#tinker's curse
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> this is a blog for CDD systems
> pro endos DNI
so. is that a blog for CDD systems or for anti endo CDD systems. is that a blog for CDD systems or for CDD systems that agree with you. your blog is not for CDD systems if it's not for all CDD systems, and syscourse has to stay out of it altogether
stop lumping CDDs and syscourse together all the fucking time. I'm tired. aren't you tired?
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I blocked someone on one of my posts' reblogs because their username made me uncomfortable and I didn't want to see it and boyyyyy do I feel better!
No joke you guys NEED to get more comfortable blocking people. No more insulting people in public over different blorbo opinions no more making 2k long posts on how whatever ship you don't like shouldn't exist we've grown past that shit. Consistent posts about shit that make you uncomfortable? Block. Rancid blorbo opinions? Block. Is mildly annoying in your replies? Block. Pisses you off for reasons so petty you could never admit it publicly? Block. YOUR mental health will improve from not being upset 24/7, THEIR mental health will not be at risk of you lashing out because you happened to catch their posts on a bad day, and EVERYONE ELSE will benefit from not seeing the most embarrassing arguments known to man on their dash. "Oooh but they didn't deserve it-" dude you're presumably running a personal blog as a hobby not a public service. Who fucking cares.
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okay one more Ts!Esther wips before bed
#work in progress#look at him...#he so pret....#still tinkering with the curse design for him#it also takes a bit of inspo from his og powers in om hehe#so that'll be fun#touchstarved mc#icedoesart#àčàŁ ââ esther posting
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hmmmhhhmmmm not to steal mhin's thing but mayhaps kaiho contracted the curse while his family was trying to evacuate their fogfalled home... he gets his from fogfall, hellebore's is his patron's gift and gold.... hmmm
#which makes kaiho feeling guilty over his bio parents' death even more ridiculous. why you the bus driver all of a sudden#gold's curse isn't canon compliant anyways. it could be experimentation... or congenital...#in the draft of his childhood he was abandoned by his parents once they saw what the curse did#maybe one of the parents bore the curse.... I DONT KNOOOEERE#his master could've also not just tinkered with it but just given him the curse? im not too sure what the motivation there would be though
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Modern Inheritance: Bad Reaction (Eldest Supershort)
(A/N: I have had this in my head for a while, but Arya showing Iz her scars and revealing the curse Durza left finally gave me a bit of a push for this. Again, Arya and Glen are Platonic Soulmates, Fyrn Breol, and have fought together for 50-60 years, a majority of those without FĂ€olin. And they just learned like two to three weeks ago that their best friend is alive, only for them both to start going through massive trauma recovery 'it gets way worse before it gets better' type deals. For even further context, Arya is very, very out of it here and just knows that Glen seems to be hurt and is singleminded on fixing that.)
{Glen and Arya tried to test the curse Durza left in her scars. Just a little nick with a scalpel over one of them, just enough to draw blood, and Glen would heal the cut to test if the curse allowed full healing of new wounds over the old.
It didn't...she had warned him that it would be bad, but...for a moment, he lost her again and he didn't know....}
~~~~
BAD REACTION (SHORT)
Arya had seen Glenwing cry before. She had seen him cry at funerals, when he saw newly hatched little birds, when he was angry and sad all at once. Sheâd seen him ugly cry about the good things and the bad, little hiccups escaping him while he laughed at his outburst of emotion or as he tried to hide the tears streaming down his face as he packed up bloodied medical instruments beside the body of a fallen innocent.Â
So she couldnât pinpoint why hearing him crying, body damn near convulsing with the strength of his ragged, gasped sobs, felt so different this time. Maybe it was because she had never heard him cry like this, nothing so pained, so visceral. It sounded like it was being dragged out from his very core, the deepest parts of himself.Â
Arya blinked and tried to raise a hand to touch her cheek. They were wet. His tears had fallen on her face, slid down her cheek and splashed on her forehead. For some reason her movement had Glenwing redoubling his sobs, and it was only when he tightened his grip did Arya realize the man was holding her cradled against his chest, arms wrapped tight around her body, the left one unyielding in places where there should have been some softness yet still so warm.Â
Her throat hurt. So instead of speaking she reached out to him and managed to brush fingertips on his neck, unable to raise her hand any higher. Fuck, she felt so, ridiculously weak, weak and sore and like there were thunderclouds arguing in her skull.Â
But Glen was crying. Glen was crying and he could be hurt so he had to come first, he was hurting and hurting bad, so she could wait. Fyrn Breol takes care of each other. Pick up the pieces, bring each other back. And Glen was crying and whatever had her muscles aching and body encased in lightning, that could wait until GlenâŠuntil Glen was okay because fuck, he was all she had left, and she couldnât let him get hurtâ
âSpirits, I thought I killed you!â If it were even possible, Glen held his friend closer and buried his face into her neck, his words nearly lost to the choked sounds of his tears. He rocked them both back and forth, trying to find some way to breathe. He knew he had to calm down but it had been soâŠso much worse than he thought, and it had lasted longer even when he had ripped away from the magicâ
Head snapping back, a ragged, unimaginable sound of agony, of a soul torn to shreds in an instant. The force of the scream or the body remembering, he didnât know but blood had already filled her mouth before she convulsed to the ground. Tearing away from the magic felt as though it took eons but in reality it was only three seconds of healing, of attempted healing, crimson still trickling from the tiny cut they had made to test it. The seizures didnât stop when the link was broken, a handful more seconds until she stilled and her eyes were still openâ
âAri, your heart stopped.â Glen forced it out with a ragged gasp, and, unable to stop himself, his sobbing began anew, curling around her as if to try and protect her from his own memories. âI thought I killed you, I killed you, I didnât know if I could get you back, and IâI thoughtââ
A hand settled on the back of his neck.Â
âGot me back, though.â Oh, her voice. It was rough and barely above a croak, but he could hear the gentle smile there. âYou didnât kill me, birdbrain.â Arya rested her cheek on the top of his head. âHe did. A couple times. But heyâŠIâm here now. You brought me back.â
âI thought I killed you.â
âI know.âÂ
âI thought I killed you!"
âShades canâŠcan eat a bag of the fattest of dicks.â
When he pulled back and saw her cracked, wild smile, tired and sore and teeth stained with blood but very, very much alive and very much still the Arya he knewâŠ
Glenwing broke out in a tearstained laugh and pressed his forehead to hers. âDonâtâŠdonât do that to me again!âÂ
âYeah, IâdâŠlike to avoid that too.â
#modern inheritance#inheritance cycle#eragon#the cyclists#the world of eragon#the inheritance cycle#ket's modern inheritance cycle#modern inheritance stories#mic short#mic shorts#glen#glenwing#arya drottningu#arya#trauma twins#glen needs a hug#they BOTH need a hug that memory of the curse triggering is gonna hit like a fucking freight train#they both take a nap though so they're fine#and then try again after doing more research and spell tinkering#glen starts making arya do all this with him at Rhunon's so he has extra help#rhunon is 'not pleased' but 'if it gets you to shut up'#yes rhunon is tsundre but not romantically she just is emotionally stunted old lady lmao#ANYWAY#not beta read we die like arya but come back again when someone chest thumps us#soooo many arrhythmias
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host really went "guy from my books and guy from my games will deal with it", refused to elaborate, and left
being an introject is so stupid sometimes. host is going through shit ass fucking time and the brain goes "ok ^_^ guy from my shows will deal with this" and youre guy from his shows. and now you have to deal with it
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I believe I have drawn ivanni (somewhere in the nightmare recesses of my fucking ipad)... but I really have had some time to think on her, not bc I didn't have any just because I wanted her to have her own thing happening!
