#an obligatory college au fic

[kiwisbell]

Whiskey Sour

chapter seven [epilogue]: ancient mariner

Reuniting with your estranged father while you finish college in Austin has unintended consequences. His best friend, for one.

series masterlist

pairing: joel miller x f!reader

rating: 18+ (mdni)

series tags and warnings: dbf!joel being extremely criminally attractive, big ol' age gap (40s/early 20s), unprotected piv (do not follow the leader), creampie, multiple sex positions, multiple orgasms, oral sex (m and f receiving), dry humping, spitting, biting, joel miller is a MUNCH, very appropriate use of a showerhead, consensual somnophilia, yoga, heavy emphasis on payphones, daddy issues, family reunions, angst, dead mom, grief and mourning, father/daughter relationship, bartending, reader is a woman in STEM (author is not), being a student in university deserves a warning probably, attempted drugging (roofies), college boys suck, possessive sex, possessive joel, protective joel, obligatory warning for joel's salt-and-pepper hair, masturbation, wet dreams, no outbreak AU, hurt/comfort, healing, no sarah or ellie, stargazing, face-sitting, pining/yearning, happy ending

word count: ~ 11k (oops)

a/n: thank you for being here besties. here's a little epilogue/slice-of-life bonus chapter. i love you so much and i hope you've enjoyed this fic. whiskey sour will forever hold a special place in my heart and i had the best time ever writing it xx

chapter 7 [epilogue]: ancient mariner

Loving.

You take Joel to visit your new apartment.

It's small and quaint and so you. Pictures of you, your father, and your friends are tacked to a cork board. Decorative pillows and blankets are strewn about your love seat and plush chairs. Your kitchen is just big enough to fit you, light woods and natural light and your favourite colours. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the north wall give you a good view of the university a few blocks away. You're on the twelfth floor. 

“What if there’s a fire?” says Joel, inspecting the locks on your door. They seem sturdy. The walls are a pleasant white, the floor clean. There's no mould or mildew. Everything looks perfectly safe. 

“If there's a fire, I’ll take the stairs.”

“If the stairs are on fire?”

You give him a look. “I’ll yell down to the firefighters to set up a mattress on the ground, and hope for the best.”

“And your neighbours?” he says, breezing past your smartass little comment. “They good people?”

“I haven't gotten the chance to introduce myself yet.” You shrug your shoulders, watering a snake plant that hangs down from your curtain rod. “I’ll bring them some cookies next time I bake. I’m sure they're lovely.”

“You can't know that,” he points out. 

You hum dismissively, and Joel catches a wicked smile on your face. “No, but if I want to bring a guy home, I don't need to sneak him past any housemates.”

Joel walks right up to you where you stand by the windows and snakes his arm around your waist. “Wanna keep bein’ funny,” he says, “or are you gonna finally let me kiss you again?”

“That depends.” You smile up at him, placing your hands on his chest. “Will you help me put together my dresser?”

Joel grins, tilting your chin up and kissing you softly. You smile against his mouth, winding your arms around his neck. He guides you to the window and presses your back against it, your body curving up against him. “My girl,” he murmurs, his lips at the corner of your mouth, your cheek, your jaw. “I’ll give you anything you want.”

“Kiss me again and I’ll believe you.” 

He does. Decadently. 

Hands on your waist, fingers slipping beneath the hem of your sweater, teasing your soft skin. His tongue parting your lips, tasting bitter morning coffee and mint. His mouth and yours. The smell of his cologne.

When you pull away, you litter kisses from his nose to his forehead down to his scruffy beard. “Do you want dinner?” you ask him softly. 

His eyes light up, and he looks down at you like a hopeful puppy. “You want me to stay?”

You squeeze his strong biceps. “I need to put you to work, and there is no way I’m letting you leave my sight tonight.”

Joel answers by crushing his mouth to yours, feverish, his rough hands exploring the soft skin of your hips beneath the fabric of your sweater. You’re wearing a pair of soft lounge shorts, and he can feel the pretty lace of your panties just under the waistband. Jesus, he's going crazy. You smell like perfume and you feel so good. This is where he belongs. 

When he pulls away, he rests his forehead to yours. “If I ever fuck up like that again,” he says, “kick me in the balls.”

“Okay.”

“I mean it.”

“I know you mean it.” You shake your head at him. “Nobody’s gonna hurt me. Especially not you.” You lace your fingers through his and bring your joined hands to your heart. “You came back to me.”

And it is never enough. But your heart beats strong and steadfast under his palm, and he knows you believe it. “You know I can be a real idiot sometimes,” he says. 

“Yes,” you reply, your fingers tracing the lines on the back of his hand. Marks of age and scars and sunlight. 

“My foot’s in my mouth all the time.”

“Mmm.” You bring his hand to your mouth and press soft kisses to his rough knuckles.

“I’m too old for you.”

Your lips find the pads of his fingers. “You’re just right,” you whisper, playfully nipping at the tip of his index finger. “Everything about you is so right, Joel Miller. Like Goldilocks. But… grey.”

Joel steps forward and presses his body against yours. This time, it’s your hand he takes, putting it to his chest. Your fingers slip greedily under his shirt to find the warm skin that lies beneath. “Feel that?” he says gruffly. “Feel how fuckin’ fast my heart’s beating?”

You bite your lip when you smile. “For me?”

“It’s only ever for you, baby.” His hand is a solid weight at the back of your neck, his thumb stroking your jaw. “Makin’ me feel like a goddamn kid with a crush on the pretty girl.”

“You could have all the pretty girls you want,” you tell him, your hand dipping to his belly. “You’re so handsome. So strong. And so good to me.”

Goddamn, he likes it when you say things like that. His ego gets a big fucking kick out of it, and his cock certainly hangs on every syllable of your praise. He hasn’t been good to you, not always—not the way you deserve—but he’s here for a reason. He’s here, in your shiny new apartment, to prove that he can be the one you want to put your faith in.

“Don’t want any girl but you.” 

“Good.” You’re so close, the shapes in your irises so mesmerising, and he needs to kiss you again. “Because I’m all yours.”

Fuck, if that doesn’t shred the last of his self-control through a pinhole. Joel winds his arm around your waist and walks both of you toward your bedroom, his mouth attacking yours with no more ceremony than a fucking animal in heat. He cannot stop touching you. It’s all he knows. It consumes him, devours him whole. His hands on your body, vaguely discomforted with the layers of clothing between him and your nudity even as his brain goes fuzzy and forgets all sensation except for you.

His mouth is on your throat as you both stagger until your back is against your bedroom wall. “Put me to work, baby,” he says into your skin, kissing his way down your neck. “Let me undress you.”

“So no dinner, then,” you laugh, a little breathless as he sucks a dark spot into the curve of your neck. 

“I’ll skip to dessert.”

You giggle when his nose tickles the spot below your ear. “Cornball.”

“Let me,” he pleads, pulling back to look into your eyes. His pupils are wide and they gleam with something close to mischief. You nod your head. 

Joel takes his time undressing you. Your sweater goes first, tousling your hair as he brings it up over your head. His lips attach to your collarbones, your sternum, his fingers slipping around your back to the clasp of your bra. He unclips it with one hand and slides the straps down your shoulders. “So beautiful,” he whispers, gripping your hips a bit tighter when he says it, his voice taking on a bit of a growl. “Lie on the bed for me.”

You back toward the bed on shaky legs and sit down on the edge, watching him fit himself between your open legs. “I said lie down, baby. Not sit down.”

You push your tits out, just begging for him to touch. “What if I want you to make me?”

Oh. 

Joel’s fingers tease the shape of your hard nipples, your lashes fluttering as he circles the points. His palm presses flat to your sternum and pushes gently, lowering your upper half down to the mattress. Dipping down toward you, he flicks his tongue against your nipple, sucking it into his mouth. Your breath trembles out of you, your hand flying to the back of his head and tangling his greying hair. 

He hums, his hand slipping between your bodies so he can grab your thigh and wrap it around his hip. He grinds absentmindedly against your thigh, achingly confined in his boxers, while his mouth continues sucking and licking your nipples like he’s a goddamn cat. You taste so good—softness and soap and the tang of perfume that still lingers on your skin—and Joel can only groan, his fingers squeezing your thigh so hard he’ll leave bruises. 

“Joel!” It comes out as a helpless gasp, your head falling back into the mattress when you feel his free hand take a greedy handful of your ass. His mouth begins a path from your tits to your belly, lavishing your skin with his tongue as if he’s trying to permanently etch the memory of it into your body. It’s working. 

“This fuckin’ perfume,” he groans against your skin, his nostrils flaring. He feels like a crazed animal set free. 

“You like it?” tumbles breathlessly from your lips. 

“It’s all I think about. Fuckin’ dream about it.” He presses his lips to the spot just above your belly button. “So goddamn sexy. Fuck, baby, I missed you.”

You’ll never, ever buy a different perfume again. His fingers hook in the waistband of your little shorts and the panties underneath, and your hips writhe. “Joel,” you mewl, looking down your body at him, the way he begins to slide them off. “I…”

I missed you, too. I missed you so much that my body ached. I can’t lose you again. 

Like he can see the words flooding your mind through the wetness in your eyes, he presses a gentle kiss to your inner thigh. “Don’t have to say anything,” he tells you, moving back to give himself just enough room to remove your bottoms and reveal your pretty, wet pussy to him. “Just keep lookin’ at me.”

Wordlessly, you nod. Joel wraps his arms around your thighs, pulls you to the edge of the bed as he kneels at the foot of it, and buries his face in your pussy. 

“Oh, shit!” It’s hard to keep your head upright, to keep your eyes fixed to his wide brown irises, when you watch his tongue dart out to lick your little clit. You can feel your cheeks burn when he spreads your folds with his thumbs just to have better access to his meal, slick and wanting before his eyes. 

You cover your face with one hand to stifle your blush and your moan, but Joel growls right into your pussy, and you realise he doesn't like that. You drop your hand and fasten it in his hair, your fingers tugging him gently toward you. “Please,” you whimper. “Please, baby…”

The nickname falling from your mouth sends what's left of his blood soaring downward. Joel flattens his tongue against your folds and licks a hot, slow path to your clit. Your sweet sigh spurs him on, his fingers abandoning their grip on your thigh to spread your slick around your entrance. He dips two fingers into your hole and curls them toward him as his lips attach to your clit. 

Your hips buck involuntarily with the jolts of white-hot pleasure that have you seeing double. “Feels so good,” you manage to choke out. It's an understatement. It feels like electric jolts to your system, a hundred lethal jabs to your veins. 

“Mmm,” is Joel’s reply, the hunger in his eyes engulfing you. His moustache glistens with your wetness and you want to feel embarrassed about how quickly he's reeling you toward the edge of a cliff, but you can't. Not when he's looking up at you like you're the first snowfall in a desert and he's eating you out like you’re the only meal he's had in months. His fingers dig into the flesh of your thighs as he meticulously applies pressure to the spongy spot inside you. 

You begin to shake but Joel does not relent. He licks and sucks your poor clit until your orgasm is a foregone conclusion and there's no going back. “I… Joel, I can’t— ah, fuck! Gonna… gonna come—!”

Your back arches and your head falls to the mattress, unable to hold itself up any longer. Joel fixes his mouth to your pussy and drinks down everything you give him, soaking his fingers while your thighs clamp around his ears. He wants to die like this, he thinks. He’ll go happily, your body muffling the sounds of the world outside. 

Fuck, the way you look when you come. He’s never going to forget it. The scrunch of your brows, the fluttering of your lashes, the arch of your back. The fucking noises. The sweet, broken moans that slip past your lips, unrestrained. Unapologetic. It makes him so fucking proud of himself: you feel free with him, free to take and take. He’ll give you another if you let him. Jesus, he'll give you five more. 

He’s already dipping his head again to lap up the rest of your orgasm and start over, but you gently tug him back with a little cry.

Your tits are heaving and he wants to put his mouth back on them. “You’ll kill me if you do that again.”

Joel chuckles, a little winded from his own arousal, pressing kisses from your navel back up to your chest. “I need you alive,” he mumbles, his rough hand caressing your thigh, which he's got wrapped around his hip. 

“Please get naked,” you beg, your hands dropping from his shoulders to the hem of his T-shirt. Joel grins, sitting back so you can follow him and tug the shirt over his head, letting it tousle his hair some more. You admire the softness of his belly and the strong, broad shoulders; the arms whose muscles ripple when he reaches down and unbuckles his belt. 

You must be practically salivating at the sight of your man undressing for you, whipping off his belt like it owes him money, because he gives you that smug look and turns you both around. Lying on his back, he positions you on top of his erection. The sudden jolt to your clit makes you jump. “Warn a girl,” you laugh. 

Joel, now naked beneath you, digs his fingers into your hips and guides you along his hard length. You shudder, your thighs closing around his sides. “No fun in that,” he says. “I like seein’ you squirm.”

“Yeah?” You angle your hips to catch the head of his cock at your entrance and begin to sink down on him. He hisses, baring his teeth as he watches your bodies meet. “Not so cocky now, Miller.”

“I don’t know.” He reaches up and squeezes your tits in his big hands. “Still feelin’ pretty cocky. Sexiest woman on the fuckin’ planet is sitting on my dick.”

You give an experimental roll of your hips as he bottoms out, and stars turn to supernovas behind your eyes. You throw your arms forward to keep your balance and dig your fingertips into his chest. “That’s it, baby,” he groans, helping you grind yourself on his cock with his hands on your ass. “So fuckin’ pretty like this. So fuckin’ good.”

You continue to ride him, your thighs beginning to burn as his cock slides deliciously against your g-spot over and over again. “You're so big,” you gasp, your head lolling on your shoulders. “Fuck, I missed you.”

He grunts your name, his hand applying pressure to your lower belly. “You're takin’ it so well for me. My perfect girl.” 

You gasp raggedly at the thick, heavy weight of him inside you, his warm hand at your navel, the way his dark eyes ground you in this moment. Here, no one can interrupt. The two of you are locked in orbit, and the blackness between the stars pushes in on you. You lace your fingers through his and rest them next to his head as you lean down and kiss him. 

It’s a little sloppy with the movement of your body, but he isn't being greedy. He’s taking everything you want to give him and groaning happily into your mouth, your lips swollen and your chin chafing slightly from the scratch of his beard. “Lemme touch you,” he pleads whenever he finds breath. “Baby, I wanna touch you.”

Okay. Maybe he's being a little greedy. You release his hands and he surges upward, his back pinching again. He doesn't even register the pain. Everything is you. He wraps one arm around your waist to keep you balanced on his lap, his cock shifting inside you and his other hand cradling the back of your neck. You’re grabbing his shoulders for support as you begin to bounce up and down on him, ripping a growl from his throat. 

It devolves until you're both animals. Your pussy gushes on him as you ride his cock, the sounds of sex obscene and the smell of your perfume clogging up the pathways in his brain. Your tits jiggle with every motion and Joel, his hand firm on your upper back, takes your nipples between his teeth—alternates between sucking and nipping and tugging. You moan his name, losing the ability to support your own head on your shoulders. 

His eyes are glazed over, black with the promise of you, the knowledge of being yours the way you're his. You drop your forehead against his. 

“Joel,” you whimper, fucking cock-drunk as he takes your tight cunt. You feel so good that he can't see straight, his fingers wrapping around your hair as your thighs slap against him. “I’m so close.”

“C’mon, baby girl,” he rasps, his nose sliding against your sweat-cooled temple. You cry out, and he nods his head, baring his teeth on your cheek. “I know, baby. Me too. Me too.”

Your thighs burn and your toes curl, your mouth dropping open in a feeble attempt to take in more air as you crumble in his arms. Your tits are squished up against his chest, sensitive and sore from his mouth. You grasp his biceps as you come, sinking all the way down onto his cock and fixing him to you. 

“That’s it.” Joel helps you ride out your orgasm, going blind with the way your pussy grips him, pulsing around his length like the beating of a heart. He's lost his fucking mind. He's overcome with the need to keep himself lodged inside your cunt, slick and hot and needy (Christ, you're so needy, mewling and grasping at his body like you'll never have enough). He doesn't lift you off his cock. He won't let you go. He’ll fuck you like this every goddamn day if it means he can hold you this way at the end of it all. 

Your lust-filled, bleary eyes drop to his lips, and Joel takes pity on your post-orgasmic haze, kissing you with a fervour you can't quite match. Your lashes are sprinkled with dewy tears. Your smile irradiates the darkening sky. You're the picture of beauty. For a moment, he wishes he were an artist. 

“You didn’t come,” you mumble, leaning in for another kiss. 

It's true. He's still hard and aching inside you, spilling precum into your pussy, but Joel rubs his hand up and down your back and says, “You nearly blacked out. Had to make sure you didn't keel over on me.”

You grin, contracting your muscles around his cock and watching his jaw tick. “I want you to come,” you whisper into his ear, kissing the spot just below it. “Inside me, please.”

