#nothing like spending hours a day doing something you find just a little too challenging

[elephantbitterhead]

I'm currently sewing a dress & yesterday I realized that I've intentionally made virtually every aspect of the process more difficult (fabric is plaid that needs to be matched, keyhole back changed to invisible zipper, zipper then requires a facing be changed to a lining, added piping to the collar & hem, etc.). I've also decided to bang out a last-minute Xmas sweater that involves carrying 3 colors for most of the knitting. Lots of questions for past me.

[hb-writes]

Another Time, Another Place

Summary: Harvey's wife (Reader) gets stuck while working on a case and she requires his assistance to get unstuck.

Prompt: “What? Isn’t this the book you wanted?”

Pairing: Harvey Specter x Reader/OFC (3rd person, she/ her)

Content Warning: Nothing much, really. Implied spice, but no explicit spice.

She pulled her gaze from her laptop, rubbing at her eyes as she glanced around the room after sending an email. Most of the partners—both the senior and junior designees—stayed far away from the law firm’s library. They had little need for the space, what with being granted their own resplendent offices, complete with the comforts of their own design—furniture and decor and views that reflected their status and clout at the firm…

So it was rare to find department heads there, excepting for the odd instances when they deigned to stretch their legs, drifting down to the library to follow up with an associate or paralegal assigned to their case in person rather than sending an email, but she had always liked the library. She often preferred its special brand of quiet, the near-silence imbued with the tense buzz of people working on their own time-sensitive assignments, almost like the parallel play of toddlers. Almost like they were all still students studying for exams and writing papers. 

The room was empty now though, the hour too late for even the most diligent of associates, the most hungry of them, but it had always reminded her of her days back in school…her days as a novice associate. Even now, she sometimes preferred the space to her own office the same way she’d once preferred the space to her little cubicle in the bullpen. Back when she was an associate, there had been no hour too late, no hour that she wouldn’t spend in the library with a pile of books and her mind wound tightly throughout the intricacies of a case, trying to craft a win for herself. For her mentor. For her clients. 

It wasn’t often these days that she needed to keep such late hours. And somewhere along the line, she’d become the one mentoring novice attorneys. She’d sent her own associate home hours ago, preferring to work through this particularly rough bit of research on her own. Once in a while, she liked that sort of challenge. Liked revisiting the grueling all nighters she’d once lived on a daily basis. 

And she could feel she was close now, the puzzle pieces in her mind’s eye nearly falling into place. Nearly…but there was something she was missing. Something blocked that she couldn’t quite work through. In a library containing thousands of volumes and a whole internet of answers, she just couldn’t find what she needed. 

Or, more likely, she couldn’t access it, her mind not making the right connections. 

She probably just needed to get some sleep, to look at things with a fresh mind, but that wasn’t in the cards tonight, not with an impending deadline. 

A short break would have to do. She just needed an influx of energy, a slight bit of distraction to pull her mind away from the issue just enough to give perspective. 

Pushing back from her laptop, she turned the volume on her wireless headphones up, letting the club hits she used to dance to during undergrad house parties soothe some part of her soul, almost as if the familiar beats unlocked something in her, loosening muscles she hadn’t even realized were tense. Not that it was a surprise. She’d been hunched over the table for hours, not even bothering to stop for dinner, taking only a few obligatory bites of the sushi Harvey had ordered for her while her eyes remained glued to her computer. 

She let her focus slip away now though, slipping off her heels and closing her eyes as she sang along to the song in her headphones. She imagined she was in another time, another place—far away from the library and the case, the music easily carrying her away. 

She started, eyes flying open as she danced into something solid, the scent of a familiar cologne tickling her senses as she stumbled. Harvey’s hand closed around her back, steadying her as she pulled her headphones off, letting them hang around her neck. 

Harvey smirked at the noise still blaring through the silent library from the headphones, a song he knew just as well as she did, the sound of it dredging up at least half a dozen memories—images of his own college days, images of the two of them on road trips, images of her cleaning the apartment, images of their wedding, images of a handful of other times he’d come across her in the firm’s library late at night…

“Hey fruitcake, what are you doing?” 

She rolled her eyes at the reference as she turned down the volume, allowing the memories and the music to fall away, her mind temporarily focused on finding the right retort, her mind gratefully sifting through Dirty Harry quotes rather than case law research.

Harvey watched her, letting the quiet stretch between them, some part of him gratified at the sight of her slightly disheveled appearance. Harvey liked something about the juxtaposition, of seeing her just slightly less put together than she usually was in the hallowed halls of their law firm, her blazer discarded on a chair, her shirt sleeves rolled, her feet bare, bright red toenails stark against the dark carpets. 

Not that he wasn’t used to seeing her like that. She was the type of girl who was almost always in sweats just minutes after arriving home. She’d actually been dressed that way when they first met, years and years ago in a different law library, in a different set of hallowed halls. 

Sometimes, especially times like this, it felt like it was just yesterday.

Harvey pulled his eyes back to her face to find her studying him, a certain eagerness lighting her eyes. His lips formed a fond smile again. 

“I thought you were hard at work down here?” he taunted, eyebrows raising.

“Well…” she started, leaning a bit of weight onto the arm that still lay snaked around her back, “for the past three-quarters of an hour, I’ve been sitting on my ass waiting for you.” 

Harvey smirked. It was one of the things he loved about her: that she could go toe to toe with him with most things—movie references, the law, a few choice other things…

Nevermind the fact that she’d emailed him requesting his ‘assistance’ mere minutes ago…

Harvey gently massaged her lower back with the fingers he still had splayed there before shifting his arm away, abstaining from letting his hand drift down to the aforementioned ass, another thing he loved about her.

Her lips pursed at the sudden absence of Harvey’s touch and she pulled her arms up to fold over her chest.

“I brought that help you wanted.” 

She refrained from smiling as she read the title of the paperback he pushed into the space between them—Law for Dummies—even as he smirked, giddy as a school child. She had gifted the book to him upon his law school graduation, and it had occupied a shelf in his various cubicles and offices ever since. 

She doubted it had ever been much help, but it gave them a good laugh from time to time, something which was like a balm to the harshness of life sometimes, a healing salve for the seemingly chronic stress of their lives.

“Very clever, Harvey.” 

“What?” he asked, gaze drifting from her unimpressed face down to the black and yellow front cover. “Isn’t this the book you wanted?”

Harvey’s voice sounded so innocent—so sincere—that she almost laughed. Christ, he was good. If law hadn’t worked out, he could’ve given acting a shot. Comedy, maybe. 

“Did my email say anything about a book, Mr. Specter?” she asked, taking the tome from his hands and tossing it on a nearby table with a thump.

Harvey hummed. “Come to think of it, your email was a little…vague. Left a lot to the imagination.” 

“Mhmm…” She nodded. “The details of the specific type of assistance I require of you is something I suspect neither one of us would want in writing. Wouldn’t want it read aloud in a court of law…” Her eyes traveled Harvey’s face, clocking the light in his eyes and the tug of his smile. “Or by the IT department,” she added as an afterthought, the briefest bit of alarm washing over her features at the idea. 

“You think Benjamin is reading our email exchanges?” Harvey asked. “That’s kind of—”

She pushed at his chest before he could get the word out—kinky. 

“Harvey,” she groaned, not because she didn’t enjoy the childish side of him. She did. She loved it, actually, but she had asked him down here for a reason…

“Yes, Mrs. Specter?” 

To most of the world, both here at the office and in the eyes of the U.S. government, she went by her maiden name. She had kept her own name, both professionally and legally, for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which being that she was not a man’s property, not even if Harvey Specter was the man in question. But between the two of them, it still thrilled her when he called her that, made her feel so thoroughly his—and him so thoroughly hers—that her toes curled into the carpet, a movement that Harvey clocked as he stepped closer, one arm wrapping around her as he used the other to guide her face up to him with a hand under her chin.

“What specific type of assistance is it that you require of me?”

Whatever she asked for…whatever she needed…Harvey would readily give her the world if she wanted it. If it would make her happy. If she needed it. He’d do anything.

It was a truth they both knew. And it was reciprocal. She’d do the same for him.  

But all she wanted—all she needed—just now was him. 

This.

Well, this…and a way to win her case, but as she kissed her husband’s lips, allowing him to guide them both back towards the stacks, thoughts of the case fell away until all that existed in the world was two people alone in a library, each of them falling a bit further in love, as they had once done long ago in another time, another place.

[icarus-star]

rory culkin characters during nnn ♡

a/n: ermm exactly what the title says?? no nut november, woo. !!! this is a collab with the WONDERFUL @ethical-cain-vinnel !!! go read their part too!! right here!!

characters included in this part? danny, chris, possum.

dan cooper..♥︎

he definitely knows of it as a concept, but has never really thought of participating in it himself. it sounds somewhat.. painful to him. the thought of not cumming for an entire month.

once you bring it up to him, he's a little hesitant to participate. but as always, he wants you to be happy (he does also enjoy the whole "learning/getting better with self-control" aspect of it).

he actually does a really good job for the first few days!! but, he has a somewhat high sex drive.. so around day four, he'll get just a little bit needy. but, he calms himself down and tries to just forget about it.

he tries really hard to last as long as he can for your sake, but at some point, maybe around day 10 or 11, he gets super horny. he's all over you. trying to hug you, kiss you, hump your thigh. anything. poor boy just wants to cum so badly.

and thats when you invest in a chastity cage for him! he's a little scared of it at first, but he gets used to it. and still, the only thing he can think about is fucking you. he wants it so badly, every night he has dirty little dreams about you.

at the end of the month, when december finally comes, he's all over you. finally being able to fuck you is like heaven. he's hugging you close to him, rutting into you, so excited. he cums so quickly into the session too. but that doesn't stop him from going at it for all the missed hours.

chris kenton..♥︎

he loves a good challenge, he's actually the one to mention it first. like, the two of you were just talking and he brought it up.

but the thing is, he's probably gonna lose first too. he's super horny pretty much all of the time. i mean, he's got nightly jerk off sessions with lube and a fancy flesh light. he didn't think of having to give that up when he decided to participate in nnn.

i swear, he probably lost on day one. but not consciously. he just HAPPENED to have a sexy little dream about you anddd came during that. and obviously since it's a challenge, he needed to tell you (please have him tell you what happened in the dream, he'll be so cute and blushy while talking about it).

disqualified on the very first day, how disappointing. at least he gets to watch everything in his porn collection again! (he'll cum untouched if it's something he finds attractive enough, he's a horny little bastard istg).

and because he lost, especially so quickly, deprive him of fucking you until december. yeah, he has his fancy little fleshlight and favorite porno, but nothing compares to your perfect hole (his words btw).

possum..♥︎

he's always down to do something stupid like nnn. he actually participates every year. because of this, he does a surprisingly good job (despite how much of a dirty, horny fuck he is).

he looks at it as another form of edging, really. but then he complains about his balls hurting from.. sperm build up (😨).

so, he lasts the entire month! he says that all he has to do is ignore it. and to ignore it, he spends his time with his opossum companion rather than you. it's actually really smart, you make him horny, the opossum doesn't. what a simple man.

he also just get super high and cowers in the woods in fear of aliens a lot more than usual. it's a bit of a problem but it's something he chooses to distract himself with.

there probably aren't many times where he starts to get super super needy, except for once.

the two of you were snuggled up together on the couch under some blankets. nice and warm, maybe watching a movie. and his hands just happened to wander to your chest, tweaking your nipples.

at the end of the month though, once it's finally december and he can cum, oh man does he fuck you. way different than usual, too. he gets you in the quickest position, absolutely POUNDING your hole.

[bupia]

Would very much like to see 2 and 31 of the smut prompts with Cardinal Copia - I would love to know what direction you take with it!

EROTIC PHOTOS

“I’ve never done this before…” - “Well, neither have I.” “I’m worried I won’t be good enough.”

There's a smut under the cut, +18 only, please.

(AFAB!reader: dirty talk; masturbation; mentions of masturbation)

It wasn't my intention to make a whole story, but I hope you all enjoy it.

Available on AO3

Day 10 | Day 12

You found yourself in a state of profound boredom. Wednesday was in full swing, but everyone around you was engrossed in their own duties, leaving you with nothing to occupy your time. It wasn't that you couldn't find something to do, but rather that you were consumed by a deep longing for him, Cardinal Copia.

The absence of Cardinal Copia at the ministry was disconcerting. It was a challenge not to see him wandering about or hear him call your name. Ever since he took the helm of Ghost, he had become increasingly hard to spend time with. There were moments when you'd call or text him, and you'd spend a few precious hours together until he drifted off to sleep. Poor Cardinal worked tirelessly, but there was little you could do to change that.

Today, however, your yearning for him was particularly strong. You craved him - his scent, his touch, his voice. Your situation with Cardinal Copia was unique. You'd decided to date, but before you could really embark on that relationship, a tour had emerged and created a chasm between you. So, in a way, you had him, yet you didn't. You could have had him, but the demands of the tour had created distance.

You longed to reach out to him, to send a message, to express how deeply you missed him, or just to say a simple "hi" perhaps, or send a silly joke that would make him laugh. But that wasn't what you desired from him today. As mentioned before, you wanted him, all of him.

You picked up your phone to check the time and, after a bit of mental math, you figured out what time it was where he was. It was likely getting close to his stage performance, but waiting until the show ended seemed unbearable. It might not have been the most tactful move, but you felt compelled to do it. You were already planning to take a shower and needed to get undressed, so it wasn't too much of a stretch.

So, you went ahead and did it. You took a few pictures, maybe two or three, and sent them to him. Perhaps he'd see them and understand how much you yearned for him, or maybe he'd be a bit annoyed at your attempt to tempt him before the show. Either way, it felt like a win-win situation.

You left your phone on the bedroom and headed into the bathroom for a relaxing, warm shower, hoping it would help quell your desires. However, your mind remained preoccupied with the thought of how he would react to the pictures you had sent. The bath, which was intended to be a way to unwind, became one of the quickest showers you'd ever taken. You were eager to see if he had replied and to find out what he thought.

After finishing your shower, you wrapped a towel around your body and returned to the bedroom, your anticipation growing by the second. You reached for your phone, only to be met with disappointment. There was no reply, no message, nothing. The initial shock of receiving no response was quickly replaced by embarrassment and regret. You shouldn't have sent those photos, especially considering the timing. Of course, he probably didn't have a moment to open them amidst his busy schedule.

As you contemplated deleting the pictures before he had a chance to see them, you noticed three dots appearing in the corner of the screen, indicating that he was typing a message. You watched them, and then they disappeared. A sigh of relief escaped your lips, but the anticipation returned when the dots reappeared. The ebb and flow of those three dots had you on edge.

And then, a message finally popped up.

"Amore, what are those?"