#We love a gal who works witn a LOT of odd folks and fixes them up potions that cure hexes curses and gives boons alike#witch/alchemist momence#she lovesess tinkering with stuff and she works with another not introduced xahara names Saitou!!#they bring her herbs.. hard to get materials and in exchange gives spare parts and wood.. supplies for the clan#Saitou is like hwr big gaurd dog at times.. <> me thinks..#Ivanni unfortunately has to keep her nose down in her village since a belief happens to be v popular and uh... the head#of the village is a piece of shit and literally saw someon eget ((sacrificed)) airquote
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#cursed not to get the prophet of fire pants with the tinkering chimesmith hair#image post#meme#sky cotl#sky cotl meme#sky cotl oc#oc#ocs#the dragon#dragon man#days of style
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controversial take maybe but. seeing all those "endos are delusional" makes me wonder... why does it matter? what is the difference between a delusion of being plural, and "actually being plural", whatever that means?
delusions are reality for the person experiencing them. my delusions to me are as real as my alters are. it's like saying someone experiencing somatic pain isn't in actual pain, therefore their pain is fake until they can provide a complete list of sources that prove somatic pain exists.
if you believe endos are traumagenics in denial, insisting they're actually just psychotic is a real fucking weird way of going "I don't think psychotics deserve autonomy and I don't think they are capable of knowing what they're actually going through"
if you believe endos are fake, I don't know what to tell you man. lots of people think you are fake too, lots of people think I am fake. it's quite literally your word against theirs. and until you are their psychotherapist you have no credit going around telling them they're fake. no not even a psychotherapist is enough, if they're not your patient, you have as much credit as I do
I don't know. maybe calling everyone you don't like delusional as a way to discredit what they're going through, belittle them and their reality, and shame them into shutting up, is not the fight for acceptance you'd want to be having.
#i'd rather include a million people who turn out to be faking on purpose#than exclude one who might need the inclusion and resources and community#syscourse#pro endo#tinker's curse#đ©¶
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Battle of the Ships
Round 1 Part 4 Poll 8


#battle of the ships#tournament polls#round 1#tinker tub#tinkerslug#shantae#kirby submarine#kirby and the rainbow curse
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@dog-with-anxiety i made it :D
#rosie babbles#minecraft#mc#cursed#curséd#i downloaded OBS for this lmao. still need ot tinker w/it some i think tho#*need TO tinker#think it fits the Vibe? i hope so akdhaksbajahaba
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bad wording by my part, I apologise!
I'll try to reword what I mean: "medical" as in, needs to be treated and is disordered, which I see it's not the same as what I was saying before, I acknowledge "medical"on its own doesn't mean anything đ
I've seen the most used definition of sysmed as "someone who believes all plurality is disordered and a symptom of a disorder, something which can't exist outside of a disorder", which would make it akin to how transmeds view transness as a symptom of a disorder, something that can't exist outside of that disorder
I wouldn't know if the comparison is actually useful, but I can see where it comes from
Wow! It is almost like if TRANSGENDER systems compared their experiences with sysmeds to transmeds because it is practically the same! Yeah, you, sysmeds, are like transmeds. (The body is trans, by the way.).
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đ April Reading Round-Up đ
April was a good reading month; while there were a lot of books I was still reading, I was able to finish a few good ones. I continued a few series (the Tinkered Starsong series by Gail Carriger) and read a few books that had been on my TBR for a while.
- Witch King by Martha Wells (as good as I had hoped, beautiful, engaging, powerful, that ending! Bittersweet, lots of friendship and family)
- Demigod 12 by Gail Carriger (Very good, so emotional, loved it better than the first, Phex and his character growth!!!!)
- Delicious in Dungeon 1 by Ryoko Kui (Cute, loved Senshi, makes me want to start cooking more, looking forward to the next installments)
- Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber (Frothy, funny, heartfelt, loved the themes, unrealistic but in a good way)
- Cursed Cocktails by S.L. Rowland (Cute, fuzzy, heartwarming, low angst and tension, everyone being nice, queer happy ending!)
- The Bone Harp by Victoria Goddard (left me with mixed feelings; Beautiful and heartfelt and emotional, but marred by the background Tolkien (in a bad sense) of it all)
- Fullmetal Alchemist Fullmetal Edition Vol. 6 by Hiromu Arakawa (Very good, read it in one sitting, got very emotional at the end, some hilarious moments)
#mine#reading round-up#witch king#martha wells#demigod 12#tinkered starsong#dungeon meshi#delicious in dungeon#ouabh#stephanie garber#cursed cocktails#the bone harp#victoria goddard#fma#hiromu arakawa
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Summary: Joel was a bad man. Perverted, dirty-minded, and old. He couldnât keep you out of his thoughts no matter how hard he tried. You were the new neighbor across the way, though heâd made sure youâd never spoken. He kept his distance, kept to himself. Until Dina nearly dragged you into his dining area, forcing you to sit with him as he averted his gaze. And just like that, she got up and leftâleaving you to whatever quiet little plan she'd already set in motion. || smut MDNI 18+, peepaw!joel, oldman!joel, big ol' girthy age gap (not specified but LEGAL), soft!joel, the man's obsessed, perv!joel, daddy kink, pinv, f!receiving oral, masturbation, << joel watches you, joel mentions reader's body is 'little' but only because he's a big boy, big dick joel miller, idk what else to put here, this fic lives in a world where creampies â pregnancy, this takes place *before Ellie & Dina get together || a/n: couldn't stop thinking about this all damn night. Ok heâs actually an angel but THINKS heâs a bad man
Just focus on the wires, Miller. The wires.
But the zap bit into his fingers the second he looked, eyes drifting up just for a moment, out the window and onto you.
You were kneeling in the garden bed along the edge of the street by your house, wrist-deep in dark soil, the late-spring sunlight gilding your skin like something out of a goddamn dream. Your shirt had ridden up your back as you reached forward, and he caught the bare curve of your spine, the subtle arch of it with every shift of your hips.
He hissed quietly at the sting in his palm, jerking his hand back from the breaker.
He was supposed to be working. Minding his own business. In his own house. At his own dining table. Just tinkering. That was all.
Wasnât his fault the window faced the street. Wasnât his fault you were outside in cutoff shorts and a t-shirt, sleeves shoved up as you planted an unruly bramble of something in the dirt.
God bless late spring, he thought. Then immediately cursed himself for it, trying in vain to look away. But you stretched your arms over your head, back arching. Your shirt lifted with the motion, a sliver of skin flashing above your waistband before falling back down.
He blinked, hard, and dropped his head.
The wires. Focus on the wires.
The breaker sat in his palm, cold and sharp-edged. He adjusted his glasses, pushing them up his nose, trying to reorient himself with the tangled mass of copper and springs he was meant to be working on. His pliers hovered over the rusted coil, but his mind had already betrayed him.
The air inside felt too still. Dust floated through shafts of sunlight that slanted across the kitchen floorboards. A breeze fluttered the thin curtain over the sink. Somewhere outside, a bird chirped. A dog barked. Life, irritatingly, continued.
Then he heard voices. Loud enough to pull him from his head. He looked up.
Dina was out there now, talking to you, animated as ever. You frowned at something she said, then shook your head. He didnât know why that made his chest ache, but it did.Â
He wanted to know what sheâd asked. Wanted to know what you needed. If you asked, heâd do it. Build it, fix it, find it. Heâd do it with no hesitation.