“Jesus,” he huffs, his cock twitching inside you. “Get on your hands and knees.”

You go eagerly, arching your back all pretty for him when you get in position. He smooths his hand over your ass and says, “You know the drill, baby.”

You lift your upper half and curl your fingers around your headboard. Joel hums, satisfied by the bend of your body, and notches himself back inside you. The way your hole swallows him has his head tipping back in ecstasy, holding into your hips like they're two lifelines. “Honey, you gotta stay still,” he groans. 

You hum, wiggling your ass back on him and earning a smack to it. “I already came. It’s your turn.”

He leans down and peppers kisses on your shoulder blades, just because he can. “And you're gonna give me another. Hold on tight.”

You do. And he shows no mercy. Joel’s hands keep your sore hips in place as he begins to pound you from behind, your hands firm on your headboard. “Joel!” you squeal, jolting forward on the bed. 

The sound of his name passing through your lips makes his teeth clash together. “No runnin’,” he says, wrapping his hand around your hair for leverage. You gasp at the mixture of pleasure and pain as he fucks you deep, one hand detaching from the headboard and blindly reaching backward to grasp for his hip. 

Joel takes pity on you, interlocking your fingers together at his side. Your hot, wet walls suck him in and contract relentlessly around him. Every instinct has him punching deeper, harder, intent on pulling another orgasm from you. The little voice at the back of his head screams at him: fuck her hard, make her scream, ruin her for every other man. 

Not that he's letting you go. Not ever. 

Your legs are beginning to shake, your upper half losing the strength to hold itself up. Luckily, he's got you, holding you by the hair and pulling you up toward his chest to deepen the angle. He bites down on the curve of your neck and tears a moan from your throat. “Oh my God.”

Joel grins into your sweet-smelling skin. “Got any room left in that pretty mouth for my name?” he says darkly. “Hmm? Who’s fuckin’ you?”

Your eyes roll back in your head when he takes a break from pounding you to grind, his length pressing against your g-spot. You can't come again. You can't. Except—he's going to make you. He's always been able to make you. 

“Joel,” you whisper, your throat clicking with drool. 

You can feel the shape of his mocking pout against your throat, kissing his way back up to your jaw and nipping at it. The scratch of his beard, the strength of his arms, the warmth of your intertwined fingers—you’re spiralling. Crashing. He's being a real asshole now. “Can't hear you,” he says. “I’m old, remember? Right ear doesn’t work so good.”

You want to snip at him just to take him down a few pegs, but he knows your body; and you know, deep in your soul, that you cannot lie to him. “Joel,” you moan, squeezing his hand, “it’s you. It's only you. I’m yours.”

“That’s right, baby.” He brings your joined hands to your front and presses your fingers against your clit. You keen, your body bowing. “Go on. Give me one more.”

You moan. “I… I c—”

“Yeah, you can. I’ll help if it gets too hard.” Smug, arrogant bastard. You rub your clit in fast circles, pinpricks of hot pleasure surging through your body and lifting the hairs on your arms. Joel’s pace inside you doesn’t slow or deepen. He’s steadfast, urging you to your peak so he can seek his own. And when you crash, your blood singing and your nerves needling, his hand moves from your hair to your throat, applying gentle pressure and refusing to let you fall to the mattress. You choke on your cries as you leave divots in your headboard with your fingers, clenching around his cock. 

He works you through it, grunting his praises into your ear, your interlocked hands flexing at your clit while your muscles cease functioning. Joel tips off the edge with a series of groans, his voice breaking as he fixes his teeth to your shoulder. With how tightly you squeeze him, you can feel every spurt of hot cum he spills into your cunt, every pulse of his length as his balls empty inside you. Coupled with the stuttering thrusts against your backside, you can tell he’s trying to push as much of himself in as he can, his moans waning to near-whimpers as you help wring every drop from him. 

Even then, when he gently lower you to the mattress and leaves kisses down your back, he’s using the head of his cock to collect the cum that’s dripped out of you and spreading it all over your used pussy. 

Holy fuck.  

Your thighs twitch with every gentle swipe over your clit. “Joel,” you moan brokenly, heaving with your face buried in your pillow. 

You know he’s through with indulging himself when he drops onto his back next to you, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into his side. “C’mere.”

You’re already going, nuzzling your face into his lickable neck and nudging your nose against his scruffy jaw. He pulls your thigh up over his hip and caresses the length of it with his rough fingers. You’ve missed being held like this. Fuck, you missed him. 

“Wasn’t kiddin’ about your perfume,” he says, the timbre of his voice rattling your ribcage as you inch closer to him. “Can’t keep my goddamn hands off you.”

You laugh. “Maybe it’s time you stopped blaming the perfume, Miller, and start blaming your self-control. Or lack thereof.”

At that, he lands a smack to the side of your thigh. “Don’t wanna control myself if I can have you like this.”

He’s got a point. 

He turns his head toward you and brushes your hair away from your face. “You’ve got it good here,” he says softly. “It suits you.”

You bite your lip, warmth seizing your chest. “It’s a nice bed, too, huh?”

He grins. “Real nice.”

Now that he isn’t consumed with getting inside you, Joel can finally look around your bedroom. There are still unopened boxes and furniture parts scattered about the floor, but he’ll help you with that. It’s the walls that draw his attention. Pictures of you and your mom, you and some friends from New York, you with your yoga instructor Jill, both of you twisted into pretzels. 

The periodic table on the wall above your desk (which is already piled with books) is what yanks at his heart like it’s tied with a fishing line. He doesn’t really know why. Maybe it’s the fact that you’re really staying. 

“I’m gonna put you up on that wall,” you tell him, following his gaze. 

“Yeah?” He doesn’t let on how excited it makes him. “With duct tape or nails?”

You hum, taking his jaw between your thumb and forefinger. “I’ll put you in a frame first. Maybe I’ll keep you on my bedside table.”

He leans in and kisses your lips, then your nose. “Don’t wanna sleep holding me?”

You smile against his mouth. “I’ll take the real thing.” 

~

Between classes, you decide to bring Joel lunch from the sub shop on campus. His job site is nearby, since they're working on an addition to a house in the neighbourhood. It’s Tommy Miller you see first, though, with his hard hat on and his bright orange vest tucked into his jeans like he's trying to make it stylish.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Tommy beams at you, squinting in the sunshine with his hand shielding his eyes. “Nice dress.”

You roll your eyes fondly. “Nice vest.”

“Your dad’s in the office, but Joel’s fuckin’ around just over there.” He points to the site, where a small cluster of guys in similar dress are securing the foundation of the client's new walls. 

“Thanks, Tommy.” 

“Wait up.” He bends down and picks up a yellow hard hat, securing it on your head. “He’d kick my ass if I didn't make you wear it.”

You pat his shoulder. “Don't work too hard.”

He produces a cigarette from behind his ear and grins. “Don't worry about me.”

When you make it to Joel, he’s on his own, bent over blueprints on a table in the middle of the barebones room, rubbing a hand over his scruffy beard. “Remind me to remind you to get a haircut,” you tease. 

He looks up, seeing you in that dress and that bright yellow hard hat, carrying a paper bag filled with sandwiches, and his face breaks into a grin as his heart swells three sizes. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey.” You sidle up next to him and place the bag on top of the blueprints. “I won't stay long, I promise. But you need to eat.”

He swipes his arm across his forehead to wipe the sweat away. “You brought me lunch?”

You unravel the bag and hand him his sub: ham and swiss on white. “Is it up to code?”

His crooked smile makes your heart flutter. “Best one I’ve ever seen.”

“You aren't even looking at it.”

“Don't need to. I’m fuckin’ hungry.”

You smile, tilting your head back so you can kiss him. He pulls away slightly, grimacing. “I’m a mess, baby. I’m sweaty.”

“Are you kidding me?” The sun and labour have left a sheen of sweat all over his tanned skin. His biceps are rippling with every slight movement and you want to sink your teeth into them. His hair is tousled and damp with sweat, curls peeking out from beneath his hat. It's a cruel fate, to be so close to someone so sexy when you know you can't take it anywhere. 

Joel tugs you closer by the small of your back. “You're clean. I’m not.”

You raise a challenging brow. “So get me dirty.”

It’s thrilling to watch his pupils dilate, his hand tightening around the fabric of your dress. He ducks his head and kisses you softly, his thumb and forefinger on your chin. You let yourself indulge for as long as you can, your hands slipping beneath his bright vest. Until his coworkers approach, wolf-whistling at the pair of you. 

“Miller, you dog!”

“Get a room!”

You hide your face in his chest while Joel takes off his hat just to smack one of his guys in the shoulder with it. “I ain’t payin’ you to sit around, assholes.”

“He payin’ you to date him, sweetheart?” says Chris, white-haired and bushy-bearded. “Blink twice.”

You pat Joel on the chest and give him a mortified look. “That's my cue to leave.”

He still looks like he wants to take on his coworkers in the boxing ring, but he loosens the tension in his jaw and meets your gaze, hiding your faces with his hat so he can kiss you again. He gives you a couple more along your jaw and your forehead, ending at your nose. “Thank you for lunch, baby. See you tonight.”

You frown, a slight panic squeezing your chest at the idea that you've forgotten an important date. There's nothing marked in your calendar. “Tonight?”

But he's smiling, all feathers and cockiness, fitting his hat back on his head. “Takin’ you out to dinner.”

You breathe a sigh of relief. “I’ve got a test next block, so I don't have time to stop at home. Pick out my dress for me.”

He lifts his brows at the prospect, his eyes glittering. There's mischief in that rich brown. “Yeah?”

Your fingers, wrapped around his firm bicep, pulse gently. “Yeah.”

“Attack your test, pretty girl.” He gives your hip a squeeze. “I’ll do all the work tonight.”

Your teeth sink briefly into your lower lip. “Now I’m hungry.”

~

“Fuck physics! Fuck everything about it and the asshole who invented it!”

Joel can hear your voice carry before you've even opened the front door. The sound of your keys clanking around the bowl echoes in his ears like the ring of a bell. He hurries down the stairs, still pulling a shirt over his head, and meets you in the living room. 

Fuck. You’re wound up. Your shoulders are pulled into your body and your chest heaves with every breath, your pretty face drawn in a miserable frown. “Hi,” you bite out, trying to reel in your anger. He doesn't deserve it. “How was work?”

Joel tries a smile. “I don’t think one person invented physics.”

You groan, burying your face in his chest. “Do not question me right now, Joel Miller.”

He does his best to quell his own amusement in favour of empathy. You're not particularly frightening when you're angry, but it's not your job to be. He's the frightening one in this relationship. “I’m sorry, baby. Test not go well?”

“I don't get it,” you croak. “I studied for days. Actual days.”

“I know you did.” He can live with eating dinner by himself, but he doesn’t like knowing you often forget to eat altogether when you're not with him.

“I’m at the library so often that the other people there know not to sit in my usual spot.” You put your head in your hands. “I made flash cards. I quizzed myself. I forced all of my friends to quiz me. I was halfway to forcing you to quiz me!”

“Baby, you know I would've quizzed you a hundred times.”

“Apparently, it wouldn't have helped,” you snap. “I failed. I don’t fail.”

He says your name, then repeats it when you don't respond. “You're spiralling.”

You shut your eyes, digging the heels of your palms into your lids and taking three deep breaths. “I know. I know. I’m sorry.” 

He shakes his head. “Don't gotta be sorry. You can yell at me all you want.”

“Never at you. Just… to you.” You pull back and wind your arms around his neck, scratching your nails at the back of his neck. “I didn't mean to get mad.”

“You’re like a hissing kitten when you get mad. I ain’t hurt.” He caresses your arms and ignores your harmless glare. “Wanna tell me what went wrong?”

You let out a long sigh through your nose. “I know what I screwed up on. I’m just frustrated with myself. I’m a good student, and this felt like a total waste.”

“It ain't a waste.” Joel’s pout means he's not happy with how you view yourself; it's different from his concentrated pout and his mocking pout. “You're the smartest person I know.”

You can't help the smile that splits your face. He's a man of few words most days, and he always knows exactly which ones to use. You know��you're smart. It doesn't mean it doesn't feel really fucking nice to hear it with so much conviction. “Yeah?”

“Hmm. Smartest.” His lips brush your forehead, your nerves lighting up with sensation. “Prettiest.” He nudges his nose against yours. “Sweetest.” You let him part your lips with his, slipping his tongue inside your mouth. You let him distract you. And it's good to let go. 

There will be other tests. There will be more chances. There's only one Joel. 

He smells like fresh air, sawdust, and the cologne he always wears. You understand why he's obsessed with your perfume. This fucking cologne is certifiable in its ability to make you melt against him. 

He tastes like mint. Joel’s hands are on your back, one palm digging into the space between your shoulder blades and the other into your lower back. You both stumble a bit when he gets eager, catching yourselves with a hand out on the sofa. He pulls away, his pupils blown wide, his chest expanding and depressing with each rapid breath. 

“C’mon,” he says, taking your hand and guiding you upstairs. 

“What are you—”

“Helpin’ you de-stress.” 

“From the looks of the situation in your jeans, you might be the one who needs de-stressing.”

Joel huffs, turning into the bathroom. “This ain't about me, baby. Take off your dress.”

You raise your brows but unzip the dress and step out of it, leaving it in a pool on the floor. Joel turns on the hot water in the shower and appraises your body at the same time you admire his, strong and sturdy and sexy. His erection visibly strains his pants before he gives himself some relief, shedding all of his clothes, too. His cock taps his stomach, making you rub your thighs together as the thought of having it inside you—always a good relaxant. 

“C’mere.” You put your hand in his and step into the shower, drenching yourself in the scalding water. You can feel the steam melt your bones, easing the knots in your shoulder from working yourself up onto a ledge. Joel steps in behind you, pressing his mouth to your shoulder. 

You sigh, lacing your fingers through his, where they rest against your hips. “Mmm. This is nice.”

You can feel his dick sit heavily against the swell of your ass, but he isn't paying attention to his own needs. He's focusing all of his energy on you: kissing your shoulders, caressing your waist and your belly, sinking his teeth into the crook of your neck like he's a vampire. He’ll gently soothe the marks with his lips when he's done, leaving his claim all over you and fizzling the tightness in your muscles with every attentive touch. All while the water beats at your breasts, trickles down between your thighs, and warms your body. 

Joel detaches the shower head from its mount on the wall, tipping your head backward so he can lean down and slant his mouth over yours. “Keep holdin’ onto me,” he says, guiding the spray of water over your chest, slowly making a path down your sternum. 

You nod, sinking into his deep brown eyes as the jet meets your thighs, burrowing deeper until—

“Joel,” you gasp, choking on your own breath. He’s guided the shower head over your clit, the pleasure scalding and sudden. You grasp his wrist, writhing against the cold metal while hot bursts of water consistently meet your bundle of nerves. 

He tuts like you're doing something wrong, frowning against your cheek. “No moving,” he says. The order resonates through your chest and wriggles into your brain. “Does it feel good?”

You moan when he pinches and rolls your nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “Feels so good.” 

He takes your earlobe between his teeth. “Relax. You're still tense.”

You sigh, squirming under the heavy spray of water against your sensitive clit. Joel keeps his nose buried in you, inhaling your scent, indulging in every way he can. Your wet hair is plastered to your skin, your buttery eyes meeting his under dew-slick lashes. “Joel,” you moan, your stomach tightening as you try to find a grip on the shower wall. “Please…”

“What do you need, baby?” He kisses your jaw, angling the shower head upward so it sprays harder against your clit. Your eyes roll back into your head, your hips bucking against the metal and your hand blindly grasping. It finds his arm, wrapped around your waist from behind. He lets you dig your nails into his tanned skin while your composure dwindles. 

“Just like that,” you cry out, the pleasure rolling over your body in catastrophic waves. The pressure is so intense that you have to blink away black spots, Joel’s lips on your neck pulling you back down to the ground. 

“I got you, baby girl. I’m not gonna let you fall.” His voice is the rumble of thunder, and your orgasm crackles through you like lightning. “Let go. C’mon, baby.”

Your moans turn hoarse and your thighs tremble uncontrollably as you topple over the edge. Joel keeps his hand wrapped around your waist like a seat belt, holding you firm against his chest. 

The spray of water lights up a thousand nerve endings and turns you into liquid fire. He feeds praise into your ears and lets you ride the shower head until your body settles, shaking but satiated. He secures it back into the holder and turns you in his grasp, cupping your face and kissing you deeply. 

“Mmm, that was nice,” you say lamely, still a little weak on your feet. Joel hums in kind, going right back in for another kiss, his lips plush and warm against yours. You wrap your arms around him and press your palms against his strong back as the spray covers you both. His dick is hard and leaking against your belly, but he isn't making a move. He's just kissing you, like it's all the satisfaction he needs. 

“Have I told you today— mmmph —how much I like you?” 

