#pale green and pink flannel

[abedsweaters]

sorry for the bad pic of the green and blue flannel but it only appears in this shot and never again

See other polls here.

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[fox-guardian]

[ID: Digital drawings of the OIAR staff from The Magnus Protocol as anthropomorphic cats on a gray background. They are all full body drawings. Sam is a black and white tuxedo cat, Alice is an orange and white cat with a bob tail, Celia is a Cornish Rex with a purple and white mottled "salty licorice" coat. Teddy is a brown British shorthair, Colin is a light brown Lykoi, Gwen is a fluffy diluted calico, and Lena is a shorthaired grey tabby with a bob tail.

The first image shows Sam, Alice, and Celia. Sam is shorter and fat, and he has curly black hair, and he is smiling with his hand held in front of him lightly touching. He is wearing a cream mockneck shirt, dark brown cardigan, and dark red trousers. Alice is tall and lanky, and she has shaggy light brown hair with faded pink tips, two pairs of silver earrings and snakebites, and she is wearing a burgundy bra, a patchwork skirt made of flannels in shades of gray, brown, and pink, a few bracelets, and pink cat-eye glasses and pink painted claws. She is slouching slightly with one arm crossed over the other, smiling and waving. Celia is slightly less tall and slim, and has short black hair, gold industrial piercings, X-shaped earrings and snakebite studs. She is wearing a light green button-down, purple vest with gold buttons, dark green trousers, a black cuff on her wrist, and rectangular glasses. She is standing and facing slightly to the side, with one hand around her back holding her other arm while that hand fidgets.

The second image is of Teddy and Colin. Teddy is fat and has a goatee and mustache, and small gold hoop earrings. He is wearing a gold and brown argyle sweater vest, a pale yellow button-down, a gold tie, and brown belt and trousers. He is smiling and waving with his other hand holding onto the side of his belt. Colin is skinny with pale skin visible through patches of fur, and he has a mustache, large cat whiskers, blue eyes, and small silver earrings. He is wearing a yellow t-shirt under a blue button-down and light brown hoodie, blue jeans with brown knee patches, a couple bracelets, and rectangular glasses with yellow lenses. He is snarling and hunched with his ears back and claws bared, looking furious.

The third image shows Gwen and Lena. Gwen is shorter and mid-sized with long blonde hair in a ponytail, and she is wearing a white button-down, gray sweater, and black pencil skirt. Her hands are balled into fists at her sides and looks annoyed at the viewer. Lena is taller and slim, with light brown hair in a bun, and silver oval glasses on a chain. She is wearing a red button-down, a brown belt, and white trousers. She has a neutral expression and one arm crossed over the other while the free hand lifted and fidgeting with her claws.

The fourth image is a lineup of all of them. In order: Sam, Alice, Celia, Gwen, Colin, Teddy, Lena. end ID]

~~~~

the magnyas protocol. protocat. catocol. catnus protocol. k. kitties <3

[laviefantasie]

It Kinda Makes Sense

Pairings: Alive!Luke Patterson x Alive!Reader

Summary: Los Feliz High School, the best school for future actors, singers, or any kind of artists. Home to the top couple formed by Luke Patterson, the perfect boy soon-to-be rockstar, and Y/N Y/L/N, troubled goth girl with the voice of an angel. A match make in heaven... or hell.

{ BASED ON VICTORIOUS’ JADE AND BECK }

| MASTERLIST |

If you asked Julie Molina what had been her first thought once she had stepped foot on Los Feliz she would say it had been... confusing.

The school was beautiful, with bright blue lockers decorated in unbelievable ways to adolescents dressed as bright blue bobcats. It was truly a sight.

The other thing that was a sight was the group of students that captured most of the other teenagers’ attention. Especially two teens who happened to be having what appeared to be a screaming battle. Screaming battle that ended once ice e/c eyes found Julie’s across the hallway.

“Lost something, shorty?” The unknown girl snaps, “MIND YOUR BUSINESS!”

Her words had caused the boy she had previously been fighting with to sigh in shame before looking her way.

Julie’s breath got stuck in her throat.

The boy was beautiful. Scratch that, he was handsome. Untaimed brown hair with wild hazel —maybe green— eyes, the boy could be anyone’s dream boy.

“Y/N, could you not?”

Julie’s brown eyes move to the girl glaring daggers at her only to have her heart skip a beat. The girl —Y/N apparently— was breathtakingly beautiful. She had wavy h/c hair with some dark blue streaks that matched her skin color perfectly and powerful e/c eyes.

Said girl rolls her eyes before glaring at Julie once more before focusing once again on the pretty boy besides her.

“Fine. I won’t. But this conversation is over”

“We haven’t even had the conversation!” The boy argues back.

“And it’s over!”

The dark-dressed girl stomps off leaving the boy groaning in frustration. Julie taking that opportunity to check out the rest of the group.

With her back pressed to a locker decorated with different colorful fabrics stood a light brown haired girl —could be dark blonde— with brown eyes dressed in a beautiful pink dress and black heels to match. She seemed to be debating whether to follow her friend or staying still.

Besides her was a dark-haired boy with sky blue eyes standing out thanks to his pale skin. He was wearing a leather jacket on top of a white shirt, with a red flannel tied on his waist, and black jeans. His eyes glued to the floor.

Lastly, there was the blond boy with a pink hoodie and blue —sometimes green— eyes. He seemed to be pretty used to what had just happened.

The blond one is the one who noticed her still staring at them, offering a sweet smile before walking towards her and stretching his hand.

“Hi, I’m Alex. I’ve never seen you before”

She grabs his hand with a small smile, “Julie. I’m new”

Her name seems to snap the leather jacket boy from his trance, his bright blue eyes soon finding hers with a big smile adorning his features.

“You’re the girl that sang for Flynn on the school’s talent show! I’m Reggie”

Julie blushes as soon as he speaks, everyone’s eyes staring at her with realization and a little of awe.

“Flynn is my best friend, I just wanted to help her out”

“Well, it worked for you. You got a scholarship” pretty boy adds, “I’m Luke”

Julie cannot help the way her smile grows as soon as he smirks at her. He seriously had to be the most gorgeous boy she had ever seen.

The pretty light brown haired girl with the pink dress joins her friends in greeting her, Julie blushing under the vibrant smile she gives her.

“Hi! I’m Carrie”

Julie goes to grab her hand but the girl —Carrie— pulls her in for a hug. The gesture has Julie’s shoulders tensing, she hadn’t willingly hug anyone after her mother’s death a few months ago, but she soon forced herself to relax.

This was a new start. No pity stares or whispers directed at her.

“It’s nice to meet you guys”

After that meeting the curly-haired girl became a part of their weird group of friends. Soon learning that the beauty ice queen dressed in all black was Y/N Y/L/N, Los Feliz High School’s prodigy and Luke’s girlfriend.

It was no secret that the girl was talented, but she was as talented as scary. Julie hadn’t listened too much of everyone’s warnings, she was sure it was all because of how she dressed and acted and not at all for the kind of person she truly was.

Boy, was she wrong.

She learned that the hard way after getting a role on a play Y/N wanted. A role that played Luke’s romantic interest.

She had ended up one rehearsal with hot coffee thrown at her and icy e/c eyes glaring daggers at her with a sweet —fake— smile. Luke’s apologies were not enough to calm the humiliation Julie felt.

And even if the brown-haired latina wasn’t fond of vengeance, she couldn’t stop herself. And if she kissed Luke longer than necessary after sending a wink the goth girl’s way, it was a mere coincidence.

A coincidence that resulted in her having to watch her back every time she stepped on school’s property.

But things did get better with time and Julie and Y/N became kinda friends. At least enough for Y/N to tolerate Julie and for Julie to not be afraid to sit close to the scissors fanatic.

They were okay. As okay as someone could be with the girl who kissed the other’s boyfriend. But okay nevertheless.

But the more time she spent at the school and the closer she got to all of them, the more she doubted the health of Luke’s and Y/N’s relationship. Today being one of those days.

“What are you saying?!”

“I’m just saying, what kind of friend sends you eight messages in a lapse of five minutes?!”

As soon as the words leave the screaming girl’s mouth, Luke’s phone rings signaling the arrival of another text message making Y/N’s glare darken.

“Nine” she growls.

“You don’t even know if it’s from her!”

Y/N glares at him in disbelief, “Okay! Then prove me wrong!”

With a scoff, Luke gets his phone out before checking the recipient of the message only to let out a sigh that proves his girlfriend right.

“Nine?”

He nods in defeat, “Nine. B-but this is ridiculous! She is my FRIEND”

“How naive are you?!”

The couple fights for a couple more minutes before Luke’s gaze finds Julie in front of her butterfly and music doodles decorated locker. The rockstar grabbing his girl’s hand before tugging her towards the latina.

“Julie!”

Her brown eyes find the couple, widening when they see the coldness in Y/N’s eyes before trying to make a run for it.

She doesn’t make it far as Luke’s hand grabs a hold of her wrist keeping her in place.

“We need your help”

“No, we don’t” Y/N argues back.

“YES, we do”

Julie looks at her surroundings looking for a way to get out of there but finding nothing. Where was Alex when she needed him?

“Guys, I really don’t want to be in the middle of whatever this is”

She tries to leave but once again Luke pulls her back, “Too late. If you were my girlfriend—”

“HA! What a perfect way to start”

Luke glares at his girlfriend for the interruption before turning towards Julie once again, failing to notice how uncomfortable the situation was making the latina.

Somehow she was once again in between them, although this time it wasn’t her fault.

“If you were my girlfriend” he starts again, “Would it bother you if I was friends with Kayla?”

“Who cares what she thinks?” / “Honestly, it would”

Both girls speak simultaneously. Y/N’ eyes widening as soon as the Latina’s words register, grabbing a hold of the girl’s shoulders to keep her in place.

“I care what she says” Y/N smiles.

“I want to leave” Julie adds before trying to move only for Y/N’s hold to tighten.

“You stay” she barks.

The argument wasn’t unlike many others, Y/N’s temper wasn’t the best and that meant she sometimes got too jealous. It didn’t help that Luke Patterson didn’t know when to say no nor know the difference between friendly and flirty.

It was just another Luke and Y/N argument, nothing to worry about. Except it was different. Julie realized that as soon as Y/N let go of her and started walking away.

“We’re DONE”

The words had everyone in the hallway quiet down and stare at the ‘it’ couple. Eyes settled on Luke’s surprised reaction and Y/N’s tensed body.

“Come on” Luke voices “You’re being ridiculous”

“What do you care?!” She screams back before starting to leave, “You’re not my boyfriend anymore”

Word around the school traveled fast and soon girls were following Luke around begging for his attention, much to his annoyance.

On the other hand, every time a guy tried to get near Y/N she would turn her icy glare at them and have them running away in seconds.

It was a weird and new situation. Especially at lunch. It was weird seeing the former couple sitting on opposite sides of the table instead of at the side of the other with Luke’s arm resting on Y/N’s shoulders.

It was new territory to have Luke inevitably —as a habit— reach for Y/N only to have her snap at him to not touch her, just as she did to everyone else.

But that was what they had to deal with for two weeks.

Two weeks is how long it took for Y/N to ask Luke to take her back only to have him reject her. Two weeks that made Y/N go crying to Julie’s house, the only one of her friends —not really her friend— whose opinion mattered much less than the others.

“What are you doing in my house?” Is the first thing that Julie says as she sees the other girl.

Y/N gets into the house without waiting for an invitation before starting to sob, Julie standing there in panic as she sees the cold hearted teenager break down.

The latina tries to go for a hug only to be pushed back.

“I need your help”

A long talk later, Y/N convinced the Molina girl to help her get Luke back. Somehow, Julie had the fantastic idea that she had to change.

Y/N Y/L/N was a time bomb. Always ready to explode without a care on who she takes down. That had to change.

Julie realized then that the girl was truly in love with Luke. Y/N was letting her —Julie Molina— see her cry her eyes out just to ask for help to get him back. She was letting Julie give her a makeover just to get him back.

She was truly in love.

The next day at school everyone stared wide-eyed at the beauty that was Y/N Y/L/N in a colorful outfit and a wide smile —though it was a fake one—.

Everyone except Luke. The brunette boy stared at his former girlfriend with furrowed eyebrows not liking the change, his expression not changing even when Alex and Reggie complimented her.

He also couldn’t help the glares he sent any boy who came to flirt with her, his glares darkening every time she flirted back. This was not his girl and he knew whose fault it was.

His now dark green eyes find Julie’s proud smile across the hall and soon he stomps towards her, grabbing her by the arm before taking her to the janitor’s closet.

“What did you do to Y/N?”

Julie furrows her eyebrows in confusion as she sees the angry look the guitarist is giving her, but soon smirks as she confuses it with jealousy.

“What? Jealous of the attention she is receiving?”

“Actually, I’m mad that she is receiving the attention for dressing like a Barbie” he argues back, “That is not her, that is not the girl I love”

Julie’s eyes widen after the boy’s words before he storms off, leaving her with an unexpected knowledge.

The latina goes to look for Y/N as soon as she snaps out of her trance only to find said girl in the bathroom back in her black clothes while doing her dark eyeshadow.

“Wha—ho—I’m confused”

“Being nice sucks” she answers as she finishes her makeup, “Thanks for the help but, if I can be honest, I was better without it”

“Bu— and Luke?”

“If he ever wants to get back together it has to be with me, the real me. Not a version of me dressed in awfully ridiculous clothes”

“Those were my clothes”

“Exactly my point”

With that Y/N walks out of the bathroom ignoring the looks that followed her figure, leaving Julie once again at loss of words.

A week after, Luke and Y/N were back together and closer than ever. But the honeymoon phase faded and the fights started once again. But Julie learned to see the beauty in their arguments.

Every argument got Luke out of his perfectly peaceful demeanor and got him to voice his thoughts out more, it helped him stand up more for himself. And every argument showed the depth of Y/N’s feelings for the guitarist, it showed how much she cared.