You read his message and felt a surge of nervousness. The uncertainty of his response had you second-guessing yourself. Did he not like the pictures? Had you made a mistake? These thoughts raced through your mind as you read his message. Summoning your courage, you decided to respond to his message. You knew you needed to say something, perhaps even offer an apology. So, you typed out your response.

"Sorry."

"What?" "Why are you apologizing?"

"I shouldn't have send the pictures..."

"What do you mean you shouldn't have sent them?"

"It was irresponsible."

"I agree."

Tears welled up in your eyes as you read his response, and you couldn't help but feel like you had indeed ruined everything. It was a moment of self-critique and regret.

"It was very irresponsible to make me hard before the ritual."

You read his message and your eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, thanks Satan" you thought. You read his message again just to be sure you weren't imagining things, and it was real. He had indeed said it, and you were relieved that you hadn't ruined everything as you had feared.

"Amore? Are you still there?"

The sudden vibration of your phone nearly made you drop it. It was clear you needed to respond, so you quickly typed out a message, not wanting to leave him hanging.

"Yes!!!" "I'm here!!!"

"Ok" "Good" "I thought I made you uncomfortable with my last message."

"What???? Not at all" "Actually, tell me more..."

A mischievous grin crept across your face as you lay down on the bed, pressing your legs together. The sensation of the cold from your still-wet body was soon to be replaced with warmth.

"More?" "What do you want to know?"

"Maybe you can tell me how hard your 🍆 is."

"My eggplant?"

"You don't know what it means?"

"I don't, amore" "I'm sorry."

"Eggplant means dick!!"

You saw the three dots reappearing, teasing you with their presence. As you rolled on the bed and settled on your stomach, a giggle escaped your lips. The anticipation and playfulness in the conversation were starting to lighten the mood.

"Maybe we can try use only words?" "I'm sorry, amore, I'm not used to this modern language."

Your laughter filled the room as you found his adorableness and occasional dorkiness endearing. It was difficult not to be amused and charmed by his quirks.

"Of course we can."

"Thank you"

"So..." "How hard your dick is, Cardinal?"

You were well aware of how much he enjoyed being addressed as "Cardinal." You imagined he might be feeling a delightful shiver down his spine at that moment, although you were equally sure he was probably cursing you in Italian, albeit playfully.

"You left my dick pretty hard."

"Yeah?" "Do I deserve to see it?"

"You do." "But, how do I do it?" "I'm worried I won't be good enough" "I've never done it before."

"Well, neither do I..." "But you got some pics of me" "You just need to take a pic and send it to me, ok?"

"Ok."

"So let me see how hard you are right now."

"I wish I could show you in reality."

"I know you are going to show it to me soon..." "Right?"

You settled comfortably on the bed, resting your head on the pillow as you awaited his response. Minutes ticked by with no sign of a reply. Just as you began to wonder if he was occupied with something else, the familiar three dots appeared on the screen, signaling that he was typing. The anticipation built once more.

"Amore?"

"Yes?"

"Can I send it?"

"Please."

You received his message, which included two identical, blurry pictures. The images were impossible to make out, but you could discern the red color of his cassock. Despite the lack of clarity, you couldn't help but laugh at the adorableness of the situation.

"Did it work?"

"No!!!" "I can't see a thing!!!"

"Is it that bad? Sorry, amore, I heard a noise and took it fast." "Wait."

As you continued to laugh and shake your head, you turned onto your side, gazing at the blurry pictures he had sent. Then, when you least expected it, a clear image popped up. This time, it wasn't blurry at all. It was a crisp picture of him holding his member in his hand. Your eyes widened in surprise at how big and thick it was. You could feel a heat building between your legs, you definitely needed him.

"Did you get it, amore?"

You couldn't tear your eyes away from the image. His member looked absolutely perfect. You rolled over once more, settling on your back as you continued to gaze at the image.

"Fuck" "I need you"

"Do you?"

"Yes" "Now"

"Amore..." "I wish I could be there now..." "I would be worshiping all your body." "Just like you deserve to be worshiped" "You naked body is perfect." "I need to touch you."

"I need you to touch me."

"I want to touch you."

"Yeah?" "Where do you want to touch me?"

"This is not fair." "You know I will be going on stage soon."

"We can stop if you want..."

"I don't."

Your hand reached for your towel, leaving it open on your body. You slowly spread your legs, going with your hand to between them. Your fingers began to rub your flesh, spreading them apart. You moaned softly as you felt your moisture begin to flow out of you, coating your hand.

"So tell me"

"I want to touch your body" "While I kiss it" "Every inch of it" "I want to make you feel loved" "Wanted" "Desired"

"Yeah?" "What more?"

"I will kiss your lips" "Your neck" "Your chest" "Your belly..." "Please, amore, let me see you again."

Of course, he could see you again. You tapped the camera icon, prepared to take another photo for him. But then it occurred to you that you could do better and decided to record a video of yourself instead. So you did. You removed your hand from between your legs and started to record it. You went with your hand slowly from your belly to your inner thighs, caressing it until you reach your mound. You went down with your hand going with it to between your legs. You gasped as you felt how wet you were and how easily your fingers slid between your folds.

You halted the recording and sent it to him, your heart racing as you patiently awaited his reply. Seeing the "received" status, you couldn't help but bite your lower lip in anticipation. After a few seconds, the familiar three dots appeared once more, and you couldn't help but smile in excitement, eager to see his response.

"Amore."

"Yes?"

"Are you touching yourself?"

"Maybe..."

"So do it" "Because I am" "I really need to fuck you right now"

As you read his message, a shiver ran down your spine, and an involuntary, soft gasp escaped your lips. The anticipation and desire were palpable.

"Say it again" "Please"

"I need to fuck you right now" "I need to feel you on my cock"

"I need you inside me, Copia" "I need you to fuck me" "Until I can't take it anymore" "But in reality" "I will never get enough"

"Fuck, amore" "What a sinful mouth you have" "It would look so beautiful here"

Another message popped up in the chat, this time containing a video of him. For someone who didn't know what to do some minutes ago, he was learning very fast.

You played the video and you could hear his low moans. He was lazily stroking his length on his gloved hand, and you could see a glistening on the leather. You continued rubbing yourself, feeling the softness of your folds. You looked down at your hand, seeing how wet it was. You brought your finger up to your mouth and sucked on it, imagining that he would do the same with you.

"Not fair!!"

"You didn't like it?"

"I loved it" "But is not fair to make me want you even more"

"I really want to be on your bed right now" "So I could taste you" "And fuck you until I make you scream my title."

"I'm very wet right now..." "Copia" "I need you so much" "I need to feel you inside of me."

"Do you, amore?" "Fuck" "You are driving me insane here" "I feel like I could cum only by reading your messages."

"Do you?"

"Yes" "Very much."

"So do it" "Cum for me"

"Will you cum for me too, amore?"

"Always."

You were in state of euphoria now, your whole being focused on your fingers. You moved one to your clit, rubbing it gently. The sensation made your hips buck slightly, and you let out another soft moan.

"Tell me what you are doing, amore."

"I'm just rubbing it."

"Fuck" "I wish I was the one doing it."

"You'll do it as you got back to the ministry."

"Yes" "And so much more..."

You could feel yourself getting more and more turned on. You could feel the heat building inside of you.

"Yeah? Tell me" "Please."

"I'm going to fuck you so good, amore" "Yes, so fucking good." "Fuck" "I need to feel your pussy on my 🍆"

Seeing the emoji, you couldn't help but burst into laughter. He was indeed an adorable dork, and he was all yours.

"Did I use it right, amore?"

"Perfectly."

"Good." "Because that's what I want now" "I want you to fuck yourself" "And think about my cock" "Inside you" "Fucking you" "So very good"

As you read his message, you started to rub faster, harder. You could hear your breathing getting heavier. You closed your eyes and pictured him, his hands on your body, his length buried within you. You opened your eyes, throwing your head back, moaning loudly. You turned your eyes to your phone, seeing new messages of him.

"Please, amore" "Let me fuck you" "Let me fuck you until you scream my name" "I need to fuck you so much" "Fuck this show" "I wish I could go to your bedroom right now" "And fuck you the whole night"

You closed your eyes and lost yourself in the moment. Your fingers covered in your juice. You lowered your hand to your entrance, sliding one finger into you. You moaned again, this time louder. You hips bucked slightly as you slit it in. You pulled out, then back in. You repeated this several times, each time going a little deeper.

"Yes" "Cardinal" "I'm doing it"

"Very good." "Don't stop" "Only when you cum for me"

You started to move faster, pushing your fingers in and out of your entrance. Your breathing became ragged as you let the sensations wash over you. Your hips were moving up and down, matching your thrusts. Feeling your orgasm starting to build, you quickened your pace. You took your phone, opening the camera and started to record it. Your walls were tightening around your fingers, pushing them deeper, feeling your walls squeezing them.

"Ah! Cardinal!" you moaned in pleasure. "Fuck me, just like that, please don't stop, make me cum on your cock!" you screamed out, feeling waves of pleasure roll through you. "Yes, just like that, just like tha-Ah!" you kept moving your fingers in and out of you, trying to prolong the feeling. "I'm going to cum, Copia, I'm going to... I... I..." your hips bucked wildly as you came, your body shuddering as you did.

You stopped the record, sending him the video. You kept your fingers buried inside you as your orgasm subsided, then pulled them out. You lay there for a moment, catching your breath. Then you felt your phone vibrating on your hand and you looked at it, seeing Copia's message.

"Fuck amore" "I need to hear you moaning my name when I get back to the ministry" "I want to make you cum on my cock just like that" "And even more" "So much more" "Fuck"

"Did you cum, Copia?"

"Not yet, amore."

"So cum for me, Copia" "Please" "Feel my pussy tightening around your big cock" "And cum inside of me" "Fill me with your seed" "Make me yours"

After sending your last message, you reached for your towel to clean your hands, realizing that you might need another bath before going to sleep. A few minutes passed, and Cardinal Copia had yet to send a reply. You settled on the bed, sitting up with your back against the headboard, your gaze fixed on your cellphone. Then, another photo arrived. This time, him holding his length on his hand full of his seed on his glove and on the tip of his member.

"Look what you did to me." "A mess, amore." "You did a mess."

"I'd gladly clean that mess for you."

"Amore, no more tempting." "I'll be on stage in ten."

"Wish you could come to the ministry in 10"

"I wish I could go to you too." "But don't worry." "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes" "How about you?"

"So much, amore." "But I need you more than I needed before." "Maybe I'll use your video at the hotel after the show."

"Why don't you call me? So we can play together."

"Are you sure? It will be late for you."

"So wake me up telling me how much you want me."

"I want you every hour of my day." "I think about you all the time."

"So call me just as you got to the hotel, maybe I can teach you how to do video calls."

"That sounds interesting." "Ok, amore" "I need to clean up and go." "Please wait for me." "I love you, Ti amo."

"Do your best there." "I love you, Copia."

[strawberry-cowmilk]

How would tge brothers react if MC accidently got turned into a toddler (because of a forbidden book or Solomon did a mistake or something)

Hi! Thank you for waiting, here it is! I hope it's okay

the brothers when mc turns into a toddler

mc's gender is not mentioned, not proof read

content warnings: mc being a difficult child (or your average toddler idk), mild violence (??), it's implied solomon did something in most parts

-----

Lucifer

lucifer was listening to music in peace when a very panicked looking mammon barged in holding a small child that looked suspiciously like you

he decided he's going to destroy solomon later after mammon explained what happened, for now he has to keep a whole baby you entertained

he tries to occupy you with a stuffed animal while he figures out a spell or something to turn you back

Mammon

he was working on a rad assignment with you and solomon when things went wrong

mammon tries to get solomon to fix it but he slowly loses his mind when nothing works

sure you're cute but please stop trying to drink the potions in the rad classroom

he even tried to distract you by letting you watch movies on his phone

eventually mammon calls lucifer for help while he's finally gotten you to take a nap

Leviathan

levi absolutely panics what is he supposed to do with a human toddler? a video game only distracts you for 5 minutes

he screams when you go near his limited edition figures (little baby you thinks that's funny so you keep doing it and stressing the poor man out)

eventually levi takes you to somebody who knows how to look after a child, like maybe satan or simeon (but then he feels bad for you so he gets you back and lets you play games)

Satan

one time satan read a book in a cursed library that turned him into a toddler so he's not that worried when you turn into one

it only took him a few hours to turn back, so as long as he can keep you occupied and safe for a while it's all okay

but no book about toddlers could prepare him for this, why do you keep trying to climb the bookshelf when he's told you not to 10 times?

anyways those were the longest hours of his life trying to keep you alive

Asmodeus

he knows eventually the day something goes very wrong comes when you spend too much time with solomon

asmo decided to look after you so solomon can hurry up and fix his mess

he thought you were sweet, so he took you to the mall to pass some time but he ended up losing you 3 times (cue stressed asmo running around a mall trying to find a tiny human)

when you're back to normal you will hear about this

Beelzebub

beel is not happy this happened but you're so cute, he'll gladly look after you while somebody finds a spell to reverse this

he is literally like that one grandmother that spoils the grandchild with every candy under the sun

sadly for beel, human toddlers can get a lot of energy from too much sugar and he did not know that information

he took a nap longer than belphie's average nap after you were back to normal

Belphegor

belphie did not expect a baby human to be this much work

he thought you'd get them to sleep and that's it but getting toddlers to be near a bed is a whole challenge

eventually belphie didn't know what to do anymore so he just put you in front of the tv

after it's all over he actually makes solomon dream a pretty nasty nightmare to get back at him

[inkskinned]

i sat next to him, dipping chips into the bowl of salsa, thinking about how i couldn't have enjoyed this 5 years ago. something strange: recently it's been about chaos theory for me.

a butterfly makes a tornado. the infinitely small becomes the chaotic whole. the universe bends towards entropy, and yet, chaos theory seems to argue - small motions make big changes.

chip goes into salsa. i eat a little bit. later, the chip is energy. later, the energy is movement. later, the movement is a memory. later, the memory shapes who i am.

i used to pretend i had already eaten. i used to be 30 minutes late so i could say eat without me. i used to say i didn't like chips or salsa. i'd chug my water and pray nobody noticed i was still nibbling the same chip i'd first picked up. i missed a lot of hangouts because i didn't want to grab lunch. i would eat by myself, curled up in the parking lot of a supermarket. hurried, anxious, embarrassed to be overcome.