He pulls away, his eyes glittering with a boyish joy. “Not today.”

“Well.” You reach between your bodies and wrap your fingers around the base of him, squeezing softly. His groan stutters, his forehead falling to yours. “I like you. A lot.”

“Fuck, baby.” Joel grasps your wrist. “This ain't about me,” he says again. You know he's only trying to convince himself. 

“What if this is something I want?” you say with a wicked smile, nipping the tip of his nose. 

The hollow of his throat caves with a shuddering breath. “I’m a grown man who can—fuckin’ Christ—take care of himself.”

“Yeah?” You pout, gently stroking him until your hand is wrapped around the head. His cock twitches in your grasp. “But it's so much more fun when your girl does it for you. Isn't it?”

He's losing control; you can see it in his eyes. “Wash up,” he bites out. “And when you get out, you’ll bend over the counter.”

You bite your lip, arousal clambering back up your spine. “And what will you do to me?”

Joel grasps your chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Whatever I goddamn want.”

You've never finished showering so fast. 

~

When your birthday comes, it isn’t the warm press of his body next to you that drags you from your peaceful sleep. It’s the sound of Joel’s fire alarm blaring in your ears. And he’s not in bed.

You don’t even have time to blink yourself awake, stumbling out of the bed still half-tangled in the sheets and hopping haphazardly into his shirt and a pair of boxers. You can’t find your own clothes; he was adamant in them being as far away from your body as possible once he drove you back from the club last night. The alarm screeches as you bolt down the stairs, rounding the corner in your frantic search for your boyfriend—and a fire.

It’s when you skid to a halt in the kitchen that you finally find him, standing in front of what is definitely not a fire. At least the alarm has stopped beeping. 

“What the hell is going on in here?”

Joel turns to you, holding a plate of black squares. Smoke still curls out from the toaster. “Did I wake you up?” he asks, as if he isn’t balancing the incriminating evidence in his hands. 

“No, honey, the smoke alarm woke me up,” you say, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. “Are you okay?”

There’s a towel slung over his shoulder, but it doesn’t look to be doing much good. He rushes to you and hands you a steaming cup of coffee. “Did this right at least,” he grumbles. “Tried to cook you breakfast. Fuckin’ burned the toast.”

Despite the abrupt wake-up call of the fire alarm, you’re overcome with a dizzying wave of affection. His brown eyes peer down at you like he’s a puppy awaiting a treat, and his greying hair is deliciously tousled. He wanted to make you breakfast: Joel Miller, the man who eats only to survive. It’s hard not to love him. As if you’ve ever bothered to resist. 

“White bread is bad for you, anyways,” you say, bringing him down to you with a hand at the nape of his neck and kissing him tenderly. “Thank you, Joel.”

A low rumble vibrates in his chest as he blindly sets the plate of burnt toast on the table so he can wrap his arms around your back. “Happy birthday, baby,” he says, kissing his way from your lips to your jaw, unconcerned with any morning breath you may have. 

You pull away and grin up at him, raking your fingers through his hair. “Is there hope for the eggs?” 

“If you don't distract me,” he says, caressing your arms. 

“Mmm. Sounds boring.” You press your chest to his and ghost your lips over his neck. Your mouth on him earns a soft groan, but it also earns a slap to your ass.

“I’m tryin’ to be good to you,” he says, cupping your face in his hands. “Don't make it hard.”

“But I love making you hard.”

“You're funny, baby.” Joel splays his fingers over the small of your back. “Sit down and relax.”

“And let you burn down your kitchen?” You click your tongue, giving his ass a pinch for good measure. “How about we work on breakfast together?”

Joel pouts. “It’s your—”

“My birthday is going to be amazing, because I’m with you.” You lace your fingers together. “I can get back in bed when it's done, and you can bring it to me. How's that sound?”

“Good.” He kisses the top of your head. “It sounds good.”

He brings the poached eggs on toast to you on a tray, complete with a brand-new cup of coffee. Joel’s not much of a breakfast person, so he sits next to you as you balance the tray on your lap, drench your eggs in sriracha, and dig in. The problem is trying not to get crumbs on his sheets or topple the tray onto the bed. 

Joel doesn't seem to mind. He idly rubs your back below the hem of his sweatshirt, sipping his own coffee every now and then. The sun shines golden through the window in his bedroom, illuminating your glowing skin and the light in your eyes. He’s captivated by the beauty that radiates from you. He can't keep a houseplant alive, so he has none, but he's convinced your smile could revive them. It's added years to his own life. 

“You’ve got work today,” you remind him, setting the tray on the bedside table and facing him with your legs crossed. 

“I called in sick.”

Your brows shoot up. “Joel.”

His hand shifts to stroke your thigh, giving reassuring squeezes. “Baby, I’m not spending your birthday at a job site. Tommy can handle it while I’m gone.”

“And nobody on the site knows that it’s your girlfriend’s birthday?”

“It's bad enough hearin’ Tommy flirt with you every goddamn chance he gets,” he says, lifting your legs up onto his lap. “Don't wanna hear it from the guys, too.”

You wrap your arms around his neck and pull yourself up onto his lap. “If you want me to wear a shirt that says your name on it, just say so.”

His thumb traces one of your lower vertebrae. “That an option?”

“Tommy doesn't know boundaries when it comes to teasing his brother.” Your finger twirls a lock of his grey hair. “The others know better than to piss you off.”

He grins, nudging his nose against yours. “Which means they won't question me when I tell ‘em I’m sick.”

“You win this round.” Your lips meet his in a slow, sweet kiss. His hand cradles your jaw while the other presses at your back, guiding you closer. You taste like coffee and toothpaste and you smell like his body wash, and it's enough to send blood surging downward. He groans faintly into your mouth and pulls back. 

“Hey,” you protest. “It’s my birthday. I can kiss you as much as I want.”

“And if you do, I won’t be able to think straight long enough to give you your present.” To punctuate his point, he grinds up against you, letting you feel the hardness in his jeans against your thigh. 

You shift so you're straddling his hips. “Thinking straight is overrated. Come back here.”

Joel hesitates, his lips parted, and your heart stops with the implication. “What did you do?” you demand. 

“Mike may have called me,” he says, rubbing soothing circles on your back, “and we have to be at your place in an hour. Consider this your warning for your surprise party.”

You gape at him. “Joel!”

He cups your face in his hands and kisses your cheeks, your forehead, your nose. You’re annoyed with how easily it loosens the tense muscles in your shoulders. “Baby, he wanted to surprise you, and I know you're too much of a—”

“If you say control freak, I’m breaking up with you.”

Joel places his hands on your shoulders and squeezes. “Be honest with me. Would you have wanted a surprise?”

You grit your teeth because no, of course not. And he knows it. You would have happily let the surprise go without warning, just to please your dad. But Joel’s got his warm, work-worn hands on your body and it melts all your neurotic energy away. “You're lucky I like you so damn much.”

“Yeah?” His face gets a bit closer to you, seeking your mouth, as his hands migrate to your waist. 

You bite your bottom lip to smother your smile. “Yeah.”

Joel hums, inching his boxer shorts up your thighs. “Tell me all about it, baby.”

“It’s my birthday,” you tease, guiding his hands to your tits. He palms them greedily over the sweatshirt. “If you want it so bad… lick it out of me.”

Joel’s eyes turn coal-black. “What did I say about distractions?” His voice is the grate of boots along concrete. 

“We have time,” you purr. “Unless you don't think you can make me come before the hour is up.”

“How did I get so goddamn lucky,” he grunts, sliding his hands under your sweatshirt and shucking it up over your head. “You're a fuckin’ dream.”

You shriek with laughter when he rolls you over, pressing open-mouthed kisses on your sternum and flicking his tongue over your perky nipples. He replaces it with his hands when his mouth migrates down your belly until he’s kissing all over your stomach, dragging his boxers off your legs. 

“Mmm.” You grin, your eyes fluttering shut as you rake your fingers through his hair. “I just decided—I don't need a present. This is all I want.”

Joel huffs into your skin. “Good thing it ain't anything special.”

“It’s from you. It is special.”

Looking up and resting his chin on your belly, Joel squeezes your hips. His eyes are gooey, warm, soft enough to roll around your palms like velvet. He's never been one for tooth-aching declarations. He’s good at telling you the truth. He's good at reminding you that not everything requires a panicked response. He's good at grounding you in the world with a single look. And it’s why he doubles his efforts to make you feel good, sinking down your body and burying his face in your pussy. 

You both arrive at your apartment with minutes to spare. Thankfully, your dad and Joel collaborated on dinner during their illicit phone call and decided to order from your favourite shawarma place in town. Joel takes the liberty of hanging a colourful streamer that reads HAPPY BIRTHDAY. There was no time to pick up a cake on the way, given Joel spent forty minutes between your legs this morning, so you decide to make one. 

It gives him the opportunity to show his first gift to you: a box stuffed with new measuring cups, spoons, cupcake wrappers, cookie cutters (shaped like hearts, stars (for Texas, he says), and beakers), and, at the very bottom—

“My mom’s old recipe book,” he says, scratching the back of his neck and looking sheepish. 

You gape at him, a painful needling behind your nose as tears well up. “Joel,” you say weakly. “I can't accept this.”

“I never used it. I can't cook for shit, and she never trusted Tommy with it.” Joel tucks your hair behind your ear. “I know for a fact she would love you. She'd want you to have it.”

You sniffle, your fingers tracing the edge of the photograph on the inside cover: a teenage Joel and his mom in his childhood kitchen. She’s grinning, pinching his cheeks between her thumb and fingers, while he tries to smile. “She was beautiful,” you say. It’s all you can manage. 

“She was.” Joel smiles down at the picture. “Had this sixth sense for when we were about to get into trouble. Always knew exactly what to say, what to do.”

“So did my mom,” you tell him. “I was a good kid, but I was always high-strung. A little lonely. She was my best friend; always knew when I needed someone to talk to.”

“Sounds like they'd like each other,” he says, his hand idly rubbing your back. 

You turn the page to find more images, blinking away your fond tears. “Yeah. I think they would.”

He indicates an image of Tommy, who must have been ten at the time, and a group of his friends. “Back in our day, we had to go to our friends’ houses if we wanted to go out and start shit.”

“You’re ageing yourself, Miller,” you say teasingly, wrapping your arm around his and guiding his face to yours. Before you kiss him, you meet his gaze and brush his hair back from his face. “Thank you. This is beyond thoughtful, and I love it.”

His expression softens into that look he only reserves for you. It’s serene and heavy-lidded, his smile a bit crooked. It’s one of the few times you see him utterly relaxed. Naked. “Happy birthday,” he says softly. His nose brushes yours and your lips meet. 

You're wearing a ratty orange-and-white University of Austin T-shirt and a pair of jeans that aren't at all sexy, but he still touches you like you're the most radiant creature on the planet. Like you're a goddess. 

His tongue parts your lips and slides along yours, your body bowing against his as you wind your arms around his neck. Your back bumps the counter while Joel crowds you, inadvertently knocking the mixing bowl to the floor in his overzealous attempts to get his hands on your ass. “Shit,” he says, pulling away. “Sorry.”

At the same time, your buzzer sounds. “Shit,” you parrot. “That’s Dad.”

You watch his eyes sharpen through the haze and the heaving of his chest flatten to a typical rate, although his hair is still admirably tousled. You imagine you don't look much more put-together. 

When you at last let him in, he tackles you with a hug. “Surprise!”

“Dad!” you squeal through your laughter. 

“Hey, hon,” he says, lifting you and twirling you around in the doorway. He’s holding a gift bag that bumps against your hip. “Happy birthday.”

“I’m so glad you could make it.” You usher him inside, shutting the door behind you. “Joel’s in the kitchen.”

He grimaces. “And that’s a good idea because…?”

“He’s not touching anything. I’m making a cake.” He sets the gift bag on your coffee table and joins Joel in the kitchen. 

“Hey, asshole. You've already made a mess in here.” 

The bowl has been salvaged from the floor, but the measuring cups and the cookie cutters are strewn about the countertop. Joel pulls Mike into a brief hug and slaps his back as a way of greeting. “That would be your daughter’s mess.”

“My daughter doesn't know what the word mess means.”

“He’s got a point.” You begin to collect Joel’s gift back into the box and tuck it out of the way. You lie his mother's book on top, smoothing over the cover with your palm. “Both of you can leave the kitchen. Pretty please.”

“Yes, ma’am,” says Joel, his hand brushing across your back and his lips pressing against your temple as he exits the kitchen. 

Your dad sits on the stool on the other side of the pass-through window. “You feel old yet?”

“No older than you, Dad.”

“Smartass.”

Joel sidles up to the pass-through as you're blending your wet ingredients together. “Hey, baby. Turn around.”

When you do, a bright flash obstructs your vision. Joel’s holding your Polaroid camera, plucking out the picture and grinning down at it. “If you're gonna take a picture of me, you should be in it,” you say. 

“I ain't as pretty as you.” 

It’s a good candid. You, slightly frazzled, with a bowl and electric beater in your arms. Flushed and beautiful. He tucks it inside his back pocket. 

“I beg to differ.” 

Mike slaps him on the back. “You want a beer?”

“Nah, I drove.” Joel gives you a look. “Someone went out on a pre-birthday bender last night.”

You roll your eyes. “It was a Friday night. Didn't even mix my liquors.”

Mike lifts a brow. “You need a babysitter when you go out?”

“Don't be condescending. I had a babysitter. Leigh.”

Joel snaps another picture, this time of you and Mike, mid-mock-argument. “It's like watchin’ two mice in a screaming match.”

Mike plucks the camera out of his hands and takes a picture of Joel instead. “Look at that. Still old as shit.”

Joel slaps him square in the chest and goes for a headlock, but Mike evades him. You reach through the window and snatch the picture out of your dad’s hand. In it, Joel’s looking at you, a crooked grin on his face. His eyes are warm and the silver in his hair illuminated by the fuzzy glow of the Polaroid. He looks happy. 

“This is going on the wall.”

“See, Mike?” Joel sidles up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist. His thumb idly caresses your hip bone. “I get the wall.”

“Miller, if you don’t stop feeling up my daughter right in front of me—”

You pin him with a glare. “Dad.” 

“Just because I’m not actively knockin’ his lights out doesn’t mean I don’t want to. I’m still your father.”

Joel just kisses your temple and rests his chin on your shoulder. “Don’t you have a girlfriend to bother?”

You decide not to point out that technically, he’s the one bothering his girlfriend. At least he deigns to help you scoop the batter into the cake pans. Later, when the cake is cooling on the table and your dad’s girlfriend Melissa arrives, music plays idly on your Victrola (Joel’s second gift to you) while the four of you lounge around your apartment. Your dad and Melissa occupy two plush green chairs, having shifted them closer to one another to hold hands. You’re on the sofa, surrounded by gift bags and Joel, whose lap you’ve taken residence on. He drums his fingers along each of your ribs as you delve into the gift bag from your father. 

A delicate, beautiful necklace with your birth month’s gemstone embedded in the pendant (Melissa helped pick it out, he confesses). A bar cart he made himself. And a card with a neatly-written message inside: 

There's a lot I could write here, but I want to keep it short and sweet, since we’d both rather be eating cake. I’ve loved you your whole life, but it was the first phone call that taught me how much of an idiot I really was. It’s easy to love someone like you. You're sweet, and you're smart, and you love so strongly. It’s a crazy feeling to be your dad. Kind of like looking right at the sun.

To all the years we’ll make up for. Let’s start with this one. I love you, kiddo. 

—Dad

Melissa surprises you with a present she got herself: a culinary home garden kit, sprouting with the beginnings of basil, parsley, and cilantro. It doubles as a housewarming gift, she says with a tinge of pink on her cheeks. You have great light in here. And they smell great. 

From Joel, his penultimate present: a French press machine. 

You're unashamed of the happy tears you cry over their thoughtfulness. The card goes on your refrigerator; the herbs sit happily on the windowsill; your French press is tucked next to the bag of grounds Joel keeps in your place for when he drinks the light roasts you hate; the bar cart is filled with all the liquor Sonya gifted you; and Joel helps clasp the necklace around your throat, settling the pendant in its hollow while he litters kisses all over your shoulders and back. 

That night, on the couch with your legs thrown over his lap, you and Joel sit face-to-face even though the darkness turns his features into a grainy half-image, you let out a long, happy sigh. 

“Best birthday ever.”

“I don't know,” he says, his voice low and raspy, “mine was pretty damn good.”

“Mmm. But this time, you can fuck me.” You grin when his grip on your waist tightens where he's been skating his fingers up and down your curves. 

“Yeah, I can.” Joel grins, ducking his head to kiss you. “Ain't over yet, baby. Gotta get into somethin’ pretty so I can take you out.”

His final present. 

“This isn't pretty?” You lift up your flour-coated shirt to expose your tits. 