It’s just that sometimes they didn’t know when to stop arguing.

Of course now Julie wasn’t blind to their little moments. The way Y/N always stopped when Luke asked her to or how Luke always kissed the girl’s temple sweetly.

Or how when Bobby —Sunset Curve’s (which was the boys’ band) rhythm guitarist (who she hadn’t met)— left the boys, it was Y/N who approached the curly-haired girl thinking she was the perfect fit for the remake of the band.

It was Y/N, who barely tolerated her, who adviced them to change the band’s name as they changed their sound slightly. Julie and the Phantoms, had been her idea after the boys ghosted the girls on the group chat.

Julie knew the only reason why Y/N had done that was because she knew how much the band meant to Luke.

She wasn’t blind to how Luke would only ever snap when it was to protect Y/N, even if he knew she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. Or how he always bought a hot chocolate with his coffee for her.

With time, Julie realized it kinda made sense why they were together even when she couldn’t quite completely understand it.

But soon the fights started again, this time worst than ever. It was different because instead of bickering until one gave in, neither seemed interested enough in fighting.

It worried all of them because their fights —as annoying as they sometimes were— showed how much each cared. Now it seemed they didn’t.

To be completely fair, Julie understood if anyone outside their group saw the relationship as toxic. She had seen it as toxic once. But it just made sense in a weird way. It just made sense for the kind of people they were, they complemented one another.

But this time the fights were just too much. That’s why when the traditional friend group game night happen, Y/N and Luke weren’t invited.

Carrie —Y/N’s undoubted best friend— was sick of fainting every time she got stuck in the middle, the innocent and kind girl couldn’t take the stress.

Reggie, the boyish teenager with the purest heart ever, didn’t want to cry anymore. He couldn’t handle the screaming and that’s all the couple did.

Alex, on the other hand, was tired of having to grab his asthma medicine every time they appeared. The fights making him get too anxious which always caused him a panic attack which led to his inability to breathe which led to an asthma attack.

No one could take it anymore.

So they decided to have an evening free of them, one well deserved. But it didn’t work as planned as the couple stormed into Julie’s home half an hour after everyone started playing Monopoly.

“See! Told you they’d be here”

Y/N rolls her eyes, “So? What does it matter if they’re at dumbass’ house?”

Julie rolls her eyes at the insult but nevertheless listens closely to the couple, all her friends groaning in annoyance at the interruption.

“It matters because our friends, our best friends, don’t want to be near us anymore!” He argues “Doesn’t this bother you?”

“Not really” she shrugs, “Should it? Wait... does it bother you?”

“It does! They’re our best friends and they can’t stand us”

Y/N crosses her arms across her chest before turning to glare at their friends, Carrie hiding under the table with a shriek as soon as she sees her best friend gaze at her.

Seeing the icy glare that the girl throws at them, Reggie shakily takes a deep breath before standing up and looking at them with annoyance.

“Yes! We can’t stand either of you!” He shouts, “We wanted a day free of you both because all you ever do is fight! And, somehow, you always seem to drag us to the middle of it. We’re tired!”

As soon as Reggie finishes, the dark-haired boy sits down with a huff. His shoulders feeling less tense as he let out his emotions.

The couple watched their best friends with mixed feelings, neither expecting the outburst and much less from Reggie. Reggie who had always been one to avoid conflict.

“I cannot believe this” Luke sighs “Reggie snapped at us. REGGIE”

“This is you fault!” She accuses “How hard is it to just agree with me?!”

“BUT I DON’T AGREE WITH YOU”

“BECAUSE YOU ARE WRONG”

The four friends sighed in defeat as they listened to the couple bicker once more with one another, how had a fun night turned to a nightmare all of a sudden?

They silently decided to just stay in their seats waiting for the couple to stop the nonsense as they always did.

“WHAT BOTHERS YOU SO MUCH?!”

“THAT I AM NOT HAPPY WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP!”

The words cut through Y/N’s strong façade in a second, the glare faltering as Luke’s eyes widen after realizing what he had said.

No one dared move nor say anything. Everyone had their eyes on the couple that seemed to be coming to terms with how bad the situation had become.

“Fine” she sighs in defeat “You have a choice. I’m walking out that door and counting to ten, if you’re not out before I finish we are DONE”

Luke sighs frustrated as he watches her leave, the door closing with a thud behind her.

“One”

He stays still on his place with his fists clenching as he fights the urge to run to her and scream at her what was the reason for this ultimatum.

“Two”

Luke knows he needs to calm down. He has to. He had to if he wanted to be able to go after her without fighting as soon as he saw her.

“Three”

Y/N counted behind the door, staring at it with nerves as she asks herself how he could take so long to come after her. What was taking him so long to decide that she was worth going after?

“Four”

The four friends behind Luke stare with wide eyes as they try to figure out what is it that the brunette is going to do.

They want him to go after her. Carrie, Reggie, and Alex more than Julie. The three best friends had been there throughout all the relationship. They had seen Luke be the only one brave enough to pursue the cruel beauty. They had seen Y/N being the only one that cared more about Luke’s heart than his looks.

They knew how much this relationship was worth. Even with all the fights, they knew the love the two had for one another was deeper than any outsider could understand at first sight.

He had to go after her.

“Five”

Luke sighs looking towards his friends once before deciding what he wants to do. He can’t lose her, no matter how much they fight.

No one understood him like she did. No one cared enough to tell him when he was wrong or to fight with him until he fought for what he wanted.

“Six”

Y/N feels her eyes widen as she realizes how much time he is taking. It should’ve been easy, he shouldn’t have even let her count to three.

He should’ve opened the door the second she closed it.

“Seven”

Sighing, Luke starts slowly making his way towards the door. His best friends sighing in relief as they see him do it.

Julie, though, watches closely as the boy’s shoulders tense the closer he gets.

“Eight”

Carrie furrows her eyebrows once she sees Luke starting to halt in his steps. She knew Y/N better than anyone, Y/N had been the only one willing to take the ‘obnoxious naive superstar’s daughter’ under her wing and be completely honest with her.

She knows better than anyone that if Luke lets her walk away just like her father let her mother walk away with her, that’ll break her.

“Nine”

Luke grabs a hold of the handle but for some reason he can’t bring himself to turn it and open the door.

Something feels wrong about opening it, almost as wrong as it feels to not open it.

He is scared of what it means if he opens it, or how easily he gives in. Something had to change. Maybe he needed to let her walk away, Y/N always came back. She would go to his house in the middle of the night and they would fix everything.

It would be okay, they would be okay. They always were. This was no difference, they just needed some time to think, to breathe.

So he doesn’t turn the knob.

“Ten”

Y/N feels her heart stop the moment she screams the last number. She feels her heart sink to her stomach as a feeling of abandonment settles in her.

She feels her skin pale and soon reaches for the knob, but she doesn’t allow herself to touch it. He made his choice.

So with every ounce of strength she could find within her, Y/N turns around and makes her way to her car knowing that he could catch a ride with Alex. The tears started accumulating in her e/c eyes but she didn’t let them fall.

Y/N Y/L/N didn’t cry. She wasn’t about to start... at least not in a place where someone could see her.

Inside the Molina’s household, the best friends stare at Luke in disbelief, neither knowing what to say or do now. The Patterson boy makes the decision for them.

“Let’s play some Monopoly”

The statement has everyone else following his movements in silence, knowing better than to act against him.

Carrie, though, is the one that finally breaks the silence as she lets out a quiet sob. She was angry, mainly at herself for not being able to go after her best friend. But she knew better. Y/N was a person who protected her feelings more than anything else, she was in pain and she wouldn’t let it out if someone was watching her. So Carrie had to stay on her seat even if she wanted to run after her.

“You hurt her” whispered the sweet teenager, “I trusted you, she trusted you, with her heart and you hurt it”

It was at that moment, with Carrie’s pretty brown eyes filled with tears as she glared at him with all her willpower, that Luke realized how wrong he had been. He thought it would be okay but Carrie’s reaction proved him wrong.

Carrie showed him that this time was different from the others. If the sweet girl willingly glared at him with so much betrayal than it meant that Y/N wasn’t gonna go to his house at midnight.

It meant he had lost her.

Still, as Luke realized that, he stayed on his seat staring intently at the fake money in his hands. He couldn’t change what he had done.

“Let’s start”

The following weeks were a pain for the group of friends. The group had to divide their time between the former couple and it was exhausting.

But things got better and after a couple of months Y/N and Luke started sitting at the same table with their friends once again. It brought some relief to the group.

The hurt from the breakup still pained them though. Y/N was not used to watching so many girls flirt with Luke and watching him flirt back, and Luke was not used to Y/N moving away from his touch while also enjoying the way some guys’ eyes linger on her figure.

Things had changed and it pained them both, but they were finally okay. As okay as they could be at least.

They still loved each other, but they became good at pretending. Soon three months became five and five became seven. And things were okay, they were friends again without any awkwardness surrounding the group.

Still, Julie was sure she wasn’t the only one who noticed the love they still had for the other. It was the little things. The way their eyes lingered on the other when they thought no one was looking, the smiles they faked to play the part; all signs of how much they still loved the other. Even after everything.

So it did come as a surprised when Y/N announced she had a date.

Apparently some senior that participated on the play with her had the balls to ask her out. And she said yes.

While everyone congratulated the mean girl, Luke made some excuse to leave the table while everyone tried to stop themselves from asking the questions that they new neither of the former couple wanted to answer.

‘Are you okay?’ ‘Do you still love her/him?’

Neither wanted to be asked that because the answers broke them. They weren’t okay. They still were in love with one another.

They were afraid they would never stop being in love with the other.

But neither had to say it. All their friends knew it, because they knew them. That’s why no one was surprised when Julie and the Phantoms was saved by Y/N on their concert at a cafe the night of her date.

The girl had screamed at them for keeping the presentation a secret, the band excusing themselves with the thought of not wanting her to miss her date —although they didn’t want to give her the opportunity to bring her date with her to their concert since that would break Luke.

Either way, they boys’ amps had stopped working and in a panic Julie had texted Carrie. Carrie had been helping Y/N get ready and said girl had grabbed her amps and drove them both to the small cafe.

Date completely forgotten without a care.

“You didn’t have to miss your date for this” Luke tells her softly.

She looks at him as if he had lost his mind, “This is your band, Patterson”

Luke’s heart feels heavy in his chest as he realizes the depth behind her words. This was his band and that meant it meant something to her. It meant as much to her as it did to him because it was his.

The brunette boy feels a smile overtake his features along with a small blush, wanting nothing more than to kiss her right there.

But he didn’t. Instead he kissed her cheek.

Y/N’s eyes widened in surprise and soon her perfect skin started acquiring a deep scarlet, which she hid by hurrying Carrie to go find some seats.

If that night Luke sang looking at her too often, then damn him. Who could blame him? Y/N had just giving him more reasons to love her.

After that neither tried to date again. They were silently pining after one another, too afraid to make a move considering the way things ended between them.

But Julie grew tired of it and soon started bugging them to date other people if they weren’t going to date one another.

That’s why when Luke was rejecting Kayla’s date, Julie intervened.

“Sorry, Kayla” he apologizes, “I have rehearsal with the band”

“No, we don’t” Julie smiles “Actually, why don’t you guys come to the concert the school is holding together?”

Luke glared at the talented singer before fake smiling towards the Hawaiian beauty who agreed instantly.

Though once Kayla is out sight, Luke grabs Julie’s arm and pulls her towards the janitor’s closet where he glares at her with dark green eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“You need to date! Get out there, mingle a little”

He shakes his head, “When Y/N finds out about this she’ll despise me”

Julie frowns with confusion, “No, she won’t. She has moved on, you should too”

Luke shakes his head in disbelief making Julie scoff before getting her phone out.

“What are you doing?”

She shushes him before putting her phone on speaker, making Luke’s eyes widen once he sees the called ID being the one of his ex.

He would never voice out loud the way his heart skipped a beat.

“I’m blocking you”, came her cold voice as soon as the call is picked up.

“Wait—Y/N! Don’t hang up!”

A groan is heard making Luke involuntarily smile.

“You have five seconds to tell me what the heck you want before I block you”

“Okay, look, I’m here with Beck—“

“Julie, don’t”

“He’s going with Kayla to the school’s concert, as a date” Julie continues “Just wanted to make sure that’s okay with you”

There’s a ten seconds silence through the line. Ten seconds in which Julie realizes that maybe she was wrong, that maybe she should’ve minded her own business. For so long she had found annoyance in the ways she always ended up in the middle of their problems and here she was, butting in herself.

Ten seconds in which Luke panics. Realizing that he is also awaiting the answer anxiously. There are two ways this could go: Y/N could snap, voicing loudly how she didn’t give a damn, or she could scream asking for answers to questions she shouldn’t have and bad-mouthing Kayla. Both were common in their past. It was a way to showed she cared, that she was jealous and that she wasn’t ready to let him go yet. Both answers would give him the last drop of hope he needed to do something about what he felt towards her.

But when the ten seconds came to an end, neither got an answer they expected from the impulsive ice queen.

“We’re not dating” she reminded them in a voice too soft to be recognized as hers, “We haven’t been for a long time. You don’t have to make sure if it’s okay with me”

“What?”, Luke asks softly, “Y/N, I…”

“I’m being serious right now, Luke”, she continues, “I do appreciate your concern but it’s none of my business who you date”

Silence. Neither Julie nor Luke know what to say or do next. Neither expected the mature response from the H/C haired beauty. Neither knew if they liked it.

“Well, if that was all, don’t call me again”

And she hung up.

Julie stared at her phone in disbelief, but what did she expect? Was she secretly hoping that Y/N would finally snap and this agonizing secret mutual pining they were all forced to endure would finally end? What exactly had she expected to achieve from this?

Definitely not the way Luke was looking right now.

