#this could never be me because i could never break up with corey

[writing-good-vibes]

For Valentine's Day, number 1 under angsty prompts. The Replacement. A little bit of jealous ex!Corey maybe...

ahh thank you for your req !!

WARNINGS for (past) corey x gn!reader, jealousy, mildly stalkerish behaviour, dark post accident!corey, mentions of joan being The Worst and mild implications of violence.

💔 very cute divider by @/firefly-graphics 💔

taglist: @slutforstabbings @ethanhoewke @voxmortuus (just let me know if you want to be added or removed !!)

Corey didn't like being jealous. Being jealous made his stomach ache, a horrible sickly feeling deep down in his gut that wouldn't go away, made worse by his tossing and turning at night while he tried to sleep. Being jealous made his fingers hurt, and he'd clench them into fists, hard enough for his blunt nails to leave red crescents in his palms, to try and ease the pressure in his sore knuckles. Being jealous made his eyes water and his chest tight and it made him want to scream, sat in his bed alone at night, watching the radio tower blink tauntingly through his window.

But Corey couldn't help it, Corey was jealous.

Maybe it was his own fault -- it was definitely his own fault -- that you didn't want him anymore, that you got out the first chance you had, that you chose to dodge the bullet that is Corey 'Kid Killer' Cunningham.

And he can't really blame you because he knows that you were getting bored with his reluctance to go anywhere, and with all his nervous habits he still hadn't been able to shake.

He knows it's because the looks got too much for you. Because the mutterings behind your back were starting to take their tole. Because the soda thrown at him from a car window as you walked down the street was only a taste of what was to come.

He really only had himself to blame, and yet he couldn't make himself let go of you so easily. Especially not now he'd seen his replacement.

It's difficult not to compare himself. Corey's been monitoring his placement in every league possible since middle school; popularity, academics, looks. He'd skated along in the middle of the pack popularity-wise, which suited him just fine, and he was never quite top of the class but he was close enough to keep his GPA up, and well... he wasn't winning any prizes compared to some of the guys at school, but he'd lived with it.

But next to his Replacement? Oh, Corey never stood a chance.

And Corey doesn't want to do this. Of course he doesn't. He sees you from across the street, holding his hand. He sees walk you around the dollar store while he pushes the cart. He sees you take him back to your place. And he follows you back to his sometimes too.

Momma's upset with him when he's late for dinner.

It's funny how much he still misses you, even when he sees you all the time. You smile and your smile is like sunshine. You look and your eyes are sharp and clever and deep enough to drown in. Your voice, god he could listen to you forever and ever and never get bored.

He closes his eyes and thinks about it, reconfigures all these sightings onto himself. You smile at him, you look at him, you talk to him, not his replacement

He's cold, and his stomach aches, and his fingers hurt, and his chest is tight when you open your door. He doesn't remember looking through the kitchen draw, or leaving home, or when his cheeks got so wet.

"Corey? Is everything okay?"

Momma always told him no one else would ever love him, and that's Corey down to the bone: always wanting something he can't have.

on the topic of jealousy, you should also read [warnings apply]:

clean again by blake (@/slutforstabbings). after corey survives the events of ends he travels south and, against his better judgement, falls in love with the reader. corey's jealous streak is strong in this story, but it comes up most directly in chapter 7.

rock bottom by toxic (@/toxicanonymity). corey can't decide if he wants to do the reader or michael, so he does both. and even though he gets the best of both worlds, he's still somehow jealous of both of his partners.

[lettersofgold]

-> unthinkable | chapter one | jules k.

genre: angst, fluff | authors note: i would like to reiterate that the self insert reader, y/n, is a black girl with a black girl as a face claim. although this is catered to black women, i hope you enjoy the fic. i want to be able to create works inclusive and catered to under represented woc - hope you understand & support. no hate will be tolerated.

warnings: google translations, loosely proofed

summary: jules could never get it quite right. no girl gave him the feeling that he had with you. he wasn’t even sure he knew how to love a woman until you came into his life - even when he was dating around, his loyalty and heart were with you. you couldn’t find someone who stirred the feeling of love in you the way jules did, but he was just a friend and he wasn’t done playing the field. the two of you were giving each other the love you both never felt before and after fighting it for so long, you realized you both deserved it and you were finally ready.

[ pictured fc: corey - black!fem!reader - kaia ]

Chapter 1

“Have you ever been in love?” You leaned into the French man who leaned into you at the same time - it was a sight to see: your elbow on the bar, the palm of your hand holding your tilted head, and him - his eyes unwavering and whiskey brown under the warm glow of the restaurant bar. Jules' head dropped to his lap as he laughed. The engagement party ended a while ago, but the two of you had comfortably sat at the bar talking about your lives and how you got to this point. It was over-sharing, but you both felt comfortable sharing the gritty moments that shaped you as people. Neither of you expected a mundane evening ending up at a bar telling your life story to a stranger. In the end though, you wouldn’t be strangers at all.

“Have I? Oh, Mon Dieu, I have loved women more times than I can remember.” (Oh my god)

Those first few hours with Jules were magnetic, borderline kismet, and there was not a single person who could have stopped the soulful hold you would have on one another. You previously described to your friends before your fateful decision to leave your home and find a new home in Barcelona; there was a piece of you, just a piece of your heart that hadn’t been touched in the relationships you were in before. You loved those men and were sure of that, but were you in love with them? The answer you and your friends decided on was a hearty no. Alongside their answers came warnings of the consequences of finally opening your mind and heart to complete, encompassing love. A breakup was no longer a simple text that decides who picks up the boxes of things. When you truly fall in love, and your heart gets broken, you grieve for an entire man who would go on living, a man who creates a new world where you are no longer a part of it. A heart grieves when it breaks, not because of sadness but because the grief was proof you had been in love all along.

“Everyone has loved someone. But have you been in love, Jules? Truly and surely, in love?” He blew a soft breath and answered because he came to terms with the things he wouldn’t grasp until he retired: “I wish I could have been in love or be in love, but my career hasn’t given me a chance to even dream of it.”

Jules did not plan on attending his trainer’s engagement party. He cared about the couple dearly. In retrospect, his relationship with Corey was beyond a footballer and his trainer. It was a man-to-man talk about life, love, and a bunch of sharing shit while working out and doing physiotherapy. Corey knew more about Jules' love life than any of his other clients and Jules was the one he called, sweaty and shaking before his proposal to Kaia. Yet caring about the couple wasn’t enough to combat the exhausting life he had been living - between the situationship, the season, his injuries, and the lack of sleep - he craved being alone. He found himself with crippling relationship issues when he wasn’t even in a relationship. He wanted a night alone, away from everything, to decompress and get quality rest but those dreamy ideas crumbled once Kaia’s cheerful voice met his ears. “I’m so excited to see you! I can’t wait to hear all about how you helped Corey.” He prepared himself to be there and be supportive but he couldn’t plan what was meant to happen sitting at the bar sharing stories with you.

———

“I swear if you spill another thing in my kitchen, we’re going to have problems.” The threat was far from empty, Jules knew that. He laughed and his voice drowned out the low sound of Sza’s melody that hummed into the air.

Your kitchen was homey and almost ancient. Anything that spilled ended up being a stain which, unfortunately, you learned after knocking over a huge cup of coffee. It took you weeks to clean it up and its ghost was still there next to the tiny dinner table. Months in Barcelona felt like you’d been there your entire life. You thought you were going to need to learn to love the city but it came easily. What worried you the most, after loving the city, was finding friends but once you met Kaia, so much fell into place. It warmed your heart to meet Kaia at a coffee shop during your first week at work. Coincidentally, she worked in the office at the school you taught at. If it wasn’t for her and her persistence of you attending her engagement party a few weeks later, you would not have met Jules. You’d be a recluse if not for your extroverted friends.

“I told you I couldn’t cook, blame yourself.” Jules argued with an extended arm and open palm towards the mess he created dicing the tomatoes. He always wanted to eat your food but never wanted to help, so you forced him to start pulling his weight. There were no free handouts - Jules was no exception.

“It’s amazing how skilled you are with your feet but you can’t do the most basic thing with your hands.”

“My hands work fine - never had any complaints.” Jules smirked, earning an eye roll from you. You could have never guessed that your closest friend would be a guy who happened to be a skilled professional footballer, especially one who found more comfort sleeping on the couch in your tiny apartment, than in his massive home with designer furniture. You stopped making dinner for just one because of Jules. It was habit that he would raid your fridge, eat the dinner and then tell you how unhealthy yet delicious it was.

“Candace seems to have a lot of complaints.” You teased and it was Jules’ turn to roll his eyes. Jules sighed and ran his hands down his face.

“Oh Mon Dieu cette femme.” He complained. (Oh my god that woman.)

Until Jules, you had never met a man so unphased by the sheer amount of women that he dated. One week a girl was there and then the next week, they weren’t seen again. Women came and went and his latest girlfriend wasn’t exactly someone you saw as a friend, either. Candace had a hold over Jules. She had been around for a little over a month - a personal record for your noncommittal friend. Candace would not budge when it came to Jules. She wanted it to be clear who she was to any person who was in the same vicinity, breathing the same air, to know that Jules’ was her man. In her mind, Jules’ was hers to keep and it didn’t seem that Jules was trying to get rid of her. He just complained. It was Jules’ own downfall because he never set boundaries for her to not cross and you weren’t going to be the one to tell him that she had hungry eyes and you knew it wasn’t for him but for the life he could give her. You had only been around Candace a handful of times but that was enough to make you exhausted - you avoided her if you could. Luckily she didn’t live in the same city so she was rarely with the rest of the friend group that you grew to know and love.

“You know what I’m going to say.” You replied.

“Yes, yes. ‘Why don’t you just leave her?’” He mocked in a high pitched voice. “It’s not that easy, poto.” (Friend)

“I think it is. But if you like it, then I love it.”

You gave up long ago trying to get it through his thick skull that he didn’t owe her, or anyone, his time and his energy if they frustrated him so much. The sex must be absolutely amazing for him to still have her in his life. The thought of it made you frown but you moved past that disappointment and focused on other things that weren’t correlated to your best friend’s sex life. At the end of the day, Jules was still just a man who had to learn his lesson and no amount of chastising from his friends would change that. A man with needs, you thought as you recalled her perfectly sculpted figure. Jules had a type and you were completely opposite of it. Did it bother you? A little. Would it ever truly matter? No. You turned back to the pasta on the stove as Sza’s voice continued to sing: I came to your city, lookin’ got lovin’ and licky ‘cause you promised to put it down.

“All done.” Jules commented as he stood behind you while dumping the plate of terribly diced tomatoes into the pan. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders before resting his chin on your head. Jules was a koala, clinging onto anything with a pulse. He lived up to the French stereotypes: fashionable, passionate, and very loving. If he wasn’t touching you, he was fiddling with his fingers or his hair.

“You haven’t been to a match in a while, why?” He questioned slowly.

“J, I love you but I don’t want to see you chase a ball around for two hours.”

“I don’t chase it…I score.” You could hear the pout in his voice and it made you giggle.

“The weekends are the only time I get to rest!” You argued. It was true that you didn’t want to watch men run back and forth but you weren’t telling Jules the thought of being stuck in a room with all those people wasn’t boring but actually agonizing.

“I check ESPN to see what’s happening - it’s basically the same thing.” You pulled out of Jules’ hold and began setting the table. Jules eyed you with folded arms before muttering out, “Liar.”

“You always tell me what happened in the game. Why watch when you tell me?” You continued to explain. That was about as strong as your argument was going to get. You did not want Jules to know the idea of being there was making you uneasy. Especially if Candace was in attendance. He said she was harmless. All bark, no bite. Regardless, of whatever dog-like tendencies she did or didn’t possess, you wanted little to do with her. You learned a long ago that your friends’ love lives were not your business.

“It’s better in person AND you can hang out with Candace and the other girls and talk about how hot the players are or whatever.” Jules furrowed his brows before questioning, “what do girls talk about up there?”

“Don’t ask me, I haven’t been in forever. I doubt any girl I know is even still around.”

You met a few of the WAGs months ago when you first arrived to Barcelona and hadn’t kept up with any of them since. Majority of them were nice but you kept to yourself and decided that you weren’t in a hurry to go back. The food and drinks were nice, seeing Jules happy made you happy, but there was just no desire to go. Jules sat at the tiny kitchen table and you followed and placed the two bowls of pasta down. The table was incredibly small and whenever Jules sat with you his knees touched yours.

“Why would I go to hang out in that suite?”

“Candace is going.” He said as if it was obvious.

“Okay…and?” You questioned.

Jules was never one to speak outright about how he felt. He never wanted to make people think he needed anything. For a man who was in relationships constantly, he was very guarded. You saw parts of him that his fans, the public and even parts that Corey and Kaia didn’t see but, it still puzzled you that he had trouble opening up to you considering you never judged him. You shook it off, knowing that someone he trusted in the past used his vulnerability against him and as you looked at his pleading face, you couldn’t blame him for having his walls up. Yours had been up for years.

“She’s scared to go alone. She needs a friend.” He dropped his fork and put his hands in a begging motion, “Please? For me?”

You found yourself in between a rock and a hard place. You would do almost anything for Jules. The two of you bonded over loyalty and how important it was to you. You had your friends’ backs through thick and thin - even if it was a bit annoying, even if it was a request like this.

“You’re lucky I love you.” You sighed. Jules stared at his pasta with a beaming smile as if he won the match right there in your kitchen. You poked at your pasta aimlessly for a moment and considered all the ways you could back out when Jules made you feel even more guilty by continuing on about his matches.

“You should support me anyway, I’m the best footballer you know.”

“You’re the only footballer I know.”

It never crossed your mind that Jules wanted you to come to his matches. He, Kaia, and Corey knew weekends were your time to decompress after working with children all week. You were an English as a Second Language teacher at a small private school with the most incredible students. You cared for them as if they were your own, but with that came the emotional exhaustion from helping them navigate their futures, teenage melodrama, and the stress from their own personal expectations. It was the most fulfilling job you had thus far. You found purpose with the kids in your classes. It was a win-win situation - you spoke Spanish to the kids and they spoke English to you, all mixed with animated banter. Even on the worst of days, those students breathed life into you with their rambles and thoughts. You loved them to death.

“I’m very lucky. I love you too, poto.” (Friend)

“Can I invite Kaia, at least?”

“You can invite anyone. I just need to know a few days before so I can add you to the list.” Jules shoveled a large fork of pasta into his mouth and moaned aloud. The moan made you flush - Jules was attractive and that noise made him even more so. “You are the best cook, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“You would survive and I don’t know, actually eat the stuff your chef cooks for you.”

——

It was a long week and no part of you was looking forward to the match. The thought of the crowd was intimidating but not as intimidating about being in the suite during such an important game. Jules mentioned once during the week that he was gunning for more - he wanted to play to his best potential and knowing your friend, there was nothing going to stop that. You admired Jules. Not only for his talent but for his work ethic and you were intrigued to see how he would channel all the ethic into the pitch (not field, as Jules scolded you once before.), since it had been months seen that last time you watched him play. Even in thinking about that admiration, you knew it wasn’t enough to help you navigate all the little social interactions that awaited you in the suite. Once you arrived at the stadium with Kaia and made it through the security check and finally got settled in the suite, you got a text. You decided that you would sit outside on the balcony on the first row with Candace in between you and Kaia in case you needed a moment alone. It was well before kick-off but it took you by surprise that Jules texted you. You hadn’t even got a chance to make a drink and head to your seat yet.

Ju: Candace is running late. Have fun, drink a beer.

You: Hate beer. Shouldn’t you be kicking a ball?

Ju: Yell loud for me.

You: Only if you score a goal and do a little dance. I bet you five dollars.

Ju: Make it dinner and five dollars.

You: you’ve got a deal

You were ripped out of your thoughts when a woman’s voice shrieked out and then, suddenly, her arms were wrapped around your midsection. One manicured hand was holding a drink that spilled down the entire front of your shirt as she bounced you around excitedly.

“Oh my gosh we have all been wondering about you! We were all asking, ‘where has Jules’ pretty little girlfriend been hiding?’”

You were spun around by the set of arms but your focus was solely on your soaking wet beige shirt and the fact that it was becoming see through. It was as if cold water had been splashed on you when you finally realized what she was saying, on top of the fact that the whole suite was staring at your chest. It could not have been more mortifying. As if you weren’t scared enough to begin with, the universe decided to add a sprinkle of disaster in the form of a blue mixed drink.

“Oh no, that’s not.” You stumbled and Kaia came to your aid with napkins. “I’m not his girlfriend. I’m just a friend and this is Kaia, my friend.”

“Oh my gosh! I could’ve sworn it was you! You’re Y/N, right?”

You nodded but you were wiping away at your shirt aggressively. You didn’t even know the lady’s name but she was staring at you as if she knew you, which, she apparently did. She knew your name and knew that you knew Jules.

“Iñigo says Jules talks about you all the time.” She said. Okay, that’s odd, you thought to yourself.

“I’m sorry I really need to get another shirt, is there anywhere I can get one?” You pleaded with strong dismissal of the information that was dropped on you. Why was Jules talking about you to his teammates? You grabbed your purse in a hurry and told Kaia to stay in case Candace arrived while you were gone. You needed a moment to breathe and secure a shirt before the game started. The shop was a mad house of fans and you were growing irritable with the sugar from her drink beginning to stick to your skin. You opted for a simple Barca t-shirt and as you turned away from the register you bumped into a man - a very handsome man at that. You apologized and he disarmed all that irritably you harbored with his smile and sweet, smooth voice. He was an olive skinned man with a wide smile, accented by a small dimple. His dark hair was curly and it contrasted his blue eyes. Damn, you thought. You knew Spain had gorgeous men but you forgot how gorgeous they could be. You realized you were still staring and holding onto his elbow so you took a few steps back. The shop was crowded and people were bustling by the two of at a feverish pace.

“You’re okay, I don’t mind bumping into a pretty woman like you…are you alright?” His accent took you by surprise but before you could mutter another apology out of habit, you saw his eyes and how they scanned your entire see through shirt which made you cross your arms and you dangled your new shirt between the two of you.

“I’m sorry, I’ve gotta get back upstairs before the game starts.” You gave a soft smile and tried to walk past him, but he grabbed you gently with his hand.

“Upstairs? Are you in a suite?” His eyes scanned your face and you weren’t sure how to take the question just yet. He must’ve seen the confusion because he continued without your reply, “I’m in the family and friends suite and I’ve got no clue of where to go.” He flashed his yellow wrist band that matched yours as if to prove he wasn’t some creep.

“Oh, uh, yeah I am. You can follow me if you like, if you want. I need to change my shirt first.

“I’ll wait for you…”

“Y/N.” You replied.

“I’ll wait for you Y/N right out front.” He smiled again and this time, it made your heart flutter and warmness filled your cheeks.