Joel’s eyes hone in on them like they're beacons in the dark. He tugs you closer until he can situate you on his lap and take a nipple into his mouth. You gasp, your chest pushing out, giggling when he leaves a few teasing bites. “Okay,” you say breathlessly, “I learned my lesson.”

“Mmm-mmm,” he grumbles, blindly tearing your shirt off your head. His tongue circles each nipple and wets them generously, taking his sweet time with your body. His slow, deliberate pace has you writhing on his lap. 

“Sam bought me the black dress I’ve been eyeing forever,” you tell him, trying to distract yourself from the onslaught of pleasing jolts to your core. “It’s a good option for a dinner.”

“Mhm,” is all he says, still lapping at your right nipple like he's a fucking cat. 

“Assuming, of course, you're taking me somewhere nice. Are you?”

Joel opens his eyes and pins you with a stern look. Let me take control, he'd say, if his mouth wasn't full. 

“I just”—you're cut off with a strained moan when he bites down again, a warning to stop worrying so much—“ah, fuck, forgot what I was about to say.”

Chuckling, he litters kisses up your sternum and nuzzles his face in the juncture of your neck and jaw. “Wear the black,” he says, inhaling your dark, sexy scent. “Can you be ready for eight?”

“Can you?” You stroke his hair away from his face as he rests comfortably against you. “This hair takes a long time to tame.”

“I’ll be ready.” He kisses your jaw and you feel his lashes tickle you as he closes his eyes and groans. “Just gonna have to jerk off first.”

You roll your eyes and pull away, giving him an affectionate smile before you disappear into your bedroom to change. 

Joel showers before you so he can take care of his erection. You shimmy into the long, elegant dress, paint your lips, and meet him in the doorway to ask his help with your strappy heels. 

As he slips the second shoe onto your foot, you tell him you love him. 

For a moment, eyes meet in the dim light. The next, he's grinning, and telling you the exact same thing as he closes the straps around your ankles. 

~

“Ow. Goddammit.”

“You gotta stretch out your back, honey.”

“This shit hurts. It ain't my fault.”

“Your position is all wrong.” 

“Well, get over here and help me, then.”

You sigh, dropping from Warrior I so you can shuffle over to Joel. He’s trying, and you really love him for it, but it's no wonder he's in pain. You softly tut, placing a hand on his belly. “Picture your bellybutton going in toward your spine. It’ll take the pressure off. And don’t twist your torso to the side. You have to keep facing forward.”

“Jesus,” grumbles Joel, trying to fix his posture. “Too many rules. I thought you just made it all up.”

“Everything is made up. But this”—you gently press down and help align his spine properly—“will help. Your back will thank you.”

Joel huffs, refusing to admit that he feels the pressure on his lower back alleviate once you fix him up. “I deserve thanks for doin’ this shit with you.”

You grin, shifting around to the front of him so you can unbutton a couple buttons at the bottom of his flannel shirt, leaning in to leave a flurry of kisses over his soft belly. “And what kind of thanks are you looking for, Mr. Miller?”

Joel looks down his body at you. You're so cute, smiling up at him like you aren't inches away from his dick. “I can think of a few things.”

“You keep on thinking,” you tell him, “and we’ll get into the next position.”

He groans. “Can you at least do it naked? Jesus.”

“If you're good.” You button up his shirt again and move back to your yoga mat. “Ready?”

“You're a real fuckin’ tease, baby.”

“Tell me all about it, Joel.” You roll your eyes fondly, shifting onto your ass. “Follow my lead.”

Joel Miller is not flexible. He's remarkably capable of other feats, and he's never let this drawback affect him when it comes to your sex life, since he's usually twisting you into a pretzel. Still, you know this will be good for him. If you can get him to stop grumbling about it for a minute or two. 

You press the soles of your feet together in front of you and straighten your back. “Just like this,” you say, watching him copy you. His eyes, however, are fixed on the space between your thighs. 

You’re smart enough to understand when you need to take your lumps. 

“Joel.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you want me to get naked?”

“Yeah.”

Maybe you'll try again another day. You’ve got all the time in the world. 

THE END.

#kiwisbell's fics #whiskey sour #pedro pascal #joel miller #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #joel miller x reader #joel miller smut #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x f!reader #tlou hbo #the last of us #the last of us fic

[chiffiorra]

╰┈➤ Let's Go into Overtime

➜ Synopsis: You, a broke college student, weren't satisfied with the hours that your job was giving you. Seeing that you needed another way to pay your tuition on time, you decided to look for some other options and found the best one.

➜ Pairings: Sugar daddy!Kento Nanami x fem!college student!reader

➜ This Fic Contains the Following: modern AU, sugar daddy and baby relationship, age gap (reader is in her early 20s, Nanami is in his late 20s), unprotected sex, minor alcohol usage but both parties are still aware of what they're doing, Nanami is a little soft here, possibly ooc Nanami, oc of mine is a friend of reader, a bit of unrequited love from reader's side

➜ WC: 1,352

➜ Note: for the sugar daddy collab by my bestie @sleepysnk! i haven't written for nanami in forever so i apologize for him seeming off (y'all know the obligatory from me by now lmao) ;w;. despite kinda struggling on this one a bit, i hope i did my hubby justice~

➜ Song as Inspiration: Overtime - Jessie Ware

You felt your breath hitch as you felt him kiss and nip at your neck. Already feeling buzzed from the drinks you two shared earlier and this rush of excitement that you haven’t felt in forever, you couldn’t even remember the last time someone made you feel this way. The thought of it making your knees weak as he gently laid you down on the bed.

As for how and why this was happening, your mind began to wander back to the days leading up to this arrangement.

—

‘Good start to my morning’, you thought sarcastically as you plopped down onto your couch, letting out a long sigh. 

When you checked the mail this morning, you thought it would be the typical mail you got almost everyday. What you found was a letter from the college you attended, and you didn’t think much of it… that was until you opened it and read what was inside. 

It was the last thing you could’ve imagined and also dreaded: your tuition bill. 

You gulped and began to sweat as you read the letter over and over, hoping that your eyes were playing tricks on you and that it was all in your head. But no, this was reality. And there was one problem: you didn’t have enough money to pay for said bill.

As you sank into the couch more, you dropped the letter and began rubbing your temples with your fingertips, as if you were feeling a headache about to happen. How the hell were you gonna pay this off? You used the majority of your savings to pay off utilities and to put food on the table. It wasn’t easy due to the fact that you lived alone but you managed. But with this bomb dropped on you, you felt that your time was starting to run out. 

You sighed again, unsure of how you were going to do this, you were already in debt as it is! And so, you called a friend of yours for advice, in which she agreed to come over. 

—

“Why not just get yourself a sugar daddy?” Your friend Hoshiko asked, giggling at the spit take you just did. You really wished you weren’t drinking at that moment as you began to cough, not expecting such a question.

“Are you serious?” You wheezed out, trying to breathe. Meanwhile Hoshi just giggled at the scene happening in front of her.

“Yeah! I know someone who has a sugar daddy and it worked out perfectly for her! I’m telling you, you should at least try it out and see how it goes!” She said, patting you on the back.

“I dunno, Hoshi… I feel like this is gonna be a bad idea,” you add, unsure about this. “What if it doesn’t work out?”

Hoshi pats you on the back, “Well, you can at least say that you tried, right?” She asked before playfully nudging you. 

With that final push, you decided to try out the dating app specifically catered to sugar daddies that she introduced to you. It took some time to find the right man, but it seemed so difficult at first. You just couldn’t see yourself dating whatever man the app would recommend you.

And that was when you met him. He was a salaryman who appeared to simply never dream of labor but was still looking for someone to spend his extra earnings on and take as a plus one to events that he was most likely dragged to. 

He was a serious, no nonsense man when you first met and yet he intrigued you like no other. He eventually let his guard down around you once he became more comfortable around you. 

The best part? He was better than the college jocks that you hooked up with in the past. You began to think that all you needed was an older man to take care of you. And take care of you he did indeed. He brought you everything you could ever desire, he helped you pay for your bills, he did anything for you… but not without a price of course.

For every time you needed his help, you would pay him back in full with pleasure. This was no issue for you, but every now and then you couldn’t help but feel a tad insecure. You would always get a nagging feeling in your head, that feeling being that you were starting to fall in love. And that aches you knowing that he would see you as nothing more than his sugar baby. But that still never stopped you from fantasizing about him officially being yours in your alone time. It was something you craved more than the finest jewels and designer clothing that he brought you. 

You felt yourself come back to reality after feeling his lips kiss at your neck. The kisses would soon turn to him licking and nipping at your neck, before those nips would turn to bites. You felt like you were in heaven.

“Is this okay?” You felt him whisper in your ear. You felt flustered at his care for you, always seeming to put your pleasure before his despite his being repayment for you needing his money.

Nevertheless you nodded, hearing him chuckle into your skin as he left one more love bite on you. Your breath then hitched, feeling his warm tongue along your neck. It made you relax under him, his body seeming to cover yours.

After spending time with you over the months, it was like he knew your body better than yourself. Maybe this should’ve scared you but at the same time it turned you on, this was much better than your previous hookups. So much better.

“It’ll be alright, don’t worry,” he reassured you, this not being his first time doing so during your private time together. Usually you wouldn’t start tearing up until you were overstimulated, but this was different. His touches, reassurances, and kisses made you think: what if he was more than just a sugar daddy? What if he was your boyfriend? Your fiance? Maybe even your husband? 

The thought of it made you tear up a bit.

Soon enough, you began to feel him thrust into you; deeply but gently. Your legs trembled, feeling him hit your sweet spot with barely any effort. He sure did seem to know your body better than yours. 

Your hands were already ready to move on their own, one tangling into his hair and the other lacing your fingers together with his. You never held hands with him before until now, but something about tonight seemed more intimate compared to your previous nights.

If Nanami was surprised, he didn’t express it as he leaned down to kiss you deeply, his pace picking up. The squelching sounds from the both of you sounded so obscene that you felt flustered. 

Not too long, his pace began to pick up, making you moan loudly. It was a good thing that there were no neighbors living nearby, otherwise you two would hear a complaint. Not that you and him would even bother to care. 

“Ken… I’m close,” you moaned out, your hips deciding to move on their own to gain your release. This made him chuckle.

“Go on, baby. Let go for me,” he said to you, before kissing you again.

The kiss was enough to have you cream for him all over his cock, making you let out a loud moan in the otherwise quiet room. A few thrusts later, you felt him finish inside you.

As he slowly pulled out and went to get you some towels and water, you began to think. Was it worth the risk to pursue a relationship with him? Despite how it all started? Did he have any feelings for you as you did for him?

When he came back to clean you up, you smiled to yourself when he wasn’t looking. Even if he didn’t return your feelings, this relationship you had now could at least be the next best thing.

You could live with that.

#candy uploads 🍭 #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #kento nanami #kento nanami x reader #nanami kento #nanami kento x reader #nanami x reader #lemon pastries 🥐 #SugarDaddyCollab

[officialparknerawards]

This Year’s Nominations

Fic Nominations

Best in Fluff

“Potato Gun Mechanics” by hisfirstnamesagent

“confessions (just for you)” by blxrryfxcxd

“(A Picture Can Say) A Thousand Words” by shipskicksandgiggles

“You’re Breathtaking” by Tea_For_One_Please

“Pete, I’m Fake Drunk and Wanna Go Home” by Sarah_Sandwich

Best in Hurt/comfort

“a rainbow doesn’t always have a pot of gold” by Scarlettpin

“She’s My Sister” by Weirdness_36

“For the First Time, Eye to Eye” by Sarah_Sandwich

Best in Angst

“Tools to Fix You” by shipskicksandgiggles

“we were all just humans” by MayWilder

“i wish that i was homeward bound” by thompsborn

“rise and fall of the tides” by enzhe, MayWilder

Best in Fieldtrip

“Obligatory Field Trip Fic” by Dredfulhapiness

Will be open for last minute nominations during voting, provide link in other option

Best in Social Media AU

“A Spider on the Web” by bee bark (nachtwaechterin)

“Potato Gun Mechanics” by hisfirstnamesagent

“creeper, aw man” by impravidus

“twitter beef so salty and scalding hot that it’s a well done steak” by impravidus

Best in Post-No Way Home

“We’re Happy To Serve You” by ExcaliburLibrary

“After You” by WaywardKeener

“i wish that i was homeward bound” by thompsborn

Best in Non-canon Compliant

“Space in Your Bed” by PeachyKeener

“we were all just humans” by MayWilder

“i wish that i was homeward bound” by thompsborn

“Tennessee Whiskey” by Superstitious

“Lemon Boy” by Sarah_Sandwich

Best in College/University

“Too busy being yours” by everythingisconnected

“Or Whatever” by shipskicksandgiggles

“The Hottie Across the Hall” by coconutknightshade

“i wish that i was homeward bound” by thompsborn

Best in Superhero Harley Keener

“it’s always who is spider-man, never how is spider-man” by i_regret_thatpersonalityquiz

“saving peter” by thompsborn

“Parkner Meets Miraculous Ladybug Tropes” by impravidus

Best in Identity Reveal

“Spider At Home (ah-ah)” by the_oncoming_stormageddon

“Simply the Best” by impravidus

“As You Wish” by Superstitious

“Tennessee Whiskey” by Superstitious

Best in Future Fics

“Head in the Stars” by shipskicksandgiggles

“not done yet” by thompsborn

“no one else was in the room where it happened” by LilacsAndLilies

Best in Proposal/Marriage

“The Proposal” by impravidus

“Stuck in the Middle” by impravidus

Will be open for last minute nominations during voting, provide link in other option

Best in Tony Stark Involved

“The Hottie Across the Hall” by coconutknightshade

“Potato Gun Mechanics” by hisfirstnamesagent

“Devils in the Details (but you got a friend in me)” by PeachyKeener

“Well, this is awkward” by Saturning

Best in Soulmates

“Lobsters are mermaids to scorpions” by sammiespider

“Garden Growing” by saladbabie

“promises, promises, promises” by MayWilder

“Skin-Deep” by m4xw3ll

Art Nominations

Best in Digital Art

Harley Keener Introduced At CEO of SI by TEDDY

"Laddie & Spidey !!" by cqlementine

Unnamed by Darka

Best in Physical Art

Aka Peter and Harley won’t stop flirting by Mauvera

Will be open for last minute nominations during voting, provide link in other option

Best in Collage Art

For October Parkner Week by EmmaElsa0000

Will be open for last minute nominations during voting, provide link in other option

Creator Nominations

Best in New Writers

Weirdness_36

DiAngelosBae

Will be open for last minute nominations during voting, provide link in other option

Best in OG Writers

@official-impravidus

@thompsborn

Will be open for last minute nominations during voting, provide link in other option

Best in Artist

@peanuttoffee

@cqlementine

Will be open for last minute nominations during voting, provide link in other option

#parknerawards #parkner #parknerawardsnominations #parknerawards2023 #harley keener #peter parker #harley keener x peter parker #peter parker x harley keener

[topgun-ace-week]

Are you a fanwork creator? Are you interested in Top Gun (1986) or Top Gun: Maverick (2022)? Are you A-spec, A-spec ally, or simply interested in making A-spec-related fanwork?

Then this event is for you!

Along with this year's Ace Awareness Week (22-29 October 2023), we're hoping to bring anything related to asexuality and Top Gun to one place and time. There'll be eight days, seven with its own themes and one free space day to quench the thirst for anything that didn't fit in said themes. The event is open for fics, art, edits, podfics, and anything else that can be posted either on Tumblr or AO3 in the Top Gun Ace Week Collection.

Any ships/characters are welcome as long as they're Top Gun-related! All works are to be related to asexuality - and the chosen day's theme — with additional prompts available.

Check out Rules for more.

Each day will have a general theme and secondary non-obligatory prompts. Take a look below for proposed options and tell us what you think in the interest form before we revise the event!

You might also take a peek at the event's Google Doc here.

(Day - Compulsory Theme - additional, non-obligatory prompts)

Day 1 - Micro Labels - Not A Naval Aviator AU - humor

Day 2 - Flirting - Coffee Shop AU - angst

Day 3 - Sex-Indifferent - Sports AU - hurt/comfort

Day 4 - Aromantic Ace - Different First Meeting AU - smut

Day 5 - Coming Out - Crossover/Different Settings AU - fluff

Day 6 - Sex-Repulsed - Soulmates AU - fluff

Day 7 - Queerplatonic - College AU - romance

Day 8 - Free Ace Week Day - Anything you want related to asexuality goes here!

More in our Prompts tab!

Tagging you here as promised @pollyna!

#reblogs for this post are much appreciated #top gun ace week event #top gun ace week announcements #top gun #tgm #top gun 1986 #top gun maverick #no sorry for the spam in ships tags #icemav #hangster #bobnix #fanback #macheresin #hangmav #roosmav #slice #slimav #bradley rooster bradshaw #tom iceman kazansky #sereshaw #ron slider kerner #pete maverick mitchell #jake hangman seresin #natasha phoenix trace #robert bob floyd #slooserole #sloose #javy coyote machado #mickey fanboy garcia #top gun fandom

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for a Fic...