5 years ago, i started saying yes to one more chip. 4 years ago, i could munch my way casually through a couple dozen. these days i am the one saying - can we have more chips when you get a second?

it didn't start with big changes. i thought it would have to - something was massively wrong with me, so i assumed recovery would take a natural disaster. the only way to fight fire was with an explosion. i would buy organizational journals, angrily clean my house for 10 hours straight, promise myself never again and know - i'd always slip backwards. i'm always going to be this way.

it wasn't big, though. 5 years ago i made a promise to stop it with the i'm going to kill myself jokes. for the sake of additional challenge, i also stopped saying i'm stupid. just two things.

i'm genuinely funnier these days. people laugh more with me. i find more things funny. when i mess up, it doesn't crush me. suicide no longer sits at the front of my brain. it is no longer the first option i picture. i forgive myself so easily. i no longer believe every mistake is emblematic of my personality. i have actually started to believe i am clever and smart - although i still want to add the prefix barely.

i still apologize too much. i still beat myself up. i still agonize over certain choices. i know i am not perfect. recovery is not linear.

but the joy in me is bigger. every time i choose to believe in it, every time i choose to make a little change towards hope - that joy in me grows.

when entropy rises up in my heart and i backslide and everything goes dark: the joy doesn't fully evaporate anymore. i slide just a little less. i bounce back just a little more. i go further this time. learn about myself. crawl up that slope with new skills in tow. i know what i'm doing these days; am getting good at finding handholds. i have started to learn how to catch myself while falling - instead of letting myself go.

a little change. ten years ago i googled depression self-help tips. little butterfly keystrokes. in the moment, nothing really happened.

ten years in the future: my life is full of love and healthy coping mechanisms. i have minimized a great deal of my symptoms. i spend a lot of my time laughing and creating and going out with friends. every time i hit a wall, i convince myself to get up, keep going, if it's hard just be harder, choose hope, choose just a little bit further -

i want to tell that version of myself, stranded in the desert: if you keep walking, all that sand will one day be water.

[oh-koenig-my-koenig]

saying goodbye

(cw: age gap 25/41; mndi, slight nsfw; angst, brief discussion of loss and fear of death)

the part before: comforting him

I wanted to do something nice for König before he goes on his next mission, before he has to leave. Which is quite the challenge to make it a surprise from him when you’re living together. Well, staying together, but it doesn’t change the fact that we spend most of our time with each other.

Another reason, why this doesn't feel like dating anymore. It doesn't feel like just being exclusive. It doesn't feel like a living arrangement because he broke my bed. Also, he seems to be doing better again, after the little downward spiral that plagued him at the end of last week. At the same time… I can't shake the feeling that he's a bit more closed off than he was before.

I sigh. He’ll leave in only two days and we agreed that I would go home tomorrow because, well… it can’t be postponed any longer.

I already knew he has to sort out some stuff today before being deployed, driving into the city, getting a medical check-up and also arranging the details for my new bed to finally be delivered. But this gives me the chance to pack up most of my stuff and prepare what I wanted to surprise him with while he is away for a few hours.

I went grocery shopping after work, got everything that the recipe called for, and started as soon I was back at his place. I cut so many onions for this, I’m all cried out, but I still can’t help the little lump sitting in the back of my throat, closing it up, which has nothing to do with the cut vegetables

He comes back earlier than I anticipated, mumbling something about an incompetent doctor and how he doesn’t like to have his blood drawn. But I shoo him out of his own kitchen with a few comforting words, tell him to sit in the living room and read something. And not disturb me.

“Aye-aye, Ma’am.”, he says, an amused smirk on his face as he jokingly salutes. I roll my eyes and laugh a little, patting his butt, to make him hurry along.

I still need to prepare the sidedish and let the stew cook for a little longer to make sure the meat is tender and the sauce is thick enough. At least that’s what the recipe said. And I need to make sure I do everything right.

When it’s finally done, the kitchen looks like somebody threw around food, although I did my best to clean up as I go.

I fill one of the soup dishes with the stew, putting the Nockerl in there as well, the dough already soaking up some of the sauce. I compare the dish in front of me with the picture from the recipe and I’m actually content with how it came out.

I set the plate down on the island where the seats are and call for König while I get myself a smaller portion. I hear his steps before his huge stature appears in the doorframe.

“Uh, dinner is ready.”, I say wryly smiling at him, with my plate in my hands. I set it down next to his.

“I can see that and I already smelled the cooking in the living room, it smells deli-“ The words gets stuck in his throat as he comes closer, stopping in front of the plate. He drops onto the seat, the furniture aching under his weight. The smile he was still wearing when he came into the kitchen has dissipated, his mouth hanging open, when he looks up from his plate, his eyes finding mine. He looks almost in shock.

I sit down next to him, suddenly very unsure if this whole ordeal even was a good idea.

“You cooked Gulasch?”, he asks, his voice wavering.

I nod. “Yes, I remember how you said that you liked it, so uh, I tried to make it.”

“But you’re vegetarian.”, he adds.

“Yes, but you aren’t. And the original recipe calls for beef.”, I explain, putting the doughy pillows that the Austrians call Nockerl onto my fork, scooping up some of the sauce. I just want to try a bit of, tasting a part of his origins.

He’s still staring as I put the fork into my mouth, and well, he didn’t promise too much when he was talking about his favourite food because that’s really delicious. Though I’m unsure about how authentic it is.

His gaze moves from me to the plate in front of him, finally picking up the fork, and he digs in, taking the biggest bite. I wait to see what his reaction would be like. He shovels two, three forkfuls into his mouth, chewing, tasting. And then suddenly just stops. Goes completely still. And I don’t know what’s going on as his head drops forward, his hair hanging in front of his face.

A small silent sob shakes his chest and a stray tear falls from his face into the stew. My heart drops to my feet. Fuck.

“We don’t need to eat it, if it’s no good.”, I say lightly, trying not to let it affect me. When I go to grab his plate, his head whips in my direction, and I finally get a good look at his face.

“What, no?! I-“ He takes a deep breath, his hand wiping over his eyes quickly, like the tear was never there. “This is the nicest thing somebody has done for me in a long time.���, he finally says. “And it reminds me of my Oma.” A deep sigh shakes his tall frame. “So, thank you, okay? It’s delicious.” He takes my hands, softly pulling them towards him, pressing a kiss on each palm.

The sadness in his eyes isn’t completely gone when I look into them, and I didn’t anticipate that this simple gesture of cooking him his favourite meal would have him in shambles like that. But the smile that turns up the corners of his mouth is a warm one, thankful and happy.

“You’re welcome.”, I simply tell him. “I’m glad you like it.” I press my lips to his, reassuring the big giant that it was okay, without saying it out loud.

When I pull back, he lingers, his hand shooting up to the back of my head, stealing another kiss. Long, deep and oh so soft. Another “thank you”, without saying it out loud.

“What was your Oma like?”, I ask him, taking a forkful of my sauced-up Nockerl. He talked about her before, but it might keep me from tearing up as well.

The smile on his face gets wider and he starts to tell stories about her. Leaving the other people in his family out of it, for the most part.

How she always asked him to get the stuff from the upper shelves because he was already taller than her at age 12. How he sat in the kitchen doing his homework while she cooked. How she stopped pestering him about going to church on Sunday eventually, but still almost smacked him in his head when he turned the cross in the living room upside down as a joke. How she cried when he joined the military because that was the last thing she wished for him. How she still let him go and how he had to promise her to come back – or else. How he helped her in the garden every time he came home and kept doing that well into his 30s. And how he nearly missed her funeral because he almost couldn’t get permission to leave for a few days.

König takes seconds and even thirds, eating almost all of the Gulasch I cooked. I’m already done sitting over my empty plate, listening to him talk, getting us something to drink. When he is done as well, he grabs the plates to wash up, not letting me help in any way, because “Oh no, you already cooked and everything”. He tells me to pick out a movie I’d like to watch, the glint in his eyes telling me that it’s probably going to get cut short again, so I put on Pulp Fiction, a movie we both have watched countless times before.

He laughs as he comes into the living room with a beer in his hand and sees my choice on the flatscreen, taking a seat at the couch and I hop onto his lap when his ass barely touched the cushions. We’re entangled, as close as you can be. And it doesn’t take long for his hands to wander. Squeeze, caress, stroke over my body. Teasing me with soft kisses against my neck until a heavy sigh leaves my lips. He takes that as an invitation to finally take me to the bedroom where he lies me down on the mattress to eat me out, while he kneels on the floor. Messy, sloppy licks and nibbles, his fingers methodically filling me until I cum for him, my thighs pressing together around his head.

He crawls over me, pushing into me with his dick, after teasing my clit some more with his tip, the piercing deliciously pressing into the sensitive nub.

Slow and sweet doesn’t mean less intense, the soft stretch with every sensual roll of his hips sending sensations over my body, making me pant and throw my head back with pleasure.

His hand on my chin compelling me look at him while he is fucking me like this… until it doesn’t feel like just fucking anymore. When I come again, this time around his dick, it feels like a soft wave washing over me, his name on my lips, and he doesn’t stop pushing into me, prolonging my orgasm and chasing his own until he spills inside me.

He presses kisses to my cheek, pulling me into him, and we snuggle up against each other to fall asleep. My back is against his front, the heat of his body warming me, that I don’t even need a blanket. Feeling the comfort of his embrace a little more clearly than usual.

And the realisation hits me that he is going to leave. And I’m gonna go back home, to my apartment. No more König when I come home from work. No shared meals in the kitchen, no sitting in his lap on the couch. No laughing fits in the middle of the night when one of us says something so stupid that the other can’t comprehend. No filthy sex and tender kisses. No calling him “old man” to get a rise out of him. No dirty punishment for my bratty ass. No feeling him inside me, his brows turned up, his eyes rolling back in ecstatic expression as he comes. None of it, at least for some time.

I push those thoughts away, pulling his arms tighter around me as if I could keep him like this. I close my eyes, ignoring the one stray tear that rolls down my cheek, and drift off into sleep.

And with this the day I have been dreading the whole week is finally here. The day when I return to my own apartment after staying with him for weeks. I even took a day off of work for this.

I’m trying not to let it show too much, because it’s a bit stupid. This living arrangement always was meant to be temporary and I always knew he was on leave, needing to go back to his work at some point sooner or later. But now that it’s here… I kinda don’t want it to happen at all.

The coffee tastes a little bitter as I sip it, even though he added just as much milk as usual, with the typical joking disgust while diluting the tasty elixir, that always makes me chuckle and shake my head.

The sunlight streaming through the big windows in the living room blinds me as it reflects off the shiny couch upholstery when I go to collect Mimi from her spot, putting her in the cat carrier.

The book I finished reading on the weekend gets caught when I push it into its place on the shelf, some of the pages creasing. I curse, showing König and apologizing. He takes the book from my grasp, straightening out the crinkles, and puts it back. “Don’t worry, Liebes, it’s just a book.”, he says, his arm coming around me as he pulls me against his warm body and presses a kiss to the top of my head.

I get the rest of my stuff, seeing that one of my yarn balls has tangled into a net of knots, and I curse again. Of course, it did. I put my crochet bag into one of the boxes and carry it outside.

With a sigh I look back over my shoulder one last time and close the door behind me, placing my stuff in the trunk and climbing into the driver’s seat of my own car. Starting it and driving after him, and it’s weird not to sit right next to him in his car.

It’s weird being home again. Letting Mimi out of her carrier, the little kitty running around, brushing against his legs. And he picks her up, carrying her around, just like they always do. The small creature is purring against his chest as he shimmies her around, humming some tune I can't place.

It’s weird standing here in my apartment with him, waiting for the bed to be delivered. I can feel my bubbly yapping coming back, not being able to shut up, and König is listening like he always does. Short, one-worded answers while his hand is petting Mimi, scratching between her ears and under her chin.

The doorbell ringing tears us from our conversation. The delivery guys are handing the packages over, asking if they should help bring them in, but König declines, giving them a tip and sending them their way.

I’m not as easily deterred from trying to help with the packages, although König is carrying most of them, barely breaking a sweat, while I struggle with the smallest one.

Sitting on the bedroom floor, his tall figure still reaching up to my hips before I get down next to him. He’s glancing at the instructions, squeezing his eyes together, but I can tell he’s having a hard time seeing the illustrations of the steps correctly.

And of course he is too stubborn to ask for help. I grin to myself and shake my head. “Forgot your glasses?”, I ask him, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah.”, he says wryly, and I extend my hand, suggesting silently he’ll hand over the instructions and he does, with a sigh and a little smile.

While I’m still studying the instructions, he’s laying out the pieces and already putting the first parts together. Of course, he is choosing the hands-on approach, even with stuff like that, figuring it out as he moves along, and I chime in with a few comments here and there, guiding the construction.

His long hair is getting in the way and I lend him a hair tie, and I don’t think I’ll ever manage to get over how meticulous he puts his hair in a ponytail. I mean, he probably has done that same move for years, his hands collecting all the stray strands, the band snapping around them with two quick motions and then it just sits perfectly at the back of his head.

We spent so much time together and I realise that I’ve never seen him do that. The whole time he was always wearing his hair down, some strands hanging in front of his face. Sometimes he put them into a lose bun when he was working out, but never like this.

“What?”, he asks me, a hint of uncertainty on his face.

I shake my head. “Nothing, your hair looks good like that.”, I say, clearing my voice when it dares to break off, but I save it with a smile which gets mirrored by his, and I can’t help but put a kiss onto it while a pang of something spreads in my chest. I feel like I know him so well, and yet I keep learning parts of him I’ve never seen before.

“Come on, Hexe.”, he says when I linger, prolonging the kiss, caught in my thoughts, his hand patting my hip which makes me giggle a bit, but I can't shake the feeling that's settling in my stomach. Fuck, he's gonna leave.

Pretty quickly we construct the bed, it’s easy enough, especially when you’re following the instructions – a sentiment I say out loud after he managed to stick two pieces together who fit, but actually belong like that. He just grins and pulls them apart easily, his muscles flexing for just a moment.

“Show-off.”, I say, sticking my tongue out at him.

Finally, the frame is done, the slats already fitted into it and last but not least, we hoist the mattress onto them.

“You didn’t need to buy me a new one, you know.”

He shoots me a look. A knowing one.

“Really, it was fine. The old one would have sufficed.”

“I have slept on that mattress. You needed a new one.”

“Oh, that's just your old bones.”, I quip, and I know how ridiculous I must sound telling that to a soldier who can probably sleep anytime anywhere.

He pinches my nose. “You're not getting younger yourself, Missy.”, he answers. "Your back will be thankful."

“Yeah, yeah.”, I say grinning and bump my hip against his, rather hitting the burly thigh, before getting some bedsheets.

The fresh sheets match the nice dark wood of the bedframe, the bed now looking so much nicer than the rest of my furniture pieces.

“Thanks. For the new bed.”, I tell him, smiling up at him, getting on my tiptoes.

“No need to thank me, Liebes.”, he answers, leaning down and meeting me halfway for a kiss. “It was my fault you needed a new one in the first place.”, a wry grin accompanying his words.