You found your way back to him and his head was deep into his phone, so you cleared your throat to get his attention. You had no idea what his name was. He smiled at you and your eyes drew towards his adorable dimple. He ran his fingers through his hair before he placed his phone in his back pocket and motioned for you to lead the way. The crowd of attendees rushing towards their seats hadn’t slowed down as you hoped, so you took his hand in yours and pulled him along without hesitation. His hand was large and warm in yours as you steered him through the crowded concourse and to the suite check in kiosk. You flashed your wrist band and he did the same. His hand had yet to leave yours. You were slowed down by the fact the security guard wanted to double check the man.

“Name?” The stone faced security guard asked.

“My name is Davi Félix.”

“You’re good to go.” Davi thanked the man and pulled his hand out of yours to open the door to the stairs.

“Ladies first.”

“Thank you Davi.” You smiled. Maybe the game wouldn’t be so bad after all.

——

Luckily, Kaia secured your seats. Candace sat next to her and you offered Davi the seat on the other side of you which he took it happily. Candace introduced herself to you, something she did every time she saw you, and it was a difficult task to not roll your eyes. You weren’t sure if she was petty of just not the smartest. Davi sat for a moment then decided to check what the bar had to offer and asked if anyone wanted one. Kaia declined, Candace waved her cup with a cheeky smile, and Davi turned his attention to you.

“For you, doce?” He smiled softly and you hesitated, getting lost in his eyes that were holding your attention as he leaned over to hear your answer. (Sweetie)

“I’ll take what you get.” Davi nodded and headed towards the door with a glance back at you before heading inside.

“Doce? Sweetie? Who is that!” Kaia asked, leaning forward past Candace, who was eyeing you with an intrigued smirk.

“That’s Davi, I met him downstairs while getting this shirt.” You tugged on the shirt you got. You bought it because it was cheap and you could finally match your students on their dress down Fridays. Half the class would love it and the other half would despise it. It’ll give them the opportunity to debate while practicing their English and you knew football was a passionate topic. It was going to be an entertaining debate day.

“That’s João Félix’s cousin.” Candace looked between the two of you as if it was obvious. You glanced at Kaia then back at Candace who promptly stated more information.

“João Félix…here on loan. Never mind, he’s a player on the team.” She indulged but it still did nothing for you or Kaia. You truly had no clue about Jules and his job besides the fact that he was strong, fast, and ate like he was never satiated.

“Right.” You answered feeling a bit dumb. You knew why you didn’t know, but it still felt dumb to not know it.

“He’s cute, he’s got hearts in his eyes while looking at you.” Kaia raised her brows. Her own eyes glimmered mischievously.

“Kaia I just met the guy.”

“So? He’s a man, he’s got eyes, and he clearly likes what he sees.” Kaia said, leaning back into her chair. The team began filling the pitch with kids alongside them signaling the start of the game. Davi rushed back and handed a drink to you gently with a wide smile.

“Hope you like it

“I’ll love it.” You placed your cup down and awaited the anthem and the start of the game while fighting a childlike smile. Kaia cleared her throat and you turned to find her mouthing, “I’ll love it.” You slyly shot her a middle finger and turned back to the pitch.

There was Jules. Your best friend. His head was down and his hands were on the shoulders of a little girl who had a few missing teeth. She was laughing at whatever Jules was saying to her. She tugged at her braids then Jules tugged on his own in return. They were matching. It was adorable how good he was with children. You always told him that he had a natural ability with kids and he should take advantage of it - maybe start a charity or foundation. If kids were drawn to you, it meant you had a pure heart and a golden soul, your mom once said. You didn’t doubt that about Jules. It was the truth. He was as golden as it could get. From his brown skin to his brown eyes, he was golden. From the moment you met him, he had been nothing but sunshine in your life.

As you stood to your feet for the long game ahead, the rowdiness of the crowd sent adrenaline through your body and Davi’s whistles aided the excitement growing inside you. He yelled in Portuguese which seemed to catch João’s attention. Although you were upstairs, you were still visible to the eye if you caught someone’s attention. Jules seemed to hear the whistle as well, and he grinned, waving up to the suite. The three of you waved to Jules while Davi waved to his cousin who was standing next to Jules. For once, you were excited to cheer on your best friend. This could be fun, you thought. Davi chanted along with the fans and began bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Are you a big fan?” He shouted over the growing noise of the stadium chants.

“I don’t know anything at all!” You admitted sheepishly in a loud voice, trying to be heard over the crowd. Davi leaned into your ear and lightly yelled, “Don’t worry doce, I’ll help you.” (Sweetie)

You couldn’t hide the goofy grin that spread across your face and you returned your eyes to the pitch to find Jules staring at you, his smile no longer there. You thought he was concentrating on the game but it didn’t seem like his expression was a reaction to what was about to unfold on the field. It felt as if it had something to do with Davi and it left you wondering about what you were told earlier.

Did he know Davi? Why did he talk about you to his teammates? Why did that woman think you were his girlfriend? But, instead of mulling over those questions you decided to enjoy the game and not let anything, not even Candace, sour the excited mood you suddenly found yourself in and began clapping along side Davi, who was chanting loudly.

“Boti, Boti, Boti! Madridista, qui no Boti, eh, eh!” (Jump! Jump! Madridista who ever doesn’t jump!)

tag list: @808heartz @fallinforerling @hopefulromantic1

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[punksdoll]

hii, just wanna say I love ur blog/aesthetic so much! ur so talented and I eat up all your stories!! hope ur having a great day!

was wondering if I could request a Jey Uso x reader fanfic? where you are normally the chill one in your relationship and' he is usually the protective one but you and rhea have a rivalry going on with your war-games match and rhea first with jey to get in your head and get jealous of rhea flirting with him but he just tries to calm you down and tells you that's what she wants.