Happy New Year, everyone! May it treat you kindly! ~Mod L

~*~

1. hi, for the next itmf could you recommend some good 'police au' ? preferably wangxian oriented. I'm really into all that police, crime, csi etc. stuff :] thx in advance <3

🧡 CSI: Gusu Edition Series by Stratisphyre (M, 39k, WangXian, WWX & LQR, Modern with Magic AU, College AU, Golden Core Reveal, Single parent WWX, Good Uncle LQR, Hospitalization, Allusions to violence and murder)

a garden in your ribcage by puddingcatbeans (G, 13k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, soft witches au, Developing Relationship)

doing the wrong thing wholeheartedly by isabilightwood (E, 19k, WangXian, Modern AU, Modern Cultivation, mentions of creatures from other cultures also existing, Enemies to Lovers, meet ugly, Case Fic, There Was Only One Bed, Fakeout Makeout, Bottom LWJ, Top WWX, Bathtub Sex, Hair-pulling, Edging, Fluff and Smut, Post-Coital Cuddling) these are modern with magic case fic where wangxian are investigators, not sure if this would work?

When a Bird Flies, It Leaves Feathers by Bem_Kofi (Not Rated, 75k, WangXian, Modern AU, Police, Police Officer LWJ, Medical Examiner WWX, Minor Character Death)

Keep Track of Losing Days by giraffeter (T, 74k, WangXian, Modern AU, Case Fic, Police, Missing Persons, Mystery, Getting Together, Flashbacks, Rooftop Conversations, Detective LWJ, antifa WWX, Endgame NieLan, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed, First Kiss, First Meetings, Seattle, Mutual Pining, nonfatal car accident, mafia wens, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers)

~*~

2. Hiiii! Happy late holidays hope you all r having a good one, im wondering if there are fics of Divergent by Veronica Roth (the book/movie) aus with wangxian, or threadfics, blogs, posts etc.

~*~

3. Hi! Merry Christmas for those who celebrate! I wanted to say how thankful I feel for this site, and how you made me find stories I would not have read otherwise if it were not for you. I just read Misalignment, by Kasasagi, and I loved it! I want to recommend it and also ask if you know more of this kind of stories were WX is not the main pairing, but still has an amazing plot. Thank you!

Eyes Wide Shut by Netrixie (T, 65k, LXC/NMJ, wangxian, canon divergence, no sunshot, everyone lives au, enemies to friends to lovers, identity porn, mistaken identity, misunderstanding, slow burn)

Emergency Help Wanted by Piyo13 (T, 76k, wangxian, modern, fake/pretend relationship, lawyer JC, everyone lives au, fluff, slow burn, happy ending)

easier, with you by pinkfluffygiant (T, 34k, LJY/LSZ, summer camp au, disaster camp counselors, pining, friends to lovers)

~*~

4. may i ask for fics where wwx helps with sunshot, but he either manages to hide his demonic cultivation, or (with help?) frame it positively so he doesn't end up feared or hated after they win? maybe he's even (god forbid) admired or something? thank you!

And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami (M, 138k, WangXian, XiChengQing, Time Travel, Fix-It, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Healing, Mental Health Issues, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, BAMF WWX, BAMF JC, BAMF LWJ, BAMF JYL, Getting Together)

if you can't beat them, recruit them by moeblobmegane (T, 216k, Time Travel Fix-It, Conspiracy, Spies & Secret Agents, Team as Family, Found Family, WIP)

~*~

5. my lovelies, my fanfic deities. Praise be to you! I am down a rabbit hole again and in desperate need of your help. I have a serious craving for canon-complaint/post-canon (or divergent, but not completely left field AU) fics where WWX has a fear of heights. Specifically, as a result of his being thrown into the BM off a great height. Discussions of it, descriptions of it manifesting, working through it, etc; panic attacks get bonus points but aren't obligatory.

Red Flower With One Hundred Petals; Smoke Carried on the Blue Dusk Air by carolyncaves (T, 32k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Alcohol, Mental Health Issues, Angst, Golden Core Reveal, Hurt/Comfort, thoughts of death/dying, Caretaking, Marriage Proposal, Wedding Fluff, Family Feels, Literal Sleeping Together, Shotgun Wedding, angry wedding planner JC, Yunmeng sibling drama and fluff, physical affection, Terrible Parties, Happy Ending, for WangXian) perhaps this might work? WWX had to be taken on someone else's sword twice and panics both times

~*~

6. Modern wangxian meet past wangxian

Write It on My Neck by diamondbruise (E, 23k, WangXian, A/B/O Dynamics, Transmigration, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Fake Marriage, Falling In Love, Jealousy, Happy Ending, Anal Sex, Spanking, usual wangxian cnc elements, Misunderstandings)

Crazy Little Thing Called Time by kippalittlefox (T, 11k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Established Relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending)

~*~

7. Hello I have a request but I am kind of new here. I can figure out how comment a request. -- (this first part put into a finder post)

Also if you know if any fic where wei ying takes the 33 lashes instead of lan zhan. I'd appreciate it. I hope you are enjoying the holidays and that you have a week. @autumnchild26-blog

If I Could Go Back in Time by Runningbarefoot (M, 122k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Role Reversal, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Grief/Mourning, YLLZ WWX, Eventual Happy Ending, The Twin Jade Brotherhood, Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, Slow Burn)

~*~

8. pardon the double ask 😅 but could you also recommend some Lan Qiren redemption fics? im generally chill about him haha but it would be lovely to see him genuinely sorry about his treatment of his nephews (especially like, after seeing LWJ's steadfastness after having been whipped 33 mfing times, or even for his part in lwj's lonely childhood) and/or WWX, and extra lovely if he took steps to fix it and rebuild a better relationship! thank you!!

hi! i sent #8 and i thought maybe i should add that i love the 'good uncle lqr tag' and there's a significant overlap, but i'd love to see fics that don't start out with him being good, more (hypocritically) angry or patronizing toward lwj/wwx and then realizing his flaws or (bonus) working to redeem himself (i had time to read cabbages and it it's great, thanks for the rec!)

In Walls of Glass by Comfect (T, 23k, LXC & LQR & LWJ, LQR & WWX, CSSR & LQR, wangxian, LXC/JC, good uncle LQR, teacher LQR, canon divergence, everyone lives au, fix-it, butterfly effect, JC friendly, LQR pov, not WWX friendly, in LQR’s head mainly and at the start, family feels, demonic cultivation, cultivation theory, WIP)

Cabbages by dreaming of your qin (sherleigh) (G, 20k, LQR & WWX, LQR & LWJ, wangxian, post-canon)

they might want to check out the Good Uncle Lan Qiren tag

~*~

9. may I have some fics where WWX became a Supreme Ghost? @sareen-momos-stuff

🧡 The Red Ribbon by Xiao_Hua (M, 21k, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Ghost City, a bit of beefleaf, Immortality, Cultivation Partners, Juniors, XL and HC find a child who happens to be WWX, Fluffy wangxian, WWX is a Supreme Ghost King, First Time)

Back From The Dead by Suibian_613 (T, 44k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, HuaLian, XuanXuan, XinQing, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Supreme Ghost King WWX)

~*~

10. Hiiii. For the next itmf fic rec, can you please recommend some with virgin wwx and experienced lwj. Thank you.

Lan-Laoshi! by Bee_Li (M, 2k, WangXian, Modern AU, age gap, Professor LWJ, College Student WWX, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Barebacking, Desk Sex, Pre-Relationship, College/University, Hair-pulling, CreamPie, LWJ is in his early thirties, WWX is like 21-22, Experienced LWJ, LWJ Fucks, inexperienced wwx, Virgin WWX, Kinda dark LWJ, Hand Jobs, First Time, Spit Kink, Spit As Lube)

all the trembling ways by typefortydeductions (E, 11k, WangXian, First Time, Overstimulation, Verbal Humiliation, Rimming, First Time Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Dirty Talk, Aftercare, sex tears, lwj FUCKS, Modern AU, Dom/sub Undertones, Porn with Feelings)

kiss me more (we got nothing to lose) by xeansiao (E, 5k, WangXian, Mutual Pining, Couch Sex, Friends to Lovers, Childhood Friends, College/University, Dirty Talk, Let LWJ Say Fuck, lwj FUCKS, Masturbation, Dom/sub Undertones, Pining while fucking, Nipple Play, Nipple Licking, Pining, POV LWJ, Size Kink, Size Difference, Under-negotiated Kink, Feminization, Degradation)

Wei Laoshi, Poonslayer by FeelsForBreakfast (E, 6k, WangXian, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, POV LWJ, straight boy wwx, Loss of Virginity, Getting Together)

i'm the one for your fire by occultings (microcomets) (E, 42k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mind Reading, Enemies to Lovers, it's only enemies to lovers in wwx's one braincell, Misunderstandings, Compulsory Heterosexuality, Whump, brief illness/injury, Pining, light bdsm in the first chap, Cherry Magic AU, Getting Together)

the earthquake in the room by phnelt (E, 39k, WangXian, College/University, Modern: No Powers, Canada, Getting Together, Mentions of lwj/others, inter-faculty romance, strangers to lovers to frenemies to lovers, mostly book characterisation)

The Keeper by phnelt (E, 3k, WangXian, PWP, A/B/O Dynamics, Sex Work, virgin wwx, Alpha WWX, Omega LWJ, Dom LWJ, sub wwx, Undernegotiated Kink, BDSM, Ruined Orgasms, a/b/o typical fluid kink, Dom/sub, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics)

thrice as cruel by iliacquer (E, 15k, WIP, WangXian, Switching, Masochist WWX, Sadist LWJ, BDSM, Kushiel's Legacy Fusion, Dubious Consent, Sex Work, Courtesan LWJ, Submissive WWX, Dominant LWJ, Exhibitionism, Public Sex, Consensual Non-Consent)

~*~

11. Hello! First of all, thank you for everyone’s hard work- I love you all!!💖

Second of all, I was wondering if you had any fic recs (or NEW fic recs) with a possessive/jealous/v protective Wei Ying. I love this trope but feel like I’ve read them all 😅 Thank you!

A storm without a warning by Spodumene (E, 22k, wangxian, LWJ/MXY, modern, compulsory heterosexuality, masturbation, eventual smut, pining, denial, drunkeness, jealousy, not actually unrequited love, angst w/ happy ending)

It’s Over Isn’t It by Theladyofravenclaw (T, 68k, WangXian, LWJ/OMC, Oblivious WWX, Jealous WWX, One-Sided Attraction, Canon Divergence, it says Lan Zhan and another character but it’s all one sided, we got a love triangle baby, Canonical Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort)

Love Song In Reverse by timetoboldlygo (T, 237k, WangXian, Amnesia, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Falling In Love, Slow Burn, agressively mixing and matching novel and cql canon, No Homophobia, Mentions of Starvation, Parental WWX)

hold up a mirror by spookykingdomstarlight (E, 36k, wangxian, modern, fake/pretend relationship, misundersandings, pining, eventual smut, happy ending, self-discovery, insecurity, dancing, loneliness, friends to lovers)

Orchids in Lotus Pier by Vamillepudding (G, 21k, wangxian, canon divergence, romantic comedy, pining, protective JC, friends to lovers, misunderstandings)

Your Song Called Me, Can’t Believe I am Late by Padma_Warrior (M, 25k, wangxian, WIP, protective wwx, yiling laozu wwx, angst w/ happy ending, not gusu lan friendly, hurt LWJ, bottom LWJ)

~*~

12. For the next itmf, I would really like to read more fics that show canon (or near-canon) events from NHS’s POV. I’m looking for fics where he’s not part of a ship or aren’t specifically tagged ‘Nie Huaisang POV’ or ‘Nie Huaisang-specific’ as I can find those on my own. Thanks so much!

~*~

13. Hello! Happy almost new year! I'm looking for fics where WWX gives his golden core to LWJ instead of JC, thank you!

~*~

14. Hi! I'm looking for something where any member of the cast has chronic illness and either uses cultivation to manage it, or maybe in wwx's case, the loss of his golden core exacerbates, or causes? Bonus points for friends + family members finding out + trying to help (or not lmao). All the best, hope your festive season is going well! @crying--crow​

let the sun go down on your anger; let it burn you to sleep by enbysaurus_rex (Not rated, 78k, wangxian, WQ & WWX, graphic depictions of violence, chronic illness, narcolepsy, chronic pain, YLLZ WWX, oblivious WWX, sleeping beauty elements, body horror, WIP) has WWX suffering from narcolepsy, which the transfer does NOT help.

Instead by apathyinreverie (T, 21k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, like self-indulgently so, by way of dark(er) gusu lan, manipulative elders, but in a good way?, Golden Core Reveal, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, of sorts, not Jiang friendly, not really gusu lan friendly either, not particularly friendly towards anyone really, aside from wangxian of course, Cultivation World Critical, Sunshot Campaign, Fluff, Politics, Courting Rituals, possibly implied mpreg, Genius WWX, Talismans, No demonic cultivation, Possessive LWJ, Protective LWJ) might count

A Burning Cold by MountainRose (G, 29k, Chronic Illness, Pre-Canon, Nirvana in Fire Fusion, Character Study, Wen Bullshit, Suibian, Snow Beetle Poison) Nirvana in Fire fusion with WWX in the position of Mei Changsu

silt, or scurvy series by astronicht (M, 11k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, chronic illness, podfic by raitala)

~*~

15. itmf cisswap wangxian where wwx has big breasts? I've read a lot if lesbian wangxian but i've barely seen ones where wwx has a bigger chest and im curious if there are any i missed.. (sorry this is a bit weird!)

~*~

16. Here's an odd request, but I'd love some fics where LXC is supportive but Deeply Confused about WTH is going on with Wangxian. I recently (re)read "I started from the bottom/and now I'm rich," and LXC's concern that WWX might plan to murder LWJ on their wedding night is hilarious to me. I also loved the fic (forgot the name, sadly) where LXC is extremely straight and thinks LWJ is only with WWX because he's never been with a woman and therefore doesn't realize what he's missing. (Oh, I remember this one, it was hilarious to read ~Mod L) Both these fics are light and play the misunderstanding for laughs. So that's what I want: fics where LXC means well and tries to make LWJ happy, and is hilariously off-base about it. Are there any more other than these two? @invisible-mirror​

The Flautist by oleanderedits (T, 1k, wangxian, double entendre, humor, comedy, canon divergence, LXC pov, sex worker au)

❤️ happy not knowing by plonk (not rated, 16k, wangixan,  canon era, clueless Xichen, established relationship, Mojo’s bookmark) the fic mentioned.

speeding up my heartbeat by plonk (Not Rated, 24k, WangXian, Bottom LWJ, Modern with Magic, Modern AU, Gyms) lxc is very supportive but helplessly straight and therefore clueless

~*~

17. Hello! I’m in the mood for fics where the MDZS characters interact with modern characters. Thank you <3!

take me back to a time by DizziDreams (T, 143k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, college/university au, canon-divergence, time travel, sharing a bed, fish out of water, angst with a happy ending, man out of time, slow burn, character death, angst, reference to abuse, canonical character death, canonical abuse, canon-typical violence, mutual pining, chronic illness, not exactly a fix-it, podfic available, implied 3zun, college student wei wuxian, genius wei wuxian, found family, pov alternating)

Wrong Turn, Right Place by diamondbruise (E, 71k, WangXian, Time Travel, kind of, it’s more reality travel but there’s modern wwx and cultivator lwj, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Jealousy, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Misunderstandings, Cultural Differences)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what  you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack,  whatever - it’s all good!***

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

[trojanteapot]

Obligatory Infinity Train Fanfic Plug I Guess

I have some new followers since I posted about my Infinity Train cosplay process so I guess now's a good time to plug my boring overly-long fanfics that are mostly sad and stuff.

SHIPPING FICS

RYMIN:

Ain't No Cure For Love: Ryan and Min-Gi perform their first gig in Montreal. Min-Gi wants to confess his feelings. (First fic I ever wrote probably a bit rough now and the only fic without any sort of theme besides "love wins" i guess) It Can't Be Helped: Takes place in the mid-2000s when Ryan and Min-Gi's band have become quite successful and are touring East Asia. Ryan has some cultural identity issues to overcome at the age of like, 40-something. (This one is much much better than the first Rymin fic, and is about more than just shipping. I did a ton of research into Japanese-Canadians and Korean-Canadians for it as well! Shout-out to my partner for his huge role in shaping this fic as he is Japanese-Canadian himself.)

GRIMON:

Raison d'Etre (PART 1) (PART 2): Post-Canon AU where Simon survives the Train. Grace and Simon spend about 4 years apart from each other living their own lives on Earth, but one day Grace shows up randomly in Quebec to pay Simon a visit. Traumatic wounds get reopened, things get emotional, philosophical, maybe even a little... sociopolitical? Also interspersed between Grace and Simon's little dates are flashbacks to the Train that explain exactly how Simon managed to leave the Train in this AU.

