫶🏾

DISCLAIMER: apologies in advance for the angst

Jeremy x Plus size! figure skater! reader

Being an ice skater was always a big dream of yours from a very young age. It wasn’t always easy especially being a bigger size compared to the average ice skater but you worked hard everyday to be where you are now. You had met Imani in high school and the two of you have been like sisters ever since. You were there when she first met Kamal and that unfortunately means you know his obnoxious friends Renzo and Speedy too. You were there when she had her son aka your favorite and only nephew. Which means you spoiled him absolutely rotten whenever you could, especially on his birthday. You had organized a major birthday party for him in the park with large bouncy houses and barbecue.

You noticed Kamal and Imani talking to a tall white guy you had never seen before while you were fixing up the gift table and they walked over with a new one. “Yo y/n this is Jeremy, Jeremy this is y/n, Imani’s best friend” Before Imani and Kamal could say anything else, they were called over by another family member.

“It’s nice to meet you” “It’s very nice to meet you too, you look very pretty.”

“Thank you, how come i’ve never met you before Jeremy” “Oh Kamal and I met recently, we I mean I play basketball with Renzo and Speedy and he’s been giving me some advice and stuff on that” Jeremy was completely overexplaining himself but he couldn’t help it. He was very nervous because of how pretty he thought you were.

“So you’ve met dumb and dumber” You joked, referring to Renzo and Speedy. The two of you laughed together until Renzo came over to annoy you like he always does. “Look who it is, Chubby bunny and Justin Bieber” “Renzo can you shut the fuck up” You said while rolling your eyes at his childishness. “Yo white boy, you tell her you a G-league reject yet?” “I’m not a G-League reject. I’m an athlete on hiatus due to health reasons.” Renzo patted Jeremy’s chest and sarcastically said “Yeah right” You rolled your eyes at him again but luckily this time he left. Or so you thought, he wasn’t next to Jeremy anymore but he was behind you and you had no idea.

Ignoring Renzo’s unnecessary comments towards him you decided to bring up the only part that seemed relevant based off of Jeremy’s reply. “So you’re an athlete?” “Something like that, yeah” He suddenly became bashful and it was one of the cutest things you’ve ever seen.

“Well that’s great, I'm actually an athlete myself!”

*Cough*”Sure don't look like one” *cough* Renzo mumbles VERY indiscreetly behind you. You turned aggressively and glared at him, scaring him enough to finally walk away and leave you and Jeremy alone. Jeremy kisses his teeth in annoyance. “Don’t listen to him, he's always an asshole” he says, trying to comfort you at Renzo’s offensive comment. But unknowingly to him, you were already used to not just Renzo’s but other people’s rude and unnecessary comments. Especially being a plus sized girl in a sport where skinny is the norm.

Shaking your head you tell him “No it’s fine, most people have their own idea of what an athlete is supposed to look like anyway.” you shrug it off.

“Plus i’ve known Renzo for way too long. I’m used to it.”

“Why don’t I come to one of your games? What team do you play for?”

You looked at him super confused until it hit you that Jeremy must’ve thought you played basketball. Quickly correcting him you reply “Oh no no I don't play basketball..or any kind of ball actually..” as you laugh awkwardly.

“So you…..” “Skate…i’m a figure skater”

Jeremy’s eyes go wide with excitement “No way, that’s cool as fuck.” “You do those crazy spins and stuff then. That’s super impressive.”

“I mean I suppose it is..” “Don’t be humble about it, that takes a lot of talent y/n”

“Thanks Jeremy” “I’d love to come watch you perform some day actually” He suggested and took a step closer to you. At first you were hesitant but I mean…he’s cute and he seems nice so far, what harm could it cause? Plus those bright blue eyes were very mesmerizing in the sunlight, how could you possibly say no?

“Yeah sure we’ll make that happen then.” You shrugged calmly but on the inside you were freaking out.

As agreed, Jeremy showed up to your next competition and the next…and the next and now he’d even show up to your practices. He found it mesmerizing how smooth you’d glide and how graceful you’d twirl. He was still getting over his fear of the big leaps and the jumps but he loved watching you do what you did best. After the second competition he attended he asked you out to dinner which led to the two of you laughing and conversing all night.

After the third competition you two shared your first kiss right outside your mom’s bakery. And yes your mom caught you two and she could not hide the excitement of finally meeting the boy you wouldn’t shut up about. Texts became daily and non stop between the two of you and so did casual drives and hangouts. Like right now you two were laying in his bed talking about his parents.

“So you’ve been living here since then all by your self?” “Uhm…not exactly. My ex, Tatiana lived with me for a while till we broke up.”

“Oh….you used to date Tati…..the ballerina?”

“The dancer, yeah. You know her?”

“Uhm no, not really.”

Now that was a lie. You and Tatiana went to the same elementary and dance classes when you were little. You even liked her a lot as a friend until she crushed your dreams of wanting to be an ice skater when you were 8. She even went as far as comparing you to a Chubby bunny, causing the nickname to stick around even after she switched schools.

You never saw Tatiana in person again but you definitely remember her.

“Are you guys still in touch?” “I mean we work at the same gym but we’re just civil now. Why?”

“Just wondering, Jer”

“Hmm. What about you then?” He asked you.

“What about me?”

“Who’s your ex? Is he some crazy ice skating olympian i gotta watch out for?” He said jokingly, making you both laugh.

“Not far off, he’s actually a crazy football player.”

Jeremy squeezed his eyes shut. “Please don’t tell me he’s in the NFL y/n.” You rolled your eyes playfully at his dramatics.

“Even if he was, I wouldn’t know Jer. He broke up with me a year before we graduated college and completely ghosted me so I have no idea.”

“Well that’s an asshole move.”

“Tell me about it.”

The mood in the room suddenly got sad and Jeremy wasn’t having it.

“Want me to order pizza? We can get your favorite toppings.”

If one thing made you happy aside from being on the ice it was food.

And just like that the mood was restored and the night went on perfectly.

It had been a couple days since youd seen Jeremy in person due to long practices while also helping your mom with her deliveries. Today you finished said deliveries a bit early and had a special batch that your mom had made specially for Jeremy. You knew these were the hours he was usually at the gym so you drove straight to there.

Walking into the gym with the tupperware and a big smile on your face excited to see your favorite basketball playing hippie. Your excitement decreased the moment you spotted him though. There he was, being a bit more than just civil with you guessed it, Tatiana. Her hand was on his arm and they were both laughing very amicably. A million thoughts started racing through your brain but before you could escape, Tati noticed you standing at the door and pointed you out to Jeremy.

Once he turned around to see you standing there his smile somehow grew even bigger than it already was. Jeremy started making his way towards you but felt like walking was taking too long so he did a little awkward jog.

“Hey pretty, I didn’t know you were coming” He wrapped his long arms around you in a crushing hug only to realize you weren’t squeezing him back like you normally would.

Pulling away he noticed the tupperware box in your hand. “I just wanted to bring you these vegan cookies my mom made, she wanted you to try them before she adds them to her inventory at the bakery” Is what you said as simple as possible while trying to hide your true feelings of what you saw when you walked in but your bluntness and lack of usual excitement was suspicious to Jeremy.

Regardless, he took the tupperware from your hands when you handed it to him but couldn’t help and double check on you.

“That’s so sweet of her, are you sure you’re okay?” “Yeah im totally cool but I gotta get going”

Rushing out of the gym you hear him yell “I’ll text you after your practice!!” without looking back so he wouldn’t see your teary eyes you yell back saying “No need, its gonna be a late one!”

It wasn’t a total lie, you did go to practice but it wasn’t a scheduled one. You just wanted to get your mind off of your own insecurities for a bit while also practicing a certain move you just couldn’t get down. Staying true to the distracting yourself part, hours had gone by and you didn’t even notice.

After trying the one-handed biellman for what felt like the thousandth time and failing, you frustratedly sat on the floor angrily. “Don’t beat yourself up too bad, you almost had it” You jumped a little because you were not expecting to see anyone else at the rink and you were also in your own world until he spoke. It was none other than your once skating partner, Michael. “I’m embarrassed you even saw that, how long have you been standing there?” You still didn’t even bother standing up from your slumped position on the cold ground. “I forgot my charger in the locker room so I came back to get it and then I saw you getting frustrated.” “Want some advice?” “I’ll take all the help I can get Mike” “Say less, c’mon get up” He put his ice skates on and joined you on the ice.

After four consistent tries with Michael’s advice you were finally able to do the spin successfully. Out of pure joy and excitement you both hugged each other with laughs of relief and pride.

“Ahem” The sudden sound made you both turn to the direction of its source to find Jeremy standing there looking quite upset. “So this is why you left in such a hurry and didn’t wanna text me back?” He had his arms spread out to really show you that he was angry. Michael immediately got the message and decided it was time for him to leave. Once Michael was finally away from both of you’s vicinity he repeated his question since you had yet to answer. “So this is what you’re doing now?” At this point you had skated closer to him and you were eye to..almos eye. “What are you even talking about?” Was all you could ask, what did he mean by ‘this’? “You get all weird from me talking to Tati but you’re allowed to be in a rink alone with some buff ass dude?” his voice was slowly raising and he was visibly turning pink.

How did he figure out it was about Tatiana, did she tell him that she knew me?

“Hello?” “That is not the same Jeremy” “HOW IS IT NOT THE SAME Y/N?” Him raising his voice was your final straw, the tears you had been holding back came flooding down along with your insecure thoughts.

“UNLIKE YOU, NOT ALL MEN THAT TRY TO TALK TO ME WANT ME JEREMY.” Jeremy the oh so clueless was oblivious to everything that you have noticed during the few months of you two being together.