and you try to listen to him until you have a promo with jd and she touches him and you lose it and beat her ass. and jey lets you gets your hits in before him and the rest of your war-games team pulling you off her and taking care of your injuries and tells you he loves how you care for him (and that he also found it hot lol).

~~~𝑱𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆

𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓~~~

gif not mine like, comments, & reblogs appreciated

𝑱𝒆𝒚 𝑼𝒔𝒐 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 ^owner of gif

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: 𝒔𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅…𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆?

𝒂/𝒏: 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒎<𝟑𝟑𝟑 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅. (𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝟓 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆) 𝑺𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 ��𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈<𝟑

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: 𝒓𝒉𝒆𝒂 𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚/𝒏’𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏, 𝒋𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕, 𝒓𝒉𝒆𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝑨𝒔𝒖𝒌𝒂 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚/𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒛𝒊, 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈, 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒇𝒇.

2/2 request down. 2 more to go as of right now:)

not proofread

Y/n lets out a loud dramatic gasp as she watches Rhea stand in front of Dom and rest her hand on her boyfriend, Jey Uso’s, chest. “You’re joking me.” She says as she looks at Michael Cole and Corey Graves, “You’re joking me.”

“It seems like…” Michael Cole lets out a laugh as the three at commentary watch as Rhea pushes Jey back, slowly and flirtatiously, “Mami is flirting with Jey Uso.” He chuckles.

Y/n narrows her eyes as she watches Rhea’s lips move as she says something to Jey who makes eye contact with her before looking away and back at Rhea. Y/n takes off her headset and gets up, storming around the ring and where Jey is, getting in between Rhea and Jey, slapping her hand away.

The crowd lets out a bunch of o’s as they watch Y/n and Rhea have a stare down. Dom behind Rhea and Jey behind Y/n. Jey looks at his girlfriend with a shocked expression.

Between Jey and Y/n, Y/n was the more calmer one. She was laidback and she never got protective or jealous at any woman that talks or flirts with Jey. Most of the time is because she trust Jey completely and because he always brushes them off. So seeing y/n react this way was a total shock to him and the rest of their friends.

The rest of the judgment day group pile up behind Rhea as they stare them down. Following in their footsteps, Cody, Seth, and Sami follow in as well behind Jey and Y/n. The crowd is going wild as they watch Rhea and Y/n stare each other down.

“Ma…” Jey Uso voice cuts through the tension as he wraps an arm around his girlfriend’s, “It’s all good…don’t worry bout it.” He reassures her as the judgment day break away from them.

Y/n breaks eye contact with Rhea and looks at Jey with a glare before walking away from him and back to commentary. Jey looks over at Sami who looks just as confused. “Talk with her after the match?” Sami suggests and Jey nods slowly, taking a glance over at Y/n to see her with the headset on and staring Rhea down as she talks to Michael Cole and Corey Graves.

•••

Y/n wasn’t familiar with this feeling and nor did she like it. She didn’t know what she felt when she saw Rhea lay her hand on her man’s chest. She thought it was annoyance but she only gets annoyed when people talk too much. So that was off the list. She thought it was irritation because of Rhea’s presence, but that was also off the list cause her irritation was already there when she came towards the ring. She had an idea about what it was but she didn’t want to admit to it.

“Bae.” She is snapped out of her daze as she feels a hand lay on her cheek, “you ok?” She realizes it’s Jey and she immediately scowls as she pulls away from his hand.

Their in their hotel room and ever since they got there, y/n had been giving Jey the silent treatment. He was beyond confuse of this behavior coming from y/n.

“You…” He trails off as he pulls her right back towards him, “have been ignoring me since we got off work.” He drags her down onto their hotel bed, forcing her to lay down as he looks down at her from above.

Y/n looks at his chain that dangles above her and with a glare she says, “You let her touch you.”

Jey raises an eyebrow and can’t help himself but laugh, “Is that what you mad about?” He laughs harder.

Y/n huffs in annoyance and shoves him away from her as she sits up and stands up to walk away but is immediately caught and taken back down on the bed.

“It’s not funny.” She frowns, “She was touching you and talking to you…flirting even. That’s what Michael said.” You sigh as you play around with his chain.

Jey smiles down at her and cups her cheek, giving her a kiss. “You know that’s her way of tryna get to you right? Make you so angry that you get distracted and that’s all you think about.” Jey rubs her cheek with his thumb, “Don’t worry about it, ok? She’s tryna get inside that pretty head of yours and make you mad. Don’t let her do that, ok?”

Y/n makes eye contact with him and slowly nods, “Ok…”

“Promise?” He raises an eyebrow and she can’t help but smile as she connects her pinky with his.

“Promise.”

•••

Y/n never broke a promise. But she was really considering on breaking this one. Ever since that day between y/n and Rhea, Rhea, in fact did, try and get in y/n head. She would flirt constantly with Jey every dam day and every dam second. Y/n could feel her patience running thin as each day goes on to the next.

Today was the day that Jey’s team and The Judgment day will have their promo one day before the big match.

Y/n watches on the screen as The Judgment Day make their entrance down towards the ring. Y/n keeps her eyes on Rhea, watching as she puts on a smirk to show her dominance.

“Whatever she says today…” Jey starts as he throws his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulder, “Don’t let it get to you, alright? I don’t want you to get a mouthful from our boy Adam, feel me?” Jey asks.

Y/n looks up at him and nods, “Ok…” She smiles almost immediately as he leans down and gives her a kiss.

“You lovebirds ready?” Sami strolls over with the rest of the team.

“Yes we are.” Jey gives her one more kiss before going out to his entrance. One by one each one walks out to their entrance and it leaves Y/n to be last.

“Do not let her get in there…don’t.” Y/n repeats Jey’s words before walking through the curtains with a smirk on her face as the crowd cheers for her.

Jey smiles and throws his arm over her shoulder before they all walk down the ramp and towards the ring where the judgment day are watching them. Y/n eyes trail over to Rhea who is already staring at her with a smirk, and y/n then decides to keep eye contact with her even as she gets inside the ring.

Everyone gets a microphone and Cody takes the lead and starts talking. Promos usually aren’t a big thing for y/n since she’s more of a fight now talk later type of person and with this new big feud going on, she barely has time to do that. Each and every member talk either towards one of them or at the crowd, trying to keep the crowd going and entertained.

It’s Rhea’s turn and y/n feels herself churning as Rhea walks closer to her and Jey with a smirk plastered on her face. Jey narrows his eyes and keeps y/n close to him with his arm still around her shoulder.

“Y/n, long time no see after what had happened last week. You remember?” Rhea smiles, “I sure remember the feel of Jey’s strong and hard abs against my hand as I pushed him away from my dirty dom.” Y/n feels herself twitching to get at Rhea but she keeps herself glued to Jey’s side. “Would you like to know what I said to him?” Rhea questions, “I offered him an opportunity to join the Judgment Day, to make a name for himself, and to be free from anything that has to do with the bloodline…and you.” She laughs inside the mic and Y/n could feel herself lose her patience the more Rhea talks, “I told him how he can have way more fun with me instead of being stuck here with a bore like you.”

Fuck that shit.

Y/n lunges at Rhea and starts attacking her as the crowd cheers her on. Finn, Damian, Dom, and JD take that as their cue to go ahead and attack the rest of Jey’s team. But Jey’s team were very well prepared for it as they all take down the men on the team. Jey hitting JD with a kick and leaving him on the mat as he watches his girlfriend beat Rhea down. He knew he should have stopped it just as soon as she jumped at Rhea but wanted to let her take out the anger that he knew was piling up by the minute.

“We should stop her before she gets seriously injured.” Cody snaps Jey out and it’s then that he realizes the rest of the judgment day are down. He nods and they all rush over and pull the women a part. Jey throws a thrashing y/n over his shoulder as he walks out of the ring and up the ramp, keeping a tight grip on her because of how much she is thrashing.

“Don’t you ever say some stupid crap like that you Uncle Fester!” Y/n shouts as loud as she can from where she is positioned as Jey leads the team away from the arena and towards the back.

Jey leads you all the way towards the medical room to take care of your nose that is currently bleeding and a bruise that’s already forming on your jaw. He walks in and sets you down on the medical bed and with a smile he watches as you mumble under your breath while one of the medical people gets some tissues to stop the bleeding.

“Hold this.” The nurse tells Jey who doesn’t hesitate.

Y/n suddenly realizes where she is and she makes eye contact with Jey who is looking at her amused. Y/n sighs and shakes her head, wincing a bit at the pain she is now feeling.

“I’m sorry…I broke the promise.” Y/n sighs.

“You was jealous.” Jey chuckles, “You was jealous because another woman was tryna land a claim on me, admit it.” He says.

She stares at him baffled as the nurse comes back and pulls the tissue away and cleans her nose and mouth with some wipes.

“I wasn’t…” Y/n cuts herself off as she stares at Jey who gives her a look, “…a little?”

“A lot.” He smiles as the nurse hands him an ice pack before walking out to give them some privacy.

“Uh uh.” Y/n shakes her head stubbornly.

“Don’t get all sassy with me girl.” Jey sasses her making her smile a bit with a little giggle. “If ima be honest with you…” Jey looks towards the door before back at her and whispers, “That was pretty dam sexy.”

Y/n raises an eyebrow and smirks, “oh really?”

“Pssh, hell yeah. You showed, in your words, Uncle Fester how it was done.” Jey nods with a proud smile.

“I called her that?” Y/n eyes widened.

Jey laughs and lays the ice pack on her jaw, “You sure as shit did.”

Y/n purses her lips and leans against the ice pack, “Hm…am I a bore?” Y/n recalls the word that Rhea used to describe her.

Jey raises an eyebrow and smiles a bit, “Nah, I think you’re the most funnest entertaining woman I ever known. As well as sexy as hell.” Jey gives her head a kiss.

Y/n smiles a bit and leans over to lay her head on his chest, “I love you…”

“And i love you.”

[pr0wlerpunk]

Title: I trust you.

Person: Roman reigns(yayyy)

Requested: |Yes|No|

Part. 2 Part. 3

★Trust Masterlist

Afab!reader

Warnings: slight!angst, slight!dark themes, reader feels frightened after the whole Sami zayn thing, Reader thinks bloodline is going to betray her, reader is very overwhelmed so that means crying :/

Pairings: Romantic!roman x reader, slight!romantic!Jey x reader, slight!romantic!Jimmy x reader, slight!romantic!solo x reader, also includes a very friendly Paul heyman

Pic creds: WWE/friend Aya

A/n: this is meant for a Roman x Reader thing but it also has some bloodline x reader, also no real plot made!

Standing backstage watching Sami and ko talk Paul walked up to you

“Miss Yn, you have a match right after…that” he gestured towards the screen

“Wait what?” You were confused, how’d you been that out of it you’d forgotten about a match?

“Miss Yn, have you forgotten?!” Seeing the shocked expression on his face was enough to keep you quite

“Oh my, I’ll contact the tribal chief and tell him you can’t do this match-”

“No!” You were quick to say rushing to grab his hands

“No?” He questioned

“I’m doing the match” nodding your head as you spoke

Paul slowly put his phone back into his pocket before nodding and leaving

You let out a short huff as you felt tears prick your eyes…

🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮

You hadn’t known what to expect but asuka wasn’t one of them, still you carried on the match like you would any other one

Except

Something was off

Everyone could see it…

You were on edge

All you could think about was how many times the boys got ambushed or even Cody rhodes coming down that ramp with Ko and Sami, still you knew you couldn’t fail

Failure would compromise your position in the bloodline

Because unlike Sami you actually loved being in it…

So you pushed yourself, breaking out of all the holds and pins she had you in, at one point you thought you were about to win

That was until..

“Asuka with her mist!” Corey yelled into his mic as you felt the sudden burn to your eyes

wiping at your face to try and get some of the most of as your vision blurred, barely being able to see you felt a kick to the face

Stumbling back you felt a liquid run down your mouth as you realized she made your nose bleed

Again thought swirled in your head

This is too much

What are they going to think of me?

Do they think I’m useless?

What does Roman think of me now?

Does he think I’m useless too?

You hadn’t realized it but you were crying

Quiet sobs racked through your throat as you trembled with only one current thought

You had to win.

🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮

And so you did

with a spear actually she never saw it coming as it knocked her out cold

Blood rushing out of her nose as you hoped out the ring and walked up the mat

The stadium erupting in cheers of your name as you turned out of sight

The first thing you could start to see was Paul and a medic

But you kept walking wanting this night to be over

you could hear Paul tell the medic something before his footsteps picked up until he was right next to you as you both stood outside the entrance to Roman’s locker room

Silence filled the air as neither of you made a move to enter

“Miss Yn..” turning your head slightly as to acknowledge him

“Are-are you okay?” You could fill the tears prick back up in the sincerity of his voice

You sucked in a breath as you shaked your head yes, not trusting you voice to speak

🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮

As you and Paul entered he took his seat next to Roman as you stood awaiting

Roman looked up before motioning you to come towards him

Making your way you expected to be yelled at

What you didn’t expect was for him to pull you into his lap to inspect your nose and eyes

“Why’d you turn away the medic?”

It was a simple question really

so why did it break the wall you had built up?

Tears streamed down your face for the second time this night as sobs broke out your throat

Body shaking as Roman pulled you further into him shushing you

You couldn’t see the confused face Roman gave his cousins

Or even their confused ones back

“Baby, why’re crying?” His voice softening

All you could repeat was “I’m sorry”

All your bottled up feelings came rushing out at once and you didn’t know how to stop them

“Babygirl look at me”

“You did nothing wrong, so why are you crying?” Hearing his confusion you sniffled before speaking

“Because I almost lost the match, and you probably think I’m stupid for not expecting her mist, and you probably think I’m like Sami, and im scared your all gonna turn on me when I don’t expect it-” you rambling was cut short as he quickly spoke up

“Hey, hey, hey” his voice light as he looked directly into your eyes

“You will Never be stupid or useless to me or anyone I’n this family you hear me?” His voice become start as he continued his own ramble

“You are Not Like Sami and you Never will be”

“So what if you got sprayed, you Won that’s all that matters and you should be proud of yourself like we are” you eyes widened before you spoke

“You’re-you’re proud of me?”

You couldn’t see it but Jey,Jimmy and Solo exchanged knowing looks with each other

“Yes sweetheart we all are” he gestured behind him where Jey,Jimmy and Solo all agreed

“Why?” Your voice meek as you spoke

“Because we Trust you”

There was a pause..

“Princess I Trust you..” hearing that statement made more sobs come out as your body shook

“Shh I know, cmon let’s get you cleaned up babygirl”

🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮

After getting cleaned up you went to bed before them shortly after they entered the room standing over you

“She’s overwhelmed uce” jimmy spoke quietly as to not wake you

His twin rolled his eyes scoffing lowly

“She needs a break from this bullshit”

It was silent as the tension picked up

“Nah”

Eyes turning to their youngest

“She needs us”

Solo spoke looking directly at your sleeping form

They all looked at each other before nodding with a shared thought..

You Needed Them

And No One was taking you away from them

🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮

Not proof read!

If this does well and if you guys ask for it I might make a part 2

[ghostgirl101]

Idk if this is nsfw, but could you write a Corey fic where he gets possessive and jealous? Kind of like in the movie, but more extreme?

Jealous Corey Cunningham Would Be Like This:

A/N: Nope, not nsfw; I've been getting a lot of requests for jealous Corey, so here you are 🙃 I've sort of been thinking about a sfw sleeping with Corey hc too... if you're interested?

🔪• Ah, Corey Cunningham, the young man that questions himself in wonder every day about just how he managed to make you his? And, in turn, questions everyone around you just how they'll attempt to undo his hard work and break your beautiful bond together.

🔪• This boy will do whatever it takes, whatever it takes, to keep you by his side. It could go from a dark glare to the person and a tighter grip on your hand, to blood sprayed on his clothes and adrenaline rushing through his veins. It doesn't matter to Corey. Just as long as you stay his, and your loving attention stays trained on his, he's relaxed and happy.

🔪• However. This all means that Corey will end up being a ridiculously overprotective and jealous boyfriend, especially if you're innocent to murdering and you aren't so easily acceptant to it as he is. He has to protect you. Who else will? This is his job, and he'll do it right. He couldn't defend himself before, let alone a lover, but now, he knows he can prove himself to you.

🔪• Whenever he gets jealous, Corey never gets annoyed with you. It's not your fault you're so angelic. They shouldn't have been looking for so long. They can't look with no eyes though, can they?

🔪• He'll often give you his jackets or sweaters to wear in and out. It shows people that you're taken, which makes him smile to himself when people realise, as well as heightens his possessiveness.

🔪• "Y-you're mine, aren't you, beautiful?" Just say yes

🔪• Corey can't function without you. You're his reason for practically everything he does in life, and he thrives off of your comforting touches and compassionate gazes. He's not had such sweet attention for years, and getting it from you is the best feeling he's ever had. He won't let it go.

🔪• Sometimes, you can realise how jealous he's been feeling when his embrace from behind you in bed is a little too tight, a leg slung over yours and his curls tickling your cheek as he buries his face in your neck. It's almost impossible to get out of his grips when he's feeling pouty. The best way to make him ease up? Just hug him back, give him a few kisses, and tell him to calm his ass down, because you're not leaving him for anyone.

🔪• "Corey, you know I only want you, right?" "...Do you really?"

🔪• His eyes light up in hopefulness whenever you confirm with him that yes, you love him too, and what he's feeling is okay, but he shouldn't be threatened. At the end of the day, he still is apprehensive with anyone that smiles a little too widely at you, or whose eyes linger for too long, but that's just him. Occasionally, some guy who was getting on with you amazingly a day ago has gone missing, or has been found dead in horrible circumstances.

🔪• "Did you kill him, Corey? Why?" "W-well, because, I needed to make him understand. You're meant for me, not him."

🔪• He can even get a bit funny with your friends if he doesn't know them well, his arm constantly around your waist or shoulder. PDA is actually bliss for Corey, since it displays how close you two are openly, and no one can do a thing about it.

🔪• Another thing: if he's marked you up on your neck the night before, or early in the morning, purposely leaving them open to see makes Corey melt and get all excited. Because, hey, look, there are perfect red-purple marks under your chin, and the person staring didn't do that, did they?

🔪• He's only jealous because he's never felt so hopelessly in love and desperate for anyone before in his life. With the right words and gentle touches, you can dissolve a sticky situation pretty easily, but it's all only because he cares. He cares so much, he could kill somebody.

[deadpool15]

Mommy Duties P.2

"Hola mi amigos, it's your girl Cassie. And today is a very special day. And before you hit me with the omg, she is finally having the baby comments. No, this thickass baby isn't coming until like 2 months from now. Anyways, today will be a pool day. So, I'm sure everyone knows that last time I visited Bada on set, and while I was there, Mina and some of the staff suggested I come to their little pool break. Now, it will be a bit difficult because, well, you know who isn't ready yet. Obviously, Corey is a toddler and feels the need to make everything difficult."

Cassie says dramatically while walking around the house, trying to gather all of Corey's things. Realizing, i forgot to pack his diapers, which is the most important thing. I laugh at the camera, looking around my room before sitting on to my bed, trying to figure out where the hell I put those diapers. "I swear I had them last night yall, shit just be disappearing in this house." I look down on the floor and see the diapers sitting right there still in the pack, turning around looking at the camera with a guilty smile on my face. "We just gonna edit that out, I don't need yall knowing my pregnancy brain be fucking with me ok. And while we are on the topic of kids, I just wanna let yall know how I raise mine is how we meaning me and my wife choose to raise our son. I've gotten comments saying all this and that while questioning my methods. Like first of all, I do say I will hit him sometimes when he does shit but I always just yell. I mean, I don't put my hands on him. I grey up with Dominican parents yall trust me I know what the fuck I'm doing. Second, aren't Asian parents known for giving their kids childhood trauma? How about yall ask yall kids why they are so afraid yo fail and depressed before you come at me. Thank you."

Now, after that moment, I managed to get Corey ready. "I got him ready off camera mainly because he was being a bit fussy. It's slightly earlier than when I usually wake him up, so bear with my baby yall." I state after grabbing all the items, including my son, who is currently in the process of going to sleep. Thank God for that. Hopefully, he will wake up with a lot of energy when we get there and get worn out. Carrying everything to my car with a sleeping baby and being pregnant, call me superwoman at this point. I unlock the car door and place everything inside, making sure that Corey is all tucked in before I start driving. I make my way towards the front of the car and sit down, getting ready to go. "Yall, be sitting there saying our heights are so funny to look at compared to Bada. Like, yall simply don't know the struggle. Every time I get in this vehicle, I have to adjust the seat before I drive. Like who can drive from all the way back here. The steering wheel is in Korea, and the drivers seat is in Japan. That's a time difference here, people. Anyways, I'm gonna be doing a little Q&A to keep yall preoccupied. So, yall don't have to focus on my side profile."