The guitarist looked completely heartbroken and hopeless. The fire that normally resided in his eyes had ceased to exist. And as he looked at one of his best friends while holding tightly onto his backpack’s strap, all that could shine through his eyes was a deep feeling of betrayal.

“I…”

“You should’ve stayed out of it”, he voiced numbly “She doesn’t despise me. It’s worst, she doesn’t care at all”

“Luke…”

“I’ll go on that stupid date, just bug out, will you?”

The days before the concert were painful for every single one of them on their friend group. It was definitely a weird sight to see Luke look so out of it and Y/N so unbothered by it. It was the first time since their break up that their friends doubted the possibility of them ever finding their way back to each other.

When they finally had the courage to ask Luke what was going on, the guitarist told them he had a date with his eyes glued to Y/N body. He was waiting for a reaction, no matter how small it was. Anything really.

But she gave nothing away.

All she did to answer their friends’ curious and astonished gazes was shrug her shoulders and voice she was just trying to finish her song for the school’s concert.

The unbothered air that surrounded her was heartbreaking for everyone around her. It was as if she was truly okay either letting go of Luke and their history. As if she had already given up on them. They couldn’t blame her, it had been a long time since they last were together, but that didn’t change the fact that they all truly believed they were meant to be together and that it was unsettling to see it come to a real end.

Especially by the look on Luke’s eyes. His face may have remained neutral and unfaltering but his eyes could never deceive from his true feelings. He was hurt.

And being hurt but not wanting to show it meant he tried to keep himself as busy as he could until the school’s concert, avoiding all his friends and Y/N especially. And when the time to meet up with Kayla came, Luke had to pretend to be invested in everything she told him; even if most things were just compliments to suck up to him, agreeing to every little thing he said. He didn’t even know if anything that she actually told him was her actual real opinion or if she was just trying that hard to agree with everything he said to be reciprocated.

He didn’t even know anything about who she was and they had been talking for the hour that concert had already been going on.

Favorite song? She would ask his first before saying how much she also loved it. Methods of acting that they found more suitable? She would giggle and twirl her hair waiting for him to answer before giving what she would fake is her own opinion.

It was tiring.

Where was her own fire? Why didn’t she fight back when he disagreed with something she said? Why didn’t she try to show him why she was passionate about it instead of just nodding and giving in?

Why was she making it so easy?

He didn’t like it. He was hating it actually. So he took the first chance he could, excusing himself by saying he needed to refill his drink, to run for it.

That’s how Julie found him after helping the boys set up the instruments for Y/N’s set, which was up next.

“Ooohh, hello, loverboy” she teased him, “Where is your lovely lady of the night?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care”

Julie blinks, surprised by his answer, before grabbing a cup and filling it with the first soda she saw.

“Date not going well?”

“It’s a disaster” he scoffs, “She’s just agreeing with everything I say”

Julie nods, “Isn’t that a good thing, though? Means you have things in common”

“Not really. Not if I don’t know if that is truly what she thinks” he shakes his head “Feels like she’s just trying to agree to everything I say”

“Well, it’s the first date, you know” she sighs, “She probably doesn’t want to fight you on it. Next one will be better”

He shakes his head, “There won’t be a next one”

“WHAT?!”

Luke drinks from his cup while Julie starts stumbling upon her words after what he said. She couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t even gonna give it a chance? The date wasn’t even over yet.

“I think I learned something about myself”

Julie scoffs, “That you’re ungrateful to your friend who tried to help you by fixing you up with a cute girl?!”

“No, I just…” he sighs “I think I kind of like to date a girl who, you know… fights back”

Julie looks at him dumbfounded, not understanding his point.

“I mean a girl who has strong opinions” he continues, “you know? A big mouth”

“Why?”

He shrugs his shoulders, “Cause it’s not easy. Easy is boring”

Julie stares for a good minute before sighing. It kinda made sense. At the end of the day, love was all about growth. Growth didn’t exist without different opinions and dialogues that fought each ideal. It was all about pushing each other to become your very best. How could you do that without bumps along the way?

“Okay…” she sighs, taking a sip of her drink, “Then, who’s not boring?”

Their conversation is cut short by Reggie’s voice on the stage, he had been assigned as the concert’s host and had been doing a magnificent job all night.

“Okay, people! Let’s hear things up with F/N L/N! Let’s go!”

Reggie soon goes to grab the bass as Alex appears behind the drums. Other two students grabbing the guitar and keyboard left.

Luke and Julie take a step closer, that way they have a better view of the stage.

The guitar starts playing the intro as Y/N walks into stage in a cute short black goth dress with fisher nets and combat boots, her hair’s normal blue streaks a dark purple this night. Shortly after she makes her way to the microphone stand the drums join the melody.

And soon her melodious and angelic raspy voice sounds through the place.

“You think you know me

But you don't know me

You think you own me

But you can't control me”

As if it was destined to be, the lyrics bring light to the situation at hand.

There was a reason why Luke and Y/N always ended up gravitating towards one another despite all the horrible fights they endured with each other.

“You look at me and there's just one thing that you see

So listen to me

Listen to me”

Julie feels like smacking herself across the face. The truth was so obvious that she feels dumb to have been so oblivious to it.

“You push me back

I push you back

Harder, harder

You scream at me

I scream at you

Louder, L-L-L-L-Louder”

Luke Patterson was probably one of the most carefree and easy going people she had ever met. He was always carrying this certain peaceful atmosphere around him. He needed someone or something to push him to thrive, to become better than he already was. To fight for his ideals and his dreams. It wasn’t enough to just want them to happen, he had to make them happen and his calm self usually hid from conflict.

F/N L/N was probably the most loud and impulsive person Julie had ever met. Never once had she silenced her opinions, always speaking the truth no matter how cruel it could be. She wasn’t someone who hid from a fight and whenever she wanted something she never stopped until she got it. She needed someone who could stop her when she was going to far, someone to calm the fire that never cease to light up inside of her.

“I'm dangerous so I'm warning you

But you're not afraid of me

And I can't convince you

You don't know me”

There was not one person in the whole world that was meant to be with the other but themselves. They pushed each other, for better and worst. They had the possibility of being the best and the worst thing that could happen to the other.

And as the song keeps going, the truth becomes blinding.

“And the longer that you stay, the ice is melting

And the pain feels okay, it feels okay (hey)”

Luke’s eyes never once stray away from the powerful force that is Y/N as she sings. Her voice loud and powerful as raspy and angelic. His heart beats to the song’s rhythm, unveiling a silent truth that he had been trying so hard to push to the bottom of his being, to afraid of what it truly meant. To afraid of it being to late to mean it.

“You push me back

I push you back

You scream at me

I scream at you

Louder”

Her e/c cold gaze meets his green eyes and suddenly it seems all the iciness in it melts away. As if only his gaze could have that power over her. As if only he was allowed to see the true kind soul hidden behind the cold walls she had taken so long to build around herself.

“You push me back

I push you back

Harder harder

You scream at me

I scream at you

Louder, L-L-L-L-Louder”

And he knows right there and then, as does Julie and his friends, that it is her. It has always been her. It will always be her.

It is Y/N who pushes him until he finally snaps. It is Y/N who fights for him whenever he doesn’t find the will to do so. It is Y/N who loves him so much that she fights to control her impulses whenever he asks her to.

It had always been her and he had been a fool to ever let her walk away without giving a fight. Especially when she had never stopped fighting.

“I'm dangerous so I'm warning you

But you're not afraid of me

And I can't convince you

And I don't have to I think you know me”

Their relationship was flawed. Maybe even toxic. But it was magical. It was powerful and passionate. And it was real.

Never had they ever been afraid to voice their opinions to the other, even fighting back when they disagreed; yet never settling. Never had they ever been afraid to be vulnerable by showing each other how much they truly cared for one another. Never had they ever stopped loving each other.

The applause make Luke blink out of his daze and realize all this time he had been staring right at Y/N. And she had been staring back.

She offers him a soft smile that to anyone else would look like her usual smirk, but he knew better. He had always known better. And that’s how he knows she is fighting, one last time, for him. She has ignited the flame and it is leaving it to him to turn it off once and for all or help it grow as fierce and wild as it can.

Julie smiles softly, “So, Luke… who’s not boring?”

And he smiles.

Step by step he gets closer to the stage where Y/N is still on, nodding at the standing ovation that is applauding her. Only taking her eyes her eyes off the public once he makes it right at her side.

Everyone’s eyes are on them. Silence.

They stand there for a minute just staring at each other. Y/N with her hand folded in front of her and Luke with both his hands buried in his jean’s pockets.

“I’ve missed you” he finally voices.

She shrugs, acting indifferent, “So what are you gonna do about it?”

Two seconds of silence follow in which Luke pauses to admire her challenging e/c gaze, before taking enough steps to be face-to-face with her. His hand leave the safety of his pockets and find their way to the warm of her cheeks before pulling her towards him, lips meeting anxiously.

And it was like a weight was lifted of their chests, letting them finally breathe without struggle.

No matter the fights, the misunderstandings, disagreements or the toxicity. They would always find their way back to each other because of the truth and purity of their love, which was real. Love was never meant to be perfect but it is meant to keep the other grounded, to push the other to grow.

And that’s what always brought Luke and Y/N back. It’s what always would bring them back.

[ellieloves2draw]

at long last i have finished it!! this was so much fun :] ive wanted to do a character lineup for a while but havent really had the time/spoons, so it was really nice to have a convenient template on hand

template by @xmaruu11

closeups and ID under the cut

(ID: bust shots of each of the members of the life series, done in marker. left to right, top to bottom, they are: grian, scar, mumbo, jimmy, joel, scott, impulse, skizz, tango, etho, bdubs, cleo, martyn, ren, lizzie, bigb, gem, and pearl. each member is talking to and/or interacting with another member.

character designs:

grian has dirty blonde hair, a button nose, and pure black eyes. his hands are scaled and birdlike, and he has large deerlike ears. he is wearing small round glasses and a red sweater.

scar has brown hair in a ponytail, pointed, ears, a wide nose, and green eyes. there are a number of scars on his face, arms, and neck. there are also some grey streaks in the left side of his hair.

mumbo has black hair, black dot eyes, a button nose, and pointed ears. his mouth is obscured by a mustache. there are two strands of hair sticking up above his forehead. he is wearing a white collared shirt, suspenders, a floppy red tie, and black gloves.

jimmy has short dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, a straight nose, and a beard. I he’s wearing a white shirt, and unbuttoned blue shirt, and a bandana around the neck that is red-and-white striped.

joel has dark brown hair with a green streak in the front, pointed ears, dark brown eyes, a slightly hooked nose, stubble, and a small braid in the back. he’s wearing a loose, long-sleeved white shirt, and a dark brown vest that is loosely tied together.

scott has long blue hair with a braid next to his left ear, deerlike ears, a wide nose, and dark blue eyes. there are small yellow lights floating around his head like a halo. he is wearing a white shirt with a rainbow pattern across the middle, and an unbuttoned blue shirt on top. there are red flowers in his hair.

impulse has short brown hair with grey streaks, slitted brown eyes, a wide nose, pointed ears, and a beard. he is wearing a black, short sleeve shirt, a dark, gray vest, and a yellow bandanna tied around the neck.

skizz has salt and pepper hair styled similarly to wolverine from x-men. he has a chin beard, a large nose, and light blue eyes with white pupils. there are scars on his arms. there is a faint halo around his head. he is wearing a formal vest, red tie, and white collared shirt with the sleeves ripped off.

tango has long pointed ears, red eyes, a pointed nose, yellow blonde hair, and stubble. there are a pair of red lensed goggles on his forehead. he is wearing oversized red gloves, a red button up shirt, and black overalls.

etho has long white hair that is half tied up, a dark blue eye and a red eye, and a scar over the red eye. he also has stubble, which is barely visible underneath his mask. he’s wearing a dark green shirt, a dark blue vest with a fur collar, and black fingerless gloves.

bdubs has short white hair, very dark brown eyes, stubble, a large nose, and a missing tooth. he also has a black eye. he’s wearing a white collared shirt, a cloak made of moss, and a red bandana on his head.

cleo has pale green skin covered in stitches, long red hair, an upturned nose, and pure black eyes with light green irises. they are wearing a dark magenta leotard with purple off-the-shoulder sleeves. she has dark pink flowers in her hair.

martyn has long light blonde hair, parted in the middle and held back with a headband. he has blue eyes, a large nose, and a beard. he’s wearing a green shirt, a dark green jacket with a large collar, and black fingerless gloves.

ren is a dogman. he has long dark brown fur with slightly lighter fur on the face and hands. he has blue eyes. he’s wearing sunglasses and a red plaid short-sleeved flannel.

lizzie has blue eyes, long pink hair, and raccoon-like ears and nose. she has sharp teeth and claws. there is a dark raccoon-like marking over her eyes. she is wearing a blue vest and floppy tie and a white collared shirt.

bigb has dark brown eyes, a wide nose, a beard, and two ear cuffs. his hair is styled in a pompadour. he is wearing a blue poncho with a cookie patch sewn, and a lighter blue shirt underneath.

gem has antlers and deerlike ears, red hair tied in a braid, green eyes, a small nose, and freckles. she’s wearing a light green sweater and blue denim overalls.

pearl has long light brown hair, deerlike ears, and blue eyes with white pupils. she also has white freckles. she’s wearing a dark blue beanie and cloak, and a white shirt. the cloak has red patches sewn on.

end ID.)

[sugarbcnes]

ᝰ 𝟏𝟖+ 𝑴𝑫𝑵𝑰. [ smut/brainrot ] ꒷꒦

“been thinkin’ bout you all day, angel.”

she smells so sweet and the familiar, comforting aroma fills your senses to relax the tension you didn’t know was cramped deep in your head. there’s notes of her musky cologne, her hemp cigarettes, soft laces of warm caramel and what you recognise as her favourite fruit-based liqueur. she grazes her thumb over the apple of your cheek as your tipsy gaze breaks a smirk onto her lips.