“That’s not true” He shook his head in disagreement.

“YES IT IS TRUE, YOURE JUST TOO OBLIVIOUS TO NOTICE IT, EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU GO OUT WITH ME SOME GIRL BLATANTLY FLIRTS WITH YOU AS IF IM NOT THERE”

“PEOPLE DONT APPROACH ME THE WAY THEY DO YOU OKAY SO ITS NOT THE SAME”

“YOU COULD LEAVE ME FOR SOME BETTER LOOKING GIRL ANY MOMENT LIKE EVERY OTHER GUY HAS, SO FORGIVE ME FOR TRYING TO PROTECT MY OWN FEELINGS”

Even after months of knowing you and being with you Jeremy had never seen you this hurt and angry before. You are the most soft spoken and calmest person he had ever been close to so to say he was shocked was an understatement. Along with his shock came speechlessness. All he could do was stare at you apologetically, full of regret for not putting himself in your shoes. He thought that he could think of the right words to fix things and get your relationship back to where it was a few days ago but the next words that came out of your mouth felt like a knife being twisted into his chest. The tears in his eyes mirrored yours. “I think what we had was fun but I don’t think we should continue whatever this was” “y/n don’t say that” “I’m sorry Jeremy”

Without even giving him a chance to defend his case, you skated off to the locker rooms leaving him to sulk in his heartbreak.

While you cried in the locker room, Jeremy decided to leave and give you some space. Deciding against driving all the way home with how much he was crying, he went to the person he knew could help him get you back. After three knocks on the door Kamal opened it to find Jeremy. He was surprised at his sudden visit only to become worried once Jeremy looked up and he noticed the sniffling, red nose and face covered in tears. “Yo what are you doing here? wait are you crying?” Jeremy was already so exhausted from crying that he only felt like saying the minimum. “Can I please talk to Imani? y/n just broke up with me and I don’t even know how to fix this”

Noting Jeremy’s distress Kamal decided that he’d leave his curiosity for another time. “Yeah..yeah sure, come in, I'll get her.” After offering Jeremy a seat at the dinner table Imani decided it was best to help him calm down first. “Would you like some tea Jeremy?” “Uh yeah some tea would be nice” He replied. “Okay what kind of tea would you like?”

Jeremy thought about it then simply said “I’ll just take the hottest one”

To which Imani just stared blankly in confusion. She still questioned why you were so fascinated by this goofy white boy. “….Okay” shaking her head Imani left to make him some tea.

Once Jeremy took a couple sips of the tea and had calmed down quite a bit, Imani decided to initiate the conversation that Jeremy suddenly seemed to be avoiding.

“Okay so what’s up with you and y/n? I thought everything was cool with you two”

“i don't know what went wrong so fast, she saw me with Tati at work and started acting all reserved. She wouldn't text me back for hours so I went to the rink and that's when I found her with some buff ass guy” “You mean Michael?” “I don’t know his name” Jeremy shrugged “Was he fine as hell?”At Jeremy’s offended stare Imani confirmed that it indeed, was Michael. “Sorry, go on” “As I was saying, I saw her with some buff ass guy and I may or may not have shown some jealousy”

Knowing you,Imani had more than an inkling that there was more to the story. “And?” “And that's when she lost it. I mean I had no idea she felt that way Imani. I would've done anything to reassure her from those thoughts if I knew” Jeremy’s voice had gotten more trembly the more he thought about how hurt you were during the argument. He decided to end his story there, not wanting to cry his eyes out in front of your best friend at her dinner table.

Imani could see that you meant a lot to Jeremy. She may not understand your attraction to the guy but you meant a lot to her too and that is something that her and the curly headed white boy had in common. She couldn’t believe that she was about to help him get back in your good graces but here goes nothing. She took a deep sigh and repositioned herself. “Listen Jeremy it’s not your fault, y/n has a lot of insecurities she’s still working on that have nothing to do with you. However, I haven’t seen her this confident and happy in a minute so you must've been doing something right.” She encouraged him. But Jeremy was already wallowing in guilt. “Yeah well that didn’t last very long did it” “Look, what i'm saying is…you gotta be honest and straight up with y/n about your feelings. Tell her how you really feel and what you really think. Never leave anything up for assumption with y/n, that’s one advice i'll give you. You didn’t hear this from me but that girl loves your pale ass. So go get your girl NSYNC” “ I actually prefer Justin Timberlake” “Jeremy..” “Yes?” “Get the fuck out of my house and go get y/n back” “Yes ma’am”

[juceynightmare]

run away with me (18+) - mjf songfic oneshot

my masterlist

mjf masterlist

pairing(s): mjf x fem!reader

warning(s): swearing, some time skipping, never forget that max is a choir kid, unprotected sex, no beta we die like men, soft!max because he’s so in love

genre(s): fluff, angst, established relationship, very little smut

summary: reader is going across the country for college while max is staying home to pursue his wrestling career. on their last night together alone, reader asks max to sing to her. she reminisces on the entirety of their relationship throughout high school while max wishes that she really would just run away with him.

word count: 9,036

song: run away with me by kait kerrigan and bree lowdermilk as performed by jeremy jordan

let me catch my breath

this is really hard

the karaoke track’s backing piano played over his phone speaker, as max stood at the foot of the bed.  he had y/n’s phone in his hand with the lyrics to the song pulled up in case he forgot out of nerves, of course, that’d be impossible considering max knew this song by heart. he was stood in front of her in only a pair of boxers and his hair still damp from the shower they had just taken together. she sat at the edge of the bed, facing him with only his shirt on and her underwear. countless hickeys littered their necks, and for max, there were many more across his chest.

this wasn’t the first time that max had come over to sleep over at her house, but it was the first time both of their parents allowed them to have the door closed when the two were in there, as well as allowing max to sleep in the same bed as y/n for the night.

if i start to look like i’m

sweating, well

it’s ‘cause i am

y/n wished she had her phone just so she could record this moment - the last time for a long while until she would be able to hear max sing to her in person again. she loves his voice, has been in love with his voice ever since she first heard him sing at that choir concert her friends dragged her to freshman year because “the choir here is good!” and max just so happened to have a solo that night. his song of choice for their last night together had only reminded her of the beginnings of their relationship and the way she was thankful to still be with her high school sweetheart - even if they were about to be separated by distance.

i’m not good with words

but that’s nothing new

she remembers the first actual conversation she had with max. she knew of him before the choir concert, they had gone to middle school together and sat next to each other in english class their freshman year. because of their seating arrangement, the two would make small talk during partner work. it wouldn’t be until after the choir concert that y/n would spark up an actual conversation with max the next time she saw him in class.

“didn’t know you could sing so well, max. i’m happy i got dragged to the choir concert, otherwise i would have never known that my english partner is such an amazing singer.” she said in greeting, taking her seat beside him and taking out her binder.

max simply stared at her, his eyes wide in shock that she had actually greeted him with something other than a simple “hey max.” he had found the girl pretty, but with their limited interactions and the way y/n would immediately run off after class because she’d have to make it across campus in the 8 minute passing period, max never found the perfect moment to talk to her.

“can i get your number?” max blurted out in response, a light pink rising to her cheeks. it was y/n’s turn to stare at max with wide eyes, feeling her own face heat up.

she smiled, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she giggled - a habit she had that max would soon learn in the weeks to come. she took out her phone and slid it to him under the desk just as the bell rang to announce that class had started.

“i was expecting a ‘thank you’, maxwell.” she teased, crossing her arms over her desk once she felt max take her phone.

she felt max drop her phone back into her lap, and he mumbled under his breath just loud enough for her to hear him, “sorry, i lose my ability to speak english when a pretty girl compliments me.”

she smiled at his words, keeping her gaze trained on her teacher who began the class as she reached for her phone in her lap and slipped it back into her pocket. she certainly wasn’t expecting max to flirt with her, considering they would only ever talk about their assigned readings.

but y/n certainly wasn’t complaining either.

still i have to try to explain

what i want to do

with you

y/n closed her locker after putting away the binders and textbooks she wouldn’t need to bring home that day. she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around, expecting to see max. well, she did see max, it just wasn’t her max.

caster smiled at y/n, and said, “max is in the choir room already. he skipped seventh hour.”

that’d certainly explain max’s absence, but y/n was visibly upset that max hadn’t waited for her to walk him to the choir room. ever since they exchanged numbers, max and y/n texted and called nonstop if they weren’t talking to each other in english class, hanging out at lunch, or y/n was walking him to the choir room after school for max’s musical rehearsal before she’d head home.

it was the way max would go out of his way to walk her to class between classes just so they could see each other and talk that made y/n realize that max was attractive to her: physically and emotionally. it wouldn’t be until one day that max would text her in the morning that he was sick and wouldn’t be at school that day that y/n realized how much she missed max’s presence. that was also the day that she realized that she most definitely had developed a crush on max.

“don’t be so sad now, y/n. he sent me here to get you.” caster said, laughing at the way confusion had spread across y/n’s face. “now put this on.” he thrusted a blindfold into her hands, and y/n simply stared down at the fabric.

“did he send you here to kidnap me?” she asked, looking back up at caster.

“actually, yes.” caster mused, taking the blindfold from her when he realized she wasn’t going to put it on. he pulled it over her eyes for her, and before she could protest, caster pulled her backpack off of her and slung one strap over his shoulder.