“Well, this looks much sturdier like the one I had before.” I tap the wooden frame, a hollow knock resounding.

“Well, I needed to make sure that it wouldn’t break that easily again.”, he says, smiling down at me, a twinkle in his eyes. A reminder of how we broke it in the first place.

“Care to test that theory?”, I ask him cheekily, although I’m not really in the mood right now. My heart is way too heavy.

Before I can say anything else, he grabs me by the waist and lifts me up on the bed, the mattress dipping down under my weight. His hands are steadying me when I start to jump up and down, bouncing on it. Damn, it’s really nice. And I don't dare to ask how much he spent on it.

“Sturdy enough, you think?”, he asks me.

I nod. “You wanna come up here too?”, I tease him.

He shakes his head, just grinning, following my movements up and down with his eyes.

“Oh come on!”, I exclaim, not ready to stop this sillyness.

He pulls up his eyebrows. “I don’t think that would be wise, we don’t need to push it.”, he grins, when all of a sudden, there’s a faint cracking sound, and I stop, almost toppling over trying to hold my balance on the wobbling mattress.

“Point and case.”, he remarks as his arms coming around my waist as he lifts me off the bed.

“Okay, okay…”

I hold onto him like a little spider monkey, my legs closing around him, my cheek pressing against his shoulder as I nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck. Like I could keep him here like that. Or he’ll just take me with him when I stick to him like a limpet. Maybe I’m small enough to fit into his pocket.

My fingers get caught in his hair as I try to run them through it like I always do, and he pulls the hair tie from them, putting it away, letting me play with the long strands, as he goes to sit down.

The couch in my apartment is way smaller than his, his frame fills the cushions easily, so I have nowhere else to sit but his lap. Like I would have sat anywhere else. Trying to be as close to him as possible.

We’re not saying anything, just sitting here. My head rests against his shoulder, his scent all around me. I can hear his heart beat, feel it beneath my fingertips resting on his chest. Steady and strong, but a little too fast.

His hands are gently caressing my thighs and back, and even though I feel the sadness seep into me, the soft touches ground me.

We sit in silence for what seems eternity while at the same time lasting barely more than the blink of an eye. And I wish we could remain in this moment, frozen in time, but well.

He sighs softly, the deep sound pulling me from my thoughts, and I lift my head, to look at him.

“We need to say goodbye.” He slumps back, his shoulders hitting the backrest. “I wish I didn’t need to go.”, he exhales. Saying what I was thinking.

"Don't worry, I'll still be here when you're on leave again.", I tell him, softly kissing his cheek. He turns to me, the expression on his face serious and... a bit sad.

"But you shouldn't be.", he says, calm and steady.

"But-", I want to protest.

He shakes his head. "No, you should be with somebody your age, someone who can give you stability." He sighs. "Someone who can guarantee you that they'll come back to you. Every time they leave."

And the realisation hits me. He isn't saying goodbye for now. He's saying goodbye for good.

“I see.”, is all I manage because my feelings come crashing down over me with a vicious fervor. I thought I was going to have to deal with him leaving for weeks or months. With him being gone for a while. Not with a breakup.

“I’m sorry.”, he apologizes and starts to explain. “I never meant for this to go this far or… this deep.” The admission in his words makes my stomach flip upside down. I actually feel a little nauseous as my hands grip my own thighs, trying to hold onto something. “And I should’ve maybe said something earlier.” He swallows hard.

“The truth is that I had the best time this leave, and that was solely because of you.” He finally looks at me again, the raw emotions in his eyes almost scaring me. But the resolve in them is clear as well. “I couldn’t get myself to break it off. But I can’t make you wait for me either. Because I can’t even promise you that I will return.” His voice is shaking now and seeing him like this makes my lower lip tremble as I just try to breathe.

“And I can’t do that to you. The thought of you waiting for me at home and only a casket coming back… has been killing me inside these past few days.” The words come out choked and I can’t look at him anymore, my head snapping to the side as that image fills my mind. “Fuck, I’m really sorry, okay?”

We sit here like this for a moment longer. His hands stopped caressing my thighs and back, and I want to scream. The cold feeling of loss grips my heart, a viciously clawed hand leaving gaping wounds as it was making its way up my chest. He’s still sitting underneath me, but I feel like he’s already gone.

“I get it.”, I finally say, my voice trembling and hoarse. Still not able to look at him because I wouldn’t have been able to hold back my tears.

“I knew you would.”, he says, the words breaking up as he speaks. And I think back to when he told me that he couldn’t have a partner or family because his job won’t allow it. And I finally get why he thinks like that. At least I guess so. The big house devoid of any life but him, his own little safe haven, and I only now understand how temporary this whole arrangement really had been. I just didn’t see it. Maybe because I didn’t want to.

While I still try to process everything, he lifts me up and sets me down on the cushions of the couch. Like he did countless times the last few weeks. In his living room. And a sob tears from my chest because the gesture reminds me of so many tender and filthy moments at the same time. I hug my knees, pulling them close to me, already missing the warmth of his body. But that’s the way it is now, I guess.

He crouches down, coming face to face with me, and it just hurts to look at him. The bandshirt he bought for the concert we went to together. The tattoos on his knuckles, straining from the tension in his balled-up fists. The long dark hair, pushed to the side, falling back down his shoulder. I don’t need to touch it, to know how soft it feels. The mouth that smiled at me so often. The lips I have kissed countless times and that have kissed every inch of my body. The furrowed brows. The slack expression on his face concealing the laughlines. And for the first time since I’ve known him looking into his eyes doesn’t give me comfort.

He carefully takes my chin, the pads of his fingertips rough against the skin, softly digging into my jaw, like he likes – liked to do. He leans forward pressing a kiss to my lips which almost makes the tears drop from my eyes. A kiss to say goodbye, gentle and bittersweet.

"Stay safe, okay?", he whispers, his eyes looking intently into mine, but I can only nod. My throat is closed up because I know he won't be safe. Not saying anything because I don't want to cry in front of him. Because that will only make it harder, on both of us.

He straightens back up and leaves. The door falls shut behind him.

And I finally let the waterworks flow, sobs shaking my chest as I throw myself into the couch where he sat just a few moments ago.

Mimi’s meow pulls me from my crying fit when she jumps up onto the couch, her little head bumping into me, and I pull her against my chest, the tears rolling down my cheeks. And the odd thought crosses my mind if the crinkles in the book on his shelf are the only remainders of me in his house. While I have this new bed.

How did we get here? Masterlist

a/n: i have been working on this chapter for months and i knew what was coming and now that it's finished, i can't help but still feel the sadness hitting me 🥲 - and no, this is not the last chapter (in case you were fearing that rn) take this recipe for authentic austrian beef gulasch as a token of my apology

[valorant-drabbles]

Hallo! I'm the one who requested the iso x reader from last time （＾ｖ＾）

I was wondering if you could make a part two showing how they slowly progressed with each other if it's alright since I really loved the first part and I'm brain rotting hard about Iso

PS - I'll go by ♠️spade anon from now on

Not me accidentally creating a multi-part slow burn Iso fic!! Oh boy

Could be seen as platonic or romantic… but if people want a part 3, it’ll definitely be more romantic.

Gender neutral reader!

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: Mild Cursing, Spoiler for Part 1 of this fic

Cold Shoulder

Reader x Iso

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |

It had been about three weeks since the incident; since you and Iso had your little quarrel, and inevitably having started to understand one another. It was definitely a challenge for you, since you’d struggled for years when it came to getting along with people outside of work hours. Thankfully, Iso was proving to be extremely patient and courteous towards you and your growth. That wasn’t to say he didn’t get irritated every so often if he noticed you slipping back into your old, cold habits…

But you were making a genuine effort. What more could he ask for?

Despite it only having been a few weeks, you and Iso had started getting along quite quickly. He’d made it clear that you were always welcome to join him if you were feeling lonely- and considering your friend quantity in the Protocol was quite low, you were finding yourself ‘lonely’ often. It was strange- last month, you were completely fine being on your own. And now, if you went a few days without a casual conversation with somebody… you felt an odd emptiness inside your chest. A yearning for connection that you’d thought you’d severed long ago.

There were many days where Iso would return to his room after training to find you sat on his bed, listening to the playlist he’d shared with you. Usually you were reading, or watching movies on your laptop… passing the time until he’d return and possibly join you. Iso knew you had a bit of trouble asking to spend time together, so when you were in his room- it was kind of obvious why you were there. Once he’d shower and change clothes, he’d settle into bed and join you in whatever you were doing.

Overtime, this became routine. On days neither of you had a mission, you’d spend time together in the comfort of Iso’s room… quietly bonding, occasionally starting conversations- though usually it was Iso initiating. After all, even after all this time, he still found you to be absolutely fascinating, and desired to learn more about you.

“What do you think we learn from fighting ourselves?” Iso’s voice cut through the current silence filling the bedroom, causing you to look up from your book, eyebrow raised curiously at the sudden query.

“… what?”

“Ah- sorry. That came from nowhere.” Iso apologized quietly, his gaze sheepishly moving away from where you were watching him. “I was just… thinking about our mirror selves. From Omega Earth. How they look and act almost exactly like us- and our teammates as well.”

“Mhm. What about them, though?” You questioned further, noticing Iso shift in his seat.

“I’ve… had this question on my mind ever since I saw myself on the other team. ‘What do we learn from fighting ourselves?’… I’ve asked a few of the others, but… honestly, none of them had an answer I was looking for.” Iso grimaced softly at the memory of him asking Phoenix this question, only for the Brit to cockily answer ‘How much better I am compared to that fake me!’.

You took a moment to ponder his question. This was something you genuinely appreciated about spending time with Iso- he posed questions that made you think. Nothing too philosophical, usually… but it kept conversations interesting, and additionally helped the two of you learn more about how the other thinks.

“I guess… we learn our weaknesses.” You answer after about a minute of silence. “Though it’s not ideal… there’s certain circumstances where our double will be better than us at something. It’ll reveal a weak point in our abilities… and give us something to work towards improving. Alternatively, we learn the weakness of our double, and how to potentially exploit it if need be.” Your shoulders shrugged slightly, as you bit gently at the end of the pen in your hand. “It can also help us to… uh…”

Your hesitance to speak further piques Iso’s curiosity, and his gaze moves to you. He can’t help but notice your cheeks glowing a faint shade of red. You seldom showed emotion like this… allowing yourself to be embarrassed or even revealing a moment of weakness. Despite his desire to urge you into finishing your thought, he knew pushing you to answer would just make you uncomfortable. And, there was the possibility it could cause you to throw out your walls again, giving him the cold shoulder again- he couldn’t risk that. So, he waited.

As much as you wanted to change the topic or just… leave the thought unfinished, Iso’s eyes on you made it clear that he really wanted to know what you were thinking.

“Y/N?” Iso called out quietly. A sigh escaped you reluctantly, as you turned your body to face away from him slightly- only so that he would have trouble seeing how flushed your face had become.

“It… it also helps us to… see what we couldn’t see before. In our own teammates.” You finally continue, deciding to occupy your twitching hands with twirling your pen between your fingers. “How much our team would do to… to protect us. In the face of danger. The threat of death is always so real when you know the enemy won’t hesitate to kill you… sometimes you forget how dangerous it can be. How quickly you can lose somebody. And… how… if a teammate dies, you might go about the rest of your life… regretting that you never got to know them better. Or you might die with the same regret…” You swallow.

You thought back on the day you nearly died at Pearl almost every day. It all felt so surreal… the rush of emotion you felt when you saw Iso in danger? The searing pain from the bullets that had pierced your body?… the last thing you see being Iso using your Operator to take down the approaching threats…

His words echoing constantly in your mind.

“Don’t you dare die on me, Y/N.”

You’d always been so cold towards him… never giving him any reason to like your company. And yet… Iso risked his own life to save yours. With no hesitation.

“Y/N.” It was only after feeling Iso’s hand on your own that you realized he’d been calling your name. His voice was gentle, worry lacing the elegance he spoke your name with. His gaze on you was equally as concerned. It was only in that moment, seeing your own reflection in his eyes, where you notice you’d started crying.

“Shit.” You pull your hand away from Iso’s, and quickly moved to wipe your face of any tears that may had fallen. This was… new. You never let such fragile emotions show in front of the other agents… you only ever let out your piled up emotions behind closed doors, where nobody could see. Where nobody could know. “Sorry, I don’t… know why I’m crying. Can you just forget I said any of that?” You requested, though your voice wavered as you spoke, making you cringe internally. Were you truly so emotional when you thought back on that day…?

Without another word, you found yourself being pulled into Iso’s lap, his arms wrapped around you comfortingly, yet not intrusively. Physical contact wasn’t something you were used to either, but… in that moment? It felt… incredible. You needed this… so badly. For how long you’d needed it for, you didn’t know. You just knew you never wanted this moment to end- as soft as that sounded.

“I’m… not going to let either of us die with that regret.” Iso promised ever so softly, with his head resting comfortably against your shoulder. “And believe me, I don’t intend on dying anytime soon. So you don’t have to worry to much about missed opportunities to… get to know each other. And stuff.”

You kept your face hidden away from Iso; thankful he wasn’t making an effort to look regardless. You felt incredibly vulnerable in that moment… so you truly appreciated that Iso was making the effort to give you some level of privacy. At least as you attempted to pull yourself together again.

“I… I’m glad that… you didn’t give up on me.” You mumble gently against his chest. “… even though I was kind of an asshole to you.”

“Oh, no. You were a total asshole.” Iso chimed. You could just hear the grin on his face through his voice. It made you want to strangle him… not to death, per se.

“… besides. There’s no way I’d give up on someone as… incredible as you.”

Iso’s hand managed to find yours once again, and slowly, gently, you found your fingers intertwining with his without even thinking about it. The previously jarring silence in the room had been replaced with an air of comfortable quiet, as the two of you sat in each other’s company.

You never thought you’d have this thought towards another agent… but…

You really did enjoy Iso’s company. To what extent?… You were unsure.

Yet you enjoyed it regardless.

[whotf-atemywaffles]

Call it what you want

Jeremiahxreader

Summary: Jeremiah and Y/N initially bicker and argue when they meet at a beach house, but they find themselves drawn to each other. Despite their constant fighting, they start spending more time together and Jeremiah falls for Y/N. Y/N is hesitant due to past experiences, but Jeremiah proves himself to be different and they share a passionate kiss on the beach. Y/N confides in her best friend Stephen about her conflicting emotions and he advises her to be honest with herself. Y/N decides to give Jeremiah a chance and they walk off into the sunset together, ready to explore their newfound connection.

Jeremiah Fisher stood at the edge of the beach, his surfboard tucked under his arm. He scanned the waves, looking for the perfect one to ride. But his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't stop thinking about Y/N.

