#wood group recruitment

[puckinghischier]

Fakers

Jack Hughes x fem!reader

summary: reader needs jack to be her fake boyfriend, and it leads to something very not fake

notes: hello!! it’s literally 2am and i just finished this, so needless to say it’s unedited, but i love this fic so much. i combined two different requests for it and i had so much fun with it. i hope you enjoy!! happy reading!! 🫶🏼

also i’m starting a tag list in the comments, so let me know if you’d like to be added!! 🫡

request: from my 400 follower celly - You owe me.” “I owe you $20 not a day of pretending to be your partner to get your parents off your back” & “A realizing that they have feelings for B when they see them with someone else”

[5.4k]

“Jack! Please tell me you’re home. It’s an emergency!” you frantically slam his apartment door shut.

Searching the large space for any signs of life, you beg for him to be home.

“Jack! C’mon! It’s urgent!” you yell out, walking down the hallway towards his bedroom.

You twist the knob of the closed door, finding it locked. Huffing, you start beating your fist against the wood.

“Open up! I know you’re in there!”

You continue your assault on the door, stopping only when the door opens and your fist meets air. You step back in surprise, nearly hitting Jack square in his bare chest.

A soaking wet, shirtless Jack stands in front of you with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“God, what took you so long? I texted you SOS on my way over here,” you barreled past him, walking into his bedroom.

“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s not like I just had a grueling three-hour practice or anything. God forbid I take a hot shower afterwards,” Jack throws his hands up in the air, watching you walk straight for his closet.

You and jack had been friends since the second you moved to Jersey, the sassy brunette being just what you needed to make you feel at home in the unfamiliar state.

As you were moving in down the hall, Jack had half of the team over at his apartment watching game film in preparation for a week of road games.

Him and few teammates walked out into the hallway to investigate the loud bangs they kept hearing, watching you try to squeeze a bookshelf into your apartment that was three times the size of the doorway.

An hour later you had a disassembled bookshelf and four very attractive men in your living room.

Jack had recruited some of his teammates, as you later learned, to help you put the bookshelf back together.

You apologized for interrupting their plans, the rest of Jack’s teammates still in his apartment, and insisted they go back to their friends. You told them you could handle putting back together a bookshelf, even though you had absolutely no idea what you were doing.

They waved off your concerns, telling you they needed to help you finish what they started.

After the bookshelf was put together and in place, Jack invited you over to his apartment, deciding they had watched enough film for that night, using the incentive of pizza to lure you. You would’ve objected, seeing as you had no clue if he was some axe murderer or something, but the pang of hunger in your stomach threw all caution to the wind, leading your feet three doors down and into the strange apartment.

You gained a whole group of friends that night, not knowing until a week later your new friends were Jersey’s own professional hockey team.

Jack and Luke helped you finish the rest of your move in, spending more and more time with your new neighbors as the days went on. You added weekly take out dinners into your schedules and alternating hockey watch parties in each other’s apartments, the brothers insisting you need to learn to love the game.

You can’t deny the fact that you started developing feelings for the middle Hughes pretty quickly, his fun energy and magnetic personality roping you in. The nature of your friendship was extremely laid back, the two of you bickering nearly as much as you made the other laugh. Luke often said the two of you either act like an old married couple or newlyweds that already resent each other.

It didn’t take long for you to figure out, however, that Jack was too focused on living the hockey lifestyle to settle down anytime soon. You noticed the flow of girls in and out of his apartment, having met a few on their way out in the mornings on your way to work.

Attempting to push your feelings to the back of your mind, you continued spending time with the rowdy athletes. A small part of you still held out hope, especially after Jack gave you a key to their apartment, telling you he was tired of having to get the door every time you decided you wanted to come over.

Which is exactly how you were able to enter his apartment now, in your desperate time of need.

You knew your parents were going to visit you once you had settled in. The piece of information they left out, though, was that they scheduled a dinner with the lawyer son of one of your dad’s coworkers that also happens to live in the city.

Now, sifting through his closet in search of an outfit appropriate for the high-end restaurant your parents reserved for tonight, you worry about Jack’s reaction to your – and now his – predicament.

“Jack, don’t you own anything that isn’t designer? I don’t want my parents to think you’re a douche throwing his money in everyone’s face,” you slide each Tom Ford, Armani, and his one Gucci suit to the side.

Jack, still standing with his hand on his open door, starts walking over to you, crossing his arms.

“So, you not only barge into my apartment unexpectedly and interrupt my shower, but you’re now criticizing my formal wear?” he asks before realization shows on his face. “Wait, what do you mean your parents? And why are you so dressed up?” he suddenly notices your floor-length, black formal dress and full face of make-up.

You turn to face him slowly, an overexaggerated, nervous smile on your face.

“Well…you’re…meetingmyparentstonight,” you mumble out, running your words together.

“Run that back one more time?” Jack asks you, eyes widening.

“You’re meeting my parents tonight,” you say at a normal pace this time, doing small jazz hands.

Groaning, Jack turns away from you, placing his hands on the top of his head as he paces.

“What did you do?” he asks, still pacing, knowing how you are and that you’re only ever this anxious about stuff when there’s a reason.

“Okay, so don’t get mad,” you start, placing your hands out in front of you as if you’re calming down a wild animal.

“Oh, great, that’s always followed by good news,” Jack rolls his eyes, stopping to stand in front of you.

“I might have, maybe, just a little bit…told my parents that you were my boyfriend,” you rush out again, closing your eyes and wincing.

Jack doesn’t respond, not making a single sound. You slowly open one eye, waiting for him to start scolding you. You see him standing there, wide eyes and frozen.

“You told…parents…your boyfriend?” his broken sentence amuses you, but you have to hold in the laugh, figuring laughing at him wouldn’t do you any favors right now.

“Yes,” you confirm, causing Jack to close his eyes and inhale, his hand flying up to press against his forehead. “But! They’re trying to set me up on a blind date with one of my dad’s stuck-up coworker’s sons. You know I told them I’d never date a lawyer,” you explain, stepping closer to Jack, testing the waters. “Plus, I hate being set up, Jack. One of my dating requirements is friends first, date later.”

“Why?” Jack now pinches the bridge of his nose. “Why in the hell would you tell your parents I’m your boyfriend? I haven’t dated in someone in…I don’t know, three years? This should’ve been a Luke job.”

“Because you’re my best friend. It wouldn’t have been believable with Luke because I don’t know him as well as I know you,” you tell him, watching him open his mouth to argue. “Plus, you owe me.”

Jack scoffs. “Oh, I owe you, huh? Do tell, what for?”

“When I bought your sushi last week because you forgot your wallet at the rink when I met you out for lunch.”

Jack rolls his eyes. “Are you serious? I owe you $20, not a day of pretending to be your boyfriend to get your parents off your back!”

“But…a day of pretending to be my boyfriend can pay your $20 debt,” you smile and tilt your head, batting your eyelashes.

Jack mulls the idea over in his head for a few moments, deciding on if he’s going to help you or not. You continue batting your eyelashes and giving Jack your trademark puppy dog eyes.

“Fine…give me twenty minutes and I’ll be ready,” he grumbles, shoulders deflating a little.

“Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” you squeal, doing a happy jump and running over to hug him.

You realize a second too late he’s still damp and very naked, jumping back and apologizing mere seconds after you made contact with his bare skin.

“I’ll go wait in your living room,” you say, turning and heading towards his door.

“I’m wearing the Gucci, by the way,” he calls out as you reach the doorway.

“Please, at least wear the Armani so they think you’re poor rich, not rich rich,” you hear him laugh as you shut his door.

Just as Jack told you, twenty minutes later you’re in his car on the way to some rooftop restaurant your parents reserved for your ‘family’ dinner.

“So, what’s our story?” Jack asks, breaking the silence.

“Our story?” you repeat, confused.

“Yeah, our story. Like, what was the magical moment we realized we were actually more than friends and were head over heels with one another?” he asks, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

You look over at him, a small smirk on his lips.

“Do you seriously think I went into that much detail when I stuttered out ‘oh…I uhh…forgot to tell you, Jack and I are dating now!’ when my mother mentioned Ben was joining us for dinner?”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it past you.”

You scoff at him, leaning back in your seat and crossing your arms.

“We don’t have a story. Mom didn’t ask questions so I didn’t offer any,” you respond, looking over at him.

“Wait, she didn’t ask any questions? What was her response?” he asked you, glancing over at you every few seconds.

“No? She just said it was great and to invite you to dinner too, maybe you and Ben would get along,” Jack’s furrowed brow confusing you.

“Shit, Y/N, she doesn’t believe you,” he sits up straight.

“She doesn’t?”

“No, she doesn’t. If she believed you then she would have told Ben not to come. If she believed you, she would have grilled you with questions and squealed with excitement. She wouldn’t have just accepted the answer and told you to bring me along like some pet,” you note the worry in his tone.

Thinking about your mother’s reaction, you remember the uninterested tone she used when telling you how great it was you were with Jack. The lack of enthusiasm definitely uncharacteristic from your mom. You had just assumed she was shocked, not that she didn’t believe you.

“Holy shit you’re right! She didn’t believe me. What are we gonna do?” you reach down the hand resting in your lap and start picking your thumb nail on again, extremely worried they’ll see through your bullshit the second you sit down at the table.

Jack notices the anxious habit of yours, reaching over and placing his hand over your own, effectively stopping your movements.

“We give them the best damn performance of our lives.”

———————————————————————————

As soon as you walk onto the open rooftop, you think you should’ve let Jack wear his Gucci suit.

The dimly lit space is full of people in expensive looking dresses and crisp, clean suits.

You suddenly feel very underdressed.

The hostess leads you over to a table in the corner, you and Jack being the last to arrive.

Jack’s hand is held tightly in yours, the small pep talk he gave you in the elevator already forgotten.

“Oh, Y/N! You’re here!” you hear your mother’s voice as you approach the table, breaking you out of your wardrobe anxieties.

You give a tight-lipped smile, keeping yourself pressed against Jack’s side.

“Well, don’t just stand there, give me a hug!” she exclaims, standing from her seat, pulling you into a bone crushing hug.

You reciprocate her actions, placing your hands on her back.

“Honey, you look so good. I hope this place has been kind to you,” she places her hands on your face, a smile beaming back at you.

You nod at her. “Yeah, I love it here so far.”

She lets you go, her smile never fading.

“Alright, where’s the hug for your old man?” you hear your dad speak from somewhere behind you, turning to see him walking towards you with open arms.

Sinking into his hug, you let yourself enjoy the feeling. Getting to spend time with your dad is a rarity, considering he’s part of a big law-firm back home. He was always working late and missing holidays when you were a kid, your experience with him why you always swore you’d never marry a lawyer like your mother did.

“I missed you, Dad,” you tell him honestly, pulling back from his embrace.

“I missed you more, kiddo,” he pats your cheek, stepping away to take his seat at the table once again.

You hear Jack clear his throat behind you, reminding him that you need to introduce him.

“Oh! Mom, Dad,” you turn back and reach your hand out towards Jack, “this is Jack, the neighbor I’ve been telling you about.” Jack squeezes you hand, reminding you he’s your boyfriend tonight, not your neighbor. “Well…I guess I need to introduce him as my boyfriend now, cause we’re dating!” you say a little too enthusiastically, lifting your intertwined hands for everyone to see.

Jack chuckles, bringing his free hand over to push your joined hands down.

“Hi, I’m Jack, Y/N’s neighbor boyfriend,” he reaches over to shake your dad’s hand.

You notice your mom’s skeptical smile, standing to give Jack a short, half hug.

As you scan the area, trying to find anything else to focus on other than your lack of being able to play it cool, you notice the third body at the table.

You look at the man, his jet black, scruffy hair not at all what you were expecting. He was extremely handsome, you had to give him that. His blue eyes stood out against the dark setting, his black dress shirt under his black suit jacket causing them to stand out even more.

“Well, since introductions are being made, this is Ben, Jim’s boy. He works at a firm just a few miles away, actually,” your dad beams as Ben stands, walking around the table to give Jack’s hand a firm shake.

They exchange a short greeting before Ben makes his way over to you, grabbing your hand and kissing your knuckles, taking you by surprise.

“Pleasure to meet you…” he trails off, keeping eye contact as he raises back up into a standing position. “Both of you,” he adds as an afterthought, letting go of your hand and glancing at Jack.

“Yeah…you too,” Jack’s tone is laced with an emotion you can’t quite pick up on, but the glare he’s sending Ben is extremely noticeable.

As everyone takes their seats again, Jack scoots your chair out for you before sitting in the chair beside of you, taking your hand in his and resting them on the table.

Small talk is exchanged about Jack’s job, a disapproving nod from your father, your mother asking questions about what he plans to do after his career is over, making sure to throw in digs about how young hockey players are required to retire and the fact that contract money runs out fast with the lifestyle athletes live.

Jack handles them in stride, talking about how he wants to get into coaching once his career comes to an end, but he wants to play hockey for as long as he’s physically able. He also informed your parents that his mother instilled in him how to budget, making sure his necessities are always paid before anything else gets purchased, including a retirement fund.

The conversation then shifts to you and your new job, your mother filling Ben in with side comments the whole time about how you graduated with honors and was offered a big city job right out of college. Ben looked at you the entire time you were talking, seeming genuinely interested in what you were sharing.

Once the conversation shifts to Ben, that’s when the dinner starts going south.

“Ben is in line to become a partner at his firm very soon. It’s all his father talks about at work anymore,” your dad informs the table, laughing and slapping a hand to Ben’s shoulder.

“Well, there’s a few other guys in the running, I’m not a shoo-in yet,” Ben responds, trying to knock down his praise a bit.

“Oh, don’t be so modest, Ben, our Y/N here loves an overachiever, isn’t that right, darling?” your mom looks over to you.

You don’t know what to say to her, stunned that she would be so blatantly obvious about her intentions in front of Ben like this.

“I…well…Yeah, I guess,” you stutter out, not sure how to respond to your mother’s words.

“Do you excel in your field, Jack?” your mom questions your fake boyfriend of the night.

He looks up from his food, not entirely sure how to handle the question. Does he tell them the truth and risk sounding like a gloating asshole, or does he play the modest card and confirm your parent’s suspicions that he’s less than?

“Jack was team captain of team USA! And he’s an alternate captain for the Devils now! He’s also one of the team’s top point scorers,” you ramble out facts about Jack’s hockey career, sensing his hesitation.

Your father’s brows shoot up in surprise.

“Way to go man, sounds awesome,” Ben sounds genuinely impressed.

“That’s something to be proud of,” is all your mother responds.

You look over at Jack in apology, the flush of his cheeks hidden by the dark surroundings.

“Jack was also drafted number one overall in the NHL draft when he was only eighteen. Isn’t that crazy?” you continue, not knowing how to stop the information rolling from your mouth.

“Good for you, son,” your dad says through chewing his food, earning a glare from your mother.

Jack chuckles out a thanks, kicking your foot under the table.

“Always my biggest fan, huh babe?” Jack looks over at you, the look in his eyes telling you to stop, you’re being obvious again.

“Well…it’s not just your good looks that won me over,” you attempt a joke, but it didn’t land very well.

Jack winces at how that sounded.

Realizing what you just said, with the current scrutiny surrounding Jack’s choice of career, you mentally palm your forehead.

“I need to use the restroom, excuse me,” you all but run away from the table.

You make your way to the small bathroom, collecting yourself and telling yourself you don’t have that long left of this torturous dinner.

When you exit the bathroom, you see Ben standing there, waiting for you to come out.

“So…is now a good time to tell you that I know you and Jack aren’t dating?” he asks you, an amused smile on his face.

Your body turns cold, every muscle frozen in place. How does he know? Has your act really been that bad?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you tell him, laughing nervously.

“Listen, you don’t have to hide it from me. I’m not here because I want to be set up with you. I’m here because I need my dad to still think I’m single,” he surprises you.

“Wait, you have a girlfriend?” you ask him, shock evident in your voice.

“Boyfriend, actually. But haven’t really broke that part to my parents yet.”

Your jaw drops, not believing that your parents are unknowingly trying to set you up with a gay man.

“Holy shit,” you start laughing, unable to hide stop your hand from shooting out to grip Ben’s arm. “I promise I’m not laughing because you’re gay. I’m laughing because my parents would die if they figured out the man they’re trying to set me up doesn’t even like girls.” You want to go over there and scream this piece of information into their faces, but know it’s not your place to out Ben.

“I hate when they try to set me up with people, and I thought it would stop since I moved away, but when they told me you were coming to dinner tonight I panicked and told them I was dating Jack because I didn’t want to have to dodge phone calls and ignore texts, again,” you bring your hand up to wipe the tears out of your eyes. “Who would’ve thought I didn’t even have to worry about it because there’s more of a chance you’d be attracted to my fake boyfriend than me.”

Ben laughs with you, allowing you to lean against him.

From the dinner table, Jack can hear your laughter, turning his head to see you leaning on Ben, the two of you being entirely too close for his liking.

“Well, looks like they’re getting along,” your mother tells your father, nodding her head in the direction of you and Ben.

Jack fully turns in his seat, watching how you talk animatedly with Ben, a large grin on your face as he returns it, looking down at you.

Something wicked swirls in Jack’s stomach, not enjoying watching you laugh with someone like you laugh with him.

He thinks back to all the times you’ve been around his apartment, complaining about the latest guy you were trying to meet up with canceling on you and how angry it makes him to see you upset. He thinks about how you always complain to him about dating apps, wishing you could just meet someone naturally, going on and on about having a ‘meet cute’ like your favorite rom coms and wondering why it always makes him think about how cute you looked trying to shove that big ass bookshelf into your apartment. He thinks about the time you brought a date to one of his games, the satisfaction of seeing you in his jersey almost enough to outweigh the sudden burst of anger he felt in the middle of the game, looking up to see his arm around your shoulders, hand resting a little too close to your chest for his comfort.

He thinks about how he’s always fending off his teammates and random men at bars, not trusting their intentions with you. And the looks that he catches Luke giving the two of you when you’re arguing, his favorite activity being getting you worked up, loving how red your ears get when he keeps firing sarcasm back at your anger.

He always assumed these feelings were a general protectiveness of you and enjoyment of being around you, almost like you were his sister, never once entertaining the idea that they could be more than that.

Until now, that is. Until you’re standing there in that dress, possibly the most beautiful he’s ever seen you, leaning all over another man when you asked him to come here with you. You asked him to be your fake boyfriend, not Mr. Big Time Lawyer.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go make sure my girlfriend is okay,” he tells your parents, dropping his cloth napkin on the table and scooting his chair back.

You’re still laughing with Ben, exchanging stories about the different set-ups your parents have tried on the two of you.

“You know, even though it’s very obvious you’re not dating, I do have to admit, I can see the feelings you two have for each other,” Ben tells you, changing the subject.

“Oh, no, we’re just friends,” you tell him, your cheeks flushing a bit.

Ben gives you a look, rolling his eyes. “Honey, anyone within a three-mile radius can see that that boy is smitten with you, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”

You look over at Jack who’s looking over at you and Ben.

“I don’t think so,” you shake your head, deciding you can trust Ben. “I mean, I definitely have feelings for him, have for a while, but he’s not the dating type,” you laugh. “Hell, he was worried about having to be my fake boyfriend, considering he hasn’t dated anyone in years. Anyways, the girls I see leaving his apartment most mornings says otherwise.”

“Haven’t you learned men are stupid? Someone usually has to tell them what they’re feeling. Show them what they’re missing out on,” he steps closer to you, the two of you only inches apart now. “Just like right now.”

You cock your head, confused at Ben’s words until you hear footsteps stomping towards you.

“Y/N, babe,” Jack spits out, anger radiating off of him, “can we go somewhere…private to talk?” he puts on a tight smile, watching Ben step back away from you.

“Uh, sure,” you tell him as he grabs your arm, gently leading you over to a secluded corner of the rooftop.

He stands in front of you, running his hands up his face before sweeping them through his hair.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asks, jutting his hand out in the direction you just came from.

“We were just-“

“You were ‘just’ flirting with the man your parents are trying to set you up with in front of their eyes when you brought me here to show them you’re not interested,” he interrupts you, frustration clear in his tone.

“Jack, you don’t understand, Ben is-“

“Perfect for you? Handsome? Your parent’s dream man for you? Better than me?” he cuts you off, his last statement taking you by surprise.

“Jack, where’s this coming from? Ben’s not better than you? What would ever make you think that?” your confusion turns to concern.

“Oh, don’t act all sad and worried now. Not when you were over here getting all close to Ben,” he waves his hands around, disgust lacing his voice as he said Ben’s name, “just mere seconds ago while I was sitting at the table with your parents, watching the whole thing and thinking about how much I love you!” he raises his voice, but not loud enough to disturb the people dining around you.

You’re so shocked at Jack’s words that you step back from him, not believing what you’re hearing.

“Jack, I-“ you start once more, but Jack’s voice cuts you off.

“I know I’m realizing this way too late, but dammit, Y/N, that man,” he points over to Ben, “is not the guy for you. I know I’ve just stood by and watched you try to go on date after date after date with men who weren’t right for you, but I think I was too scared to think about what my feelings meant. I’ve ran off so many men at bars its not even funny. Hell, I’ve told my own teammates you’re off limits, thinking I was just protecting you from getting hurt. But really, all I was doing was being selfish. I was keeping you all to myself while bringing random girls home every couple of nights after having drinks, only to kick them out first thing in the morning when I woke up and had a nasty feeling in my chest,” he pauses, his tone turning from stern to soft as he takes a step towards you.

“I’m realizing that feeling was disgust. Disgust at myself for filling my time with girls that don’t matter, girls that I would never be satisfied with because they weren’t you. I think part of me knew from the second I saw this crazy woman at the end of the hall, trying to push a bookshelf that had to outweigh her by at least a hundred pounds, through the tiny ass door of her apartment. It was confirmed when you agreed to come to my apartment and ate pizza while goofing off with my teammates, instantly clicking with every single one of them. It settled a little deeper when you showed up at my door after I had gotten home from being on the road, demanding we watch Quinn’s hockey game because it was time for you to study hockey. It was made permanent when you showed up to your first Devils game, my name and number on your back, eyes lit up in awe like it was Christmas morning,” he continues, causing tears to sting your eyes as he reaches over to cup your face in his hands.

“I ignored it for all of this time, because I think, deep down, I was scared of losing you. I was scared that you were going to see me as this dumb, jock hockey player that lived down the hall from you and let me down easy. I was scared you’d see how absolutely out of my league you are. I was scared to be vulnerable and admit that I was in love with you, because I couldn’t bear to think that you didn’t love me back,” his face is mere inches from yours. “But I’m tired of ignoring it. Seeing you, laughing with Ben, all pressed up against him like that, thinking that I might have already lost you before I even had the chance to have you, made me realize that I had to try. I had to at least…try,” he finishes, resting his forehead against yours.

The tears are fully streaming down your face at this point, not caring that you’re likely ruining the mascara you spent over fifteen minutes perfecting earlier.

“Jack, you stupid man, just kiss me already,” you whisper out, your breath fanning across his lips.

He smiles, lifting your chin up to press your lips together, sighing happily into the kiss.

You match his smile, making the kiss silly and sloppy, but you don’t care. His lips feel like they were made to fit in-between yours, the softness of them far better than you had imagined.

Pulling back from the kiss, you bring your hands up to rest on his wrists, his hands still holding your face.

“You know, if you had let me speak, I would have saved you the speech and informed you that Ben wasn’t trying to make a move on me, because Ben is gay and has a boyfriend,” Jack pulls back from you, allowing you to see the shocked expression on his face. “We were bonding over the amount of times our parents have tried to set us up with people just like this before, and then he was telling me how in love with each other we were. I was telling him how I definitely was in love with you, but I didn’t believe you were in love with me,” you laugh at Jack, the situation comical now.

“I- he’s gay?” is all Jack responds with.

You throw your head back, laughing at him. “That’s what you took away from what I just said?”

“Sorry, I just, wasn’t expecting it, is all,” he says, moving his hands to your neck, pushing your head back up to look at him.

“Oh, so you were expecting my love confession, then?” you tease him.

“Well, duh, you did ask me to be your fake boyfriend tonight,” Jack moves his hand to pinch your cheek.

“So…are you still? Fake, that is?” you ask him, placing your arms on his shoulders, clasping your hands around the back of his neck.

Jack looks down at you, the expression on his face something entirely new to you, but it’s one you can surely get used to.

“Ehh, I don’t know…ask me again the next time you need a buffer,” he shrugs, smirking at you.

You tug on a piece of his hair, causing him to hiss out.

“Geez, I’m kidding. Of course I’m your real boyfriend now. I gave you a monologue, we’re basically engaged at this point,” he jerks his head a bit, making your hands fall from his hair.

You know it’s a joke, but your cheeks heat at the implication anyways, Jack noticing your lack of response.

“Relax, I was just kidding. That’s at least three more surprise blind date dinners with your parents before we to that. I’ll even pull out a ‘fake’ ring and everything,” he winks, putting air quotes around the word fake.