“hey! that’s my- max!” she screamed in shock once she felt caster’s arms wrap around her legs and he lifted her off the ground. she laughed as caster slung her over his shoulder, her arms instinctively wrapping around his midsection as she felt him run out of the hall and towards what she could only assume to be the choir room.

eventually, she was set down and y/n could just feel the way there were multiple pairs of eyes fixed on her. caster pulled the blindfold off of y/n, and when her eyes adjusted to the dark room, the lights were suddenly turned on. she gasped at the sight in front of her, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she tried to process everything happening in front of her.

the same song max had sang at that choir concert was playing on the speakers, and a road of rose petals was laid out in front of her. on each side of the rose petal road, there stood max’s choir friends holding out a rose for her to take, and at the very end of the path stood max, dressed in a suit and a stupidly wide, but nervous, smile plastered on his face.

caster nudged y/n forward, and she stumbled a bit before she walked through the path and collected the roses from each person until she finally made it up to max. he stopped her in place about three feet away from him by holding his hand.

she hadn’t even noticed he was holding a sign behind his back, still in shock at the entire display that she had found herself walking into. max held up the sign for her to read while caster appeared beside him and held out a sharpie to her.

“y/n, would you run away with me to homecoming as my girlfriend?” y/n read the sign out loud, tears welling in her eyes as she met max’s gaze.

she took the sharpie from caster’s hand, walking up to max and checking off the “yes” box while the people in the room whooped and hollered for max.

he held the sign out for caster to take so he could wrap his arms around y/n, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. he felt her body shake, and max could hear the faint sound of her crying over the sounds of everyone cheering for them.

“why are you crying, baby?” max asked as he pulled away from the hug to cup y/n’s face in his hands. he liked the way it felt to call y/n baby, and the way it felt to hold her face in his hands as he wiped away her tears with his thumb.

she smiled up at him through her tears, one that sent max’s head reeling and his heart flipping in his chest.

“i’m just so happy. i had no idea you even had a crush on me, and now you’re my boyfriend and my homecoming date?” she admitted, happy tears still falling from her eyes despite max’s best efforts to wipe them away. y/n could feel the way her heart had began to beat rapidly as if she had just ran a marathon, all because max had pulled off this grand gesture just to ask her out and called her baby. the feeling of his hands on her skin had only sent electric shocks through her, and y/n finally recognized how deep her feelings for max truly ran - even if they were only freshmen in high school.

“i had a feeling you liked me too. so instead of cutting around the whole talking stage bullshit, i listened to my gut and decided to just ask you out.” max admitted, his smile mirroring her own. “my gut’s never wrong, and now i have a bomb-ass girlfriend.” he laughed.

she stayed behind that day to watch max during his rehearsal, texting a photo of the sign max had made her to her parents and instantly being met with a “does this boyfriend of yours want to come over for dinner tonight?” from them.

with you

run away with me

they wouldn’t kiss until their first anniversary. before then, it was just hand holding and innocent kisses on the back of the hand, forehead, cheek, anywhere but the lips. they were both too shy and too scared to fuck up their first kiss. their anniversary fell on a saturday that year, which meant that they had the entire day together and max had gotten permission to sleep over at y/n’s house that night. of course, with the rule being that max would sleep out on the couch and when they were in y/n’s room, they’d leave the door wide open.

they had let their parents know immediately of their new relationship, and although their parents weren’t exactly too accepting to begin with - when y/n and max hit the sixth month mark of their relationship, their parents realized that this was more than just your average high school fling. since then, they would regularly have dinner at each others houses at least once a week, and both families loved them.

they were also relieved to know that max and y/n hadn’t even kissed yet - which meant that their little babies were still innocent.

until that day, of course.

max and y/n were laying down beside each other in her bed watching the hamilton musical. max had his arm slung around y/n’s shoulders with the girl laying on her side resting her head against max’s chest with one arm wrapped around his midsection.

despite the two have never kissing in the entire year of their relationship, the two loved their share of physical touch. they were definitely the hallway couple of the school, always seen with max’s arm slung over her shoulders or waist, with y/n’s arm looped through his, them just holding hands, or hugging each other for far too long whenever max would drop her off at class before running to his own.

y/n smiled in amusement at the thought, and she unconsciously began to rub the palm of her hand over max’s abs. max was buffer than he was their freshman year. the sophomore boy having picked up an interest in bodybuilding and hitting the gym every night.

“i could take off my shirt right now if you wanted to feel up on my abs without the fabric.” max teased her, catching her in the act of feeling his abs through the fabric of his shirt. she felt her face heat up and she pushed herself up off of him so she could turn to look at him.

max had also gained quite an ego ever since he started his bodybuilding journey. and although y/n loved having such a buff, hot boyfriend. she sometimes missed the shy boy that had asked for her phone number because he didn’t know how to say “thank you” to a compliment.

but when she saw the blush and shy smile that had appeared on max’s face because she had just been feeling up on him, she knew that deep down, that same shy boy that forgot how to speak english properly whenever she was around was still in there.

so, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his before pulling away quickly. it hadn’t even been for a second and would definitely be considered a peck. before she knew it, max’s hand had found the back of her neck and he was pulling her in for another kiss.

“fucking finally.” he whispered against her lips, a smile pulling on his lips as he kissed her tenderly.

max and y/n finally understood what people meant by feeling fireworks when they kissed someone they had a connection with. after all, they both felt fireworks that tingled all the way down to the ends of their fingers and their toes as they kissed each other.

a cough from the doorway had the two pulling away from each other. y/n instantly shoved her face into max’s chest and she didn’t need to even look to know that max’s face was probably as beet red as hers was.

“hey mama.” max greeted y/n’s mom, his voice cracking and causing max to have to clear his throat afterwards. he wrapped his arms back around y/n’s frame, who tried to further bury herself in max’s chest.

“i’m just going to leave these right here.” y/n’s mom said, amusement laced so heavily in her tone as she set down two plates of food on y/n’s desk. “you’re so lucky it’s me and not pops.” she laughed, clearly having fun with teasing the two teens, although she could only see max’s reaction. “don’t forget we’re just down the hall. also, turn down the tv. i need to be able to make sure nothing else is going on in here without having to walk in and see something else i don’t need to be seeing.” she told them, before turning and leaving the room.

“is she gone?” y/n mumbled, her voice muffled.

max grabbed the remote and turned down the tv volume, not wanting to get on y/n’s mom’s bad side. “yeah, she is.” he told her, smiling down at y/n once she lifted her head from his chest. max pushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, leaning down and pressing a soft, quick kiss to her lips before relaxing back against her bed. “we should just run away together. maybe then we’ll get to kiss more with the door closed.” he hummed.

y/n slapped his chest playfully and whispered, afraid that her parents might hear her, “what’s stopping us from kissing with the door open?”

that was enough for max to turn the volume back up on the tv and flip them over so that y/n was laying under him. between fits of giggles and laughter, max and y/n kissed each other until they heard the sound of her parents down the hall making their way to y/n’s room to let max know it was time to go to sleep on the couch.

let me be your ride out of town

let me be the place that you hide

we can make our lives on the go

run away with me

the first time they said “i love you” to each other was during their junior year.

it wasn’t a grand gesture like the way max had asked her out. it wasn’t cute and embarrassing like the first time they kissed. and it wasn’t as intimate as the first time they explored each other’s bodies at max’s house when his parents weren’t home.

no. instead it was sad, full of tears, and in the backseat of max’s car.

max was sitting down with his back pressed against the door and his legs stretched out against the backseat with tears slowly rolling down his cheeks. in his arms, y/n laid down on top of him with her head shoved in the crook of his neck as she cried softly.

naomi. the name of the girl who had befriended max in their elementary years and had been close to him up until now. she hadn’t ever been fond of y/n, but max never cared to find out why - even if naomi had dubbed herself as “max’s best friend” which max clearly didn’t agree with.

she is also the same girl who, that very morning, had forwarded y/n photos of max supposedly kissing another girl at a party that past weekend. a party that y/n knew max had gone to because he had told her.

y/n confronted max and before she knew it, max was already driving to her house to pick her up and demand that she show him the photos.

he hadn’t kissed another girl - didn’t even think anyone else could ever compare to y/n. and clearly, y/n thought he was lying to her.

ever since max had joined the football team, he had been surrounded by hot, young cheerleaders who would ask him for pictures because max was, in fact, one of the only good players on the team that was attractive. he hadn’t noticed how the extra attention from other girls had affected y/n, considering that max would always go to her immediately after and greet her with a kiss and she seemed fine.

but he couldn’t have been more wrong. especially since y/n had weakly beat at his chest while crying and yelling at him that if he wanted a hotter, younger, cheerleader girlfriend that all he had to do was break up with her instead of cheating on her at a party.

he assured her he didn’t cheat on her. that was the first thing max made sure to get through to y/n’s head. after all, max isn’t a brainless asshole who would purposely hurt the one girl who had seen him grow from a small, shy boy to a big, (admittedly) egotistical man and still wanted to be his girlfriend through it all.

he loves her. he’s known that fact for a long while now but had never voiced it. and max would never, ever cheat on the one girl who he loves with his entire being.

so, after finally convincing y/n to get in the car and driving off to their spot - a parking lot off the side of the hill that gave them a perfect view of the city - max called up naomi and pretended to be thankful for her just to prove that naomi photoshopped an image with her goddess-like photoshop skills for… well he didn’t know what reason but they’d find that out soon.

and it worked perfectly.

after naomi had admitted to photoshopping the image to send to y/n because she didn’t think y/n deserved max for reasons like “you’re clearly ashamed of her, you don’t post her ever on your social media.” and “you guys don’t even look good together. you and i look amazing though”, max had snapped and told naomi to go back to giving 10 cent blowjobs on the street because she would never be able to give him one with how ugly her personality was.

after proving that max was set up and naomi had ill-intentions, max immediately tackled on the next worrying thoughts that had plagued y/n’s mind.

it was then that y/n let him know how insecure she’s been feeling, and had even began to cry in front of max. he pulled her close to him and held her as she cried, holding her face to the crook of his neck so that she wouldn’t see the way that max had also began to cry at her words.

he felt ugly. how could he not have realized how insecure his girl has been feeling? they’ve been together for over two years now, and max thought that he could read every little thing that had passed through y/n’s mind at that point.

hearing her cry into his neck and feeling her body shake with each sob had max’s heart breaking in his chest. he had made her cry before, but never like this. it was never a sad cry, and max never wants to be the reason why she’s having a sad cry.