Ever since she arrived at the beach house, they had been at odds with each other. They bickered and argued non-stop, unable to see eye to eye on anything. Jeremiah found Y/N to be stubborn and difficult, while Y/N thought he was arrogant and self-absorbed.

Despite their constant fighting, Jeremiah found himself drawn to Y/N in a way he couldn't explain. There was something about her that he just couldn't resist. Her fiery spirit and determination intrigued him, even though he found her maddening at times.

On the other hand, Y/N couldn't stand Jeremiah. She thought he was a pompous jerk who always had something to prove. His confidence and good looks only made her dislike him more. She couldn't understand why everyone else seemed to like him so much.

As the summer went on, their bickering only got worse. They seemed to be fighting every time they were in the same room together. But despite their constant arguments, they couldn't seem to stay away from each other.

One day, they found themselves alone on the beach, watching the sunset. The tension between them was palpable, and neither of them knew what to say.

Finally, Y/N spoke up. "You know, for someone I can't stand, I seem to spend an awful lot of time with you," she said, half-jokingly.

Jeremiah chuckled. "Yeah, I've noticed that too," he said. "Maybe there's more to us than just arguing all the time."

And with that, something shifted between them. They started spending more time together, actually enjoying each other's company. They went on long walks on the beach, went surfing together, and talked for hours about everything and nothing.

As the summer went on, Jeremiah found himself falling for Y/N more and more. He loved the way she challenged him and pushed him to be a better person. He loved the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, and the way she was always up for an adventure.

But Y/N was still hesitant. She couldn't shake the feeling that Jeremiah was just using her for his own benefit. She had been burned before by guys who only wanted one thing, and she wasn't about to let that happen again.

Jeremiah sensed her hesitation, and he knew that he had to prove to her that he was different. He started doing things for her without expecting anything in return. He listened to her when she talked, really listened, and he remembered the little things she said. He made her laugh, and he made her feel special.

Slowly but surely, Y/N started to let her guard down. She saw a different side of Jeremiah, a side that she had never seen before. She realized that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't so bad after all.

As the summer came to an end, Jeremiah realized that he had fallen for Y/N completely. He couldn't imagine his life without her in it. And to his surprise, Y/N felt the same way.

They shared a passionate kiss on the beach, finally giving in to the chemistry that had been simmering between them all summer. And as they watched the waves crash against the shore, Jeremiah knew that he and Y/N were meant to be together, despite their rocky start.

But as they walked off the beach and into the beach house, Y/N's smile faded. She was confused and didn't know how she felt about Jeremiah. Did she like him, or did she still hate him?

She confided in Stephen, her best friend, about her conflicting emotions. Stephen listened patiently as Y/N poured out her heart. He had seen the way she and Jeremiah had fought all summer, and he knew that Y/N had a lot of unresolved feelings.

After hearing her out, Stephen gave her some advice. "Y/N, I think you need to be honest with yourself about how you feel," he said. "Do you really hate Jeremiah, or is there something more there?"

Y/N thought about it for a moment. "I don't know," she said. "I mean, he drives me crazy sometimes, but there's also something about him that I can't resist."

Stephen nodded. "Then maybe you need to give him a chance," he said. "You never know what might happen."

Y/N thought about it for a moment, and then she made up her mind. She was going to give Jeremiah a chance, and see where things went from there.

As she walked back out onto the beach, she saw Jeremiah waiting for her in the distance. He smiled at her, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

Maybe, just maybe, Stephen was right. Maybe there was something more between her and Jeremiah than just bickering and arguing.

Y/N took a deep breath and walked towards him.

As Y/N approached Jeremiah, she felt a sense of calm wash over her. She realized that despite their rocky start, Jeremiah had been a constant presence in her life all summer long. He had challenged her, made her laugh, and shown her a side of himself that she never knew existed.

"Jeremiah," Y/N said, looking up at him. "I've been thinking a lot about us, and I-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Jeremiah interrupted her with a smile. "Y/N, I know we've had our differences," he said. "But I also know that there's something between us that's worth exploring. I don't want to spend another day without you by my side."

Y/N felt her heart swell with emotion. She knew that Jeremiah was right. There was something between them that was worth exploring, something that had been simmering beneath the surface all summer long.

And with that, Y/N took Jeremiah's hand and they walked down the beach together, ready to see where their newfound connection would take them.

As they walked, the sun began to set over the ocean, casting a warm, golden glow over everything around them. Y/N felt a sense of peace wash over her as she realized that she had finally found someone who understood her, who challenged her, and who made her feel alive.

Jeremiah looked over at her and smiled, and Y/N knew in that moment that he was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

As they walked off into the sunset together, Y/N couldn't help but feel grateful for the rocky start that had brought them together. It had been a journey, but one that had led her to exactly where she was meant to be.

And as they disappeared into the distance, hand in hand, Y/N knew that she had found her happily ever after.

[hillerskalibrary]

This is my first time being in a fandom so I don't really know - do you think people writing YR fanfiction will die down quickly after the end of the show? I am already super sad about the show ending but no more new fanfiction about these two might be even worse 🙃

Do you maybe have experience from other fandoms? 🧡

Hey anon! To you, as well, apologies for the late reply, especially since this question is clearly important to you - and no doubt to many others.

Now, should I have attempted to write a heartfelt answer on how the YR fandom will indeed probably slowly fade away but that's okay because the important thing is the joy it gave you while it lasted? Yes, yes I should have.

Did I spend half an hour making a graph in Excel instead? ... also yes.

look I may be a failed scientist but I'm still a scientist and you came to my inbox so...

Behold! My beautiful and not-at-all questionable graph of the number of YR posted per month since the release of S1.

Now, first the good news: as you can see, the general trend of fic goes UP! ;) I think it's been clear that S2 has drawn in lots of new fans, and that reflects in the number of fics - not only are there more writers, but more readers = more interaction = more motivation for writers.

Now, what does this tell us about fic numbers after S3?

... absolutely nothing. No, seriously, it is impossible to extrapolate any of this into the future :D. I mean, it is likely the peak will be even higher for the S3 release, and it's safe to say that then it will go down. But how fast, or how low, is hard to tell...

Now, I can see how this may make you sad. And I would like to offer two counterpoints.

ONE It's not done yet. This may seem obvious but- the time to be sad is not here yet. Suppose the sun shines today, and the forecast predicts rain for tomorrow. What are you going to do? Go out and enjoy every ray of sun while you can? Or spend the day inside, sad because you won't be able to go out tomorrow? Look - don't get me wrong, I don't wanna dismiss your feelings. It's just- we'll have time to be sad about it later, you know? Right now fandom is active: great fic is being published, thought provoking discussions are being had, ... . Let's enjoy that!

TWO Whether fandom lives or dies after the show, is partly up to you. I mean it! A fandom lives by grace of its active members. So write fic. Prompt other authors if you can't (and even if you can!). Organize events, challenges, polls, ... There are so many things you can do to keep the fandom going, but it's going to require time and effort. And no, success is not guaranteed. But it's worth it.

Lastly though, as you say yourself: this is your first fandom. A first fandom is always a little special, but after a first... comes a second. Always. It may seem hard to believe, and it may not even be something you necessarily want, but very often, that's how it goes. Fandoms come and go - and that's fine. It sucks too, of course, sometimes. But it's fine. It has to be, because the alternative is for nothing to ever change, and that would suck even harder. So enjoy this wonderful fandom we have, gush about it all with your mutuals, and trust that a new blorbo will find you ;).

[edensbuttercups]

Ghosts aren't real - Robert "Bob" Floyd x reader

Summary: You never really believed in ghosts, but after the weirdness of the past few days you're starting to. On Halloween night, after a shift at the Hard Deck, you talk about it and Bob offers to come home with you, willing to find a logical explanation or catch whatever is haunting you.

A/N: I've been slightly blessed with writer's block, yet somehow got the idea for this fic and wrote it in just over a day 🥴 Hopefully I'll get the other's I'm working on out soon, but for now here is this little Halloween treat 🎃 (It's not also so late it's technically not Halloween anymore where I am but shhh) I wish Rhett occasionally wore glasses 'cause it would make the gif fit more but uugh, I guess it will do

Words: 6k

As always, requests are open and comments are very much appreciated! Thank you for reading and hope you're all having a good day ♡

You felt like you were going crazy. 

Your doorbell ringing with no one in sight, the tv turning on and off even when you were nowhere close to the remote, the motion sensor outside turning on when no one was there. And it didn’t help that all of this was happening in the week leading up to Halloween, the pumpkin and skeleton decorations only adding to your weariness. 

Luckily nothing seemed to happen in the night, only in the hours that lead to it, leaving you to sleep somewhat peacefully. Still, getting home from work each evening left you with a sense of… not quite dread, but something along those lines.

You had talked about it at the Hard Deck before everything started happening, which only made this feel like a wicked joke from the universe or a ghost that had taken you as its victim after your talk with them.

”Didn’t sleep?” Hangman asked you, leaning over the counter as you prepared their usual order.  You smiled when you opened Bob’s lemonade, still finding it cute how he never drank alcohol and always opted for the citrusy drink. “Watched a horror film last night.” You explained with a sigh, “I’m not usually afraid, but I kept feeling like I’d open my eyes to find a ghost staring at me.”  You laughed along when he did, rolling your eyes when he slapped a hand over his thigh, still laughing. “Scared of ghosts?” He asked, making you shake your head in answer as you placed the last bottle on the tray. “Not quite. Ghosts aren’t real.” You explained with a chuckle, as if it was obvious, “But after a horror film it’s easy to forget about my lack of belief.”  He smirked, playfully saluting you before heading back to the pool table, handing everyone their drink and taking hold of a cue stick, challenging whoever dared play against him, Coyote not backing out but accepting the challenge, smirking back at him.  Bob turned to look at you, raising his drink your way with a smile that you returned, loving that he always thanked you, even if Hangman was the one bringing him his drink and this was, after all, part of your job.

A few days after that, things started happening. First it was small things, the gust of wind past your window sounding a little too loud, the scrape of wood against the glass sounding like fingernails, all things that were only scary because of the connections your mind decided to make, but then the tv started turning on and off and the lights outside turning on when no one was even near your porch.

It wasn’t extreme, wouldn’t happen more than once or twice a night, but it started making you wonder, the spooky season only adding to it, with its great selection of horror films each night, amazing both for the entertainment of them and for plaguing your mind with the wonder of what could be haunting your home.

It was Monday morning, and as you looked in the mirror you did everything you could do to make you look less tired and more pretty, doing a simple Halloween makeup for the day, happy that your shift didn’t start until three, ending at nine and leaving you to spend the last hours of the night with your favorite squad, looking forward to teasing Hangman and Rooster and gossip with Phoenix, maybe talk a little to Fanboy or Bob.  Penny had prepared a small witch hat clip you could clip on your head, so you chose a cute black dress, simple black tights and your favorite black boots, looking badass enough to kick whatever ghost was haunting you while also looking pretty enough to maybe find the courage to flirt a little with your lemonade-drinking crush.

Time to leave rolled by quickly enough, and glancing in the mirror you smiled at the reflection, loving the outfit and having worn it as it was on many occasions, but the little witch hat waiting for you at the Hard Deck definitely the perfect choice to elevate the look.

“You look great!” Penny exclaimed when you walked in, twirling when she saw you walking in to show you her own outfit, the dark red dress fitting her perfectly and the little horns she wore to match completing the look. “Look at you!” You smiled, holding a hand out to squeeze her shoulder, “Mav’s going to lose his mind.” You joked, nudging her softly. The look she sent your way made you laugh, and when she patted your shoulder you smiled, lowering your head so she could clip the little hat in place, leaving it resting comfortably on one side of your head. You glanced at the reflection in the mirror, loving the little addition, handmade by Penny the day before.  “So,” she started explaining, pointing around the different parts of the bar, “decorations are sort of put up, we have to add a few more by the pool tables, near the darts, but only what won’t be ruined by whoever has bad aim, and down on the porch.”  You nodded, getting to work with the decorations, one of your favorite parts of the holiday, the little skeletons and pumpkins and spiders, a good mix between cute and creepy as you hung them and placed them around the space. It would all look tied in together when the sun would set, leaving the candles and fairy lights to set the mood. 

You and Penny ended up chatting for most of the afternoon, the first few clients walking in around the time the sun set, some of them complimenting the decorations, others pretending to be spooked, giving the two of you a thumbs up.  “You’re on until 9pm, then you can go with your sailors.” Penny said with a playful glance once the few orders had been taken care of, reminding you about the deal you and her had for Halloween, knowing how much you enjoyed it and wanting you to have fun while still working, since you had insisted. She also knew about your little crush and teased you relentlessly for it, always urging you to do something about it because of how cute you and Bob would look together.  “Yeah, yeah.” You muttered, turning over to prepare a pint for an old regular, a retired man by now but a good pilot years ago, his years of service shown by the wrinkles on his face and the badges that still adorned his jacket. “Here you go, Paul.” You said softly, handing him his drink.

“Well, well, well. You clean up nicely.” Hangman said loudly the second he walked in, interrupting your small talk with Paul as Coyote, Phoenix and Bob followed behind him, all of them looking you up and down with a smile. You always got along with Hangman, always answering back and never backing down, telling him when he was being a jerk and ringing the bell on him when he was being nothing but annoying.  “Why, thank you, Bagman, and what are you supposed to be?” You asked, leaning over the counter and smirking, the fangs in his mouth, pale skin, exposed veins and bloodied shirt giving a pretty clear idea. “Yeah, he’s original as always.” Spoke Phoenix from behind him, slipping ahead and sitting on one of the free bar stools, placing a little Frankenstein’s Monster plushie on the counter. “You’re one to speak, Doctor.” Hangman scoffed, clearly not having noticed the plushie. “It’s Frankenstein.” She said, rolling her eyes and smiling at you when you placed her drink in front of her, not needing her to order anymore, knowing her choices by now. “Why don’t you have the scar and green skin then?” He asked, as if she was the one in the wrong, still oblivious. “Frankenstein’s the doctor.” You and Bob both said in unison, making Phoenix smirk up at you, another person that had figured out your not-so-secret crush. “Which, arguably, the real monster.” Bob added, knowing that the small freckles drawn on his cheeks were doing nothing to hide his blush. “Good observation, Milo.” You smiled his way, handing him his lemonade.