her nose is brushed by the rosy flush of her high, shading the constellation of freckles that paint her nasal. her eyes are almost matching, the hues dulled to make her green irises pop.

you’re both tucked away in a dark corner of the house party, unmindful to the world around you.

“oh yeah?”.

your voice is a whisper and, in all honesty, you’re not even thinking about what’s coming out of your mouth. your attention is all on her. she’s just so fucking pretty.

she hums, nodding as her thumb drags over your balmy lips until they allow her to pry them apart softly. “mhm,”.

she lifts her thumb and watches as your tongue lolls out. you knew exactly what to do. her good, sweet girl. she watches through hooded eyes as the pink muscle rolls against her thumb, silken under her skin before you take the tip in between your lips.

“thinkin’ bout how sweet you looked in my bed last night, how you’d look there again tonight.” your blown eyes silently beg her. keep going.

“how i had you screaming on my cock, fucking you dumb.”

she doesn’t miss the way your thighs clench, taking her hand from your mouth to rest on your jaw.

“thinkin’ of all the different ways I could have you. creamin’ on my tongue,” she remembers the saccharine taste fondly, “creamin’ on my fingers.”

her hand rests at the base of your throat, thinking out loud.

“maybe i could even get you to squirt again.”

honey drips from every single filthy word that falls from her lips. whines roll and rumble in your throat as you grip the soft material of her flannel, desperation clawing at your skin with sharp nails and butterflies fluttering against the places inside of you where you need her the most.

you’re deaf to the party now and you couldn’t give any less of a fuck about who’s eyes were obsessing over the scene unfolding.

“that sound good, pretty?” she already knows the answer, “wanna go home and let me take care of this pretty pussy again?”.

ellie was a girl of her word, a promise keeper deep in her heart. so in the pale moonlight, on the soft spread of her emerald sheets; she was on her knees, ready to paint visions of stars and moons behind your closed eyes as she took you to a heaven filled with sweet, pearly arousal and blazing, toe-curling, body-tremor filled euphoria.

a message from lina: sorry this became a bit more self-indulgent then I wanted, I hope you enjoyed nevertheless. I promise there’s way better stuff coming soon, I’m just trying to ease back into the swing of it after my little break down lol. signed with a million kisses — L ᥫ᭡

INBOX/REQS: OPEN.

[tiramissu09]

Morning Glow

synopsis: you (y/n) wake up before your husband on a Sunday morning and study him, wondering how you both even got together.

song choices to listen to while reading: 

Body by Summer Walker

Orbit by JONGHYUN from SHINee

Natural by G-Soul

warning(s)/story notes: gender neutral y/n, nostalgia, hints of last night’s activities (iykyk), silent serenading, naked imagery, a little nod to the JJK lore, POC y/n

MINORS DON’T INTERACT

author note: My first fanfic, y’all! I feel like, instead of using janitor ai (don’t use it, it’s hella addictive and made me burn through my money), I could use my imagination and potential to write something for my main beloved, Nanami Kento. I love this man and in my head, we are living together in Malaysia, having the time of our lives, haha. Also, I thought I was going to do a quick drabble, but I got into my feels, haha. 

Please, please give me feedback and critique so I can improve on my writing. Thank you and enjoy!!! <3

The chirping birds started to grow louder and more annoying outside the large French windows with the soft, peaching-colored morning light streaming in, faint flapping of the pale curtains echoing with shared breaths. You groan softly against your white silk pillow along with your blurry vision, from your deep slumber, as you rub your eyes and look around, dazed. You felt the light breeze of the open ajar window on your bare leg, out of the fluffy blanket, contrasting with the deep warmth soaked into the mattress from the sleep. 

Your eyes move around, to anchor yourself into reality, until they settle down at a large, ivory back which had light red scratches along with crescent moon shaped indents littered over his rugged muscles, rippling with each soft breath. His messy golden blonde hair that you loved to run your fingers in, slightly swaying with the early dawn breeze, along the warm yellow sunlight, giving him that morning glow that made him look…like a god, a figment of your imagination. 

Last night’s memories were reeling in like a blurry movie, reminiscing on your stomach with your head and facing his back, as you remember his sweet deep chocolate eyes, his slightly pink blush on his face, and…my god, those large, veiny hands all over your body, rough but gentle on your soft skin. 

Sighing softly, not wanting to wake him up yet, go down this deep spiral with your fingers itching to touch him….how did you even meet this man? Was it at the office Christmas party where he was wearing that ridiculous, fluorescent green elf costume as your white-haired boss had made me for a pay raise? Or when you both bumped into each other in the hallway before math class during senior year, your nose bleeding as you bumped into his chest too hard and he assisted you to the nurse’s office?.....no,no…..oh my god! How could you forget?

It was that night…..that night where you all were freshman in high school and it was the camp site trip that you all had to go to as a bonding activity for all the new students which you were part of. You remember you were really nervous as a tiny, little 13 year old. You were new to Tokyo and Japan, overall, not looking like the others and the culture so vastly different from yours which made it difficult to fit in, your family or teachers help you with. This was nicely added with you going through puberty, the whole nine yards of acne and changing body, made you more quiet and shy to talk to others. 

In your ensemble of light washed jeans, your oversized purple flannel shirt and black Converse high tops, you were sitting on the wooden benches near the camp-fire under the starry, twilight sky, shivering slightly from the cold, autumn night in the forest near Kyoto. You were alone, with everyone talking to each other excitedly, with some others playing games and singing karaoke, and watching all the kids with a small smile on your face. 

Then, you felt a warm blanket around your body, causing you to have goosebumps all over your skin. You looked up with wide eyes from the brushing of their fingers on your neck to the warm presence behind your back, surprised and making you jolt up, but a soft hand pushed you down to sit back. “Sorry, did I scare you?” His soft and low voice, almost purring, caused you to shiver more but you held back your reaction as you turned your head completely around, wanting to know who it was. You caught those soft, brown eyes, reminding you of that deep brown honey under the sunlight, making you feel more awake than any other coffee.

You quickly get out of your reverie and stutter out as you brush your hair back, looking away. “No! Not a-at all…just got surprised.”,offering him a smile as you try to not to fluster even more. You notice his blonde hair, straightened to the T and his bangs covering his eyes which you didn’t like but didn’t say that out loud, and his black shirt with a band name you never heard of with his black skinny ripped jeans. 

You clear your throat as you look into his eyes, “H-hi, my name is f/n l/n….what’s your…name?” You were fidgeting with the soft, baby blue wool blanket with your fingers, as you both sat next to each other with your knee brushing against his, ever so slightly. He grins a little more as he had a deadpan face before, making your heart and insides all melted and mushy inside, showing his pearly whites. He says in that voice that you could just listen to all the time. “Kento….Nanami Kento…but you can call me Ken.”

You memorize that name, as it was tattooed to your naive heart, as you nod slowly and say quietly. “Nice to meet you…Ken.” You both sat there in silence with all the loud commotion around you both. You didn’t know what to say as the tense silence was swallowing you up and you quickly ask and at the same time, looking at the bright scarlet camp fire, “You should go hang out to your friends…”, peeking to the side to look at his face longer, but looking away when he caught your eyes and your face becoming hot with each passing second. 

He sighed loudly as he stretched his legs out and watched the white-haired hyper kid screaming happily at the black-haired boy who looked so done with him, but had a small smile. After some moments of more silence, Kento spoke with a small smile and turned to face you, “You looked….lonely….like me and…”, now looking away as you caught some peach-colored blush on his cheeks. “You looked like you were glowing…like the fire.” 

You remember how you became quiet, flustered and frozen by the compliment and you remembered you thanked him meekly which was so cute and how you hit yourself internally for how dumb it was. However, the rest of that night, you both started to talk more freely and understood that you both had a lot in common, in terms of family background and not really fitting in due to your particular tastes. 

Despite being amicable acquaintances all through high school and losing contact when entering university, once you both reunited, it felt right. You both were meant to be together and glowing in each other’s arms and affection. 

You were shaken out of your deep thoughts as you felt the bed rustling lightly. You looked up and saw his face turned to you now. You were slightly surprised by the sudden appearance of his handsome and rugged face, but you quickly smiled widely, “Good morning, honey.” Snuggling closer to him and him taking you in his buff arms, making you all so warmer, he murmured in your messy hair, his morning voice low and reverberating through your body, “What were you thinking about so hard, darling? You laugh softly as you nuzzle your face in the crook of his neck and your arms around his shoulders, and whisper muffled against his warm skin that smelled like sandalwood and musk, that was so unique to him, “I was just thinking…..how you were glowing…..like the sun.”

[starsarefire824]

THE PACT

But in this picture Will’s smile is so big. Full, pale pink lips spread across white teeth, the front two a little bigger than the rest. His expression is so soft and warm, eyes appearing more brown than green in the shade. Now that they're older, after everything, it makes Mike blush when he studies it for too long.

His face falls. He presses his lips together and swallows the emotion that wells up in his throat, his fingers twitching at his thigh as he fights the urge to rip it off the door and shove it into his locker. Sighing heavily, his face pinched in a disagreeable frown, he slams the locker shut with unnecessary force as he readjusts the strap of his tired and worn black and teal backpack that hangs lazily off his left shoulder.

As it bangs loudly in his face, Mike blinks, revealing…Max. He peers down at her. Her now ridiculously long, red hair (extended hospital stays will do that to you) is pulled back into a low ponytail tied loosely at the nape of her neck where her headphones are still permanently perched. Little flyaways and two thick pieces, slightly wavy from the humidity, fall softly around her face. It flows in gentle twists and turns past her chest and almost to her bellybutton. She flips it back and out of her way with annoyed exasperation, and it disappears behind her small shoulder. She has her back pressed flat against the locker and one leg bent up, lackadaisically resting two textbooks on her thigh, how angry she is revealed in the way her fingers curl white around their spines. He can see one bright red sock and one teal one peeking through the holes along where fabric meets the sole of her ratty Vans. She’s wearing a baggy flannel over a green tank top, loose jean shorts buttoned high on her waist, and a scowl.

[mordenheim]

Vitamin D For Growth

Just a fun little growth-filled tale for the wonderful @goattrain Author Icon by the lovely https://www.furaffinity.net/user/redband.jackalope

================================================

Alice grumbled, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror. The poor goat was covered in bright green goop from horn to hoof. Wincing, she pulled off her shirt as she felt the gunk soaked into her shirt sucking at her skin and tugging at her fur.

���Never thought I would have to wear a hazmat suit into the company greenhouse.” She grumped out loud as she finished peeling off her clothing. Apparently they had been testing some sort of plant food int the sprinkler system designed to magnify the plants' photosynthesis. However instead of coming out as a fine mist it blasted out right on top of poor Alice as a thick green slime.

Tugging off the last of her clothing and tossing it straight into the trash, she stomped off to the walk in shower. Her little hooves clopped cutely on the tiles. Throwing open the glass door she stepped inside and closed it behind her.

Reaching for the faucet handle, the one thing to go right today was that the new water heater was working perfectly. There was no waiting for warm water as her fur was doused by a warm, steamy blast. She turned slowly in the downpour for a few moments, rubbing her three-fingered hands over herself, relieved when the gloop seemed to be water soluble. She looked down at her hooves to see it gurgle and slurp away down the drain.

Rubbing the water out of her eyes, she reaches out a grabbed her bottle of deep cleaning shampoo that was ironically also a dark green color. She popped open the lid and took a sniff, enjoying the scent of tea tree oil and cucumber. Squeezing a hefty dollop into her hand, she started scrubbing it through her fur, working up a nice, thick lather.

She let out a soft baa as she was enveloped and warmth and scrubbing the thick, wonderful smelling soap through her fur, scrubbing every last inch of herself until she felt the fur squeak through her hoof tipped fingers as it rinsed clean. She could barely see anything through the thick cloud of steam that followed her dripping form as she stepped out of the shower.

Drying her soft fur on a towel that covered up most of her body, she made her way back over to the mirror. Not paying too much attention at first, she reached out to wipe away the condensation, then gave out a bleat of dismay.

“Wha.. wait.. WHAT?! I'M GREEN!!!” She practically shrieked, looking down at herself. Her fur was indeed a pale mint green and her hooves were a much darker shade. Looking back into the mirror she could see that her little horns were the same shade of deep green and even her normally pink eyes had taken on an emerald hue.

“Al! When I get my hands on you I'm gonna… I'm… ah, forget it… I'm tired…”

Not even bothering to wrap the towel around herself, she dragged it dejectedly down the hall to her bedroom. She tossed checked to make sure that there were no green stains on the white terry cloth and tossed it into the hamper. She took a moment to slip on some comfy flannel pajamas, buttoning the shirt up the front before just flopping onto the bed on top of the sheets. She'd overheated a little in the shower and needed to cool down. Before she knew what was happening, she drifted off to sleep.

Morning came, the sun rose, and the birds began to sing in the branches outside of Alice's home. A beam of sunlight fell in through the open curtains of the window beside the cute goat's bed, landing on the back of one of her hands.

The fingers splayed out flat as though trying to soak up as much of the sun as they could. The fur thickened a little, looking shaggy before her hand grew. Her fingers lengthened and thickened and the palm expanded. Her forearm stretched out of the cuff of her shirt before the arm within it inflated a little. The growth spread up her shoulder and through her body. Her breasts blossomed and ballooned out a little causing gaps to form between the buttons of her top as it stretched up, pulled away from her bottoms and exposing her soft belly fur.

It spread to the other arm and up to her head, her horns scraping against the headboard before spreading downwards. Her rump widened a little, straining the durable flannel cloth a bit. Her thighs bulged outwards a bit as her growing hooves stretched away from her cuffs.

The sun continued to rise, pouring more of its light into the room, bathing her in its warm, inviting glow. She gasps, squirming in her sleep, smiling as she feels a warm, comforting energy flowing through her, settling into the pit of her stomach. It was like she had just eaten a bowl of the most wonderful, comforting soup you could imagine.