But asking meant talking. Talking meant being near. And Joel didnât allow himself that kind of luxury with you.
Because if you saw himâ really saw himâyouâd see right through the practiced nods and gravel-toned grunts. Youâd see the way his eyes trailed a second too long, the way his jaw clenched when you laughed at someone elseâs joke. Youâd catch the heat of it. The filth of it.
And youâd run.
He wouldnât blame you.
But God, he wasnât sure he could take it if you did.
And yet⊠if you hated him, at least youâd be thinking about him.
As he stared out the window, Dina suddenly gestured toward his house, thumb hooked over her shoulder. Then your eyes followed. You looked right at his place. And shrugged.
Shrugged.
He had to sit back for a second, stunned. What the hell did that mean? Were you talking about him? Dina was, clearly. But youâŠwere you indifferent? Unbothered? That hollow thud behind his ribs wasnât from a breaker.
He told himself he didnât care. He tried. But then she was dragging you to your feet.
No.
You resisted at first. Body language stiff, reluctant. But DinaâŠDina was not the kind of girl to take no for an answer. Joel knew it well, she was Ellieâs closest friend, after all. And now she was dragging you up his walkway.
âJoel?â Dina called out, knocking.
He scrambled to look busy, heart pounding, thoughts buzzing like flies.
âYeah,â he called, low and even. âCome in.â
The front door creaked open in the corner of his eye, the sound of footsteps soft and careful as they moved closer. And then your legs came into view. Long, bare, sun-warmed. He had to force himself not to look higher, not to follow the shape of you all the way up to that sweet little body wrapped in tiny shorts and a thin tee, practically begging to be devoured.
The wires, Miller.
âHey,â Dina said cheerfully.
âHowdy,â Joel replied, short and clipped.
âWhatâre you working on?â she asked, plopping into the chair beside him.
He kept his tone casual. âOld breaker. They were gonna toss it, but itâs just a spring issue.â
She leaned over the table, inspecting it. âTeach me?â
He grunted in what he hoped passed as agreement. Felt the chair next to her shift. Felt your hesitation fill every inch of the room.
There was a beat, some hushed whispers of Dina urging you again, but Joel still kept his eyes down.
Then the chair across from him scraped, and you sat. Tension spiked in his chest.
âJoel,â Dina said sweetly, âhave you met my new best friend?â
Joel lifted his head just enough to look at her. âThought Ellie was your best friend.â
âSheâs in the Hall of Fame. But this oneââ she beamed at you ââmakes the best apple pie in Jackson.â
âI know.â
Ah, shit. He hadnât meant to say that out loud.Â
You gasped. A soft little breath that made his stomach twist. He still didnât look at you, but now he could picture it perfectly. The way your lips parted. The way your eyebrows probably lifted.
He wasnât supposed to know.
Youâd left it for him on a rainy afternoon. Knocked once, maybe twice, then stood there for a minute like you were trying to decide if you should wait. But when he didnât answerâcouldnât answerâyou turned and walked away, your footsteps soft against the damp porch.
Heâd seen you enough around town, neighbors fawning over your story, your smile, your damn cooking. He didnât want any part of it. Didnât want to be another man pulled into your orbit just because you were sweet and sunny and made people feel something.
He told himself he wouldnât touch it. But later, when the sky had gone pink and the house was quiet, he peeled back the foil, took one bite, and almost dropped to his knees.
It was perfect.
The kind of taste that sent him spiraling back through decades. Holidays at his grandmotherâs house. His little hands and floured countertops and the sound of laughter he hadnât heard in years.
He tried to hate it. Hate you for making it.
But Joel Miller was a lot of things. Stubborn, angry, mean when he had to be.
He was not strong enough to hate you.
Not even close.
Dina leaned over the table, elbows planted, chin in hand. âSo listen,â she said, flicking a glance toward you before turning back to Joel. âEllie told me youâve been fixing up old stuff again. Thought maybe you could take a look at my space heaterâitâs making this really weird buzzing sound, and Iâm ninety percent sure itâs not supposed to smell like burnt popcorn.â
âWhat you need that thing for now? Sâwarm out now,â he grumbled over to her.
Dinaâs brow furrowed at him, âMy place is freezing!â
Joel rolled his eyes, grunting, eyes back on the breaker. âProbably just dust. I can swing by later.â
âSweet,â she said, clapping her hands once. âI told Ellie youâd say yes.â
You shifted in your seat, fingers fidgeting in your lap. Joel could see it in the corner of his eye, the way you didnât quite know where to look. Your gaze darted from the breaker to the worn tabletop to the window. You didnât want to be here.
Dina, ever the social architect, didnât miss a beat. âAnyway,â she said, standing suddenly and brushing her hands down her jeans, âIâm gonna run back and check on Ellie. Sheâs making me a cassette tape in the garage.
You looked up, surprised. âWait, I thought we were gonnaââ
She cut you off with a little wave of her fingers. âYouâre fine. Stay. Learn how to fix shit. Or donât. Flirt awkwardly. Whatever works.â
Joel finally looked up at that, shooting her a warning glare, but she just grinned and backed toward the door.
âThanks, Joel. Youâre the best,â she said sweetly. Then, turning her back to him, shot you a wink.
And just like that, she was gone.
The front door clicked shut behind her, and silence fell over the house again.
Thick as syrup.
You cleared your throat softly, the sound barely audible over the ticking wall clock and the quiet hum of the fan. Outside, the breeze rustled through the garden beds, and you could still hear the soft creak of Dinaâs boots fading down the porch.
Joel didnât move right away. Just let the silence stretch, long and taut, like a wire about to snap.
Then he finally exhaled, âShe can be a bitâŠâ
Your eyes lifted to his face, and he had to remind himself to hold your gaze. Donât be impolite. Donât be a scrooge. So he looked up a you.
âYeah,â you exhaled, lips quirking at the sides.
âDidnât have to stay,â he said, voice low as he looked back at his hands and quickly busying them, placing in a spring to the small breaker.
âI knowâŠâ you said, hesitating, and then, sitting straighter, you added, âActually, I was gonna ask youâŠthink somethinâs wrong with my water heater.â
His gaze snapped up.Â
Anything you needed.
Heâd do it.Â
Fix it, build it, find it.Â
âBeen a few days now,â you continued, rushing the words under his stare. âWaterâs cominâ out freezinâ, and the pressureâs been real weak. Can you come look at it for me?â
Joel paused, the breaker in his hand feeling like a hundred pounds.Â
Donât, Miller. He told himself. But his mind, his imagination, the unhelpful bastard that it was, already lept at the thought.
You, naked under a stream of frigid water. Shivering. Nipples tight from the cold. Your fingers rubbing at your arms, slick and bare and goose-pimpled. Hair heavy, dripping, clinging to your collarbones. That soft little sound you might make when the water hit.
He swallowed hard, fighting the flush rising under his collar. He couldnât have you suffering like that. No man in his right mind would leave you to freeze in your own house.
âYeah,â he said, voice catching. He cleared his throat, shifted in his seat. âYeah. Sure.â
âHowâs tomorrow?â
Joel nodded, quick and clipped. Like it wasnât a big deal. Like he wasnât already planning it out down to the damn hour. Heâd come by early. First thing. Get it done and gone before he did something stupid like linger.
But early meant sleepwear. Meant you might answer the door in those tiny shorts he pretended not to notice through his window.
Afternoon, then.
Thatâd be safer.