You loved his costume, not far from his usual attire, wearing a beige tank top and khaki green pants, the easiest clue as to who he was dressed as being the round frames resting on his nose and his hair parted in the middle, always having loved Milo as a character.  His mouth fell open, a silent oh slipping from his lips that only made his blush darken, earning a chuckle from Coyote, his makeup matching Hangman’s, with the only addition of a bite mark on his neck. “He didn’t think anyone would get who he was.” Coyote explained, raising his drink your way in a silent cheer.  “Yeah, I mean who the hell knows about Milo?” Hangman asked, practically draping himself over the stool. “Clearly not you, you didn’t even know about Frankenstein.” You joked, earning a scoff from the blond aviator. “What’s up with your neck?” You then asked Coyote, looking at him instead of granting Hangman more than a glance as you pointed at the two little bite marks, odd on a vampire.  “I can answer this one.” Hangman proudly announced, sitting up straight. “The one thing he knows.” Bob muttered, his voice low enough for you to hear.

No one else seemed to, anyway, making your laughter seem out of place, yet Bob seemed to appreciate it, always loving when he got you to smile or laugh, a personal accomplishment he carried close to his heart. “We decided that I’d clearly be the first one to turn into a vampire, being the jock and all, but as a vampire I’d definitely turn Coyote with me. He’s my best friend, if I’m living forever, he’s suffering along.” He said, landing a loud smack on Coyote’s arm, the other man looking like he was ready to fight back. “I’m kinda surprised to see how much thought went into that, Count Bagman.” You bowed lightly, hoping he’d get at least this reference. He chuckled, tilting his head to the side and smirking as he always did, pointing to the pool tables. “Count Hangman has to show these people how to get beaten by him at pool, will you join us later?”  “Yep. Shift finishes at nine, so I’ll be there around then.” You replied, checking that no other clients needed a refill or wanted to order. “Pretty good. See you in a few hours then!” Phoenix said with a smile, walking her way to the pool table and standing on one end, rolling the sleeves of her white coat up. She looked effortlessly cool, the black dress under the coat suiting her perfectly, and the fishnets were a fun touch, making her look the coolest out of the group of monsters and ghouls that were sitting around the table. “I’ll see you later.” Added Bob softly, giving you a little nod as he made his way to join her, smiling when he heard you shout a see you later, Milo! his way. 

Nine pm rolled by quickly, making you sigh in relief when you sat by Nat’s side, joining the conversation effortlessly as you sipped on your drink. It hadn’t been a long shift per se, the bigger part of the work starting an hour before your shift ended, but you were glad to be on the other side of the counter and surrounded by your friends, finally catching up to their stories once more. “So,” Nat spoke after finishing her conversation with Fanboy, leaning more into your side, “Gonna talk to Bob?” “What?” You asked, never having mentioned that you would, too scared of ruining the perfectly great friendship you had built to risk it. “Oh, c’mon. You’ve both been staring at each other all night, and he couldn’t help but keep that blush on his cheeks after you called him Milo. He likes you too.” You shushed her, nudging her back. You wouldn’t talk to him, no, even if you knew that eventually your feelings would bubble out. That, or everyone that knew would carry on looking at you with that teasing or pitiful look. Either way, you could deal with it. “What about you, Nat?” you teased instead, tugging lightly at her white coat, “Got your eyes set on anyone tonight?” She looked around the room, taking a sip from her drink when she found who she was looking for. Following the direction of her gaze, you immediately could tell who she was looking for, the sparkling red dress hard to miss. “Wow. She’s really your type.” “There’s a lot of pretty people tonight.” She defended, looking around, “But yeah, she’s really my type.” She repeated, chuckling against you, setting her empty glass down. “Go order another cocktail. She’s near the bar and probably will come over, and if not…” “If not I don’t chicken out on my feelings like some of my friends.” She muttered, winking at you as she stood, grabbing her glass and making her way to the bar, her eyes darting to the woman as she did, not going unnoticed.  With Natasha chatting to the mystery woman, and you perched on the pool table, jokingly judging each single one of Hangman’s hits, you soon grew tired of the loud music and chatter, needing a moment with some quiet and fresh air. “Count?” You called after he stopped cheering, his smirk still plastered on his face when he moved to look at you, raising an eyebrow. “Yes?” He drawled, resting some of his weight on the cue stick. “Heading out for some fresh air.” He nodded, his smirk dropping to a sincere smile. Your friendship with Hangman wasn’t free of arguments or tense moments, but he always looked out for you, and telling him when you were stepping out of the Hard Deck was one of the things he had asked you to mention, after spending a night with his heart in his throat when he couldn’t find you, the crowds thick and hard to get through. He found you eventually, hiding just by the porch after the overcrowded rooms grew too loud and rowdy, needing the moment of break before heading back in to finish the last hour of your shift. 

The porch was full of people, some dressed up and others in regular clothes, so you sneaked further ahead, on the sand, looking at the waves crash and turn into foam, the warm glow of the moon making everything more special. You felt someone sit next to you after some time had passed, looking up to see Bob and smiling at the sight, resting your head on his shoulder, the sound of the waves repetitive enough to make your eyes grow heavy.

“Enjoying the party?” He asked, voice hushed after having to talk so loudly over the music and the chatter. “Yeah. Just needed some fresh air.” You said softly, eyes still closed as you stifled a yawn. He chuckled, grabbing a handful of sand and watching it slip past his fingers, “you sound tired.”  “Haven’t been sleeping too well.” You muttered, lifting your head from his shoulder so that you could look at him. “How come?” He asked quickly, his expression growing slightly worried, something that did nothing to help your quick heartbeat. “Oh, well… I mean, it sounds stupid.” You said with a laugh, his serious expression making you go on as you shuffled, crossing your legs as you fully turned to look at him, your knees resting against his when he mirrored your position. “It started a few nights ago. Things are slightly weird at home, and I know it sounds stupid but it almost feels like there’s a ghost haunting me.” 

He looked at you for a moment, expression serious, before his lips twisted upwards, a quiet laugh bubbling from him, easily going unnoticed had it not been for the movement of his shoulders.

You placed your hands over them, holding them down as if that could stop his laughing fit, starting to laugh with him when his hands flew up to grip onto your arms for support, head tilted forward as he tried catching his breath.

“Sorry,” he muttered, looking up to find your face inches away from his, his blush returning as quickly as yours, laughter slowly dying, even if his smile remained. “Sorry.” He repeated, pulling back. “It’s just, the other day you said that ‘ghosts aren’t real’.” You didn’t think he had heard, considering he was all the way at the pool tables. Or was he? You tried thinking back, not remembering him anywhere near Hangman. “Stealth pilot, yeah.” He answered, almost replying to your question. “You didn’t see me, but I had gone to the bathroom. I had just walked past Hangman when you said that.” He continued his explanation, a playful look in his eyes. “Huh. Impressive.” You replied, letting your hands fall on his knees for a moment only, not resisting the touch. “But yeah, a ghost is haunting me, look at that.”  “What kind of haunting?” He asked, suddenly curious. He had always enjoyed paranormal programs, ghost hunting and the likes, even if he was a non-believer, simply not finding the idea of ghosts, ghouls or demons realistic. “Tv turning on and off, motion sensor light activating when no one’s there, doorbell ringing when no one’s there, … oh, weird sounds. Stuff like that.”  “I feel like most of that can be explained. Maybe you need to switch your batteries out?” He offered, still finding the whole situation hilarious. “Sure, everything started happening at the same time four days ago because all of my batteries are dead.”  “Almost dead.” He corrected. “Okay, almost dead.” You said, rolling your eyes, “but if that ghost decides to kill me tonight, my life’s on you.” You joked, this time watching him roll his eyes. “Okay, okay, well, I…” he rarely was shy around you, having grown used to your presence and humor and having hung out enough to truly consider you a friend, but he looked a little uncertain as he spoke, this time. “I could come over, if you’d like. Watch a scary film, catch the ghost, eat candy and tell each other some scary stories.”  “You really don’t want me to sleep, huh?” You jokingly said, pushing his shoulder back to tease him. 

“Floyd planning on keeping you up all night?” Phoenix spoke, draping her arms around your shoulders, her words carrying the sweet smell of the strawberry cocktail she was sipping on.  “Nat.” You heard him whisper, sending her a warning glance. You understood the connotation of her words, knowing they were a silent dig at you, not at him. After all, you were the one with the crush. “I have a ghost at home and he offered to help me catch it.” You said looking up at her, her head slipping from resting on the top of your head to rest against your cheek instead. She clearly was a little drunk, taking the chance to be since they had the next day off, and she became a little more clingy than usual when she was.  “Ah, of course he did.” She smirked, and even if you couldn’t see that you could perfectly see Bob’s reaction, his eyes begging her to be quiet while her words tinted his cheeks to the color of her drink. “Well, good look with that.” She mumbled, sending Bob a wink as she slipped back inside, the door clinking as it closed behind her.

You sat in silence for a moment, looking up at the stars, the salty air kissing your skin. He kept his eyes on you, unable to peer them away from your lips, their dark colour suiting you so well.  He truly was bewitched.

“I love the night.” You whispered, looking back down at him. He looked so cute, his hair parted differently and glasses big and round, suiting him almost as much as his regular glasses did. But it was the blue and red neon lights from the Hard Deck that completed the scene, casting purple highlights on his skin, his look almost ethereal, somehow. “Can I take a picture of you?” You asked quietly when he only nodded at your statement, watching him stutter out an answer. “Well, I-… I mean, sure, I just- I… don’t usually look good.”  You pulled up your phone, looking at him through the viewfinder and snapping the first picture, his eyes still wide from your question. “You’re very photogenic, Bob, and you do look good.”  You snapped another picture after speaking your words, his smile genuine in the second snapshot. “Look.” You said, turning the phone his way to show him, his eyes still on you. “Can we take a photo together?” He asked you, this time. You had few photos with Bob, always getting lost in the moments you shared with him, often enjoying the time together too much to remember to document it with a picture. “Sure.” You said, standing to sit next to him, handing him your phone as you rested your head on his shoulder, smiling at the camera. 

It was a cute picture, one you surely would print to hang on your wall, his smile soft matching your own, except you both were secretly looking at each other, the cause of your smile kept a secret from one another.

“I like myself next to you.” He said softly, studying the photo on your phone.  It was a simple comment, but it still made you blush, the honesty behind it. You stayed like that for a little while longer, resting your head on his shoulder, stifling a yawn when the tiredness snuck up on you again. “Tired?” He whispered, lowering his hand to meet yours, interlocking your fingers together and squeezing them once out of reflex, feeling how well they fit together. “A little.” You mumbled back, smiling up when you looked at him, his lips a little too close for you to think anything other than how easy it would be to reach up and kiss them.  “Let’s go then.” He said, breaking your thought process and tugging you up with him, his hand never leaving yours. You walked hand in hand in hand, ignoring Phoenix’s look and smirk and just squeezing his hand once, walking towards the rest of the squad to wish them a good night. 

He held your hand all the way to your home, thankful that it wasn’t too far, considering that the pretty heels you were wearing that were slowly starting to hurt, but you ended up wishing it was a longer way when his hand slipped out of yours, setting on the small of your back as you opened the door and inviting him in, taking his jacket and leading him to the couch. “Would you like something to drink? I have lemonade.” You offered cheerfully, this whole routine familiar from the many late night chats and occasional movie nights you had shared. 

You always made sure to be stocked up, occasionally buying different ones to try to find his favorite, keeping some snacks you knew he liked too, knowing he’d never request anything specific but slowly picking up on what his favorites were. “I’d love that.” He said with a small nod, leaning back and resting his head, grabbing a hold of the remote when you handed it to him. 

With the drinks set on the table you sat by his side, going through the movies being shown and settling on a cheesy horror, more than happy to chat rather than watch jocks and cheerleaders being killed one by one. “I’ll put the remote over there, so if the ghost decides to turn the tv off there’s no doubt about it being one of us.” You said with a smirk, choosing to joke about this, no matter how much nervousness it had caused you over the past few days. “Sure. But what if the ghost doesn’t appreciate our film choice?” He teased, pulling his tongue out at you. “Then said ghost will have to suck it up.” 

You sat on the sofa, your legs resting on his as the movie played, the blonde cheerleader screaming as she ran away from the killer, the scene cliché enough to not even phase you. “Do you think you’d survive in a horror film?” You asked him after a while, lifting your head to look at him. “People barely see me most of the time, so hopefully a killer also wouldn’t.” He chuckled, hand resting on your leg, the warmth of his hand making your skin buzz beneath it. “I see you.” You said, wishing you were closer to hold his hand, or show him that you cared, somehow. “I know.” He said honestly, smiling.  You kept his eyes on him, feeling like maybe you could say something, but the doorbell went off, making your legs jolt away from his, suddenly feeling tense again. “I’ll go check.” He said, standing and moving towards the door, feeling your hand grip his arm after less than a step. “Not letting you go alone.” You mumbled, knowing he was wondering why you had joined him.  And just like each night, the door was opened to reveal nobody there, the chilly air making its way into the apartment.

Bob took another step forward, stepping outside and keeping you behind him, shielding you from whatever was waiting in the dark. “Hello?” He called out, shushing you when you laughed. “What?” He asked you then, looking at you curiously. “Think you’ll need a ouija board if you want to talk to it.”  “Maybe it wouldn’t be angry if you stopped calling it it.” He said back, pulling his tongue out at you. “You just called it it too.” You argued, smirking up at him. “Guess we’ll just have to be haunted together, then.” He teased, letting go of your hand to wrap his arm around your shoulder instead.

You felt so comfortable in his arms, so safe, and even if you wouldn’t reveal it to him, you couldn’t help the feeling blooming in your chest, and you mentally cursed when you reached the coach again, thinking that he’d let you go, but he didn’t, making you rest on his chest instead as you watched the unfortunate future of those teens, too dumb to make any right choices, it seemed.

He chuckled at the exaggerated scream another character let out, holding onto you as he did. You could barely concentrate, too focused on how it felt to be in his arms, how his heart sounded under your cheek, how his arm was wrapped protectively around you.  You looked up again, taking in how he looked in these lights, the colors changing as the film went on, his lips settled into a relaxed smile, his blue eyes shining bright.  He looked down at you, eyes darting between your eyes and your lips, feeling time slow down. Yet you both looked up when the detective on the screen shouted “Hands up!”, the volume sounding louder that it initially had, making you jolt as the killer was soon to be revealed. You held your breath in, not really for the revelation that was about to happen on the screen, but for what had almost happened between you and Bob. 

Your eyes were trailed on the tv, too afraid to look anywhere else as the killer was slowly getting illuminated by the police lights, the camera panning up, reaching higher and higher until…

The tv turned off. 

You glanced at the screen, seeing the remote resting near it, glancing up at Bob to prove what you meant. “See? I didn’t turn it off.” You huffed, cheeks still red from the almost-kiss, even if now the paranormal was back in mind.  “This is the most annoying ghost. Right before we get to find out who the killer is.” He muttered, head turning to the side when he saw the motion light turn on.  “Huh.” He hummed at that, furrowing his eyebrows. You tried not to mind that he seemed so normal, unable to see his cheeks in the dark, but still, he didn’t seem bothered by you two almost kissing. Were you reading too much into this? “You see, motion lights usually die when the batteries do, and ghosts wouldn’t activate them, technically.” He said, suddenly an expert ghost hunter. “Which means…?” You trailed on, not liking where this was going. “That this is a person.” 