I separated it into two halves because the second half contains smut. However, the second half kind of needs to be read for there to be a complete story. The smut is entirely skippable and doesn't contribute to the overarching plot so I do encourage you to read both halves.

(Also of note is that this takes place not in the "present" but in the past (2018), because I am An Old Person(TM) and so I made Grace and Simon millennials. And I also didn't want to write about the pandemic. It's not that noticeable and you can ignore that timeline fuckery if you want.)

True Love Waits: (VERY VERY CURSED) Sort of not a shipping fic? But Grace gets pregnant here and we all know who the father is! So Grace needs to leave the Train before the baby is born. Canon complacent so Simon is dead. (TW: other than pregnancy there's also thoughts of self-harm and mentions of abortion)

Leave It In My Dreams: Grace's sad nightmare in Alma Mater but from Simon's perspective.

Shame On You, Blue-Eyed Fox: Grace lets her guard down and harassed by a rookie cop. Simon finally makes himself useful for once in his entire life. (TW: real world racism obviously.)

GENERAL FICS

Alma Mater: Post-Canon. Tulip starts college, is very typically Tulip about it, but she befriends an older student named Grace Monroe who helps her through it. However, Tulip comes to learn that she and Grace have more in common than they realized at first. Also Jesse and Lake get thrown into the mix and drama ensues. (Mostly canon complacent except for 1. time period, and 2. Grace is from California, not DC, but her parents work in DC.)

Initial State: A side story to Raison d'Etre. After Simon realizes he's wrong he works with the Cat to bring his number down and leave the Train. But this isn't as easy as he thought especially when he meets a denizen he's recently met before, but never expected to meet again (becausehekilledherlol).

Semi-Automatic Lonely Boy: Prequel to Raison d'Etre. Just a series of vignettes of Simon's life after returning to Earth. (TW: depictions of self-harm) Other than It Can't Be Helped, this is the other fanfic that I am the most proud of so far. Literally went and relearned French to write some of the dialogue in this.

I'll Get It Right Sometime (ongoing): Four years after Book 3, Hazel and Amelia have a pretty decent life on the Train. But this peace is interrupted when Hazel meets a passenger and decides to help him through the Train. How can Amelia keep Hazel safe? Who is this passenger anyway? Why is the Cat so interested in interfering? Why is Simon somehow involved?! Why is JESSE somehow involved?!?!??! (Note: I think Hazel ages normally, so she's 10 years old in this one.) This is also my most ambitious fanfic yet. I have an Entire Homestuck Reference chapter, a Reddit chapter, and I plan to have several Discord chapters.

#infinity train #infinity train fanfic #infinity train fanfiction #rymin #grimon #tulip olsen #jesse cosay #lake infinity train #grace monroe #simon laurent #ryan akagi #min gi park #amelia hughes #hazel infinity train #samantha the cat #you can tell i have a thing for naming fics after songs or lyrics

[yukidragon]

Since its almost Halloween can we get some yandere werewolf Joseph head canons, please?!

Ho, hoooo~ That sounds like a fun little AU right there. I hope you don’t mind if I specifically use my version of sunshine, Alice, for this answer. It might help me get inspired to make another AU short fic for her and Jack... or rather Joseph. ;3

Hmm... lots of ways to take this. For example, I could go with a similar angle I used for my Vampire AU, in that everything is basically the same, just Joseph was a werewolf before he died, which now makes him a werewolf ghost(?) who was released from this cursed VHS prison by Alice.

Buuuut that would be Jack and not Joseph wouldn’t it? After all, he would be in the persona of the character of Sunny Day Jack, so let’s go with the college AU as our basis, shall we? I’m sure that version of Joseph would make a fine yandere werewolf.

BTW, for those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s a picture of Joseph in the College AU that Jambeebot/Sauce drew and posted publicly on their twitter.

A tired but handsome lad, perfect for some wolfy shenanigans, don’t you think?

Just as a quick reminder, please don’t repost any of the pictures posted privately on the Snaccpop Studios Patreon. For just $3, you can get a peek of the good stuff, and that’s cheaper than a cup of coffee like the one Jojo here is holding. You could also consider joining the Something’s Wrong with Sunny Day Jack kickstarter. It recently hit $45,000, so the Nick route was just unlocked!

Oh, and while I’m plugging stuff, why not check out Sunshine in Hell or Sunshine in Another World, my Sunny Day Jack fanfics? I’d love it if you read them and let me know what you think.

Also, I want to remind everyone this series is an Adults Only game, and there’s probably going to be a smutty headcanon or two in the bunch. I mean, we are talking about a werewolf AU. I’m practically obligated to mention knotting at least once.

Oh, before I forget, here’s the obligatory tags for @channydraws and @earthgirlaesthetic.

Thanks for indulging my side-tangent, now back to the headcanons.

I haven’t really touched on the College AU before, but now’s as good of a time as any, just with a little supernatural twist to it. There’s not really any “canon” lore to this AU, just Joseph looking pretty stylish as a college student, so I’m just gonna go crazy and have fun with it. Okay? Okay!

First off, it’s modern day, with cell phones, super fancy coffee drink shops, and obscene student loan debts. Joseph’s family/school life has been shit like in the normal universe, with parents who don’t love him (and probably regret ever having him), but he didn’t run away from home (or if he did, he eventually went back). Instead, he doubled down on his education to get a college scholarship that’ll get him the hell away from his shitty home life and hometown.

Of course, being a student reliant on a scholarship for his funds, Joseph has to work his ass off to maintain high enough grades to keep it. This leads to a lot of late nights, dark circles under his eyes, and a rewards card at the local Sunbucks coffee shop that gets used more than his phone. He gets so much coffee there that the barista even learned how to spell his name right!

The college happens to be the same unnamed college that Alice(/MC), Shaun, and Ian attended. Joseph, being interested in acting, winds up in some of the same classes as the three.

Now, we could say things in this continuity are mostly the same as canon, with Alice and Ian dating at the start of college. This would be when Joseph gets to meet his sunshine while being an ordinary college student instead of a ghost(?) clown actor. Jealousy and love triangles ensue.

But, nah, let’s shake that timeline up little more with some of that werewolf spice, shall we? In fact, let’s rewind the timeline just a little to some events before college starts.

Joseph comes from a pack of werewolves. His parents are still unloving and don’t pay attention to him, but man does being a supernatural creature complicate matters even more. There’s the whole pack hierarchy with alphas and what not (which even Joseph knows is something real wolves don’t do, but then again real wolves don’t transform or have supernatural nonsense going on with them either). You have to be the biggest and strongest to get any power or attention, which is more reason for him to go through a rebellious stage... only this period of teenage angst involves fangs and claws instead of a pocket knife.

So why then, did Joseph not run away from home in this universe when things feel even more isolating for him? He did, but this time it was during a full moon after a particularly rough tumble with his pack. He made it to an area without local wolves of any variety, and on that moonlit night he found himself a ray of sunshine.

Alice’s childhood home has a large backyard that leads into a forest. Being familiar with these woods and with no dangerous wildlife to speak of in the area, it wasn’t at all out of the ordinary for her to take a late night stroll. When she heard a faint whimpering, she assumed it was one of the family dogs. What she found in the dim light of the moon and her cell phone’s flashlight app was a juvenile “dog” with dark chocolate colored fur that had a pretty blue shine where the light hit it.

The poor thing was all covered in cuts, and growled at the strange human approaching him when she got close. Alice felt sorry for it, but knew better than to get too close. Joseph wasn’t exactly happy about being found, and was relieved when she left, only to be surprised when she returned with a couple bowls, one filled with dogfood and the other water.

Joseph figured out her misunderstanding and found it kind of funny. This stranger was treating him as a dog more kindly than his parents or his teachers ever did, speaking soothingly and not getting too close. He snubbed the dogfood because he wasn’t that desperate yet, but he was thirsty after running away so far.

Alice smelled pretty nice to Joseph, really nice in fact. He got closer to her to get a better sniff of her scent underneath the artificial perfumes of her soap and deodorant. She knew better than to move when he got closer, lest she startle him, and he decided to be cheeky and lick her hand when he noticed some cookie crumbs still stuck to her fingers.

What Joseph didn’t expect was that Alice took that as a sign he wanted to be petted. It was startling, to say the least. No one had ever pet him before, not even his parents!

Then again, they didn’t hug him either.

It felt... nice. Far nicer than it had any right to feel, especially after he felt so shitty after getting roughed up by his shitty pack. Joseph melted under the touch and leaned into Alice as she used both hands to put him so gently, his tail wagging for the first time in forever.

Werewolves hid among humanity, but didn’t have much respect for them. Joseph didn’t see a reason to respect humans or werewolves, but this one... this one felt nice, really, really nice. Maybe it was just because of the full moon making him feel more wolf-like and instinctive, but he thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be this human’s pet... at least until he recovered from his injuries. He shouldn’t stay too long in case one of his pack decided to track him down to punish him for running away. 

Alice felt so warm, and Joseph wanted more of her touch. He could’ve cried when she hugged him and called him a good boy.

Unfortunately, such a beautiful moment didn’t last long, as Alice started to cough and she backed from Joseph while covering her mouth and nose. “I guess your owner’s a smoker, huh?”

Joseph never batted an eye whenever a teacher caught him with cigarettes. Their detentions, wagging fingers, and warnings of the danger of teenage smoking never reached him. If anything, their obnoxious lectures just made him want to cut class to light up another joint. It was only when Alice, the first person to hug him in forever, had to put some distance between them so she could breathe did he regret ever picking up the habit.

Even still, Alice brought Joseph back to her house with the intention of taking him to the vet to get him treated in the morning. The family dogs were wary of him, as was expected since they had a better sense of the danger a werewolf posed, but her human family were welcoming. Fortunately, acting friendly enough convinced them that he simply was a very wolf-like breed rather than an actual wolf, let alone a werewolf.

Still, they kept a more careful distance from Joseph than Alice did. They looked him over, and he allowed a few pets, but none of them smelled as appealing as Alice, or cuddled him like she did. Unfortunately, being indoors made it harder to avoid the smell of smoke, so she was forced to keep her distance.

It made Joseph feel a little lonely.

During the night when everyone was asleep, Joseph raided the fridge in a form that actually had opposable thumbs and prowled around the house. He found Alice in her room, but he couldn’t stay long when she started coughing in her sleep. He did linger long enough to notice that she had some fantasy romance novels, a couple of which involved supernatural creatures like werewolves.

Joseph wanted to stay and get to know Alice, but he was a danger to her. Not only would the pack find him if he didn’t keep going, but something as stupidly mundane as a smoking habit was keeping him away from the first person to make him feel warm and cared for in his life.

That night, Joseph reconsidered what he really wanted. He wanted to find a new life, a better life, one with actual love in it. Before he didn’t know how to do it besides forcing his parents, teachers, peers... just someone to finally look at him like a person and not a burden. Now... now there was a chance. He found a ray of sunshine in his dark life. He had a goal to work towards.

Joseph returned to the pack, but not before getting some information he could use, like Alice’s home address and phone number. He would sneak back to watch her from a distance, waiting until it would be safe for him to see her again. He quit smoking, but it would be a while until he stopped smelling of smoke.

One time when Joseph snuck by to see Alice, he saw a scrawny human boy by her side. It wasn’t unexpected - humans spent time with humans, though it did make him feel lonely to see her spending time with someone else when he couldn’t. Worse, was how much fun they were having, laughing, playing around and joking together. They were close.

Then Joseph caught wind of the boy’s pheromones... and hers as well.

The two of them were attracted to each other.

It irritated Joseph, which wasn’t helped by his nicotine withdrawal. Yes, humans were meant to be with humans, and he was supposed to mate with another werewolf and all that bullshit, but fuck that! He hadn’t even gotten the chance to talk to Alice yet, and here was this little toad daring to hug and lust after the first person to show him just the smallest scrap of warmth.

Joseph couldn’t handle it.

Ian had some incidents coming home from Alice’s house where he was stalked by a wild dog or a wolf that chased after him, snapping teeth and growling. However, it would mysteriously only go after him when he was alone and somehow always avoided his attempts at snapping a photo on his phone. On those nights, he wasn’t even truly safe at home, as he would hear scratching at his windows, only to find nothing there, and he thought he heard whispers warning him to stay away from Alice. It made him paranoid and afraid to walk alone when visiting her, and his mom twisted his experiences as being demonic in nature, a warning that he better not have any sinful thoughts about his friend...

It created some distance between Ian and Alice. They were still friends and still close, but he visited her house less often and felt more anxious about his romantic and spicy feelings towards her. This made it even harder for him to gather the courage to ask her out and try to go from friends to something more.

Which suited Joseph perfectly.

It was at least a year after that first encounter that Joseph arranged an ‘accidental’ first encounter with Alice in his human form while she was out and about in the city. Although she kept a greater distance from him as a human than she did as a “dog,” he managed to act cheerful and friendly enough to get her to lower her guard.

The time waiting to see Alice wasn’t spent idly. Joseph had been preparing for that “first” meeting with her, studying more about how to act than he ever did at school, though he did pull his grades up. He stopped acting out, ironically now trying not to attract anyone’s attention in his hometown, so that no one would realize he was sneaking off.

His pack might have hid among humans, but they kept their distance and felt humans were beneath them. They would never accept Joseph’s obsession with one, not unless he became the leader of the pack and changed the rules, or could earn the right to leave the pack, both of which would require him to battle and defeat the alpha.

It was an exhausting balancing act, but worth it to Joseph. He got stronger, pulled up his grades in school, and visited Alice whenever he could. They became friends, and got close enough they exchanged cell phone numbers. He was elated, and the more time he got to know her, the deeper he fell for her.

Joseph did intend to just befriend Alice, he really did, but when she gave him a hug while he was in his human form, he didn’t want to let her go. He wanted more.

He wanted her to be his mate for life.

You know, sometimes werewolf romances have mystical mate bonds, so let’s go with that. It’d be fitting since it’s similar to the connection between Jack and his sunshine in the main universe. Werewolves have one mate for life when they make the mark and all sorts of perks and all those fun tropes.

Joseph did his best to appeal to Alice, and he was thrilled the first time he caught scent of her interest in him - not Ian or someone else, but him! He nearly acted on it right there, but he knew her better by this point. She was shy, took things slowly, and when sneakily prying about her thoughts on romance, he found out that she’d only want to date someone she was friends with first.

Fine, fine, Joseph could wait. He had to take care of his pack’s potential interference anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to secure a good future too if he was going to start a family. Alice did admit she wanted a big family with a bunch of kids in the future, and he was quite happy to imagine having a whole litter of pups with her.

Joseph managed to defeat the alpha by the time he graduated high school. He could have taken over for the pack, but screw them all. He was free, more or less. He had a scholarship, he made sure to enroll in the same college Alice was attending, and he even managed to arrange it so that they would be staying in the same dorm. He wanted to be roommates with her, but the damn school decided that students of the same gender couldn’t stay on the same floor, let alone share a room.

Now that Joseph finally was free, he asked Alice out on the first day of classes, and she shyly accepted.

The fact that Ian just happened to be in earshot at the time really was a total coincidence. Really.

One date led to more, then a relationship. Joseph was the ideal boyfriend, kind, considerate, and very loving. Alice was wonderful to him as well, so cuddly and affectionate. She made him feel so loved and appreciated in a way no one else could.

Joseph swapped out his nicotine addiction for a caffeine addiction, but that was fine. Alice liked the smell of coffee, and although she didn’t really care to drink it, she didn’t mind the taste of it when he kissed her. After a while the smell of coffee would remind her of him, especially when they kissed.

Now that they had gotten this far, Joseph had to gently warm Alice up to the idea of werewolves. She enjoyed horror movies as well as gothic romances, so he had something to work with, getting familiar with some werewolf romance media to show her and talk to her about. It was so romantic how a human and a werewolf could make a relationship work despite all odds, wasn’t it?

Joseph would feel insecure when Alice made friends besides him, especially if he caught wind of any sort of attraction they had towards her. Shaun also had the annoying stink of cat on him. Joseph was quick to make it clear early on after meeting him who Alice wanted to be with, much to her embarrassment.

After all, she hadn’t been expecting Joseph to (gently) bite her neck while she was introducing Shaun and Joseph to one another.

“Joey!” Alice hissed breathlessly as she pushed Joseph back, her face cherry red. “Not here!”

Joseph chuckled, unrepentant as he admired the new mark he left behind on her skin along with the others that made it clear to everyone that Alice was his. “Sorry, sunshine, I just couldn’t resist.”