Luffy57-When did you and Bada decide to have kids?

Monsterhigh99-Why do you always call them Bada's kids, aren't they just technically yours?

I read the first two questions, trying to gather all the information before I start up the car so I won't have to keep looking down or anywhere else but the road while driving. "OK, to be honest, I didn't want kids like at all. I'm not saying you are supposed to like count kids out if you are with a woman. But me personally, I didn't want any. I just could never see myself as a mother, I didn't want to. But, I met Bada, and life kinda changed. Now, ywll don't go thinking just because you meet people, your perspective will automatically change. Bada didn't change my decision, I did. I envisioned a different life for myself. After doing some thinking, I decided." I said while looking at the camera for a split second and looking back at the road. Until we reached a red light. And I glance at Corey. "He always knocked out in the car."

I sit there for a while, thinking about food, to be honest. Then I remember the second question, and the light turns green, causing us to go back on the road again. "Right, my bad yall. So, wait, what was the question again? Ooo, right, so I obviously call them her kids because they are. I mean, we are both raising them, so it shouldn't matter about the little details. Second, technically, Corey is literally her son. He looks like both of us. Bada wanted to be more involved in the process when we decided that I would be the first runner-up to have the baby. She volunteered, even though she was scared too. But here, career was just taking off, and I refused to have her waste time when she was finally getting recognized. So, she offered to give me some of her eggs and stuff like that, and yea shit happens."

I look up and see the building, realizing we made it. I call Bada to help with stuff. Because I no longer feel like carrying all this shit anymore.

Myocean💖-Hello baby

Mywife💞-You mind introducing yourself to the exit to come help me carry all this stuff.

Myocean💖-And by stuff, do you mean our child and his things?

Mywife💞-Yes, before I randomly decide to make today not your day, if you keep sweet talking me Ms. Lee

Myocean💖-Whatever you say, baby. I'm on my way, Mrs. Lee

I hand up the phone smiling. "That's my baby yall." I giggle all girly like, and then I see Bada smiling at me through the window. "Omg, what is wrong with you? Couldn't you have told me you were here, out here scaring me." She opens the car door before looking me up and down, "and ruin your little moment. Nah, baby, I wouldn't do that. Are you wearing a top under that ?" I look down at my pink bathing suit top before looking up at her. "Baby, this is the top. I mean, it literally has long sleeves and stuff." She stares at me while poking her tongue on the inside of her cheek. She only does that when she is made or annoyed. "Now, would it happen to have long sleeves because you are trying to make for that fact that you happen to me wearing a thong under that skirt?" I just kiss her check telling her how much I love her.

After some minor issues with Bada, we finally make it into the building, with her carrying Corey, who, by the way, had finally woken up and chosen his favorite to spend the day with as always. "Crazy, how you hold a lid for 9 months only for them to come out picking the other as their favorite. I'm basically just a storage closet." She laughs at my remarks and kisses the corner of my lips, causing a whine to leave my lips. "Behave." I listen for the moment. We make our way inside, and I see all the girls playing in the water. I almost forgot that tsubakill members were eliminated. Then I see Mina running up to me. "Omg, you made it. I thought you weren't gonna come. Almost had to beg Bada to get you here." I turn around and look at Bada while hugging Mina.

"Of course, I made it. I mean, who would miss a free pool day." We chuckle at each other before she grabs my hand, and I turn to look a Bada seeing her motion towards Bebe. Letting me know where they will be. "I just thought with Corey and everything you would be busy, you know," she says while sitting us down, making sure to place a cushion under me. I nod as a sign of thanks. "I mean, he was eager to come when I told him this morning, though I think he completely forgot. He was only focused on the fact that I was waking him up early." We laugh together, and soon the whole crew of DeepnDap comes over, greeting me. Though, since I mainly know Mina, I stick with her throughout the day. We talk for what feels like hours. She gets a bit touchy after seeing her with her members. I notice that's just how she is. I can't help but feel a certain stare on me, knowing who it is I excuse myself.

I walk over to the table, grabbing something to drink. Until I hear breathing behind me, startling me. I turn and find Bada looking at me with a smirk on her face. "You scared the shit out of me, baby. Don't do that." She completely disregards my statement. "You and Mina seem to be getting along quite well, don't you think?" I grab my chest startled by her walking up on me. "Bada what the fuck, my heart can't take all that, and I don't know what you're talking about." Ofc I knew what she was talking about I just liked to fuck with her. How evil of me, right? "Well, whether you choose to know or not, you're off the market. I stare up at her now that she has gotten closer. "Is that so?" "Yes it is so. Because the moment I put that ring on your finger, actually fuck that the moment I looked at you, you were off the market. And now that you're carrying our baby, it just makes it better. Now tell her to back off before I have to do a repeat last night." I shyly turned to face the table again, making myself busy. "I don't know what you're talking about last night wasn't all that good." "O, really?"

Flashback

For the night, Bada's parents agreed to watch Corey. Saying they missed their grandchild, but I think it was simply for our alone time. Considering they winked at me while picking up Corey's toys. Bada's mom even told me to be careful and pointed to my stomach. But now that was long forgotten, well, at least by me. As I'm laid on all fours, completely at the mercy of Bada, with her constantly slamming her strap into me. "F-fuck... slow down...m. mmm." She leaned down and locked a bold strip of my neck, "really, I thought I wasn't moving fast enough. Now it's slow down. You just don't know what the fuck you want, huh? Just a greedy little whore." As she says that last word she makes sure to push in harder making me see stars. I didn't know whether I wanted her to go faster or slow down anymore. It all felt too good. The only thing anyone could her in or outside of the room was skin claps on skin claps. And of course, me screaming for my fucking life. "Just needed this can't filled, that all you ever need, huh? Just me." I can't register what she is saying anymore. "Y-yes fill it upp."

End Flashback

Bada is sitting there reminding me of everything that happened last night. "OK, ok, I'm sorry, I remember shit." I tell her, hoping she will stop embarrassing me before she drags me to the nearest bathroom. "Bada, we can't do that here. What about everyone? And Corey?" I ask already in fear and slight excitement of what she is doing. "Corey is sleeping." She states while turning me around, shoving me into the sink, though making sure not to hurt my stomach. She is always cautious about that. "And everyone else should mind their business and now their place. Which is not with my wife, much like Mina, correct?" I simply nod as she pulls down my thong bottoms and immediately shoves a finger in my pussy. "I fucked how many times last night and you're still fucking tight. So I have to fuck you open again, huh princess?" I look at her though the mirror before looking down in embarrassment.

"Look at the mirror right fucking now." I hurry and look up and make eye contact with her as she places another finger inside and rubs my clit hard. "Answer me, you know I don't like repeating myself. Remember your manners." I start to answer or try to, as all that comes out is a much of bullshit. "Y-yes please fuck me open. J-just f-uck me so good, Bada." She nods her head, getting down on her knees, causing me to grab her shoulders to stop her. "But-", she kisses my lips, shutting me up for the time being. "No more, talking baby, just let me eat, ok."

*request by @vachieve

[sinisterexaggerator]

... In this essay, I will reiterate that "Cad Bane is a depressed, sentimental bastard."

OK, so, @fat-tasty-krogan pointed out that the barrels of Bane's LL-30's are rusty in the Bad Batch via a screenshot and now I cannot stop thinking about things and connecting the dots.

Here's me checking different angles. 100% rusty. This is a man who is the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, a man who is *the* best shot — that’s his livelihood right there. Something is wrong.

I've always thought Cad Bane was depressed, mostly owing to his behavior in the lost arc, but this solidifies it for me. Let's talk about the canon, shall we? (Fair warning: I may throw in headcanons or share some other thoughts along the way, but I will warn you ahead of time if it's an original idea versus what is considered to be canon).

First, let's take the idea that Jango Fett is mentor to Cad Bane. This in and of itself says to me they had a close relationship and that they often worked together in some capacity. I will spare you my thoughts on the rest, but Jango does in fact associate with him and most likely in a meaningful way we never get to see. Jango Fett does not trust easy, yet he trusts him enough to be around his child; his prized possession, let's say.

Proof: When Boba first mentions Bane, (in chorological order) it is in the comics.

Him asking to spend time with Bane, and Jango saying "no, because you already know of him (and others like Zam)," means they had a close-knit relationship in my opinion. One that sadly comes to an end. In this comic, Jango wants to train Boba to deal with "the factor of the unknown," versus the known. Hmmm.

Moving right along.

The next time we see or hear anything about Boba and Cad being in the same room is during the Rako Hardeen/Box Arc, and in the audiobook CW: Stories of Light and Dark in the short story "Bane's story" that is read by Corey Burton as Cad Bane.

In it he states that the "kid's all right," and that he "owed his father a few favors." In the story, he reiterates what happens between him, Eval, and Obi-Wan to Bossk and little Boba Fett. It was Bossk and Boba who helped to create the diversion so that they could break out and escape.

Bane returns, his job foiled, and explains why. At the end of the audiobook Boba has a plan to get them all out of jail, and he wants Bane to be apart of it. This is AFTER Aurra leaves Boba for dead on Florrum ( don't get me started on Hondo, WHEW - they knew each other too, for SURE ), before TBB, and before we see Bane with a plate in his head, this one:

It is still present in the Book of Boba Fett.

Let's not rush ahead, though. Let's back up to a bit to where Cad Bane gets betrayed.

#1 betrayal on screen is Obi-Wan Kenobi as Rako Hardeen. While I don't necessarily ship them, I can see how Cad was very much hurt by this, as he felt he had started to develop a kinship with another hunter, someone who could watch his back, imo. Maybe he hadn't experienced anything like that since Jango Fett. Maybe Rako was ticking all the right boxes; I see Cad as prizing loyalty. When Obi-Wan turned him over, you could see the pain and anger in expression -- he was truly hurt, and he promised to end his life with a blaster bolt between the eyes. I honestly think he despises him and that's that.

Returning now to Boba, it is also canon that Boba was mentored by Cad Bane. Bane's story is also where he mentioned young Boba often reminded him of himself.

In an unaired Clone Wars Arc, Boba Fett works together with Cad Bane on a job. During the animation created for the episodes that never aired, Bane is seen drinking heavily and seems to give two shits less about Boba or the job itself and is not taking things seriously.

Boba begins to question his tactics, and does not like that he is willing to sacrifice innocent townsfolk just to get a bit of money. He stands up against him, and Embo, Bossk, and other hunters present decide to let him take his shot and do not interfere in their duel, even though most likely Bane is seen to be the one in charge or having authority.

In the end they both fall, but Boba was (unfairly might I add) still wearing his helmet. You can tell that the plates on Bane's hat, however, are also armored. Still, it is not beskar. Bane is severely injured.

#2 betrayal: Bossk and Embo retract their weapons and let Bane go head-to-head with the boy. He even looks surprised in the video footage when they do this! It's the same face he gave Obi-Wan Kenobi!

Boba comes out the winner. We see Bossk with Boba in The Empire Strikes back in the future, and in canon they are known to be seen often together. He especially looked after him in prison on Coruscant.

Thus, we can assume, Bossk went off with Boba after Bane's defeat and joined forces, leaving him for dead. I assume, and in canon it is depicted that Embo is honor-coded. If what he thought Bane was doing was not honorable, he most likely left him for dead as well. What we DO see is Todo 360 being there. I am almost 100% certain it is because of his droid he survives. But, where did he take him for help? Hmmm.... HONDO!! (Kidding, kidding - another HC I have, but ANYWAY).

In fact, Todo states he is Bane's "most trusted confidant" to Omega, and I believe this. He's a grumpy dick, but he never outright punishes Todo for anything, and he messes up quite frequently, but he is also a great help.

I have a headcanon that states his reasonings for keeping Todo, though this has no basis in canon:

"The little shit comes back after he is blown apart by a bomb Cad himself planted to go off in the Jedi Temple. Todo is loyal. He's there for him. He doesn't mind he's a grump. He provides conversation; stimulation in the otherwise solitary hours he spends in space. He becomes a comfort, someone to talk to, someone to fill the void that Jango left behind." Perhaps he also acts in the same capacity as a service animal.

Anyway, it is known what Bane thinks about clones. "Once you figure one out, de rest are easy." I don't think he liked clones, even if he tolerated and respected Boba until a certain point in time. He was different, he had "his father's blood pumping through his veins," and maybe Bane had trouble staring at that face - looking in those eyes -especially if there was more to him and Fett's relationship.

Imagine how he must have felt when he betrayed him? When he shot him? When he failed at repaying Jango's favor and failed at being Boba's mentor?

I personally do not believe Bane would have agreed to the Clone contract idea as far as his opinion. I think he would have told Fett he was crazy to have millions of himself running around out there, that there is only one of him that's the real deal. Let's add this to the fact he has to see their dead and dying faces everywhere to the point he's so numb he shoots them every chance he gets - no big deal. No big deal to have to kill one of your partner's lookalikes everyday for nearly the rest of your life, eh? Even after Jango himself is already dead.

Coming to The Bad Batch, it was pointed out by another user that when Omega is looking for a way off Bane's ship, we see some medallions/coins/ingots that have the symbol of the Mythosaur in a cabinet she is searching. That is Mandalorian. Who was Mandalorian? Jango. Boba by default. They are accompanied here by a journal. I think it could be Boba's journal, too. The boy most likely resided with him on his ship as he had the Justifier during the lost arc and they were traveling together.

That man is 100% a sentimental bastard.

You could say he hated Boba. You could say he was his number one enemy, but deep down maybe he felt remorse. He had been drinking. Why? Maybe it was hard to be in Boba's company. Maybe he felt he could have prevented Jango's death. Maybe mentoring him was hard work, but in the end, Boba betrayed him after everything he had tried to do for him. And Bane liked the kid up until this point - said so himself in Bane's story.

In the lost bounty hunter arc, Cad is wearing the same outfit he is in The Bad Batch. Now he has a metal plate in his head. @allsystemsblue mentioned he talks himself up to Shand. Maybe he's trying to convince himself he's as good as he says he is. He headbutts her and it obviously throws him off. He shakes himself out, trying to regain his concentration. I personally headcanon he gets terrible headaches.

The plate is on the OUTSIDE, meaning it's protecting something underneath. I imagine he had a hole in his head and a bit of his skull was fractured. I say he wears the plate to reinforce a soft spot that makes him vulnerable.

Even so, she kicks his ass. He's off his game. Maybe he's been drinking even more since his defeat and embarrassment at the hands of a kid. One he respected, one maybe he called family.

All the other hunters sided with Boba, left him high and dry, and he hasn't even been caring for or polishing his blasters; his moneymakers. They are RUSTY.

He loses Omega, he loses his credits, and Fennec sabotages his ship. This man is pissed. He's at wit's end. For all we know, he sat down and cried afterward before he could figure a way off that damn planet, and the only one who was there for him was Todo.

Years later, we see him confront Boba. He's a hardass. Nothing left of his personality in that show but a villain. It was like they made him extra mean on purpose.

He's still hung up on the past, he says it. He talks about Jango's blood being inside Boba, his "father." He leers at Boba. It is almost as if he takes a pause (again crediting @allsystemsblue for this observation), a moment to truly look at him. And let's not forget the hiss he gives him right before his "final lesson."

"Look out for yourself, anything else is weakness."

GEE! Where did he learn that from, I wonder?! FROM BOBA HIMSELF MAYBE?! He was "weak" for Boba; he was his mentor; he tried his best to do right by his father and train him and he failed. He shot him, left him for dead, betrayed him along with all the other hunters present, and all that was left for him was to work alone. To grin and bear it. To take the jobs that came his way just to survive.

He had to of hit a downward spiral at some point in his life to come to this conclusion; something terrible must have happened, and I guarantee it's this.

Shat on all his life, all the way from being "hatched" in the Descent Ghetto on New Tayana on Duro, poor, coming up from the slums, working hard just to make ends meat.

Can't tell me he didn't have a wall up, and hell yes he was feeling low. What could make a man that mean besides betrayal and sentimentality for something he wishes perhaps he could have changed or prevented all together.

Now he takes the toughest jobs, the ones nobody wants. His reputation is fear and for good reason. He'll do anything for money, including killing innocents according to Boba. Where has his Code of Honor gone?

I'll tell you where.

No one ever respected Cad the way he tried to respect them. No one offered or afforded him the same luxury. Every time he was near to forming a decent partnership with someone, they turned right around and stabbed him in the back. We at least see it with Rako/Obi and Boba on screen. Bossk and Embo count too, for me. Maybe Jango was the only one he could trust. Him and Todo 360, which he was not around until long after Jango's death and in some form could have been a fractional replacement for companionship.

To throw in a few thoughts on Hondo, he knew them both well. Imagine if Hondo also kept secrets from Bane, whether intentional or not, or perhaps befriended him only to manipulate him for his own gain (which is definitely something that could happen). He speaks favorably of him in "Secrets of the Bounty Hunters," and calls him his friend, but he calls everyone that.

At one point they did work together as per the blurb on the back of a toy called the "Pirate Speeder bike," that features Cad Bane and a Starhawk speeder. If Hondo also betrayed him at some point, I can see it only adding fuel to the fire, IF Bane allowed him close to begin with. Considering his reputation, it's possible that no, he did not, but I also ship Cad Bane and Hondo Ohnaka as well as Jango Fett and Cad Bane. I won't go into it here, but I can see them being an insanely toxic, yet perfect match.

To sum it up, yes, he is totally depressed. I feel like this is why. Can't change my mind.

---

P.S.: This is also a lesson in how to cite your sources and give credit where credit is due when thinking about headcanons and fandom fun. :) Ain't so hard, right?

[henza-hex]

Roomate

Corey's Pov

Today I will meet my new roomate. The last one wasn't bad at all, but he always let the dishes dirty and forgot some of his underwear through all the house.

I fixed and cleaned everything to wait for my new roomie, I even prepared a dessert, like my famous tiramisu, and ordered a pizza. Always want to make a good first impression, because it will be easier to deal with him after.

I heard the door and it must be him. I combed my hair in a perfect side part and ran to greet my new roomate.

I opened the door and...

"Hi..."

He was an unit of a man, large pecs, biceps and quads, his clothes were tight on his body, and as he entered with a carefree look, I could check on his ass, and his cheeks were almost eating his shorts. I was staring for so long that I didn't notice that he even said hi.

He threw his backpack on his bed and said, "Do you have anything to eat?"

I woke up from my trance and said "Yes, yes I have everything prepared. Hope you like pizza, everybody does."

"Of course I do!" Before I could serve the plates on the table, the guy already snatched two slices with his hands and started to eat it ferociously.

"Hmm... what's your name?"

"Adam" he said with his mouth full.

"And what do you study?" I was waiting for him to pick my slice, but he never stopped eating. Conversation goes and he almost ate the entire pizza alone.

"Rugby. I'm on *he crunched the slice again* the rugby team."

"Amazing" a player, awesome. Probably doesn't even know how to wash his underwear.

He was on the last slice, and I thought of getting it before he did, but he was already on his way to snatch it.

"You must be full, save some space for dessert, haha." I said trying to break the ice.

"Dessert? You said dessert? Oh my gosh, how am I gonna... wait, wait" He pointed his index finger and started ro rub his belly, and then slowly...

UuuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRPPP

He completely relivied himself on the table. He wore a pround grin on his face and said "Now I have some space for dessert"

Adam's Pov

I smiled proudly after the burp I let out and waited for this guy to give me my dessert "What are you waiting for? You said you made a dessert for me" I say irritated seeing how he just stares at me

"Oh...yeah sure" he says with a frown as he walks to the kitchen to come back later with a tiramisu that makes my mouth drool a bit "Damn dude, it looks great, give it to me" I say without even asking if my roommie wanted some and starting to devour it quickly in front of him.

"BURRRRRRRRRRP" a guttural belch comes out of me as I sit back on the sofa better and rest my arms on the headboard with a smirk "Yeah, right on the spot" I say with a giggle as That guy just looked at me with disgust

"Didn't they ever teach you that burping like that is rude?!" The boy dares to say what I just look at him for a few seconds as if he had told a joke and I laugh and then say "listen boy, nobody tells me what to do, much less how to act, I just act like the man I am, you are a simple boy, do you think I will listen to you?" I say mocking as an evil idea runs through my mind and I smile widely.

"In fact I want to thank you for all that welcome lunch you made just for me, let me do it my way" i say as I stand up noticing the big difference in height between the two of us making me smile even more "how easy it will be to dominate you" I think to myself

While that boy began to look at me with fear, I didn't let him react as I quickly grabbed his head causing him to let out a couple of complains "Shut up" I commanded as I turned around and made his head be practically in front of my butt "This will teach you to respect the man of the house" I say and slowly start to lift my right leg, some growls in my stomach alert us and I just smirk "I hope you like the taste of protein shake" I say and finally let the bomb out on him