His expression switched from a softer one to a harsher one, seeing what Natasha had once described to you as his “serious look”, one he only donned while taking notes about important maneuvers, up in the air and when he felt in danger.

Only this time he didn’t feel in danger, he felt like you were, which was worse.

“You stay here.” He said sternly, pushing you back against the couch, both of his hands holding your shoulders, not wanting you to move. He was going to deal with this. “I’m going out.” It wasn’t a question, and his eyes were focused, cold, as he looked at you once again, gaze falling to the window behind you, looking over the garden. “You stay here.” He repeated, studying your face for one moment longer before standing and walking out back, his steps quiet enough that you didn’t even hear as he descended the stairs. You couldn’t get his eyes out of your head, how different they looked when they sensed danger, how quickly he leaped into action, how he glanced at your lips once more before going out the door. You cursed yourself for not moving sooner, getting distracted instead by the tv when what you had been waiting for was finally happening. 

A scream broke the silence, and your train of thought, mainly, yet not close to Bob’s, meaning it must’ve been the mystery man.  It was when his name was said that you realized who was in your garden.  “Bob?” you heard coming from outside. 

Hangman.

You had been scared of Hangman.  Not a ghost, not a demon, not even a creep that had decided on scaring you around Halloween. 

No, Hangman.

“What the hell are you doing here? Ow! Ow, ow, Bob, wait!”  You stood, knowing that there was no danger anymore, standing at your door with your arms crossed. You watched as Bob dragged Hangman by the ear up to your front porch, the scene funny enough to make you smile. “Happy Halloween!” He said, trying to free himself from Bob’s hold. “Dick move, Hangman.” You spoke, giving a small nod to Bob, fine with letting him go now, but Bob shook his head, pulling on his ear, making him hiss at the tug. “Dude!” “Apologize.” Bob said back, set on not letting him go until he did. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled, looking more annoyed than sorry. “Did that sound sincere to you?” Bob asked you, his eyes finding yours with a sweetness they had lost when the motion light had turned on, determination having taken its place.  “Not really, no.” You said, playing along. You didn’t really mind, seeing Bob holding Hangman by the ear enough of an apology for you. Actually, this was a great image. You raised a finger, telling Bob to wait a moment, running to the couch and grabbing your phone, opening the camera as you walked out, snapping a picture of the scene. “Oh, c’mon.” He grumbled, trying to pull away. “Apologize once more and you’re free.” Bob said, smirking at you when he saw you were still pointing the phone at them. “I’m sorry.” He said again, this time his tone was deemed sincere enough, making Bob let go of him.

He straightened up, wiping his shirt down in a theatrical manner, swinging the cloak behind his back like a truly ridiculous vampire. “How did you do it all?” You asked, not really out of curiosity, but because you needed to make sure it didn’t happen again.  “Universal remote for your tv. Doorbell was… me ringing your doorbell and hiding.”  “Like a child.” Bob muttered as you nodded along. “Motion sensor was an accident. I just happen to be a physical being.”  You chuckled, shaking your head. “Go enjoy your night, instead of ruining mine.” you said, still annoyed but less so now that you knew what, or who, was causing all of the weirdness.  “No more?” Bob asked, not wanting to be disturbed anymore tonight and not wanting you to get disturbed in the future. “Promise I’ll stop. It just felt funny with the whole ‘ghosts aren’t real’ talk.” Bob hummed, pushing Jake away with a quick good night, having had enough of him.  He reached you and closed the door behind the two of you, smiling when he saw your relief. “We never found out who the killer was.” You muttered, breaking the silence. “No, but we caught the ghost.” He joked, his hand reaching up to rest on your cheek, making your breath get stuck in your throat once again, the touch new and foreign. 

You were great friends, and often cuddled, held hands or simply rested on each other, it wasn’t new, but this was, feeling more intimate somehow. “There’s something else I never found out.” He whispered, thumb rubbing your cheek softly as you looked at him, his blue eyes peering into yours once more. “What?” You asked, eyes glancing at his lips before focusing back on the shade of blue you loved so much. “If we were going to kiss.” 

He waited, smiling when you nodded, glancing at his lips again.

“Can I kiss you now?” He asked after another moment, leaning a little closer, leaving you to close the distance between the two of you.  “Yes.” You hummed, pushing yourself up to meet his lips, taking a deep breath when you felt him against you, the hand that wasn’t holding your cheek slipping around your waist, pulling you flush against him. Your arms rose to wrap around his shoulders, smiling against his lips when you felt him melt into you, all of that nervousness you had held when it came to him leaving the second he deepened the kiss, pulling away to look at you again, the thumb grazing your cheek falling over your lips, tracing where his had just been. He chuckled, resting his forehead against your own. “So, I promised you a scary movie, and we watched one. Promised to catch a ghost, and we caught him.” He spoke matter of factly, tilting his head to the side, “That leaves…” “Candies and scary stories.” you said, quoting his earlier words. “Now, as much as I don’t think there’s anything as sweet as you…” he trailed on, laughing when you scoffed at his words. “You’re so cheesy.” You said softly, dropping your arms to rest at his waist, holding him close to you.

He tilted his head, reaching down to press a feather-light kiss on your lips, not getting enough of it now that he knew what it felt like.  “I’ll grab some snacks, and we can snuggle on the couch?” You offered, untangling from him and immediately missing him, walking towards the cabinet to grab a few different things, from savory to sweet, along with another bottle of your drinks, the taste of his lemonade still lingering on your lips. “I’d love that, yeah.”  He moved back, grabbing a fluffy blanket and placing it on his legs, waiting for you to place everything on the table before enveloping you in it, his strong arms wrapped around you as he kissed you again. “Out of all the trick or treating I’ve done, this is definitely the best treat.” He whispered as he pulled away, gaze raking over your features before leaning back towards you, your lips meeting his again as you giggled, pulling him closer still against you, not wanting to let him go.

[nobedofroses]

December 28th

pairing: Joel Miller x reader

warnings: a little angsty and then fluffy!

words: 1.7k

a/n: sad reader and then happy bc of Joel! lonely/kisses/first dates prompt from @toomanystoriessolittletime's winter writing challenge ❄️

more Joel, Full List

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In the ten days or so since you had given Joel your number, the holidays had passed and you had been in a bit of a slump in the gap before New Year’s. Joel hadn’t called, well he had but you hadn’t talked to him. He called while you were at work one day and had to leave a voicemail explaining that he was really trying to find a sitter, but with everything going, none of his usuals were available and his brother wasn’t around either. You knew he was telling you the truth, but it didn’t help that you didn’t see him and Sarah at the normal story time since the bookstore was closed last Saturday. 

Christmas was never quite what you hoped for because of family drama and friends being out of town with their families. It left you alone most of the time since the owners of the bookstore liked to close for more than just the holiday to give staff a chance to recuperate after the busiest time of the year. 

With no reason to leave your apartment and your roommates gone, the only people you saw were the ones walking on the street you could see from your window. The overcast skies but lack of snow made you feel even more lethargic and you whiled away most of your time laying on your bed and staring out the window. 

You were doing that, but on your couch one mid morning when you were startled out of your daze by your phone ringing. It took you a second to realize what was happening, so you had to rush over and grab it off the hook before the last ring. 

“Hello?” you asked, cringing at how you sounded out of breath. 

“Hey, it’s Joel,” came his nice, low voice and your mood suddenly improved. 

“Hi,” was all you could think to say, forgetting that the adoring look on your face couldn’t stand in for words if you were on the phone. 

Joel’s warm chuckle came across the line and you felt your cheeks get warm, “Hi. Listen, I know it’s incredibly late notice, but my brother has decided that today is his day to be magnanimous and has offered to babysit. If… you still wanna go on that date?” 

Something in your chest pulled at his hesitance and you looked at the clock, thinking that if you went to dinner you’d have plenty of time to pull yourself out of this funk, “What time were you thinking?” 

“Well, that’s the other thing. Tommy has to be somewhere, actually has to be there at 6:00. So anytime between now and about 5:30 I’m all yours, dependin’ on where in town you live,'' Joel explained, and even him calling himself “all yours” wasn’t enough to keep your stomach from sinking. 

“Oh, well I— I wasn’t planning on leaving my apartment so soon, I’m not— I’m not really ready for the day yet,” you admitted, hoping he wouldn’t judge you for just laying around when he was surely always on the go with a five year old and a full time job. But you hastened to add, “I do, um, really want to see you though.” 

“Me too, and there’s no pressure to do anything fancy. We can just talk and spend time… if you don’t want to leave your place at all I could always… come over?” 

Surprisingly, the idea of him coming to your apartment felt better than leaving. It wasn’t messy; you didn’t really make any mess when all you did was sit on the couch. And all you would have to do is put on clean comfy clothes and wrangle your hair a bit and you’d be totally presentable. 

“Okay, yeah. Yeah, I’d like it if you came over,” you told him, and a few minutes later, he was hanging up so he could get Sarah settled with Tommy and on his way. 

You knew you had about half an hour before he got there and decided to double check that nothing needed cleaning. After a few dishes were added to your dishwasher, a few blankets folded on the couch, and putting on fresh clothes, all you had to do was wait. 

Then you wondered if you should be making anything, if you had any food or anything to offer Joel once he got there. You checked your fridge and found some apples and your cupboards and found peanut butter and cookies. It was better than nothing, you supposed. You spent the next little bit cutting the apples and plating everything, and then found a couple sodas tucked away in a cupboard and put them in the fridge to chill. You didn’t even know if he liked soda. Everything you had seemed like for a kid and you smiled at the irony that Sarah wouldn’t be there. 

Before long, your intercom buzzed and you let Joel into the building and then into your apartment. Just the sight of him made you feel better, and when he smiled and held out a little bouquet and some chocolate candy, you bypassed both and moved through his open arms to hug him. 

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said with a little surprise. He was able to put the flowers and chocolates down on your entryway side table and hug you back, his strong arms wrapping around you and making you feel safe. 

Joel hugged you until you let go, and your eyes were shining and unsure as you looked at him, “Sorry, thank you.” 

“Nothing to be sorry about, honey. Are you alright?” he asked, brushing the back of his hand along your cheek. 

“It’s just holiday blues, I think,” you told him, tilting your head into his hand when he cradled your jaw. 

He pursed his lips and nodded, “Why don’t we get these flowers in some water and then you can tell me all about it.” 

As you were doing that, Joel found the apples and peanut butter and cookies and told you it was the perfect snack, just what he liked and you were still a little embarrassed but he made you feel better. 

The two of you sat on the couch, Joel in the corner facing you with a leg bent to be on the cushion and the other with his foot on the ground. You sat criss-cross facing him, but you didn’t actually look at him most of the time. At least not his face. His hands, you watched, his mouth as he took bites or answered you, his throat as he swallowed. You focused on these parts of him as you told him about your feelings lately. 

When you trailed off, Joel hummed and finally you looked up at him. He was looking at you with these soft eyes and you felt warm inside. Also like you needed another hug. 

You opened your mouth to ask but didn’t know how and Joel saw your nervous movement. “C’mere, sweetheart.” 

He held his arms out to you and, with a little adjusting, you sat between his legs and leaned into his chest with his arms wrapped around you again. 

“You know, we missed you too,” he murmured, rubbing a hand up and down your back. 

“You did?” you asked, surprised. 

“Mhmm, Sarah kept asking to see her teacher and go to the bookstore. It took a lot of convincing and her stubbornly refusing to believe me until finally I distracted her with one of the books I got with you,” his voice comforted you, being able to feel it rumble in his chest. “Anyway, she’s demanding we go an extra time since we missed one. Not that there’s another class. I guess we’ll just come and browse. But I have to make sure and do it while you’re there or she’ll get upset, you know how it is. Maybe Friday next week again? But in the afternoon, she only has a half day on Fridays.” 

When you didn’t respond after a few seconds, Joel realized you were asleep, feeling your even breathing on his chest and smiling to himself. He was glad you were at least feeling comfortable enough to sleep, it hurt his heart seeing you so down. 

You only slept for about seven minutes, but when you woke up your whole mood was different. You felt refreshed and happy and a little awkward that you fell asleep on him. 

When you looked up at Joel, he smiled down at you and said, “Hi, sleeping beauty. I’d say good morning, but you were only asleep for a bit.” 

“You weren’t sleepy?” you asked with a little smile. 

“Mmm, I was dozing off just now, but I can fall asleep any time anywhere. Side effect of having a five year old,” he joked. 

You frowned, sorry that you interrupted him by waking up. “Should we take a nap? A real one? In my bed?” 

Joel raised his eyebrows, “I’m just joking, sweetheart. Mostly. I don’t want to spend our time together sleeping if you’re just doing it for me.” 

“No, no I want to. Just being close to you makes me feel… good. You make me feel good,” you had sat up a little bit as you talked and moved closer too until you were only a couple inches from him. Both of you were silent for a couple seconds, letting the magnetism of the moment draw you closer. 

Then you were kissing each other, slow but deep as his tongue pressed into your mouth and you opened up for him with a moan. It was steadily getting hotter, faster, when suddenly Joel pulled back to yawn. 

“Oh— my gosh,” you laughed, smiling big when you saw the raspberry blush on his cheeks. “I guess you really need that nap.” 

Joel stammered out an apology, “I— I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t think I was that–”

“Hush, c’mon,” you told him, already standing and holding out a hand to him. “Maybe after you get a good rest we can get back to this. We will be somewhere a little more comfortable, anyway.” 

Joel took in your little smirk and shook his head, grinning, “Anything you want, sweetheart.”

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[authorchu]

Hard to Get

A/N: Hermione Granger was my childhood crush. I think that's why I find intelligent people to be very attractive. Enjoy :)

You're not alone in your feelings for Hermione Granger. The bright witch had captured the hearts of many at Hogwarts, including yours. As a top-performing Slytherin, you knew that you had to make an impression to get her attention. You worked hard in every class, participated in every club, and even tried to make small talk with her in the hallways.

Despite your efforts, Hermione seemed uninterested, and you felt discouraged. You began to avoid her, feeling like a fool for even trying. Little did you know that Hermione had secretly enjoyed your attention, even if she didn't show it.

One day, while you were studying in the library, Hermione cornered you. "Why have you been avoiding me?" she asked, her brown eyes studying your face.

"I thought you weren't interested," you mumbled, unable to meet her gaze.

Hermione's hand reached out and gently lifted your chin. "I was just caught up in my own studies, I didn't mean to make you feel that way," she said softly.