âJust, uh,â he said awkwardly, fingers twitching around the pliers. âMaybe donât be there when I show up.â
You blinked. âHuh?â
His eyes flicked up to yours, brief and sharp, âIn the shower.â
âOh,â you said quickly, âRight. Noâof course. Definitely not.â
But his ears burned. And no matter how hard he tried, the image came back anyway.
You. Cold. Naked. Wet.
He was so fucked.
Joel felt sick to his stomach just crossing the street.
Would you know?
Could you tell heâd spent the whole damn night lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, your tight little body haunting every inch of his imagination as he tugged at his fist beneath the covers?
He felt filthy. Perverted.
Bad.
He was a bad man, and worse, he knew it.
He probably didnât need that second cup of coffee that morningâhis limbs jittery, his hand aching as he lifted the old metal toolbox from the shed beside Ellieâs garage. His knees popped as he straightened, the ache behind his eyes a dull throb. He was too old for this.
Too old to be thinking about you like this til all hours of the night. Like some teenage, horned-up fool.
Still, he made his way over, the weight of the box not half as heavy as the tension in his chest. At his feet, the little garden bed was already bloomingâblackberry bushes nestled in the soil and climbing your freshly painted fence. They suited the house. Suited you. Sweet, wild, a little thorny. He wondered what you planned to do with them. Jam, maybe. Pie, if he was lucky. If he was ever lucky again.
He doubted heâd get the chance, not after today.
Not with the thoughts scrambling around in his head, sharp and dirty and desperate to spill out.
He knocked once with his knuckles, quiet, almost hoping you wouldnât hear.
Maybe you were outâoff at the community garden, like heâd seen you some mornings with a basket slung over your arm. Or off sweet-talking the horses, sneaking carrots to your favorites. Maybe you forgot.
But no such luck. The door opened.
âJoel,â you breathed, eyes widening like you hadnât expected him to actually show. The sound of your voiceâsaying his name for the first timeâripped something open in his chest.
Say it again, he wanted to beg. Please. Just once more, so I can keep it locked away. So I can die with it in my memory.Â
You smiled, a little sheepish.
He didnât smile back. Just kept his brow furrowed, his expression hard. He couldnât afford to let you get close. Couldnât let you mistake him for someone safe.
âHi,â he nodded, voice low.
You tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. âUh, my showerâs just⊠in hereââ
âNeed to take a look at the water heater first,â he cut in.
âOh,â you blinked, hands still gripping the door and its frame. âRightâŠâ
âCan I come in?â he added, one brow raised. A flicker of something like amusement in his voice. Maybe you were just as nervous as he was.
âCourse,â you said quickly, stepping aside. âPlease.â
He stepped inside.
Into your world.
It smelled like cinnamon. Like apples and woodsmoke and something fresh bakedâthough he saw no tray of anything waiting on the counter. Just your scent, clinging to the walls. Like you lived here completely. Like youâd settled in, made it your own.
Of course you had.
Fresh flowers sat in a mason jar on the table. Little framed paintings dotted the wallsâones he recognized from the barter-and-trade shop, and a few of horses that made his chest ache. One in particular, just a lone cowboy on a mountainside, was his personal favorite.
âThe uh⊠water heaterâs down in the basement,â you said, already walking toward the narrow door at the back of the kitchen.
Joel followed, but when you stayed behind, hovering uncertainly near the top of the stairs, he didnât protest. It was better that way. He needed to get himself under control.
He ducked into the dark, found the breaker box, and the old water heater behind it. It didnât take long to spot the issue.
The main switch was off.
Just⊠flipped off. No blown fuse. No leak. No damage.
He stared at it, confused. Then narrowed his eyes.
No.
No, no, no. That wasnât right.
Had someone messed with it? Played a prank? Messed with you?
But heâd never seen anyone else go in or out of this house. You lived alone. He was sure of it. Which left only one possibility.
His pulse thumped in his ears.
He flipped the switch. Waited for the hum. Then made his way back upstairs, each step landing heavy beneath his boots.
âYou should be all good now,â he said as he reemerged.
âYeah?â you asked, arms crossed loosely over your chest. âThat easy, huh?â
âThat easy,â he nodded.
Easy. To get him here. To get him to look. To fix it.
Fix it, build it, find it. He was your man. He wanted to be your man.
âWell,â you said, fidgeting, âyou sure you donât need to check it upstairs?â
Joel moved to the sink instead, turned the handle all the way to hot, and waited. Within seconds, steam curled up from the basin. He held his hand under it, felt the sharp bite of heat.
âGood to go,â he said, glancing at you. He wondered if he wouldâve noticed it before, but this time he was certain. You turned a little pink under his gaze, pulled your bottom lip between your teeth.
âOh,â you murmured. âGood.â
He nodded. âYup.â
But he didnât move. Didnât turn to leave.
He didnât want to.
Not now that he knew, by some cataclysmic star crossed miracle, youâd brought him here on purpose. That youâd wanted him here. But he wasnât sure what that meant. What he was supposed to do with it.
Still, you let him make his way to the door. Sweet as anything, practically shoving cookies into his hands as thanks.
He refused, hands up in surrender as he backed toward the entryway.
âReally,â he said, voice lighter now, accent thicker as he let his shoulders relax, âIâm fine, darlinâ, please. Justââ his hand found the doorknob, âJust let me know if thereâs anythinâ else you need. You just holler, alright?â
You smiled, soft and a little playful. âAlright. Well⊠thank you.â
But, somehow, your water heater broke again only a few days later.
Then the lights went out in your second bedroom.Â
And thenâ his last and final strikeâthe curtain rod came crashing down from your bedroom window on a Saturday morning.
Joel stood on a small foot ladder beside your bed, boots braced on the tread, hand wrapped around the curtain rod bracket as he tightened the last screw into the wall. The hardware clinked softly against the metal as he adjusted the fit. You sat on the edge of the bed behind him, legs swinging, talking about somethingâweather, or the community garden, or a dog youâd seen with a lopsided face. He wasnât really listening.
Not in a rude way. He just liked the sound of your voice more than whatever it was you were actually saying.
He hummed now and then, nodding at the right moments, letting you fill the space. It helped. Gave him something to focus on besides the fact that he was in your bedroom, that even your curtains smelled like you. That your nightstand had a little dish with jewelry in it and a book with a pressed flower between the pages. That your closet door was cracked just enough to show a glimpse of your laundry basket, and his brain, the traitorous thing, kept wondering what might be folded inside.
He exhaled slowly through his nose and gave the bracket one last twist.
âYou sure mustâve worked real hard to get this damn thing off the wall,â he said, voice low.
Your words stopped mid-sentence.
He turned his head, just enough to catch the look on your face.
Eyes wide. Mouth parted. Silent.
Caught.
The silence stretched between you like something taut and dangerous.
Joel straightened up slowly, the curtain rod still in his hand, his eyes never leaving yours.
âYou gonna tell me what that was about?â he asked, voice gentler than it shouldâve been. âOr should I just assume you wanted me back over here so bad, you started pullinâ things off your walls?â
âIââ you choked, voice barely above a whisper, the color draining from your face as the words stuck in your throat.
Joel caught the way your fingers curled against the bedsheet, how your knees shifted slightly, like you might bolt. And God, part of him wanted you to. Part of him needed you to.
But the other part, the selfish part, couldnât bear the thought.
âSâalright, darlinâ,â he said softly. âI like your company too.â
Your eyes lifted to his, wide and searching.
âYou⊠you do?â you asked, like you didnât believe it. Like no part of you had expected it to be true.
Joel nodded, slow. âYeah.â The word came out tight. It took effort, like he had to shove it past all the reasons why he shouldnât say it.