As Jack enjoys the sound of your laugh, he steals a glance over at the table where your parents sit, surprised at the pleased look on your mom’s face and earning a slight nod from your dad.

He looks back down at you, face scrunched in laughter, thinking about how this night was worth way more than $20.

[gayelderstourney]

OLD MAN YAOI BRACKET ROUND 1

Propaganda:

Bob Zanotto/Helmut Fullbear:

THEY LITERALLY MADE MR CRY THE FIRST TIME I PLAYED THE GAME. THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH AND THEY FINALLY GET TO BE HAPPY TOGETHER. YOU DONT UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO ME.

they are married in canon and are epic and amazing. they had sad canon events where bob thought helmut was dead for like 30 years or something but helmut WASN'T dead his brain was still alive and they are reunited in the game first by way of stealing an evil dictator's body and then later on they put helmut's brain in a ball as a temporary fix while they go out to find his body which has been frozen in ice. the game forces you to walk through bob's memory of saying his vows at their wedding ceremony and it's seriously some of the most romantic and heartwarming shit i've ever heard, especially "just when i thought i was turning to seed, you made me bloom again" like my god. i love them

they're gay and old as hell!!!! there's a level dedicated to their wedding!!!

Helmut is voiced by Jack Black and is currently a brain in a ball, and Bob knows him so well that the mental image of him in his drunken mind says things Bob KNOWS the real Helmut would never say. Also Helmut is temporarily in the body of a guy voiced by Elijah Wood-

Craig Cuttlefish/DJ Octavio:

well you see they used to be friends but were on opposite sides of the great turf war. cuttlefish gets a 14 year old to go stop octavios army. also they argue in splatoon 3 which is just part of the 100+ year divorce arc BUT AT THE FINAL BOSS IN THE JAPANESE VERSION THEY SHARE THE ICONIC LINE THAT CUES THE CALAMARI INKANTATION AND IN THE ENGLISH CUTTLEFISH TELLS OCTAVIO TO "HIT IT" AND START THE MUSIC AND MUSIC IS SO IMPORTANT TO THE SPLATOON UNIVERSE YAAAAA ik its grasping but its lovers to enemies

Literally I have seen so many people call this old man yaoi.

Old men divorce!!!

They're old men who made their divorce the problem of every young person in their lives <3. 100 years ago during the Great Turf War between inklings and octarians, Craig and Octavio were the chosen ambassadors of their respective species. They got along well, but unfortunately found themselves on opposite sides of the war. During one of the battles Craig shot Octavio in the heart. The inlkings won the war and the octarians were forced underground. For years afterward both men grew bitter towards each other, and eventually Octavio attacked the new Squidbeak Splatoon (a group of secret agents recruited by Craig). Octavio lost both times and got imprisoned in a giant snow globe (and Craig calls him cute). In the latest game Octavio got over his hatred for Inklings (Craig's species) and used his flying mech to help defeat the BBEG of the game. After the final fight, Craig said something to the effect of 'that old rascal turned out to be not so bad!'.

Alright ok hear me out! These two old men have fought in wars for their races against each other and have the craziest pathetic old man homoerotic tension ever. They like, went from at least respecting each other before the war and then they were forced to fight each other and then when Cuttlefish's side won, Octavio went underground like a pathetic lil wet cat and later on he kidnapped Cuttlefish because of game related reasons and both of them still have way too much homoerotic tension!!! And then Octavio gets owned and then in the second game Octavio decides that "Hey actually, lets kidnap Cuttlefish's granddaughter" and the old man isnt even there cause hes busy being a pathetic old man in the under-underground!!! And in the third game they go fron rival/enemies to reluctantly working together to save the world from actual extinction bc some durry bitch wants to cover it in fuzzy ooze and like, both of them have so much old man ship potential and just- theyre still pining for each other even after over a 100 years man,,,,

I personally headcanon Cap'n Cuttlefish as homophobic, but I see the ship a lot and think it's funny.

They’re both at least like 125 probably a bit older, they are so divorced, like peak lovers to enemies back to lovers, Cap’n Cuttlefish calls Octavio cute in Splatoon one immediately after you rescue him from Octavio kidnapping him? So dysfunctional, so gay, so old

They fought in the Great Turf War which was said to be over 100 years ago, Capn Cuttlefish was, well, a captain I believe (he had some sort of rank even if he wasn't a captain, like he led a battle that's singled out in the sunken scrolls of the first game). they act so divorced in the singleplayer mode like they cannot stop insulting each other specifically but octavio always comes back and like kidnaps or insults captain cuttlefish it's so. and when the great zapfish gets stolen in splatoon 3 captain cuttlefish is like "it's the octarians again i know it" like divorced behavior. also it wasn't this time and octavio gets super weird about it. maybe you should stop using children as props in your drama though.

my favorite war crime divorcees <3

They basically are friends to enemies to lovers. Both of them fought in a war that hurt DJ Octavio so bad he can’t become an inkling.

friends -> enemies -> lovers. what more is there to say

they are soooo divorced

they were so gay their breakup ended a war

Craig Cuttlefish got sucked dry by a bear

they got divorced but then they got remarried . they fuckinf hate eachother but they also make out sloppy style and i do not know how that works because neither of them have mouths in their swim form which they are both permanently stuck in. love wins but also loses at the same time with these fucking losers

they are sooo divorced omg. istg they were dating when they were younger and then war n shit happened and now theyre bitter exes who probably still make out sometimes. Makes it so much funnier that theyre old ass men (both over 100!) and Cuttlefish has grandkids

They were on opposite sides of a war and still fell in love

[andi-kook]

DEAD KIDS ✦ Chapter 2

SUMMARY: A group of university students kidnaps their rich batchmate for ransom. However, things take a darker turn when the new recruit grows a dangerous obsession with the captive and all hell breaks loose.

PAIRING: Jungkook x Fem!Reader

GENRE: Slow burn Yandere, Crime AU

WARNINGS: Not suitable for audiences below 18. Please do not engage with the story if you are underage. WATCH OUT FOR: dark and morally corrupt characters, foul language, mention of Catholicism, slut shaming and objectification of women, mention of inappropriate relationship between professor/student, mentions and depiction of “rape” and “rape fantasy” throughout the story, masturbation, threats, MC has an NSFW blog with hard kinks and fantasies, non consensual touching. Overall, this is a disturbing chapter – based on my standards – so if you are not comfortable with these topics, do not proceed. Inspired by the film, Dead Kids (2019).

TAGLIST: @hopeworldsupremacy @aliajomarie011 @ackercute @tatumrileyslover @ane102 @jjk174 @dontcallmeelle @merrygo1427 @taekritimin123 @r1r111 @gguksfilter @coralmusicblaze

If I didn’t tag you – either your blog doesn’t exist according to Tumblr or because you did not show your age in your blog. Thank you!

ANDI: I send my love to the beautiful souls who sent me asks about Dead Kids as well as these equally beautiful souls – @.taekritimin123 @.hellbornsworld @.tinytangerineangel @.namjesusdaughter – for commenting on Chapter 1. I cannot express just how much I appreciate your words. I would have tagged you directly, but I wasn’t sure if you would want that. But I wanted to show my appreciation.

WORD COUNT: 3K

“Why did you really want to take her?” Jungkook asks Namjoon as they sit and eat the ramen he cooked around the living area. Beside him, Yoongi and Hoseok are fast asleep, the latter clutching onto the former’s arm like it’s his plushie while the former has his head thrown against the headrest.

Namjoon, who is seated on the other makeshift sofa, gulps down the soup from his ramen before letting out a satisfied sigh and wipes his mouth with the back of his mouth. “How many times do we have to say that we kidnapped Y/N for ransom?”

“I’m not stupid, Namjoon,” Jungkook says. “We’re already tied to this shit until the ransom drop. The least you can do is be upfront on why you did this in the first place. I’m not taking a bullet for you or anyone.”

The buzz-cut haired man leans his back against the sofa, which unlike his premium one, is built from scratch by Jungkook using old wood and cases of beers around the warehouse. He gazes at Jungkook for a while, studying him while swimming in his own thoughts. The tattooed man wonders if Namjoon is contemplating telling him the truth. He wonders if the two sleeping men beside him also knew the truth.

They claim to have been friends since the fourth grade, but does time really make you know a person inside out?

“My father didn’t used to be the way he is now – corrupt. Growing up, I looked up to him because of how honest and upstanding he was as a cop. I knew he did some off-the-books shit, but he still had a moral compass, still had lines he didn’t cross. But then he met Y/N’s father, Kim Seokjin, when I was ten. Suddenly, everything changed,” Namjoon narrates, letting out a scoff as he shakes his head and rubs his palms on his baggy jeans. “He went from being a great husband and father to my mother and I to a complete asshole. We didn’t have religion but after meeting Kim Seokjin, we were suddenly Catholics, attending church with his family every Sunday. I was baptized and Kim Seokjin became my godfather. But the worst part was seeing him erase all the lines he drew and swore never to cross when he began to use his position as a detective and then eventually sergeant to now the chief of the entire police force in Seoul to protect Kim Seokjin and his criminal empire.”

Jungkook inhales deeply. “So, kidnapping Y/N is you taking on revenge against Kim Seokjin for corrupting your father? It is personal. It’s never about the money?”

“Of course, the money is important and integral to the plan. But yes, you are correct – I want to avenge my father from Kim Seokjin by hitting him where I know it will hurt the most: his only daughter, Y/N.”

“You promised that we are not going to hurt her,” Jungkook counters immediately.

Namjoon doesn’t say anything.

“Namjoon,” Jungkook clicks his tongue. “If you do that – what makes you different than Kim Seokjin?”

“Why are you so protective of her?” Namjoon asks pointedly. “What? Just because she gave you a boner, you’re suddenly fucking in love with her? Don’t think I didn’t notice. We all did. Yoongi is right – drop the morally upright act, Jeon. You’re just as demented as we are. The moment you agreed to this plan, you’re just as fucked up.”

The sudden call out makes Jungkook turn crimson and Namjoon smirks, placing his leg over the other. “Don’t worry – unlike you, I don’t judge people. To each our own. If shit like that turns you on, then that’s on you. Why don’t you take the opportunity to act on it?”

His eyes widen, shocked and disgusted. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Jungkook knows exactly what Namjoon is talking about, but he is completely aghast at the insinuation.

The de facto leader only widens his smirk, pulling out his packet of cigarettes and lighter from the front pocket of his large, oversized coat. “You know what I’m talking about, Jeon. A pretty naked girl tied to a chair in your warehouse – it’s perfectly normal to feel aroused by such sight. We won’t judge you if you just get it over and done with.”

“You’re more than fucked up,” Jungkook hisses, face flushed and veins popping out on his neck. “I’m not going to fucking touch her.”

Namjoon lights the cigarette in between his lips. Then, he inhales, and smoke leaves his lips as he replies, “Why not? Y/N is a dirty slut who fucks her married professor with kids her age after church and dinner every Sunday night and more – I bet you all my cut that she’s not going to resist you because she’s probably into fucking someone having their own way with her. No, in fact, I can tell you she’s going to enjoy it.”  

Jungkook feels hot. Images of your naked trembling body and whimpering pleas filling his mind and ears.

“She has a blog, you know? A secret blog where she writes these fantasies and kinks she has. Posts her nudes on there too. Do you wanna know what is one fantasy she keeps on writing about?”

“No, I really don’t,” Jungkook says through gritted teeth.

“It’s a rape fantasy, Jungkook. What a fucking dirty slut she is, right? I bet she’s fucking wet right now at the thought, at the anticipation that one of us or all of us are going to have our ways with her. I bet she’s aching to be touched. I bet she wants you to rape her, Jungkook. So, why not just do it?”

He stands up in a jolt, hitting his knee on the makeshift table he made from old tires and steel roof and stammering some excuse that he needs to go the bathroom or air – he can’t remember. Jungkook finds himself in his room, back pressed against the door. His shirt sticks to his skin because of the sweat, and he takes it off, leaving it discarded on the floor. Namjoon’s words mixed with the flashing images of your perky nipples, smooth skin, sound of your whimpers, pleas, your smell – it makes him hard. Harder than he’s ever been.

Before he knows it, Jungkook is unbuttoning his jeans, pulling it down along with his boxers, his erection springing free. He spits on his palm before he begins stroking his length, shuddering at the touch, making his mouth dry. He presses the back of his head against the door, eyes closed as he imagines you on your knees – like you were with the professor – those lips around his shaft, head bobbing as you suck him dry. He imagines hearing your moans, imagines his dick hitting the back of your throat as you go deeper and beg him to fuck your mouth like a whore. Jungkook’s stroking himself faster. He imagines hearing you gag as he fucks your mouth, not stopping even when you’re clearly suffocating. Then, he cums, toes curling and a guttural groan escaping his lips.

As he comes back from his high, Jungkook stares at the white sticky substance covering his hand and cock. He just jerked off to you, a girl they kidnapped, and he knows it won’t be the last time.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Yoongi hisses at him the moment he comes back from his room, showered and changed into more comfortable clothes.

Jungkook deliberately ignores the stare of Namjoon and flops on the seat beside Hoseok who is eating the remaining ramen. “Why the fuck do you care?”

“I’m going to punch this kid, I swear to God,” Yoongi grumbles, rolling his eyes. “We’re making the ransom call, you dumb fuck. Or rather, you are.”

Jungkook furrows his brows. “What? Why me?”

“Every one of us here has already encountered Y/N’s father at least once. The man remembers everyone he encounters. You’re the only exception,” Namjoon explains as he hands you a black phone. “It’s a burner phone, untraceable. I took it from my dad. And this is what you’re going to say – make sure you sound intimidating at least. Put it on speaker too.”

Namjoon places his phone on the makeshift table and Jungkook clicks his tongue. “The deal was you only use my warehouse. So far, you got me doing far more than that.”

“Do you want 25 million or not?” Yoongi asks, crossing his arms over his chest. “Cos if you do, you better start calling Kim Seokjin.”

I’m going to punch you soon, Jungkook tells himself before he unlocks the phone and goes to the contact list where Kim Seokjin’s name is the only one listed. He takes a deep breath, going over the script on Namjoon’s phone before clicking on the contact and putting the call on speaker. The ringing sound echoes throughout the warehouse. The tension is palpable again, like it was back in the car earlier that night.

After a few more rings, Kim Seokjin’s voice fills the warehouse. It’s light but a hint of roughness and irritation is noticeable right away.

“Who is this?”

Jungkook licks his lips as he read the script in front of him. “We have your daughter. If you want to see her alive, prepare 100 million won and bring it to 2020 this Friday night. Otherwise, the next time you’ll see her is on the news, dead.”

Hoseok covers his mouth to keep himself from laughing while Yoongi stares hard at the phone. Namjoon, on the other hand, is relaxed on his seat, smoking.

“You sound young, boy,” Seokjin remarks. “You are not the first person to call me in the middle of the night asking for ransom. Do you really have any idea what you’re doing?”

Namjoon motions for him to repeat what he just said.

“If you want to see her alive, prepare 100 mill—,”

“Don’t you think I would be able to find my daughter faster than you could ever imagine? Do you know who you’re talking to?”

That triggers Jungkook. He’s been hearing that question – that discrimination his entire life and he’s sick of it. He’s fucking sick of it.

“I don’t give a fuck who you are. Either you give us 100 million in exchange for your whore of a daughter or I will personally make you watch as we do everything we want with her, make you watch as she begs you to make it stop, make you listen as she takes her last breath before I fucking slit her throat so deep her head nearly decapitates. You have until Friday night – and you better make sure the police don’t get involved. Don’t fucking ask me who the fuck you are again.”

He ends the call, gripping the phone tightly.

“What the fuck was that? Why the hell didn’t you stick to the script?! Are you trying to get us all a one way ticket to prison?!” Yoongi exclaims.

“Did you not hear what he’s saying? He caught on that we are fucking amateurs. I saved our asses – you should be fucking grateful,” Jungkook snaps, clenching his jaw. “If you didn’t want me to do the call, maybe the three of you should have done it yourselves. Fucking useless bastards.”

“Hey! What did you say?” Hoseok stands, pushing Jungkook by placing his hands on his chest. “Who are you calling useless, huh?”

“Who do you think?” He scoffs.

“Let’s fucking kill this son of a bitch, Hobi.”

“Gladly.”

“Enough,” Namjoon says sternly. “No one is going to kill anyone. Not amongst ourselves. What Jungkook did is right, Yoongi. Jungkook saved our asses. And you,” He turns to the long-haired man, glaring at him. “Mind your fucking tone and language with us. We’re not fucking useless. Remember that we recruited you. Not the other way around. If anyone should be grateful to someone, it’s you. We’re the reason you’ll get out of this shit hole.”

Nobody says a word.

“It’s getting late. Let’s gather here tomorrow after our classes. Just go about your usual days until the drop. Don’t be suspicious,” The de facto leader reminds. “Jungkook, keep an eye out, okay? Don’t forget to check in on our little friend from time to time. Make sure she’s still breathing.” He smirks as he pats his shoulder on his way out.

Yoongi and Hoseok follow suit. Once Jungkook hears Namjoon driving off his – rather his aunt’s – property, he resigns to the sofa behind him. He buries his face into his hands. Five days. You’ll be stuck with him at the warehouse for five fucking days. Granted, he has classes to attend to, so he won’t be at home all day, but he’s sure you won’t leave his mind wherever he goes.

The phone in his hand buzzes and he stares at the new notification on the screen – a text message from an unknown number. Jungkook unlocks the phone, goes to the messaging app, and clicks on the new text.

avirgins1ut on tumblr if you wanna read some things tonight

“Fuck you, Namjoon,” Jungkook mutters under his breath. However, when he goes to his room, grabs his shitty phone and opens his data – he installs the app despite knowing it will consume almost all the remaining gigabytes he has left.

Jungkook lies down on his bed and creates his profile. He doesn’t bother customizing it, going straight to your blog which is all black and hot pink. Instantly, he’s drawn to your profile picture – a simple mirror shot of you hiding your bare chest with your arms, head tilt slightly to the side and a black panty covering your cunt. He swallows the lump in his throat as he scrolls down, reading your pinned post:

“Hey. You can call me Angel. I’m 23 years old. This blog is filled with all my fantasies and kinks, sometimes my nudes. Feel free to send me yours too.

My kinks: cnc, free use, somnophilia, spit, slapping, marking, choking, daddy, and more.

My favorite fantasies: rape play, kidnapped, kept as sex slave, knife/gun play, forced gangbang, and more – why don’t you help me unlock those? DMs and asks open for all your threats and nudes.

Update: already got myself a master/daddy. Asks and messages are off.”

As he scrolls further down your blog, Jungkook doesn’t even realize he already has his hand wrapped around his dick as he masturbates to your the latest fantasy you wrote albeit months ago.

I can’t stop masturbating to this dark fantasy of mine – being raped by someone so brutally after they kidnap me. How they would keep me chained to the bed, always naked so they can easily rape me whenever and however they want. They would mock me whenever I would tell them to stop (“You shouldn’t have worn those skirts if you didn’t want to be raped. But you did. So, this isn’t rape. You were clearly asking for this like some depraved filthy bitch in heat. You’re fucking loving this, don’t you? Isn’t this what you want?”) and choke me as they pound into my wet and clenching pussy relentlessly. They would slap and spit on my face, abusing my cunt for hours until I’m full of theirs and their friends’ cum whom they called to let them have a taste of their new toy.

They would rape me day in and out until my body gets so used to it that I start asking for it – crying and begging to be fucked. “Shh, angel, daddy’s going to fuck you, okay? Don’t cry.” Slowly, I would forget all my autonomy and identity, wholly submitting myself to them because I was never my own in the first place – I was always theirs.

“Fuck, Y/N!” His entire body shakes as he cums again. Jungkook can’t stop – he wants to read more, see more as you posted a picture of your cum covered cunt at the end of the post and he imagines it’s his. But he gets a notification that he is out of data and Jungkook slams his phone on his bed, frustrated beyond bounds. He is still hard. He still wants to see more of you, read more of your fantasies.

Namjoon’s words echo in his mind. I bet she’s fucking wet right now at the thought, at the anticipation that one of us or all of us are going to have our ways with her. I bet she’s aching to be touched. I bet she wants you to rape her, Jungkook. So, why not just do it?”

And before he knows it – he is standing across from your limp body. You’re still unconscious – sack over your head, tied and bound on the metal chair. Jungkook walks towards you, gently touching your shoulders to see if you would react but you don’t. He bites his lower lip as his eyes fall on your naked chest. He reaches down to trace its curves before ultimately cupping one breast in hand, fondling, squeezing, twisting the nipple and pinching it. No response.

He begins to stroke himself as he continues to fondle your breasts. This is wrong, but why does it feel so good?

“F-Fucking slut, you’re asking for this,” Jungkook hisses through his teeth. He’s not going to last any longer – not when those perky nipples are so inviting and moments later, he cums all over tits. He’s panting, an exhilarating feeling he hasn’t felt before rising within him as he stares at your cum covered chest. He swallows, breathing heavily. Should he stop now or keep going? He doesn’t have data anymore, but he does have the real thing right in front of him. But you twitch and he jumps in surprise. Suddenly, the realization of his actions washes upon him. He feels a coil in his stomach. What has he done? He scrambles out of the room and dash straight to the bathroom where he extensively washes his hand and splashes cold water on his face. Then, he throws himself on his thin mattress, staring at the ceiling as he pants. Namjoon is right – he’s just as fucked up as they are.

CHAPTER 3 is coming soon.

TAGLIST: Wanna be part of Dead Kids’ taglist? Fill out this form and don’t forget to read the short note in order for me to tag you.

ANDI: I do not condone the behaviors exhibited in this story. The characters of Jungkook, Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok do not reflect who they are in real life. Fanfiction is just fanfiction. I have no schedule in writing – I write whenever I can. Please try to refrain from sending asks about updates (or at least be kind and polite about it) and let me know your feedbacks instead as they help a lot in motivation and inspiration! 🦉

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © ANDI-KOOK 2024. NO PART OF THIS STORY MAY BE REPRODUCED, TRANSLATED, MODIFIED, EDITED, REPOSTED AND THE LIKES WITHOUT THE AUTHOR’S PERMISSION.

[wingedjellyfishflight]

A Forgotten Birthday

"How old is y/n then?" The new recruit is always trying to flirt with Soap by asking him gossip and facts about the team.

"Twenty-six." He answers her so easily. It feels like a stab to your heart all over again.

"Twenty-seven." You correct, voice conspicuously devoid of emotion.

"No, your birthday isn't until May, and it's..." His face pales. He whips around to look at you. "We missed it. How did we miss it?" You shrug, not meeting his eyes.

"Some things just aren't important." Your food tastes like sawdust. You give up trying to eat and toss it in the trash on the way out. Maybe hitting the gym will help. No, you know he's going to tell everyone, and you don't want to deal with their pity-filled stares and questions about making it up to you now that they've finally remembered.

Running the trail system near the base is a favorite of yours normally. Today, it isn't relaxing, but anger-inducing. You were on a mission in a forest just like this across the world for your birthday. It was almost two weeks after the day that you got back, and you eagerly waited for the surprise party that Soap, Gaz, and Price always set up for each person's birthday, but... nothing. After three weeks, you gave up all hope for one and steeled yourself to give nothing away. Can't let them see you hurt over a stupid birthday. Can't make the team lose focus or lose your own. You're an adult, after all.

Zoned out, you don't realize how far you have run until it's nearly too dark to see the path. Sitting on a stump, you give in and have a cry about the whole thing. Self-pity taking you over for just a few minutes. Wiping your eyes, you startle when a hand touches your back. You leap up and move to a defensive crouch only to see Ghost's balaclava looming out of the darkness at you.

"Luv, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing. Just, I don't know. Needed a cry, I guess. Didn't think anyone would see me."

"You certainly didn't see anyone. I've been running behind you for nearly five minutes. I could have been anyone. You need to be more aware of things." Your hurt and confusion turns to anger at the lecture he is spouting off.

"Ya, I guess I do need to be more aware. Clearly, I am the problem." You stomp away from him, starting back to base, muttering to yourself about transfers to other teams who might care more. Ghost wraps his hand around your arm and pulls you to a stop.

"What, I make one comment, and you're just going to quit on us? What is actually going on, pet? Someone piss you off or something? Do I need to knock teeth out?"

"I... everyone forgot," you mumble. Ghost glances around to ensure you're alone and tugs you against his chest, rubbing your back. "I was in the shit and when I got back, nobody remembered my birthday." He freezes, hands cradling you.

"They forgot? How could they forget? Your birthday is always at the beginning of the mission season. I thought you guys had it when I was down range. I was gutted to have missed it. Sent you flowers as a sorry." His grip tightens to an almost painful level, and you grip back, remembering the beautiful bouquet that had been left for you without a note. "We will just have to make Soap and Captain pay for forgetting then." You glance up and see his eyes glimmering at you in the moonlight.

"We should probably find our way home first."