PFFFFFFFFFFFFHHHHGGTTTT

A gigantic flatulence came out of my butt, making me let out a small moan of pleasure enjoying letting out all that gas that I had trapped since today's training, all my gas automatically hits the scrawny boy that I hold next to my butt and I can hear him coughing loudly by the smell "Damn, that was a good one, huh bro?" I say jokingly with a cocky smile.

Corey's Pov

-few hours later-

Everything will be alright Corey. I didn't think this guy would be this kind of jerk. I even prepared a big welcoming meal for us today, and he... even thinking about disgusts me, but now my room smells like his gas. I just needed a shower, maybe when I come out, the smell will be already dissipated.

I combed my hair in a tight side part and wore my clothes, when I came out of the bathroom..

Everything happened in slow motion. The door opened, and I was greeted with Adam turning around,  gaping his mouth wide at me, and what came next...

"Gotcha-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUurururururRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPOOOPPPPPPRRPRPROVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-Uuuuuurrp"

A humongous belch came ripping from the depths of his gut right on my face. My eardrums were shaking from the noise, and then I could feel some specks of saliva landing on my face. His belch was so bubbly I thought I could feel some gassy explosions on my face.

My senses were stunned. That burp might have lasted for 15 seconds, and all I could see was Adam holding me with a mischievous grin.

"I think you will have to take another shower" he said.

I was blood red in anger, "Cause my gas messed with your side parting, haha" Adam said.

I touched my hair and it was a mess, he literally blew me away.

*******

The night came and I was flabbergasted by his behaviour. He even messed up with my hair. When I started to argue, he left to gym and I stayed here. His shoes are already stinking, and I can't wait for him to come.

He arrived all sweaty and shirtless from training, he threw his damp shirt on the couch and already went to the fridge for some beverage.

"If we want to live together, you have to stop being a total slob."

He slowly turned to me, drinking a whole bottle of gatorade. He pointed his index finger as a 'wait' gesture, and I could see him strongly swallowing all the drink inside.

uuuuUUUUUURRRRP

"Aaaaaaah, now that's better. Sorry, I couldn't quite hear you under that belch" he spotted a grin.

I came closer, only realising I was entering his stink cloud.

cough "You can't just go into my room and burp and fart on my face! I was here first, one day and I just can't stand your smell, behaviour and this stupid little grin you wear everytime in your face!"

Adam's Pov

I just roll my eyes irritated listening to the dwarf complain again as I force a huge loud fart out of my butt making noise throughout the room "You better shut up if you don't want that on your face" I say threateningly

"Why don't you go and make something useful like a meal for me? I'm hungry after all that training" I say rubbing my stomach hungrily thinking what I could eat as I let my self lay down on the couch with my legs spread easily taking up more than half of it from space.

I started to feel discomfort in my lower abdomen, making a small grunt u forced some of that protein gas to come out as a muffled fart across the couch as I let out a relief sigh "yeah man I had to let that bomb out " I say with pride because of how strong it was and I laugh again.

Corey's Pov

It will be a long semester, Corey...

A collaboration with @gassydumbjocks

[zaceouiswriting]

Fairy Prince - Hearts of Leviathans - Ch.19

Character: Sky x male reader, Riven x male reader, Brandon x male reader

Universe: Somewhere in Winx Club/Saga

Warnings: Blood

The gentle midday summer breeze over the training ground has intensified, almost to the point of becoming a storm. All the while, Cory and I stare at each other. Neither of us is willing to grant the other any form of superiority as it always has been between us. The others are still watching in tense silence. My back was turned towards most of the specialists, but I could still hear their murmurs, Congratulating Cory, but I didn't care. I stare at my sword deep in the ground. But suddenly, all I could see was blood pooling around it.

My hands shake. In the distance, I could hear the screams that, to this day, keep me awake at night and stop me from dreaming of a world without bloodshed, like all the other worlds protected by fairies. I have been weak in the past, and when I look down at my still-shaking hands, I seem to be still the same. Staring at my war-defined underarm that many had underestimated in the past, I could not feel the tingling current of faerie magic flowing through it. I never could. My childhood fairy mentor told my grandfather that it was possible that I would never reach my full potential. I was listening then. This knowledge shocked me as a child, but I was never the type to give up easily.

In the end, not only did I bested myself, but I also showed this mentor that his prediction was wrong. But at what cost?

I lift my head and can see the entire student body, but to me, they seem like corpses, just like everyone who has ever gathered around me. Carefully, I wrap my hand around my sword again. Out of nowhere, the shaking of my hands suddenly stopped. Instead of the fear and panic I had felt before, there was only clarity in my mind as soon as I grabbed the handle of my new weapon. 

My body knew what to do and how to do it. I don't even have to think about it anymore. But my opponent is Cory. He is one of the best, perhaps even the strongest, that ever existed, but I have to get him out of the hands of my scheming grandfather. He's just too big of a threat otherwise. Something has happened to him lately, and I can't lose such a valuable ally to him.

With a swift motion, I pull the sword from the ground, raise it, and point it toward Cory. His eyes are still wide open, and there are beads of sweat on his forehead. He is clearly nervous. I look at him with a grin. It almost feels like something is taking over me, but I am still in control. It's just a weird feeling.

As if automatically, I pull my sword closer to myself, the tip towards the sky, the sharp sides away from my body, the blunt part towards me. With the handle close to my body, I bow towards the blade respectfully and whisper a single word: “Nagilisk.”

Opening my eyes again, I raise my head back up and stare intently at Cory. The anger of a hundred thousand souls dwells in my eyes. He seems to think, at least judging by his wide, frightened eyes, that I wouldn't want to fight him. Perhaps the people around us who congratulate him prematurely because they think I'm an easy target have given him false hope.

After Corey realizes that I actually want to fight him, he quickly gets back into position and says the same word I had just uttered. A word or a name that probably no one here knows. But it's understandable. After all, the person behind the name was disgraced long ago and later sealed away.

With both hands on the hilt of my sword, which fits perfectly in my hands, I feel invincible. Even though it seems like a strong wind could break it into a million little pieces, I know it would rather cut through a world than break against anything.

Cory's anxious demeanor changed as soon as he assumed his position, a long sword in his right hand and a short one in his left. A double-bladed fighter. Both metal, like most of our people, he seems to always have them with him. The mightiest I've ever seen or heard of. When he was nine years old, he defeated the best in our world, a natural prodigy.

We both fill our weapons with Aura, a form of combat magic that Specialists once excelled at but are now devoid of. As I do this, I can feel something awakening within me, the very thing I have always tried to suppress. Even though I knew it could mean the end of hundreds, if not thousands, I still open myself to it.

I feel the bloodlust growing so strong that I know I can't hold it in for long. Hoping Corey would understand, I nod in his direction. Corey nods back almost immediately. Relieved that he actually seemed to understand, I let my aura flow out. When our auras collide, the pressure pushes away those too close to us.

Without warning, we both move. I could only imagine what it would look like from the outside, but one of my servants once told me: "You are faster than the wind!" But I can see Corey's swords moving at their usual speed. They are precise and look like an X, but the swords do not touch. As I quickly draw nearer to him, I see he is ready to attack. To any other person, his movements would have been unpredictable. But luckily, I'm not a normal person. 

Once I'm close enough to see myself in his metal blades, I use my agility to move right under them and come up behind them on his right side. I get so close, in fact, to Corey that I could give him a little peck on his right cheek, and simultaneously, I hit his body with my blade.

But because of our speed, we pass each other in no time. We stop where the other had started. I stand there and wait, knowing he didn't hit me, and I know he would fall any second. At least, that's what I hope. But as one second passed into the next, I grow uneasy. Did I really hit him? My gaze was still fixed on the ground, as is the custom. With my eyes closed, all I could do was wait.

Suddenly, there is the sound of something dripping, then the clink of metal on the floor, and finally, a knee hitting the floor. As soon as I hear that, I lift my head and slam my sword back into the ground. I don't even acknowledge the blood dripping from my blade.

Dust is still in the air. Not even I can see anything. So I use the moment to straighten myself out and face where I know my childhood friend's older brother should be. As I focus on the magic raging within me, my underdeveloped fairy part. My hands quickly begin to glow brown. Within a few moments, the dust falls off and reunites with the stone we are standing on.

Even from behind, I can see the gash across his torso and the blood running down his handsome, rectangle-shaped face.

The whole ground is silent. If a pen had been dropped, there would have been a loud echo. It gives me great joy because I already know that Corey is the best in his entire year. The fact that a freshman beats him so easily can only be cheating, right? If they attempt to pursue this path, they will swiftly discover it leads nowhere. It is impossible to cheat in a sacred duel where both parties are forced to fight with all their might.

Since no one is moving or even seeming to think about helping Corey, I know I have to do it myself. I move towards my opponent with relaxed steps and step behind him. Carefully, I place both hands on his broad shoulders. I slowly move my head closer to his.

“Does it hurt?” I ask him as soon as my head is right next to his.

“Very much, Your Majesty,” he replied solemnly and calmly, obviously hating that he had lost to me.

Chuckling to myself, I dig my hands a little tighter into his shoulders. “Remember this,” I tell him, just as quietly. “And never forget the oath you just swore with him. At least my life is protected from a real threat.”

Corey's head snaps towards me, a questioning look in his eyes, but I put my index finger over my mouth, signing him to be quiet. I can see his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallows nervously. So I give him a wink. I straighten my back, remove my hands from his shoulders, and finally walk around him. I can feel all eyes on me, likely horrified by the brutality of the ritual. But we usually have at least two healers to ensure no one dies.

I kneel in front of Corey. His eyes follow my every move. Carefully, I touch his upper armor, which suddenly disappears at the touch. He doesn't even acknowledge it. But it breaks the silence a bit as many girls start whispering about his broad, muscular back. To be honest, I'd rave over his back, too, but I'd also do the same for his muscular, toned chest, even if I would never say it out loud. After all, he is my best friend's older brother. Luckily, I still had to scan his torso to make sure I only caused that one wound.

But this one wound is already bad enough: A large gush, deep and bleeding profusely. I could even see that some muscles and nerves had been cleanly severed. Glancing back at my sword, I'm more than surprised at its sharpness, as it looks like it couldn't even cut paper but sliced through Corey's body like butter. I feel my lips want to curl into a smile, but somehow, I manage to hold it back. But even though I try my best to suppress it, the joy of my victory ultimately overwhelms me.

“You still enjoy the misery of others. How delightful.”

With the same smile finally spreading across my lips, I gaze back at him. His face contorted in pain and perhaps disappointment. I'm not entirely sure. As I stare at him, smiling from ear to ear, which feels unnatural. 

"If I were you, I would weigh my words carefully,“ I tell him quietly. “I have more than enough reasons to cut off your head.” Corey looks at me with eyes filled with shock, but he really shouldn’t. “Do you remember earlier when I defended you against the other guy? I know full well that you have dragged my name through the mud, and even though we are somewhat friends if someone heard this and knew about my status, I would have no choice but to kill you.”

Only after finishing speaking do I notice the pressure I'm radiating. One born of pure bloodlust. Something I won in the long battles on the battlefield. As I remember my time in the war, I suddenly feel something strange on my hands. Looking down at them, I notice that they have moved of their own accord closer to Corey's open wound. As they dig up and down through the inside of the wound, enjoying the feeling of cleanly cut flesh and thick blood, I know if others see it, they would think even less of me.

I, honestly, didn't even realize I had started grinning darkly until I could hear someone whisper about it. Shortly afterward, I take my hand out of the wound and smile apologetically at Corey. The whole time, he stares at me as if I'm some kind of dark creature.

Hoping to hide my disgusting habit so that it looks like I'm just trying to help him, I place both hands on his wound, albeit unnecessarily, and cast a spell to heal his wound. “Prokstoya,” I whisper quietly. Under my hands, a thin layer of stone appears over Corey's wound, closing it. But it's not big enough. “Ulersinka,” I add to the spell. The stony patch slowly grows until the entire wound is closed. But as soon as Corey moved just a little, it was already starting to break. ��Reikla,” I continue to add. The stone plaster hardens, but in the places where it already has cracks, the stone is too unstable.

“Prokstoya Ulersinka Reikla,” I chant a few times to ensure the stone plaster reappears, regrows, and hardens. But I ensure it's quiet enough that only Corey and I can hear it. Because this language is neither that of the fairies nor any other species known here. Only my family and those close to us know about it. In the beginning, more people were aware of it, but when the person who taught it became the enemy of everyone, even we had to hide it, and eventually, most people forgot it.

Luckily, it looks like a guardian fairy's magic. The spell is just at a much higher level than I should be able to use, which I could feel as soon as I look into Corey's eyes. Suddenly, my head starts spinning, and I almost pass out. I've never kissed the ground, though. As I look around, disoriented, I only see Corey, and for the first time, I'm grateful for his quick reflexes.

“Sorry,” I murmur.

“Is your body still fighting your fairy magic?” Corey tries to inquire. "I still remember the day you were supposed to cast a rock into the air, and instead, you broke your teacher's ankle because your fairy magic went wild and pulled a rock out of the ground."

As Corey speaks, I feel a blush spreading across my cheeks. This is neither the place nor the time to reminisce! Especially since he has already sworn loyalty to my senile old grandfather! So, instead of paying more attention to him, I turn to Saladin and the mistress of the Alfea Academy.

“Is that enough to show you my magic?” I ask them in a salty tone.

Judging by the silence of all the students or their astonished looks, I can assume that no one seems to doubt that I am who I said I was. But not for the headmistress. I don't know if she could see through the magic or if she just didn't want to admit that she'd made a terrible mistake, but she's not convinced, as can be seen from her contorted face.

I can't believe this woman! And yet, I can. Somehow, I knew deep down that it wouldn't be that easy. Still, it should have been enough, even if she saw that the magic I just used wasn't pure fairy magic.

“You're going to have a mock fight,” the old mistress suddenly says.

“Tomorrow, right?” I ask back. But her look was stern and gave me an answer I didn't want to get. “You can’t be serious!” I added, annoyed.

“If we don’t sort this out today, we can’t move forward.”

I feel anger rising in my stomach hearing her words. I ball my hands into fists, trying desperately to keep my anger to myself and not explode in this woman's face. I can't wait for her plan to blow up.

“Okay,” I murmur through gritted teeth. I stand back up and tower over the woman. "Who will I fight?" I want to ask so much more, but I could barely contain myself. Right now, all I like to see is her arrogant face fall as everyone realizes what a mistake they made.

“Stella!“

I look around, confused. I don't see anyone stepping forward. But when I suddenly feel pressure being put on me, I start to fear for my life. As I turn in that direction, I see the same golden-haired girl I saw on my first day in Alfea. I can feel something powerful slumbering within her. She's old enough to know about it. But does she know it? Does she know about me then? I can feel it inside her from meters away, so she must feel it, too, right? But when I look at her, she seems more dissatisfied than angry. She shows no discomfort with the power within me, which is unnatural. So she hasn't awakened yet?

“Yes, Miss Faragonda?” she asks in a dismissive, almost rude tone. This causes resentment among the crowd, as many call her disrespectful. Somehow, it feels so strange that I can't help but laugh. Stella's gaze immediately jumps to me, even more dissatisfied than before.

“We'll talk about this later, young lady!” The headmistress threatens Stella, which actually makes her quiver under the older woman's watchful eyes. "You will fight this young man. Don't worry. Neither of you will be able to seriously injure the other."

Even though she obviously doesn't want to be there or have anything to do with this situation, she still nods in agreement. She comes towards me, and even though I'm taller than her, she looks down on me, or at least makes me feel like she is. There are no greetings or anything like that. What a bitch.

[Masterlist]

[bylerschmyler]

Mike Wheeler's guitar

Ever since someone found the guitar in Mike's room in S4 there is a lot of speculation about what it means. So I decided to make a little post about my thought on this topic.

The guitar in Mike's bedroom is only shown shortly in S4E1.

It seems to be an acoustic guitar but could maybe be a gibson les paul e-guitar or similiar model instead. Because we only see the neck we can't really tell 100% but the acoustic guitar is more likely.

It's actually not the 1st time guitars are mentioned in stranger things. In S3, while El and Max are searching for heather at the pool, there is a guitar lessons poster pinned on the cork board with the lifeguard pictures.

This scene is not directly connected to Mike (as far as we can tell right now) but it is the first time a guitar us brought up visually in the show (as far as I am aware right now).

Mike's bedroom scene isn't the only time a guitar is shown in direct context of his presence.

In S4E4, when the FBI is keeping the cali crew in house arrest and Will is rambling about how they need El and her powers in order to save hawkins and Mike is moping about El letter which she signed "From El", Mike throws the letter in an a bucket. And guess what's behind the bucket. Right a guitar.

Again it is most likely a acoustic guitar.

A very more subtile hint off Mike's connection to guitars and only recognizable if you make a deep dive into the set design of stranger things is another interesting detail from Mike's room in S4. In this post @runninguplenorahills found a cool hidden detail.

It's this cool little trading card:

Yet another visible connection between Mike and guitars. This time it's an electric guitar.

Mike is barely shown to be very music interested. In S1 he says "he sang that weird song he likes" about Will singing "Should I stay or should I go" through the walkie the night they found his body in the quarry. It gives us a contrast between Mike and Will. Will loves Music (thanks to Jonathan) but Mike doesn't seem interested in it. But in S3 he shows us a different version of himself regarding Music.

He sings a long to Corey Harts Never surrender and not only knows the lyrics by heart but gives his own interpretation (with growling at the end). Also see how the subtitles say "Imitates guitar break". Like Mike knows this song really well.

Important to notice here. The song plays off a tape that Mike most likely brought with him so they could listen to it.

There are a lot off headcanons and thoughts about the possibility that Eddie inspired Mike to learn guitar or even be his teacher. But I really doubt that Mike had this kind of relationship with Eddie. While Eddie is obviously an inspiration for Mike in form of looks (Growing out his hair, the clothes he is wearing in S4E1 are very Eddie like) there is no indication that Mike likes the same music. Eddie is a metalhead and the only time Mike is shown to be interested in music he is singing a Pop-Rock song. If Eddie knew he would be most likely laughing about that.

I honestly think that Mike did learn to play the guitar before he met Eddie. We don't see his room in S2 and S3 so he could already been playing for a while.

I don't have proof honestly but one thing made me think. In S4 we see a upright piano in the wheeler's house.

The interesting thing about it are the sheets of music. Why? Well we all know how clean Karen is. She wouldn't let sheets of music on the piano if nobody was using it. So one off the Wheelers was playing quite recently.

Also the piano is shown in a direct pan transition from Max to Chief Powell. We are meant to notice it (while a lot of people possibly didn't).

If someone in the family is playing piano it's not so far off that Mike is playing guitar and since he was a Pop rock enthusiast in S3 he could have been playing already. A typical thing in music lessons is to add current hits/modern music in the rehearsal to give the students interesting stuff to work with.

Important to notice with Mike's guitar is that it's in his bedroom. It's something intimate that possibly his friends don't even know about. He doesn't have it in the basement where he spends most of his time and could show his skills to his friends or have at least a very cool decoration and where he couldn't annoy anyone when he is playing. No he keeps it in his bedroom where his friends very rarely go to. Where he can be by himself and if he would play to loud he would totally annoy his family who want to sleep when he goes up into his bedroom.

What I want to mention too, is that Will's art evolved in S4 in order to show us his feelings for Mike. Mike could parallel this. While Will's art evolved from pencil and crayon to and literal (oil?) painting Mike's art could evolve from campaigns (and letters) to a song he wrote for Will.

A side note I want to give. Finn Wolfhard can play "Should I stay or should I go". While this clip is from late 2017 (after S2) the original is older I think (I found a short from January 2017 - before S2). While yes it's only the beginning and it's everything but smooth I keep thinking about how the duffers said that they had way more ideas for S2 than they could have included. Maybe Mike playing should I stay or should I go was one of them.

I think that was everything for now. If you found anything else that could be in anyway related to this please share with the class.

Thanks for reading <3