You stared at him, stunned and unmoving. He stood still for a long beat, then finally stepped down from his stool. The floor creaked under his weight as he crossed to your bed, each step slower than the last. He moved slower than he really needed to, but it kept him steady, until he finally sat beside you.Â
Not too close, not touching you, but he could feel the heat of you anyway. He caught the faint trace of your perfume, something soft and warm and inviting, and it nearly knocked him out. He wanted to breathe it in until it lived in his lungs. He wanted it to cling to his shirt, to the collar of his flannel, so he could press his face into it laterâalone in the darkâlike that might be enough.
Or better, that filthy corner of his brain, the beast that lived inside him wanted you to smell like him. Wanted it clinging to your sheets, your wrists, the hollow of your throat. Wanted people to catch it in passing and wonder why youâd let a man like him get that close.Â
But he wouldnât. He was trying to be good, to have restraint.
His hands stayed on his knees, tense, knuckles pale where they pulled against the denim. This was your room, so soft and warm and clean. The kind of place he could get lost in if he wasnât careful.Â
âAinât a good idea, what youâre doinâ,â he murmured, âIâm an old man, honey.â
Your eyes tracked over his face as he looked at you, âI like that youâre older, Joel.â
He shut his eyes for a moment, jaw flexing. Christ. You didnât know what you were saying.Â
âIâm old enough to be your daddy, baby,â he whispered. The words came out rougher than he intended.
He heard the way your breath caught. Saw the way your body stilled. Like something inside you had jolted awake.
He shouldâve looked away.
Instead, his gaze found yours as he swallowed dryly. When he finally got control of his heavy tongue again, he asked, âThat do somethinâ to you, sweetheart?â
You didnât speak. But the answer was all over your face.
Joel exhaled slowly, leaning back just enough to get a better look at you. Still not touching, but close enough to see the flush rise in your cheeks.
âGonna answer me?â he asked.
Your voice trembled. âY-yes.â
His brow lifted slightly.
âYes, I like⊠thinking of you that way.â
His stomach turned over. âYou think about me, huh?â
You hesitated, lips parting, and for a second he thought maybe youâd lie.
Then your voice hit him square in the chest.
âAll the time.â
Joel went still. Your words rang in his head, loud and clear. Like a bell tolling inside his ribs.
Now he knew. You wanted him. You thought about him the same way he thought about you. And if he so much as reached for you, he wasnât sure heâd be able to stop.
So instead, he just looked at you. He let his eyes rake over your face, your body, looking at how your thighs had pressed together. How your breathing had changed. How your fingers twisted in the fabric of your shirt like you didnât know what to do with your hands now that the words were out.
And then, his voice came low and steady, like it was coming from somewhere deeper than his own body, âShow me.â
Your brows drew together in confusion, your mouth falling open. âWhat?â
His eyes locked with yours, and he knew you could see it. The way his pupils had all but swallowed the color from his irises, how tightly he was clinging to the last scrap of control he had left. He could feel the sweat at the back of his neck, the pulse in his throat, the ache in his hands from how hard he was trying not to reach for you. Not to ruin you.
He couldnât let himself slip. Couldnât let it crack wide open.
âWhen you think of me,â he said, quieter now, words coming like gravel dragged behind his teeth, âwhat do you do?â
You looked away for a second, your gaze dropping to the bed beneath you, cheeks heated and mouth parting like you didnât know how to answer. But then your eyes found his againâwide and shining, nervous and breathless.
âYou want me to⊠to show you?â
He didnât speak. Just nodded slowly.
That was all he needed. Just to watch. That was the line. That was what he could live with. He wouldnât touch you. Wouldnât lay a single hand on your sweet, perfect, young body. Heâd sit still like a good man, like a gentleman, and let it wreck him quietly. Heâd carry the memory of it back across the street like a loaded gun and bury it deep where no one would ever find it.
You hesitated, breath shivering, legs pressing together as you sat there, body unsure while your eyes held his like they were searching for somethingâpermission, safety, the truth of how far this would go.
âSâalright,â he said again, his voice soft like velvet, âJust lay back.â
He saw your throat bob, and then, slowly, you leaned back onto your elbows, shifting further onto the bed. The mattress dipped with your weight, the sound of your shorts brushing the sheets too loud in the stillness. He swallowed hard as you arched your back just enough to hook your thumbs in the waistband of those tiny, soft little shorts, sliding them down your hips, exposing the smooth skin beneath inch by inch.
âSlowââ he said, voice rough and wrecked. You paused, and nodded, eyes never leaving his face as you gently brought them down your legs. Your hand quickly and gently let them fall to the floor.Â
And there you were.Â
Laid down on your own bed, your legs bending slightly, thighs pressed together, hiding yourself from his fiery gaze. Joelâs knuckles popped with restraint to keep himself from spreading them for himself.
He tried to keep his eyes on your face, so sweet and flushed and burning with heat. You let out a breath, seemingly collecting your courage as you let your thighs fall to the sides. He couldnât do it anymore, his eyes dropped almost immediately, giving in. Your precious puffy lips were outlined in the panties, light colored enough that he could see the stain of wetness forming in the cotton.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Your fingers slid slowly down your stomach, over your panties, pressing lightly between your thighs.
Joelâs lungs locked. His jaw ticked. Every muscle in his body coiled tight as wire.
This is all I get, he told himself. This is enough.
He could feel his pulse hammering behind his eyes. His jeans were too tight, his hands were trembling, and he hadnât even touched you.
You moved your fingers again, slower this time, dragging them up and over the damp fabric, letting out the softest soundâbarely audible, but to Joel it was deafening. It struck him in the chest like a damn hammer.
He was going to die here. He was going to die right here in your bedroom with his boots on the floor and you moaning into your own palm, and he was going to deserve every second of torture.
You didnât rush.
Joel thought maybe that would save him. That youâd move fast, try to get it over with. But you didnât. You took your time. You let your fingers glide softly over the front of your underwear, lazy strokes that did more to him than anything explicit could have. Your thighs shifted, knees bending up and falling open a little wider, and Joel could see the heat of you blooming beneath the thin cotton, darkening it, making it cling.
He had to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment, just to breathe. Just to stay sitting where he was and not reach for you, not grab your hips and tear those panties clean off your body. When he opened them again, you were watching him. Watching the way he breathed through his nose, the way his fists stayed locked tight on his legs, the way his gaze kept dropping down no matter how hard he tried to fight it.
You circled yourself again, slower now, the fabric catching slightly, and your breath caught in your throat. Joelâs heart was pounding so hard he thought you must hear it from where you lay.
His voice came out low, nearly wrecked. âTake âem off.â
You paused, fingers freezing for a moment, your expression flickering with nerves and something elseâexcitement, anticipation, the realization that this wasnât just about putting on a show. This was about him needing it. Needing you.
You slid your thumbs under the waistband and raised your hips off the mattress. He watched, helpless, as you peeled them down your legsâslow, hesitant, like maybe you were savoring the tension just as much as he wasâand let them join your shorts on the floor.
Laid bare in front of him, thighs parted, glistening, flushed, and so fucking soft-looking it almost hurt to look directly at you, you looked like a god damn angel. Joel swore under his breath and dragged a hand over his mouth again, like it might erase the things he was thinking. It didnât.
His voice cracked when he spoke. âTouch yourself.â
You nodded, barely, and your hand slipped down again. But this time, there was no fabric in the way. Joel watched your fingers move over your folds, the way your hips tilted up to meet them. He could see everything now, every flicker of pleasure across your face, every little tremble in your legs. When you let out that first real moanâlow and quiet, almost like you were trying to stifle itâJoelâs body jolted like heâd been shot.