"Home, that sounds good." His phone suddenly goes off, making you jump. "Group text. 'SOS emergency meeting. Do not tell y/n.' They ain't even tryin' to be subtle at this point." He guides the two of you down the path, walking quick and assured. Within minutes, he is getting an avalanche of phone calls and texts to the point that he is tempted to throw it into the woods around you, but you turn it off and slip it into his pocket for him.

"Last time you threw one and broke it, Captain said he would glue the new one to your hand, and I'm pretty sure he was serious." Ghost ruffles your hair.

"That was a private meeting, Luv. How did you hear him say that?"

You scoff. "You'd be lucky if the entire fuckin' base didn't hear him tell you that with how loud he was shouting." He just chuckles and guides you both home. He drops you off at the women's barracks and storms into the team meeting, slamming the door into the wall.

"Finally you show up! We forgot y/n's birthday and we are planning a party to make up for it."

"No. You are not."

"What?! We can't just ignore it. We forgot! It's been months!"

"You're not going to force her to accept a pity party to make you feel better about what you did."

"Ghost, I know you hate parties, but she still deserves to know we care."

"So, show her. Before she makes good on transferring out. But no party. I will handle her party from now on since you fucks can't be trusted to remember." He walks out without another word, the room behind him in chaos.

"Why is he acting like he didn't forget, too?" Gaz asks incredulously.

"Because the bawbag didn't. He sent the mystery flowers that made her cry. It was right after he got back from down range. Can't believe I didn't catch it earlier."

Price stubs out his cigar. "So, no party. And she is thinking about leaving. We really cocked this one up, boys." He stands and walks to the door, pausing on the threshold. "No flowers, no gifts. Make it up to her. And Soap," he turns to look the Scottish man in the eye, "sleep with one eye open. Ghost is absolutely going to make us pay for making her cry." He walks away, no pep in his step, now.

"Cry? How does he know she cried?" Gaz seems baffled by the Captain's surety.

"Course she cried. Everyone does when they are forgotten or abandoned."

"Ghost doesn't, though. We never celebrate his birthday."

"We being the key there, mate. Remember last month when she shoved a new set of gloves and a mask at him? Told him the ones he was wearing were manky as fuck. That was his birthday gift." He runs a hand through his hair. "Anyway, I'm off. Need t'think about how I'm gonna beg forgiveness from both of 'em."

[victoria-grimesss]

tear you apart - part V

masterlist

->Pairing: König x fem!reader

->Words: 2.4K

->Warning: MDNI!, fluff, König is in love, soft sensual romantic smut, somnophilia, oral (female receiving) 

->A/N: Not as long as the other parts but I have big plans for the next one :)

The ride back to the base is uneventful, well not as eventful as the ride there. You chat and learn more about König and he learns about you. You share each other's favorite food and movie genre. You hold hands like a real couple and he brings your hand to his covered mouth to kiss it. 

The romantics end at the entrance of the base. He’s a gentleman and carries your bag back to your room, he leaves with a hand on your hip and a whisper of promises later, then returns to his. No-one seemed to notice you were gone and you were fine with that. 

The afternoon light filters through your window and there’s a thin layer of dust on the dresser, you note to clean later before inspections, not that you use your room often anymore.

When you leave your room, König plays heavily on your mind. He says such sweet things to you, and his actions prove his words. Hard to believe this is all real sometimes.

The gym is buzzing at this time, a group of new recruits train at the sparring mats, that’s marked with a flag in your mind where König first touched you. Now it’s a bunch of newbies scrambling and thrashing around. 

You start at one of the machines and you amuse yourself by watching the new people work, your time flows by.

The locker room is just as busy, it’s a bit irritating to bump into other sweaty people when you just want to shower. 

The warm water soothes your muscles and you close your eyes and imagine you’re back at König’s place. You’d rather be there. You imagine settling down with him, kicking up your feet beside him and watching some cheesy movie cuddled up. Maybe you’d get a couple chickens, plant some veggies, watch him chop wood…

Some other women laugh loudly outside the shower door and you snap back to where you are, not in his cozy hillside cabin with a meadow, you’re in the military shower with something suspicious growing in the corner. Your feet squeak in the shower shoes, you shut off the water and you towel dry off, dressing quickly.

—

The intercom goes off overhead, your name and König’s are listed as are a few others to meet in the briefing room. Your hair is still damp and pulled tightly into a bun when you enter the room, König isn't here yet but your captain and a few others are seated.

You greet your captain and sit, preparing for the meeting.

König enters,

All eyes shift on him, he is in charge after all and that thought has you buzzing with pride. Top of the food chain and he's all yours, the others don’t know he took you to his private home and kissed every part of you. They don’t know how many nights he’s taken you in this building. Sure, they know the surface level facts, it’s frowned upon, your relationship. But who in the world is going to go against König. Who would dare approach him, look him dead in the eyes and tell him he can’t be with the woman he loves? 

No-one.

So you sit a little straighter, your hands crossed on the table as you sit pretty and await his every word. His eyes haven't left you since he entered so he knows. 

“There is intel that needs to be gathered in an enemy targeted area, the people present in the room have been declared as more competent for the job.”

He goes on to explain the job and what will happen, in and out.

Next week you, along with the others will be shipped out. It’s your first mission since transfer and being alongside König eases your nerves and boosts your confidence in the team.

His eyes flit to you every now and then and you meet them, he speaks confidently, shoulders back and head high he towers over all else. You’re in love.

“Dismissed.”

Everyone stands and leaves the room besides König and you, serving a hot dish of deja-vu.

You walk slower to the open door and you wait before leaving and he of course shoots a hand out to block you, his eyes are humorous.

“Haven't we done this before?” You tease.

“Ah and this time is more delightful than the last.” His other hand is on your hip now his thumb moving circles.

One of your hands moves to his chest, you eye the hallway to make sure you’re free of watchers.

“That was nice, seeing your place.”

“Yea? I’ll take you again soon, promise.”

His eyes burn into yours and your mind swims with thoughts of him.

“You kill me you know?” He’s smiling under his mask.

“Really? How so?”

“Each moment I am away from you I yearn to be with you. When I entered this room I only saw you. I have never encountered someone who has enraptured me and you do. I am confident in your ability in the field but I still worry.”

Your hand moves up and strokes his shoulder.

“I’ll have you by my side, as well as an amazing team you put together. No need to worry my love.”

He glides his hand smoothly for your hip to your waist.

“You’re right Schatz.”

He ponders for a minute and holds you close, his nose resting on the top of your head as he inhales and files your scent away in his memory. He’s a highly trained military colonel, he’s seen loss on a large scale and seen so many coffins enter the ground. It makes sense to have you on this mission but he’s sure he’ll have trouble sleeping.

“I hate to part with you but I have much to do before we leave. Look over the file ok? Be ready.” 

He leaves you with a kiss to your hand under the mask, and you savor it.

—

It’s raining when you’re out in the courtyard this time, not as cold as when you first got here but there’s still a bite with the wind. Your hood is over your head and you just stand in the rain feeling it hit your jacket and roll off. The sun has set by now and most are asleep or in the mess-hall, you always take every little thing in, soak up each small quality life gives you before a mission. The way the air smells when it rains, smells the same as the body wash you got König, he says it’s his favorite now and you wonder if it’s just because it was a gift. 

“Schatz.”

König approaches arms outstretched to you and you enter them, enveloped in the smell of him and the way the rain hits his helmet and glides off, never even hitting you.

“Standing out in the rain you’re going to get sick.”

“You don’t actually believe that do you?” 

You laugh into his chest.

“Ah, well you hear something from your mother for so many years you start believing it.” He sounds deep in thought.

“Come, let’s get to bed yea?”

His hand on the small of your back guides you to his room where you spend each night. 

“I’m going to shower, I’ll be out momentarily.”

You hum in agreement and once he’s in the bathroom you strip and throw on one of his shirts and crawl into bed. 

You’re not mad or upset you haven't seen his face yet. You’ve seen every other part of him besides that and he’s expressed before he would show himself when he’s ready and you would wait a million years.

You sometimes daydream when you wake up before him and watch him sleep what lays under the mask. His eyes are blue and his eyebrows are lighter, you’ve felt his lips and you close your eyes and paint an image of him and each one is more perfect than the last.

He opens the door and steam surrounds him,

He wears that plain black mask as before, no shirt, and seductive gray sweatpants. 

“Scoot.” 

He pulls the covers back and you make room for him, awaiting his arrival. 

“You know.. where I’m from, gray sweatpants on a guy is equivalent to women's lingerie.” 

You smirk at him and your eyes rake over him as he lies besides you.

“Really? Well, I hope you’re enjoying my apparel then.” 

He’s amused at your words. You yawn and stretch cuddling into his side.

“Very much so, I’m always checking you out.”

He strokes your hair until you fall asleep in his arms, the rain outside soothing both of you.

—

You’re dreaming.

You’re in a field of lavender, the smell is all-encompassing, and the sun shines bright, there's a slight breeze but not enough to be an annoyance. Then you feel it, warmth and wetness down below. You’re on your knees like you were at König’s place. You look down and he’s there laid underneath you licking so softly you could cry. His eyes are locked on you as you start to rock your hips on his mouth. 

He hums and closes his eyes, hands holding even tighter on your thighs. 

You roll your hips again and the tip of his nose brushes you and you whine. 

He’s bracing you down on top of him like if you leave he’ll die. 

You moan and rock and he licks and sucks until you’re throwing your head back.

You gasp awake König’s name leaving your mouth so fluidly and loudly you feel like you’ve come through water up for air. Your hands fly down to his head and you try to push him away, the stimulation being too much but he growls and holds you close.

“Fuck König please, I can’t.-

“You will.”

He hardly sucks in any air as he speaks before diving back in.

He slips a finger in and removes his mouth looking at you writhing in his sheets.

“You just looked so good, so beautiful in my bed you can't blame me for it. I kissed your head, then your cheek and neck and I kept kissing you lower and wanted to make you feel the love you give to me each day. I want to keep you satisfied and happy.”

You’re hiccupping and whining, hips bucking as he strokes the spot within you and makes you melt. 

“You look even better like this, with my fingers deep inside you I can feel how my words affect you, feel how you get tighter when I say how good you are for me.”

You clench around him and he sounds satisfied, smug even. 

He latches his mouth back onto you and your foot catches on his shoulder to push him away but his hand is placed in the crook of your knee and he holds your leg back, it gives him even more access to you and he takes pleasure in diving in further. 

His breathing is ragged, and he sounds more desperate than you do. Maybe he is, because his hips drag themselves on the bed trying to relieve some of the tension within him.

You cum again on his tongue and he only then drags himself back, his mouth leaves burning kisses up your body again and you kiss him passionately, arms wrapping around his neck and he takes off his clothes and helps you discard of yours as well.

You lie with him naked and willing.

The rain is beating on the window and roof and the room is stuffy but you just want him.

“König please.”

“I know mein liebling I know.”

He kisses your neck softly as he enters you and you both sigh in relief.

He seats himself inside you fully, both of his forearms braced beside you, caging you in and your eyes meet as he raises his head from your neck.

His movements are slow as he savors the way he slides out of you nearly all the way and then enters back agonizingly slow.

“God, you hear that? Hear how wet you are fuuck.”

And you do hear it, his slow movements only amplifying it. His left hand cups your face and you kiss his thumb that's stroking lines from your cheek to your lips. 

His other hand caresses you sweetly finding purchase on your leg as he hooks it on his hip to find himself deeper within you. You moan into his mouth as he captures it with his. His tongue enters your mouth and his hand once at your hip laces his fingers with yours and places it next to your head.

His pace grows faster and your moans in his mouth grow louder and you both grip each-others hands tighter. 

He pulls away to look at you as he feels you getting tighter around him.

“I live for you, you know that right? I breath for you, I wake up and only think of you, and when we leave I will kill any man or woman that will try to take you from me, you’re so strong and so beautiful Mein Herz you fulfill me.”

Tears brim your eyes, not from pain but from true unadulterated love.

The overstimulation, approaching orgasm and König looking at you like that after saying things like that bring you to say what you long thought.

“Fuck König I love you.”

His pace stutters and he throbs within you and you clench once more before you both are reaching the end at the same time. 

“Fuck fuck fuck I love you too Y/N, god more than life itself I love you.” 

He says it through gasps and groans and he kisses you so hard afterwards your head is spinning. 

You breathe into each other then you laugh, and then he does.

He kisses your face in a million places.

I love you. A kiss to your forehead. I love you. A kiss to your nose. I love you.

He pulls back and you see him smiling, his teeth exposed and eyes nearly closed with how hard he’s smiling.

He hugs you tightly, he never wants to let go.

“Meine Liebe, du bist diejenige, ich werde dich eines Tages heiraten.”

You don’t know what he said, the German he’s teaching you is still juvenile but you’ll get there.

“I love you.” 

You say it again, it feels good.

His eyes are filled with stars.

“That sounds beautiful coming from your mouth, I never want to stop hearing it ok? I love you too.”

Another night ends, staved off the looming thought of the mission and all the possibilities and outcomes you lay there with him, basking in the afterglow giggling like children about silly jokes and he teases you for your accent when you say words in his language.

The rain beats on the roof, the room is warm, and you are in love.

---

Tag List: @theredviolets , @saint-chlorine , @cndy-l0v3

[ghostboneswrites2]

The Girl in the Shack || One Shot

New account! @ghostbones was banned! Transferring all my work here slowly!

Summary: Daryl & Aaron are out recruiting when they find you holed up in an old shack.

18+ MDNI || WARNINGS: profanity, nongraphic allusions to SA & general abuse, killing, TWD typical violence, description of malnourishment

        The sunlight filtered through the small cracks in the tiny shack, dust particles floating peacefully in the small beams of light. You had been there for days, too weak to move on. You didn't even feel the pain anymore, not from the bruises or the hunger. Not from how dry your throat was or how cracked and bloody your lips were. All you felt was tired as you stared up at the ceiling, crumpled up on the floor like you were already dead. You would be, soon, probably.

        That day was particularly nice. Daryl enjoyed the light breeze as it blended with the warm air. Perfect weather. He and Aaron were trekking silently through the woods. Aaron said he had a lead on a small group of men before Rick's group came along and he decided to pursue them instead. Now that Rick's people were settling in among the Alexandrians, Aaron wanted to give that lead one last chance before they moved on to scouting a different area.

        "Last I saw them, they camped out right over here, outside this little shack." Aaron told Daryl, as the two men came to a halt when they emerged from the trees into the small clearing around the dilapidated wooden structure. Daryl didn't speak, instead silently making a circle around the shack, examining the small signs of life left behind by this supposed group of men. There was definitely a fire there, and people, as he could see the tracks and some singed fallen foliage, but he wasn't sure the tracks were fresh enough to follow. They were hard to identify as it was. After all, this would have been at least two weeks ago, now.

        Daryl circled back to Aaron and gave him a nod, to signify that the coast was clear, before they decided to check inside. They moved for the door with silent steps, slowly pushing it open. You, in an act of pure, fear fueled adrenaline, shuffled to your feet and pushed your back against the wall opposite to the door, squinting at the raw daylight that cascaded over you. The two men stood stunned, taking in the tragic sight of you.

        You were clearly malnourished, as your bones were defined anywhere your skin was showing. Your lips were as crackled and bloody as they felt. Most of all, you had bruises over your entire frame, head to toe. Not just ordinary bruising, either. These were the kind that looked painted on. There were so many shades of green, yellow, purple, blue, and almost black. You pressed harder against the wooden panels behind you the longer they stared.

        "A--Are you okay?" Aaron was the first to speak. You didn't answer, you just studied him intently, watching his hands for any sudden movements before your eyes flicked over to Daryl, and back to Aaron when he spoke again. "Are you thirsty? I have water."

        You swallowed dryly at the mention of water. You didn't know how long it had been since anything liquid made it past your lips but it had been long enough to kill you by this point. Aaron could read the signs of dehydration all over you as he slowly reached in his pack and pulled out a full bottle of water. He held it out to you. "Here you go." He offered. "Untouched. Still sealed."

        After you took some time to consider, you ultimately decided you couldn't resist even if you wanted to. In the blink of an eye you snatched the bottle, causing Aaron to flinch at the quick movement. The two of them couldn't take their eyes off you. The way the whites of your eyes contrasted the dark bruising around them was uncanny. Your hair was so matted up that you leaves and dust clumped together within the knots. You looked absolutely feral, and your actions didn't exactly give off a different impression. You cowered in fear, but your eyes were full of rage, like a feral cat.  Beyond that, your clothes were torn and hung from your body loosely, like tender meat sliding off the bone. You had definitely been through something unimaginable.

        "Would you like some food?" Aaron offered softly, after they watched you down three quarters of the water in just few gulps. You looked at him with that same look of desperation and apprehension. He nodded, and passed you over a jar of applesauce that he liked to carry around, just to show people that they had an apple orchard nearby. Part of his selling point, he guessed.

        You flipped the top of the jar and poured it in  your mouth quickly, gulping loud as you swallowed the sweet sauce. When it was gone, and the men were still there, you realized you had no idea why they were helping you, or what they wanted. Aaron picked up on the sudden curiosity and offered you a smile. A warm, friendly, welcoming smile that you hadn't seen in a long time. The only people that smiled out there were the ones who relished in pain and suffering of others.  This one was different.

        "My name is Aaron, and this is Daryl." He introduced himself and his partner. Your eyes flicked between the two. Quite the contrast, as Aaron was clean cut and maybe even  a little casual, while Daryl was more grungy and dark, at least in the wardrobe department. The way Aaron looked at you was open and maybe even a little nervous, while Daryl's gaze was more narrow and calculated, as if he'd catch even the slightest sign of malicious intent.

        You decided neither of them could have been helping you out of the kindness of their hearts. Kindness always came with strings attached, at least in this world. You clenched your jaw, grinding your teeth together tightly,  and sucked in a deep breath. You clenched your fists as you mustered the courage to speak.

        "Just get it over with." You said. Your voice was laced with defeat and irritation. You looked away from the two men, staring blankly at the aging wooden walls.

        "I'm sorry?" Aaron tilted his head, knitting his eyebrows together.

        "Easy way or the hard way, right? If I surrender now can you just make it quick?" You asked with a quiver in your voice. 

        "Woah, we're not here to hurt you." Aaron said, eyes growing wide at the realization of what you were implying. 

        You allowed your eyes to peek back  over at them. They eyed you sympathetically. Even Daryl's untrusting glare softened when he realized what had happened to you, why you looked so rough.

        "Why don't you step out here?" Aaron suggested. "I--We come from a community. A big one, with walls, and food, and lots of nice people. We can help you. That's our job."

        "Community?" You asked. The word seemed to take your breath away. "I--I--'

        "It's okay." Aaron assured, stepping back a little and offering you his hand. "We promise. No tricks. Just good people trying to help. Come on out."

        When you took his hand and stepped out of the tiny shack, the sun illuminated you in your entirety. Daryl took notice of where your shirt had been ripped, exposing a large portion of your ribs. He noticed a boot print shaped bruise and his fists clenched a little.

        "That bruise." He nodded to it. "You know who did it?"

        "Not their names." You shook your head. "Just some guys."

...

        A week had gone by. As promised, Aaron and Daryl led you back to their community safely. Alexandria. Aaron's pictures did it no justice. It was an absolute paradise. A warm bed, hot showers, food, water, everything you could ask for at your own disposal. 

        A nice blonde lady named Jessie had come by on your first day and detangled your hair. She even trimmed it up to get rid of the split ends. She told you it would help keep it from matting up again. Later that day she brought you a basket of supplies, like food and hygienic products. Soap, a brush, even toothpaste and a toothbrush. You were still convinced it was all a dream, even a week later.

        Deanna, the leader, had checked in on you daily and reminded you that whenever you were ready, to come see her and she would give you a job chosen specially for you. She also still needed to finish your interview, as you weren't really in the place for that upon arrival.

        You were getting ready for a dinner at Aarons.  He stopped by to check in and offer you a meal. You had a little trouble eating a lot at once with how much your stomach shrank with starvation, but you couldn't turn down a real, homecooked meal. Not when a week ago you would have probably killed for a slice of bread.

        You smiled as you put on soft, clean clothes that actually smelled good and didn't feel stiff and crusty with blood and sweat. You couldn't believe you were in such a dilemma, but you had a hard time choosing a shirt. What was proper dinner attire? You just settled on a long sleeved gray V-neck that clung to your body. It reminded you of something you would have worn to high school or something. 

        When you checked the time, you realized you only had a few minutes until seven, when Aaron told you they'd be ready. You hadn't met Eric, but you heard about him from Aaron and how he was a nice cook. You took a breath to inflate yourself with some semblance of confidence before you headed two streets over and knocked on the door. It didn't take long for them to open the it, Aaron's smiling face greeting you nicely.

        "(Y/N). Glad you could make it." He grinned, stepping aside to allow you space to enter. You stepped in and looked around the house. It was nice, a little bigger than the one they gave you, but that was okay. You didn't need much space, and more space meant more places for threats to hide. "Dining room's that way. Make yourself comfortable. Eric's just finishing up the food. I'll go get the wine."

        "Wine?" You gawked, earning a small chuckle from your host. 

        "A particularly sweet one, I might add."

        Before long you were sipping wine and enjoying a mouthful of mashed potatoes. Aaron and Eric made small talk with you, and surprisingly you felt pretty comfortable chatting back. There was a small knock at the door that interrupted the conversation.

        "Oh. Must be Daryl. Hope you don't mind, (Y/N), we usually have Daryl over for dinner on Tuesdays." Aaron said as he stood from the table. You shrugged and shoveled another spoonful of mashed potatoes into your mouth as he walked away, chuckling at your content attitude. 

        "When's the last time you had a real meal?" Eric asked. You set your spoon down and wiped your mouth, looking up to the ceiling as you tried to recall.

        "I'm honestly not sure." You admitted. "Probably the night before the outbreak hit my hometown. I had made alfredo and chicken parm for the first time. Burned the chicken to hell but the noodles were good."

        "Wow." He said, sadly. "I'm sorry you've had it so hard all this time."

        "Yeah." You nodded.

        Aaron entered the room with Daryl, who looked much cleaner than the day you met him, and the two of them took a seat. Daryl sat beside you, opposite to Aaron and Eric.

        "I'll get your plate." Eric announced, heading into the kitchen.

        Daryl snuck a few glances in your direction. You were still bruised up but they had faded into a lighter range of yellow and purple, as opposed to how dark they were last time he saw you. Your hair looked shiny and soft, and most of all you looked human. He thought about how long he and his people had been on the road, how close they were to losing their humanity. They still looked better than you when they first got here. He thought you were a goner when he met you, that maybe the world had taken away everything that made you a person. He was glad to see that he was wrong, and shocked at how friendly you seemed to be. 

        All things considered, you cleaned up well and you were actually pretty now that he could see you without all the grime and suffering. 

        "Hey." You said timidly, offering a shy, thin lipped smile.

        "Hey." He grunted. "You been alright?"

        "Um.. Probably better than I've been in years." You chuckled nervously. He nodded, understanding.

        "It's a lot to get used to." He said.

        "I think I stayed in the shower of over an hour that first night." You admitted. 

        "Hope you like chicken." Eric chimed as he stepped into the dining room and set Daryl's plate in front of him, along with a glass of wine. The man began eating immediately, bite after bite, finishing before anyone else, and sucking his fingers clean. You could tell he was used to being out there in the world, and that he was good at surviving. You wished you were the same.

        "So, (Y/N), Daryl and I.." Aaron trailed off, taking a breath as he tried to find a gentle way to ask. "Well, the men that did that to you. We were hoping you could give us a description, maybe."

        "Why?" You asked, suddenly tense. Your throat felt tight as your mind raced at the mention of them. "Do you think they're here?"

        "No! No. Nothing like that." Aaron assured. "We just--"

        "I'm gon' find them bastards and beat 'em for all they're worth." Daryl spoke up. You looked at him with wide eyes, still trying to calm your racing heart.

        "What he means is that we wanted to make sure they never  cross paths with any of our people here." Aaron added.

        "Well, they had, um.. There were three of them, and they all had beards, and they, um--"

        "What were their races? What were they wearing?" Eric asked, trying to help guide you as you recalled their appearances.

        "Oh. I think they were all white. Not old but not young. Maybe in their forties? And they all had jeans and boots on and different shirts."

        "Perfect. Thank you. We're sorry we had to ask, but--"

        "It's okay."  You cut Aaron off. "If it helps then I get it."

...

        That dinner was two weeks ago. You were surprised when Daryl stopped by your house every few days to check on you. Sometimes he'd even stay for a while and watch a DVD with you or let you make him some food.

        When he came over one evening in the middle of one of your movies you were welcoming.  You were glad to make a friend. 

        "Hey!" You grinned. "I was just watching this corny rom-com. I'll restart it so we can suffer together." 

        He didn't say anything as he stepped in, and you giddily rushed over to the DVD player to restart the film.