“and then the photo being sent to me just fucking tipped me over. i know now it’s fake and this naomi bitch is a skank, but it doesn’t change the fact that i’m so fucking hurt by it because one day, it could be a reality. one day you’re going to wake up and realize that there’s someone better than me that wants you, and you’re gonna leave me for her.” she cried through labored breaths. y/n wasn’t one to swear, but the fact that she was swearing in that moment let max know that she’s been bottling up her emotions for far too long now.

it was enough to make max’s heart break.

“i love you.” max cried, tightening his grip around the girl as he pulled her closer to him. “i fucking love you, y/n. you are my girlfriend. you’re the best there ever is and ever will be, and i know that. i don’t need someone who’s hotter or younger or whatever the fuck you think is attractive to me. because the fact of the matter is, i’m so in love with you, y/n. and i’m sorry i never realized how much you were hurting all alone.” he was full on sobbing in that moment, and y/n had raised her head so that they could look at each other eye-to-eye.

she could see how much max regretted not realizing how insecure she’s been. she could feel the way her heart yearned to pick up the pieces of max’s heart that she could tell was hurting just as much as hers. above all, she could feel the way that max had truly meant his words. he loves her, and she loves him.

she raised her hands to cup max’s face, and a bittersweet smile tugged at her lips. “i should have told you sooner.” she whispered, wiping away at max’s tears with her thumbs as he raised his hands to do the same to her.

“it’s okay. i know now which is better than finding out too late.” he whispered, leaning forward so that he could press his forehead against hers. “i never want to make you feel like that ever again, even if i didn’t mean to make you feel insecure about yourself.”

“can you say the thing again? what you said earlier.” she asked softly, finally having calmed down as her tears had stopped welling in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

“i love you.” max replied without missing a beat. “i love you, y/n. i’m in love with you.” he repeated over and over again as if it were a mantra, until y/n leaned in and kissed him.

they kissed as if they were feeding off of each other, the taste of their salty tears mixed with desire filled their mouths, and eventually pulled away with their breathing labored. “i love you, too.” y/n replied. “have been in love with you long before i could put a name to the feeling.” she admitted.

max stared at her, wide eyed and his heart leaping in his chest. he pushed her down against the back seat, spreading her legs with his hands and kneeling down between them. he leaned over her, his face level with hers as he said, “no one’s better than you, and you know it.”

he leaned down to repeatedly kiss her. the kisses started off innocent, with max and y/n whispering that they love each other between each kiss. they’d deepen with each passing moment, until eventually max whispered, “let me show you how much i love you, y/n. let me make love to you. i’m not gonna fuck you, i’m going to make love to you.”

y/n had her arms wrapped around his neck and she stared up at max through her now-puffy eyes. “condom?” she questioned, knowing that her and max have only ever done it in their own rooms and not anything like this. but somehow, the fact that they were in a public parking lot in max’s car in the afternoon with the sun still high in the sky hadn’t mattered to her.

“i’ll buy you plan b.” he promised, and max watched as the gears in y/n’s head physically began to turn.

“i love you, maxwell.” she whispered.

“i love you, y/n.” max replied in a whisper of his own before planting his lips on y/n’s and drowning her in all of his emotions to reassure her that his entire being was made to love her indefinitely.

texas in the summer is cool

we’ll be “on the road” like jack kerouac, looking back

y/n, you’re ready, let’s go

anywhere

get the car packed and throw me the key

run away with me

she felt max’s hand on her cheek as he changed the lyrics to fit y/n’s name in the song. she looked up at him, feeling his thumb swipe across her cheek to wipe away a tear that she hadn’t even known had fallen from her eyes. max’s own tears had began to roll down his face, and she knew then that it was going to be much harder than they had previously thought to start being a long distance couple.

with max’s guidance, she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck as he arms found their place wrapped around her waist. max swayed them back and forth as he continued to sing to her, his gaze trained on hers as he let her know that it truly wasn’t too late for her to run away with max if she wanted to.

she turned her head towards max’s hand and pressed a kiss to the palm of his hand. a silent “i wish i could” hanging in the air like it always does.

y/n i know it’s fast

i’m in love with you

y/n, it’s crazy, but y/n, i’m crazier for you

i have these plans, y/n, i have these plans

of a house that we build on the bay when we run away

there were no miscommunications after that afternoon in max’s car. the two were so transparent to each other that letting the other person know whenever they were feeling insecure, angry, or happy about something came to be second nature. their friends would call them an old, married couple while their both of their sets of parents would joke that y/n and max have been married longer than they have.

especially since both parents had noticed how narcissistic max had become as he seemed to only grow bigger and bigger with each day he came back from the gym. he had also began training at create a pro wrestling academy with his wrestling persona being an exaggerated version of himself. through it all, max had always seemed to revert back to his humble self whenever he was around y/n, and his parents were happy that he seemed to spend every waking moment with y/n if he wasn’t working out or training to become a wrestler. they were sure they’d end up having the cops called on them if they had to deal with max’s mjf persona at home.

so it’d become a point where max would show up at y/n’s house right after wrestling so he could calm himself down in y/n’s presence and have her tend to whatever bruises were blossoming on his body. he’d even had his own shower necessities in her bathroom, although y/n’s parents made sure that the two were not showering together whenever max would come home.

y/n sat in max’s lap with the boy’s arms wrapped around her midsection to hold her in place while she’d have her arms draped over his shoulders. max had his face shoved into the crook of her neck, and he didn’t need to lift his head to know that she was definitely a blushing mess in his lap. max hadn’t even waited to pull on clothes over his boxers as soon as he got out of the shower and made his way to her room. he didn’t have the energy to pull on his clothes besides his boxers, and simply wanted to hold his girl in his arms and recharge.

it had been a rough day today, from him definitely failing his math test, to forgetting to turn in his essay the night prior and getting chewed up by his teacher, and then going off to his wrestling class where the boy wasn’t in the right headspace to execute simple moves, so he’d end up taking more bumps than the others that day. his promo skills had been exceptional that day though, that was the only thing he had going for him. that and the fact that when he came by y/n’s house to calm down and shower, he had been greeted with a kiss at the door.

he let out a loud sigh and felt y/n’s hand massaging his scalp gently. “rough day, baby?” y/n asked softly, deciding now was the time to speak after she and max had been silent for the past 30 minutes since max had arrived at her house.

“you have no idea. you already know about the school stuff but i couldn’t fucking do a single thing in the ring today. i kept fucking up. at least i’m the fucking greatest on the mic, that was the only thing i could only do correctly today.” he mumbled, pulling his head away from her neck so he could look her in the eyes. y/n cupped his face in her hands, leaning in to peck max’s lips gently.

“at least you channeled your anger into your angry little chihuahua wrestling persona.” she teased lightheartedly, earning a wide smile from her boyfriend.

“not a chihuahua. at least call me a pit bull or something.” max muttered in response, leaning in to press another kiss to y/n’s lips. “i just can’t wait ‘til we’re out of here. when you get your degree and start being my pretty girl who can officially nurse me back to health after i defend my world championship belt in some gruesome match.” he mumbled against her lips, pulling away when he felt y/n playfully hit his chest.

“you and your fantasies.” she mused with a laugh, wrapping her arms back around max’s neck. “and what about where we’ll be living, hm? i was thinking somewhere near the water.” y/n asked, letting her own fantasies known.

“build a house on the bay, baby.” max answered, as if it was obvious. “offer still stands to run away with me. this time, i have a car.”

y/n laughed, pressing a kiss to max’s forehead as she replied, “even if you didn’t have a car, i’d run to the ends of the earth with you.”

let me be your ride out of town

let me be the place that you hide

we can make our lives on the go

run away with me

she didn’t realize how much taller and bigger max had grown until she found their first photo together thanks to her snapchat memories.

they usually sat together at lunch in the choir room, off in their own little corner on the floor where they’d watch videos on max’s phone while they ate. but this time, max was standing around the piano with the rest of the boys in his section so they could work out a piece of a song that they’d been fucking up on.

it was something y/n got used to whenever the choir concert would be nearing, after all, she has been dating max throughout their entire high school career. with their third anniversary coming up, she was scrolling through her snapchat memories for any photos she could post of them until she landed on their very first photo together.

it was taken after max had asked her out. y/n was puffy-eyed from crying out of happiness while max had a cheeky grin wide on his face. the photo was right outside of the choir room. max had his arm slung around her shoulders with her tucked into his side and she had her arms wrapped around his waist as she smiled widely at the camera.

it was the fact that her and max were the same height at the time that caught her eye. also, how small and skinny max used to be. y/n had forgotten how small and lanky max used to be, considering the boy had hit a major growth spurt going into their sophomore year.

she was giggling at the photo when max returned.