âJesus, baby,â he whispered, his voice nearly breaking.
You rubbed slow, steady, getting yourself wet, and his eyes dropped to where your hand moved, slick and glistening, and he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek.
But it wasnât enough. Not for him. Not for what he wanted to see.
âPut a finger inside,â he said, and it came out lower than he meant it toârough, almost angry with need.
You looked at him, lips parted, lashes heavy. âJoelâŠâ
âDo it,â he rasped. âJust one, baby. Thatâs all.â
You hesitated, breath shaking. Then you did it. You brought your fingers lower, traced the slickness, and pushed one insideâslow, stretching, burying it to the knuckleâand Joelâs hands finally left his knees, flying up to rake through his hair as he groaned quietly.
He couldnât fucking take it.
And neither could you.
Your back arched, mouth falling open with a quiet gaspâdaddyâas you moved your finger in and out, your palm pressing down against your clit for more friction. Joel couldnât even pretend to look away now. He was locked in, watching the way your body responded, the way you started to tremble.
And then he heard your voice again. Small, breathy. Needy.
âPlease.â
Joelâs heart stuttered.
âPlease, Joel,â you said again, whimpering now, your eyes shining, mouth wet, hips starting to lose their rhythm. âI donât⊠I canât⊠I need you.â
He clenched his jaw so tight it ached, his whole body bowstring-tense as he leaned forward just slightly, elbows on his thighs, fists clenched again, because if he moved even a little further he knew he wouldnât be able to stop.
âDonât do this,â he whispered. âDonât beg me, baby. I canâtââ
But you did. You begged anyway.
âPlease touch me,â you said, breathless, desperate, your hand moving faster now, legs trembling under the pressure building in your body. âI want you, Joel. I think about you all the time, and IâfuckâI want it to be you.â
He shook his head again, slower this time, like he was trying to convince himself more than you. But then your leg movedâbare and tremblingâand your ankle brushed against the back of his hand where it still rested uselessly on the bed.
And that was it.
That one small touch, like permission and invitation all wrapped into one. He didnât think. Couldnât. His fingers wrapped gently around your ankle, warm and steady, and for a second he just held it. The first time heâd touched you. The first contact after all this time spent trying to keep himself in check.
You whimpered under the weight of his touch, a soft, aching sound that nearly unraveled him. His thumb traced a slow, reverent circle against your skin, and his heart beat so hard it was nearly dizzying.
So soft. So warm. So alive.
He bent forward without a word, still clutching your ankle, and pressed a kiss to the inside of it. The smallest kiss. Barely even a breath. But it was everything.
His lips moved againâjust a little higher.
Then higher still.
Trailing up your calf, slow and worshipful, his hand shifting to the back of your leg, guiding it gently as your thigh began to tremble. You were still breathing hard, hand stalled now, frozen against your center as you watched him.
He pressed another kiss to the inside of your knee. Then just above it. Each one a little firmer than the last, like he was testing the shape of you with his mouth.Â
And then, eyes locked on your hand still buried between your legs, he grasped your wrist gently, his touch reverent but sure. He pulled your finger from yourself and brought your hand to his mouth and looked at you like he was asking permission, even now, even on the edge of ruin.
You didnât stop him.
So he parted his lips and took your finger into his mouth.
His tongue circled it first, slow and wet, curling around the soaked digit, savoring the taste of you, dragging it over the pad with aching, deliberate pressure. He sucked it in deeper, lips wrapping tight as his tongue moved along the underside. You watched, frozen in intense rapture, mouth parted and chest heaving. His eyes never left your face, even as he groaned low in his throat, eyes fluttering half shut.
You whimpered his name againâbreathless, high, barely held together.
He let your finger go with a wet sound, still panting, his voice hoarse and ruined when he finally spoke.
âSo fuckinâ sweet, baby.â
You whimpered his name again, breath catching as he released your hand and kissed higher on your leg, faster now, the heat of his mouth so close to where you wanted him. He nudged your thighs further apart with gentle pressure, his hands firm but trembling slightly as they moved up the backs of your legs, his thumbs dragging over the delicate curve of your inner thighs.
He paused just before reaching you. Breathing heavy. Hovering.
âThis is what you wanted?â he asked, barely a whisper. âYou want me here?â
âYes,â you breathed, already breathless, already gone. âPlease, Joel.â
That was all he needed.
He dipped his head and finallyâfinallyâdragged his mouth over you, slow and sure, tasting you like heâd been starving for it. His tongue parted you, flat and warm, collecting everything youâd made for him. He moaned low against you, the sound vibrating through your whole body, and his hands tightened on your thighs, holding you open like you were something sacred.
And God, you were.
Joel wasnât delicate with it. But he was steady, focused. Slow only because he wanted to draw it out. He licked a purposeful stripe up your center, then did it again, dragging his tongue in slow circles over your clit until your back arched off the mattress.
You gasped, hands flying to his hair, fingers twisting into the graying strands.
Daddy daddy daddy fell from your lips like a prayer, and he groaned into you, tongue pressing deeper, tracing the way you opened for him. He noticed you said it the most when you were falling apart. When your brain was lagging and hazy.Â
And couldnât stop thinkingâthis is what you taste like when you think of me.
He wrapped his lips around your clit and sucked, just once, firm and slow, and your legs clenched around his shoulders as a broken sound tore from your throat.
He pulled back slightly, his breath ragged, beard soaked with you.
âYouâre killinâ me, baby,â he murmured, kissing the inside of your thigh again, slower now, lips softer. âYou donât even know what youâre doinâ to me.â
You begged againâdonât stop, please donât stopâand he didnât. He buried his mouth back between your legs and gave you everything. He wanted you to come on his tongue. Wanted to feel it. The way your body would tighten, the way your thighs would tremble, the way your breath would stutter in that pretty chest of yours before falling apart completely.
He was going to carry the sound of it for the rest of his life.
And stillâhe didnât touch himself. Didnât grind against the bed or reach for relief. This was for you. All of it.
If he could only have this, this taste, this sound, this moment, heâd take it.
And heâd burn for it later.
Joelâs tongue moved with steady, reverent purpose, his mouth open and hungry against you, like this was the only way he knew how to live anymore, by giving you this. His hands stayed firm, keeping your legs open, thumbs brushing softly against your trembling thighs, grounding you even as he pulled you closer and closer to the edge.
You were panting now, moaning freely, head thrown back against the pillow, your fingers tangled in his hair, his name falling from your mouth like it was the only one youâd ever known. He could feel the way your body was coiling, tightening, the way your hips were starting to stutter beneath him, like you were trying to chase that last bit of pressure before it ripped through you.
He sucked gently around your clit again, tongue flicking against it just right, and that was all it took.
You broke.
Your whole body arched, legs tightening around his shoulders, a sharp cry punching from your chest as you came hard against his mouth, your fingers fisting in his hair, holding him there while you rode it out. Joel groaned low in his throat, the sound dark and satisfied, almost possessive as he kept licking through it, gentle now, working you down slowly, coaxing every last tremble from you with his mouth still warm and wet against your skin.
He felt it, all of it. The way your muscles fluttered and clenched, the way your hands shook where they gripped him, the way your breath hitched as you tried to come back to earth.
And still, he didnât stop touching you. Not yet. His lips moved lower, placing soft, open-mouthed kisses to your inner thighs, your hips, the crease where leg met pelvis, like he couldnât stop worshipping you now that heâd started. His beard was damp with you, his mouth swollen, his hands still gentle where they rested at your hips.