        "Oh! Eric brought me some whiskey, too. I'll go get it." You rambled. "And, that lady Carol brought me some cookies, and I found some chips at the pantry. Jessie said they usually go to Deanna's family but she let me take them this time--"

        "We got 'em." He said. You paused, confused.

        "The chips?" You tilted your head.

        "Nah. Them assholes. We got 'em." He said. "Bunch o' sorry pricks. Just killed some guy for his car when we found 'em."

        You stared at him, wide eyed, as you took in what he was saying. You let out a breath as you plopped back on the couch.

        "Y'alright?" He asked, stepping closer to you.

        "Y--Yeah, I--I just wasn't--" You stuttered, unable to form a response. He gave you the time you needed to gather your thoughts. "I guess I just didn't think you'd actually find them. Figured they'd be long gone by now."

        "I told you I'd get 'em." He said, taking a seat beside you. You chest felt tight. You wanted to feel the relief he worked so hard to give you, but somehow the image of them just sent you into panic, alive or dead. "Hey." He said, gently pushing a finger under your jaw to tilt your head toward him. You looked at him as you blinked back tears. "They're gone. Ain't nobody gonna hurt you like that again. Now go get them snacks and that whiskey and lets watch this corny ass movie."

        And there it was, the beginning of it all. Daryl came over every two to three days after that and did whatever mundane activities you suggested. Sometimes he'd put his arm around you during a movie, or sometimes he'd give you a tight hug before he left after dinner.

        One night he came with some wine and a casserole Carol had made. 

        "Two nights in a row?" You asked him as you let him in.

        "Figured you were missin' me already." He teased. You rolled your eyes with a little smile. He went straight to your kitchen and got wine and casserole ready for the two of you before he met you back on the couch. You sipped the wine and dug in, as did he. He finished before you as he always did, and once you were finished, he pulled a DVD out of his jacket. 

        "Austin Powers?" You laughed, taking the movie and walking over to the DVD player to pop the disc in.

        "Never seen it." He shrugged.

        "I loved these movies when they came out." You told him, taking your seat back on the couch.

        "Guess I picked a good one." He commented as the movie started to play. When the movie finished, he looked over to find you sleep, curled up on the other end of the couch. He huffed a laugh and shook his head, standing up and scooping you in his arms, carrying you down the hall and to the single bedroom, before gently laying you down. Your eyes fluttered open as you watched him stand up over you. "Didn't mean to wake ya." He apologized, noticing a small glisten in you eyes as you looked up at him.

        "You carried me to bed?" You asked groggily.

        "You fell asleep." He said, clearing his throat and shifting uncomfortably.

        "It's okay." You smiled. "Wanna stay?"

        "Huh?"

        "With me. Wanna stay the night?" You clarified.

        "Like a slumber party?" He scoffed.

        "You're right. That was stupid. Goodnight Daryl." You said, scooting over to the side of the bed you usually slept on and rolling over, feeling a tad embarrassed.

        You heard him walk to the door and pause, before you heard quiet shuffling and then some silence. You were surprised when you felt a weight on the other side of the bed. The mattress rocked a little as he wiggled under the covers and found a comfortable position on his side, facing your back.

        "Wasn't stupid." He said quietly. You smiled to yourself as you scooted back. He took the hint and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to him.

[the-californicationist]

he hunts you down

Captain John Price is recruiting for the 141, and when he takes you on a field exercise to the middle of the woods, you try to show him that you have what it takes to survive.

This is Part 1 of 2. If y’all are interested in a Part 2, it’s here. Or, you can read it in full on AO3.

MDNI/18+

TW: primal play, dubcon, abuse of power

AO3 Link

The sun was setting through the verdant green leaves of the trees, beams of light sparkling through them, casting light and shadow on the forest floor as you raced through the underbrush. You were bending your feet, sprinting in the way that he had taught you, nearly silent as you leapt across rotting boughs and piles of fallen leaves. Controlling your breathing, you found a tight pace - fast enough to escape, but restrained enough to withstand it for a generous duration. The air felt sharp in your throat.

Captain Price had taken you on as the newest recruit to the 141. Many recruits had come before you, and many had failed to pass muster. So, here you were, top of your class in Westpoint, but young and unblooded, trying to keep up with the most fearsome group of hunters in the modern world. Terrorists filled the world with fear, and John Price filled them with fear in turn. He was the monster’s monster, and you were desperate for him.

When you’d first laid eyes on him, you were intimidated by his sharp confidence. He was snappy, impatient, but level-headed. He had his power under such a tight-laced control that you would have given anything to watch him unleash it on someone. A dark part of you wanted that someone to be you. When you sparred, he was ruthless. Soap was fun to wrestle, even if he let you win. Gaz was a challenge, but a fair fight. Even Ghost had let you get the upper hand once or twice, but Price had shown no mercy. After the captain was finished with your body, you’d go back to your quarters battered, bruised, and sore for days. He’d even dislocated your shoulder once in order to break your hold, and then he’d had the audacity to shift into a caring medic, helping it back into its socket, bringing you ice and meds that night, checking on you before rounds in the morning. He was enigmatic.

You had gotten your hopes up, that was the problem.

One night, you were putting in a late workout at the gym, fists digging into the heavy bag, trying to improve on your power and speed. Trying to get him out of your head, more like. Your handsome commanding officer and his huge, hairy, muscular form had been haunting you for weeks in the night while you lay in your bed alone. The smell of his cigars was enough to send shivers through you at this point. So, you came to work off some steam. It didn’t help.

You had wanted to shower after your self-flagellation session with the punching bag, but when you went to the locker room, your heart froze. The water was already running. Since no one had been in the gym with you for hours, that wasn’t possible. You were facing the door the whole time…well, most of the time. But no one moved that quietly. You would have heard them.

Thinking someone had left it on, you moved to shut it off. A voice stopped your hand right on the edge of the cold handle. Low and growling, you heard your name come from behind the wall, floating out from the shower. Haunted and in a state of shock, you stood stock still, listening for it to happen again. You took a breath and pulled open the stall door to find Price’s broad, scarred back, hunched forward in what may (or may not, damnit) have been a contortion of ecstasy. He’d spun around to catch his intruder, but you had already turned back toward the gym door, sprinting for your life out of the bathroom. You went to bed sweaty and wet for more reasons than one.

It was his idea to drag you out here. The rest of the team had remained back at base, but Price had decided to take you on a solo helicopter flight out to a remote Hebridean island, uninhabited and cut off from the public, completely alone.

You had geared up for the weather, anticipating the slight cold front, but Price had added a level of challenge to your first field trip that made you concerned. He had only allowed you to bring one set of clothes. You’d be out for four days - if he didn’t find you before then. Four days was a long time to wear the same underwear and socks. Especially now, at the middle of day three, you were noticeably pungent. You’d also finished off your canteen this morning, so as you moved through the wooded hills, you mapped the path to the closest stream. Honestly, you were proud of yourself for evading Price for this long. You wanted to make it the full four days. Maybe he’d even consider giving you a more permanent position. You kept losing every single grappling match, but you scored high on your marksmanship testing, and your survival skills were top notch.

Rushing, bubbling water came into view as you headed into a small glen. There was a gorgeous waterfall waiting for you, and you couldn’t wait to bathe. It was a huge risk, but you were itchy enough to take it. You quickly shed all of your layers and scrubbed them in the clean, cold water with loose gravel, trying your best to rub as much grime out of them as you could. Then, you laid the clothes out on the rocks to dry in the sun and slowly waded your way into the water. It was cold enough to burn, but you had to admit that even the frigid water felt nice on your skin. Quickly, you washed your face and body, keeping your braided hair out of it as much as you could, splashing your breasts and rubbing between your thighs for some relief on your most sensitive parts.

Satisfied, you returned to the shoreline. You blinked, stunned, finding the rocks bare and missing your garments. All of them. Your heart raced in your chest. Your hunting knife was stuck straight up on a nearby stump, placed there on purpose.

Price.

He’d seen you in the water. Why was that your first thought? You bolted in the opposite direction, not caring any longer to move silently. You thought you might be able to outrun him, but just as you were about to clear a fallen log, you were tackled to the ground, your breath knocked out of your chest. Instincts high, you fought for your life, kicking and clawing at your attacker. He was fully geared out, and his clothing made rough scrapes against your skin as he clutched your back to his chest, wrapping his hand around your throat and an arm around your waist.

“Fuck! No!” You shouted, unsure as to what you thought that might accomplish.

You heard a dark chuckle in return,

“Thought you got away from me, little bird? Hope that bath was worth it.”

He flipped you so that you were laying face-down on the ground, his heavy body pinning you, squeezing the air out of your lungs that you had fought to recover.

“Give up, Sparrow. You’re caught,” he growled, fighting with your writhing form.

“No! No…I was so close,” you stilled, finally giving in, disappointed in your failure, laying your forehead in the sticky leaves.

“Yes,” his voice had an eerie, sultry quality to it, and that surprised you. Your body responded, melting into him, trying to determine his intentions. He spoke into your ear softly, “You did so well. But, I knew you’d need water, and all I had to do was wait. I didn’t expect you to reward me quite as well as you did, but that was a bloody nice surprise.”

He punctuated that last sentence with a buck of his hips and then you felt it. You had thought it was his holstered gun that was digging into the crack of your asscheeks, spreading them uncomfortably wide. It was too rigid to have been any part of his anatomy, surely. But, you were wrong. The heavy, solid pipe that was rutting against your ass was Price’s impossibly fat cock.

You gasped, involuntarily.

“Mm,” he was smiling; you could hear it, “Hard as a stone, innit? All your fault, birdie. You out there in that fuckin’ stream, grabbing your tits for me in the water, running from me so I can watch this gorgeous arse jiggle. Tha’s like teasin’ a hound with a bone, sweetheart. My cock’s aching for ya.”

“Captain, we can’t…we - ”

“I can do whatever the fuck I want to you,” he snarled, shouting. The sudden increase in volume made your blood run cold, and your pussy clenched down tight, traitor that it was. He started to grope your asscheek roughly, talking to you the whole time, “You’re caught, and if I was the enemy, you’d be watching Peter look your name up in his big book right about now. So, I feel like your punishment should fit the situation.”

You couldn’t help but shiver. He was right, you were out here all by yourselves. There were no comms, and the seaplane wouldn’t dock back here for another day. If Price wanted to hurt you, he had all the time in the world, and you were in no position to fight him off.

“Yes, sir,” you muttered, listening to your own shaky whisper with shame.

You heard a buckle and a zipper, and then you felt a tell-tale warmth against your skin. He was rubbing his length across your body, hungry and dripping with precome. You breathed in through your nose, trying to hold back your shock.

“Say no, little bird. Tell me to stop. Say that you surrender, and I’ll take you back to the camp and warm you up. I’ll put you on that plane and send you back to New York with a letter of recommendation in hand. You have my word. Or…”

He paused for a long time, waiting for you to take it. You should. It was no small accomplishment to get a letter of recommendation from a man as infamous as Captain John Price. But, something in you wanted a punishment more than a reward.

“Or?” You asked, your voice sounded so small.

It was his turn to draw in a trembling breath. You felt the whiskers of his mustache brush the side of your neck as he tasted your skin there, sucking hot kisses and sending chills across your back.

“Or…” he replied, “I will fuck you right here into the goddamn dirt, and every night, when I get hungry for you, no matter where our task force goes, you’ll take my fucking cock how I want, whenever I want, no questions asked.”

You let his threat sink in. How could he expect such a heinous, feral thing? Did he want you on the task force? A thousand questions flooded through your mind, but you heard yourself saying,

“Okay.”

A warm, fleshy head prodded at the entrance of your cunt, slipping through your folds and spearing you, almost painfully, with his difficult girth. His cock was so fat that you could feel your walls expand to fit him, panicking at this new level of intrusion and flooding you to try and mitigate the situation. He let out a ragged sigh,

“Oh, fuck, that’s so good. Tight, so bloody fuckin’ tight,” he laughed quietly, a tone of disbelief on his lips, “Welcome to the team, little bird.”

[smehur]

Some Harry/Draco Fic Recs

There is so much great fic in this fandom, I'm struggling to keep track of everything I read and like. I already mentioned some of my early favorites here, but I have since found several more.

In no particular order:

Hermione Granger's Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run by waspabi

In which Harry did not go to Hogwarts, but is instead found by a group of seventh year students led by Hermione, and recruited for the war at the ripe age of 17.

I'm not usually a fan of AUs, but this charmed me within the first few paragraphs with irresistible characterization. Harry is a little different than how I imagine him, but the premise allows for it. And the Harry/Draco romance is possibly the sweetest, softest I've seen so far. 10/10 would read again.

In Pieces by dysonrules

Harry returns to Hogwarts as the new DADA instructor, only to find his teaching efforts thwarted by a very familiar ghost.

When I got this rec myself, I wasn't sure I would like it, because, well, the summary spells it out, doesn't it? But I ended up loving it. It's incredibly sweet and tender and sad and hot. I couldn't put it down.

An Emerald In The Sky by corvuscrowned

The hardest part about shagging an Unspeakable is that they’re not allowed to speak of anything. All Draco knows is that Harry works in Time. Harry works in Time, and while he’s out there in all of that time, it is as unforgiving to him as it is to anyone. Somewhere along the way, Draco realizes he's been thinking in lines, when he should have been thinking in circles.

This story moved me like few others. It's a masterpiece of 'show, don't tell' in that elusive way I have never been able to tap in my own writing. It speaks in images, and the images capture incredibly specific, perfectly chosen details that paint years and decades of slowly fading hope. Just the thing for one who considers their own aging and mortality increasingly often.

Take You Home by lq_traintracks (lumosed_quill)

Everybody’s a little fucked up after the war, Draco especially. What starts as hate sex after a night out, eventually turns into something else, something more like comfort. And even though his friends all tell Harry he’s just being used, all Harry’s doing is making sure Draco gets home in one piece. He’s not falling helplessly in love.

From the author of one of my early favorites (Right Hand Red), a hugely enjoyable read that makes love to a post-war Draco (and his long hair in a man-bun that he fastens with his wand). I gulped this down in one sitting.

Hey, Potter by SunseticMonster

Harry returns to Hogwarts for his 8th year, determined not to let Malfoy get to him. But when the snarky teasing starts up again, Harry finds that returning the jibes with compliments has a far more interesting outcome.

I am in love with this premise. It works so well? While I wished for a bit more shipping and a bit less collateral, I still enjoyed this story immensely and went on to read almost everything the author wrote for the pairing.

An Issue of Consequence by Faith Wood

Draco has woken up in an alternate universe. Or he has woken up utterly insane. Nothing else can possibly explain why Harry Potter suddenly seems to think he's Draco's boyfriend.

The light-hearted summary belies the gravity of the plot of yet another favorite tale from the pen of my favorite author. The POV immersion is so deep that I absolutely did not see the resolution of the mystery until it was revealed, and then I was just as shocked as Draco. Fabulous stuff.

A Doll's Tale by Faith Wood

Harry/Draco, as observed by Draco's childhood doll. Please note, this doll is very self-absorbed.

This... broke me a little, lol. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing (too) heavy, angsty or dark about this story. It's as innocent as they get? But it just clicked so well with the idea I've been brewing in my own (yet to be published) writings, of Draco as this... sensitive boy hiding under the guise of confidence and cruelty. And the plot-twist, Merlin. Was it obvious? Maybe, but not to me! It struck me like a (fluffy toy) train and days later, I'm still recovering. I want to take this fic and hug it when I go to sleep.

Actually, I'm in a bit of a pickle, as my instinct is to list pretty much every single thing written by Faith Wood that I've read so far. But that would be silly, so I'll list only one more, as a treat.

Beholden by Faith Wood

Draco Malfoy might not be a killer, but it turns out he's an effective painkiller. If stopping pain was all Draco's touch did, things might not be so complicated, but either way Harry can't afford to be choosy.

I already mentioned this one in that inaugural post I linked at the very top, but: 1) it's now completed and can be safely binged on; and 2) the only thing I said about it back then is that it deals with chronic pain, which was particularly relevant at the time because I was at the peak of sciatica and could relate to poor Harry all too well. But that's just one of the many merits of this incredible story. Now that I'm feeling better, I'd praise it first and foremost for the patient exploration of the characters' inner worlds and the gradual, methodical and inexorable buildup of their feelings and convictions that eventually leads to falling in love. A masterpiece of slow burn. I plan not only to read this again, but to study it in the hopes of improving my own craft.

Tagging the authors I found on here: @dysonrules @faith2wood @corvuscrowned @lqtraintracks and also my friend @kuraiummei who helped me find some of these gems.

Thank you for enriching my life. ❤️

[lazyneonrabbitt]

On the morning dew

Adar x elven reader

You've walked middle earth longer than any other. Now when word of one of the Moriondor sounds through Lindon you set out to find out who it is.

Just fluffy goodness with ancient elf reader, Uruk dad and his children who like to misbehave.

You had walked the lands of Middle Earth far longer than many.

Time was barely a thing anymore for the first elves that sprouted way back then.

You lived your live comfortably among your kind, watching new generations come, and now in Lindon surrounded by people whom you attempted to fill the hole in your heart with. A hole left by one long gone but still feared by many.

All those ages ago, when Sauron was recruiting for his new army, he had so effortlessly taken him from you.

You loved him then, before he had left and after still, and you have never stopped. You had tried to love other since then, but none ever felt the same and the ache never left. The short moments of interesting new relations were never bad, but they'd end in feelings of betrayal and you quickly moved on. Again to wander alone.

A mere week ago word came to Lindon, through the lips of the blonde soldier who you were convinced had left for Valinor. Galadriel. She brought words of chaos in the Southlands, where who she thought to be one of the Moriondor was causing destruction with an army of orcs.

Upon hearing the words your mind filled with possibility. Endless scenes of what might be. Could it be him? Even if it wasn't him, but any of the others who were with him at the time then perhaps they could tell you of him, to at least get closure and move on.

The images plagued your mind for days before your thoughts gathered enough to take action.

You changed your nowadays finest garments for something more suited for travel. Something sturdier and less eye-catching. You gathered your supplies and set out without a word, in your mind already having a million excuses ready as to why you were leaving.

Luckily no one wondered and your departure was a quiet one.

For long you walked leaving Lindon behind you, resting only when the area allowed for it and no creatures lurked. You hid your ears around villages, presenting yourself as a simple traveler seeking an overnight stay or a nice cooked meal for a change.

Forests came and went, dark and overgrown between large stretches of field where nothing stood between you and thr sun. Long winding rivers delayed your travels, walking along miles of shore to reach the nearest crossing.

The woods you had entered during the day, now only halfway crossed during nightfall had proven trouble. Since entering the treeline there had been the feeling of being watched, distant gazes burning your skin during the daylight and torchlight catching trees around it during nighttime, indicating whoever was around still followed you.

It was in the dead of night that your stalkers made themselves known,loud snarls and growling voices speaking unknown tongues surrounded you as a group of orcs set out to hunt you down.

It took running, leaping past greenery and climbing trees to stay out of their claws. Arrows just barely missed you until they ran out, having to rely on their sword and spears to eound you.

You ran until the sky behind the trees started changing color ever so slightly, announcing the soon to come sunrise. With everly last ounce of breath you had left in you you forced yourself past the treeline and into the open field, where the attackers would not dare follow.

As they scurried away you let yourself fall down, rolling onto your back to catch your breath for a short moment, the grass cooling your body in the kindest way.

Leaves rustled beside you, making you sit up and look back into the forest that sat unmoving.

The orcs returnes to their troops, having informed their leader of their failure to capture the elf. It did not bother him that they failed, but still set out on his own to see for himself who was swift enough to stay out of his hunters' grasp.

He had caught a familiar scent on the wind, and felt the need to follow it.

The trail his children left was an easy one to follow, leading him to where he could see past the trees to where a figure sat, gazing at the horizon.

"Quite impressive, being able to outrun my Uruks."

A gravely voice spoke and caught you off guard, jumping up and standing face to face with an elf clad in black. He took in your everything as you did the same to him, silence falling over the moment that seemed to had frozen.

As frozen as the time you stood still as he took a step closer, hand raising to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

His palm rested there, on your cheek as he sought your eyes for any sign of recognition. To him you looked as beautiful as those moments you shared in your first days. Even with your garment and hair disheveled from running he found you the most stunning sight.

To you, it was him before you. His once flawless skin now torn and stitched back together leaving patterned scars over his face, his once ever so bright eyes dulled by the darkness.

Your hand rose, mimicing his action of brushing aside his hair. Only you did it to assess the scarring he aquired during your absence. Webbed skin stretching from his brow to above his ear, a thick, branching line following his cheekbone down his jaw.

"What have they done to you?" Tears brimmed your eyes as you imagined the pain he had gone through and feeling the anger well up inside.

The look in his eyes never lost its softness towards you, and instead of truthfully answering you he held you. I his embrace you let yourself take him in fully, the cold metal of his armor beneath your hands and his clawed glove scratching your scalp ever so softly.

With his hands on your hips he looked you in the eyes. There was a plea in them begging to come out but his lips did not dare to comply. Surely after those ages you must have lost those feelings you shared back then. You couldn't be interested in what he was now, a mess of mangled flesh and mind, no longer elven in body and soul.

You musn't still have feelings for the old Uruk that stood before you.

Your hands snuck between you, and Adar fully believed you were pushing him away for a moment, until your arms wrapped behind his neck to pull him into a kiss.

No words were necessary to share your feelings as you poured them all into him with your lips connected.

You had found him, scarred and aged but he was there with you, and that was all that mattered.

You uttered his name but were quickly interupted.

"Adar." He softly spoke just an inch from your lips. "My name is Adar, lord father of the Uruks of thr Southland." His head rested in the crook of your neck, affraid you'd disappear once he let go. But you never did. Your mouth pressed against his scarred temple as you softly swayed to a tune in your mind.

In the glow of the rising sun you hummed the tune as old as time, one you had danced to many nights before.

Adar caught on, joining in and swaying with you. A smile reappearing on his lips.

Together you danced as you did before, held in each others' arms to a tune long forgotten by everyone except you.

Adar wished for nothing but a home for his children. He wished now for you to call it home, too.

"I wish for you to meet my children." The hand on your hip steered you towards the forest, where a group of Uruks had collected, just out of the sun's reach. They no longer looked at you with hunger in their eyes, instead they presented themselves as a welcoming party.

"We apologise, lady." One of them spooe for the group, a skinnier Uruk wearing a chainmail hood. "We didn't know you belonged to Adar."

"B.. belong to?" You gave Adar a glance but he dismissed it, speaking to his company in a language you did not understand.

As you walked the Uruks fell into step beside you one by one, introducing themselves and asking you all kinds of things while Adar and the others conversed in that same unknown language. The further you walked the more Adar's composure seemed to be cracking, the Uruks cackling and almost tripping over brances. It almost looked like they teased him.

A breathy laugh left you that made Adar look over to you. "What was that, dear?"

The way he put emphasis on the term had heat rise to your cheeks and turned the subject of the Uruks' laughter your way.

"Nothing, Lord Father." You faked a bow with a smile and moved on.

One of the Uruks came back to your side, pressed against your shoulder and whispered you some words in black speech. Useful words Adar would want you to learn soon in case of trouble, and a term of endearment to get on his good side.

You took in Adar's frame from the back where you walked, seeing his fists clenched and steps heavy. He was clearly still unhappy with whatever it was the Uruks shared with him.

You were going to be kind to him, hopping over to his side and taking his hand in yours. "Adar, dear." You spoke quietly with your cheek against his shoulder. "I'm glad we found each other again, sharkû."

He halted every movement then, head snapping your way so quick you surprised he didn't break his neck.

"What was that? Because I hope you just mispronounced something." You looked over at Glûg, who had offered you the word and was now, along with the rest of the party trying his best not to burst out in laughter. "Oh come on. You tricked me! That's unbelievable, what did I say??"

"Called him an old man." Bazur, the one failing hardest in keeping his laughter at bay called over to you before doubling over in hysterics.

Beside you Adar snarled, his clawed glove raised at his children. "Whoever thinks they can teach her any new words better make sure she's taught the right ones."

You looked back at your lover. "But, they're not wrong.. You are ancient, so am I." With raised brows you shrugged.

With a long drawn out sigh he dropped the topic along with his hand, turning back around to continue the trek home. A soft smile on his face the second he was sure his children would not see it.

He was glad you all got along so well already.

[torialefay]

☀️ Everyday Idol 🌙 (Chapter 1)

✨ possible bangchan x reader (f), possible jungkook x reader (f); (however, this is a bangchan-focused fic)

✨ friends to lovers? possible love triangle? future angst and smut??? definitely fluff.

✨ summary: JYP Entertainment launches a new show and y/n somehow gets recruited. Even though she doesn’t particularly care about the outcome of the show, she does particularly care about one of the artists she met: Chris from Stray Kids. Does Chris feel the same or will a potential relationship with one of his friends overcome what y/n feels for him?

✨ author’s notes: this is my first ever post, yay! i know i have a lot to improve on, so bear with me as i figure out all of the fun stuff. leaving this as a stand alone for now until i find out if anyone is interested in this becoming a series. any feedback is super helpful! taking suggestions as well 💜

✨ warnings: cursing from time to time. gets a little emotional towards the middle. that should be about it hehe.