[littencloud9]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "littencloud9 "?

oooh! GREAT QUESTION i’m gonna rec my beautiful clever amazing mutuals’ fics obviously. and some others. i mainly read jjk and bsd fics so that’s probably all this list will have haha 😭

(also littencloud9 comes from my fav pokémon litten, + cloud9 was TECHNICALLY inspired by the song cloud 9 by beach bunny! but it’s a cute phrase so i stuck them together LOL)

in no particular order,

—> sun comes streaming through the window (& i can't sleep anymore) by @that-was-anticlimactic

| bsd, gen, teen and up, ~21k, kenji & ada

| good morning to one of my fav fics EVER. i have never sobbed so hard reading something. corey is the queen of kenji fics and this one is no exception i LOVE how the dynamics with kenji and the rest were portrayed and how much of a family they were 🥹🫶 (i also love her other fics.. the kunichuu ones and the pyramid ones especially you guys should check them out 🔪)

—> though i burn, how could i fall? by @zukkaoru

| bsd, gen, teen and up, 8.6k, kunikidazai + kunikida & ranpo

| HFHSGDHSS. i am always obsessed with grace’s kunikida characterisation. ada president kunikida is something that can be so personal. and i love that he had people helping him through the stress even when he pushed them away. TEARS. (also check out their other fics she has lots lots and i really like the tachigin, aku siblings, and kunichuuzai ones 🫶)

—> we can plant a memory garden by @ryuvnosuke

| bsd gen, mature, 4.2k, kunikida & yosano (during the great war)

| sorry not sorry for continuously reccing gen fics in this ship-focused fandom. anyway HELLO?? the set-up of this fic is already so so interesting, and i adored yosano’s character here!! and the description of.. pretty much everything, was super chilling. it was such a fantastic read 🫶 (i also adore ela’s tachigin fics and sskk fics too. she gets akutagawa like no one else)

—> reading between the lines by @spliqi

| bsd, m/m, teen and up, 12.3k, shin soukoku

| did you guys know that im spliqi’s biggest fan actually. their sskk characterisation is legit my favourite thing EVER i am always cackling when reading her fics. this one is my fav especially because of how ridiculously stupid yet clever they are. and how they cannot confess like normal people. highly recommend!! 🤍

—> baby, drive slow by zonnie

| jjk, m/m, mature, 15.8k, itafushi

| i am a SUCKER for roadtrip AUs. this fic was so so fun and i loved yuuji the greenest flag ever. i also love zonnie’s other itfs works! also megumi and nobara’s dynamic in their fics are the best thing ever i am obsessed 💗💗

—> quiet quitting is easy when your boss has already held your funeral and you’re technically still legally dead by @gothicakvtagawa

| bsd, m/m, teen and up, 24.5k, shin soukoku

| the sskk writers in this fandom truly get it. this fic was SUCH a great ride, and i loved that other character’s povs (kunikida, sigma, chuuya etc) were explored! i always love post-canon fics so this was such a treat. and fukuzawa father of the YEAR award in this fic. overall lovely lovely fic, amazing characterisation, and fun flow!! (their other sskk fics are also GEMS check those out)

—> and all i loved, i loved alone by featherx

| bsd, m/m, mature, 121.6k, ranpoe

| i always wonder how user featherx is doing after dropping this BOMB of a fic. it explores poe’s life from the start and i LOVED EVERY SECOND. the descriptions of how his ability feels, meeting new people, meeting karl, meeting the guild members, his relationship with ranpo and so on. exploration of sexuality too. overall this fic reads like the bsd poe wikipedia to me because of how on point everything feels. LOVE it

—> i hope i die first by @amythecinnabunny

| bsd, m/m, teen and up, major character death, 28.7k, shin soukoku

| yeah… this fic sent me into spirals. i sobbed so hard i had to take bathroom breaks. the epilogue was truly the cherry on top. if you wanna break your heart this fic is for you (also love her other fics! esp the higuchi & the sheep series, and the babysitting series!)

—> here and where you are by cityboys

| jjk, m/m + gen, teen and up, 17.3k, itafushi + jjk first years trio

| okay. i cry pretty easily reading things. but this one. ohhhhh my god. this one legit had me ugly crying for a whole hour. this one destroyed me. megumi is my pookie we know this so reading this HEARTWRENCHING fic from his pov was just. ouuuugh. basically yuuji’s memories are erased and he goes back to being a normal boy. but megumi and nobara remember him. enough said. please read this i was genuinely devastated

—> hey son, i killed your daddy by missingnooo

| jjk, gen + m/m, teen and up, 5.6k, gojo & megumi (+ satosugu and itafushi)

| THIS FIC!!! gojo and megumi are surprisingly underrated in this fandom which is crazy cause they’re literally related guys. but this was an emotional rollercoaster and i was hooked every second. gojo’s character felt very true to the story idk how to explain it but it was amazing. i cried. highly recommend

-

THATS 10!! i only dared to tag my mutuals aksjfksbd but heres my fic recs. thank you for the ask! <33

[slutforstabbings-archive]

May I request a scenario of a fem reader liking Corey, but she doesn't let herself be loved (even though deep down she wants to be) and instead hooks Corey up with Allyson instead? Perhaps the fem reader prefers others to have a happy ending over herself, and imagine if Corey came back to the reader like, "But I love you..Why won't you let me love you?". Eventually the fem reader breaks down and lets him, like a heartwarming ending? (Angst, fluff)

sorry for the long wait, but here it is! it's lengthy because I was in the mood for worldbuilding i guess lol.

Corey Cunningham x fem!Reader

5,954 words!

angst, fluff, hurt and comfort, miscommunications, all that stuff. canon divergent, takes place during the first part of the film

beloved taglist: @rebel-blue @nachtmahr666 @vanellygal @cordelium @multifandom--mess @wolvesandvampires

The First of Many

You tap a stack of invoices on your desk, aligning their edges before filing them away. Then you make sure all the customer keys are labeled and hung appropriately. You know they are but you’re trying to kill the last few minutes of your shift at Prevo Auto. You refresh the shop email and no new messages come through. 4:57. Come on 5pm! You look through the window in the front office into the garage to try to see Corey, but you only see your father. You empty the small trash can under your desk. 

Dad is how you got the job working Prevo’s front desk, and how you first came to know Corey. Dad was one of Ron’s first hires when Prevo opened up on the outskirts of Haddonfield. You went to the same school as Corey, the only high school in Haddonfield, but you never crossed paths with your fellow Husker. No, you’d see him when work brought your families together, the Prevo Christmas party, you and Dad visiting their house for dinner once or twice (and then never again to avoid spending any more time in the vicinity of Ron’s horrible wife, Joan). A few times in the spring Corey turned 21, when Dad hired him to help out with yard work. 

The first time you ever got to really speak to him, you’d been sitting cross legged on the back porch squeezing petunias out of little plastic cups from the nursery and massaging their roots so he and Dad could plant them. He sat down next to you, soil and grass clippings sticking to his sweaty legs, taking a break from the sun. You’d talked a while, the longest and most private conversation you’d ever had with him, and found him extremely likable. He was smart and ambitious and he made you laugh. He was looking really good too, his short time doing landscaping for people in town already adding bulk to his limbs and bleaching little copper streaks into his brown hair, the sun encouraging his freckles. 

You found out he’d just turned 21 and didn’t do anything for his birthday, so when all the work was done, you’d brought him a beer and a Hostess cupcake. 

“This is your birthday party now,” you told him. One corner of his mouth lifted into a smile before bringing the other side up with it. You ended the day with a little crush on him.

You started your job at Prevo not long after that, hoping it meant you would see Corey more often. Then the accident happened. It fell to you and Dad to keep the ship afloat while the captain was away, running the auto shop the best you could to help take pressure off Ron, who was gone every day for weeks, driving two hours one way with Joan and Corey to Springfield for the trial. You wanted desperately to sit in the courtroom gallery and support him. To be a kind face is the sea of snarls he had to look out into every day. But you knew you were needed at work, that you were supporting him from behind your desk. A couple times in the evenings you delivered a casserole to the Cunningham-Prevo house, wanting to make sure they were eating well despite all the stress and time spent out of town. 

Since Corey came to work for his step-father, you’ve become good friends. Joan serves dinner at 6:30 like clockwork and makes Corey’s night hell if he’s late, but Ron cuts him loose at 5, even tho Prevo is open til 6, to give him 90 glorious minutes of free time before Joan can get him back under her thumb for the evening. The flow of customers has usually all but dried up by then, so the ends of your shifts align. 

You stand in front of the ancient time clock in the back, hand hovering, prepared to insert your time card as soon as it rolls over to 5:00. A massive pair of hands comes from nowhere to cover your eyes. 

“Guess who?” Says a raspy voice in a Northeastern accent. As if it could be anybody else.

“The Easter bunny?” You ask. 

Corey chuckles. “Not quite.”

“Okay, then it’s probably… James Dean.”

He scoffs. “No.”

“Shit, okay,” you say, pretending to be disappointed. “Final guess… Corey Cunningham?”

He lifts his hands from over your eyes and steps to stand next to you. 

“Third time’s the charm,” he says. 

“You’re such a dork,” you tell him playfully as you clock out, at 5:01, thanks to him. 

“I learned from the best,” he says, taking your place in front of the time clock. 

Corey changes out of his coveralls and washes all the grease off his hands in the bathroom. You check your phone, thinking of texting your friend Allyson. You haven’t heard from her in weeks, maybe months, which isn’t uncommon. But last you heard she was still trying to untangle herself from that scummy cop she’d been with since 2018. You feel like you should check on her. But before you can finish composing your message, Corey comes out of the bathroom. You never look at your phone when you’re with him. You get to spend too little time together to squander it.

The two of you enact your routine for afternoons you spend together. You ride on his bike pegs first to the gas station, then to the part of town where the old Myers house used to sit, a desolate and decaying neighborhood with a park you can’t believe the city still bothers to mow. You sit on the cracked swings creaking from rusty chains and dig your toes down into the ancient mulch, all the way to the rotten tarp underneath. How much Corey wants to talk varies a lot, so you let him set the tone. Although he was playful at work, he seems to have fallen deep into thought on the bike ride, so neither of you says much. 

Suddenly you remember something you used to do as a kid. You use your feet to rotate the swing 90 degrees, then 90 more, so you’re facing the opposite direction and the rusted chain is crossed above you. You complete another half turn and the chain braids around itself. You dig your feet into the mulch and slowly turn yourself around, again, and again, getting more and more difficult as the chain kinks, gaining resistance and raising you further from the ground. It makes a scraping sound as the rust grinds together, and a concerning groaning from the stress on the bolts holding the chains to the support structure. Corey watches you skeptically. When you can’t twist the chains anymore you rest for a second before lifting both feet off the ground.

The chains unravel and you spin back the other direction, even faster than you expected, the chain coiling back around itself. You laugh heartily, shocked that it’s still so fun. Corey’s skeptical look changes to delight and he laughs as he twists his own swing’s chains. You both spin over and over, cackling, until you get so dizzy you slip backwards out of the swing and land on your ass. 

“Be careful!” Corey says, jumping off his swing to help you.

You’re still laughing. You take his outstretched hand and he pulls you up. You stand there, your hand lingering in his for a moment. Then his alarm goes off. 6:15. Playtime’s over. You dust yourself off before once again you mount his bike pegs. He drops you off at your place before biking the rest of the way home.

“How was your date?” Dad asks from the living room as you come inside.

“It wasn’t a date,” you say, kicking off your shoes.

“Whatever you say, Pumpkin,” Dad replies. 

You wish it was a date. The little crush you formed that day on the back porch has only grown in the intervening years. Deepening and strengthening, fueled by your respect for how he handled himself in such a horrible situation, your awe at his inner strength, and your delight to find his sense of humor lingering after everything he’s been through. In the moments at work when you hand him the keys to a car or end up in the break room at the same time, and those short hours when Joan thinks he’s still at work, you’ve fallen in love with him.

You’ve fallen in love with him and it is totally fucking unrequited. Corey loves you, you don’t doubt that at all, but it’s excruciatingly platonic. When you first realized how you felt, you’d tried to pay attention, look for signs that he felt the same way. Sometimes you thought you saw something, in the way he looked at you, or how his hand always seemed to brush yours when he handed you a set of keys. It wasn’t exactly the most compelling evidence. You couldn’t trust that you weren’t just reading too much into things. Corey is shy, awkward, inexperienced. But surely he would do something more obvious if he felt the same as you do.

So it’s not reciprocal. You’ve done your best to accept it. You weren’t meant to be anything more than friends with him, so you just enjoy his friendship. You work hard to be the best friend you can be. Somebody has to look out for him in this town, this world, that seems set on destroying him. 

You eat dinner in front of the TV with Dad, then you spend the rest of the night in your room. Listening to music and pacing in the lamp light. Trying not to think about Corey, refusing to indulge the temptation to imagine what a future with him would be like. Instead, you fold your laundry.  You rearrange your bookshelf. You remember your half-written text to Allyson and finish it, hitting send but not expecting much. Eventually it gets late enough for you to climb into bed.

In the morning you’re brushing your teeth when you get a pleasant surprise. Allyson texts back. You suggest the two of you grab lunch to catch up and she agrees. She comes to Prevo to pick you up. Her car rattles so loudly it’s hard to hear her music. 

“When you take me back, I’ll have one of the guys look at that rattle!” You say, raising your voice a little over the racket. 

“It’s not a big deal!” She says. You raise your eyebrows at her and she laughs. “Okay, it’s a big deal!”

“Don’t worry! Family discount!” 

You get to the restaurant and are shown to your table. Allyson tells you that her grandma bought a house and they live together now, that she’s expecting a promotion soon at the Mathis Clinic, that her annoying ex has pretty much faded into the background. You’re so happy she’s doing well. After everything she’s been through she could easily be forgiven for giving up, but she hasn’t. You’re proud of your friend. 

“Anyway there’s this Halloween party at Velkovsky’s tomorrow. I wanna go because Lindsey works there and arranged the whole thing, but I don’t wanna go alone,” she says. 

You’d offer to go with her but you already have plans with Dad tomorrow night to drive across the border into Iowa to visit a giant pumpkin patch he’d seen online. It’s unclear whether the patch or the pumpkins are giant, but he read that it’s popular with influencers so you agreed to leave the night before your visit. The plan is to stay in a motel so you can be there as soon as the gates open. God forbid all the midwestern Instagram girlies buy all the pumpkins before your father can get one. 

Suddenly, a brilliant idea strikes you. “I could set you up with someone, if you want,” you tell her. 

“Oh jeez, I don’t know about that,” she protests. 

“No, no, he’s an amazing guy. He’s really cute and I think you’ll find you have a lot in common,” you tell her. 

She thinks, anxiously tapping a chip against the bowl of salsa on the table. “Okay,” she says. “I’m trusting you… if you think he’s a great guy then I’ll give him a shot.”

Instead of dropping you at the gates to Prevo Auto, Allyson pulls into the scrapyard and you show her where to park. You run inside and look for Corey. You find him in the break room, drinking from a glass bottle of chocolate milk. 

“Are you busy?” You ask. 

“Not really,” he says, smiling. 

“Awesome. Come out front with me, a friend of mine needs something quick and I want you to meet her.”

Corey furrows his brows. He hates meeting people. But you do so much for him, he trusts that you wouldn’t bring him to someone who’ll treat him like most of Haddonfield does. He puts the cap back on his milk and sets it back in the fridge. You lead him out into the yard. Allyson is leaning against her car. She’s so pretty and kind, there’s no way Corey won’t be into her, you think to yourself. You never imagined yourself as the friend who plays matchmaker. You feel the tiniest lump form in your throat. You want Corey to be with you. If you can’t have him tho, you know Allyson will treat him right, that she can understand the trauma and tragedy of his life in a way you probably never could. You’ll be the best (wo)man at their wedding, and a devoted godmother for their children if it comes to that. 

“Allyson Nelson, meet Corey Cunningham. Corey, Allyson.” 

“Hi,” Corey says sheepishly, wiping a broad hand on his coveralls before holding it out for her to shake.

“Nice to meet you,” she says, accepting it.

“Her car’s been rattling super loud,” you explain. “I thought you could take a look at it.”

“Sure. Probably the exhaust system clamp coming loose. It’ll take like, five minutes. Super cinchy,” Corey says.

Allyson looks at you, then looks at him. “Cinchy?” she says. Corey laughs. 

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it then,” you say. You hold your arms out for a hug and Allyson leans in. “Always great to catch up with you. Let’s not wait so long next time.”

“For sure,” Allyson says.

Then you drop your voice to a whisper. “Invite him to Velkovsky’s!” you say into her ear. Then you let go. You clap Corey on the back reassuringly as you walk back into the office.

The phone has a blinking red light. You listen to the voicemails left while you were at lunch and take notes, but your attention is split. You keep looking through the office windows to watch Corey and Allyson. You wish you could hear them because they keep making each other laugh. He puts her car on the lift and rolls under it on a creeper. She keeps talking to him while he works. He rolls back out from under the car and lets it down from the lift. Attila, one of the other mechanics, comes to return a customer’s keys and update the log of what’s been done to their car. When he walks away you can’t see Corey anymore and Allyson’s car is gone. 

At 4:55 Corey is already at the desk, waiting for you to do your last minute organizing and email checking. 

“Allyson’s really nice,” he says.

“Yeah,” you say, smiling. You hope it’s convincing. “She is.” 

He gives you a strange look, like he’s studying you, but he doesn’t say anything else. The two of you don’t talk at all, all the way to the gas station, through buying snacks, and to the park. While he locks his bike against a tree, you cross to the old merry go round. It’s covered in dry orange leaves and you dust a spot clean. You lay on your back with your legs hanging off the edge, looking up into the gray autumn sky. Corey comes and cleans a spot across from you so that when he lays down your heads are next to each other. 

“Do you ever think it’s weird that we didn’t know each other in high school? Well, nobody knew me. But do you think it’s weird that I didn’t know you?” Corey asks.

“Nobody knew me either,” you say. “But I wanted to know you, from seeing you at work stuff. I just  never saw you in the hallway or anything.”  

“You wanted to know me?” 

“Well, yeah. Dad told me stuff about you that Ronald told him. And it would’ve been nice to have someone closer to my age to talk to at the Christmas party and shit. I was always too shy to say anything when we were actually at the Christmas party tho. I wanted to have a class with you or something so we could talk that way.”

“I didn’t know that,” Corey says. A few times it seems like he’s going to say something else, but he stays quiet the rest of your time together until he says goodbye when he drops you off at home. 

Later that evening you get a text from Allyson, letting you know she took your advice and asked Corey to the party. Then you get a text from Corey, a rarity since his mom still looks through his phone, confused and surprised that Allyson asked him. You encourage him to go. You feel bad about it, but you craft your replies to make it seem like you’re going too. You hate to even be kinda semi-dishonest with him, but you know he’ll say no if he knows you can’t make it. You hope Allyson won’t mention it. If he just shows up, you know he could have a good time. It’ll be a costume party, no one even has to know it’s him. They’ll have a blast and before the night is even over, they’ll agree to a second date. 

A smile comes to your face, but your eyes fill with tears. Nothing could make you happier than imagining Corey happy. Your deepest wish is that you could be the one to make him happy, but you have to let go of that eventually. Grow up, move on. They’ve both suffered so much more than you have and they both deserve the best. You’re lucky just to be on the periphery, and you should feel honored to be the one who introduced them. You feel sick to your stomach instead.

The next day at Prevo is super busy, and you’re thankful for it. You don’t want Corey to ask you about the party in person. You haven’t actually lied to him, and you won’t do it if he asks you directly, so it’s easiest if you just don’t talk to him all day. He does wander into the front office a few times, but you’re on the phone or ringing a customer up every time and he doesn’t interfere. When 5 rolls around you can’t avoid him anymore, but luckily all he says is that he has to go straight home to get ready. You tell him you do too, and that technically isn’t a lie either. You still have to pack your overnight bag for the pumpkin patch. 

-

“What’s the matter, Kiddo?” Dad asks as you approach the state line. As far as you can see in either direction, the road is flanked by the dry remnants of this past summer’s crops. 

“Corey’s on a date with Allyson Nelson right now,” you say. 

“Allyson Nelson? How did that happen?” he asks.

“I set them up.” 

“Well, why’d you do that? I know I tease you about it a lot, but I was really tickled that you two have gotten so close.” Dad’s always been fond of Corey too, it’s not news to you that he’s a fan of your friendship.

“Yeah well, I’m tickled too, but he’s not.”

“Why would you think a thing like that?” 

You shrug and slouch in your seat. “He hasn’t said anything or done anything to make me think he’s interested in me like that.”

Dad laughs and sighs your name. “I think you’ve been a little blind. Corey adores you.”

“Platonically,” you amend. 

“Have you asked him?” 

“No,” you say quietly.

“Well Pumpkin, I think you found the problem,” Dad says.  

“I just… What if that fucks our friendship up? He doesn’t have anybody else.”

“I know Corey’s important to you, but that doesn’t make him your responsibility. He’s an adult. And I hope your friendship is strong enough to handle a little status update conversation.”

“I think it is but I’m just not 100% sure. I really don’t want to lose him.” Your voice cracks. 

“So you set him up with Allyson to keep him?” Dad asks gently. 

“My brilliant plan doesn’t sound so brilliant when you say it,” you tell him, and laugh a little. “But it’s too late now.”

“Well why don’t you just wait until we get home and tell him how you feel before you decide that.”