But then your hands shifted.
You grabbed the front of his shirt, your fingers curling tight in the collar, and tugged.
âJoel,â you gasped, voice high and breathless, chest heaving as your eyes found his, wild and wanting, âPlease.â
He lifted his head, eyes glazed, lips shining, chest rising and falling with every labored breath. âWhat, baby?â he rasped, even though he already knew. Even though his own body was screaming with the need heâd been trying to bury.
You pulled again, harder this time, dragging him up your body with shaking hands, your mouth still parted, your skin flushed and damp.
âPlease,â you whispered, again and again, like you were unraveling, like the word was all you had left, âplease, Joel⊠please, I need youâŠâ
Your legs parted wider beneath him, your hips rising, searching, the fabric of his jeans rough between your thighs as he braced himself over you.
âI canâtâI canât wait anymore,â you whispered, nails digging into his shoulders as you pulled him closer, your voice shaking. âPleaseâI want you inside me. I want you to fuck me, Joel. Please.â
And who was he to deny you?
Hadnât he said it himself?
Anything you needed. Anything you wanted. Heâd be the man for you.
He'd said the words and meant them. Even if they were only in his head, he meant them down to the marrow in his bones. And now, here you were, laid out beneath him, skin flushed, lips parted, pupils wide and pleading as you begged for him. Begged with your hands, your voice, your whole trembling body. And something inside Joel cracked so deep it felt like it might never close again.
He couldnât stop himself.
He leaned down and kissed you, slow and deep, his tongue slipping past your lips so you could taste yourself on him. It was filthy, intimate, perfect. He shouldâve been ashamed of how much he needed it, how tender it felt even with the heat still thrumming through him.
Heâd always thought that stuff was bullshitâthe way books and movies and every sappy romance insisted sparks flew when two people kissed. That it meant something. That it could change you.
But this⊠this was something else entirely.
This was fire and gravity and truth all wrapped into one aching, perfect moment.
And for a moment, Joel believed every goddamn word.
His hands fumbled with his waistband as his tongue explored your mouth, your sweet cooing noises filling his ears, your breath soft and sweet as honey as you gasped against him. The sound of his belt unbuckling and zipper lowering filled the room, sharp and electric. Finally, he wrapped his hand around himself, freeing his cock as it sprang free, tender, aching, and flushed dark and thick with need. He swore under his breath as the air hit him, the head already leaking for you.Â
The idea of being a good man was long gone now. Left back on the floor with his restraint, his better judgment, his self-control. All that was left was you. Your scent, your skin, the desperate way you reached for him like you couldnât bear another second of distance. Your gasp hit his mouth like a spark to gasoline. You moaned into him, hips lifting, thighs spreading wider around his waist as he rocked forward, lining himself up, his cock dragging through your slick folds.
He groaned deep in his chest, the weight of your heat soaking him instantly, the wet glide of your cunt against the underside of him making his whole body jolt.
And then you whimpered.
Joel pulled back just enough to whisper against your lips.
âI know, honey,â he cooed, his voice low and sweet, like a lullaby wrapped in filth. âI know itâs a lot, but you can take it. You can, baby. I know you can.â
He kissed your cheek, your jaw, your throat, his hands cradling your face like you were something precious even as his cock pressed closer, sliding lower with each slow grind.
âSuch a good girl for me,â he whispered, barely able to breathe it out. âKnew youâd be so good, so sweet. Just let me in, honey.â
You whimpered, needy and breaking, and he slid forward again, this time pushing the head of his cock inside, slow and careful, watching every flicker of sensation cross your face. You were so warm. So tight. Your walls clenched around him instantly and his head dropped to your shoulder with a strangled groan.
âJesus Christ,â he choked, his voice barely holding. âYou feel so fuckinâ good, angel.â
You clung to him, arms around his shoulders, legs wrapping around his hips as he sank deeper, inch by inch, until you were gasping, trembling, completely filled.
Daddy. It was like a sirenâs call from your lips.
Joel didnât move right away. Just stayed there, buried to the hilt, chest heaving, eyes squeezed shut as he fought the urge to lose himself too fast.
âFuck,â he murmured against your skin. âYou take me so good. So perfect for me.â
And then, finally, he moved.
Slow at first. Measured. Deep, rolling thrusts that pulled back just far enough to make you whimper before he pushed forward again, thick and steady, dragging every inch through your soaked, desperate cunt. He kissed your shoulder as he rocked into you, his voice hot in your ear.
âThatâs it, baby. Just like that. Youâre doinâ so good.â
You were breathless beneath him, hips lifting to meet every stroke, your nails digging into his back, your mouth pressed against his neck as you moaned and gasped and whispered his name like a prayer.
Joel was unraveling with every sound you made, every pulse of your body around his cock. He held your face, kissed your lips, your cheek, your temple, the top of your head. He told you how beautiful you were. How tight. How fucking sweet you felt around him. Told you you were his good girl. His angel. His.
Joel moved inside you like he was trying to memorize every inchâslow, deliberate, reverent. His hands mapped your body like heâd never get the chance again. One gripped the underside of your thigh, keeping your legs spread wide for him, the other braced beside your head, grounding him, holding him back from fucking into you the way his body screamed for.
But he didnât want to rush this. God, he couldnât. Not when you felt like this.
So tight, so warm, so wet and fluttering around him with every slow thrust of his hips. Each roll of his body drew a breathy moan from your lips, and he drank them down like they were keeping him alive.
âThatâs it,â he murmured against your cheek, his voice rasped and heavy with worship. âJust like that, sweetheart. Grippinâ my cock so good, angel girl.â
Your fingers were tangled in his hair, your body arching into his with each stroke, and every time your hips rocked up to meet his, he felt itâthat trembling pulse in your cunt that told him how close you were.
âYouâre so pretty like this,â he whispered, kissing your jaw, then lower. âSo goddamn sweet. Feels like you were made for me.â
Your hands slid down his back, clinging, like you couldnât get close enough.
âJoel,â you whispered, voice soft and shaking, âYou feel so goodâI donât want this to end.â
His heart almost broke right there.
âBaby,â he breathed, pressing his forehead to yours, hips rocking slow and deep, âdonât say that.â
âI mean it,â you whimpered. âIâJoel, I think Iâve wanted this since the first time I saw you. I used to dream about this. About you.â
Joel groaned, low and guttural as he kissed you. Not hard or frantic, just deep and warm, letting you feel every bit of how much that meant to him. How much he wanted to give it back.
He rolled his hips slower, deeper, angling just right until he felt your legs tense around his waist again, your body tightening, that little gasp he was starting to crave spilling from your lips as you tipped your head back against the pillow.
âThere she is,â he whispered, voice rough and desperate. âYouâre gonna come again, ainât you? Gonna let me feel her squeeze my cock, huh?â
You nodded, mouth open, breath catching on each thrust. âSo closeâoh my God, daddy, daddyââ
âCome for me, angel,â he said, his voice shaking now. âCâmon, baby girl. Be my good girl and come.â
You cried out as it hit you, body seizing under his, thighs trembling, your walls fluttering around him in tight, wet pulses. You clung to him, your fingers locked in his hair, your mouth gasping out his name again and again.Â
He kept moving, kept fucking you through it, slow and steady, letting you ride it out, watching the way you shattered so beautifully for him. He held you through every wave, every twitch, every soft sob of pleasure.
And then he couldnât hold it anymore.
Your cunt still fluttering around him, soaked and tight and perfectâJoelâs control finally snapped.
His hips stuttered, breath coming in short, punched-out gasps, and he buried his face in your neck.