“Holy shit.” You stared down at your phone. A notification highlighted in tones of pink, yellow, and purple clued you into the fact quickly that it had been an Instagram notification. But the words you were reading seemed to not register.

Message request from abcedfghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz.

Wait, hold up. That’s weird. There’s no way this is his real account… Hold on.

You hurriedly clicked on the notification to open the app. It brought up a white screen with a short message surrounded by the grey Instagram text bubble.

Hey! I was wondering if you’d want to hang out sometime before you go back? We can do whatever you want. I’d just like to see you again.

You hurriedly screened your eyes back to the top of the page. In bold letters: JungKook. Right underneath, the username sprawled again: abcdefghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz.

You clicked the name and went to their profile. As bright as the sky and as plain as day, a blue checkmark next to the username. What the fuck?! There’s no way. You felt your heart start to race and your eyes shot up, looking to see who was around. You went back to the message, clicked again, and sure enough, it took you back to the same verified account. You felt your breathing start to quicken and the nerves set in. The nerves- what were they from? Excitement? Nervousness? Confusion? A mixture of them all?

“Oh God, what do I do?” You whispered to yourself while shooting your head up. Skittish all of a sudden, you examined your surroundings. You had been in the JYPE dance practice room. Light wood-colored vinyl flooring laid underneath your feet, while red walls surrounded you all the way to the ceiling, where a huge JYPE logo was attached and acted as the bright overhead lighting. You still aren’t really sure how you ended up here. Well, I guess you were, but you still couldn’t believe it. One minute, you were on a 4-week vacation to Korea, and the next, you were here- standing in a practice room for JYP Entertainment.

Merely 2 weeks ago, you had been walking along one of the busiest streets in downtown Seoul with your friend Anna. The two of you had been inseparable for the past 2 years, meeting each other in medical school in the States and relying on each other and your friend group to get you through every waking moment of it. From exam study sessions to making sure the other had woken up in time to make it to the lab, you wouldn’t find one of you without the other. Which is why you were extremely thankful that both you AND Anna were politely paused on the side of the street, being offered the opportunity of a lifetime. JYP Entertainment planned to make a new show, Everyday Idol. The concept of the show was to recruit everyday people- people in various different jobs with various different lives- to spend one week as a JYP trainee. After 2 or 3 weeks, a performance would be held. It was speculated even that JYP himself would be at the finale to make evaluations and possibly ask a select few to continue their training at JYPE. That part of it is still hearsay. No one knows what happens after the final evaluation, but it didn’t matter to you anyways. Both you and Anna had another calling- one in the medical field. You weren’t here to become an idol. You weren’t even here because you particularly liked singing and dancing. You were just here for the experience of it all… and maybe also a little because you had heard that JYP had some very handsome artists who would be involved in the training, judging, and making of the show. You told yourself that was just a bonus, but let’s be honest, it was really the deciding factor of whether you would go through with this or not. You never expected though to meet Jungkook as a friend of one of the JYP artists, but again, that was also just a bonus.

So now, here you stood. A confused mess, darting eyes across the JYPE practice room that you had finally started to feel comfortable with. One final glance at your phone. Where was Anna? You had to tell someone, right? Talk to someone before you did or said anything crazy. Flights of ideas ran through your head. You started to walk toward the exit door as fast as you possibly could without anyone thinking there was something seriously wrong. Anna had to be around here somewhere. At the cafeteria, more than likely. You two had gotten separated a short while ago, but you were sure that’s where she’d be. You paced hurriedly down the long corridor and down the 2 flights of stairs to the level holding the cafeteria. Upon getting there, a quick scouring over the room showed the strawberry blond waves of Anna’s head at a long table. She was seated at the end next to Felix. Felix was a member of Stray Kids and was also Anna’s mentor throughout her week of being a trainee. The 3 of you, well 4 really (counting your own mentor, Changbin) had gotten really close. You were introduced to the other Stray Kids members as well, as you had all gone out for drinks. Some members you got closer to than others. Like Chris for example. You felt so lucky to have really cool and down to earth guys to help you along your way. They were so much fun and made hard things seem a lot easier. But no matter how awesome they were, they weren’t Anna. You zoned in on her and quickly made your way over.

“I am quite literally not doing that,” you heard Anna say, while side-eyeing Felix.

“But think about how memorable it would be. They would never forget you at least. And as your mentor, it is my job to make you stand out during the finale. I mean, just think about it,” Felix was wide-eyed, making a rainbow motion with one hand across the sky.

You interrupted the conversation by arriving at the table. “What are we thinking about?” You asked, with a faint panic sound in your voice and out of breath.

Anna just rolled her eyes again. “Go on,” she said, head dipping down to motion toward Felix.

A huge grin spread across Felix’s face. You could tell he was about to break character and start laughing any second now. “Well, I was thinkinggg, you know since you guys are gonna be doing ‘Charmer’ for your group performance, that Anna and maybe some others should draw on some fake abs since we have to show ours too.” Felix laughed and waited for your expression. You relaxed into the joke, thinking about how iconic it really would be.

An annoyed smile crept across your mouth. Finally giving an eye roll of your own, you responded, “As much as I do think it is a main selling point of the performance… yeah, I’m with Anna. No way in hell I’m doing that.” You looked at Felix with raised eyebrows and laughed. Thinking about it, Felix really is such a cool guy. I’m glad he’s Anna’s mentor, and now, a friend.

“Touché,” he grinned and looked down. Damn y/n, hold up. You almost forgot you’re supposed to be panicking right now.

“Anna, I need you for just a sec,” you blurted out quickly, while grabbing her by the arm and elbow at the same time. She stood up swiftly and you rushed a few steps to the next table over. Although it was a long table, no one else was sitting there, and you thought it would be fine. You hurriedly plopped down into the seat, pulling her with you. “Look who the fuck just messaged me,” you excitedly tried to keep your voice down.

Anna took the phone and focused on it, squinting her eyes. Again, you could tell that she was clicking the account’s username and icon. Then re-reading the message, back and forth, back and forth again. You saw her expression go from confusion to utter shock, jaw dropping open. She set the phone down face up. “Holy shit y/n!!!” she all but squeeled. It was loud, and you could tell people were now looking your way.

“Shhh,” you scolded her, bringing both of your heads down closer to the table and establishing a low tone. “No one can know. I do NOT want this getting out, okay?” You paused and felt your heart skip a beat. “Anna, I don’t know what to do.”

“Don’t know what to do?!” She borderline yelled yet again, raising her body up in the air with her proclamation.

“Anna!” You hush-yelled at her, bringing her body back down again. “Please, for the love of God, we have to be quiet. No, I don’t know what to do.”

“Bitchhh, message him back and say ‘hell yes!!!’. If you don’t, I swear I will.” You could tell she was so excited for you and she could not keep the cheesiest smile from spreading ear to ear across her face. Her eyes were lit up.

“I just don’t understand,” you spoke quietly. “He was literally such an asshole when I met him. Just arrogant and rude. Thinks he’s hot shit. He made me feel like I was the most irrelevant person ever. Like why is he even messaging me? I genuinely do not understand.” You had only met Jungkook a couple of days prior, through your new friend Chris from Stray Kids. They had been hanging out in Chris’ living room when you had gone to pick something up from Changbin. The interaction between the two of you was brief, but long enough for you to know that Jungkook was not your cup of tea. Now Chris on the other hand… Chris was something else. Chris was the exact opposite of Jungkook. The fact that they could even hang out in the same crowd baffled you. You could think of 100 ways to describe Chris, but no single word felt like it did him justice. On second thought, ‘perfect’ might do it. Did you hope that HE would be the one sending you a message wanting to hang out? Maybe. Did you have somewhat of a crush on him? DEFINITELY maybe. Okay, definitely. But you didn’t mean to. And how you ended up with that conclusion in the first place… Well, it’s a long story:

The way that JYPE had Everyday Idol set up, you would start preparing for the show 1 week before the actual filming and training process started. You had to come to the company building everyday to go over contracts, meet your mentors, tour the buildings, all of that good stuff. Although that was only an orientation week, it was one that was very important. You got to meet several artists and make so many connections. Since both your and Anna’s mentors were from Stray Kids, naturally, you met the other members and became friends with them as well. They were a super friendly group of guys and made you feel much more comfortable about going through this whole process. Each member had their own quirks, which you learned at a group dinner where every member came with their mentee. Some much-needed drinks were downed that night, with resultant memories made. One thing you learned for sure- Koreans LOVED their drinking games, and they really did bring people closer together. Well, at least it did for you. It brought you closer to Chris.

Chris wasn’t always the drinking type. He was overtly responsible for the wellbeing of Stray Kids after all. But that night was a night to cut loose and get to know new people. You and Chris bonded almost instantly. First, you found out that he had a dog, Berry, who happened to be the same breed as your own. You cut up all night about how the 2 dogs sounded like something out of a children’s book- “The Adventures of Berry and Bella”- Bella, your baby Cavalier of course. He showed you Berry’s pictures, and you showed him Bella’s. They looked almost identical. When Chan made a remark about them being long-lost sisters, you felt your breath get taken away for a split second. You being Bella’s mom and Chris being Berry’s dad… it sounded like some “The Parent Trap” shit. You were feeding into it though. You jokingly asked if he called her “Barold like Harold” and Berry was just a nickname. You later found out that he grew up loving classic rock, just like you. Apparently he got it from his parents, just like you. Minute after minute, you kept finding more similarities and never-ending things to talk about. By around 2-3 AM, everyone else was ready to head out and go to bed. But for you, it felt like time had flown by. You silently hoped that Chris had felt the same way- that he had felt the same spark in the conversations. That he had held onto every word you said, just like you did to him. That he was desparately hoping that the night could last for just 5 more minutes. That he wished you would invite him over just to chat some more.

But these were things you could only hope for. You knew your place and you knew that it had to be called a night. You said your goodbyes and gave Chris a hug. You’re not sure if you imagined it, but the hug seemed extra long and extra warm. You tried not to read too far into it... That was hardly the end though. You two became friends, joking with each other whenever you ran into the other, like at his apartment that day with Jungkook, and always mentioning to the other that a group of you were going to dinner if the other wanted to join. All casually though. It didn’t matter that you found him extremely handsome. You never went out of your way to seek out Chris again, nor did he you. That is, until you found yourself as the last of the new Everyday Idols cast to remain in the JYPE building. Anna had gone home early, having a migraine but already having finished up what she needed for the day. You finished the day out until the others left, staying back to talk on the phone with a friend. It was Sammie, one of the girls in the close-knit friend group with you and Anna. There were 6 of you who had become the best of friends during medical school. And although you had the closest reliance on Anna, the other girls were about as close to you as any people could be. You had all consistently cried together, stayed up all night together, and hyped each other up, not letting anyone quit for the past 2 years. The kind of mental toll that medical school puts on people is pure psychological torture, and you felt sure that none of you could have withstood it without having each other.

“Hi Sammie!!! How are you?!” You were so happy to see her name pop up…. No response. You heard a lot of background noise and looked down to see that instead, it had been a group call. You were on the line with Sammie and Anna, as well as your other 3 best friends. Sniffles was all you could distinctly hear. The light lit up around her name, showing that the noise was coming from her line.

“Sammie, are you okay?” You heard Anna ask reassuringly. There was worry in her voice. You could tell that Sammie was trying to muster up her voice, but nothing was coming out.

“Sammie, please tell us what’s going on. Is everything alright?” You questioned her. There was definitely worry now in your voice too, but how could there not be?

“Guys, I just got my score back. I didn’t pass,” Sammie cried into the phone. You felt your heart break. You had all just taken the first level of the USMLE, the first exam in the series for your medical degree. You all knew Sammie had been struggling. She had to move her test date back by a month. But when everyone else had gotten their passing results, you knew Sammie’s passing score would could back the following month. I guess it turns out that it didn’t. And you all knew what that meant. Your throat got caught. Dead silence…

“Oh Sammie, no. I’m so so sorry,” you whispered in a hushed voice, straining to get the words out. You felt water welling up in your eyes. You sat down on the floor, criss-crossed, ready to settle on the phone for a while and braced yourself for the rest of the conversation. Your back was propped up against the wall-length mirror, but your entire upper body slouched over so as to shield your face from the world. All you heard on the other line was sniffles… still.

Finally, your friend Nia broke the silence. “It’s okay buddy, we are still so proud of you. We all tried so hard. It will be okay. Things just have to get shifted back a bit is all. It will be okay, I promise.” You made a mental note of how Nia said ‘things just have to get shifted back a bit.’ We all knew what that meant. Sammie was automatically going to be put on probation now. She would also automatically not be allowed to continue on with the other third years… She would not be allowed to continue on with us. If she failed again, she would be kicked out of medical school entirely, any hope of becoming a doctor shot out the window.

You could hear a rustling noise coming through on Sammie’s line, and you knew it was the sound of her using the sleeves of her sweater to wipe away her tears. “No, I know. It will be okay. I’m just- I just-“ you could hear the stuffiness in her voice and how close she was to breaking. “I can’t lose you guys,” she choked out, letting out a low, slow cry once it had been said. That one got you. ‘I can’t lose you guys’ rang in your head. You lifted your head up and all the way back, taking in a deep breath and blinking slowly to try and halt any tears that were trying to escape. You needed to be strong. For Sammie. Let her know that it was okay- that we would be okay. Things would be different, but we would always be friends. Hushed cries and sniffles could be heard from the other lines, with your other friends intermittently offering up their words of comfort. Once the line had gone silent for a moment, everyone sat in solitude. Not a word uttered, not a falling tear heard. Even though you wanted to believe that nothing would change, that you could all continue on the same as you had been for the past 2 years, you knew the reality of it. You knew how brutal medical school was, and how wrapped up everyone HAS to be in their own life and at their own level if they have any chance of making it. You know this because your friend group of 6 started out as 9. People just simply did not make it. People failed out, got so far behind that they couldn’t catch up, struggled so badly with their mental health that they couldn’t continue foreward, you name it. With Sammie risking that, and definitely falling behind to the class behind you, there was no denying that things would not be the same. It’s an unspoken rule that you cannot say that though. It’s an unspoken rule that you have to be cheerful at a time like this. Tears were streaming down each of your cheeks thinking about having to move on without her and how her heart must be breaking to see all of her friends continuing, leaving her by herself..

“We’re never gonna leave you behind, okay?” you cried out, wiping your nose with the sleeve of your jacket. You would try your very best. She cannot be one more who doesn’t make it. Your heart wouldn’t be able to handle that. You felt so guilty. Tears of sorrow were now replaced with tears of guilt as you covered your mouth to try to muffle any noise coming out. This continued until you felt numb. Until everyone on the line felt numb.

After another minute, everyone had soothed themselves and were starting to offer more encouragement. A weight of emotional exhaustion could be felt over the phone. You each ended the call with how much you love each other, miss each other, and promised each other that nothing would change. Even though you knew it would. With one final sniff and wipe to your cheeks, you ended the call. It took just about everything in you to stand up from the floor and stabilize yourself. You stood there for a minute, just trying to look straight ahead and get your footing. You gathered your things and exited the practice room into a long hallway. You headed first to get a cup of water, all too aware of how dehydrated the crying had made you. Once you reached the machine in the break room, you swiftly but shakily grabbed a cup and pressed the button to let the water down. With your other hand, you cupped your forehead and leaned over onto the same side’s elbow, hoping to get some pressure on your head and to get some congestion out. You felt pitiful- looked pitiful too.

Inhale, hold… Exhale, hold… Inhale, hold… Exhale, hold…

“Long day?” You heard a familiar Aussie voice chuckle from behind you. You leaned up now that your cup was done filling and turned around to face Chris. He had been stood there, just gazing towards you with his hands tucked into the pockets of his black sweatpants. You figured that must have been his signature look- a black hoodie and black pants. Come to think of it, you didn’t recall ever seeing him in something else. The moment he saw your face, how puffy and red you looked, his expression completely changed. Did he look worried?

“Yeah a little bit,” you tried to say with a sheepish smile, but a small crack came out. It was okay enough. Holding firmly on your cup, you looked down, took a long drink of the water, then lowered your hand again to start your trek out of the building. As you stepped past Chris, your arm brushed the fabric of his hoodie.

“Y/n?” He questioned abruptly, making you turn halfway around at a slow speed. You popped your head to the side a bit and looked him in the eyes but couldn’t muster up the energy to verbalize a response. You stood there waiting for him to continue, still with a worried expression evident on his face. “Are you okay?” He stared a hole right through your eyes.

You weren’t. Not really. But you didn’t know Chris enough to dump any of that on him. He’s here late too; you were sure he was busy and had plenty of work to do. Even though you did like to vent and talk things out to relieve the stress of it, that wasn’t something to do with someone who doesn’t deeply know you. That will be an activity for you and Anna once you get to the hotel. With all the strength you had, you lifted your head up high to meet his gaze. You lightly bit your cheek and feverishly nodded your head up and down. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Shallow breath in and out. “Thanks though.” You offered another low smile and turned on your heels to leave.

“I’m serious, you know. If you need someone to talk to, I’ll be in my studio. I’ve been through this before too, yeah?” You heard him call out behind you as you walked. It made you hault and think on what he said. ‘I’ve been through this before too.’ … Oh, he thinks you’re upset over the training process- over the show and the practices you’re having to do and classes you’re having to take. You wanted to do well, yes, but you couldn’t care less about the outcome of the show. You didn’t want to be an idol- you probably wouldn’t even take the offer if it was given to you. ‘Not that it would be.’ But you had another calling, one that you loved and that you deeply cared about. One that made you feel like you made a difference in the world and could actually help people. Sammie had that calling too, or that same feeling at least. You weren’t sure if her chance was gone now.

“It’s not about the show or the training. I just- I’m sorry, I don’t think you’d understand,” you quietly muttered, only half turning back. The exhaustion and lack of emotion in your response was evident. You started making your way again toward the company building’s exit door.

“Try me,” you heard Chris call, sounding half stern but half playful.

You paused for a long moment, contemplating. You had to admit, it was a bit tempting. “Fine,” you gave in. You crossed your arms on your chest after you had turned your body around. You let out a breath that you didn’t even know you’d been holding in and walked forward towards Chris. “Can we go to your studio?”

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“It just feels like I keep losing the people that I care about. I feel so hopeless, like there’s nothing I can do to help them,” you were lightly crying, holding onto a pillow and looking down so as to shield your face. “And I know it’s ridiculous. And I know it’s not my responsibility to make sure that everyone makes it through. But that’s my friend, you know? And I know that she can do it, she just needed more time. When she pushed back her testing date I told her to call me if she needed any help… God, why didn’t she just call me? Why didn’t I call her? I knew she was struggling, but I didn’t bother to do anything… Didn’t do anything to help… I mean I know it’s not totally on me, but GOD I feel like I’m responsible. We always worked through everything together for studying. She was the reason I even made it through the first two years. And now it feels like I’m abandoning her and there’s nothing I can even do about it. Fuck, I just feel… I feel so guilty. So so guilty. And it’s like, if this happened to her, then when is it my time? Ya know? Like she is so smart. Smarter than me. I just, I don’t see how I can do this,” you kept rambling and rambling. Chris had led you a few doors down to his studio, where you both had plopped onto his grey leather couch. Each of your bodies were turned toward the other, one leg up on the couch, so close to touching one another’s knees. You didn’t mean to ramble on like this. Honestly, you knew you were emotional, but not to this point. Feelings and emotions came out that you didn’t even register you had yet. Guilt being a big one. Chris didn’t say anything while you were talking. He just sat patiently, nodding along to what you had to say. He looked into your eyes with such conviction as you confided in him, looking like he was trying to search for something there that he hadn’t yet found. Once he realized you were done with what you had to say, he took a breath in and began with his words.

“You know, I felt like that too before,” he said, scooting in slightly to bring his face closer to yours and lowering his voice. “It’s not so different, being a trainee and being in medical school. You kill yourself trying so hard each day, only to see the people you love not make it. It hurts. It hurts a lot.” He tried to ignore the fact that his voice was going in and out, plagued by a crack that he couldn’t stifle. His brow began to furrow as asense of seriousness came over him. “And it makes you turn cold, to want to hide away and recluse those emotions. Trust me, I get it. And I’m sorry you’re having to go through that. I’m sorry to your friend as well.” His eyes were big, something was in there- it looked like genuine hurt.

Tears were welling in your eyes. You broke eye contact with Chris to look up and over to the corner of the room. To look at anything else so you didn’t start letting tears stream again. You clicked your toungue, then ran it across your teeth before taking a gulp. Once you had calmed yourself to the point you didn’t think you would cry anymore, you looked back down to a sweetly, patiently waiting Chris, who still had just as much concern on his face. “What do I do? What did you do when you felt like this?”

You could see him almost smile in a way. Or blush maybe. His eyes lit up the teeniest bit. You could see it. There had been new look on his face. Was it endearment? Whatever it was, he must have liked when people asked him for his advice or trusted his judgement. The expression was fleeting, and he went back to his prior worried face. “There’s nothing you can do besides try to learn to be okay with it. I know that’s probably not an answer that helps very much, but there really isn’t much you can do to fix it, yeah? It will be okay.” You had looked down by this point, so Chris leaned down to meet your eye level, locking you in. He extended his right index and middle fingers to hold the bottom of your chin, slowly but delicately bringing your face back up to normal with his head following right along. He never broke eye contact. He started to whisper. “Hey, you’ve done nothing wrong. Sometimes things happen, things that we can’t change. And if we spend our whole lives worrying about those things, then we will never move on to what we are meant to do. I know it must be hard seeing your friend not move on with you. And I know how discouraging it feels to think that it’s just a matter of time before you’re next. But you have to keep your head up and keep going. You can still be a good friend. You can still be a supporter and a helper. You can still be a confidant. But you can’t forget that this is your dream too. And as harsh as it sounds, sometimes you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do to stay alive… Whether that means push your feelings aside or not. You still have your other friends to go through this with, yeah? Let them be your rock, and you be theirs. I can’t promise you that you’ll all make it through together. But I can promise you that if everyone works hard enough, they will make it through… You will make it through.” You had a few stray tears rolling down your face with Chris’ words. Somewhat because of the situation, yes, but the words did help. They made you feel reassured. More than anything, they made you feel seen. Made you feel like someone understands the pain you felt, even if it was a bit ridiculous to be so worked up. A small smile crept up. You looked down, then back up at Chris with an approving nod.

“You’re right,” you took a deep breath out. Your hands reached for your eyes to wipe at them and then went right back down to your lap. The mood had quickly shifted in the room from something serious and uptight to calm and relaxed. “Thank you Chris, really. Even just letting me get everything out made me feel better, but I do really appreciate your advice. I really value the way that you think. Really. Thank you.”

Chris blushed. He reached for the back of his neck to hold it, feeling obviously shy. “Don’t say that,” he looked down, smiling. “It’s no problem.” He put his arm down and looked up. “You feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you,” you chuckled. You instinctively went in for a hug, which Chris reciprocated. The moment he locked his arms around your back, he felt so warm… so comforting. It was like his warm words had been personafied into an action, the everyday expression of a hug. Something about this moment just felt right. You leaned in even closer, deepening the hug. Chris picked up on your cues and gently reciprocated, pushing you closer into his chest as well. He started to rub your back, making contact with your hair and neck, ever so slightly. You let out a small sigh and melted in. You felt his breath hitch, his heart stopping for just one second while he seemed to tense up. Just for a split second though. He soothed down into your grasp as well and started to rock into the hug, rubbing larger circles onto your back. You stayed like that for a few more moments, just enjoying each other’s body heat and the calm silence that remained in the building since you were the only two left. You wished you could stay like that for the next hour, but then again, you knew if you didn’t pull away soon, things would start to feel awkward. You slowly started to pull your arms back and away from his back and waist, dragging your hands lightly along the black hoodie as you went. Chris matched your actions and untangled his limbs from around your body, pulling away from your side and upper back. It was slow. It was meaningful. You weren’t sure if it was intentional, but he continued to slowly drag his hands away until one was resting on your waist and the other on the opposing side of your neck between your ear and jaw. For just a split second, he held his position, then slowly pulled his hands completely off of you. He smiled but looked down while pulling his body back, from only inches away to now a couple of feet.

You returned the smile and looked down to your hands folded in your lap. “I appreciate you Chris. I really really do. I know you’re super busy, so it means a lot to me that you’d take the time to listen to me. Hopefully one day, I can return the favor.”

“I’ll never be too busy,” he said under his breath while still looking down, almost like he didn’t want you to hear it. “People like us, we’ve gotta stick together, yeah? The world is hard sometimes, but we can lean on each other to make it a bit easier… Plus, we’ve gotta stick it out so Berry and Bella can have some play dates the next time you come back,” he giggled and looked at you endearingly. Something about that comment made your heart swell. “You will come back, won’t you?” He raised his eyebrow and gave you and over-dramatic expression, like he was wanting to get a laugh out of you. This man lol.