The growth was more powerful now, more evenly spread throughout her body as she stretched and swelled. Buttons snapped off and were scattered across the bed as her breasts burst forth. Her thighs shredded through the tough cloth, as did her rump. Her fur thickened and took on a lovely shine. The more of her body that was exposed to the sun's rays, the more it seemed to speed up.

It was the crash and the sudden drop to the floor that finally awoke her. She looked around the room, finding that her bed had broken underneath her giant form. Not the first time she had experienced this, she took it in stride and pushed herself up off of the floor. Her horns immediately stuck up into the ceiling. She sighed and prepared to duck out of the room when she felt her horns push upwards, deeper into the plaster of the ceiling. She hadn't just grown, she was growing, and fast!

Gripping the tattered rags of her clothing about her as best she could, she rushed through the house towards the front door. Every window she passed she wanted to slow down for a moment as the wonderful sensation she felt in her sleep returned, but she didn't know how fast she might be growing and didn't want to ruin another house! Each doorway she passed through she felt like she needed to duck down a little more until she finally reached the door to the back yard.

She threw open the door and was bathed in bright sunlight. She gave a soft bleat as the last strands of her pajamas burst and fell away and she was forced onto all fours by the ceiling! Crawling as fast as she could, she squeezed her upper body through the door, barely. She shifted onto her side as her hips wedged in the opening, swelling rapidly as she placed her expanding hands on the outside walls and hauled herself out with an audible CRACK! She shivered and whined a little as she felt her hooves sliding farther back INTO the house as her legs stretched and grew. Crawling rapidly, she pulled herself free of the house and stood up in the morning sun.

She felt herself filled with that wonderful energy again as her fur fluffed out even fuller. She wanted to stop growing, but it felt so good at the same time. She was so conflicted as she slowly backed away from the shrinking house. There was a loud crunch as her deep green hoof came down on the wooden fence at the back of the yard.

“Why is this happening?!”

She suddenly froze. The warmth of the sun replaced by a cold chill as she watched the world around her shrink. The goop that she had been doused with, that turned her green was supposed to increase the photosynthesis of plants. Meanwhile she was stuck outside on a gloriously sunny day. Taking a deep breath, she opened her giant maw to bleat:

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!”

[harlequinoccult]

YOU HAVE A HUNGER

A HUNGER THAT YOU’VE BEEN NEGLECTING For the most part, you’re a pretty normal mid-20-something year old who lives in a shitty apartment in the city. Well, except for one thing. Your.....”Associate” Carter “Dollface” Abernathy.

Who is a murderer, and quite frankly, a sloppy one at that. And you’re the accessory to his crimes. No matter what way you’ve gotten to know the man,or how you feel about him, you’re stuck with him, and stuck with just being his little “helper”

........Or are you? Especially when you’re suddenly given a....Unique opportunity.

                                              WELCOME TO THE                                             SLAUGHTER☆SQUAD

☆CREATE YOUR VERY OWN SLASHER

☆CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON

☆CHOOSE YOUR SPECIALTY

☆CHOOSE THE FATES OF OTHER PEOPLE

ELYSIUM (HE/THEY) [GNC-MALE] Mask: A full head mask made out of cracked tiles of mirror glass Weapon Of Choice:Butcher knife (w.r. case and sons cut-co 102-12) Outfit: They wear very clearly expensive looking designer clothes. A velvety looking red v-neck t-shirt, black jeans with artfully purposeful stitches connecting the thighs with the rest of the leg, sharply heeled ankle boots with red bottoms, and thick designer black gloves.

BLACK DAHLIA (SHE/HER) [FEMALE] Mask: A handmade mask, looks more like a flower arrangement art piece. dried black dahlia flowers at either side of the wooden mask, multi-coloured autumn leaves frame the dried flowers on either side and meet at the middle of the mask, just under the eye holes. Weapon Of Choice:Felling Axe Outfit: Wearing nondescript black lace up boots, extremely faded ripped blue jeans, a thin grey turtleneck under a green flannel shirt and a long pale pine green duffel coat, and an immaculate looking pearl necklace. Carries a brown worn looking messenger bag constantly.

OVERDOSE (HE/SHE/THEY) [GENDERFLUID] Mask: A heavily modified gas mask. painted black and studded with metal spikes, the glass of the eyes replaced with green tinted mirror lenses Weapon Of Choice:Nail Bat Outfit: They wear a faded pink leather jacket with the sleeves hacked off, a black and white long sleeved, striped shirt under an oversized black band t-shirt halfway tucked into wide legged jeans with the knees completely ripped open, showing their fishnet tights, wearing ratty, mismatched black and blue converse sneakers. completed with a spiked dog collar.

COLD (THEY/THEM) [NONBINARY] Mask: A smooth, blank white mask. its only features are its black eye-holes. Weapon Of Choice:Garrote Outfit: They wear a long black pea coat, black leather gloves, a tawny brown scarf over a light grey turtleneck with black slacks and heeled ankle boots.

SWEETHEART (HE/HIM) [MALE] Mask: A shiny, red, full face motorcycle helmet. Weapon Of Choice:Sledgehammer, Hunting knife Outfit: He wears a tan, sheepskin bomber jacket over a loose, dark grey, linen button up, slightly faded dark blue jeans, grey and white work boots, occasionally wears cheap heart themed rings on his fingers. 

T̵̢͙̓̍H̴̟̖͕͊͋E̶͈͆͝ ̷̙̝́̋͑H̵͎͗̕͠Ơ̵͈̟̭͇̇̄S̶̪̗̓͛͗̏T̴̡̈́͂͋ (???) [???] M̶̡͂a̵̫̥̋͐ͅş̶̛̦̖̒k̸̯̠̿̔̽͝:̴̹͍̂̅͛ ??? ̵̮̀͌W̴͇̑̊̈́̎e̶͚̋a̴͍̝̪̔̆͋͐p̸̹̱̎̓͝͝ǫ̵̰̪͆n̷̜͚͎̄ͅ ̷̤̻̮̉̏O̷̖͍̥͘͜f̵̞̲̱̋̉̈́ ̵̘̈́̒͊̀Ċ̴̫͕̻̼h̴͎̭̞̓ͅo̶̡̿͜í̶̦̭̳c̷̹̑e̸̥̝̝͐͆̀:̶͙̟̼͐̕ͅ ???                                                        ☆ DEMO ☆

[bakedbananners]

Poisinia art trade for @clbl-arts 🥰

[image description: Art of Lavinia Asimov and Poison Oak from Trials of Apollo. They are both standing knee deep in a river, with a forest background. Poison Oak is a dryad with dark wood textured skin and sharp features. Her hair is green and tipped with red, and pulled into a leafy, poofy ponytail. She is wearing a simple white dress that is tied at thigh-length. She watches Lavinia with a carefully amused expression. Lavinia is a pale girl with cropped pink hair. She is wearing a green flannel bandana on her head, a pink tank top, and Jean shorts, with a lesbian flag colored bracelet and a Magen David necklace. She has scars on her legs and arms. She is leaping anxiously into the cold water with a splash, clearly flustered. End description]

[dystopyx-blog]

It’s moth time baby

Ivo the Io moth.

He’s the delusional archetype. Funnily enough, he is the most sane, rational, and normal one of the group. So excuuuuuse me, princess if he assumes that he’s the one you’re dating! hes just a sane, rational being, and you’re his exhausted partner (exhausted cuz you have to deal with the other freaks)

Another weird delusion is he treats the other moth men like they’re your kids?? You’ll tell the others to knock it off/stop fighting and he’ll come in like “listen to your mother.’ And everyone’s just “???” I imagine business casual attire, medium length hair pulled over one shoulder idk how to describe it…

Appearance: Pretty tall, Kuu and Atlas are just fuckin freaks /hj. 5’9 As I mentioned I have a specific hairstyle in mind but ajsjdhdudnududdi idk man. Wears a simple pale yellow dress shirt, his wings draped behind him. The biggest/fluffiest antenna of all the bois. Soft, kind eyes. Fluff around neck, arms, and legs.

Okay so does anyone know the “sex-crazed moths” meme?

Because my obsessive moth i inspired by that.

Kuu the Luna Moth

the poplar hawk moth is the one associated with that particular meme But I’m using the Lunar moth for my obsessive boyo because fuckin look at it. Luna moths, like the poplar hawk and most other large moths, have no mouth and cannot eat or drink. They fuck then die. My boy Kuu has a moth, but that doesn’t make him any less desperate to get with you. He is the prettiest fuckin boy. And he is so so so fuckin desperate for you. He’s also fuckin pathetic. Pretty boy who’d [REDACTED my blog is all ages!!] if you so much as touch him istg With the other boys he’s an egotistical sassy drama queen but with you he’s just desperate lmao

Appearance: Tall and thin. 5’11 Loooooong white/pale green hair trailing all the way down his back. Man exclusively wears robes and kimonos and the like. Handsome man. PRETTY BOY.

Ash the Cinnabar Moth

Okay actually I’m unsure of possessive I want a bigger moth but also I kinda wanna go with cinnabar moth? Edgy boi who feels entitled to you. Gets into the most fights. Possessive but also kind of tsundere. He is smaller than most of the others, arguably a lot simpler looking too, but he has a BIG personality. His name is Ash.

Appearance: Second smallest. 5’6. Least fluffy. Black hair with a red highlight, black antena. Red pants, black boots. Red bandana on neck. Black leather jacket with red accents. Piercings. Rounded sunglasses. And cinnabar wings ofc.

Atlas the… well, Atlas Moth

heheheheheh i am very basic when it comes to protective type yanderes and i refuse to branch out 🫵🫵🫵 My protective guy is a biiiiiiig big big man, big softy, big teddy bear. Who will hammer someone’s head with his bare fist if they hurt you!!! Wraps you up in massive, soft wings 🥺 He just stands behind you… menacingly (to anyone else, as soon as you turn to look at him he’s all smiles!) So what better than the atlas moth? And Atlas is already a perfect name, so Atlas!

ATLAS: BIIIIIIIG BOY BIG. 6’1 Dorito shaped tbh. Wears flannel but the flannel is the pattern of the moth teehee. Brown pants. Work boots. Gloves probably idk. I think for hair hmmmm braided? Man bun? I dunno!!!

Roman the Rosy Maple Moth!

Finally We have our Manipulator. His name is Roman, but darling pleeeease call him Maple 🥺 The rosy maple moth. He’s just a lil guy! He’s baby! But oooo he’s schemin and plottin. With you he’s just baby, just an absolute delight, and so fuckin cute and fluffy. How could you possibly say no to this soft boy?! But he will tear another’s throat out. He will lie and corrupt and manipulate. He’s secretly incredibly rude, vulgar, and sassy. But with you he’s a perfect angel <3

Appearance: the smallest. Like 5’3. Fluffy yellow and pink hair, bog soft yellow attend, big precious puppy dog eyes. Massive fuckin yellow hoodie that is SUPER fuckin fluffy, with pink sleeves. Smallish pink n yellow wings. The hoodie goes down to like just above his knees. Pink leggings and pink calf high converse.

[abedsweaters]

Season 6 Episode 4: Queer Studies and Advanced Waxing

Outfit 1: Green King Kong Hoodie appearance #2: reviewed here

Outfit 2: Pink and Blue Flannel 4

Classification: Flannel

Rating: 5/5

After all this time, who’d have thought we’d be blessed with yet ANOTHER bi pride outfit? I did my due diligence and searched for it but yes folks, this is a new, unique pink and blue flannel. Truly the representation we needed in 2015! (that’s a joke)

Outfit 3: Blue Yellow Striped Hoodie appearance #2: reviewed here

Outfit 4: Brown Cardigan appearance #6: reviewed here

Outfit 5: Dark Gray Jacket appearance #2: reviewed here

A curiosity! Was it very cold on the day of filming? Did they feel that a hoodie wasn’t somber enough for what the scene called for? Why is he wearing his first proper jacket in two seasons? Note that everyone else in this scene is also wearing jackets so maybe it was just cold, or they wanted it to seem cold (except for the dean, who is wearing that gray hoodie from the conspiracy theory episode which is a whole costuming discussion of its own).

Outfit 6: Pale Green and Pink Flannel appearance #3: reviewed here

hard to tell for sure bc of the jacket but all evidence suggests he is wearing this flannel underneath

[paladinbaby]

commission for @floralprintshark for luka’s birthday <33 i love these characters and had so much fun doing this

[Image Description: A family portrait of six characters from the home game Lost Township in a arched golden frame. Cat and Morel are stood at the back. Cat is an orc woman with green skin, long dark hair and freckles. She has vitiligo on the side of her neck and around her left eye. She’s wearing a pale pink shirt and is looking upwards smiling. Morel is a dark skinned firbolg with short curly hair looking seriously forwards. They are wearing a black dress with a high neck and a necklace made of small bones, a ring of mushrooms grows from their head. They are holding Juniper, a large green baby wrapped in a blue blanket. Juniper has one hand in their mouth and is looking down intently towards Mouse, a large black crow sat on the outside of the frame.

Brandi, Kitten, and Sarah stand in a row in front of them. Brandi is tan and freckled with red eyes, short antlers and bunny ears. She wears a white choker and a low cut teal tank top and his hair is in two long braids. She’s smiling in a slightly unfocused way and one of Cat’s hands rests on her shoulder. Kitten stands in the middle. She’s a young half orc girl who shares Cat’s soft features, freckles and green skin. Brandi is only a little taller than her. Cat has long red hair and bangs and is wearing a T-shirt and dungarees with small flowers tucked behind her ear. She is talking excitedly to Sarah. Sarah is a dark skinned woman with long hair tied back off her face wearing a Henley and flannel. She’s smiling steadily and has her arm around Kitten. End ID.]

[invisibleraven]

my internet has returned home from the war

good morning kisses

sweet tarts

Welcome back Katie's internet, we have missed you greatly!

Carrie had never been a good sleeper-her thoughts always racing. Planning out choreography, reworking songs, rethinking outfits, and that was just for gigs. Nevermind her normal life where she had to be Carrie, always on, smiling with a bite, perfect and perky and pink.