During a full moon, a werewolf’s instincts are much stronger, which made it that much harder for Joseph to hold back his urge to mate with Alice. He had to take it slowly with her, mindful of her comfort, but oh how she drove him so crazy sometimes. It seemed to get harder and harder to stop when she signaled an end to their make out sessions, but he would never, ever do anything she didn’t want, even if it left him with blue balls and with the urge to tear something apart in the woods to burn off the extra energy.

But all the waiting in the world is worth it for Alice, as far as Joseph is concerned, especially the night she finally, finally tells him that she loves him. He gently pried for it, not as forward or as confident as he would as Jack in the game, but he was absolutely just as giddy and relieved to hear it.

Needless to say, when Joseph reveals the truth about his werewolf nature to Alice, she’s very skeptical, thinking it’s a prank at first. He offers to prove it and shocks her when he manages to actually transform into a wolf, and a rather sizable one at that. Although intimidating and world changing, she quickly accepts this side of him, much to his delight.

Wolfy cuddles, petting, and tail wags follow... then Joseph reveals his hybrid form, with a human physique and wolf features. (It’s not too much different than Bo’s “feed me” form.)

It happens to be a full moon, and Joseph, high off of her love and acceptance of every side of him, gets very affectionate. Though intimidated and very nervous, Alice consents to going all the way with him for the first time. She marvels at how a big and dangerous werewolf like Joseph can be so gentle... and how many times he can keep going.

It was quite the learning experience for Alice. First she learned that her boyfriend was a werewolf, then just how big he is, and finally that she can handle someone of his size without pain with enough loving preparation beforehand. Joseph made sure to shower her with praise through the experience, especially when she managed to take his knot.

Needless to say, the two of them skip classes the next day. Joseph is only too happy to carry Alice around until she can walk properly again, much to her embarrassment.

The mate marking happens either during their first time or afterwards, but, in any case, Alice is consenting to it. After all, it means she and Joseph can be together forever. She’s never felt so happy and accepted before. How can she say no when he’s such a wonderful guy who loves her so much?

Sure, Joseph gets a bit territorial, and Alice always has kiss and bite marks that she can never quite hide when out in public, but that just shows how crazy he is about her. How can she not find it flattering?

Although Joseph’s size and werewolf nature can be intimidating, Alice isn’t afraid of him. How could she? He’s the sweetest, most gentle, friendly, and loving person she’s ever known. The idea that he could hurt anyone is completely absurd!

Joseph is the happiest he’s ever been in his life. He finally has his sunshine, and, someday, they’re going to have a nice home and a bunch of happy pups to call their own. As long as no one tries to get between them, everything will end happily ever after.

If they do, well... this wolf knows how to hunt.

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #SunnyDayJack #swwsdj #sdj #Werewolf AU #Headcanon Ramblings #Ask #Sauce-y Art

[x-i-l-verify]

20 Questions For Writers

Was tagged by @kuraiarcoiris and decided why not. :V

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

35. I have more on other sites, but since I've made my AO3 account, that's how many I've posted there.

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2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

656,547. Give or take a couple thousand.

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3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently? Dream SMP. But I also have an Inscryption WIP and a couple Kpop WIPs that I really should get back to one of these days. orz But I've written for all sorts of fandoms over the years.

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4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

5) Its Suffering Was Real [Inscryption]

This is the one that came as the biggest shock to me when I went and looked at my kudos count in preparation for this write-up. Like, really? People like the fic where I torture the sassy robot trapped in the body of a stoat for 7k words that much??

4) A Shoulder to Lean On [Avatar: The Last Airbender]

WHERE did all these people come from, I have like 6 comments on this thing (not counting my replies)??? I mean, I'm flattered, but ??!!?!

3) Accepting Amelioration [Voltron: Legendary Defender]

I mean, it's a Voltron fic posted back when the fandom was in full swing, it doesn't really surprise me the kudos counter is considerable, though I am still surprised it got that much traction considering the fic is gen and not shippy. Am still proud I made the first daemon AU in the entire fandom, though, if this is my claim to fame, then I'm ok with that. :p

2) Temporary Shelter [Astro / VIXX]

I seriously have no freaking clue how this little self indulgent Kpop crossover fic became so popular, I really don't. I mean, Kpop crossovers are niche at the best of times, and these two groups aren't exactly the most popular Kpop fandoms on AO3 if you know what I mean. It basically started as "wouldn't it be fun if my two favorite Kpop groups were secretly friends all this time? How would I have that happen, tho?" and then snowballed from there. I, uh. I'm glad so many other people like it, ig? 0_0

1) Paved with Pawprints [My Hero Academia]

Of course it's the MHA pet AU fic. Of course. OF COURSE-

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5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Absolutely. It's only fair I reply if someone takes the time to read on my work and actually give me feedback about it, wouldn't you say? Plus, like most authors, I enjoy talking about my own work, so sue me. >:p

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6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't usually do angsty endings; I prefer happy or at least bittersweet ones. I guess by default, it has to be the fic where I slowly killed off America and China from Axis Powers Hetalia for 13k words, while the rest of the cast had already been dead for centuries at that point. So yes, the entire cast of that series was dead by the end of that fic. :))) IN MY DEFENSE, ok, I was actually trying to give them a bittersweet ending by reuniting them with all of their old friends and family by finally letting them rest after so long alone, but it still turned out really sad. TT TT It's basically my only fic where I can't go back and reread it more than once every couple of years, because I still end up a sobbing mess by the end.

.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Well, I guess that's what you define "happiest" as. The most cathartic? The one with the least amount of trauma and extreme bodily injury incurred by the characters? 🤔 I guess by the latter definition, it would Kaleidoscopic Perceptions, a very fluffy USPH college AU that I actually enjoyed writing a lot despite me not usually enjoying romance or college AUs.

.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

No, thankfully. I've gotten a couple kinda weird comments, and of course the obligatory "It's been X months since you updated were you aware?????" comments, but no outright negativity.

.

9. Do you write smut?

LMAO. Absolutely not.

.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yes! I really love crossovers. I have a few common fallbacks that fit with a lot of fandoms (daemon AUs, Firefly AUs, etc.), but I also enjoy fandom-specific crossovers when I can figure out how to pull them off.

.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No idea. I hope not!

.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Just once for this Gravity Falls fic.

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13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes. It had a few ups and downs, but it was overall a really positive experience, and I think it turned out really well!

.

14. What‘s your all-time favorite ship?

idk that I have an ALL TIME favorite ship, especially since I hardly ever ship anything, but Frobin is pretty choice, I gotta say.

.

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Er, none of them, hopefully? I hope that I eventually get to finish all my WIPs at some point, even if it might take me awhile. >.>; But I suppose if I had to pick ONE to abandon, I'd probably pick Written In, my D&D Inscryption crossover AU. I like the IDEA for it, but writing it out is like pulling teeth, and after the first installment where the party gets together, I don't really have a lot of ideas on where to take the plot. :/ Like I have the general overarching idea but no plot structure or anything but small disconnected story beats.

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16. What’s your writing strengths?

I like to think I do a pretty good job with descriptions while not bogging the story down too much with too much detail?

.

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh, staying motivated ig. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ if you're asking my weakness about mechanics, though, uh... exposition, I guess? Dialogue in general, sometimes.

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18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

If there is actual information included in the other language, then you better provide a translation. If it's just for flavor, though, have at it.

-

19. First fandom you wrote for?

TMNT, specifically the 2003 show. It's never been posted anywhere on the internet and never will. :)

-

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Becoming Real, a Kpop fanfic based on VIXX's Voodoo Doll MV. However, it can easily stand on its own as its own original work. I consider it the most accessible story I've ever written, and it also was just very easy for me to write. Writing is often like pulling teeth for me, but not this story.

Tagging: @breezy-cheezy, @quicktothebatjalopy, @hiding-in-the-vault, @variablememory, @bleue-flora, @theriu

#tag meme #xi yammers #fanfic

[ryuvnosuke]

i'm going to make a sskk fics rec post. warning: i don't read aus (high school/college/etc) so i'm probably missing some good things out there. these are all canon divergence/compliant, except one.

the metamorphosis of akutagawa ryuunosuke (or: how to house-train your vampire), by postcardorigami. 25,915 words, 1/1, complete.

He opens his eyes just in time to see Rashomon rip an arm and a leg away from the weretiger’s suspended form. No, he thinks, gripping hold of his ability with a menace that he hasn’t directed towards her for quite a while. You are my ability. You do not obey the whims of any other. (or: akutagawa wakes at the end-that-never-ends, goes home, and hosts a weretiger during dorm renovations that turn into said weretiger moving into his apartment. feat. kouyou loaning akutagawa to the agency while she conducts a coup, shin soukoku having a domestic, chuuya being sick of dazai's meddling, a new coat that akutagawa doesn't want to talk about, and a coffin.)

hidden in plain sight, by spliqi. 4,196 words, 1/1, complete.

“Crap,” Atsushi whispered into his ear, frantic. “I think he recognizes us. That, or he’s about to.” Akutagawa’s brows furrowed, “What? Get him to look away.” “I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but my ability isn’t mind control!” “Make him uncomfortable. Do something foolish like you always do, or perhaps…” Akutagawa’s eyes widened. “What?” Atsushi pushed, “Or perhaps what?” -- In which Atsushi discovers that undercover missions are not his forte. Well, not the ones where he’s paired with Akutagawa, at least.

sparks growing gold, by nicolevixen. 2,957 words, 1/1, complete.

It’s strange. It’s all strange. Atsushi pinches himself, a tad bit too hard, yelping at the sharp prick of pain that accompanies. Akutagawa narrows his eyes at him. “What are you doing—?” “Sparklers!” Atsushi blurts out, lurching forwards to try to grab at something, probably Akutagawa’s hands, if the man didn’t flinch and draw back at his overly loud exclamation. “Sparklers! What do you think of sparklers?” [or, the obligatory/cliché/self-indulgent new years-first kiss fic every fandom probably already has, but I decided to write anyways.]

"Perhaps, it is the trees.", by maaarch, ryunosukc. 18,788 words, 1/1, complete.

Akutagawa and Atsushi had fought yet again, but it was the last straw. Coincidentally, some days after they both agreed to avoid each other, a person who goes by the name Shujin Chōkōdō sent Atsushi a letter and wanted to be his friend. It should be a simple exchange of letters, but things will take an interesting yet complicated turn.

there's no need to be brave, by lizandre. 1,554 words, 1/1, complete.

“Get off.” “And go where?” Atsushi raises one eyebrow. “You said you’ll let me spend the night.” “I’m not kicking you out,” Akutagawa glares at him, wholly unamused. “Go to where normal people sleep: the bedroom.” *** Akutagawa has to remind himself that the tiger muddying his sheets today was once a cub, a clumsy and playful and small one, and Akutagawa was never gentle with things small.

that (and the ones i recommended to the anon) covers almost everything i have for sskk. i also have fics of my own, but that's other thing entirely.

(@xxh0peless-r0m4nt1cxx you ask and i give. hope this helps you <3)

#ela.txt #fics recs

[full---ofstarlight]

🎨 🥤 🏜️

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

oh boy UH OK i have a LOT of favs but my brain suddenly went blank so I scrolled bit on my tumblr to find the first one that mde me go !!!!!!!!!!!!! and i have to shout out this Shepard and Anderson art by @sun-marie which always makes me weep!!!!!!!!

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

my very favorite fic ever ever is this text/email fe3h college au that i read every time i feel bad because it is... so good. idk if the author is on tumblr BUT here's the ao3 link

oh and ofc obligatory mention to the 30K johnny x the devil fic that changed my molecular make up

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

i like when people highlight lines!!!!!!!!!!!! and when they say my dialogue/character work is realistic bc that's my pride and joy and it always makes me feel good when i get it right <3 <3

ty for the ask!!!!

#man i havent posted any fic in so long :''') #miss that dose of serotonin lawl #tama talks

[the1weepinqguitar]

tally hall sketches and other assorted doodles

Here ya go guys! I also have improvement pics from last year! Almost two years in the Tally Hall fandom! Woohoo! My Marvin's CD is gonna hate me even more after all of this

A Ross sketch! I'm super proud of how it turned out! Below is a close-up!

The aforementioned close-up, showing the shading on his face and the folds of his sleeve!

Zubin! I love the side profile, and I used his picture in the MMMM booklet as a reference! Close up below, so you can see some of the more fine details/shading

the close-up!

Here's Andrew! His hair is kinda hard to not fluff-ify, but I dealt with it anyways and tried my best to keep it close to reality. Obligatory close(r)-up below.

next will be some other random stuff, mostly tally hall, but some of it is oc art

drew this drawing of Ross last September. Not amazing but very stylized, which I love/hate. the tag on the bottom left reads, "he's rather disheveled but this is the best I could do back then"

wtf is he doing? He in an action movie or something? btw this was last-year's andrew. very stylized. i hate it.

decided not to include the other last-year Rob cause i hate it deeply. this one's much better. very fluffy. i dont like the collar tho

just me poking fun at my horrendous attempts at stylizing joe. im not gonna draw him as much as the others btw.

This is from an au created by @bonkdd, but i did rob and andrew's designs bc i never saw his designs for them. i also added a lot of lore and plot stuff because i really liked the concept. in simple terms the tallies are robots that were abandoned by Marvin after he passed away so now they're falling apart n stuff without him to care for them (that's why rob hides his face). Anyways, huge thanks to Bonk for the original idea! They're a great artist, you should go check them out!

Edith, drawn/sketched with a ballpoint pen.

Another one. I like this one better, but I spent two days on this one versus a half on hour on the other so i guess it makes sense

Adrian and Reuben (OCs), done in a college-ruled notebook bc i ran out of pages in my sketchbook. next is a close-up so you can see more shading.

probably my favorite gay couple i've ever written ngl

Ace again, but wearing Reuben's favorite sweater.

Looking mighty fine!

He's lookin' tough, he's got the stuff, he's got the spiffy shades... (/lyric)

pose practice

Boll weevil, why don't you get out of your home? (/lyric)

old art jumpscare - i actually kinda like this one, might redraw it. Below is the full thing

why is zubes staring like that??? its creepy

here's another. i don't know why it's sideways. andrew is scared of joe btw, this isn't the entire drawing

Did an embossing peice. It's the Mojo Chessmaster! I tried by best to make it as detailed as possible, and I think I did pretty alright. The neck was probably the worst part to do. Below are close-ups

the head of the guitar was a pain in the ass.

This part was also pretty tricky but it came out okay. the dials at the bottom are raised as much as I could get them to go, so I'm not worried about them. My issue here was the pickups.

I also added Flansburgh's little signature guy but i drew his hair because why not? Anyways this piece took me a good hour or so to finish, I think it'll fetch a good grade (it was for my metal design class).

I'll add a sketch I just did as a bonus:

it's from a tally hall fanfic/au i made back in may after my grandpa passed away. It was a great stress-reliever and I still really like how it turned out. It's about cryptids and monsters and shit. I'll post a summary on a different post because this one was mostly for the drawings. I might post a few installments of it on my ao3. It could be a weekly thing since i usually have time on fridays to write.

Once again, a close-up is available below.

I put literal hours of research on cryptids and of the area (ann harbor, MI) while writing this fic. It was fun though, and it helped me a lot. Feel free to ask me anything about the plot or world-building !

#ivan's art tag #tally hall fanart #oc art #random assorted sketches and stuff #buh-bye

[officialparknerawards]

Parkner Awards Winners 2023

Fluff: “Pete, I’m Fake Drunk and Wanna Go Home” by Sarah_Sandwich

Hurt/Comfort: “For the First Time, Eye to Eye” by Sarah_Sandwich

Angst: “i wish i was homeward bound” by thompsborn

Field Trip: “Obligatory Field Trip Fic” by Dredfulhapiness

Social Media AU: “twitter beef so salty and scalding hot that it’s a well done steak” by impravidus

Post-NWH: “We’re Happy to Serve You” by ExcalibursLibrary

Non-Canon Compliant: “Lemon Boy” by Sarah_Sandwich

College and University: “The Hottie Across the Hall” by coconutknightshade

Superhero Harley Keener: “it’s always who is spider-man, never how is spider-man” by i_regret_thatpersonalitytest

Identity Reveal: “Tennessee Whiskey” by Superstitious

Future Fic: “no one else was in the room where it happened” by LilacsAndLilies

Proposal/Marriage: “The Proposal” by impravidus

Tony Stark Involved: “Devils in the Details (but you got a friend in me)” by PeachyKeener

Soulmate: “Garden Growing” by saladbabie

Digital Art: unnamed by Darka

Physical Art: Aka Peter and Harley won’t stop flirting by Mauvera

Photo Collage: For October Parkner Week by EmmaElsa0000

New Writer: DiAngelosBae

OG Writer: @official-impravidus

Artist: @cqlementine

#parknerawards #parkner #harley keener #peter parker #parknerawards2023 #harley keener x peter parker #peter parker x harley keener #parknerawardswinner

[floating-in-the-blue]

You know I wanna know more about the Willex RWARB fic you are Totally Not writing of course?