Because he’ll already be falling for Allyson by then, you think but don’t say out loud. 

Your phone hasn’t had service for basically the whole drive, and you still can’t get anything to load or go through when you get to the motel. They have wifi, but they charge extra for it. In a way you’re relieved. You don’t want to know how it went yet. You just turn your phone completely off and lay in the stiff motel bed, listening to Dad snoring and the endless episodes of Ancient Aliens on the vintage motel TV.

-

Allyson picks Corey up on the corner, down the block from his house. He doesn’t want Momma to see him getting in a car with a girl. He didn’t have a costume so she brought him a mask. He expected you to be in the car with Allyson, all three of you carpooling, but he’s disappointed to be her only passenger. 

At Velkovsky’s Allyson orders them drinks and Corey sips his apprehensively. She tries to get him to dance and the alcohol has lowered his inhibitions just enough for him to reluctantly agree. Surely you’re on your way and he just has to have a good time with a new friend until you get there. Inside his mask he’s overheating, and the alcohol whispers for him to take it off even though he knows it’s a bad idea. But he’s having fun and you’ll be here soon, so he slips it up over his head and drops it on the pool table.

Allyson is pleasantly surprised to see Corey’s face. You were right, he is really cute. He’s sweet too, and of course she knows what he’s been through. It touches her that his ordeal doesn’t seem to have made him hard the way it sometimes feels like her trauma did to her. She can’t help but wonder why you’re not his girlfriend. She’s heard the admiration in your voice when you’ve mentioned him over the years. Maybe she had just been mistaken about the kind of affection you have for him. 

Corey approaches the bar to order another drink, leaving Allyson on the dance floor. He doesn’t notice Theresa Allen slumped on a bar stool nearby. Unfortunately, she notices him. 

“You!” she says, sitting up. “You just here dancing, having a good time with your friends?” 

Corey flinches. “I’m sorry,” he mutters.

“Oh, sorry? You’re sorry!? For killing my son?” She slides off her bar stool to get in Corey’s face. He backs away, trying to find the exit behind him. “I wake up every day and I can’t get past the pain. It kills me, do you understand?” Corey’s back finds the wall and he’s trapped. “No, you don’t understand if you think you can come in here and take off your little mask and have a good time with your friends.”

Lindsey appears from behind the bar and grabs Mrs. Allen, pulling her away from Corey. But that doesn’t stop her from screaming. “The judge might’ve said you were innocent, but I know you! You pushed my little boy because you got mad and lost your fucking mind! Innocent people don’t do that!” Corey finally finds an exit behind him and makes a break for it. Allyson hears all the commotion and turns in the direction of the chaos just in time to see Corey slipping out the door. She rushes after him. “Evil people do!” screams Mrs. Allen. “Evil!”

Corey runs blindly across the yard outside the bar. Allyson follows him, screaming his name. He gets to the street and a car flies past, nearly hitting him. 

“Corey, look out!” Allyson shouts, voice breaking. 

He stops and she catches up to him. 

“Where is she?” he wails.

“Mrs. Allen?” Allyson asks, confused.

“No!” 

Then Allyson realizes. He means you.

“She went to Iowa with her dad for that pumpkin patch,” she says. “Didn’t she tell you?”

“No! I thought they were going tomorrow. I’ve been waiting for her to show up. I don’t…. I don’t do things without her.” Corey sobs and balls his fists. 

“You didn’t think this was a date?” Allyson asks. She feels a little stung but she’s trying to understand. 

“A date!?” Why would he think it was a date? His mind swirls. Traffic rushes by. Suddenly the October air on his sweaty skin makes him cold. 

“She told me she was setting us up…” Allyson says. 

Then it dawns on him. “Oh,” he says, in a much quieter voice. He takes Allyson’s hand. “I’m so sorry. You seem really cool, I’d like to get to know you better. But I… I’m…”

“You’re in love with her?” Allyson finishes for him.

Corey nods. “I’ve been trying to build up the courage to tell her. I guess I waited too long and she gave up on me.” He collapses in on himself, his already usually stooped posture worsening, broad shoulders almost parallel to the ground. He puts his head in his hands and sobs. 

“Corey,” Allyson says soothingly. “Hey.” He looks up at her. “I was surprised too. She’s always seemed to really care about you when she’s talked about you. For like, years. I think you should just talk to her.”

Allyson leads Corey back to her car and drives him almost home, dropping him off on the same corner that she picked him up on. He opens his door, then closes it.

“Hey Allyson? Could you not talk to her until I get a chance to?” He asks.

“Sure thing,” she says.

“Thanks for being understanding. Maybe the three of us can hang out sometime.”

“I’d like that,” she says. 

-

When Corey comes inside Momma is waiting for him. She demands to know the details of his night, but he does something he almost never does. He ignores her. He walks straight up the stairs and into his bedroom, locking the door behind him. Momma follows him up the stairs, pounding on his door and yanking on the knob, cursing and complaining. Eventually getting no reaction wears her out, and she goes into her room and closes the door. 

Corey lays on his back in bed, bathed intermittently by the red light from the radio tower coming in through the window. He thinks of trying to text or call you but he doesn’t know what he’d say. He kicks himself for not being more proactive. Is it too late now? If you’re setting him up on dates with other people does that mean you’re not interested in him the way he is in you? The way he has been since the spring he turned 21? 

He remembers so clearly how scandalized you’d looked when he told you he didn’t do anything for his birthday. How you insisted it was a milestone worth celebrating, even tho Corey had never done much of anything for his birthday except to spend the day even more smothered by Momma than usual. How you’d thrown him a “birthday party” on your back porch with a beer and a snack cake. It didn’t take a lot of effort on your part, it didn’t cost you much of anything. But the fact that you’d cared enough to do anything, to make any kind of deal about it, really mattered to him. 

He couldn’t believe the effort you and your dad put into helping his family during the trial either. During the darkest part of his life, the worst thing that ever happened to him, you’d been there. He hadn’t spoken a word to you for months, but he’d felt the same care eating the casseroles you’d prepared that he had felt when you brought him that beer. He mattered to someone other than Momma and Ron. He’d never felt that before. And he’d never properly thanked you. 

Now it’s his turn to show you how much you matter to him. He just has to figure out how. 

-

You wake up to the screaming of the old analog alarm clock on the table between the beds in the motel room. Dad reaches over to it and slaps it blindly a few times before turning it off. It’s still dark outside. The TV, never turned off last night, plays an infomercial for some kitchen gadget or other. You reach over to look at your phone before remembering that you turned it off last night. Oh. Right. 

You and Dad get breakfast at a Denny’s inside a truck stop across from the motel before heading to the pumpkin patch. When you get there, there’s already a line, but it’s not too bad. The sun starts to creep over the horizon as you wait, and by the time you get in it’s fully light. It’s a gorgeous day. You keep your phone off, trying to just enjoy marveling at how truly giant the pumpkins are, to drink coffee and eat a pumpkin donut without thinking about Corey and Allyson. 

At the far end of the field there’s a little platform with several hay bales sitting in front of it. You spin Dad to look in that direction, where some people dressed very conspicuously like cowboys are setting up amps and a drum kit. You pick your way through the mud and the pumpkin vines and sit on a hay bale right up front. You overhear that it’s a country cover band and get excited. This will either be a group of people so genuinely talented you can’t believe they’re playing a show at 8:30 am on a Saturday for a fucking pumpkin patch, or so genuinely terrible you can’t believe they’re playing a show at all. Delightfully, it’s the former, and you manage a whole hour without feeling like you’re on the verge of tears.

When the band’s done, two employees load the pumpkins you and Dad picked onto a big wooden cart and push them to the car. They’re so heavy they make the backseat think someone’s sitting there and you have to buckle them in to make it stop beeping. With the children secured you head home.

-

Corey dresses in the gray light from the window, picking an outfit that he hopes looks nice. He slips down the stairs, wanting to be gone before Momma wakes up. Ron’s asleep on the couch so Corey goes out the back door instead of the front. He rides his bike to your house. He has no idea what time you’ll be home, but he’s prepared to sit in the rocking chair on your front porch until he has to leave for dinner. The sun rises. He starts getting hot in his jacket, so he takes it off and drapes it on the back of the chair. He’s hungry, but he doesn’t think about it. He has to sit here until you get home. 

-

When you get close to Haddonfield, you finally turn your phone back on, knowing you’ll have a signal and fearing the messages that you assume have been waiting for you all last night and all this morning. Gradually all your notifications load, and there are a lot of them. You hold your breath as you watch for something from Corey or Allyson to appear, but there’s nothing. Somehow that feels like the worst option. You don’t want to cry, so you just close your eyes. 

“Hey Kiddo,” Dad says as he turns onto your street. “Looks like you’ve got a guest.”

You open your eyes. At the end of the street you can see someone sitting in the rocking chair on your front porch. Someone in a flannel with the sleeves rolled up, someone with a familiar mop of curly brown hair. Why is Corey here?

“I’ll just go inside and leave you to it,” Dad says as he pulls into the driveway. He parks the car and climbs the stairs. “Afternoon, Corey,” you hear him say as he unlocks the door.

“Sir,” Corey replies, inclining his head in Dad’s direction. 

You sit in the car. When the front door closes Corey stands from the rocking chair and walks to the edge of the porch. His jacket falls off the back of the chair, but he doesn’t react. You make eye contact with him from the passenger seat. You can’t read his face. Why did he come here instead of trying to call or text you? How long has he been waiting? You open your car door, and he comes down one step. Your heart pounds in your ears. You get out of the car and close the door. 

Corey comes down the rest of the stairs and crosses the driveway in three huge strides to pull you into his arms. He gets to you so fast his momentum almost knocks you over, but his arms keep you upright. You hold your arms out awkwardly, startled and confused, before relaxing into his embrace. He nuzzles his face into your neck, holding you like he can’t believe you’re real, like if he lets go, you’ll disappear. Your knees go weak at the amount of affection, getting from him what you’d always wanted but barely dared to imagine. 

The hug goes on forever, but when he pulls back, it feels painfully short. He takes a single step away from you. 

“Why did you do that?” He asks, and his voice sounds wounded. That wasn’t the emotion you were expecting at all, and suddenly you feel extremely guilty. You can’t look at him. “Why would you think I wanted that?”

“Because I… I just thought…” You begin to sob.  

Corey takes your face in his hands, gently making you look at him. He uses his thumbs to wipe the tears off your cheeks, despite those that fall from his own eyes. “I’ve wanted to tell you, but I thought you already knew.”

“Knew what?” You say, voice creaking. 

“That I love you,” he says. “I’ve been in love with you the whole time.”

You half sob half laugh. “I love you!” You say. “But I didn’t think you felt the same way.”

Corey pulls you back into his arms. 

“Is Allyson mad?” You ask.

“No. She understands.”

You reach up to Corey’s face and wipe his tears from under his glasses. “Wanna come inside?”

“Please,” he says. 

You hold hands as you ascend the stairs to the porch. Next time you hang out after work it will be a date. Before you open the door, Corey leans down and plants a gentle kiss on your lips. The first of many to come.

[rebelliousstories]

Yuletide

25 Days of Ficmas

Relationship: Corey Cunningham x Reader

Fandom: Halloween Ends

Request: No

Warnings: Fluff, Mentions of Paganism, Light Angst

Word Count: 1,445

Masterlist: Here

Summary: Christmas holds some rough memories for Corey. Luckily his lover has some ways to override Christmas memories of the past.

“Wait, so can you explain this again? I’m really trying to understand. I’m just having a hard time. I’m sorry.” Corey ducked his head as he asked for his girlfriend to repeat what she said for about the third time. He saw a hand rapidly approaching his face and flinched when he felt contact. But there was no stinging, just a gentle caress over his stubbly jaw.

“Of course. Don’t worry, I didn’t get it right away either.” She assured him, trying to reverse the years of damage any way she could. Grabbing her handwritten book, she opened up to a specific page and spoke slowly and carefully.

“So Yule is our version of Christmas. When the christians came upon the pagans living in Europe, they saw our festivals and celebrations and made their own versions to make it easier to convert the pagans. As opposed to a specific day, Yule is a time frame. It starts sundown of the winter solstice, and ends in the new year. We always have a big meal that first sundown and enjoy the festive time.” Her delicate writings and sketchy drawings that littered the pages in front of him, captivated his senses. Corey trailed his fingers over the ink that stained the pages in front of him.

“So christians took Yule, and turned it into Christmas?” He questioned,hoping to prompt more information out of his lover but he had no idea how or what to ask.

“Yeah, pretty much. Yule logs are a pretty obvious tie, but the reason there is always a big feast is because pagans would commemorate the solstice with a boar in honor of the wild hunt that takes place. Christmas trees were brought about because that’s what we use to offer thanks.” She explained further, watching as he kept his eyes on the pages before him. Corey opened and closed his mouth several times, like a fish gasping for air, but no words came from his throat.

“Do you… do you think, that-” came from the young man, but he never finished the thought. His hands messed with each other and he picked at his nails. However, his girlfriend reached her hand over and placed her own on top of his to steady them.

“Do I think what, Corey?” Her question was so soft and gentle, that he could not help but look up to see his lover gazing back at him.

“Do you think, maybe, I could. I don’t know. Maybe, I could come over and celebrate with you instead? I don’t have good memories with Christmas anyways.” Corey’s eyes dropped back to their hands that were joined together, and he fiddled with the rings that adorned his lover’s delicate fingers. It was quiet for a moment, as nothing but the sound of her breathing passing between them. Corey, on the other hand, was too afraid and anxious of her response to dare break his silence. But, he felt a kind kiss being pressed to his forehead.

“Of course you can! I would love to have some company.” He looked up at this, complete with a soft, boyish grin on his face. It grew into a smile that matched his lover’s as they sat there.

“Okay. Awesome. I’ll tell my mom, and then I’m all yours.” Corey looked so incredibly happy about coming over rather than spending the evening with his own family.

//

“No. Absolutely not. You are not leaving here Christmas Day.” And there it was, his mother’s veto that came with just about everything in life that Corey wanted. But he was an adult now, surely he could find the strength to tell his mother no. His hands shook, and he looked anywhere but here as he sought the strength he needed.

“Can’t even look me in the eyes and ask me. That just means you’re not serious, and you’re lying about having a girlfriend.” She continued to chastise and criticize her son, who still fought with his heart and his head. Yet soon, he thought about how excited his girlfriend was when he finally asked her to join her, how happy she looked to have him around.

“I am going to spend the day with her.” Corey stared his mother dead in the eyes, and fought with himself to not back down. She almost looked impressed, but she, too, did not back down.

“You really think that some girl is going to treat you the way I do? That some other girl will love you like I do? I am your mother. I am owed you being with me on the holidays.” Her tone turned deadly, and she shook her finger in his face. Corey wanted to run and apologize; his past experiences telling him that was the easiest path. But he did not want to let his lover down.

“I’m going, mom. I’m an adult and can make my own choices so I’ll be spending the day with her instead of here.” Before his mother could get another word out, Corey turned on his heels and went out the front door. There was still a couple days till Christmas, but he could not bear it in that house anymore. He got lost in his thoughts, and before he knew it, he arrived at the doorstep of his lover. Corey did not realize where he was walking and now he was here. Should he knock? Should he go? A sudden breeze blew by causing Corey to shiver and huddle closer, unknowingly kicking the door.

“Core?” A sweet and kind voice reached his ears. It was only then that he noticed that his girlfriend had opened the door to her apartment, and was reaching out to the man. He stepped inside once she touched his arm, and felt the warmth breathe into his bones.

“You alright, Core?” She questioned; her face full of concern. He smiled and shook off her worry as he placed his hands along her waist.

“Yeah. I’m alright. Just, needed out of the house. You know?” While his comment was vague, his girlfriend knew exactly what he meant.

“You had another fight with your mom?” Her question was rhetorical, but Corey nodded with a deep sigh, and pressed his head into her neck.

“Yeah.” His muffled voice tickled her lightly, causing a giggle to come out and a hand to start brushing through his curls.

“Well, you’re more than welcome to stay here. I still have you’re drawer and closet space. Want to help me decorate for Yule?” Pressing a gentle kiss to his head, his lover’s question was out of genuine interest and it made Corey happy. He nodded up and down into her neck, causing another fit of giggles over his stubble rubbing up against her. Pulling apart, Corey was eager to follow as he was dragged by the hand over to where some decorations laid in boxes.

“Okay. Let’s decorate.” The couple found themselves falling into an easy routine. Corey enjoyed being able to put up all the pine, holly, and runes around the rooms. At some point, he found himself hanging up a wreath above the television while she made a simmer pot on the stove. It provided an incredible smell to the whole home and made Corey enjoy this even more. His girlfriend came over at some point to take him away from his decorating skills with a dark blue and gold mug in each hand.

“Wassail?” She asked, holding the mugs up higher. Corey took one with glee and followed her onto the couch.

“Mhmm. What is this? This is amazing!” He complimented, watching his lover’s cheeks became set aflame as she tried to hid it in her mug.

“It’s basically spiced apple cider, brewed with intentions. It’s a traditional Yule drink, and it’s one of my favorite things about the season.” She explained, watching him drink even more of it.

“Well, I love it.” He concluded, and that led them into a moment of silence. Their eyes scanned the room and enjoyed what they saw. The decorations were hung up faster than usual having two people instead of one but it made them all that much better. Some of them were slightly taller than usual on account of Corey’s incredible height. The burst of color filled the bland apartment, and Corey just felt home. This was his home. Neither one spoke, just sipped their wassail, and enjoyed being with each other during the holidays. It felt oddly domestic for Corey, but he certainly was not turning it down. This was going to be his favorite Christmas, by far. As well as his first, of hopefully many, Yule celebrations.

[hibiscussoupbowl]

Yk what ive already made all my statements abt the teen wolf movie on instagram but imma say it here

As much as i love and breath teen wolf, its not the perfect show which is fine bc recognizing that is what makes its good. The thing is the movie? Godawful. The one thing i can appreciate is that the movie had an opening and the graohic design was cool

My problems with it?

-the plotline being abt allison. I think alisson (is it allison or alisson?) Is a fine character especially in s3, however, you killed her off. That whole s3 ending was abt her dying and isaac leaves BECAUSE of allison dying. Now ur gonna reopen that plotline that was TIED OFF? Ur not even gonna get stiles or isaac back into play even tho theyre arguably the most important for that season. And ur not gonna tell us how s6 ended??? Even with a flashforward of 2 years??

-the fbombs. Im sorry, what? U make a show that doesnt use f bombs at all and u make it creepy and horror but when u make the movie thats r rated meaning u can go even harder... u use it on fbombs? Might i add in the worst way possible. "Darkness motherfucker" wow. It just sounds so cringey. Either use it once meaningfully or dont drop one at all. U managed to make s3 be creepy without it do it again

-why the absolute fuck was liam in japan. By the hour and a half mark that question wasnt explained and it never was. Him and this girl hikari (whos gr8 actually) are just in japan and i guess own a bar??? I dont even know what they are to eachother let alone how they ended up there. I only knew that they love eachother bc they say that in jpn but like still??? Is it a sibling ily or a were dating and ily?

-the actors. Im sorry but if ur gonna get all these actors like masons and parrish and malia and whoever but u give them like what one line? Mason had legit like 2 lines in that movie. And u dont even know how he beacme a police officer! He just is! And they dont even say anything abt corey??? U could easily get his actor i know he aint doin anything rn. Liam and hikari? Also have like 3 lines in the movie

-personal thing lol but not everyone looks good with a beard and a shaved head

-lydia and stiles. Just bc u coudnt get dylan obrien cuz hes like the most succesful does NOT mean u just break up the couple that u built for six. seasons. You couldve said literally anything you couldve said stiles was dealing with some fbi shit or another supernatural disaster. Lydia having the dream? Tragic but stiles wouldnt have cared bc he loves her and wouldve just wanted to be with her forever.

-how can u not tell us who elis mother is. We ALLLL wanna know who derek banged im sorry but he slept with the enemy like three times and with his history and family history everyone just wants to know who it was.

-dereks death. WHAT THE FUCK this man survived a *pipe* going thru his back for like 10 minutes and survived, got brutally slashed and survived and ur telling me he died by magical fire. Sure teen wolf sure.

-if ur gonna introduce a character like alec in the season finale, bring him into play somehow recast him idc but do smt. Even nolan! Someone !

-what was with the whole nogitsune temple thing?? It was so... not scary at all and it looked bad. Like idk it was just so kiddy. Like oh noooo we re trapped bc we re tied to a pole with rope -_-

-sorry but again why continue a plotline that has been tied off? And not continue with the one that was open ended when u cant even get the significant actors for the s3 plotline? Bring daniel sharman into play, medicis over he has the freetime.

-malia and scott breaking up is also stupid bc again they were "endgame" and they had no reason to break up other than the fact that allison was alive again and for plot reasons.