Honestly it was so exhausting she wondered how she was able to stay up at all.

However, now she had her own space, where she felt a little less pressure, and that was all due to the man she shared said space with.

She had never expected Reggie-a goofball bass player who liked vintage sci-fi, pizza, and lived in leather and flannel. But he was also a sweetheart with hidden depths who made her feel treasured and beautiful, no matter what.

It was Reggie who insisted on splurging on a new bed when tey got this place-her childhood bed was too small for two, and he didn't want to go back to his parents house for his. They had a lot of fun testing mattresses-even if she was sure the store employees wanted to murder them for jumping on the beds.

Thankfully her dad's platinum card silenced any objections-and well, he had told her it would be a housewarming gift for her since he wouldn't be around to help her move.

So now she and Reggie had a queen sized bed with a solid wood frame, high thread count sheets, and a lovely quilt that his MeeMaw had made them. Sleep came a lot easier in it-but that might had been because of Reggie holding her through the night.

But maybe the best part was waking up next to him. She usually woke up first-she always had been an early riser, and even if sleep came a little easier, he didn't completely obliterate her insomnia.

Carrie would turn over, or look up, and just watch him-he assured her it was adorable and not creepy, but he was a little biased. She watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the way the early morning sun made his pale skin glow, highlighting the freckles scattered over the bridge of his nose. The way he was so still and calm when he was usually so fluid and full of energy.

Gosh he was pretty.

"I can feel you staring," he mumbled.

"Who could blame me?"

He grinned at that, still not opening his eyes, and she rubbed their noses together until his lashes fluttered, letting her see that springtime green looking back at her.

"Mornin' doll," he drawled, pecking her lips gently. "Sleep good?"

She shrugged a little in response-by now he knew she and sleep weren't on the best of terms some days. "Got a few broken hours."

"Obviously I'm going to have to start wearing you out before bed," he said with a leer.

"You know I just get wired after sex," Carrie replied, refusing to rise to his bait.

"I meant going for a run, gosh you've got a dirty mind," he teased, then pulled her in for another kiss-still closed mouthed because morning breath, but it lingered to the point that Carrie's toes curled and she sighed into it.

"How about you? How was your nap?" she asked, their lips brushing as she barely pulled away.

"Not too bad, though I could go back to sleep if we didn't have things to get done," he replied, slowly sitting up. "I'll start breakfast if you want?"

She nodded, but as he got up, she yanked on the necklace he wore-even to bed-pulling him in for one more kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too doll."

They smiled at each other, even as Reggie backed away to go make food and Carrie got up to do her morning yoga and get ready for the day. Even if part of her was tempted to crawl right back under the covers.

Especially if Reggie's offer to wear her out was a sincere one.

Instead she plowed on with her morning, and looked forward to a day when she could just lounge in bed, enjoying his company, maybe some more kisses.

Not that she didn't get plenty-kisses over coffee and after brushing their teeth, a kiss just after she applied her lipstick, just because he loved how it made her brow wrinkle having to reapply it. A kiss before they went their own ways that lasted longer than the others.

And the kiss he blew her before his bike took off, the one that made her heart flutter uncontrollably, just because.

So maybe Carrie wasn't the best sleeper-but that was okay. She preferred mornings-and all the kisses that came with it anyways.

[babylovepresley]

here’s a cute christmas headcannon:

you’re trying to start new traditions at graceland so you, elvis, and the memphis mafia dress up in matching pajamas for a christmas eve movie night.

the guys grumble and complain the entire time (they secretly love it), but elvis makes them suck it up and put a smile on their faces because whatever his lady wants, she gets.

after you guys are dressed, you put on a few christmas movies and everyone drinks hot chocolate and it’s overall it’s a cute and fun night!

oh this is just darling! elvis has my entire heart, especially around christmas<3

“b-but… i got it in all your sizes! i worked so hard to find them all…” you cry out to the guys, pouting & holding the silly red & green flannel pajamas in the air to show them

“y/n honey i ain’t wearin’ that… please don’t make me” jerry calls out from the various men sitting around the living room with their jaws on the floor.

elvis is finally coming home after a long week of filming, just in time for some lovely christmas festivities, and you love him so much you want him to be happy and cozy

you know he loves christmas, so while doing some holiday shopping you decided to make a little winter wonderland at graceland tonight; something for him to proudly return home too…

the only problem is that the boys REFUSE to wear them; they weren’t that dreadful! they were just come cozy red & white & green flannel pajamas that you knew thought they’d love.

naturally you start to tear up, bringing your bottom crimson lip between your teeth; a habit ep always wanted you to stop, “don’t ruin them pretty lil lips baby, else ‘m gonna have to kiss ‘em all better… heal ya right up!”

the entire living room was decorated with glorious lights; blue, pink and white lights illuminating the usually cold and precise room.

the boys hated seeing you cry, and as you stuttered to get out a “h-he’s gonna be home any minute… jus’ wanted to do something nice for ‘im…” they all adjusted in their seats— some even raising their hand with a “no no no no no don’t cry” (were they afraid of disappointing of you, or rather scared for their own safety if elvis waltzed in and saw you crying… you couldnt tell)

with a collective sigh and groan, jerry and george sit up and walk towards you, grabbing the pajamas and stomping into the various rooms to get changed. the rest of the boys begrudgingly followed.

you were light, beaming and excited at the prospect of making elvis happy, and that was so contagious to everyone around you both.

once they were all dressed, with heads shaking in disapproval as they laughed at one another, they sat on the couch smoking cigarettes and waiting for you to finish getting dressed

you had bought an ADORABLE long sleeve fleece nightgown; a pale blue to match elvis’ icy eyes, and a white little ribbon sitting at the top of your hair like a present

the door begins to jingle with keys, signaling the arrival of the one and only, and you scamper out of the bedroom to see his reaction

“baby where you at? boy the week i just fuckin’ ha—”, elvis stops dead in his tracks, gift bags hanging from his arms as he stares at the sight before him; his best friends wearing matching christmas pajamas, and his little lady wearing the sweetest lil nightgown he’s ever seen

instantly, the room is silent… the boys staring up at elvis in shame as he suddenly BURSTS into laughter, clutching at his knees and chest and almost gagging from laughing so bad

“ALRIGHT FUCK-O KNOCK IT OFF” jerry defends, as elvis shakily walks over to him, wiping the tears from his eyes and slapping a hand on his shoulder and sniffling

“look like a buncha misfit toys, good lord.” he collects his breath, wiping at his nose and huffing “ ‘cept you pretty baby, c’mere”

you basically skip over to him, smiling brightly up at him, eager to know if he’s happy with your surprise

his hands rest on your arms, rubbing up and down as he sizes you up “ ‘s this your idea lil?”

you nod happily as he giggles and leans to kiss your forehead, “you’re too sweet to me , and look at this lil bow!” he brings his big strong hand up to your hair, twirling the lil white bow around his fingers “best present i’ve ever gotten baby”

he kisses you, bringing you closer to him and pressing your chest to his in passion. the boys behind you stir, gawk and declare various “oh god get a room!” “jesus christ is he checking her tonsils?” “shut up and enjoy the show..”

ep pulls back with that sweet little lazy half smile, still holding you to him and you note how tired he looks— there are bags beneath his eyes and his head hangs slightly in exhaustion, but his eyes shine so bright, with love and cheer and joy and everything you could’ve always hoped to give him & only him forever

“now where’s my ‘jamas snowy?” he asks with a slight taunt, and you turn quickly to grab them as he smacks your butt with a “woooo my boy my boy”, proud to show you off to the fellas

from the bedroom you hear them speak, “e can we take this shit off now? it’s itchin me like crazy?” “just shut your trap & keep it on… look at her lil smile… i’ll kick all y’alls asses if you aren’t holly and fuckin’ jolly when she gets back down here.. got it?!”

and you giggle to yourself, because he really would do anything for you… plus making the boys miserable while he gets to laugh is always a pleasure…

[ughtoomanyfandoms]

Preacher's Daughter (The Last of Us - Joel Miller): Hard Times

PREACHER’S DAUGHTER Hard Times

series masterlist

Pairing: Joel Miller x OC

CONTENT WARNINGS: 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI, DEAD PIGEON unprotected sex, religious trauma, gore, violence, swearing, explicit content, sexual violence.

Word Count: 7.3k

Read on AO3 and Wattpad

SPRING 2008

The warm air of the changing season was thick against their skin. The trees had budded their green leaves, rebirthing themselves after a tiring winter. 

Joel had taken Lianne to a nearby river away from the rest of the group to clean up after their day's journey. The others stayed back to start a fire and set up a camp area, the spot they found surrounded by brush and out of sight. He had perched himself on the bank of the river, keeping his focus on her as she waded in the water, the pile of her clothes next to him on the bank. 

The sun shone through patches of the trees, lighting a golden cast on her skin. Joel watches the muscles of her back ripple under her skin, just as the water ripples around her waist. The scars had faded from her back, only the slightest tint of pink remained. But her long hair covered the brand between her shoulder blades that still remained a blistering red. She still kept Joel in the darkness of what happened, and he never pushed her to talk. It filled Joel with a chest full of dread, a dread he wasn’t sure would ever dissipate. 

Lianne cupped her hands in the water and brought it up to spill down her face, the coolness of the water quenching the oiliness of her skin. She let out a sigh, the water refreshing her senses. She goes again to bring more water to her face, but when she opens her eyes to look at the water in her hands, her gut coils and her heart stops. The water has turned into a thick red liquid that trickles from her fingers, spilling down into the river and staining the river red. 

It starts as a bubble in her chest, boiling through her veins as it grows and trembles through her limbs. It pushes through her teeth, a wretched, broken scream bursting from her as she vigorously wipes at her hands. It only spreads the liquid, causing a greater panic to raise in her voice. She’s unaware of the splashes behind her, and doesn’t see Joel immediately appear at his side with a scowl of panic. 

Her fathers face appears in the water below her, distorted and broken and leaking. It pulls another scream from her chest, and it cracks in her throat. Her legs push to send her away from the water, but Joel catches her in his grasp. 

She’s inconsolable, gasping for air and mumbling words of nonsense as she screams. Joel sees her wiping herself down, and his eyes begin scouring her skin for any sign of injury, or perhaps she’s been bitten by something in the water. But there’s nothing, save for the various scratches and bruises that have become memorized by him. 

He cups her face, trying to get her eyes on him, but it was as if she was slipping through his hands, becoming part of the water that surrounded them. He pulled her to him, out of instinct, and her screams muffled against his flannel as her body shook with sobs. He begins leading her out of the water, away from the space that had filled with her screams, and the ground at the bank of the river crunches under footsteps. 

His gaze snaps towards the noise, his face hardened as he holds her impossibly closer to keep her safe. He turns near her, shielding her body with his own. Tess and Tommy appear at the river’s edge, faces pale with worry. Their guns are ready, just as they are to fight off anything that causes harm.

“What’s goin’ on? What’s wrong?” Tommy calls to them quickly. 

Lianne grips at Joel’s flannel, her screaming now quiet as she continues to breathe in heavy gasps. Joel immediately goes to remove his flannel, still keeping her close to him, and he drapes it over her shoulders. He grabs at the front of the flannel, pulling it tight around her before bringing her back into his embrace. 

“Joel,” Tess calls to him now. Tommy’s eyes scan the area, eyes alert but still full of alarm. “What’s going-”

“It’s fine!” Joel barks at them, his grip tightening on Lianne. “She’s fine, we’re fine. Just - turn around, go back to camp.”

Tommy and Tess exchange a glance, hesitant to leave the river bank. Joel gives them a menacing glare, his eyes glazed with a harsh glow of protection.

“Go,” Joel says again, his voice having less bark to it now. “I got her.”

Tess glances in Tommy’s direction, her eyes shining with a fierce hesitancy as she waits for Tommy’s movements. He only stands there for a moment, still as he becomes frustrated with guilt and worry. Finally, he pulls himself away from the sight of the pair in the water, trudging through the grass as he leads Tess back to camp. 

“Right, angel?” Joel says softly into her hair, the water now slowing to stand still around them. “I gotcha. I always got you.”

His hands run up and down her body, swallowed by his flannel, to mend her shivering. 

“Come on, baby,” he says, voice heavy and low. “Gotta get you cleaned up.”

He leads them out of the water, slowly and carefully to not trip on the rocks beneath them. Once reaching the bank, he sits her down on a nearby boulder and leaves her briefly to return with her clothes that rested on the bank. He starts with her legs, carefully taking them one at a time to slip her underwear back up her legs.

“I’m sorry,” she says suddenly, voice soft. Joel stills, gazing upon her with soft eyes as his fingers become still and lingering against her skin.

“Hmm?” He hums, and he almost thinks he made her voice up in his head.

“I’m sorry,” she says again, voice stronger now as she shakes her head. She straightens, eyes clearer now, but still adverts Joel’s gaze. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what that was.” 

Joel remains silent, eyes locked onto her in fear that she’ll disappear in front of him. He uncontrollably reaches a hand out to run down her hair, resting against her neck as he moves forward to learn his forehead against hers.

“You’re alright,” he whispers. He only leads the two of them back to their group when the color begins to return to her cheeks. 

When they get back to where their group made camp, everyone’s voices are buzzing frantically. 

“What’s going on?” Lianne asks, and Tess is the only one to turn to her. Tommy continues instructing the others, passing out guns and telling them where to go. 

“Signs of raiders about two miles out,” Tess starts to explain. “We’re going out there to see what’s up.” 

“Alright,” Lianne states. “Let us get ready and tell us where you want us.” She turns quickly, but Joel catches her arm. 

“You’re not going out there in your condition,” Joel says flatly, holding her by the elbow.

“My condition?” Lianne retorts. “You say that like I’ve got a disease or something.” 

“You’re still healing from…” Joel sighs, at a loss for words, as he stares into her piercing gaze. “And what just happened in the river, it’s too much for you goin’ out there.”