“Of course I’ll come back. Our long-lost daughters will be dying to meet each other, I’m sure.” You cracked a smile. A genuine smile. “Plus, people like us have to stick together, remember?” You lightheartedly asked, mirroring what he had just told you.

“Yeah, yeah we do.” He smiled and looked straight into your eyes. You could have sworn he was closer now than he had been a few seconds ago. Or maybe you wanted him to be. You could have reached out, pulled him into another hug. It would have felt natural. Well, to you at least. You didn’t want to out-hug Chris for the night. Plus, I’m sure you were somewhat swayed by how handsome he is, which factored into it. You shifted your position back slightly.

“I better get out of here and get back to the hotel. Anna thought I was headed back like 30 minutes ago. I know she’s probably as stressed as me about everything going on,” you stood up off of the couch. Chris followed suit as you shuffled past him toward the door.

“Tell her what we talked about and hopefully it can calm her down some too.” Chris caught your waist with his hand as you went to open the door. “Do you want me to walk with you back to your hotel? It’s late, and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or anything.” You turned to face him. What a cutie. He was probably just saying it to be nice. Also probably because you were still a distraught foreign woman about to wonder the streets alone after midnight. Still cute though.

“That’s okay. It’s the opposite direction from your apartment anyways, so I wouldn’t want to put you out that much.” You knew from meeting up with Changbin at their apartment that it would probably take around 30 minutes for him to get back to his place if he accompanied you to yours. Just seemed like a bit much at this time of night.

“I know, but I promise I don’t mind.” … Wait hold up. ‘I know?’ How did he know where your hotel was? You didn’t think you’d mentioned it. Old conversations started to scan through your mind, trying to think of any time you may have mentioned it to him. Nothing you could think of. Maybe you had drank too much the night everyone was together. Maybe a bunch of other Everyday Idol contestants were staying at the same place. Whatever, not a big deal.

“It’s okay Chris, really. But thank you. That’s very kind,” you smiled warmly at him. He took it openly. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course!” He exclaimed, sounding a bit off. Almost… nervous? One more quick exchange of smiles and you were off. Once you had reached the cold air that hit you outside of the confines of the JYPE building, you silently thanked yourself for telling Chris you’d be alright on your own. You didn’t want him to see you with your teeth chattering, lips getting chapped, and nose about to run from the cold. The only thing that kept you thawed while on the trek back was thinking about Chris’ kindness. The fact that he even offered to walk you to your hotel made your cheeks heat up. Did he mean anything else by that? You were sure not. He’s just a good guy. But you couldn’t help but let your mind wander just a little bit. I wish he was my good guy. Maybe he could think that too?

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

And that is why, here you were, arguing with your best friend over whether or not you should respond to a message from Jeon Jungkook, of all people, wanting to see you. I mean, you weren’t blind. Jungkook was cute, yes. But having his first words to you be: “Heyyy there,” while smirking and definitely looking at your tits instead of your face, didn’t exactly make you want to see him again. How could that even be an option when you could only think about Chris? Sweet, sweet Chris.

“Okay, so he was a little bit of an asshole,” Anna started. “But you literally only talked to him for like 2 minutes. How do you know he’s really like that? What if he was just putting up a front trying to seem cool? Obviously he’s interested in you, I mean he Instagram messaged you for God’s sake. I’d bet he was just nervous and didn’t know how to act around you. I think you should give him another chance.” You pondered this for a second. Jungkook was weird around you for sure. But knowing what you now knew, you guessed it could be from putting up a front with you. You guessed that could be a possibility. The more you thought about it, the more you thought Anna’s points were valid. What about Chris though?

“I guess you have a point,” you gave in. Anna looked at you with a smirk and an “I-told-you-so” expression. “But even if that was the case, I don’t… I’m stuck.” You leaned down closer to the table and lowered your voice even more, as if it were possible. “I think I have a little crush on Chris.”

“It’s about fucking time you said it!” Anna laughed, her voice growing louder. “I just knew you and Chris had something there since the night we all met for drinks. Ahhhh my bestie has a little crush!!!” She reached out to grab your cheeks. You turned red and swatted her hands away, pulling them down onto the table, bringing the rest of your body with her.

“Keep it down,” you scolded her. “It’s a one-sided thing. I don’t want anyone to know please, it’s low-key mortifying,” you scoffed while saying it, looking around the room to see if Anna’s wonderfully “robust” voice had grabbed the attention of some wondering ears. You didn’t see anything. “But even if it is one sided, I don’t want to ruin my chance before I even get one. Jungkook and Chris are friends. Surely, he’d find out.”

“Okay… So let him.”

“Huh?” You questioned, not sure what she was getting at.

“Let Chris get jealous.” She was being so serious. “It’s not like Chris has tried to make any kind of move on you since you’ve seen him. And neither have you. I mean you literally saw him the other day when you met JK and he said absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. In my book, JK is at least trying. Just go for it. See what happens.” You contemplated her words. “Maybe Chris will get jealous and confess his love to you,” she said taunting, opening her eyes really big to tease you. “Or maybe… maybe you’ll find out Jungkook is actually a pretty cool guy… And a guy who’s really into you and willing to make a move at that.” Damn, she is really coming through with some good points today.

“I’ll think about it,” you smiled back. You looked down to check the message again, only to realize what time it was. You both needed to get going to a meeting. You motioned down for Anna to look at the time.

“Come on, we better go.” You both stood up and turned to walk toward the exit. You passed by Felix’s table on the way through and looked over to give him a smile and wave, so as to say goodbye. Instead of the usual wave back, he just looked at you and smiled, brows raised high on his face, almost teasingly. He gave you the expression of knowing something that he shouldn’t. Or maybe HEARING something that he shouldn’t. OH SHIT. Your eyes shifted to Anna, wide as they’d ever been; however, she didn’t seem to notice and walked along without a care in the world. Your eyes darted back to Felix for a split second, hoping he’d looked away and you were misreading things. Surely you were just paranoid. His eyes met yours, still with the same gleefull smile. He let out a small chuckle, held the eye contact for one more second, and looked down at his phone, suddenly typing away. FUCK.

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✨Continue to ➡️ Chapter 2

✨next chapters can be found on my masterlist :)

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[friendship-ditch]

The 74th Games - Part 2

(Katniss Everdeen x Fem Reader) ❀

Summary: You and Katniss get thrown into the Hunger Games arena, each of you sharing the same goal; keep the other alive.

Warnings/Note: None really, some violence + other slight graphic things, like the movies. Also midterms kicked my ass but I thought I'd come back with a long awaited banger. Pt. 1

Word Count: 4127

 You lost sight of Katniss the moment the countdown ended.  You tore off through the woods and ran away from the cornucopia until your calves burned and you couldn’t breathe.  You meant to follow her, thinking maybe the two of you could team up, but the adrenaline took over and you just ran.

  With time, the careers found you.  They’d recruited you to find her.  They didn’t care much about you.  It was only a matter of time until you’d exhausted your use and you knew that too. 

  When you all chased Katniss until she scampered up a tree and you suggested waiting it out, you couldn’t look up at her, not wanting to see that cold betrayal in her eyes, but you felt her looking at you.  Her gaze bore into you like a laser.  It never stopped until she was asleep.

  As dawn broke across the arena, you found yourself waking up to some odd sort of noise.  You looked up into the treetops, seeing that Katniss was now standing.  She hadn’t noticed you yet and was sawing away at a tree limb.  From that limb hung… a nest.  Immediately, you gathered your things and began to creep away.  It was only a matter of seconds before Katniss bombed your group with tracker jackers and you didn’t want to be her first victim.

  You crouched silently in the woods, having stepped over a sleeping Clove and the blonde beside her.  Stupid Glimmer.  You thought.  She’d fallen asleep on her watch and now, well, you didn’t want to think too far ahead.  For a moment you contemplated warning them out of a good heart but you knew they wouldn’t do the same for you.

  The branch came crashing down soon enough, and out came the deadly insects.  You watched, almost paralyzed with fear as they stung ferociously at your ex-allies, taking Glimmer out for her foolishness.  The others managed to run away and took off back towards the lake.

  You were going to follow them, maybe see if you could take one down when there was a thump from behind you.

  Katniss had fallen from the tree.  You could see the lumps on her skin from the stings and she was swaying.  If you didn’t know better, you would’ve thought she was drunk or high.  

  You waited a few moments more. 

  Katniss rescued the bow from Glimmer's lifeless hand and sloppily slung the quiver over her shoulder.  Then she stumbled a few feet and crashed to her knees.  Her hands dug like claws into the soil and her shoulders trembled.

  You couldn’t help yourself as you abandoned your hiding place and ran to her side.

  “Katniss!”  You exclaimed, trying to snap her out of her hallucination filled haze.  She slowly looked up at you but her eyes were blank and her mouth was slightly open.  She was staring at you as if you had two heads.  At this point, in her mind, you probably did.

  With a worried sigh, you looked around.  The woods were empty, for now at least.  That was good.  You couldn’t just leave her here like this. 

  “Come on.  You have to go.  Run!”  You grabbed her arm and yanked hard until she stumbled to her feet with a burbled groan.  Katniss stumbled once more and then didn’t move, just staring ahead.  She couldn’t hear you and even if she did she probably couldn’t get her body to respond. 

  You let out a groan this time, of frustration.  You looked around once more and then grabbed her arm.  “Shit.  Shit, shit…”  There was no other option but to just drag her along with you, at least until you could get her somewhere safe.

  So that’s what you did.

  You drug a half-conscious and heavily hallucinating Katniss through the woods until her knees gave out and she went crashing to the ground, the venom finally knocking her out.  With all of the strength you could muster, you picked her up and carried her until you found a little outcove covered by plants to lay her down in.

  Katniss slumped onto the bed of moss.  A little drool dribbled out of her lips, her eyes fluttering in her feverish sleep.  She whimpered a little but didn’t move.

  That was when you heard furious footsteps through the forest, and a voice calling your name.  

  Cato.

  Somehow the career had managed to stay grounded enough to chase after you, and he was close.  You stood still.  You didn’t want to leave Katniss, not like this, but if you stayed she would die.

  You heard a soft rustle from up in the trees and looked up.  It was hard to see, but you could make out the presence of a young girl watching you.  She made no move so you did.  You turned and ran.

  Rue would keep Katniss safe, you hoped, and so could you.

  You took off in the opposite direction, making enough noise for Cato to hear you.

  Cato’s sword spared you no mercy when he caught up with you down by the river.  He was quite dazed from the tracker jacker venom raging through his system and got only a few slashes in before running off from some hallucination, but it was more than enough for him to turn high-tailed and trample back through the forest.

  You washed the wound as best as you could with some water from the river and pressed some spare cloth you’d gotten at the cornucopia into it.  Your leg was wounded badly and you needed medicine, but you had no chance at getting it, not like this.

  You did the next best thing and crawled under a small overhang of rocks.  You curled up and hid beneath the brush, just holding your breath.  You hadn’t been lucky enough to receive a sponsor but deep down you hoped…

  Sometime later, an announcement broke out over the speakers.  It had been at least a day, maybe two… you’d lost track.  You were hungry–no, starving.  You felt a little hot and feverish and your leg was in agonizing pain but you could do nothing about it.  Your only option was to lay and listen to Claudius Templesmith’s voice ring out through the arena.

  About half an hour later, you heard a voice.

  “Y/n!”  Katniss scrambled through the woods with a frantic pace.  She knew you were by the river, she just didn’t know where.  She cried your name again, then noticed the blood on a nearby leaf.

  Katniss tracked the blood trail until she saw you.  You were camouflaged well but she managed to find you.  She ripped the bush off of you and sat you up.  “Y/n!  Are you okay?”

  You were shaking, badly.  You couldn’t scramble your thoughts enough to realize what was happening, much less respond.  You just started to cry, chest heaving.

  Katniss reached a gentle, dirty hand up and wiped hot tears off your face.  Then she just pulled you into a tight hug.  You slumped into her arms and just cried into her chest.

  “You’re okay, you’re okay.”  She whispered into your hair, gently rubbing your back and trying to comfort you.  You wanted to believe her desperately, but you were terrified.  At least the warmth of her embrace did something to soothe the fear in your racing heart, though it did nothing to still other fluttering in your chest.

  Katniss managed to get you into a small cave not far from the stream.  She laid you atop her sleeping bag and looked at the wound on your leg.

  “It’s bad, huh..?”  You smiled weakly up at her.  

  Maybe it was your fever, or maybe it was the fact she was your literal angel, your savior, but she looked even more beautiful now.  Beneath her wild hair and dark film that hinted of grief in her eyes, she was still that same girl you’d been crushing on since you were a kid.

  Katniss mimicked your forced smile.  “Not too bad.”  She was a terrible liar.  

  You just sat patiently as she tried her best to clean the wound and apply some sort of medicine to it.  The medicine burned and you cried out in pain.  She snuck her hand back into yours and gave you something to squeeze.

  When she pulled away, there were deep indents across the back of her hand from your grip and you wanted to apologize but she hushed you with a gentle kiss to the forehead that sent you reeling.  For a moment, you forgot this was all fake.  And in your haze, you thought maybe it wasn’t.

  You laid down on the sleeping bag and gently tugged her hand.  Katniss leaned closer and you propped yourself up so you could whisper in her ear.

  “Remember, you and I are a couple so… you can kiss me anytime.”  You whispered with a goofy grin.

  The amusement splayed on her face was real this time.  Katniss giggled softly and lowered her lips once more, letting them brush across yours in a peck that looked real enough for the cameras.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”  She whispered back.

  Katniss fought tooth and nail to keep you with her over… however long it was.  The days melted together into a heavy blur.  You knew she wasn’t waking you up for your watch and that she refused to come back until she’d gotten food for you, but that was all you knew.

  The pain in your leg was excruciating and you could feel the fever growing stronger too as your body in turn grew weaker.  

  When they announced the feast, you felt Katniss sit up beside you, eyes wide with hope.  She looked to you with a smile but all you could feel was a deep sense of dread.  Katniss was, at the moment, your everything.  Your reason you were still alive, literally and figuratively.

  You didn’t want to risk losing her, especially not for you.  You didn’t deserve that and neither did she.  If only one of you got to go home, it was her.  If you went home and she didn’t, you’d never be able to forgive yourself.

  Survivors guilt was so much worse when you liked–-not liked–loved the person you lost in return for your life.  You’d seen it happen and you couldn’t bear to live a life with that sorrow.  

  “No, Katniss.”  You whispered.  With your little strength, you tugged her so she was laying back down beside you.  You nuzzled your face into her neck and let out a soft whimper.  “Please, don’t.  Don’t go.  I won’t let you.”

  “Y/n…”  She started to argue in a gentle voice but you cut her off with a pleading kiss.

  “Don’t.”  You repeated again, upper lip still brushing against hers.  Her breath was hot and gentle; if she breathed too hard you would crumple.  One of her hands was intertwined with yours but you could hardly feel it.  Your soft, hazy eyes were locked with hers, love and grief all at once.

  Katniss repressed the urge she felt in her own heart, her head foggy with unfamiliar feelings.  She didn’t want to lose you either and she knew the medicine is what you needed but she couldn’t hurt you by leaving.  

  Not when you were awake, anyway.

  You only realized she’d put sleeping medicine into your food when your eyes felt a little too heavy and your head began to spin.  You tried to lift your head from her lap but she kept you in place, raking her fingers from your scalp and through your dirty hair, other hand placed gingerly over your forehead, thumb stroking in circles.

  The next time you woke up, you were still a bit woozy.  Katniss injected you with some sort of medicine and then it all went black again.

  It was a few hours later when you were fully conscious, but Katniss wasn’t.  She’d slumped down on the sleeping bag beside you.  There was an open cut on her forehead and she was breathing heavily even in her sleep.

  You took your turn to nurse her wounds.  You slathered some of the leftover medicine over the deep cut, then pressed a soft kiss a few inches to the side of it.  You coaxed her awake enough to feed her a little and get her to swallow some water.

  Katniss mumbled a few soft words but you couldn’t hear them.

  You pressed your stomach into her back, hooking your arm around her waist as you curled up around her like a cat.  Her whimpers of a nightmare died down as she felt your body.  You didn’t have to think a second to realize she was dreaming about that girl, Rue.  You’d seen her sweet face in the sky only a few nights ago and mourned the loss of a child you never knew.  Now you silently thanked her for your life.

You kissed the back of Katniss’s head gently and held her close, waiting for the sweet release of sleep, or the sweet relief of her awakening.

  Sleep came first, then the awakening.

  You thanked Katniss profusely and in return she thanked you with a kiss longer than you’d ever shared before.  God damn.  Getting over her after the games… wasn’t going to be easy.  Even though you knew the chance of it happening was less than a million you still held that faint hope that somehow you wouldn’t have to get over it at all.

 It was her own selfishness that kept you alive and you thanked her for it in a thousand ways, hands gently crawling into her hair as she leaned over you and held you close, a hand on the back of your head.

  She was the first to break away from the kiss, a hot blush spilled across her dirty cheeks and a soft look in her eyes.  It was a look of not only love, but something deeper, regret.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”  She said softly as she sat up.  “I thought I was going to lose you.”

  “Well, you’re the one that saved me.”  You slowly sat up too, reaching for her hand but this time she pulled away.  You pretended not to notice.  “I thought I was a goner too..  If you hadn’t shown up, I don’t think–.”

  “Don’t go there.”  Katniss presses a finger to your soft, bitten lips.  “You’re okay now.  That’s what matters.”

  You just nodded quietly in response.  

  After sharing a few more kisses, you received a whole feast from Haymitch from one of the parachutes and shared most of it together, cuddled up against the wall and hiding from the storm.  You were rambling on about some story from your childhood and she was listening with a gentle smile.  She liked hearing you talk because it made her feel safe and blocked out the noise in her head.  And you liked her listening because it made you feel heard for once in your life.

  It was later that night that Thresh’s stoic face appeared in the sky.  You felt Katniss stiffen a little beside you and she let you hold her hand this time.  That was it.  There were you four left, Cato, and Foxface, as Katniss called her.  The two of you could win.

  You set out the next day to gather food and make it back to the Cornucopia.

  Katniss took her bow and wandered not too far and you decided to harvest some berries.  They were black and stained your fingers with a blood-red color and you piled them up on your coat.  When you wandered to gather more, there was suddenly a cannon-boom.

  “Y/N!!”  Katniss’s shrill scream echoed through the woods.  You heard her coming long before you saw her and she practically launched herself at you.  She saw the berries in your hand and slapped them out.  “That’s nightlock!  You’d be dead in a minute!”

  You stared at her in shock and awe.  She was practically crying now, her chest heaving and her legs trembling with fear.

  “Damn you.”  She muttered.  Her voice cracked as she slung her arms around your shoulders and pulled you into the tightest hug.  Her hot tears splashed against your shoulder as she shuddered.

  You hugged her back and gently twirled the end of her braid around.  “Shh, I’m okay.  I’m sorry.”  You murmured.  She swore a few times into your neck and then pulled away with a hard face.  That was the end of that soft moment, now it was back to reality.

  By the time the two of you were nearing the Cornucopia, the sun had set and the woods had an eerie feeling.  You were both exhausted but determined to finish this.

  “I think the gamemakers are ready to end this too.”  Katniss said as if reading your mind.  There was a sudden howl-like sound from in the woods and she grabbed her bow.  “What was that…?”

  “I don’t want to find out.”  You responded quietly and the two of you stopped.

  The next event was a blur.  Within seconds, the mutts were on your tail.

  The Capitol made creatures chased you like mice all the way back to the Cornucopia.  You both scurried up where you were immediately met with the second scariest, and last opponent left in the arena, Cato.

  The sole career wasted no time in getting you encased in a death grip.  His blood dripped down his body, some of it spilling onto you.  He was saying something but you could hardly hear over his heavy breathing and his tight grip around your neck.

  Katniss held her arrow aimed at the two of you but wouldn’t shoot out of fear of hitting you.  She knew Cato would do whatever he could to take you down with him.

  But when you drew with his blood, she didn’t hesitate to shoot his hand.  He yelped in pain and you only watched as he took a fatal stumble and fell off the Cornucopia into the hoard of mutts.

  Katniss rushed to your side, the look on her face saying it all.  She nodded in return to the emotion in your eyes and shot Cato to end his misery.  

  The two of you huddled up there until the mutts vanished and the sun rose.  You climbed off the Cornucopia and waited… but nothing happened.

  When the announcement came, you wondered if it would’ve been better for Cato to take you down with him.  It was a trick all along, a play of your minds and your hearts.  Only one of you could make it out of here, and god damn it, it was going to be Katniss.

  She’d already pointed her bow at you and you forced the smallest smile you could to spread across your lips.

  “Go ahead.”  You said softly.  Your leg was bleeding once more and it hurt like hell, what more was an arrow to the heart?  Out of the two of you, Katniss was the one that had to return home and she knew it too.

  But the other girl lowered her bow, appearing ashamed of herself.  She slung it back over her shoulder and shook her head.

  “No.  They’re not going to win.”  Katniss muttered under her breath.  She dug in her pocket and pulled out some of the nightlock berries.  They stained her hands with that familiar bloody color and your heart stopped.

  “Katniss, no–.”  You reached to stop her from killing herself, but then realized she had a different idea.

  “Trust me.”  Katniss whispered.  She dumped a few berries into your hand.  They were warm.  And then she kissed you, long, passionate, and goodbye.  Once she knew you understood the plan, she nodded.  

  “One.”

  “Two.”  You didn’t even look at the berries.  If the two of you couldn’t win, the 74th games would have no victor.  If you couldn’t have each other, neither could they.

  “Three.”  You said together and lifted the berries to your mouth.

  A frantic Claudius Templesmith broke out across the announcements and after that was a whir.

  A few days had passed.  The Capitol had patched your wounds and removed every scar from your body, whether it was from the games or not.  You looked… perfect, except for that deep remorse and fear that was now permanent in your eyes. 

  You hadn’t seen Katniss since the games and every single second of your days were spent worrying about her.

  The first time you saw her later on, it was the Victor-interview.

  She was in a simple dress, her hair light and fluffy and her makeup bright to hide the same hallowed look in her eyes that you now both shared along with your memories.  Her lips softened from their harsh line when she saw you.

  You sat beside her on the couch, a wave of relief hitting you.  She was okay, and so were you. 

  You’d been schooled on what to say at the interview, though you already knew what to insist.  It was love that brought you both to almost suicide, for one couldn’t live without the other.  And the Capitol gushed their plastic hearts out.  

  You felt your heart melt too.  The way she curled up around your arm and rested her chin on your shoulder or kissed you when an awkward silence filled the space instead of words… you’d just gotten her back and you couldn’t lose her again.

  When you were on the train ride back, finally out of prying views with a privacy you hadn’t felt in ages, you sat beside Katniss on the couch.

  “You’re a horrible liar, you know.”  You murmured softly.  She’d had a nightmare and insisted all was well, but you both knew it wasn’t true.  Then you added: “But you’re a damn good actor.”

  Katniss smiled weakly at you but it didn’t meet her eyes.  “So are you.”

  You knew it was best to just give up and return to your room, but you couldn’t, you just couldn’t.

  “I wasn’t acting.”  You said softly, watching the way the moonlight spilled down the bridge of her nose and pooled on her cheekbone.  Her eyes avoided yours but they weren't angry, they were soft, somber.  “Nothing.. I’ve told you has been a lie.”

  Katniss slowly turned to look at you but kept her gaze on your hair or chin.  “Y/n…”

  “I know this was fake, to save our lives, but it made my life better than it’s ever been.”  You whispered.  “I don’t want this to be an act.  I want it to be real.  I can’t imagine a life without you, Katniss.”

  When she finally let her eyes wander and lock with yours, you could see the tears brimming in them.  Her lips trembled and parted halfway, but nothing came out aside from a small squeak.

  Your hands were still intertwined, and so were your hearts, whether Katniss would admit it or not.

  You were expecting rejection.  Expect nothing and never be disappointed.  That’s what had been ingrained into your mind since day one but you couldn’t help that twinge of longing and hope from filling your heart.

  Finally, Katniss spoke.

  “You… you don’t want me..  You don’t.”  She whispered.  “You can’t.  I can’t…  You’re too good for me.”  She was rambling in a slightly panicked voice, denying that anybody could love somebody as broken as her.  “Y/n..  You deserve so much better than me.”

  “I don’t care what I deserve.  I want you.”  You whispered back, squeezing her hands and then pulling one away.  You gently placed your palm on her flushed cheek and brushed a few tears away.  “I’ve always loved you Katniss, and I think I always will.”

  “Y-you’re telling the truth?”

  “Only the truth.”  You whispered softly.  

  It was as if there were magnets inside your heads.  You leaned closer to her and she did the same, your lips only dreaded inches apart.

  Katniss blinked a few more tears down her cheeks, and then her lips perked up into the smallest smile.  “Is this real?”  She asked tearfully.