-harrison coming back was so stupid i was so glad they killed him off even tho i guess they never found his body. I was hoping

-are argent and melissa not dating anymore? Its been like 3 months since ive seen the movie so i dont rememeber that but if they arent, why are the writers/producers, whoever, so desperate to break up everything great they had goin at the end of the show.

The interesting parts of the movie were

-the intro

-elis backstory with his dad, except why would u hate derek its literally tyler hoechlin

-and scott having an animal clinic bc i think thats funny

[amatchinwater]

So, hey. 👀 I have a prompt. 👀 Actually, I have two, and I hope it's okay I'll send them in one 🥰

"“i’ll kiss you right now to prove i don’t feel anything for you” but the kiss proves the exact opposite"" for Stisaac

"i’m watching you date all these other people and i don't know what it is i'm feeling but it's definitely not jealousy" for Steo (preferably with jealous Theo because I love jealous Theo 😍 But you don't have to. I'm gonna love it either way. 🥰 )

Gods, I don't even want to think about how old this ask is 🤦‍♀️ but I finally got the second one done!! Thank you, babes 💚💚

Pairing: Steo

Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Theo Raeken Mason Hewitt, Tracy Stewart, Corey Bryant, unnamed OG male character,

Warnings: drinking, rejection, mentions of past Sterek, Stiles thinks he can drink and fuck the breakup pain away, irritated Theo, jealous Theo

Words: 3033

Prompt: jealousy prompt in ask, thanks again, Laura 💚

Ao3 link Masterlist

---

Do you know what it feels like to have happiness? True happiness. Only to have it yanked away from you with no hope of stopping it?

Stiles does.

Twice in his life, aside from his mother’s death, has it happened. Once in the form of his childhood best friend and schoolyard crush Theo moving away shortly after a death in both of their families. Right when they probably needed each other the most. The second, and arguably the worst, was Derek Hale breaking up with him and also leaving town…and the country. 

At least Theo kept in touch, Derek cut him off cold turkey. 

It hurt like a mother fucker.

Even now with a healthy pack and a good life, six months later, Stiles still doesn’t feel quite whole. Like the wound is still fresh without an ounce of scar tissue in sight. 

“Are you coming tonight?” Tracy asks, flopping on the couch next to him and setting her feet in his lap. “Or are you finally staying home?” 

He doesn’t miss the suggestion in the kanima’s tone. That Stiles should stay home tonight. But the fox won’t. A fact they’re both more than aware of. 

Stiles will go to the club like every other time. Searching for someone with a hero complex insisting they can help him forget his ex. They mostly do. For the duration they’re in the fox’s bed at least. The moment the post-coital haze clears, Stiles is missing Derek all over again. Feeling guilty for what he’s done for the hundredth time. 

Because that’s the thing about rebounding with a bunch of strangers that no one tells you about. You’re still the same broken shell of a person afterwards. Nothing changes just because you had an orgasm. You’re still hurt. 

“Of course he’s going,” Theo huffs, all but stomping off the last step.

And he’s right. Even though Stiles knows it won’t make him feel better, he can’t stop.

“When are we leaving?” The fox asks, making Theo scoff. “What’s your problem?” He asks, rolling his eyes towards his Alpha.

“Nothing at all,” Theo mumbles in annoyance from the kitchen. “I’m staying home tonight, let me know when you guys are heading back,” the Alpha stalks back upstairs without another word.

Right. Okay, Stiles should probably back up a bit. He mentioned having a healthy pack now. With Derek gone, it’s obviously not the Hales. But Scott isn’t his Alpha either. When Theo came back to Beacon Hills at the beginning of their senior year, he and Stiles reconnected as if he’d never left. He was an Alpha and quickly built a pack of stray supernatural creatures both Scott and Stiles didn’t even know existed. 

Well, they knew about kanimas. But not raijus or that were-jaguars were a thing. Or that there were creatures that could turn invisible! Nor that kids they went to school with were supernatural and right under their noses. Granted, Stiles was a human at the time and literally never would’ve known. 

What bothered Scott the most is hard to say. Unclear to which straw finally broke the camel’s back. It’s always possible that it was just a culmination of everything that got to the True Alpha. In part, it definitely had to do with the fact that Theo wouldn’t relinquish his title as Alpha because Scott asked him to. And he shouldn’t have either, in Stiles’ opinion. The coyote got his power fair and square by his Alpha passing it on. 

Then it boiled down to how close he and Theo became.

They were best friends before Stiles even met Scott. Even over the years when they stayed in touch, there never felt like distance between them. There’s nothing that Theo doesn’t know about. No secrets. 

At first it started with Stiles already having plans with the coyote. But eventually it progressed to Stiles forgetting about pack nights because he was with Theo. And then the Alpha asked if he’d think about joining his pack since he sees Scott so little and seems happier with Theo.

Saying yes had never been so easy. 

He even accepted the bite.

Because Theo was absolutely right. After Allison, there was always an uncomfortable air around Scott and Stiles. On the surface, the fox was happier.

Not happy. But happier.

So off to Sinema he goes. Pack in tow save for their Alpha.

“What are the chances I can get you to be my wingman tonight?” Josh asks, looping an arm around the fox’s shoulder. “I need some of that luck you always seem to possess.”

Any other night, Stiles probably would’ve said yes. But for some reason Derek is at the forefront of his mind tonight. And there’s something clearly pissing Theo off. So for the sake of not thinking about either Alpha, the fox knocks back his fourth- fifth?- wolfsbane infused drink courtesy of Hayden.

Throwing a wink at the raiju, Stiles says, “watch and learn young padawan.” He can’t focus on fully helping Josh right now. But if he pays attention, it could work out for him.

It did with Corey and Mason.

Grated, Mason was so far gone on Corey, he didn’t really need to do much to get the human. 

Feeling that last cocktail settle in his blood, Stiles makes his way towards the dancefloor. It wasn’t until after Derek that the fox realized just how much he likes dancing. Or the fact that once he loosens up, Stiles is actually pretty good at it too. Moving through the sea of gyrating bodies, he finds himself a nice little space off the center.

That’s his trick. He’s close enough to the outside that someone sitting down can see him. But he’s also enough in the crowd that people on the dancefloor have eyes on him too. The more visible you are, the more chance you have of taking someone home. 

It takes no time at all for someone’s hands to find his waist. Stiles doesn’t even bother to push people away anymore. Company is his goal after all. So when the person pulls him close, grinding the fox against him, Stiles lifts his hands up, curling his fingers into their short strands. 

When the song changes, the body behind him makes no effort to move. So Stiles takes the initiative to turn around, see who’s interested. He’s surprised to find someone who looks like they could be Derek’s body double. It’s almost scary. But it deals the deal for the fox. Determination setting in to take this guy home. Maybe one last hook up, this time with Derek Lite, will be just what Stiles needs.

“Hey, handsome,” the fox lightly slurs over the music, “what are the chances I can get you to go home with me?”

Blunt and to the point.

Works every time.

The hands fall from his waist, the stranger’s face softening. “I’m sorry,” he leans in, not knowing that Stiles can hear him perfectly. “I was just looking for someone to dance with and you’re really good. You’re not my type, sorry.”

“Right. ‘Course, have a good night,” Stiles says, biting his remark away. The ‘you rub your boner on me but I’m not your type, huh?’ stings the back of his throat. The fox leaves the dance floor, making a beeline for the exit. 

That always works.

It didn’t work on Derek either.

Okay, that’s just fucking rude. The voice in his head has no right to say shit like that. Derek wasn’t some guy in a club. He was a good Alpha and brother who left town to protect his sister.

That doesn’t help it sting any less that an essential carbon copy of the Alpha rejected him.

The fresh air hits his face and all of the alcohol Stiles consumed makes itself known He’s not going to throw up, but he feels how much he had to drink. The fox doesn’t stop moving until he gets to the alley on the side of the club. Crouching down, Stiles puts his head in his hands.

He should be over this by now. Why the fuck does it still hurt so much? The fox’s eyes sting with tears. Drunk or not, he’s not going to fucking cry.

He won’t.

A hand rests on the fox’s shoulder, Josh’s scent filling his nostrils. It’s a comfort like no other. Stiles doesn’t know what he’d do without the raiju. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“He broke me,” Stiles snaps, looking up at his best friend with blurry eyes. “I’m broken, Josh,” the fox sobs, tears spilling down his cheeks. He said he wasn’t going to cry, dammit. But here he is, one simple question from the raiju- one he could’ve said no to- and Stiles’ drunken brain releases the floodgates. 

He feels pathetic.

“But you’re not,” Josh speaks softly.

“Yes, I am!” Stiles sniffles, angrily wiping his face dry. “I’m not his type,” the fox scoffs, “Derek left me.”

“Okay, well fuck both of them. They’re idiots if they can’t see how great you are.” Josh looks at him earnestly, “but I also don’t think sleeping with a bunch of nameless faces is going to make you feel better. Kinda seems like it’s been doing the opposite.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look,” the raiju sighs, “I’m not trying to piss you off or control you. I’m just trying to help you. It’s kind of my job.”

Josh is right. Stiles knows that. But how else is he supposed to get by? Who else is going to want someone as damaged as him?

“How about instead of hooking up with everyone you can,” Tracy rounds the corner of the building, “you take a look at what’s right in front of you.”

Stiles, rather drunk and confused, looks at his best friend who is indeed in front of him. 

“You mean Josh?” Don’t get him wrong, his best friend is rather easy on the eyes. But that’d be like dating his brother. No, thank you.

The raiju laughs.

“Oh my god,” Tracy groans, scrubbing her face in aggravation. “You are not that dumb or blind,” the kanima scoffs. Stiles gives her a blank stare and shrugs. “For the love of- Theo! He’s in love with you, you idiot!”

Stiles’ heart stops.

“Bullshit,” he snorts. “Theo doesn’t even look at me like that.” If he did, Stiles would’ve tried something with his childhood crush a long time ago. Theo’s hot and nice and actually cares about him. He gently hits Josh’s arm, “tell her to stop fucking with me.”

Josh pulls a face, lifting a shoulder, “she’s not.”

Stiles’ heart stops again.

Then he laughs. A full on giggle fit that doesn’t stop even when they get him in the car. Laughs as he explains his behavior to Mason and Corey. But when they pull into the driveway and they give him the same look Josh had, Stiles sobers up real quick.

They’re home.

And Theo’s inside.

Theo.

Who doesn’t like, but loves him. 

What’s breathing? Stiles has forgotten how to do it, but he’s pretty sure it’s something that’s supposed to be automatic, not a conscious choice of inhaling and exhaling.

“Uh, hey guys,” Mason’s voice echoes beside him in the back seat, poking his shoulder.

“What?” Josh asks, putting the car in park.

Tracy actually turns around, “oh shit.”

“What?” The raiju repeats, looking behind him, “shit. Stiles?”

The fox is frozen, staring at the house. Full of alcohol and nervous energy. “He’s going to think I’m a whore,” Stiles mutters, his brain running a stomach churning montage of all of the people he’s slept with. 

All the while Theo knew about and said nothing in the way of disapproval. Unless you count his attitude. 

Gods, Stiles feels like such an idiot.

The kanima cackles. Actually cackles, “oh, honey. If anything Theo is just jealous and upset you’ve never let him grace your bed.”

“Why do you think he was so upset tonight?” Mason asks, rubbing the back of the fox’s neck. Even as a human he understands how to calm them down.

That would explain the Alpha’s attitude, sure. But still, “Why did he never say anything?”

Everyone in the car gives him a shrug.

“Guess you’ll have to ask him yourself,” Corey says, leaning over Mason and Stiles to open the car door.

“What?” The fox looks back and forth and before he knows it, the couple shoves him out of the car. If not for his supernatural reflexes, Stiles would’ve eaten the concrete.

“We’ll see you in the morning,” Josh yells through Tracy’s open window.

What?

The car door slams closed, tires squealing in its haste to get out of the driveway before the fox can react.

“Dicks,” Stiles mumbles, turning and facing the house. 

His body really wants to go into flight mode. Guess it’s time to put his big boy pants on. His heart picks up, fingers shaking trying to use the key to unlock the front door, one thought nagging him.

Has he been hurting Theo this whole time?

“Dammit,” he squeezes his eyes closed, pushing open the door. The only sound inside the house is his Alpha’s heartbeat. Too quick to be sleeping. A page turns. “Theo,” Stiles calls out, closing and relocking the front door.

Please don’t ignore him.

Please.

There’s a pause followed by a sigh, “In my room.” 

His heart is thundering in his chest. Yes, the revelation from the pack sobered him up, but the fox isn’t sober. There’s still a buzz in his head and a slight wobble to his legs. Stiles very carefully walks up the stairs to the Alpha’s room. The one right next to his. At least their walls are soundproof, so unless a door is open, you can’t hear shit. 

Meaning Theo never had to hear Stiles with the people he brought home. 

The smallest of consolations because Theo still knew they were there.

When Stiles makes it to the Alpha’s room, Theo is propped against his headboard reading Catching Fire. No shirt on and gray joggers. He is a sight to see. Why the hell did Stiles never even flirt with the guy? He’s more than aware of how hot Theo is. Maybe the fox just didn’t want to ruin their friendship. Or step over any pack bounds. 

Excuses, honestly.

“Hey,” Stiles says a breath above a whisper. His tipsy brain says the best course of action is why not try for some flirtatious humor to break the tension? “You waitin’ up for me, handsome?” The fox leans against the doorframe with a grin.

“No one warming your bed tonight?” Theo asks in a sour tone. Not even bothering to look up from his book, simply turning the page. 

Alcohol takes control of Stiles’ tongue, “I was hoping you would.” 

It’s unmistakable. The rush of arousal coming off the coyote. His fingers twitch against his book. “So they told you.” But Theo still doesn’t look up.

“They might have informed me that I’m a moron,” Stiles says, stepping over the threshold. “That I had someone much better right here the whole time.”

That gets Theo’s attention. He looks up from his book, eyes flickering red for the smallest of seconds.

He’s getting to Theo.

“I don’t want your pity,” the Alpha closes his book. “You’re only here because it’s convenient. A fall back because no one came home with you.” Theo’s voice is full of something Stiles can’t quite place. Anger? Sadness? His words hurt just the way that Theo must hurt when he says, “You don’t actually want me.”

The fox snorts, filter nonexistent, “Are you jealous that people come home with me?”

Theo tosses his book on the nightstand, getting up from his bed. The fox is ready to drool. All he needs is to get his hands on the coyote. But Theo stays just a step away, “I’m watching you fuck all of these other people and I don’t know what it is I’m feeling,” Theo’s heart skips. “But it’s not jealousy.”

“Liar,” Stiles says confidently. Never once feeling so bold and so fucking nervous at the same time.

The Alpha scoffs, giving him a tongue in cheek smile. When their eyes meet, Theo crosses his arms to his chest, stepping closer, “I’m not lying, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart.

Stiles’ mouth dries out. Throat clicking when he swallows. Does the Alpha realize how he looks and sounds? He is growing determined to get Theo to crack. He’s putting on a face so that Stiles won’t know he’s getting to him.

As if he can’t smell it.

Unless Theo’s trying to be done.

The fox gets an idea. He nearly purrs at the thought. If Theo wants to drop it, he’ll let him. But if he doesn’t…

“Okay,” Stiles quips, “if that’s what you really want. For the record, it’s not pity, I’d never have stepped foot in the club in the first place had I known you had feelings for me too. But I guess I’ll just leave you be then” He turns to leave, ready to walk away if that’s really what the coyote wants. 

No matter how much it might hurt.

Theo’s hand curls around his wrist. “Don’t you dare walk away from me,” the Alpha growls, words charged and breath thick. “I can’t-” Theo takes a controlled breath, sounding small and vulnerable, “I can’t watch you walk away again.”

“Then don’t,” Stiles whispers, unable to properly breathe either. “I’m yours…if you want that,” that fox turns around meeting rubies. 

“Not just for the night, sweetheart,” Theo sounds like he’s begging, yanking the fox close. His arm wraps around the small of Stiles’ back, keeping him there.

Stiles gulps, imagining this very situation since he was a kid, “However long you want me.”

“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep,” Theo tells him, eyes still glowing red, fingers twitching against his back. 

“Try me,” Stiles retorts, kissing Theo’s response away. 

The Alpha doesn’t pull back other than to drag Stiles to his bed. 

Needless to say, Stiles doesn’t return to Sinema again unless it’s with Theo on his arm. Nor does he sleep in his own room anymore. Theo’s room became theirs. 

[writing-good-vibes]

Hiii, so, for the Valentine's Day drabbles! Could you pretty please write the number 8 (Teddy Bear) from the fluffy prompts with Corey x Reader? That would be amazing! And it can be whatever you come up with, I'll be happy either way. Thank you so much for doing this and take all the time you need; even if it's past V-Day! You always come first, please remember that. Take care! <3 <3 <3

ahhh thank you for requesting !! 🥰 and for being sooo sweet, i really appreciate it !! happy valentine's day 💗 i hope you enjoy reading, because i really, really enjoyed writing this one !! no WARNINGS, only post accident!corey x gn!reader and fluff 💗

🧸 very cute divider by @/plutism 🧸

taglist: @slutforstabbings @ethanhoewke @voxmortuus (just let me know if you want to be added or removed !!)

Three whole years. That's how long you and Corey had been together. Three years but every time he held your hand in his you felt those sparks , every hug made you melt into the soft, safe, serene embrace of his big arms, and every kiss, tender and tentative, felt just like the first.

You remembered the first Valentine's day you and Corey had spent together. In the weeks leading up to it, you'd catch Corey looking at the Valentine's display; candy in heart-shaped boxes, bouquets of somehow permanently wilting roses, teddy bears with plush hearts clutched in their paws proclaiming I love you!

He'd blush if he caught you watching him, and would hurry up to the counter to let you ring up his pre-dinner snacks. He was cute. Opening the M&M's, he offers the bag to you, pouring you a handful to eat while you waited for your shift to end.

When the day finally arrived, you exchanged cards, half excited and half embarrassed. You went on break and sat outside on the curb with Corey, fingers intertwined and sharing one of the novelty heart-shaped lollipops you'd pilfered from the display. Smiling, you licked over the same spot Corey just had.

The next year, Corey had to work in the morning but clocked out at lunch, and you caught the Valentine's matinee at the movies.

He still smelt vaguely of car grease, you can see the spots of it that will never fully wash out of his henley, but when he holds your hand his fingers are scrubbed spotlessly pink.

It was quiet in the theatre, exactly what you expected for a weekday afternoon and perfect for Corey who hating being perceived in public, and the two of you sat at the back of the theatre sharing a bucket of popcorn and a bag of Hershey's Kisses as the dust motes, caught in the light of the projector, float around you.

Watching Corey is just as good as watching any movie. You can see the way his eyes track the movement of screen, that way you can tell exactly when he'll reach for more popcorn, and how he bites his lip in concentration.

Joy paints your cheeks as your lips meet Corey's in the dim darkness.

This year though, even though you were expecting another beautifully laidback date, Corey told you that he'd begged his step-dad to let him have the whole day off work this year, without telling his Momma, and that he had made plans for you guys.

Plans?

"We don't have to do anything big," you assured him, ringing up today's selection of treats; chocolate milk, a slim jim and some skittles. "I just like spending time with you."

"I know," he promised. "All I ever want is to spend time with you, but I want to treat you too." He rips open the skittles and pours some out into your hand.

On Valentine's morning, you open your door and find yourself face to face with the fluffiest brown fur. Corey stands with a teddy bear in his hands, and in the teddy's hands a velvety red heart proclaims, "I love you!"

You didn't recognise it as one you sold at the gas station, although it was similar. Had he gone somewhere else to buy it for you? The thought gets to you more than you might expect, thinking about Corey wandering the aisles of the Walmart, or the Dollar General, or even venturing to the mall in the next town over. Corey hated going anywhere.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Corey says, handing you the teddy.

"Oh, Corey! He's so cute! Happy Valentine's Day," you pull him into a hug before you can even take the bear from him.

Corey throws one strong arm around you, you can feel his broad hand half-cover the expanse of your back through your shirt. Warm and safe.

When you part, you look down at the teddy again. Holding it beneath its armpits, you bring it to your face, nuzzling the chestnut-brown fur of its face. "Does he have a name?" you ask.

"He's for you, I think you're supposed to pick his name." Corey hasn't stopped blushing, even when you take his big hand in yours and lead him into your apartment. He settles on your couch, ready to wait while you finish getting ready.

"Hmm," you consider your options. The bear looks straight out of a story book with wide glass eyes and a felt snout, his fur really is chestnut-brown and swirls into little rosebud curls. "His name is Corey."

Boy-Corey's eyes are as wide and bright as Bear-Corey's when you look at him. "Are you sure? You don't have to --."

Corey's arms circle your waist when you sit in his lap, his legs spreading just slightly to cradle your weight, "You're the only person I want to cuddle, now I have something almost as cuddly as the real thing for when you're not here." Bear-Corey is nestled between the two of you, as if to prove your point.

One corner of Corey's lips quirk upwards, then the other, as a grin splits his face. Pleased, proud, he squeezes you tight, hiding his smile against your chest. You indulge him, petting at his hair and over his broad shoulders while he breaths you in, humming happily.

God, how badly you want to hold Corey like this forever, where you know he's safe, and loved, and you don't have to think about anything but the pinkness of his cheeks and the softness of his lips.

"So," you finally say, softly, reluctant to disturb this most perfect moment, but mindful of Corey having mentioned plans. "What romance awaits us for the rest of the day?"

on the topic of fluffy romance, you should also read:

first of many by blake (@/slutforstabbings). a little bit angsty, but watch corey and reader be obliviously in love.

amusement park date by toxic (@/toxicanonymity). toxic is a woman of many talents; she can write fluff just as well as she writes smut.