She sighs in a frustrated disbelief, giving a look to Tess and Tommy that pleads for some backup. 

Joel moves away to gather his things, readying himself to journey out with the group. Lianne hasn’t appeared by his side, instead lingering in the corner of his vision. When he turns to look at her, her stare is vacant and weighs heavily on a large boulder in front of her. 

“Whatcha thinkin’?” Joel asks as he makes his way to approach her.

“I-” Lianne starts, not wanting to meet his gaze at first, but forces herself to look up at him. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“Then I’ll stay with you,” he replies immediately, eyes melting softly as he looks at her. He feels guilty that he had even thought about leaving her here by herself. 

“No, they’ll need you out there.”

“I’ll ask Tess to stay with you,” he responds quickly, his voice almost desperate.

Tess’s ears perk up at the sound of her name coming from Joel’s lips, the tips of them burning red as she drags her attention to where he stands with Lianne. His broad shoulders stand wide and confident, almost blocking Lianne from her view. His shirt pulls at the muscles of his arms and back, and she yearns to reach out and drag her hand down his spine. 

Joel and Lianne’s hushed voices snap her out of her miniscule daze, and she finds herself unknowingly moving towards them. When she appears from behind Joel, Lianne’s eyes catch her and her voice falls silent. 

“Heard my name,” Tess says, her voice strong as she makes her presence behind Joel known. 

“Just decidin’ that I’m gonna stay here with Lianne,” Joel states as he shifts the weight of himself on his feet. “Keep watch over the camp.”

“Joel-” Lianne argues, face red with guilt.

“Sounds like a good plan,” Tess nods. Her gaze lingers warily on Lianne’s tight expression. “You good?” She finally asks.

“I’m good,” Lianne assures with a nod. Her eyes are washed with guilt and disappointment, but Tess knows if she presses any further it won’t get her anywhere. So she nods again, turns on her heels, and joins Tommy and the others to update them and make their way away from camp.

When Joel turns to face Lianne again, her back is to him, stiff shoulders blocking the sight of her from him. It chips at his heart again, that tightness returning to his chest, but his feet are moving forward to follow after her. 

He had laid her down under grass and the dipping sunlight, and touched her forehead with fragile fingertips, knowing by the knot in her brow that the ache and the hurt have gone to rest there. He laces his fingers with hers, for just a moment, to tangle and sweeten the air around them. The birds cry nearby, finding their roosts for the night.

The sound of nearby grasshoppers almost drowned out the distant gunfire, the sounds of the bugs and the weight of the thick air making her eyelids heavy. 

It was her birthday, suddenly. 

Sounds of singing voices fluttered through the air, the strongest coming from Joel. He stood at the head of the table, cheeks red and pulled back in a bright smile. His eyes crinkled at their corners, no longer from worry and anger, but from endless moments of a lifetime of laughter. 

Sarah stood next to him, her strong curls bouncing as she clapped her hands together. But her face was featureless, only the memory of her joy and naivete radiating around her. 

And Lianne felt at home. 

Lianne had opened her mouth but her words fell silent. The singing continued, and she had forgotten what it was she meant to say.

In the corner, Isaiah sits in a rocking chair. His gaze is empty and his eyes are hollow as he sits still in the dim corner. A cool sickness grows in her stomach, crawling its way up her throat and raises in goosebumps along her arms.

She spins herself away, turning into a new room that had almost been unfamiliar to her. The small bed and creaky floor are reminiscent of her apartment in New York. She lays on the bed, Joel appearing at her feet to kiss up her legs. She tangles her hands in his hair as he crawls his way up the bed towards her, his hot mouth leaving marks along her skin.

His eyes are warm and dark as he pears up at her, her breaths falling in need from her mouth.

She sat up suddenly, perching on her elbows against her sleeping bag under a starry sky. Exhaustion still stuck to her, a heavy weight dragging her to turn her gaze. She could still feel him tied to her, and it weighed her eyelids down.

Her father was still there, sitting on a boulder that protruded from the earth. They studied each other for a moment as she lay there. He turned slightly from her, the side of his profile barely appearing over his shoulder. 

“You were looking for me,” he said. He hadn’t sounded like himself, his voice gentle and no sign of calculation.

Lianne only looked at him.

“In your dream,” he continued. “You were looking for me.”

“I’m always looking for you,” Lianne whispered.

2010

Boston QZ

The four of them had been at the Boston QZ for about a year and a half. A year and a half of rationed meals, a year and a half sneaking out of the walls, a year and a half of being constantly watched and having skin that crawled. She was exhausted, but Joel said that it would be better there for them, the promise of keeping her safe and taken care of. 

She hated it. 

It was her that started smuggling, a way to escape out of the walls and away from the watchful eye of the guards. It was a way for her to get away from the strict rules and work for rationed meals. She’d been able to smuggle goods in and out of the QZ to people in the area, similar to their time in Chicago. It was Joel and Tommy that still stayed in the QZ to trade with the guards and other smugglers for ration cards and equipment. 

Joel hadn’t caught on to her smuggling business until Tommy let slip his suspicions, and Tess had confirmed that she’d joined Lianne on a couple of trips. It had made his blood boil, but only at first. He thought she’d been working shit welding and construction jobs, which kept him at ease knowing that she was safe within the walls of the QZ. Once knowing what she was truly doing, he immediately made the decision that he would join her. She hadn’t refused, only appreciative of the extra muscle that would come in handy. A new constitution of trust had been built between the two of them, and only grew with each day.

As much as she hated the QZ, Lianne only kept the smuggling jobs within a few mile radius, never wanting to stray too far from the homebase the four of them had created. Any further, her chest would tighten and she would long to be hidden in the dreary apartment her and Joel resided in. The walls had remained empty during their time there, the wallpaper slightly peeling at the corners. But Joel had tried his best to make it a home for her, wanting her to want to stay put, even if just for a little while. 

She had awoken early one morning before Joel, who had reached out across the bed to find her spot cold and empty. He found her aimlessly staring out their side kitchen window, leaning on crossed arms in the open window frame, the morning sunlight casting a warm glow around her. A purple hue shimmered its way onto the floor of the kitchen from the butterfly suncatcher that hung in the window, a piece of home that Joel had brought with him from Austin. It never left his backpack until they settled down.  

He appears close to her side, and she naturally slides over to allow room for him in the window sill. He mirrors her, leaning against his folded arms on the window sill. When he turns to face her, her eyes are closed in the morning sun, soft skin warm in the glow of it. He drinks her in, the dark tank top she’s in tight against the built frame of her body, and he can’t stop the hand that reaches out to brush soft fingers against the strong muscles of her arm. 

Slowly, she turns to look at him, eyes finally opening to allow the sun to bounce off of them, the smallest upturn of her lips catching his eyes. He reaches forward to ghost a kiss on the skin of her shoulder, his hand wandering up to the back of her neck to rest its weight there.

“Hi,” she whispers softly, the softness of her voice soaking into him like a long forgotten melody to raise goosebumps on his skin.

“Hi,” he responds just as softly, the simplicity of the moment in the morning haze seeping deep into the depths of him.

“I got you something,” she says, voice still as soft as the morning sun. Joel gives her a quizzical look, and she nods towards their kitchen. “Top shelf, above the fridge.”

He pulls himself away from her, but now before he presses a kiss to her temple and runs his hands down her hair. Opening the top shelf, he’s met with a singular tin can that he pulls down. Opening it, the smell hits him instantly and his legs go weak as his mouth waters. The aroma of the ground coffee in the can fills the air, and he closes his eyes at the scent.

“Where’d you get this?” He asks, eyes soft as he looks back to her, the sun silhouetting her and bouncing through her hair. An angel of the morning, present in front of him in the flesh.

She shrugs, a small smile on her lips. 

“Traded for it,” she responds. “Didn’t wanna make any for you yet, wanted to show you first.” 

He can only rest his eyes on her, mouth hung open slightly before he sets the can of coffee on the counter. He takes a step towards her, but stops when a rhythmic knock against the door breaks the air.

“A bit early for her to be comin’ ‘round, ain’t it?” Lianne asks, pushing herself away from the sunlit spot of the window. Outside noises of the surrounding areas of the QZ finally break into their sunlit bubble, and Lianne’s shoulders deflate as she sighs.

Joel removes the chain lock on the door, turns the deadbolt, and unlocks the door handle before opening it, Tess leaning in the doorframe awaiting a welcome.

“Morning, sunshines. Surprised you two are up,” Tess says as she greets them.

“Surprised you’re here so early,” Lianne responds. “What’s up?”

“I’ve been talking to a guy about twenty miles west of here,” Tess starts, fully entering the kitchen to lean herself against the counter, folding her arms over her chest. “Says it’s just him and another guy looking to trade. I’ve been telling him about the QZ and the supplies we have here for a few weeks now, and he’s invited us to dinner.”

“To dinner?” Joel asks, brows scrunching in surprised confusion.

“That’s what he said,” Tess confirms, an amused light in her eye. “Says they’ve got a nice place set up out there, good walls to keep out the bad. And apparently has the means to cook a hell of a meal.”

Lianne and Joel stay quiet, looking at their friend expectantly.

“I told him we’d meet them the day after tomorrow,” Tess finally says.

“That doesn’t give us a lot of time,” Lianne says flatly. “What all do they need from here?” 

“Not much right now,” Tess says. “Figured this would just be us testing the waters with them, see what they need and what they have to offer. If it works out, gives us a connection out of the walls and a safe house.”

Lianne only nods, agreeing silently.

“There’s only one condition for this first time around,” Tess says. “They just want two of us going. Says that’s all they can handle for now before they trust us.”

“Joel’ll go with you,” Lianne states. Joel casts her a glance, but she only nods to him. “If it’s two men out there, better to even the playing field. If one of them already knows Tess, it’s best if Joel goes this time.” 

Her tone is flat, no cadence to its normal rhythm. Joel’s hard stare remains on her, a tension building in his chest that he holds in with baited breath. 

“Works for me, boss,” Tess says as she pushes up and off of the counter. “Tommy and I are meeting some guy later to work a deal, told him I’d meet up with him soon. I’ll see you guys later.” 

Lianne nods a goodbye, and Joel follows Tess to the door to bolt and lock it once again. He makes his way back to his spot at the kitchen table, Lianne working at the counter with her back already to him.

“Why ain’t you goin’?” He asks as he takes his seat.

“Already told you,” she responds, voice lacking in life. “You’ll go.”

“There’s more to it than that,” Joel suggests. 

“I picked up some extra shifts at the metalsmiths,” she responds again, back still facing him as she prepares his coffee. 

She felt herself becoming more like her father, losing herself in work and leaving a taste of bitterness in her wake. Her father’s blood had become her blood, and will be her blood until they’re both rotting in the ground. When she finds herself staring lifelessly in a mirror, his face will be the one glaring back at her with the utter disdain and disappointment only a father can truly have. It would fill her with rage.

She could see the similarities of her father in her reflection, the new and scarce lines of age and survival fading onto her skin in the same pattern as her father’s. She felt more alike to him now than she would ever care to admit, and it would fill her with rage. A rage so pure that she became certain she knew she was her father’s daughter.

She’d been working a lot. Joel barely had the time to see her these past few weeks it seemed. She’d drawn into herself since the group of them arrived at the QZ, but recently Joel had noticed she’d become more distant. She’d begun excluding herself from the smuggling trips that she planned, only sending the three of them without her instead. She would seclude herself in the apartment, and the lights were always off when Joel got back. Or, she’d lose herself in various shifts of work, whatever it was, always the excuse for more pay and more ration cards. 

When she turns to face him, two cups of coffee in hand, his thoughts of worry increase slightly at the tight draw of her lips in a forced, small smile. 

“You’re alright with just me and Tess going?” Joel asks as he takes his first sip of coffee, forcing a humto stay buried in his chest. “I don’t wanna leave you here alone.”

“I’ll be fine,” she says in partly fake assurance. “I got Tommy to keep me company. And I got work.”

—--

Bill, the older of the two men, had prepared nothing light of a feast for when Joel and Tess arrived. He was reserved and grouchy, hand on his gun as his silent gaze tracked the two visitors like a predator to its prey. Frank, the one that Tess had been in contact with over the radio, was a stark contrast and a breath of fresh air. Joel doesn’t remember meeting someone this chipper and optimistic. Frank had immediately greeted Joel with the name of Texas, having only heard him referred to that from Tess.

The older couple is a mirror to Joel and Tess, Tess thinks. Brooding and stoic, friendly and inviting, no matter how fake the “friendly” might be. Tess and Frank tried their best to ease the tension between Joel and Bill, attempting to make the introductory process as smooth as possible. 

The four of them had settled around a patio table on the couple’s front lawn, a delicious meal of rabbit and greens paired with a delicate red wine served under the clear sky. Frank had invited Tess into the house to show her something, despite Bill’s persistent pleas that they don’t go in, leaving Joel and Bill to their disgruntled selves. 

“I understand,” Joel says, voice strong in the tense silence. “If my, uh… If mine … brought strangers into our situation, I wouldn’t be happy either. But of all the people you could’ve found on the radio, we’re actually decent people just trying to get by.”

“Oh,” Bill snorts. “Well, aren't I the lucky one.”

A moment passes, and Joel debates continuing the conversation.

“You sayin’ you two ain’t together ?” Bill asks, eyes squinting in the sun. 

“Me and Tess?” Joel asks, a small laugh of surprise slipping from him. “No, no. I, uh, I got a wife back in the QZ.” 

“Oh, shit?” Bill says in a sudden burst of surprise. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Joel bristles at that, not liking the implications of the older man. His brows furrow, shoulders stiffening in defense, when Frank and Tess return from the house, their drunken laughter filling the air. Joel’s leg began to bounce under the table, his fingers flexing in and out of a fist as he became anxious to leave. The sun began to dip in the sky, and he longed for the warmth of Lianne pressed to his back. 

“It’ll be dark soon,” Frank beams as he approaches the table. “We have a guest room all set up downstairs, you two are more than welcome to stay the night.”