âFuckâoh baby, Iâm gonna comeâChrist, you feel so goodâI canâtâI canâtââ
He gripped your thigh tighter, pulled you flush against him, and thrust deep one final time as his release hit him hard, spilling into you with a broken groan. His whole body shook, teeth gritted, face buried in your skin as he came in long, slow, pulsing waves that left him shaking above you.
He didnât move right away.
Just stayed there. Still inside you, just breathing with you. His hand smoothing softly over your ribs, then your belly, then your cheek.
âYou okay?â he whispered finally, voice barely there.
You nodded, turning your head just enough to kiss his jaw. âYeah. More than okay.â
Joel pulled back just enough to look at you, really look. Your skin was warm and glowing, your eyes heavy, dreamy, dazed in the way he hoped heâd be seeing again and again. You looked happy. Content.
Heâd wait âtil tomorrow to let the guilt creep in.

PEEEEEEE PAAWWWWWWWWWW
#joel miller x you#joel miller#joel miller x reader#joel miller smut#tlou#tlou fanfic#joel miller fanfic#old man joel#the last of us#tlou fic#joel miller fic
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Arcane women accidentally confessing to you. | Sevika, Jinx, Caitlyn, Vi x Gn!Reader



This is very self-indulgent, so enjoy.<3
Content: pre-season 2 because I want to be happy rn, slight angst if you squint, fluff, accidental confessions, maybe ooc??, cursing, sfw
Reader has no set pronouns!
((Not proofread))

ăSEVIKA
She was resting at the last drop with you during some downtime in between missions. One hand lingered on your hip whilst her metallic one held onto her cigar, eyes focused on the pocker game she was playing with a couple of Silco's other henchmen. She always kept you close this way, a clear sign of who you belonged to despite never having said a word about it yet. It was a mutual understanding only you could have, and so she didn't think a confession was necessary.
Until today, it seemed.
You were secretly helping her cheat a little and eventually told her the winning move, which earned her a large sum of money. Letting out a smug laugh at everyone's angered and defeated glares, she gave you a lazy grin. "Thanks, sweetheart. This is why I love you." She hummed to you, smoke exhaling from her dark lips, before she froze ever so slightly. Well, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise to either of you, and yet she couldn't help but chuckle at your own stunned face.
Looking at the men around her, she threw some poker chips towards them, clearly asking for another round. She wasn't the type to get flustered or shy anyways, so her moving on like nothing happened was on brand.
The only acknowledgment you got, however, was the hand on your hip tightening.
ăJINX
She has a hard time hiding her feelings for you due to her rather energetic and extremely clingy nature. But there is still a clear distance between you two that she's too scared to cross. It was a deep fear of ruining everything she had with you in case her confession went wrong. She'd rather you consider her your best friend for life if it meant for you to stay at her side. She didn't want to lose more people after all. And yet, as fate has it, she eventually lost herself in a good and happy moment with you.
You were tinkering on some projects in her hideout whilst listening to music. Her head was leaning against your shoulder as her eyes traced your focused gaze. Jinx felt so content and at peace in that moment that she couldn't stop the words that spilled out of her mouth. "I love you." It took her a second to realise what happened, and her body was quick to flinch away from you. You kept her in place, however, with a free hand placed against her head. "Hey, it's okay. I love you too. I'm not leaving." You reassured her quickly with a smile, one that made her heart skip a beat.
She may not see herself as deserving of you, but she's glad to have you at her side anyway. Hopefully forever.
ăCAITLYN
Caitlyn was good at hiding her emotions from you. In fact, she had refused to tell you in fear of breaking the professionalism you two had and, most importantly, your friendship that she cherished deeply. And so, she was very careful not to reveal a single thing... until her confidence betrayed her and caused her to slip up.
You two were reviewing a new case together, and whilst she wasn't paying attention, she accidentally slid you her diary over. It unfortunately looked too similar to her work notebook, something she only realised the moment you opened it and froze in surprise. She may have scribbled your name all over it. She may have childishly drawn hearts around your name. She may have made it awfully clear that she loved you. And it made her wonder if there was a god out there that hated her deeply.
"... My apologies. Please ignore that-" "-Haha, I'm so relieved that I'm not the only one who did this!" You let out a soft laugh before pulling out your notebook and showing her similar pages to her own, just with her name written all over them. Her face was flushed from how flustered and embarrassed she was, but alas, she too couldn't help and chuckle at how silly this all was. At least you felt the same.
ăVI
It's not like she didn't want to confess her feelings to you. She just didn't know how! Her confession should sweep you right off your feet in her mind, and yet nothing she came up with seemed good enough. Vi hoped that her flirting would get the point across, but she lacked the confidence to go any further than compliments. She just didn't want you to think differently of her and therefore kept her distance for the most part regarding the subject. That is if she could keep it in for lobger than she already has. She always felt so strongly about others, after all.
So, during a little hang out session in a bar somewhere in Zaun, she attempted to find the courage to tell you how she felt. Whilst she went off to go and get you a drink first, however, a drunken man showed up at your side and started flirting you in a rather uncomfortable way. You tried making it clear that you weren't interested, but as he went to grab your arm, a hand slammed in between you two onto the bar table. "Hey, I think they told you no, asshole." "Who the hell are you?" The man barked back, yet Vi didn't back down and simply blocked you from his view with her body. "I'm their girlfriend, now fuck off." She hissed, and the man just rolled his eyes before walking off grumbling.
Silence filled the space in between you two until you chuckled softly. "Girlfriend, huh? I like the sound of that." You hummed, secretly trying to ease her embarrassed mind, that quickly recovered at your words with a sly grin. "You do?" You mirrored her smile with a nod. "Very much so. I'm glad we think alike."

#arcane#arcane x y/n#arcane x reader#arcane sevika#arcane sevika x reader#sevika#sevika x reader#arcane jinx#arcane jinx x reader#jinx#jinx x reader#arcane vi#arcane vi x reader#vi#vi x reader#arcane caitlyn#arcane caitlyn x reader#caitlyn#caitlyn x reader#arcane x you
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some random mc screenshots to counteract the amount of angst i just wrote. mostly of me being stuck in weird places because of Claimed Chunks making it so im functionally in adventure mode at other people's bases
bonus screenshot of @aperture-science-sys drowning in the field. because death message testing. i think that was the reason?
#haunted ecosystem#i love that you can tell when ive been doing something depending on how full my inventory is. like.#im at home/at our base? my inventory is basically empty because its all put away or in backpacks#im out / was just adventuring? so much random crap. because my backpacks are full. i need to make more stack upgrades for my block bag lol#also my lavenders <3 its just a staple of my inventory#i always have lavenders with me since i both like how they look and also i keep needing to make waystones...#ive gotta run around and collect the ones ive accidentally abandoned. i'll have a *bunch* then#also i neeeeed to work on grinding for wither skeleton skulls#its just actually a pain in the ass and i need to just make a wither skeleton farm#i just. dont want to#however i also dont want to try and figure out if anybody has made one already and if theyre willing to let me use it#bc i think the only group with one is withers crypt and i am mildly terrified of them#im just a little guy who wants more hearts.... then im gonna start farming ghasts to respawn the dragon for *those* hearts#its a whole process. but also i should. probably finish enchanting my armor#ough. i still have to talk to people for that because i dont want to spend like four hours cycling villager trades because i dont want#to have to burn more armor because its ended up being cursed#i need to work on tinkers stuff just to recycle the cursed things. SIGH.#modded minecraft grind.#except my connection is so dogshit that the grind is actually just a Problem half the time
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