Thank youuu!!! I'm happy to talk about it and just need to, uh, decide which parts to talk about because otherwise I'll just ramble endlessly (I might do anyway).

I hope you're in the mood for angsty because I've been meaning to talk about HUGS for ages now and never found the opportunity.

Okay so I always have opinions about Alex and hugs but they're even sadder in this au. So basically, Alex never really got along with anyone in his (royal) family except for this sister. And she's the only one who would actually hug him a lot and always full of love. And then she dies of an overdose and Alex is left with parents who don't much care about him and an older brother and a king (or queen, not sure whether I'm going with book or movieverse on that one) and all they care about is that he keeps up the royal image and the facade.

They don't hug him.

Nobody really does. Because nobody is really supposed to get that close and there's all those rules and protocols and they don't really include touching the prince.

And Alex keeps to himself and doesn't let anyone get close because he's too afraid and anxious and also a closeted gay! Much too risky.

Until one Luke Patterson crashes into his life, closely followed by Reggie. And weirdly, they seem to care more about him than about him being a prince and he has no choice but to surrender and become their friend. And they are so touchy!! Even when they eventually figure out that's he gay!!!

But of course Alex can't spend as much time with his friends as he would like, especially once out of college, because his family doesn't exactly approve of these friendships. So he mostly back to not being touched at all except in a professional way by make up artists and hair stylists and bodyguards guiding him etc. plus the obligatory hand shaking at all the boring events he has to attend.

Shaan, his equerry/personal assistant never touches him unless strictly necessary.

And then there's Willie. And even in their enemies/rivals phase, he doesn't care about the rules and touches Alex all the time. Handshakes that are silent arm wrestling competitions, slaps to his shoulder that are a little too hard, confrontational nudges.

Alex can't get enough and then he kisses him and there is a whole lot more touching going on once they figure everything out but of course it's not supposed to be serious and Alex is careful but then in Paris it all comes out. That he's never been with anyone before Willie. That he's touch starved as hell. That he misses hugs.

Willie tries to hug him on the spot but they're still in public and also Alex is terrified he'd just shatter apart if Willie hugged him so he laughs it off and they walk on but later, in the hotel room, Willie is determined to give Alex a proper first time, being gentle and taking his time with him and Alex already knows it's a mistake but okay, he'll deal. Only afterwards, Willie doesn't leave and when Alex finally accepts he won't and declares he's going to sleep now and turns away from Willie, Willie scoots close and spoons him from behind and Alex deserves a medal of bravery for not starting to cry right then and there.

Skip forward to more casual sex and things starting to get too serious and Alex finally putting a stop to it only for Willie to chase him back to London and his teary eyed love confession and telling Alex that Alex needs to say "please leave" because otherwise he just won't and Alex is crying too by now but then he just crushes Willie in a hug (say hello to the jatp hug but 120% more dramatic) and it's the very first time he has initiated a hug and now I am having FEELS again.

Also, under no circumstance imagine him being on lock down when the emails get hacked and published for all the world to read and he's cut off from Willie but also his friends and everyone and his whole family is disgusted by and disappointed in him and there's nobody to comfort him and then Shaan appears to show him Willie's speech on his tablet, Willie, who hates making speeches, making a speech about how much he loves Alex and Alex is just sobbing and then Shaan places his hand on Alex's shoulder in total violation of protocol and it's not enough, not ever, but it's also more than he has gotten from anyone else and Shaan and his hand stay there while Alex sobs his heart out.

:( (sorry for the feels)

#yeo writes #the willex rwarb au I'm not writing #best gay ghosts #sad phantoms #willex #phantomfloat

[onthewaytosomewhere]

Excited about all these but I had to laugh at 'college boys are dumb these two might be dumber than the rest of them'. I know already about 7 and I'm 🤔 about 5 and Aliens I can't decide if it is more an XFiles or a Stargate thing or none at all.

hello! so yeah 5 is an SGA-ish AU that only really has thoughts right now but was answered here if you're curious

college boys are dumb these two might be dumber than the rest of them is what i titled in my docs 'obligatory college au - henry! - alex has feelz wake da f up' and that pretty accurately describes it - they've been at the same college for just over a year have mutual friends and spent their first year thinking the other hated them for silly reasons and eventually figure theirselves out (after a bit more strife) - Alex has a big bi-revelation which helps with that and the rest is them figuring out how to go from haters to lovers

this fic has grown wings and now has 2 docs cuz alex wasn't happy with how henry was telling some of the bit of their story and decided we needed to remedy that

this is one of the most recent (i think ) bits i did for this

He's sitting in the library after the last of his classes, the last few gulps of his tea are now lukewarm and the crisps he had been eating are gone. His paper, that he hopes to finish today, just needs a strong conclusion and then his rough draft is done. He finishes his tea and contemplates if it’s already time to grab another when a cup is sat down on the table in front of him beside a water bottle. He looks up to see Alex setting his own drinks on the table and tossing his bag on the chair beside him. “I wasn’t sure if you had a tea or water, so I grabbed you some when I picked up my coffee and water.” Alex places a hand on the back oh Henry’s chair and leans down. “Thank you, love,” Henry whispers as he turns to press his lips to Alex’s in a quick just this side of chaste kiss. Alex hums as he pulls away and moves to sit at the table. Henry watches as he pulls his stuff out get to work and sees his glasses sliding down his nose as he’s bent over his bag. Henry feels the flutter low in his gut when Alex slides them back up his nose with his finger. Alex notices him looking and smiles, “The glasses really do it for you, huh?” “I’m not sure how you are surprised I already told you they did, and I’m certain I proved it this morning in the alcove before class. For the record, I was not the only one who was knocked for a loop today by you wearing your glasses, as our classmates were leaving this morning you and how hot you were looking in those glasses was a common conversation. Also, apparently most of our class thought we we’ve been together this whole time and had been having a lover’s tiff of some sort.”

#asks #answered #rwrb wip #silly college boys

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

AU Fics (3) Masterlist

part one, part two

all i want (ao3) - lourrygum michael/luke E, 15k

Summary: Luke is a camboy and Michael has to have normal conversations with him like he didn't watch him come untouched just last night

Or, Lush isn't Luke's only place of employment, Calum is falling in love with the curly haired dork that comes in to his coffee shop on a daily basis and Michael's going to stop watching Luke's videos soon, he swears.

Beginnings (ao3) - thenewbrokenscene michael/luke M, 45k

Summary: [College/University AU] Michael Clifford was a sophomore transfer student, trapped living in the dorms again after a technicality dropped him back down to freshman status. He had requested a single room, determined to focus on his school work, get out of university housing as quickly as possible, and start his real life, but of course, on August 1st he received the obligatory "Get to know your new roommate this summer! You can contact Luke Hemmings, freshman student, at his school email..." message in his inbox.

Whatever. Let's just get this year over with.

Boys Only Want Love If It's Torture (ao3) - aalexandravictoriaa Michael/Luke, Ashton/Calum M, 57k 

Summary: Luke and Michael meet at college and getting to know Michael is the best and worst thing Luke has ever done.

burnt eggs & broken promises (ao3) - kingscrossinseptember luke/ashton, background michael/harry, background michael/ashton G, 4k

Summary: Ashton's always found his roommate, Luke, nothing but aggravating, but when they make a deal where Ashton has to pretend to be Luke's boyfriend for a night, his opinion starts to shift slightly...

Coy Fish - @daydadahlias​ (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) calum/ashton E, 19k

Summary: “Please don’t fuck our yoga instructor.” Michael massages his forehead, eyes squinting shut. “We’ll lose our discount.”

But that certainly won't keep Calum from trying.

Crossfire (ao3) - cthink michael/calum, luke/ashton N/R, 9k

Summary: Today was the day. There was no going back on the plan now. After months of preparation, they were finally going to escape. They were finally going to be free.

Or an apocalypse au where Ashton, Calum, Michael and Luke escape a corrupt containment camp only to find that the world outside is so much worse. Based on the song Crossfire by Stephen.

hello, hello (ao3) - bellawritess luke/ashton, michael/calum T, 30k

Summary: For one long, blinking minute, Luke stares at Ashton and wonders if he’s hallucinating. Because that’s definitely Ashton. That’s Ashton Irwin, his former best friend from Sunny Days, the show they co-starred on as children.

But it’s also definitely Ashton Fletcher, professional film actor worth many millions, possibly hundreds of millions, of dollars, standing on his doorstep, wind ruffling his hair.

if i knew from the start, would it change a thing? (ao3) - acetominophen luke/ashton N/R, 35k

Summary: "All I painted was you, Ash. It was always you." But Ashton wasn't listening to him at all. His silver-lined eyes were trained on the hand-written words at the bottom of the canvas, unblinking.

Luke's gaze followed his and his lips parted because shit, he'd forgotten. He'd forgotten that he'd titled this one.

'Poisoned myself again. LH'.

Artist!Luke Cowboy!Ashton

if you're going to san francisco (ao3) - HeyHeyArnold, mukelftv ot4 M, 10k

Summary: In 1970s San Francisco, a rally brings together four somewhat unlikely friends. This is their story.

Jumping before the Gunshot has Gone Off (ao3) - tigerlily_sunshine michael/luke, calum/ashton, luke/louis E, 128k

Summary: (In which Michael’s hated Luke since they met, and Luke’s hated him back—except, somehow, they can’t stop having sex with one another. To make matters worse, Luke is dumb enough to go and fall in love with the man who hates him.)

Lullaby (ao3) - thesaltyspice calum/ashton N/R, 4k

Summary: Calum hosts an anonymous radio show and Ashton is obsessed

Mixology (ao3) - dafeedil luke/ashton, michael/calum E, 23k

Summary: In which Michael is reeling from a recent breakup, Calum has just flunked a semester of university, Luke has never taken a risk in his life, and Ashton has taken too many.

One night, four boys, one Los Angeles bar. A recipe for...well, quite possibly, not disaster.

(or, they all meet at a bar and fall hopelessly in love for the night. Only, it's actually a lot more than that.)

Playing With Chemistry (ao3) - fourdrunksluts michael/ashton, luke/calum E, 17k

Summary: It's the busiest week of the year at the escape room Ashton manages, and it's hard enough without Michael Clifford tempting him at every turn.

Scene 14 - @daydadahlias​​ (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) luke/ashton E, 128k

Summary: It's one of the first lessons you learn. There’s a difference between performing and acting.

Actors are intellectuals; they’re poets with their expression and the way their voices hit the air. Performers, by comparison, are children, ignorant and too bright for their own good. No one wants to admit to being only a performer. If you’re anyone worth anything, you want to be an actor.

And Luke is not an actor, but Ashton is.

Or, the one where Luke hates Ashton but has to pretend to be in love with him for five months for his acting final except for the fact that maybe he isn't pretending anymore.

Survivor's Guilt - @daydadahlias​​ (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) calum/ashton T, 9k

Summary: No one's left but the three of them. Just Ashton, Calum, and his tiny yappy dog.

Oh, and all the zombies, obviously.

takeoffs and landings (ao3) - galacticsugar luke/ashton T, 7k

Summary: It’s been Monday for an entire week. This might sound like an exaggeration. Like something Ashton would say to Calum after a long day at work. But it’s really just Ashton’s life right now.

***

a time loop soulmate au.

That's Money, Honey (ao3) - senioritastyles luke/calum, ashton/ofc E, 22k

Summary: "Excuse me?" Calum calls, gesturing for the bartender and waiting for him to come over before continuing. "Who is that, over there? The boy on stage."

Michael doesn't even have to look, already smiling and nodding as he tops off Calum's already half-gone whiskey. "That's Luke." Michael explains and Calum nods, sipping at his whiskey again as he watches Luke dance, body swaying fluidly in front of several men dressed pretty similarly to how Calum is. "He tends to attract the uh, black card crowd." Michael says, handing Calum back his own black card.

Or: Calum makes Luke his sugar baby.

there’s no need to run and hide (when the world leaves a scar) (ao3) -haveufoundwhaturlookingfor luke/ashton, michael/calum T, 10k

Summary: Luke is a new intern, and he gets along with pretty much everyone he works with. Well, everyone except for Ashton Irwin. Ashton is cold, and doesn’t give him the time of day. Certain events keep on bringing the two together whether they like it or not, and eventually, Luke finds out why Ashton is so cold.

two can play that game (but you win me every time) (ao3) - galacticsugar luke/calum T, 10k

Summary: When Calum tells people he works at IKEA, people tend to respond enthusiastically. Some of them joke, did you have to learn Swedish?, or make a crack about the meatballs. Some of them ask how many marriages he’s seen end amongst the aisles. Basically, everyone turns into a comedian the moment Calum mentions his job.

walmart sonata (ao3) - kaleidoscopeminds Luke/Calum M, 33k

Summary: Luke shakes his head. He doesn’t really understand Calum. What is this beautiful man doing being sweet and kind to him in the Walmart he works at several times a week? Luke’s life doesn’t include things like this. He just smiles at Calum slightly disbelievingly, it's not like Calum will ever really see him perform. He’s just a hot stranger from his grocery store.

#5sosfanfictioncatalogue #5sos fanfic #masterlists #au #au masterlist

[mymaleficaria]

mthedm ---> mymaleficaria

Hi gang! I've had this blog since high school, but somewhere in college it fell into disuse and disrepair. I've been itching to get back on here, as a space on the internet that's not...ya know *gestures at the Twitter-sized elephant in the room*. But I also wanted to go in with a fresh coat of paint and reintroduce myself to y'all, maybe even make some new friends (or enemies. That could be hot.) A lot has changed!

Wait, why do I follow you?

Statistically, you followed me because of Wolf 359! I was big into podcasts back in the day, WTNV, Wolf 359, all those. I also wrote some Wolf 359 fics and was semi-active on the discord. Still fondly remember the show and might reblog fanart once in awhile, but it's not the direction this blog's going to go, so feel free to unfollow if what up I'm to now isn't your jam.

What's this blog about now?

Wouldn't you like to know, weatherboy? Frankly, I'm ADHD as fuck, so that'll vary by the day, but I have a few fandoms (do we still say fandoms in the year of our lord 2023???) that I've been into lately.

Dimension 20: I started watching D20 a little less than a year ago, and it entirely took over my life. It's just a series that's so robustly funny, wonderfully told, and never fails to make me smile. I'm especially fond of ACOC and Fantasy High.

Dracula Daily: I'm in this shit for the long haul! I think Lucy and Mina should kiss, but that's neither here nor there.

Game of Thrones/HotD: This show ended in a trash fire, but it literally lives in my head rent free. The political intrigue, the drama. Ugh. I'm a targ girlie through and through, so I've been eating up HotD, though it's nowhere near as good imo. Am also currently reading the 1st ASOIAF book.

YA lit/Whatever I'm reading/watching: I've read almost 50 books this year so far, and am frankly, insane. Bonus points for queer reads! Not many people to talk about books to irl, so might ramble about them on here instead. Also watch a lot of random TV drama and some anime.

Writing: I'm a fanfic writer, and a fiction writer in general, so I'll post stuff about writing--complaints, story snippets, link to my fics, etc! Headcanons and all will be found here. I've also copyedited before, which is like writing but if you get even more nitpicky about it.

Personal/Whatever the hell I feel like/My D&D Games: Life happens and sometimes you want to scream into the void. Ramblings, jokes, whatever. I transed my gender in the past few years and sometimes I'm mad about it! I also just graduated college! Madness! I play a lot of TTRPGs, and I'm usually on brainrot for one of my characters at any given time.

Why's your new username that?

One of my favorite book series is The Scholomance by Naomi Novik, and in the series, Maleficaria are the horrifying monsters that threaten to kill the students every day, and what is tumblr if not a place full of vile, evil beings? Plus, it means you all can call me Mal.

Anything else?

Nope! Other than to feel free to drop me a line and say hello, especially if you want to scream about D20. I'm p alone in this brainrot irl, so I'm pretty much always down to talk about the Bad Kids... especially Adaine and Fabian. I'm also always down to take fic suggestions in my asks! This show genuinely lifts me up when I'm down, so sharing it with people is one of my favorite things.

My fics (shortlist):

In Sweetness, There is Violence: Angsty ACOC one-shot about if Ruby had made a different choice in the finale. Obligatory Caramelinda Caramelinda-ing.

the words i speak are wildfires: A HOTD one-shot I intended to be smut, that ended up instead being more like a romantic sapphic moment of healing between Alicent and Rhaenyra. What can I say? I like childhood friends to enemies to lovers.

Stay Stellar: An unfinished (and, very likely, discontinued) 15-chapter high school AU for Wolf 359 that I wrote with an old friend. Featuring some truly crazy shenanigans, a lot of embarrassing Kepcobi moments, and a surprising amount of theatre.

#mal speaks #dimension 20 #d20 #a crown of candy #intro post #fantasy high #game of thrones #asoiaf #dungeons and drag queens #dadq #the scholomance #dracula daily