You felt your heart skip a beat as Hermione's thumb brushed against your cheek. "I like you, you know," she whispered.

Your eyes widened in surprise. "You do?"

Hermione nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "I like how hardworking you are, how determined you are to succeed. And I like that you're not afraid to be yourself, even in the face of adversity."

You felt your cheeks heat up at her words, and you couldn't help but smile. "I like you too, Hermione."

Hermione leaned in, her lips meeting yours in a gentle kiss. You felt like you were on top of the world, finally getting the attention of the witch you had been crushing on for so long. As you pulled away, you knew that this was just the beginning of something special.

Together, you and Hermione continued to excel in your studies, pushing each other to be the best that you could be. But more importantly, you supported each other, always there to lend a helping hand or a listening ear. You were grateful for the love you had found in each other and knew that nothing could ever tear you apart.

As your relationship with Hermione deepened, you began to learn more about each other. You discovered that she loved to read, just like you, and that she had a passion for advocating for the rights of marginalized groups. You admired her strength and determination, and it inspired you to become a better person.

Despite the disapproval of some of your Slytherin housemates, you and Hermione continued to grow closer. You found solace in each other's company, spending countless hours studying, exploring the Hogwarts grounds, and simply enjoying each other's presence.

One day, as you were walking together by the lake, Hermione turned to you with a serious expression. "I want to tell you something," she said, taking your hand in hers.

"What is it?" you asked, concerned.

"I love you," she said simply, looking deep into your eyes.

Your heart swelled with emotion as you gazed back at her. "I love you too, Hermione," you replied, feeling a wave of warmth spread through your body.

From that moment on, you knew that you were meant to be together. You stood by each other through thick and thin, facing the challenges of Hogwarts and the wizarding world together. And no matter what the future held, you knew that your love for each other would never falter.

As you sat together in the library, surrounded by books and the sound of pages turning, you felt Hermione's hand slip into yours. You looked up at her and saw the love and devotion in her eyes, and you knew that you had found your soulmate.

You leaned in for a tender kiss, feeling the warmth and comfort of each other's embrace. As you pulled away, you whispered words of love and devotion, knowing that no matter what happened in the future, your love for each other would always endure.

[denimini]

I want to ask your honest feeling about JK not posting anything for Jimin. He has a Tiktok Account. He could post a smfp2 or LC dance challenge. He could post a Letter photo on Weverse or write a small post on Weverse.

but he did nothing

A lot of big accounts told us to wait and see. I waited. I saw nothing.

You are the only one seeing things clearly. I really want your take on Jimin's birthday.Jimin showed us the pouch from Jin. He showed us the pancakes from Suga. He showed us the edit from Tae. RM JHope and Tae all posted for Jimin on Instagram. RM came and said Happy Birthday in person.

What happened?

I was one of those people who said, "Let's wait and see how things will play out" when that video first came out. Now, all I have to say can be summarized as "If he wanted to, he fucking would".

Let me elaborate on my thought process:

So far, the rumors about the video died down completely. Most likely, the company took care of the issues, and legal procedures are on their way. No confirmation of the identity of the person. JK said he doesn't have a girlfriend, and he wanted to focus on work for a couple of years. And that's it. Many of us waited for something big to happen in Jikook's land in light of everything, but we basically got nothing. JK is focused on his promotions, JM is doing his things. They see each other, they are on good terms but we haven't seen anything more than that. If they really were together, considering all the noise around the video, one would expect that they, especially JK, would make sure to do something to subtly show where his affections are and Jimin's birthday was the perfect opportunity for it, but alas, nothing again.

This isn't to say JK didn't congratulate him in private. In fact, he for sure did. JM himself said all the members did, but JK didn't post anything. We know JK isn't very consistent with congratulating the members on their birthdays. He had missed many such occasions before, and it isn't a big deal. Not everything should be on social media. Still, for years, he always made an exception for Jimin, and this year, he didn't. Why?

One could also argue that JK probably did something special for JM in private, besides a quick text, but we don't actually know that. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. From Jimin's words in his wlive, I am more inclined to think there were no special plans between the two of them. I'd wager and say each was busy through the day with his own thing, and they didn't even meet, but I could still be wrong. And yes, JK is very busy, but that doesn't really matter. When a person cares, they will find a way, especially for their partner and especially when they live in the same city. Jin did, and he is in the military ffs. And let's not forget, JM once traveled halfway through the world just to spend a few hours with JK on his birthday.

Even if I am wrong and JK actually did something for JM in private, so did all the other members, yet they still congratulated him on social media too, because they know the fans look out for it and expect it. And in the case they still hadn't done it, like with Suga, JM made sure to show what each of them did, so we would know, yet he didn't mention JK at all, other than to say he worries about him. I believe that if they really were together, no matter what, they would have done something on this day together, and we would somehow know of it, just like before in the past. All of that makes me believe there was nothing to tell or show.

All the speculations about private plans and meetings aside, I still I circle back to this question: "If JM was Jungkook's long-term partner, as people claim, would JK really not post anything, when it takes so little time, when he knows people, especially those who believe in them, are waiting for it, especially given the recent rumors about the video?". It would have been the perfect opportunity to showcase his affections for JM to the world. Given everything that recently happened, it's kind of shitty not to take this chance. Would JK be that type of boyfriend? I doubt it.

My conclusion hurts me, but it is the one that makes the most sense to me: Nothing special happened between Jikook on this day, because there is nothing more special between them. Right now, they seem to be just friends, and that's it. They love each other, they care for each other, and they have each other in their thoughts, but they are not together.

I would be more than happy to be wrong and will be the first one to admit it if new information comes up, but I won't be holding my breath.

[stuffymcstuffsworld]

Let's play a game!

Okay, so maybe you took things a little too far... in your defense, Furfur definitely started it! I mean, picking on your kids like that was just asking for trouble. Borderline begging. So you were unaware the boys would be working at a bar as "training" if it could even be called that.

But once they saw you, they tried desperately to keep their mentor away from you and telling you to run. You just eyed the so-called general. "Hey, cutie, wanna spend some time with me?" You suppose he was trying to appeal himself to you... somehow? It didn't work for obvious reasons. He was playfully flipping a coin that you noticed both your boys glaring at. Jazz, you could somewhat understand as he was the more emotional of the two but allocer as well? Curious.

"I'm afraid I don't devote any part of myself much less my time to someone who can't raise my... intreset." Your pause was brief, but heavily implying your word play. Combing your hand through your hair. You glanced at him rather boredly. "Oh! Is that a fact?" His tail waved back and forth, seeming rather pleased with your indifference. You tried not to laugh as you imagined him being a fish that took the bait.

"It is," you respond with a nod, waving the children away. "And seeing as you have nothing of value for me, I don't see any reason to continue this conversation." Making your way towards the bar with the demon hot on your heels. "Don't be like that! I'm sure we can find something to benefit us both." You watched as his eyes trailed down your body, and you couldn't prevent yourself from snorting.

"You say that, but...." You crossed your legs as you leaned against the bar now elbows resting casually on top. "Daddy didn't raise a dummy." You teased suitably, reminding him of your tet raked father, with narrowed eyes. "If you had something to wager, that would be a different story." You sighed forelornly.

"Wager!? Would you like to make a bet?" You could see the boys in the corner of your eyes trying to warn you. But you ignored their frantic attempts. "Oh? What do you have that I could possibly want?" Your voice mocking, but your inner self was cheerfully waving a banner and cackling like a second-rate Disney villain.

"What about them?" He gestures to his two trainees, and you pretended to freeze. Looking at him, you kept your voice low so as not to draw any attention. "What about the children?" He grinned, thinking he had caught you. "They've raked up a large debt, and of course, being their mentor, I kindly added mine to there's as well." You vaguely heard Jazz's and Allocer's voices behind you pleading not to go against him.

"They seem afraid. It must be pretty steep." A demon walked over and handed you a piece of paper. You eyed the amount written down. "So you wish to play using the children's debt as collateral. I must say congratulations, you have my attention." Turning your head, you locked eyes with Allocer, then Jazz. "This is going to take a while, darlings, sit down while the general and I come to terms of agreement. Do not go back to work until I tell you to understand?"

They reluctantly nodded worried expressions clear as day on their faces. They were gonna have to work on that, but they're still learning. Returning your gaze to your challenger, you smiled. "Let's play a game!" You cheerful tone slipping free as the greed took over you.

Furfur seemed to have matching thoughts as their own greedy smile shined through. "Don't cry when you lose, cutie!" As he held out a deck of cards. "I love cards! What are we playing, Poker? Rummy? BS? Gin?" Was your only response.

*five hours later*

Thus leading to you both getting carried away between drinking and playing. Playing against a Demon was so much fun. They knew the best ways to cheat and, of course, how to keep games going for hours on end.

During the game, if you had spotted fou play, you pointed it out to the boys choosing to use it as learning experiences rather than taking offense. Fur fur would get excited when you would point them out or make teasing comment about you letting him cheat. Your ingenious response had been. "Cheat all you want. That just means you can't complain if you lose." Lighting a fire in the demonic general.

Both boys had fallen asleep at this point. Jazz with his head on your shoulder, and Allocer snuggled up to your legs. Both you and your opponent stopped temporarily to take pictures and coo over the cute actions.

Well, at this point, you had cut the debts amount in half. Maybe if you had more time, you could do more, but it was already three in the morning. The bar would be closing soon. "Should we make this the last round tonight?" You asked while drawing a card from the deck.

Then general hummed in thought. "We should put those two to bed at least." You chuckled. "Awe, you do care. How adorable." The large demon scoffed. "As if you don't." As he discarded two cards.

"How could I not care? I do adore all my children." You beamed happily thinking of the misfit class. "That just not natural. See, I care cause those two are my lackeys now. But why is it that you care for that whole class. I mean, I know one of them is yours, but it still doesn't mean that you gotta care for all of them. Demons only look out for their own kind."

"You're wrong." The statement rang clearly thought the bar. Not a shout or even a curse. But the firm tone left no room for arguments. "It's as natural as it can be, and I'll the you why." Placing down your cards to reval a royal flush. "I'm greedy, and I love my family. So naturally, with me being so greedy, I'd want more family to love. Biologically, yes, iruma is an only child. But I can see it already. He's built unbreakable bonds with his classmates."

You reached out and patted both boys' heads as they clung closer in their sleep. "The children have accepted this fact and have reached out to me as well. Who am I to deny them the desire of comfort? Or for the need of a parent's affection? I am the person they chose. And I will greedily keep them until my last breath. They are mine just as I am theirs."

Watching Furfur as he tossed his own cards down, you saw a pair of 8's and a pair of 6's with a jack. You had won. The general laughed it was a full laugh that seemed to shake the room. "Damn, you're a lot of things, but at least you ain't boring." You beamed once more, a bright an warm look as you told him. "Let's play again sometime!"

[kirisaki-daichi-scenarios]

Kiridai if Kiridai were involved in agriculture

Britain edition because I know little to nothing about Japanese agriculture

Hanamiya Makoto

Large animal and equine vet

The type of vet who sells various prescription drugs under the counter (or, to be specific, from the boot of his car): everyone knows and no one calls him out on it, because cheaper drugs are cheaper drugs

There’s a rumour that he used to be a specialist small animal cardiologist abroad, best in the country, and only moved because he may or may not have made an ethically dubious decision that may or may not have resulted in his breaking criminal law

But he also has a great eye for spotting lameness that another vet would miss, and in general his diagnoses are never wrong, so livestock owners flock to him because one consultation almost always gets the job done, and equine owners flock to him because he always finds a problem to explain their paranoia 

Yamazaki Hiroshi 

Has a flock of sheep in the Uplands 

I.e. he spends lambing season in sideways rain and gales, getting soaked to the skin and swearing that he’ll give up on sheep, and yet he never does and never will

Breeds for meat, but dreams of a world where he could breed primarily for wool and earn a living from it 

Has a couple wethers living in his house full time - all were orphaned at birth and thus hand-reared by him, making him too attached to them to send them to slaughter

Also has a slightly deranged collie that still hasn’t quite figured out why it has to leave said wethers alone but herd all the other sheep

Names as many of his sheep as his memory can manage, even though he knows it just makes the goodbyes harder

Furuhashi Kojiro 

Flower farmer - has some bee hives on the side, and grows seasonal vegetables, but his primary focus/income is cut flowers

Has a good 400 varieties of flowers (everything from Achillea to Weigela) growing on his land for commercial use, most of which he will cut and organise for wedding and hotel arrangements and bouquets

Also grows his own rose breeds (one purple to red climbing rose; one mostly white with hints of purple Damask rose) but he rarely, if ever, sells any of the progeny. They’re practically his children, after all - you don’t sell your children

Some of them will see the inside of rose shows, and the climbing rose has been planted at a rose garden, but otherwise they spend his days in his garden

Meanwhile, the other flowers and the foliage both get sold throughout the year, as does the honey and the vegetables (at the local village market), and, though he doesn’t love cutting them, he doesn’t miss them like he would the roses 

Doesn’t use any insecticide or herbicide and very much judges flower farmers that do     

If he’s not silently tending to his plants for hours on end, then he’s grumbling about the loss of insects, and if he’s not grumbling about the loss of insects, he’s frowning reading the latest reports on climate change

His plans for the future involve an exceptionally sharp pair of scissors and a Bonsai tree

Seto Kentato

Large animal vet

Tried small animal for a while, and then equine, but neither worked because he found the owners talked too much or ‘loved their animals too much’ (aka made them obese). Hence moving onto, and sticking with, large animal. 

The farmers he works with know that he doesn’t like to talk too much, and can be brusque, but none of them care because he’s the best large animal vet in the area

Doesn’t particularly like cows but, for reasons unknown, cows really like him (and bulls despise him)

Can be found sleeping at the back of the clinic whenever he’s not on call

Thinking about getting some training and specialising in large zoo animals, for the added challenge - something about rhinos and elephants is calling his name

Hara Kazuya

He was a man child struggling with boredom and too much money for his own good, who therefore decided he’d try his hand at farming

Wasn’t initially sure what to farm - at one point, he was seriously considering snails - until he read that the ostrich industry had collapsed because no one could figure out how to keep them healthy in the UK. And he took that as a challenge.

Hence Hara, the ostrich farmer.

Went through a phase where he had his hair dyed half black and half white, to rep the ostriches

Keeps saying he’ll get a dangerous animal license, so he can get some pet zebras to continue with “the theme”… the mad* lad might just do it

He’s also the kind of owner to ask whether he can give his ostriches weed to help them chill out “because it works for people in the States”… it’s safe to say that his local vets avoid doing his call-outs as much as possible, 

The ostriches like him though :) 

The business is profitable, the animals are healthy so clearly he’s doing something right

*and by mad, I mean despicable. do not keep wild animals as pets.