“That would be great,” Tess says with a cheery smile, her cheeks blushed with slight intoxication. The same time that Joel declines the offer and states they should be on their way. 

“He’ll probably wanna get back home to his wife ,” Bill says, urging the pair to get off their property. 

“Your wife?” Frank asks excitedly, surprise written in the arches of his brows. “Why didn’t you bring her with? I’d love to meet her next time.” 

“I'll be sure to mention that to her,” Joel responds, lips tight in a flat smile. “But I think we’ve overstayed our welcome for today. We’d better head out.”

Joel didn’t trust the couple, not yet. Frank was more than welcoming, and his warm gestures put Joel at ease. But he didn’t want to overstep the boundaries that Bill had placed. Which meant they would be leaving that night.

It wouldn’t be until late in the next afternoon that he would unlock the door to the apartment in the QZ, chest lightening with easier breaths as soon as his foot stepped over the threshold. It was dark, the buzzing of the refrigerator the only sound in the entire apartment. A note laid on the kitchen table, scribbled in her handwriting. 

If you’re back, I’ll be out til the evening. X

He folded it neatly and slipped it into his pocket after trailing his fingers over her penmanship.

He’d only been unpacking for a few minutes before the door rattled open, and he finally was in her presence again, gaze softening in comfort as his eyes fell on her. He stayed silent as he watched her kick off her boots with a long sigh, splashing her face with water from the sink, and grabbing a drink of water.

“You do that a lot,” she says quietly, the slightest hint of a tease in her voice.

“What?” Joel asks quietly.

“Just watchin’ me,” she says as she finally turns to face him. 

“Always,” he responds instantly, the simple word slipping heavily from his lips like honey. She chuckles softly at him as she finally makes her way over to him.

“How’d it go with the guys?” She asks, the tips of her toes touching his, and he finds it equally as hard to pull his eyes from her as it is to reach out and touch her. 

“Was fine,” Joel says, the soft of his breath brushing against her face as he gazed down at her. 

“And Tess?” She asked, the smallest smile still on her lips. He was silent for a moment before letting out a short sigh. “What?” Lianne asked again.

“She was kinda drunk on the way home,” Joel finally starts. “She was sayin’ some stuff.”

Lianne’s eyes pierced into him, pressing for more as her head tilted softly to the side. 

“Sayin’ that-” he stops as soon as he starts, and pulls away from Lianne, walking to his side of the bed to create a distance between them. His feet ached with the distance he’d traveled as he sunk into his spot on the mattress, resting the back of his hand over his eyes. “I don’t know. She got real brave and started sayin’ all kinds of stuff. She’s got feelings for me, but more than that. Things were kinda weird between us once she sobered up.” 

Lianne chuckles again at the blush that rises in his cheeks as she begins pulling her jeans down her legs, finally causing Joel to peek out at her from under his hand. 

“Well, I mean,” Lianne starts. “Are you surprised? I see the way she is around you, how she looks at you.” 

Joel is propped up on his arms now, looking at her as she continues to undress herself, sliding herself over him to straddle his lap.

“Even though you’re an old man,” Lianne begins to tease. “You’ve still got it.” 

He doesn’t even bother rolling his eyes at her comment, his hands reaching out to rest softly on her hips, squeezing the flesh there to hold her in place. 

“It doesn’t bother you?” He asks, forcing his eyes to connect with hers. Lianne shakes her head.

“Tess is as close a friend any of us have,” she says gently. “I trust you, and I trust Tess. With my life.” 

—-- 

2023

The room is dark and silent, as expected, when she slinks into its darkness. She’s careful not to let the floorboards creak under her boots as she locks the door behind her, knowing full well that any sound she makes won’t awaken the passed out Joel that lays on the bed. The half empty bottle of pills and whiskey glass were proof enough of another restless day for him. 

The bruising around her eye had grown swollen, the split in her lip pulsing with pain, but she didn’t care. Joel was completely slumped, unaware of her approaching footsteps. He was asleep on his side, his now graying hair reflecting in the moonlight that seeped in through the window. His good ear was exposed to listen for her entering their apartment, but he only woke when her knee first hit the mattress. His eyes barely opened, relief settling in his chest when he saw her darkened silhouette. She pushed at his shoulder, rolling him to his other side so she could nestle up against his back and into the crook of his knees. Her hand sneaked its way over him, settling on his chest to rest over his steady heartbeat. He falls back asleep before he can even think about pulling her hands to his mouth to kiss her knuckles.

She had woken before him, the clinking of her spatula on the pan finally pulling Joel awake. The scream of a baby was muffled through the walls of the apartment complex and the buzzing of a siren at the edge of the QZ had Joel’s head pounding. It was the smell of the sizzling eggs on the stove that finally had Joel on his feet and out of bed. 

He was at Lianne’s side in a few small strides, walking the length of their small apartment in just a few seconds. He rested his hand on the back of her neck, the warmth of it spreading through her. He pressed a soft kiss above her temple, lingering there as he closed his eyes. She only leaned her head into him as she continued scrambling the eggs, not turning to meet his gaze.

It wasn’t until Joel sat at his spot at their table, ran a hand over his tired face, and let his gaze follow up Lianne’s arm as she placed a plate of eggs in front of him that he saw the red and purple bruises that painted her skin. His face immediately hardened into a scowl as he reached up to cup her jaw, inspecting the swelling of her eye and the split in her lip. Lianne takes him by his wrists with a gentle grip, the pads of her fingers rough and grimey. 

“Tess and I got jumped by a couple of guys,” Lianne begins, a gentle voice leaving on a heavy sigh. 

“What guys?” Joel asks, his voice surprisingly gentle with concern. He’s only met with a long sigh from Lianne as she removes his hands from her face, taking them to lay gently in her lap as she traces the lines of his palms.

“I need you…” she says slowly. “To take a breath.”

Joel stiffens at that, eyes searching her face as she looks up at him. The creases of her forehead run like treads on a wire. Singular pieces of silver had twisted their way into her dark hair. He tries to read her eyes; eyes that didn’t shine as bright as they used to, eyes that used to crinkle in laughter now creased with years of frowns, eyes now crinkled in the corners with the age of survival. 

“What,” Joel grunts, not even a question, his voice barely gentler than a bark. 

“I just need you to think slowly about this, okay?” Lianne starts, and Joel doesn’t even blink at her. “The guys that jumped Tess and I were with Robert.”

“Son of a-” Joel hisses as he pulls away from her, sitting back in his chair as his hands run through his hair. 

“Joel,” Lianne says, her voice stern in warning. She explains all too quickly that Robert, a fellow smuggler, had sold the car battery that they needed in order to go out west to find Tommy to someone else. Joel began to seethe, and Lianne’s plan of him helping Tess get it back lacked in reassurance. It wasn’t until he realized that Lianne hadn’t mentioned herself in said plan that snapped his attention back to her.

“What about you?” Joel says, brows furrowed in confusion. 

Lianne takes a breath, her words hesitant as she says,  “I took a job, gonna relocate some stuff to a QZ out west.”

Joel just blinks.

“There’s a group goin’ out,” she says flatly. 

“If you say it’s the fuckin’ Fireflies-” Joel exasperates. 

“It’s not, Joel,” Lianne interrupts, voice unwavering and just as stern. 

“You ain’t goin’,” Joel says as he crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes burning into hers.

“Joel…” she sighs, and the look on her face had the wall around his heart shaking in its structure. “I don’t want to stay here anymore, I’m tired of being in these walls. Been here for damn near fourteen years. I’m tired, Joel…”

He tries to focus on her words, eyes focusing on her lips, but the buzzing in his head muffles the sound of her voice. A tight grip fisted its way around his chest, the tightness almost making him light headed as he tried to keep his breathing even. He felt like the room was spinning around him, the edges of his vision going blurry. His gaze became tunnel-visioned on her mouth, watching the silent words spill from them until her last words snapped him back.

“Tess has some shit goin’ on with Robert. You gotta stay here and help her,” her words finally melt their way into his ears.

“Are you tired of me?” Joel says suddenly, not aware of the fact that he interrupts her, not bothering to hear her fully.

She flinches slightly at his words, her gut clenching at the subtle quiver of his lips. She takes his face in her rough hands, gently brushing her thumb along the bone of his cheek.

“No,” she says quietly. “I’m tired of it here . This is just something I gotta do.”

His eyes meet hers, his heart tightening in his chest. Again, there is no light in her eyes, a void of feeling lingering in the depths of them. The years in the QZ hadn’t been kind to any of them, working shit jobs just to get by. Tommy had left a while ago, stating he’d never want to see Joel’s fucking face again. Joel, Lianne, and Tess had made a quiet name for themselves, successfully smuggling various cargo in and out of the QZ. They were a powerful trio, almost feared by others around them. The three of them together smuggled more shit in and out of the QZ than regulated imports, working with stragglers on the outskirts of the QZ to get to them what they wanted in exchange for something more. 

He wants to be selfish, to do anything in his power to keep her from going. He’d lock her in their apartment if he had to. He would go to Hell and back if it meant she’d stay there with him, to stay in his arms and be safe and warm and hidden. They had melded into one person in their time in Boston, and the thought of the two of them now being alone ripped at his skin. He wants to be selfish, but he can’t. 

“Okay,” Joel says finally, the warmth of her hands finally seeping their way in to thaw the cold grip of his chest. He could never want to control her fire, all he needed was to be near it.

“Okay,” Lianne sighs, a hint of relief lingering in her breath.

“When do you leave?” Joel asks.

“Tonight.” 

His breath hitches in his throat before it escapes him in a defeated sigh. 

“When do you come back?” He follows, trying his damn hardest to keep his voice from cracking.

Her eyes fall from his, to rest again at the sight of their hands together, and his blood stands still.

“Are you coming back?” He asks again, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course,” she says, her voice gentle as her eyes meet his once again. “Of course I’m coming back.”

The day continued as if it were any other. Almost. The two of them barely saw much of each other, or so Lianne thought. Joel had lingered around her, trailing her in the shadows of the QZ, not wanting her out of his sight. She could feel his presence in the darkness of the walls, and she let him follow her while she worked. 

She spent the day making last minute trades with other low-level smugglers, tying up a few loose ends with some traders and guards as she readied for her travels. It wasn’t until the mid afternoon when Joel made his presence known and joined her at her side, the temptation of being close to her overpowering his lurkish movements in the shadows.

The sun had set and darkness fell over their apartment, Lianne rummaging through her things and taking what she needed to be set in a small pile on their bed. Joel took from the small pile and packed her items into her backpack. He had already cleaned and readied the guns she’d be taking with her, removing them from their hiding spot in the floorboards of their room. Her movements slowly became more hesitant, her gaze avoidant of Joel’s helpful tendencies. 

“I’ll be stoppin’ at Bill and Frank’s,” she finally speaks, slinging her backpack over her shoulders. Joel approaches her, but only to carefully clip a bulky satellite radio onto one of the straps of her backpack. 

“Check in,” he grunts. “Every mornin’, every night. I’ll be waitin’ for you.”

“Got it,” she says quietly, adjusting the straps of her pack.

Joel stares at her, his mind reeling with thoughts coursing through him at the speed of light. 

“I-” Joel starts, but his voice falls flat with a croak as his silent words hang in the air.

“I know,” Lianne says softly, eyes glistening briefly as she looks over him. “I’ll be back.”

“I know,” Joel nods. 

She slinks out their apartment door, the dim light of the hallway casting a dark shadow over her silhouette, the dark hair of Joel’s braid work disappearing as the door shuts behind her. Her stomach remains hungry, and she remains unseen and unheard. 

And he will be waiting for her, and she knows he will be. That if she were to return home, to him, weary, with blood on her hands, he would be waiting there. She could rest her head in his lap, and he would kiss her burning forehead and wash the blood from her.

He will be waiting, and that string that knits the two of them together will only stretch. 

He waits for her to radio him the next morning, pacing impatiently down the hallway that leads to the room designated for radio messages. When he’s called into the room, his fingers tremble as he’s read the message she had left for him. 

Just got to Bill and Frank’s.

All is good. There’s coffee here.

Tell Tess they say hi.

It’s short and sweet, and leaves him releasing a held breath in relief. He relays a message to be transferred back to her, saying he’s glad she made it and hopes she enjoys her coffee.

The messages are just as short and sweet over the next few days. Lianne updates him on her location and well-being, and lets him know there’s no more coffee. 

On the fifth day she’s gone, Joel leaves a message to be sent to her in the middle of the night. He and Tess are leaving the QZ with a young girl, no longer having use of the radio base there. He’s not sure she’ll get the message, or when he’ll be able to contact her again, and he grinds his teeth to pray away the nausea. 

Lianne never received that message on her fifth day out, the only noise that was able to be picked up on her radio this far out in the middle of nowhere was nothing but static. She continued to attempt to reach out to Joel every morning and every night just as she had promised, and it was a measly attempt at keeping her hopes up from the silence on the other end. 

As the weeks passed, the silence grew louder. Not a single sound had been picked up on the radio before its battery died, and the group of travelers had dwindled in numbers. She wanted to believe that he was still alive, that Tess would have gotten a message to her somehow if something happened. But all she got was silence. 

Months had passed when she reached Nebraska, that emptiness gnawing its way through her and making a home in her ribcage. She was the last remainder of her group and had been left to her own thoughts for weeks on end, the sound of her own voice becoming a stranger to her. If she could find the safe house that her, Joel, and Tommy set up all those years ago in the beginning of the outbreak, she could be okay. 

Daydreams of setting up a homestead and removing the boards on the windows to replace them with lace curtains pushed her further through the vast state. Joel had mentioned once that he would like to retire on a farm, just the two of them with their sheep. Cooking warm meals on the fire, drinking their coffee on a wrap-around porch. A dream of domestic bliss that could only aid in their sanity. 

The air was warm and dewy as she reached the safe house as the sun began to rise. If she had to go on without Joel, she could at least honor his memory. Maybe with a few sheep.