“how the fuck did i get you to say yes to being my girlfriend? i look like a stick.” max said as he sat down beside her, his arm snaking around her waist to pull her in while he rested his chin atop her shoulder.

she laughed at his words, draping an arm over his legs as she leaned into him. yeah, they were that couple in high school who didn’t give a damn about pda, and it had only gotten worse over the years as max became more confident and wanted to let everyone know that he was, in fact, taken. “what do you mean? you’re so cute, of course i’d say yes. look, future investment anyway. you instantly hit your growth spurt after we started dating and now you just look like a full grown man with your big muscles.” she said with a laugh.

“yeah but look at you. completely out of my league, and you still are. i don’t know how i got so lucky.” max said, wrapping his other arm around her waist to pull her in even closer. “i’m so tired. how much longer until lunch is over?”

she checked the time on her phone. “like 25 minutes.” she hummed, as she felt max nod his head. he pulled away from her and moved so he could lay down on the floor with his head in her lap. he turned so he was laying on his side and facing her body.

“wake me up so i can walk you to class, okay?” he asked, pressing his face into her lower stomach and shutting his eyes.

she gently ran her fingers through his hair, messaging his scalp as she laughed, “not so you can go to class, but so you can walk me to my class.” y/n felt max nod in against her stomach. “alright, nap well. i’m going back to looking at photos of us.”

it was then that she found a video of max singing at that first choir concert she had gone to, and she gasped realizing that she had forgotten that she had recorded his solo. “oh my god, babe! look it’s you singing our song before we even were friends.” she laughed, as max turned his head upwards.

y/n held the phone over his face so he could see the video, watching the way his face contorted. “god, i can’t believe i managed to win you over with my voice cracking like that.” he mumbled, turning back to face her stomach and shutting his eyes. “it was just another song back then, but now i’ve got a girl that i really wish would run away with me.” he mumbled against her stomach.

no matter how many times max would say it, y/n would still get butterflies in her stomach.

alabama heat? sign me up

we’ll be on the road like some country song

won’t be long

y/n, you’re ready

let’s go anywhere

get the car packed and throw me the key

run away with me

senioritis hit max harder than it had hit y/n, but that may be because max just had so much more going on. they were sitting in max’s room, both of them finally finished with their homework. much like the rules at y/n’s house, max’s parents made sure that max’s door was wide open whenever he and y/n were in the room. the only difference being that whenever y/n slept over, she’d get max’s bed and max slept out in the living room.

he swore his parents liked her more than they liked him, but he didn’t mind that. after all, there was no one better than y/n in this universe.

max had a lot of catching up to do with his work, but he was thankful he has y/n. if she wasn’t there, he was certain he’d end up laying on his stomach in bed with his phone in his hand instead. when he finally finished, he turned around in his seat to find y/n already asleep in his sheets.

he didn’t know how she was sleeping with two blankets piled on top of her. his room was already hot enough even with the fan on and max was absolutely sweating his ass off. then again, max had made sure that the fan was facing the bed where y/n was doing her work instead of facing towards him.

he pulled his headphones off of him and walked over to the bed. he was about to slide into the space beside her for a much needed nap when a knock against the wall caught his attention.

he saw his mom at the doorway, smiling sheepishly at him as if she’d interrupted an intimate moment. “dinner’s ready, wake her up and come downstairs.” she told him before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

so much for napping. max thought to himself as he leaned down over y/n’s frame. he supported himself on his hands as he pulled the blanket away from her face, tucking her hair behind her ear. “baby.” he whispered, cupping her cheek in his hand and gently lifting her face so he could peck her lips. “wake up, baby.” he continued to whisper between kisses.

eventually, y/n stirred in her sleep. she whined gently at max trying to wake her up, having been disturbed from her peaceful slumber. “baby, i’m sleeping.” she complained softly, feeling max pull the blankets off of her. she grabbed at the sheets blindly, trying to pull them back over her as she whined out, “no!”

max would overpower her, of course, successfully getting the blankets off of her. “dinner’s ready, baby. stop being a brat.” he groaned, hooking his arms under her frame and lifting her up off the bed bridal style.

she thrashed in his arms, whining and groaning. it made it difficult for max to keep his grip on her, and eventually he dropped her back on to the bed.

“alright, if you’re going to act like a brat.” he began, watching y/n’s eyes suddenly shoot open as max leaned down over her. she screamed and laughed as max lifted her once more and hauled her up to his head.

“no, no! i’m up! i’m awake!” she screamed in hopes that he’d let her go, but all her pleas were to no avail. max adjusted her so that she was sitting up on his shoulders, letting out a loud scream as he batista bombed her on to the mattress.

she laughed as she hit the mattress, rolling out of bed and standing up on her feet. “cuddles later?” she asked, pouting out her bottom lip as she looked up at max. on the brighter side, y/n was most definitely wide awake now.

he stepped towards her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in and leaning down to peck her lips. “did you lose braincells or something? what kind of question even is that, you dumbass.” he hummed fondly. “come on, mom and dad probably think i’m killing you in here.”

she felt max’s hand lace with hers and she got up on her tip toes to press a kiss to his chin. “if anything, they’d probably believe you were in the middle of throwing me out the window and jumping after me so we can run away and start our own family.” she corrected him, her heart beating wildly in her chest at the suggestive smile that had risen to max’s face.

“you said it, not me.” max muttered, raising his free hand to cup her cheek. “but i’m not opposed to the whole run away and start a family idea, you already know that. we’re way past the first few steps already, if we consider the fact you already call me daddy.” he whispered teasingly in her ear, pulling away to watch the way y/n’s face turned beet red before he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“max! y/n!” they heard max’s dad yell from downstairs.

max pulled y/n out of the room soon after, their hearts beating in time and their souls intertwined with the promises of a future family together hanging in the air.

i’m not trying to make you a wife here

i’m not trying to tie you down

i’m just saying there might be a life here

a new one as soon as we run

max had been saving up for this day. he nervously stood in front of the jeweler, carefully observing the ring that he had in his hand. his mom stood beside him, and max passed the ring to her. “it’s perfect, isn’t it?” max asked softly, a small smile on his face.

max’s mom beamed at the ring, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. it wasn’t even an engagement ring, but she felt emotional at the fact that her son had been saving up for this moment just so he could get his girlfriend a promise ring before they’d eventually be long distance after the summer.

“good taste, maxwell.” she complimented.

“we’ll take it.” max said, looking back up at the jeweler and smiling widely. he pulled out his wallet as he followed the jeweler over to the register, handing over his card without a second thought.

it wouldn’t be until 2 weeks later at graduation that max would finally give the ring to y/n. their families had gone out to eat dinner together at a restaurant, and both sets of parents were looking at max expectedly. of course the adults at the table knew of max’s plans. he wasn’t going to give them a heart attack when he’d suddenly give y/n a ring without asking for permission first.

he cleared his throat, looking over at y/n and smiling. she had caught the way that their parents were looking at them expectedly and had furrowed her brows in confusion.

for once, max didn’t want to make this a grand gesture. so, he took out the ring box and opened it, showing y/n the ring with a sheepish smile on his face. he could see the shock that had crossed over y/n’s face.

“max, are you-”

“a promise ring. that one day i’ll be asking you to marry me. i just thought you’d like something else to remind you of me before you’re off to california and studying your ass off. also to make sure those pencil-necked marks over there know that you have someone waiting for you back home.” he told her softly, reaching for her left hand as she lifted it up for him.

max took the ring out of the box, and slid it on to her ring finger, holding her hand in his gently as the two smiled at each other. max watched as tears welled in y/n’s eyes. he wasn’t even aware he was crying until he felt a tear roll down his cheek.

their parents whooped and hollered for the couple as they leaned in to kiss. but they had forgotten about the grad caps that they had kept on their head as per their parents requests and they ended up bumping caps, causing them to laugh and blush in embarrassment. they tilted their heads and y/n rested her hand on max’s cheek to proudly display her ring before they leaned in for a proper kiss.

they heard the shutter of a camera, and they both made a mental note to ask their parents for the photos later. they smiled against each others lips as they kissed, and when they pulled away, max whispered, “i’m not trying to make you a wife here, i’m not trying to tie you down.” y/n felt the tears finally roll down her cheeks as max recited the lyrics to their song. “there’s a new life waiting for us when you have your degree and i’ve made it in the wrestling business. and then, we can finally run.”

and max, who previously had absolutely no posts on his instagram besides the multiple highlights that consisted of y/n, posted the photo of them kissing with their grad caps on and the ring proudly displayed on y/n’s finger with a simple caption that stated “running away and starting a new life as soon as possible”. their phones blew up that night, and they had to explain to all of their friends that it was just a promise ring.

max caster let it be known that he had dibs on being best man whenever the two would finally tie the knot.

run away

just run away with me

mississippi mud, watch me slide

we’ll be “on the road” like jack kerouac, looking back

almost ready now

with this being their last summer together, y/n had opted to not take any college classes at the local community college like she’d usually do during her summer. no, this would be their last full summer together before their lives would be busy with y/n’s college education in full gear and max’s wrestling taking him elsewhere across the country.

she was there at every single match max had, being the loudest person in the crowd despite the weird looks she’d get from the people around her because why would anyone cheer for an asshole like mjf? she was sure people in the crowd probably thought she was some ring rat, considering that max was awfully good at staying in character and treated her the same as he did anyone else. he did, however, once sign her boob in front of everyone else as he made his way to the ring once, and the two got a laugh out of it afterwards when they watched clips of people’s reactions.

they also got a kick out of watching people’s reactions when other women had asked mjf to do the same for them, only to be met by mjf calling them tits mcgees and to go back to the streets of whore island.

y/n had quickly found herself to be possessive over max as much as he had become over her. maybe it was the overarching fact that they would eventually be long distance, but the two of them had grown increasingly possessive over each other and made sure people around them knew that they had a partner - although they still kept their relationship as private as possible considering max’s growing popularity as mjf.