  “Yes.”  You smiled back at her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.  When you pulled away and met her gaze once more, she nodded, and this time you kissed her lips.

  It was practically something out of a fairy tale.  You’d survived the treacherous journey, you’d brought pride to your district, and you got the girl.  What else could you ask for?

  Katniss smiled into the kiss and soon her arms slid around your shoulders, her eyes fluttering shut.  You smiled too and pulled her closer.  You’d finally found what you were looking for, and now you could let yourself get lost.  

  This wasn’t an act.    This was real.

[pinkpigtailsprincess]

HI ANY TIPS ON BEING THE NEW KID AT A NEW SCHOOL

GENERALLY GETTING ANXIETY ATTACKS LOL

ALSO I LOVE YR BLOG SMM

𝜗𝜚 ݁ ˖ Doll tips! ; Being the New Kid!! 🎀⭐️

Tip #1 ; Taking a Breath now speaking from experience being the new kid at school is very nerve racking ik ive done it so many times and just sitting back and just breathing snd relaxing can definitely help just calm you down!!

Tip #2 ; Making a Good Impression!! now for this one i not saying you have to be the most outgoing person ever bc it can be overwhelming especially if you have social anxiety or you just have trouble with interacting!! but definitely being as polite as possible can definitely help you in the long run!!! ⭐️

Tip #3 ; Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself

now since you are new to the school you may or may not have to introduce yourself and ik how nerve racking this can be but doing a simple “Hi! I’m _” is really good if you don’t wish to speak then a simple smile and wave is also just as good!!!

Tip #4 ; Recruiting Friends!!

if you wanna be friends with a particular person try going up to them and saying hi to them also helping people with something is a way to get to know a person or having desk/table mates is like a gold mine for making friends with people !!!

Tip #5 ; Not Everyone is a nice person

if you can tell someone is a mean person stay away from them have little to no contact with this person its will save you all the energy and time because people like this can be extremely draining trust ik that!

Tip #6 ; Be nice but don’t be a pushover

obviously being nice is ESSENTIAL but never let someone cross your boundaries or disrespect you call them out on it don’t make a huge scene obviously but definitely let them know that you’re setting a boundary and if they cross again then cut this person off because obviously they don’t respect your boundaries!!

Tip #7 ; Don’t be a Bystander!!

if you see someone getting bullied say something about it,defend them or just ask them if they’re okay being a bystander to the problem makes you part of the problem as well!!!

Tip #8 ; Don’t let others bring you down

again with making boundaries never let someone cross you or make snarky remarks call them out on it and remember this person words obviously don’t matter what other people say doesn’t define you

Tip #9 ; Join a Club!!

joining a club can be an amazing way to make friends while also doing something you enjoy and over all its just an amazing activity!!

Tip #10 ; Don’t overshare!!!

unless you genuinely trust a person don’t overshare because people switch up and anything you say can and will be used against you!

Tip #11 ; Have Main Character mindset

even if you have zero confidence fake it till you make it!! walk with good posture and some pep in ur step!!🎀

Tip #12 ; If u have a group assignment don’t do all the work

omg i can’t stress this enough only do your part if someone is failing to do their part don’t do it for them let them fail thats their own fault

Tip #13 ; Being popular isn’t everything!

social hierarchy in high school or middle school (idk what grade ur in im sorry!!) is so bleak okay being popular isn’t everything i mean sure by some chance you’ll be popular but still you don’t HAVE to fit in because ur made to stand out

Tip #14 ; Channel ur inner Elle Woods & Cher Horowitz

* apply ur self in ur academics

* if you need help ask its not a bad thing to need help!!

* Make an Organizer to stay in top of ur work!!

* STUDY!! STUDY!! STUDY!!

* if you have an assignment with a rubric read it carefully to ensure you can get the highest grade possible!!

* if you unhappy with your grade or feel like you should’ve gotten a better one ask your teacher to review!!!

* wear cute clothes and style ur hair neatly not to for the lookism esque obviously but looking ur best and feeling your best are definitely good ways to feel better!!! 🎀⭐️

* have a “what? like its hard?” mindset

* Don’t Judge!!

* Pursue ur dreams!!

* Don’t be afraid of a challenge

* Be yourself!!

Tip #15 ; Don’t Leave people out!!!

say ur in a group setting and you see one particular person being left out and not getting their chance to speak make them feel welcome ask them about what they were gonna say and include them into the conversation!!!

Tip #16 ; Eat what makes you happy and don’t yuck someones yum

if someone has a cultural dish for their lunch DON’T EVER make them feel bad about it don’t care what it is that loser behavior! also eat the kind of food that makes you feel good inside and that nourishes your body i definitely suggest packing a lunch the night before!!!

Tip #17 ; Don’t hang around Slackers!!

be friends with people that actually apply themselves in their academic and working for what they want!!!

I love you anon i hope you do AMAZING at ur new school!!! 🎀⭐️

[pocketramblr]

What about an AU where Yoichi and AFO's quirks are swapped?

1- Yoichi, tiny little twin he is, starved, is so hungry that the second he's born, he clings and tries for food as the twins are raised to suckle- instead, he pulls the spike quirk into his body, and chokes on it. the spikes pierce the nursing new mother, and that with the injury of childbirth means this will be the first and last time the twins have milk.

2- The spikes poke AfO's hands when he grabs the baby, but Yochi's too tired and worn out to hurt him as much. Later, he'll learn to keep from hurting his brother, even as AfO ignores it, carrying Yoichi around like a weapon. Throw spiky brother at prey/intruders/attackers, then collect him when he's done. Yoichi is an attack dog- part pet, part tool. Except he's not good at following orders, his first words being "stop" and "no", so AfO just kinda shoves him where he wants him. Still, Yoichi doesn't leave.

3- As Yoichi is AfO's weapon, he is not left in different shelters while AfO goes out alone- he's never given the opportunity for privacy, or reading comics. Still, AfO finds out that Yoichi does not like *anyone* attacking others, not just him- he'll yell at strange grown ups to stop too, just like he does AfO. AfO wishes he would just attack first and stop trying to use words or tears that don't work- but then Yoichi takes another power and makes the attacker run away, and well... yeah, he can allow that.

4- When Yoichi falls ill, he cannot go out to fight or steal powers. AfO tries to tell him to anyway, and Yoichi gets annoyed and tells him to 'do it himself if he wants to badly enough', shoving the spike quirk into him- passing on a quirk for the first time. AfO is delighted, and tries to shake out more quirks, but Yoichi passed out from the effort, and refuses to when he wakes up- he even tries to take the spike quirk back, but finds that he can't. AfO gets more demanding, trying anything for more, bargaining, then threatening. Yoichi can't fight back without seriously hurting him, and he doesn't want to- so he finally shoves a bunch of quirks into his older brother and runs while he adjusts to the feeling.

5- AfO becomes a multi powered fiend, feared, while Yoichi vanishes, laying low and staying on the move, taking quirks from those who misuse them- when he thinks the word won't get back to his brother who still hunts him. One day, Yoichi's hideout is broken into by two vigilantes who want him to neutralize AfO. Yoichi explains he can't, his power can't take any back from his twin, and he tried. After some conferring, the two take Yoichi back to their group to figure out how he can be used to help, in exchange for safe keeping and food. A year later, the gambit seems to have worked- Kudo and his second-in-command stumble back to the base, the rest of the multi-quirk soldiers dead in the successful attempt to kill AfO. But that's when they realize the stress of multiple quirks in one brain, and Yoichi tries to take all their powers back to heal them. It doesn't work. The attack was their entire plan- the whole base is empty now, and everyone who left dead. Just Yoichi, and the youngest recruit Hikage who stayed behind as an alarm/guard, remain. Finally truly broken, Yoichi goes to Hikage and passes on every quirk, including the all-for-one quirk, then dies. Hikage flees into the woods. (Unbeknownst to him, so does Yoichi's brother's successor, Gigantomachia.)

[hotvintagepoll]

Currently in trouble in parental group chat over Mária Félix vs Julie Andrews. Both parents are throwing down, but only Mum is actively recruiting other siblings to her cause.

(Please don’t tell my Padre if Natalie Wood is losing. Dude is already threatening to sing sad mariachi music if Mária loses, lol!)

So, three cheers to you for all your hard work and the joy & gnashing of teeth you’re causing!

We LOVE to hear it. Tell your dad and mom that I'm obsessed with them.

[astr0-physcs]

Jesus Christ that Reiner and Jean fix was so good, could you write for a female Reader too? Thanks!!!

yes!! i'm so glad you liked it <3

mission(ary)

-Reiner Braun x Jean Kirschstien x f!Reader

-WC: 5k

-Warnings!:

Threesome, nipple play, oral, (F and M receiving) unprotected sex, praise, degradation

-A/N!

vvv happy that ppl want both versions! Thank you nonnie <3

The sun rose over the horizon bathing the cadets in a golden glow. Every morning started this way, all the cadets lined up, waiting for their orders. Captain Levi stood before them, the rising sun to his back. You stood next to Sasha, you both were standing shoulders back, fist over heart, eyes forward towards the Captain. Finally he broke the silence that had fallen over the group.

"Marco, you are heading into the Trost district with Sasha to make a supply run. There is a shipment under Commander Erwin's name”

The cadets gave a quick nod, not moving from their place in line.

“Alright. Mikasa, you will look after the horses.” One more quick nod.

“Annie, Bertolt, and Armin. Refill the gas chambers for ODM equipment.” Everyone nods in agreement.

"Eren." A beat of silence.

"Yes, Captain?" he responded, shifting slightly.

“Cleaning duty.”

A look of pain appeared on Eren's face. Nevertheless he agreed. A few people in the group snickered.

Caption Levi went on to the next assignment.

"Y/N, Jean, Reiner, Ewrin’s office. Special task for you.”

You swallow, uneasy. Typically, such missions required venturing outside the walls. The Captain moves on when you give him a nod. The recruits scatter when the Caption allows them to.

Reiner and Jean move from the other side of the line to you. A shadow fell over you from the two big men. Together you and the other two men walked to Ewrin’s office in pending silence.

You take the initiative to knock on the door and Erwin's calls for you to enter.

"Cadets," he utters from his desk. You approach his desk with Jean and Reiner on your tail.

"Take a seat." He gestures toward the chairs in front of his desk. With some hesitation, you take a seat, followed by the other two soldiers.

"You have been given a scouting assignment by Captain Levi and myself." Ewrin said, laying a roughly drawn map out on his orderly desk.

"You will leave at noon and end up here in the forest,” Erwin said, pointing to a marked spot on the map. “ Then you will need to be back here by noon tomorrow. You will then take note of where the nearest titan is. Also, you will need to get your supplies from the cadets who are in charge of the ODM gear.”

You give a respectful nod.

“I wish you cadets luck.” Ewrin said, getting to his feet and giving the cadets the salute.

The three of you quickly rise to your feet and return his salute.

Together, you exclaim, "Thank you, Commander, Sir!"

Silently, the three of you leave his office and head towards the gear room. You didn't know Jean and Reiner as well as you wanted to, and they were uncomfortable with each other. To put it mildly, it was awkward. The entrance to the gear room was opened by the three of you.

"Hey-"

"Armin, my friend!" Jean said, walking confidently towards the blonde.

Startled, Armin looked up, and dropped the gas canister he was holding. The sound of the metal hitting the hardwood floor echo off the stone walls. The room had been a dining room and was quite big. A large wood table and many wooden chairs that matched the dark oak of the table were set aside in the corner to make room for the gear supplies. A large chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling. This was still the only other source of light for the room, although it was covered in spiderwebs. Levi hasn't found it yet. Now the room was filled with ODM gear and shelves of grappling hook holsters. Armin recovered quickly, and picked up the runaway gas can.

“Armin, stop dropping stuff.” Said Annie from the other side of the room, where she was inserting some ODM. Armin nervously laughed and placed the gas into the gear. You and Reiner stepped into the room.

“Hi, Armin.” You say joining Jean in front of the small blonde man, sitting on the ground. He smiles back at you.

“Hey. What are you doing here? I thought you were talking to Commander Erwin?”

You nod. “Yeah, we were-”

“Yeah we did. Told us to go scouting.” Jean interrupted, rolling his eyes. “We need ODM gear.”

You glare at Jean, before turning back to Armin and saying “Can we please get ODM gear?”

"Oh, yes, definitely. Let me get you set up.” He looked anxiously at Annie and Bertolt, who were talking with Reiner.

"H-Hey Annie,can you help me get them ready?” He asked, getting to his feet.

Annie nodded once in agreement before walking over to the back to fetch the gear suits. Bertolt followed after a brief conversation with Reiner, and the blond returned to you and Jean.

"Thank you Armin." You called after him. Annie and Bertholdt return with three sets of suits and give one to each of you. You slide on the leather and tighten the straps until the outfit fits tightly around your waist. Annie and Armin grab the gas canisters, while Bertolt takes the grappling hook holders.

They move around you three, attaching the hefty metal to your waistbands. "Alright. You are all set. Good luck." Armin offers you a tentative smile. You give him a kind smile back. Jean taps your shoulder and you guys exit the building.

Mikasa stood outside with three horses, well equipped for the journey. You walk up to your horse, her name is Hope. She was a deep brown horse with a long black mane. Mikasa had gotten the saddles on all the horses and packed the bags on the side with food, water, tents, and other survival gear. You did a quick check of everything to make sure nothing was missing. The other two did the same checks as Mikasa watched on.

"Thank you." Reiner spoke, once he had checked everything and patted his house a bit. Mikasa nodded and reached up for her scarf. You turn to pet the horse, and Levi approaches you.

“I believe Erwin has already informed you, but you three are going to go to the border outside the walls and mark the location of the nearest titan. You are to return by noon tomorrow. Understood?”

The three of you saluted to Levi. “Yes Captain!”

He nods in acknowledgment. “Good luck cadets.” The Captain turns away and you relax your stance. Hopping up into the horse's saddle, you pet the horse and turn around to secure your equipment. Mikasa stood nearby, hand in her scarf. Jean turned around and said goodbye, and you and Reiner waved. Whipping the reins of the horse, you turn around and follow Jean to the exit of camp.

The ride to Wall Maria wasn't unbearable. You and Jean made some commentary, with quick inputs from Reiner.

“Okay, now that we're outside the safety of camp, everyone needs to keep an eye out for titans. We can't let our guard down.” Jean says

Reiner sighs. “ Jean, we get it. You don't need to remind us about the titans.”

You giggle and roll your eyes playfully. “Seriously, it's like you're trying to scare us”

Jean huffs. “Just tryna make sure everyone is alert, that's all.”

“Says the guy who can't keep his eyes off somebody's body for five minutes…” You mumble, smirking slightly. Jean whips his head around at you. “The fuck you'd just say to me?”

“Guys please. Can we just stick to the job-?” Reiner sighs.

“At least when I speak, I have important things to say. You just yap yap yap.” Jean shoots back.

You shake your head. “Jean, you're making this worse by arguing.”

“You're the one who started it!”

You hide the smirk threatening to appear. “Hey, I'm just saying what we're all thinking here.”

Reiner now turns to the two of you. “Can we not take things personally and focus on the mission here?”

“And why don't you mind your business? Not your fight here, pal.” Jean glares at Reiner, who side eyes him back.

“Jean, calm down. You're acting dumb right now.”

“I'm perfectly calm!” Jean shouts not so calmly.

You giggle. “Yeah keep telling yourself that, tough guy…”

Jean opened his mouth to speak, but in that moment, Reiners horse reared up, clearly spooked. Reiner yelped and slid off the horse and onto the ground. The horse bolted and Reiner groaned, shaking the mud off of his uniform.

Jean lets out a snort and the two of you burst into laughter, doubling over at the sight.

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up you two…” Reiner grumbled, but a small smile appeared on his face. He wipes off the mud that got onto his clothes, and sighs.

“Let's go get your horse.” You say, still laughing.

The poor horse was off near one of the damaged houses, munching on grass. You and Jean grin as Reiner goes and tries to calm the horse. You notice how softly he pets the horse's nose and sighs softly. The animal nudges the blonde's hand a little and his smile returns softly.

Once Reiner hops back onto the horse again, the rest of the traveling was smooth sailing. Jean made quips at you, you argued back and Reiner tried to mediate, but gave up about halfway through.

The sky turned a milky orange hue with few clouds by the time the three of you made it to the designated camp site. You lead your horse to the nearby forest, with a small stream nearby for the animals to drink from. The cover of the forest protected you from being seen by the massive Titans. Reiner grabs the tent from his horse and lays it out on the forest floor.

“Alright. Who wants to help put up the tent and who wants to search for wood?” Reiner asks, standing up from where he was kneeling next to the tent.

“I'll go! I'm a very good wood finder.” Jean said confidently, hands on his hips.

“I'm sure you are…” You snickered. Jean glared at you.

“Ha ha, very funny.”

Your smirk widened. Glancing over to Reiner, your smile turns from devilish to slightly confused. Reiner appeared also confused, his dark hazel eyes flickering between the two of you.

“Reiner?”

“I don't get it.” He says bluntly. Jean grins wide.

“Looks like you're up!” He says, harshly patting your shoulder. His touch lingered a little too long, but it's not like you noticed, too busy being flushed with embarrassment at explaining the joke.

“S-so. Um. Y’know how sometimes people refer to… to dick-”

“Stop. I am sick of dick jokes.” Reiner held up his hand, his face twisting into annoyance and disgust. “You two have made so many dick jokes I wonder if your own dicks are a joke.”

You and Jean furrowed your eyebrows. “Hey!” you spoke simultaneously, then glared at each other.

“I bet you're right about Jean. I mean, the taller the man, the smaller the dick.”

Jean looked appalled. “Where in the world did you learn that?”

“A textbook,” you shrugged. “Maybe you would know that information if you decided to give reading a try.”

“Oh, you little-” Jean started forward, but Reiner braced an arm against his chest.

“ Jean, you're making yourself look stupid again. Go get firewood before it gets dark and you trip over yourself.”

Jean rolls his eyes dramatically. “Oh, for fucks sake…” He mutters. You impishly grin and he flips you off.

“Jean.” Reiner says. Jean groans and trudges off into the forest. You giggle and turn back to Reiner.

“Alright, you get to help me put up this tent.” He kneels down next to the camouflage tent. You lean down next to him and he hands you part of the tent, spreading the tent on the clearing. Reiner grabs metal stakes and poles, setting up the tent with ease and practice. You smile at him warmly, but miss the way his ears go red.

The sun began to dip into the mountains, casting a deep sienna color across the forest. Clouds turn a watery hue of pink and red, the forest beginning to cool down. Jean came back with wood, and set them down unceremoniously. He grinned at you and Reiner, placing his hands on his hips.

"Wood!" he exclaims. You nod.

"Very good observation, Jean." You say as if you were talking to a toddler.

He drops his hands and glares at you.

"Hey, set up the fire, why don't you?" Reiner interrupts, preventing Jean from opening his mouth to argue. Jean scoffs, so you stick your tongue out at him. You walk over to your horse and grab your knife and matches. Walking back to the small fire ring you had already created while Jean was getting firewood, you kneeled down and slipped the wood using your knife, then gathered the small slithers into a teepee shape. Looking around the fire ring, you found pine needles and dead leaves, the perfect heat starter. You grab as many as you can and place them inside your little wood teepee.

You strike a match and place it inside the teepee and watch as the dead pine needles and leaves go up in flames and burn quickly. As the wood you placed began to burn you added more until you had a good sized fire.

You squat down next to the fire and wrap your arms around your knees.

“What time do you think we should get up to mark the titans location?” Jean asks behind you. You don't turn, enjoying the warmth of the fire against your skin.

“Dawn. The cloud coverage will be good for us.” Reiner answers. The blond comes into your vision and sits next to you. “Nice fire you've made.”

You smile. “Thanks, Reiner.” He smiles back at you.

“Hey, I got that wood, yknow!” Jean marches in front of you, fists clenched by his sides. You glance up with a smirk.

“Yeah sure, but who lit the match and cut the branches after you oh so graciously dumped them here?” Jeans mouth opened like a fish out of water. He glanced around, trying to think of something else to say.

“W-Well… That, that may be true, but…” the brunette stammers. You raise your eyebrows. “But..? But what, Jean?”

Jean narrows his eyes, still trying to counter you. Finally, he shuts his eyes and sits down, irritated. You giggle softly, and Reiner smiles softly.

“Let's get dinner ready.” Reiner stood up and grabbed some prepackaged food from his bag. He tossed Jean a package, while gently handing yours to your outstretched hands. He then hands you a pot to boil the water. Once the water gets to a boil, you tear open the food and pour the hot water in, then you pour the water into the other boys packs too. Once it cooks and cools you enjoy the chicken and rice.

Finished with your meal, you hum happily. “Not bad for a prepackaged meal!”

Jean hums next to you, and you glance over. His eyes sparkle, the orange firelight dancing in his irises. He was looking at you like you were the only moment that mattered right now. Questions bubbled up in your chest, and you opened your mouth to speak. Reiner coughed, and you weren't sure it was coincidental. You catch his eye, and shut your mouth in shock. Reiners icy gaze was narrowed sharply. You shift your confused gaze back to Jean, who was still looking at you gently, orange firelight flickering in his eyes. He seemed to catch on to the tension Reiner was causing, but remained silent. The only sound that was emanating was the flickering of fire and the snapping of heated wood.

Reiner finally spoke, his voice thick and intense. “Did you want to say something?”

You reeled back, slightly stunned at his tone. Blinking, you shake your head no. His gaze doesn't shift, and you feel like a deer caught in headlights. After a heartbeat, Reiner slowly looks away from you. Your heart beat in your chest and you take a deep breath. Turning back to Jean, you notice that the brunette’s eyes haven't moved off of your face. Your cheeks heat up softly and you clear your throat.

“We should get ready for bed.” Reiner spoke again, spooking you. You look at him again, expecting a cold sharp gaze again. His blue eyes were softer than before, but he held your gaze with the same intensity.

“Yeah, yeah. You're right.” You say, standing up and brushing off the crumbs on your lap. Jean stands too, his focus still on you. Reiner watches you as you move around the fire, cleaning up after yourself. Then you put out the fire, making sure every spark was out. You move to your horses, who are sitting softly on the grass. You grab the sleeping bag that Mikasa provided and turn to Jean. “Where do you wanna sleep?”

“You're sleeping in the middle.” Reiners gruff voice called. You turn around, looking at him.

“Me or Jean?”

“You.” He said bluntly, his gaze focused on the supplies on his horse. You blink.

“That works for me.” Jean says calmly. You turn back to him. “Oh, alright. I'll go set up.” You walk to the tent and kneel down, entering inside. You roll out your bag and unzip it, waiting for Jean and Reiner. The blonde opens the tent and enters, making prolonged eye contact with you. You swallow nervously and glance away. Jean follows suit, entering the tent and smiling at you. The blonde rolls out his bag on your right, while Jean sets his things down on your left.

You begin unpacking your things, and notice both male gaze as you do so. Blush runs to your cheeks, but you don't look at either of them.

You set everything you needed to out for the night, and glance silently at your comrade. His gaze had fallen to the floor, the soft pink dusting his cheeks making him appear more genuine than before, when you two were arguing. He opens his mouth and closes it, like he was gathering the courage to say something.

“Good night.” Was the words that came out of his mouth. You smile softly. “Night Jean.” Turning to Reiner you repeat yourself. “Night, Reiner.”

Good night, Y/N.” he mumbled, his back already facing you. You lay down in your bag, not bothering to zip it up all the way on either side. Your eyes turned up to the tent ceiling. The heat of the dying fire radiated into the tent, and your heartbeat slowed.

You hear Jean turning around next to you, and you're suddenly aware of how cramped this tent actually is. His leg kicks out gently from the bag and sneaks into yours. You brush it off as an accident, dismissing the electric feeling that sparked through your body.

But then you felt his chest against your back. Your eyes shoot open. Gently, you try to shove him off and back into his own bag, but his calloused hands wrap around your waist.

“Jean…?” You whisper. Jean doesn't make a sound, instead pulling you closer. His breath was warm against your neck, and you shudder softly. His body curves against yours, cradling you with no escape.

“Jean-” You whisper again, but his thumb presses against your pink lips, silently shushing you. Your mind reels at how close he is, and how hot his fingertips seem to be. His other hand begins roaming down your body, slipping up your shirt and gently caressing your abdomen.

Finally, Jean speaks. His voice is rough and thick with lust.

“Tell me to stop, baby.”

Your cheeks heat up. Your body was reacting to the brunette’s wandering hands, shuddering and relaxing in his heat. You let your eyes shut, losing yourself in his hold. His hand on your abdomen reached higher and higher, until the pad of his finger was circling your nipple. A small, barely audible wine leaves your throat and Jean smirks against your nape. The hand on your lips slowly snuck down to your neck, holding you possessively. You whine again, and Jean pinches your nipple. You gasp and arch slightly, your ass pressing into his pelvis. He groans and nips your skin softly. Suddenly, he raises your tan shirt up to your collarbones, exposing your perky tits to the night air. You gasp again, slightly louder this time. Jeans' strong hand coaxes your neck to fall onto his shoulder, pressing your back into a perfect arch. You bite your lip and Jean begins groping your tit. Another noise, a whine, escapes your mouth. Jean pressed his mouth against your neck, sucking. Your body writhes, your dick slowly getting harder.