it was in the subtle ways that they’d let people know they had a life partner. since max had gotten y/n a promise ring, y/n had bought max a ring as well. she also bought him a silicone one to wear during his matches, and they had rewatched the commentators reaction the first time mjf appeared with a ring on his finger as the commentators seemed to be shocked that mjf had found a woman that could love someone like him.

in character, mjf would simply yell at the crowd that the only reason why they’re shocked is because they would never be able to find a woman like how he has and if they somehow managed to pay a woman enough money to be in love with them, he’s already taken the best of the best off of the market.

out of character, max would still insist that he’s already got the best of the best to be his indefinitely.

his colleagues at the wrestling academy would all be curious about how max had even found a woman, considering the fact that max was still narcissistic like his wrestling persona, just majorly watered down. not to mention that max was still so young, and had so many years ahead of him. but when max would shyly tell the men about his and y/n’s love story with a wide smile on his face, a light blush dusting his cheeks, and his hands twirling the ring around his finger, they’d realize that this special lady had such a unique effect on max that it made him human. they could only pray to find someone that had as much of a positive effect on them as y/n did to max.

what they hadn’t expect was for the tears that began to roll down max’s face as he talked about how proud he was that she was got into her dream school on a full ride. he wiped away at the tears furiously before he felt someone nudge his shoulder and hold out a napkin to him. he took it and wiped at his eyes as he mumbled his next phrase so softly that the men around him wondered if it was meant for them to listen to.

“that’s why i have to make it in this business. i want her to be proud of me too.”

max was ready to give wrestling his all.

let me be your ride out of town

let me be the place that you hide

california dreams, here we come

romeo is calling for juliet, ready set

getting ready

let’s go anywhere

say the word and i’m already there

she rested her head against max’s chest as he sang, feeling the way his vibrato shook his chest. she blinked away the tears in her eyes as the two swayed back and forth with their arms wrapped around each other.

soon, they’d have to split and y/n couldn’t just text max if she needed a hug. they’d have to wait months and months until their schedules aligned and they would be in the same city just to be able to hold each other again. no more daily visits to each others houses. no more weekly dinners. no more sneaking max into her room at night or skipping class to go back to his house. no more sitting ringside with her matching burberry scarf screaming his name. no more tingly lips after max would kiss her. no more walking to class with her hand in his.

instead it’d become sleeping on facetime and waking up to an overheating phone. text messages whenever they weren’t busy. eating food over facetime and pretending to feed each other. making kissy faces at the camera because they wouldn’t be able to kiss.

but then the ring on her finger would be a reminder of max’s promise to her, and the ring on max’s finger would always remind him that she’d be there cheering him on no matter what.

max wasn’t ready to let y/n go. although he knew that they’d stay together, they had never spent a day without seeing each other since the day they first started dating. and now suddenly, they’d go months and months without seeing each other.

he wouldn’t admit it out loud, but max was afraid that y/n would find someone better for her when she’s off at college. someone who wasn’t pursuing an unstable career like max’s where if he doesn’t make it in the business, he’d be stuck working multiple jobs at once. he wants to be that man for y/n, who could support her in her endeavors and be the one she’d come to bed with every night with a smile on her face knowing that she was well taken care of.

it’d be easier if they just ran away now. away from the troubles of the earth and to a place where they didn’t have to worry about the uncertainties of life.

he turned off and threw down y/n’s phone on the mattress as he wrapped his arm around her midsection and gently laid her back on the bed. he supported himself on his forearms that he placed on either side of her head as he rested his forehead against hers. max parted her legs with his knees, reaching down to pull his boxers down and letting his length spring free. he pushed her underwear to the side and running his length up and down along her already swollen, still wet cunt from the previous rounds that they had already that night. he whispered the last line, before covering her mouth with his own and pushing himself into her warmth.

run away with me

[signed-sapphire]

The Fallen Star ✨

A Wish rewrite

Cielo design 💛

The boy is here! The most ever! The Fallen Star’s very own Starboy!

So I lied and don’t have the finalized designs for King Maggie or Queen Ams yet soooooo *throws confetti at you* take this Starboy reimagining in the meantime!

Eugh boy the name gave me trouble. I didn’t want to use Aster since that’s the name of a a couple popular Starboys already (@annymation/@gracebeth3604/ @mythartist21) and while the Greek name is cool, I wanted something a bit different.

SEE-EH-LO, for anyone wondering. He/they pronouns <3

I was heavily considering choosing Estrella and making Starboy a Stargirl, and then we’d have a gay romance. But this is supposed to be SOMEWHAT of a homage to early Disney. This may not be KoW, but… idk. Cielo is a gender neutral name. Literal manifestation of light. Go ahead and draw them as a female-presenting figure and it’s still TFS!canon~

Aaaaaaanyways. Here’s the actual rewrite!

First of all! Cielo is NOT the Northern Star! He’s a baby star like… in the bottom right

However, the Northern Star? Evangeline? Yeah, she’s gonna be in my rewrite

But Cielo is NOT her

For now I’ll just say Evangeline is sort of a mentor-figure to Cielo and leave it at that

So not all stars are wishing stars, and similar to Kingdom of Wishes, a wishing star is born when first wished upon

Once a wishing star fulfills their first wish, they become Stars (capital S), and are free to help anyone that needs it

The more wishes a Star fulfills, the more powerful they become

Idk maybe it’s like a Rise of the Guardians thing, where the more people that believe, the stronger your magic is

Sparkles and hope and glitter and shit

Until, as explained in my rewrite… the Stars grew bored and started simply granting wishes

Then people grew lazy and started demanding wishes

And all this belief made the Stars go overpowered

Basically it became Wonderland, everything coming true, kingdoms burning and villages destroyed

Yeah. So Magnus god rid of them eventually

Though who would suspect that it would be the king’s own daughter that would bring back his greatest fear?

Yep, Asha brought Cielo down

Not purposely, but even if she had done it purposely, she wouldn’t have chosen Cielo

He’s a little baby, a dwarf star maybe

Only ever gotten one wish in his life…

Huh never seen that before *side eyes KoW*

Personality traits

Optimistic

Very Anna-coded

Probably ADHD tbh (autism x adhd duo unite)

Stubborn

HE’S the quirky Disney princess

Although more Flynn than Raps

Backstory

Fuck around and find out

(And by fuck around I mean wait for my rewrite to come out bc I haven’t slept in two days and I’m too tired to articulate their story accurately)

Design

Due to popular demand, Cielo now has the Charlie Morningstar cheek thingies

Also @gracebethartacc got an ask about canon!Star being marketed with a star over their right eye so… vitiligo mark, anyone?

Yeah I don’t have many colored refs but basically Cielo’s star eye mark and cheek thingies turn into vitiligo marks when in their “human form”

Uh take this

Ye sort of like this^

Heart shaped face! His part is also supposed to resemble a “V” shape to make the top of the heart

My sister said they looked like Viva and I’m crying but too late to take it back

I guess they’re both Spanish? Ajdjajhsjajajs

Thin slutty waist. Imagine Lucifer from Hazbin Hotel bc Jeremy Jordan is Yes.

Like I’m obsessed with that wet cat of a character I’m thinking about Cielo’s voice being Jeremy

Although his younger VA days as like Varian would better suit Cielo…

ANYWAYS

Design by @mythartist21 save for the Trolls hair and cheek thingies! Those were my additions

Uhhh pointy ears, poofy sleeves

Idk is the star eye mark AND the cheek thingies too busy? Lmk and I’ll try to post a colored ref of that helps

[jockfootstories]

Laying on the floor, propped up on your elbows, you’re in your friend, Jordan’s, room with your other friends Chris and Jeremy. The three of them are spread out all over the room, Chris and Jeremy playing xbox and Jordan sitting in a chair in the corner. You watch from the corner of your eye as Jordan slips off his Vans, now bare footed. You can smell the faint odor of his feet. He begin’s talking to you about the upcoming xbox series x. He get’s up and takes a few steps over to you. He stands right by your head as you peer up at him, you feeling incredibly small. Chris chimes in on the conversation as Jordan looks over at him. You glance your eyes over at them for a moment then look back up at Jordan. He’s still looking at them but after Chris goes back to the game, he shifts his eyes back down at you. Without hesitation, he lifts one bare foot up, places it on your forehead, and nonchalantly pushes your face down to the floor. You just go with it and as the back of your head touches the floor, he cushions his foot onto your face. You take a semi-deep breathe in and slowly push his foot off. He lifts his other foot up, you can see him slightly grinning, and put’s it back on your face. He starts wiggling his toes some and quietly hear him sarcastically ask,”Like the smell?” Going with this back and forth game, you take a few big whiffs, and gradually push the foot off. Jordan stops briefly and looks at the tv. You do as well, hoping they aren’t watching. You glance back up at your friend and Jordon shifts his glaze from the tv and back down at you. Again grinning, he casually lifts one barefoot up and covers your nose with his toes. He flexes and rubs them more persistently against it. He’s smiling and mouth’s down at you,”Sniff them.” You deeply smell his toe odor as he mockingly rubs them on your face. He shifts his foot some, now covering your whole face in a conquering gesture. You lay there, breathing his foot odor, hoping your friends don’t turn around and see you submitted by him.

[youaintnothinbuta]

jeremy jordan x reader

meeting jeremy jordan bc he came to a show reader is starring in (mean girls the broadway musical as Regina George (my fav rn)) and he is being all admiring and stuff especially bc of World Burn and just a fluffy meet cute?

can you tell i’m in a jeremy jordan mood today lol?

- 💞

First meet — Jeremy Jordan x actress!reader

summary: see request

pairing: Jeremy Jordan x fem!reader

word count: 580

warnings: none! Fluff <3

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

You were stood on stage, taking a deep breath as you prepared for your big number, World Burn. From the corner of your eye, barely visible through the blinding stage lights, you spotted a familiar face in the first few rows of the audience. It was none other than Jeremy Jordan. A thrill of excitement coursed through you, and a small, sly smile graced your lips. The world seemed to blur around you as you locked eyes with him. He was watching you intently, you felt like you couldn’t break eye contact with him even if you tried. You told yourself to focus, but it was as though your brain had gone on autopilot for the duration of the song, helping you keep your cool even with Jeremy Jordan himself watching you. No big deal, right?

Finally, the curtain call had concluded, and you made a quick dash backstage. Your heart raced not only from the adrenaline of your performance but also from the sensation of being freed from Jeremy’s intense gaze. You couldn’t help but steal a glance back toward the audience, but he was already gone.

You headed into your dressing room, getting changed out of your slightly sweaty costume and into something more comfortable, then came a soft, unanticipated knock on the door.

“Come in,” you called, perched in front of your vanity, your heart still in the throes of performance. The door creaked open, and to your utter astonishment, Jeremy Jordan was stood in your doorway.

“Y/N, right?” he inquired, his voice warm and friendly. “That was an incredible performance. Congrats on such a good show.”

Your heart fluttered at his words, and you managed to respond, “Thank you, Jeremy. It means a lot coming from someone like you. Please, come in.” You motioned to the empty chair.

As Jeremy settled in, you delved into conversation. He asked you about the show, the rehearsals, and your journey to this role, and you found yourself drawn to his genuine interest in your world.

“When does Gatsby open?” you asked, curiosity piqued.

“In three weeks,” he replied, his eyes lighting up.

“Oh! I’ll have to take a night off to come see it. I’ve seen some stuff on Instagram, and it looks absolutely amazing.”

Jeremy flashed a charismatic grin. “Let me get you in on opening night, would that be okay?”

Your jaw dropped at his offer. “Are you serious?” you gasped, the excitement building within you. “I’d love that.”

With a playful wink, he assured you, “Done.”

As Jeremy was about to leave, he hesitated, a glimmer of boldness in his eyes.

“Would you like to grab lunch or dinner with me sometime?” he asked, his voice laced with a hint of flirtation.

A smile tugged at the corners of your lips, your heart dancing at the thought. “I’d love to, Jeremy. I have an eight-show week next week, so how about lunch?”

“Sounds perfect,” he replied, a warm smile on his face. You exchanged contact information, and as he departed from your dressing room, you leant back in your chair, your hands reaching to your head as you smiled to yourself, mouthing a “what the fuck” in the mirror. Unbeknownst to you, Jeremy had glanced back at you, smiling as he got a little peek of you freaking out over him to yourself.

[bagopucks]

Out Of Place - Marner

Trigger Warning(s): talk of suicide, smoking, underage drinking, angst, bullying, fighting, heartbreak, manipulation, loss, and action.

Pairing: Mitch Marner x Fem!Gretzky!Oc

Official name: Maeve Gretzky, credits to

@jorjie-nhl for the name!

Summary: He was supposed to graduate a football player, but the plan changed, and now he’s a struggling athlete on a hockey team that can’t stand him. Back at square one for the first time in six years. Lost, but eventually found.

She’s a stable athlete who has a full ride to a D1 college. She has friends and he isn’t one of them. That is, until she shoulders how much of a pain he is, and decides to help teach him to play. Then all of a sudden, he doesn’t seem so bad. Satisfied, but inevitably yearning.

—————————————

“You all keep cryin about how he’s a football player! I don’t give a shit! I’m over it! He plays hockey now. He is your brother now!”

“Why’d you quit?”

“I couldn’t do it any more. My mom pulled me out.”

“I heard he made that kid kill himself…”

“Mitch. He wants you back.”

“What? No.”

“He said he won’t let it go until you talk.”

“Let’s go for a run!”

“A run, Marner? In the woods? With my good shoes on?”

“What? Afraid you can’t keep up, Gretz?”

“He’ll learn.”

“Oh dude.. look at this kid. You new here or what? You can’t skate with the peewee team.”

“Oh boy.. after the wipeout he just took, these kids might skate circles around him.”

—————————————Cast

Freshman are irrelevant to this story.

The Team

Sophmores

Jack Hughes

Akira Schmid, JV goalie

Trevor Zegras

Cole Caufield

Jamie Drysdale

Brady Tkachuk

Juniors

Mitch Marner

Matthew Tkachuk

Nico Hischier

Cale Makar

Jeremy Swayman, third string goalie

Quinn Hughes

Seniors

Leon Draisaitl

Connor McDavid, alternate

Andrei Vasilevskiy, second string goalie

David Pastrnak

Kasperi Kapanen

Matt Murray, vet goalie

Jacob Trouba, captain

Nathan MacKinnon, alternate

Hampus Lindholm

Matt Dumba

Darnell Nurse

The Coaching Staff

Wayne Gretzky, head coach

Mike Sullivan, assistant coach

Lindy Ruff, shift/power play coach

Pekka Rinne, goalie coach

The Supporting Cast

Auston Matthews, junior!football QB

Jordan Binnington, suspended junior goalie

Various other NHL players

Mario Lemieux, president of the hockey club

Gary Bettman, school sports director

Two comedic peewee coaches

Along with a few more surprises

[lqveharrington]

If Only | L.M.

summary: You and Lucifer were bond through the soulmate system, but how could you be soulmates when he had Lilith?

pairing: Lucifer Morningstar x fallen seraphim!reader

includes: kinda soulmate au? fluff, angst, mentions of death, lucifer feeling like a bad parent (that’s pretty much it, let me know if i missed any!)

a/n: i wrote this at night the other day. toward the very end i was very proud of what i wrote 😭🙏 time for my requests i’ve gotten !!!

Ever since Lilith left Lucifer seven years ago, he never expected to meet another who made his heart soar. He fell into a deep state of depression and only started to get out more when Charlie invited him to stay at the hotel after the latest extermination. He got his own royal suite and joined in on Charlie’s lessons, but it still wasn’t enough to keep up with his daughter’s upbeat attitude every day.

It wasn’t enough to help pull him out of his depression until you came along to the hotel.

The moment you stepped into the hotel and greeted Charlie with the same enthusiasm made him smile. It was just another plus that you were a fallen angel, more so a fallen seraphim. And he swore that when you first met his gaze for that split second your eyes glowed pink as he felt his eyes do the same. He thought that would never happen again, but here he stood with an adoring face while you spoke to his daughter like you’ve known her since she was a child.

Soon enough, you and Lucifer were introduced to one another properly, the pink glow in both your eyes returning.

“It’s nice to meet the head man himself.” You grin as he kisses the back of your hand. “And such a gentleman as well.”

“What can I say? I’m quite the ladies' man.” He winked as he saw you burn bright.

As months passed since your first official interaction, you and Lucifer grew closer, bonding on your similar and different experiences. Whether you bonded over one of Charlie’s redemption activities or relaxed in his suite, you both found contentment in each other, letting each other enjoy the company.

“You know, I’m not going to relax when you keep tugging my book away.” You grab his wrist as he reaches for the book for the nth time in thirty minutes. “I’m going to leave your room.”

“Please don’t.” He tugged you closer to his side, head resting on your shoulder. “I don’t want to move from this spot again.”

You tilt your head toward him, eyes glowing a faint pink. “Then let me read.” You let a small smile slip through when he grumbled an incoherent sentence.

Lucifer’s eyes softened when you returned to read your book, watching your eyes scan the words in front of you. His mind and heart racing a million miles per hour whenever you were around. He couldn’t decide what was right. Was his heart telling him to move on? Or was it just aching to be affectionate with another?

The signs were pointing in different ways, but surely the answer was right in front of him. He just had to understand what it was before the magic between you two would fully disappear.

“Staring is highly distracting, Luce.” Your eyes flit up to meet him again. “I can’t focus.”

“You must really like me then.” He gave you a cocky grin

You roll your eyes, shutting the book. “You’ve ruined the book for me. I’m never going to finish that book now.”

“That book wasn’t good anyways.” He brought the comforter up and over the both of you. He locked his arms around your waist, pulling your back to his front. You felt yourself loosen up by his touch, letting out a small breath of exhaustion. “I’m spent after all the bonding activities today, beautiful. I think we can skip our kitchen run tonight and just go to bed.”

“Were you really waiting for me to finish reading so we could sleep?” You murmur as you feel him nod. You let out a small laugh, “Wow, I would have never stooped so low.”

Lucifer shushed you, “I’m sleeping, good night.”

A soft smile takes over your burning face, turning in his arms to face him. “Good night, Luce.”

He didn’t say anything else but quietly played with your hair, listening to your steady breathing as sleep consumed you. Lucifer always made sure you fell asleep first, wanting you to get a good night's sleep before he did. Yet, he didn’t exactly know when you both went from friends to whatever this was, but he wasn’t complaining if he got to see you sleep in his arms every once in a while.

And it wasn’t like Lucifer was the only one to notice your unusual relationship with one another. You noticed it as well. From the soft touches to the sleepovers at his suite, you knew it was more than just a simple friendship. But what could you do when he still wore his wedding ring?

“What’s happening?” You lay your legs across Lucifer’s lap, taking a glance at the news channel cast upon his suite’s television.

Lucifer rubbed your calf, golden ring a cold contrast to his warm fingers. “They’re interviewing Charlie for her hotel. They know how the extermination happened this year, so I’m hoping the questions are more targeted toward how her hotel will work than how it was fighting angels.”