“Jean…” You choked out a whisper.

“Yes, baby?” He spoke slowly in return.

Abruptly, Reiner turned over to you, hazel eyes sharp.

“Could you keep-” His voice stops short at the sight of you, back pressed into an arch and chest exposed. “What…?” His voice lost its irritated edge, softening at the erotic scene laid out before him.

Embarrassment floods your body, your face turning red. You try to curl out of the arch Jean has you pressed in, but a solid bite on your neck makes you stop.

“Fuck…!” You squeak out, hands trying to cover your body. Jean takes his fingers off your boob and smacks your hand away.

“Jean, wait…” You plead softly.

“I think somebody likes the show. You wanna show off for him?” He murmurs in your ear.

He lets you tilt your head enough to look at Reiner. The blonde was watching intently, mouth slightly agape. His blue eyes were hazed over slightly, and his cheeks were flushed pink. You suddenly felt very self conscious about your chest being exposed, but Jean pulled you back into the arch he had you in. His fingers ghost over your nipple again, before tugging harshly. You squeal, your hips rutting softly against nothing.

“You want a taste?” Jean asked, loudly enough for Reiner to hear. Jean twists your neck softly and presses a kiss to your lips. He breaks away, then slots his mouth between yours. His tongue wrapped around yours, and he bites your lip, tugging it before pulling away.

Reiner shifts again, not knowing what to do with his body. Jean slides his mouth down your neck again, lightly biting and kissing your heated skin.

“Can I…?” Reiner said softly, his breath bated. Jean releases your neck so you can look at him with half lidded eyes. You nod, biting your lip. “Y-yea…” You moan again and Jean tugs your nipple again. Reiner breathes out softly and moves a hand tentatively to your other tit. He pinches it softly and you whine.

“Do…do you like that?” Reiner breathes.

You open your mouth to respond, but it ends up as a high pitched moan. Jean tugged on your tit harshly.

“Course she does. I mean, just listen to the way she moans.” He says, holding your nipple out for a minute before relaxing it. “Give it a try.”

Reiner swallows, fingers still resting on your chest. He gives a tug, and your hips jerk in the air. Breathy moans escape you, no longer trying to stay quiet. Reiner shifts his body closer, and leans down. He looks up at you, carnal desire threatening to take over. He presses his mouth to your tit and bites gently. An erotic whine erupts from your mouth, and your hips jerk. Everything was so hot, you could barely stand it. Your hand goes out to palm Jean through his pants and he groans quietly.

“Want these off, baby?” He whispers into your neck.

“Yes, fuck-! Y-yes, please…” You whine. Jean snickers.

“Such a good girl. How could I possibly refuse?” Jean’s hand on your chest slid down to his pants, undoing the zipper and sliding them down.

You could feel every movement, his body pressed right against you.

“You too, pretty girl.” He whispered. Reiner moved his hand to the boob Jean had abandoned, and gave it a harsher squeeze. You moan again and whine and the blonde’s tongue swirled around the sensitive tit.

Jean slid his hand down your pants, undoing the zipper and sliding off the restraining material. Your body shudders, now being nearly completely exposed to the night air. Your thighs shuddered, pussy dripping slick. Reiner suddenly left your chest and slid up to you.

“Sit up.” He said bluntly. Jean let go of your body so you could slide out of the sleeping bag. You gave Reiner a hazy quizzical look, but your confusion disappeared when he sat up too, grabbed your waist, and spun you around, back to his chest. Reiner pulled your shirt over your arms and head, then pressed you against his body. His hands go back to tugging your chest and you throw your head back, unable to silence your moans.

Jean smirks and places himself in between your legs.

“Open up, baby.” He said, then gently spread your legs apart.

Your pussy made a slick sound as Jean pried your folds open.

“Damn, fuckin’ gorgeous clit youve got.” Jean whistled lowly.

“Th- Thank- ah-! Thank you…!” You spoke in between whines. Jean pushed in a slender finger, pumping in and out, eliciting a pornographic moan from you. Your hips stuttered, trying desperately to fuck yourself in Jean’s hand.

Reiner leaned down to your ear.

“Desperate, are we? Such a slut…” He muttered. His words went straight to your clit, and your body jerked. Jean pressed the flat of his tongue against the bundle of nerves and a string of whines fell from your lips. You nearly arched off on Reiner as Jean pressed his tongue inside your clenching hole. Your clit pulsed hotly against Jean’s nose, meeting your lust filled eyes.

“W-wait, gonna-” You try to warn, before Jean sucks harshly at the same time Reiner pinches your nipples. Hot cum exploded in the brunette's mouth, and you nearly screamed. Jean swallowed and smirked, before rising up to make out with you.

“Taste yourself.” He said before sliding his mouth against yours. Bitter cum flooded your taste buds, but you were too fucked to care. Jean broke away and gently pried your body off on Reiner.

“Ass up, slutty.” Jean said with a smile. His hand presses you into a perfect arch, your tight holes displayed for Reiner.

“Shake your ass.” Jean said again, and you wiggle your ass gently. Reiner smacked it hard, and you jolted forward with the force. Jean pressed his cock to your lips, smirking. “Be a good girl and return the favor, hm?”

You open your mouth, letting your tongue roll out. Reiner pressed his precum slicked cock against your pussy lips and you whined. He shoves himself in, and you fall onto Jean with a breathy whine. You could nearly feel the blonde in your throat, if it weren't for the actual dick reaching your esophagus. Your eyes roll back as the pleasure, your hole gushing again.

“Gooood fuckin’ girl. Tight hole you've got.” Reiner groans.

Jean’s wolfish grin returns again. “You a virgin, honey?”

You nod softly, tears falling down your cheeks as you gag on Jean. He barks a laugh and thrusts down your throat. You choke and gag, spit running down your chin. Reiner grabs your hips and begins pistoning into you.

“Fuck, fuck fuck…” The blonde muttered as he hammered into your G-spot repeatedly. Jean leans back, the force of Reiner’s thrusts enough to move you on his dick. You nearly lose yourself in the pleasure, feeling their dicks twitch with each thrust and gag. Your pussy spurts all over again, your hole clenching around Reiner.

Jean coos at you.

“Doing such a good job. ‘I'm gonna cum down your throat, alright?” You don't hear him, the sound of Reiner behind you too loud and graphic.

“Fuck, close, baby. Lemme cum inside, okay?” Reiner says, and slaps you on the ass again when you don't respond. You jolt forward and whine hoarsely in agreement. Reiner twitches once, twice, before he buries himself to the hilt inside you. He pressed you to the base of Jean, who threw his head back and moaned as he came in your mouth. You suck him clean as he stares at you, panting hard.

Jean grabs your head and gently pulls you off his dick, smiling at your fucked out expression. Reiner pulls out and wipes his dick on your ass poorly before tucking himself back into his pants. You collapse, exhausted. Jean laughs fondly, and you pass out right there.

The last thing you remember is big hands shifting you back into your sleeping bag, the soft sound of the zipper and two kisses pressed against your forehead.

The next morning you woke to sunlight. You blinked, and immediately jolted out of bed. You thought you had missed your only task, marking down the Titans. You wince as you try to move, your pussy and stomach throbbing. Suddenly, the tent unzipped and Jean poked his head in.

“Hey, sleepyhead. Don't worry, we marked down the Titan’s location.”

You breathed a sigh of relief, nearly plopping down back into your bag.

“Did you get enough beauty sleep?” Jean asks.

“Yeah, no thanks to you two. My whole body hurts. How the fuck am I supposed to ride back to camp?” you complain.

Jean rolls his eyes and scoffs. “Figure it out yourself. I'm not the one who got fucked dumb last night.”

You glare at him. “Yeah cuz you get no hoes. Literally bitchless.”

Jean gasped. “You mother-”

“Good morning, Y/N. I hope you slept alright.” Reiner shoved Jean out of the way, who yelped. You smile. “I did, thank you.” Reiner smiled back.

“Good. We're packing up now. If you need a cushion, I can give you my cape.” Reiner offered, glancing away.

“Kiss ass…” Jean muttered from outside the tent.

[lavendertales]

Guilty pleasures: Chapter 1

pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

summary: introduced to the new watch group he has to lead, Joel finds himself bickering with one of the recruits in particular. but not so much when their lives are in imminent danger.

word count: 3.5k

SERIES WARNINGS: age gap (reader is in their 30s, Joel in his 50s); enemies to lovers, sexual activities, mutual pining & tension, violence, PTSD, weapons & injuries.

AGELESS/EMPTY BLOGS & MINORS WILL BE BLOCKED!!!

gif: @katronautt

series masterlist | AO3

JANUARY

The cold has long settled in your bones, chilling your entire body. No matter the layers of clothing on you, the long road had still taken its toll on you. You could barely keep your eyes open with the snow drizzling down.

Maybe you should’ve picked a warmer place to settle. California sounded like a dream, especially in these conditions. You missed California. But no, of course you agreed to go through a blizzard just because Maria was grateful to you that you saved her and her husband’s lives. And it was by accident entirely, but that’s only for you to know.

“There we are,” a male voice announced. “Home, sweet home.”

Fucking finally, you thought.

All you could think about was a hot soup and a soft mattress underneath you.

Sure you were grateful to Maria and her husband Tommy that they asked you to come along with them in Jacksonville, but you were still a little reluctant settling down somewhere. You haven’t sat in one place since many years, and the subdued memories of that time make you think this isn’t such a good idea.

But you want to give it a shot. You’ve known Maria for a while; somehow, from the time you threatened to shoot her to the time she allowed you and others to smuggle some pills and food out of the city, she became the one constant in your life. Every now and then, the two of you would meet, help each other out and then be on your separate ways. Except now, you were part of Jackson’s community, and you wanted to give it a fair shot.

You dismounted from the horse, backpack frozen on your back. You rubbed your hands together, looking around at the houses and the lights that surrounded them, and a faint smile stretched from the corners of your lips. It looked oddly homey. A place you could see yourself living out the rest of your days.

“Not bad, huh?” Tommy asked proudly next to you.

You made a face, still gazing around. “Not bad, I’ll give you that.”

“Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll stay,” Maria tapped you on the shoulder. “The rest, follow Tommy.”

You followed Maria to a little house, not too far into the city center, along its main street. You entered rather hesitantly after her, quickly inspecting the place. It had everything you could possibly want: a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. It was more than what you’ve had in a long time. But most importantly, you noticed a fireplace; that had you hastily removing your backpack and shotgun and going over to start a fire.

Maria chuckled. “Not a fan of the cold, huh?”

You rubbed your hands together, waiting for the wood to spark the highly anticipated sparks of fire. “I was born on the coast,” you said. “So no, not really into freezing limbs.”

“Get some rest, alright? Tomorrow we’re gonna get organized in groups and assign jobs for each. Any preference?”

“I got a shotgun. Take a wild guess.”

Maria chuckled again. “Alright, so either hunting or watch.”

“Either way, I’m shooting things.”

“You sure you don’t want the pistol?”

You took another look at the little revolver in Maria’s hand and gulped. You could feel the color draining from your cheeks. You wrapped your hand tighter around your shotgun, staring blankly at Maria.

“I’m good, thanks,” you replied after a while. “I prefer big guns.”

“Goodnight then.”

“Goodnight.”

TWO WEEKS LATER

His knees hurt. Fuck, he should’ve known better than to climb up that steep hill in such a hurry. Not like they were being followed by any infected. But there he’d been, trying to prove something to himself still—and to Ellie too, he supposes.

But Joel Miller isn’t exactly a young man anymore. His heart might still be that of a twenty year old, but the aches throughout his body say otherwise regarding his physical health. His age is showing in moments like these, and as much as he hates it, he accepts it nonetheless.

Whenever he looks in the mirror, he still sees himself as a father-to-be. He recognizes the man behind the tired figure he faces every day, but that young man has died two decades ago. He is long gone, replaced by the hardened flesh of a ruthless survivor.

No time for wallowing in self-pity today though; he had promised Tommy he would lead the watch group, so he’ll do what he always does: shoves down his pain, deep, deep down, and moves along with the world.

January’s cold weather is unforgiving, even under the thick coat he’s wearing. Joel goes out front in the street, surprised to see that the little group Tommy and Maria put together to keep Jackson safe is already there. He walks towards them, quickly inspecting them. Three men, two of which are built pretty solid, and two women. One of them holds a shotgun, clinging onto it like it’s some sort of life vest, and Joel could almost chuckle for whatever reason.

“Mornin’,” he salutes them.

He receives some mutters and replies, with the exception of the woman with the shotgun. His eyes instinctively go to her figure, and when their eyes meet, a cold shiver runs down his spine. One that has nothing to do with the freezing weather.

“Let’s get moving,” Joel tells the group.

“I see you’ve meet the troupes.”

Tommy’s voice comes up from Joel’s right, patting his brother on the shoulder as a greeting.

“What do you think?” Tommy asks.

“Not bad. It’ll do.”

“What are we, spring chicken?”

The voice belongs to you. Your eyes meet Joel’s again, and yours narrow, alongside your furrowed brows. There is no warmth in the glare you receive, and there is none in the one you return.

“Those would probably be more useful,” Joel retorts.

You point the shotgun at Joel, with everyone else on high alert. Tommy positions himself between the two of you, hands raised in defense.

“Let’s keep it friendly, okay?” he tells you both. “We’re on the same side here.”

“I’m not the one pointing a gun,” Joel says sourly.

You lower the shotgun, still staring at him. You see a man who’s clearly been through a lot, hardened not only by the cruel outbreak, but by other things as well. You don’t bother asking or caring, honestly. You’ve got your own shit to deal with, and you have no interest in appealing to anyone.

“Great manners you’ve got,” Joel addresses you directly.

“So what, you’re the oldest living gentleman?”

Tommy chuckles nervously. “I see you’ve hit it off with my big brother.”

Your jaw drops slightly as you stare incredulously at Tommy, who introduces Joel to you, and you to Joel. The two of you share another glare, filled with nothing but distrust and hesitance. Joel moves closer to Tommy, muttering, “I thought this group’s for watching, not making unnecessary threats to strangers.”

“Trust me, Joel, if you run into anything on that watch, you’re gonna be glad you got her there.”

Something about the way Tommy makes that statement, with a little pride and glimmer in his eyes, it raises Joel’s curiosity. But he shoves that down as well, and resumes his position.

“Alright, let’s get movin’, now,” he tells the group.

You move to the front of the line that gets formed; that way, you get a better view at this Joel Miller.

Time turned half of his hair gray, adding a sort of dignified aura around him. He’s got broad shoulders, the bony structure visible even with the heavy coat he’s got on. Though his face is undoubtedly tainted by hardship and his eyes seemed to spew iciness during the previous contact, they were somehow still warm. As if there was still something for him to hold on to.

“You point that gun at me again, we’re gonna have an issue,” he warns out of the blue.

You chuckle, holding onto the shotgun’s strap. “You haven’t had anything poking in your back in a long time, have you, big guy?”

Joel turns to you, a dangerous frown creasing his forehead. “Could say the same about you with that goddamn attitude.”

You hide the smirk that resides on your face, moving along with the rest of the group.

“That’s your opinion,” you retort cheekily.

Joel’s mind starts to race, but he swiftly shuts it all off. He doesn’t need another aggravation.

“I can see why you got this promotion,” you comment. “Head of the watch party, Tommy’s big bro—“

“What, you’re jealous or something?”

“Please. If Tommy were real smart, he’d see that I got more stamina in me, but I can appreciate him sticking with family.”

While the others keep climbing up the hill, Joel stops dead in his tracks and stares you down.

“You have no idea about the things I can do,” he seems to threaten, only it comes out more guttural, almost alluring.

You don’t reply. You simply refrain from smiling, figuring the gesture would set him off further, and you need to keep moving before you freeze to death.

Two weeks you’ve been in Jackson, and you feel like you’ve lived there for years. While there was a certain familiarity and coziness to the small town and its people, there’s also a feeling of repetitiveness. Like a poorly prepared routine. You didn’t really mind it because you weren’t there to make friends. You were there because Maria was grateful. That was pretty much it. You weren’t really interested in friendships, anyway.

And certainly not with someone like Joel Miller.

Though you wouldn’t mind having a thing or two going on the side. He’s really not bad on the eyes, but you’d never say that to him or to anyone, much less to Tommy. You get the sense that for the Miller brothers, loyalty came first. You could appreciate that, but you wouldn’t want to get in the middle of anything.

“How much further?” one of the men, Marcus, asked.

“Are we up the hill?” Joel asks.

“No…?”

“Then we still got road to cover.”

Joel rolls his eyes and pushes past the slight knee pain. He takes a mental note to get some of those pain killers and whiskey later. He has the feelings he’s gonna want to be knocked out tonight. Knowing that he has to lead this group, though, it gives him a certain sense of pride and accomplishment, and, like with everything else in his life, if he’s gonna do this, he’s gonna do this right.

The icy road and harsh air breathing onto his face keep him awake and alert. His eyes roam around endlessly, his ears open and attentive for the slightest noise. All he sees before him is white and blue, the occasional gray reminding him of his own graying features. His joints ache, his body temperature drops, but his heart beats faster. In those twenty years, he’s seen enough to know reach a point where infected no longer scare him. He’s seen all the stages of the virus, all the creatures that were once human, and he’s done it all.

What does scare Joel, though, are people. People are by far the scariest creatures in nature. At least with the infected, you know what you’re in for. Animals, same thing. People, however, have a conscience, and never knowing what truly lies there is the most frightening prospect.

So anyone who knows Joel Miller in the slightest knows he’s reluctant when it comes to people. The only ones he trusts are Ellie, Tommy and Maria. The list does not go on. These people behind him—whose names he couldn’t be bothered to remember—are cargo. An obligation, but, should it come to it, a nuisance. Five people behind him, meant to follow him, and Joel feels as lonely as ever.

Which he prefers, of course.

There’s sudden rustling in some bushes nearby. Almost in sync, all six of you put up your weapons, ready to defend yourselves. The previous guy, Marcus, seems the most nervous as his arm betrays a slight shake; Joel ignores it, eyes locked on the frozen leaves. Seconds later, a rabbit emerges carefree. You all put your guns away.

“I thought it was—“Marcus starts.

Joel huffs. “Congratulations, you caught a rabbit.”

“We all had our weapons ready,” you intervene. “Better a rabbit than a fuckin’ walker.”

Joel throws another glance at you, half unimpressed and half curious. Tommy’s words about you echo in his mind, though he fails to assign any particular meaning to them. Trust me, Joel, if you run into anything on that watch, you’re gonna be glad you got her there. He didn’t ask for clarity, though in hindsight, he probably should have. What were you, some sort of karate expert? An incredible warrior? Not likely. And not because of a sexist issue, but because he doubted your harsh attitude and presumed anger against the world would pair perfectly with great hunting skills.

He knows that firsthand.

A couple of miles further, there’s more rustling. Marcus seems too disappointed in himself to prepare his gun this time, but Joel puts up his, and so do you.

“Is that—?” the other woman starts, but you swiftly turn around and press your index to your lips to shush her.

You stare at the ground, noticing some footprints. Dragged footprints. Shotgun at the ready, you look around, remaining right behind Joel. When no other sound but rustling is heard, you exchange a look with him, both of you concerned. You both know it’s not raiders; if it were, they would’ve attacked already.

And then you hear it.

The sound any of you dreads to hear.

Clickers.

You don’t see the first one till it’s too late. It quite literally jumps in front of you, convulsing around aimlessly. While everyone’s eyes widen, you hold your breath and simply look at the poor creature walking around. You know that if you shoot now, you might trigger a swarm of clickers and you’d all be outnumbered and doomed. So you remain still, breath still in, right under Joel’s and the group’s shocked eyes.

You feel the snow beneath your feet, and you gulp with nervousness. One wrong move and the clicker would hear the snow crumpling under your boots. You beg your body to remain frozen in the same spot, dead silent, and you watch as the creatures wanders off.

The second clicker, now that one you do see.

Joel doesn’t; so you react on an impulse. You come up from behind him, one hand over his arm, the other one covering his mouth. You both stare in dismay at the clicker convulsing right by you, then right by the group, followed by another, and another one, and before you know it, there are seven of them. Joel remains locked under your harsh touch, thus allowing you to keep him safe. It’s an act of trust that takes you both by surprise, but the moment calls for it. There is no other way.

After who knows how many seconds or minutes, you slowly let go of Joel, and he looks down on you, murmuring an inaudible thank you. You nod once, your breaths gone as you hear someone tripping, and the subsequent roar of the clickers.

It happens too fast: you and Joel both pull out the guns and start shooting the clickers alongside the rest of the group. Marcus is face to face with one of the creatures, pinned down to the cold ground, and you reach into the holster strap on your thigh to throw a knife at it. Hurt, the creature lets out a loud shriek, but in return you put several bullets into its distorted head.

“Move, move!” you hear Joel shout.

You make eye contact with Marcus, seeing the horrified expression on his face and the blood on his clothes. You gun down another clicker that was running manically in your direction, help take out the others with the group, able to breathe afterwards.

The white snow remains now tainted by blood and corpses, those of the clickers. You all check each other, pleased to see that you’re all safe. But then you lock eyes with Marcus again, and you kneel before him, inspecting his body.

“You hurt?” Joel asks him.

He nods frantically, pointing to his leg. You see the bite mark that goes well past the jeans’ fabric, and you shudder. Fuck. You glance around, finding your knife in one of the clickers’ heads, retrieving it and wiping the blood off on your jacket. You think at the very least, you can make Marcus go without that much pain.

But Joel is faster than you.

A gunshot is heard, and you flinch when it dawns on you that Marcus was just shot in the head, right in front of you.

You stand up, looking at Joel in utter shock and anger. “What the fuck?!” you exclaim.

Joel is too busy putting his gun away to respond to you. The other woman, Annie, responds to you in a fairly small voice, “It’s the policy.”

You turn to her, frowning. “I’m aware of that. But it doesn’t say anywhere that we can’t make this easier for those who die.”

Joel scoffs, and the sound angers you so much you put the blade to his throat, earning a few gasps from the group.

“Put that down,” he warns, tone dry and bored.

“He should’ve died easier,” you mutter through gritted teeth.

Joel looks at you, almost through you. “There’s no easy way to die in a fuckin’ outbreak.”

You remove the blade from his throat. It’s the second time in just a few short hours that you’ve threatened Joel Miller. The day wasn’t even half done yet, and you were already drained and angry.

“What, we were supposed to let him go?” Joel asks you.

“No. I know the fucking policy. I just—“

You exhale, shaking your head, acknowledging the fact that you are probably fighting a losing battle against morals. Of which you have too little, matter of fact.

“Never shot someone to spare them?”

Joel’s question punches a hole through your stomach. You gulp, staring at Marcus’ now lifeless body. The image quickly distorts, the body turning into that of another one, smaller and bloodier. Your hand shakes, your limbs go cold, and it takes you a bit before returning to reality.

“Path is clear,” you announce the obvious. “I guess we’re done for today.”

This time you take the lead ahead, and Joel and the rest follow you in complete silence. You only walk in front of them so they don’t see the distressed look on your face, not because of some newly found sense of leadership. You couldn’t care less about that.

When you reach back to Jackson, roughly one hour later, you run into Tommy and some teenage girl. Tommy’ face drops, looking at you, Joel, Annie and the rest.

“Infected?” he asks his brother.

Joel nods. “Clickers. Took them out.”

“Where’s Marcus?”

“On the bright side, path up the hill should be clear now,” you tell him. “On the downside, Marcus won’t be joining us for dinner in the future. If he does, that ain’t Marcus and we should probably kill him for good.”

You walk right past him and everyone. Ellie stares at your silhouette growing smaller in the distance, then turns to Tommy and Joel. “Who’s that?”

Tommy introduces your name to Ellie. Joel side eyes them, his mind playing your name on a loop. It’s a sound word, something worth remembering.

“Hate to admit, but you were right about her,” Joel tells Tommy, who smiles in delight.

“What did I tell you, huh? What happened?”

“When clickers were there, she was the first one to hear ‘em. None of us did till she did. She saved me from one of ‘em. Then she held a knife to my throat, but I reckon that’s a well-balanced treatment.”

“Whoa, that’s pretty badass if you ask me,” Ellie comments in awe.

“Good thing I didn’t ask you, isn’t it?” Joel replies.

Ellie sticks out her tongue at him and makes a face that merely amuses Joel. He finds himself staring into the distance as well, remembering the indignation on your face as he shot Marcus, the glimmer of hope in your eyes thinking there might’ve been an easier way to end his doomed life.

Deep down, he learns to appreciate that. Joel himself hasn’t had hope in quite some time, not since he saved Ellie from the fucking Fireflies.

Much as he might despise your attitude, maybe you and Joel aren’t that different after all.

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