You frown at the feel of his ring, even more so when he mentions the death of angels. “What happened the last time they interviewed her?”

He scoffed, “They were so rude to her. I mean, I understand we’re in Hell, but she’s their fucking princess. They only brought down her ideas, not asking enough about how she intends to accomplish redemption. I wish I could have done something back then, you know? Show them why I’m the King of Hell.”

You reach across to link a hand with his, giving him a small smile when he meets your glowing pink eyes that match his pair. “Luce, you’re a wonderful parent. I know you want to protect your daughter, but it’s in the past. She knows you love her and look at you two now! You’re supporting her dreams and whatever lies in store for them.”

“Thank you…” He felt the golden ring become heavy on his finger, an uncomfortable weight that was never there appearing. “You’re not half bad of a parent yourself.”

“What?” You let out a confused laugh, thumbing his hand. “I’m not anyone’s parent.”

“Yeah, but—“ He gestured toward the television where they switched the camera toward Charlie before switching to a quick commercial break. “—You've been more of a mother to Charlie than her biological mother in one year. The second you stepped into this hotel, she lit up around you.” His downturned smile grew bigger when you tilted your head. “Charlie may be a very trusting person, but she knows when someone is going to support her with anything she accomplishes. You were one of those people.”

You feel yourself warm at the small confrontation, “I’m sure she thinks of me as any other resident at the hotel, Luce. Don’t boost my ego, you have enough for the both of us.”

“Hey now.” He squeezed your leg. “I’m being nice, and you’re just hurling insults at my face.”

“Me? Never.”

He continued to rub a small pattern, thoughts running back and forth before turning back to you. “I’m serious though. She really loves you… Almost as much as I do.”

Your eyes widened, meeting his eyes that were now glowing a much brighter pink than usual. “You… I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I admire you a lot, beautiful.” He confessed, confidence boosting his voice. “Ever since I laid my eyes on you, and not just because of your looks. You handled Charlie better than I did in the last seven years, and I couldn’t ask for a better person to let her be herself when I’m not around.”

Your eyes glowed brighter at his words, squeezing his hand. “Lucifer, I admire you as much as you love Charlie, but it’s a matter of soulmates versus those of the past.” You gesture toward his ring, pursing your lips at the sight. “Are you sure you’re truly ready to move on? From the entire time I’ve known you, you’ve never taken that ring off.”

“I’m sure.” He let his hand holding yours drift up to cradle your cheek, snapping his finger to get rid of the ring and away in his back drawer. “She’s left me for almost a whole decade, I think I have the permission to move on.”

You melt into his hand, pressing a soft kiss to his palm. “If it’s what you really want, Luce.”

“It is.” He left a small kiss at your temple. “Because I know you’ll still be with me when all of Hell falls apart and all my magic is gone.”

“You’re so cheesy.” You lean back on the couch, letting your head rest on his shoulder. “Will you officially be mine, Lucifer Morningstar?”

“Always, beautiful.” He kept your hands linked as he pressed a promise kiss to your ring finger. “Always.”

©lqveharrington - all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms

[chelledoggo]

just had the most cursed thought ever

imagine if there was an online yaoi fandom for conservative influencers/talking heads

like people started drawing homoerotic fanart of Tucker Carlson x Ben Shapiro

or Kirk Cameron x Charlie Kirk (Kirkshipping)

or Matt Walsh x Jeremy Boreing

or Jordan Peterson x Andrew Tate

like they all just had the most cutesy uwu early-2010s-era-tumblr-esque ship art you could imagine with cat ears and maid dresses and shit

[eludin-realm]

Character Name Ideas (Male)

So I've been browsing through BehindTheName (great resource!) recently and have compiled several name lists. Here are some names, A-Z, that I like. NOTE: If you want to use any of these please verify sources, meanings etc, I just used BehindTheName to browse and find all of these. Under the cut:

A: Austin, Aiden, Adam, Alex, Angus, Anthony, Archie, Argo, Ari, Aric, Arno, Atlas, August, Aurelius, Alexei, Archer, Angelo, Adric, Acarius, Achilou, Alphard, Amelian, Archander B: Bodhi, Bastian, Baz, Beau, Beck, Buck, Basil, Benny, Bentley, Blake, Bowie, Brad, Brady, Brody, Brennan, Brent, Brett, Brycen C: Cab, Cal, Caden, Cáel, Caelan, Caleb, Cameron, Chase, Carlos, Cooper, Carter, Cas, Cash, Cassian, Castiel, Cedric, Cenric, Chance, Chandler, Chaz, Chad, Chester, Chet, Chip, Christian, Cillian, Claude, Cicero, Clint, Cody, Cory, Coy, Cole, Colt, Colton, Colin, Colorado, Colum, Conan, Conrad, Conway, Connor, Cornelius, Creed, Cyneric, Cynric, Cyrano, Cyril, Cyrus, Crestian, Ceric D: Dallas, Damien, Daniel, Darach, Dash, Dax, Dayton, Denver, Derek, Des, Desmond, Devin, Dewey, Dexter, Dietrich, Dion, Dmitri, Dominic, Dorian, Douglas, Draco, Drake, Drew, Dudley, Dustin, Dusty, Dylan, Danièu E: Eadric, Evan, Ethan, Easton, Eddie, Eddy, Einar, Eli, Eilas, Eiljah, Elliott, Elton, Emanuel, Emile, Emmett, Enzo, Erik, Evander, Everett, Ezio F: Faolán, Faron, Ferlin, Felix, Fenrir, Fergus, Finley, Finlay, Finn, Finnian, Finnegan, Flint, Flip, Flynn, Florian, Forrest, Fritz G: Gage, Gabe, Grady, Grant, Gray, Grayson, Gunnar, Gunther, Galahad H: Hale, Harley, Harper, Harvey, Harry, Huey, Hugh, Hunter, Huxley I: Ian, Ianto, Ike, Inigo, Isaac, Isaias, Ivan, Ísak J: Jack, Jacob, Jake, Jason, Jasper, Jax, Jay, Jensen, Jed, Jeremy, Jeremiah, Jesse, Jett, Jimmie, Jonas, Jonas, Jonathan, Jordan, Josh, Julien, Jovian, Jun, Justin, Joseph, Joni, K: Kaden, Kai, Kale, Kane, Kaz, Keane, Keaton, Keith, Kenji, Kenneth, Kent, Kevin, Kieran, Kip, Knox, Kris, Kristian, Kyle, Kay, Kristján, Kristófer L: Lamont, Lance, Landon, Lane, Lars, László, Laurent, Layton, Leander, Leif, Leo, Leonidas, Leopold, Levi, Lewis, Louie, Liam, Liberty, Lincoln, Linc, Linus, Lionel, Logan, Loki, Lucas, Lucian, Lucio, Lucky, Luke, Luther, Lyall, Lycus, Lykos, Lyle, Lyndon, Llewellyn, Landri, Laurian, Lionç M: Major, Manny, Manuel, Marcus, Mason, Matt, Matthew, Matthias, Maverick, Maxim, Memphis, Midas, Mikko, Miles, Mitch, Mordecai, Mordred, Morgan, Macari, Maïus, Maxenci, Micolau, Miro N: Nate, Nathan, Nathaniel, Niall, Nico, Niels, Nik, Noah, Nolan, Niilo, Nikander, Novak, O: Oakley, Octavian, Odin, Orlando, Orrick, Ǫrvar, Othello, Otis, Otto, Ovid, Owain, Owen, Øyvind, Ozzie, Ollie, Oliver, Onni P: Paisley, Palmer, Percival, Percy, Perry, Peyton, Phelan, Phineas, Phoenix, Piers, Pierce, Porter, Presley, Preston, Pacian Q: Quinn, Quincy, Quintin R: Ragnar, Raiden, Ren, Rain, Rainier, Ramos, Ramsey, Ransom, Raul, Ray, Roy, Reagan, Redd, Reese, Rhys, Rhett, Reginald, Remiel, Remy, Ridge, Ridley, Ripley, Rigby, Riggs, Riley, River, Robert, Rocky, Rokas, Roman, Ronan, Ronin, Romeo, Rory, Ross, Ruairí, Rufus, Rusty, Ryder, Ryker, Rylan, Riku, Roni S: Sammie, Sammy, Samuel, Samson, Sanford, Sawyer, Scout, Seán, Seth, Sebastian, Seymour, Shane, Shaun, Shawn, Sheldon, Shiloh, Shun, Sid, Sidney, Silas, Skip, Skipper, Skyler, Slade, Spencer, Spike, Stan, Stanford, Sterling, Stevie, Stijn, Suni, Sylvan, Sylvester T: Tab, Tad, Tanner, Tate, Tennessee, Tero, Terrance, Tevin, Thatcher, Tierno, Tino, Titus, Tobias, Tony, Torin, Trace, Trent, Trenton, Trev, Trevor, Trey, Troy, Tripp, Tristan, Tucker, Turner, Tyler, Ty, Teemu U: Ulric V: Valerius, Valor, Van, Vernon, Vespasian, Vic, Victor, Vico, Vince, Vinny, Vincent W: Wade, Walker, Wallis, Wally, Walt, Wardell, Warwick, Watson, Waylon, Wayne, Wes, Wesley, Weston, Whitley, Wilder, Wiley, William, Wolfe, Wolfgang, Woody, Wulfric, Wyatt, Wynn X: Xander, Xavier Z: Zachary, Zach, Zane, Zeb, Zebediah, Zed, Zeke, Zeph, Zaccai

[dustyy-angel]

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