#like damn. we’re all taking his character WAY too seriously

[bloatedandalone04]

➪the one where jack's career takes off and you're left alone.

Part 2

Warnings: angst, fluff, swearing, gaslighting, hehe

Word Count: 3.1k

Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine <3

You were proud. Beyond proud, even. 

Jack’s career was taking off fast, you barely had a second to let it all sink in. You could only imagine how he was feeling.

The TV was on in the basement of his house, his mom’s cooking making its way down the stairs and emitting a growl from your stomach. Jack, who was sitting next to you, smirked as he took his eyes off his phone. You refused to make eye contact as your face heated up in a blush. “Stop staring at me,” you mumble as you continue to scroll through your Instagram feed. 

Jack laughed as he pocketed his phone. “I told you to eat something before I picked you up,” he shook his head as your thumb continued scrolling, though you were no longer paying any attention to what the posts were displaying. “It’s not my fault you never listen to me.”

“I listen to you all the time,” you say back, deciding to just turn off your phone as you had become distracted by him. “You’re the one who wouldn’t let me go to the store to grab some of those chips I like.”

He laughed again and scoffed slightly. “You have, like, three bags of them at your place,” he pointed out and you turned to face him. 

“But I don’t have any here,” you reply and watch as he shakes his head. 

Just then, the door to the basement opens and his mom calls down that dinner was ready, unknowingly making your shoulders drop in relief. Jack, who turned to call back to his mother, gave you a smile and shrug when he faced you again. “There, problem solved,” he said as he stood up and held his hand out to you.

As soon as you took it, the TV switched programs and began playing the teaser trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water. You were only half way up when you sat back down again and tugged on his hand. “Ooh, look,” 

Jack looked at the screen and felt his heart skip a beat at what was currently playing. “Seriously?” He asked no one in particular, his face heating up in embarrassment. He looked back down at you and his expression softened when he saw your look of excitement. “We’re not watching the whole thing, right? I’m probably not even in this one.”

As soon as he said that, the scene changed to show his character, Spider, in all his glory. You squealed in excitement as you tightened your hold on his hand and pulled yourself up. You wrapped your arms around his neck in a hug as you turned away from the screen. “I’m so proud of you,” you say and pepper his face with kisses. “Look, you’re on TV!”

Jack laughed as he wrapped his arms around your middle, the feeling of contentment washing away any ounce of embarrassment he felt at the fact that damn near every channel on TV had begun showing the trailer for the film. 

If only you had known that this would be one of your last good memories you share with him, maybe then you would have savored the moment a little bit longer. 

-

Jack <3: I miss you so much. Today has gone by so slowly. 

You smiled down at the text, hiding your phone behind the table as you didn’t want to risk getting kicked out of class. This final year of high school was brutal, and in more ways than one. 

Jack was away filming Scream VI, so the person who provided you with the most comfort was thousands of miles away. You were close to failing one of your classes, one required to get your diploma, and you recently had a fallout with your close friend.

So, yeah, things could definitely be going better. 

Tell me about it. Chemistry is NOT fun. I miss you, too, btw.

You hit send just as your teacher looked up from his desk. Hiding your phone, you give him a tight lipped smile and a thumbs up, something he squints his eyes at before he is back to grading papers. 

Your phone vibrates against your leg and you grab your book, opening it to make it look like you were reading from it, when in reality you were unlocking your phone. 

Jack <3: I still don’t know why you chose that over drama. Acting is fun and easy.

You playfully roll your eyes and glance at the teacher before typing out a response. 

Says the actor. 

Jack <3: Fair enough.

You hold back a sigh as you put your phone in your bag. You couldn’t wait for him to come home. Granted, he just left and would be in Montreal for a couple more months. This was probably the first time you’ve ever wished for a summer to fly by. After spending almost every day with Jack, it was hard to go even a week without him. The thought of spending damn near a whole summer without him had your heart aching. 

Two weeks in and you missed him more than words could describe. Stupid high school. Stupid long distance relationships. 

Even though he texted you every day, or called you on the odd day, it still didn’t soothe your aching heart. You were so young, but that didn’t stop the love between you from growing stronger by the minute. A year and a half is a long time for young love. 

Every time you looked at your phone you were met with his picture as your lock screen. It sent a jolt of pain directly to your heart whenever you looked at his smiling face and you silently cursed yourself for being so in love with him.

-

 High school ended, as did the summer, and you couldn’t be more content. You couldn’t be happier. 

September was nearly here, meaning the summer without Jack was over. 

That’s who you were with now. 

The TV was once again on, and like last time, neither of you were paying attention to it. Both your phones were turned off and placed on the coffee table a few feet away. 

Your body was trapped between the backrest of the couch and Jack’s chest, his arms wrapped tightly around you and his chin resting on the top of your head. It had been like this for days, with the both of you wrapped up in each other’s arms without any words being said. 

It was like no time at all had passed since you last saw each other, let alone a whole summer. Everything fell back into place and the two of you were reunited once again. You weren’t sure when he’d be called away for his job again, so you were spending every possible second you had with him. You hadn’t seen your own room in days as you’d been staying with him since he came back home, something you both had no problem with. 

If there was one thing Jack hated about his job, and he wouldn’t even go as far as saying he hated it, really, it was the months he’d spend away from you. He hadn’t met you yet when he was filming Avatar, so he only had to worry about missing his family and friends. Then he fell in love with you.

The ache he felt in his heart during the entirety of filming Scream VI was only completely dulled when he returned home and found comfort in your arms. The months that passed were only being fueled by his want to return to you, the one person he felt his happiest with. 

Despite knowing you for only two years, you play a big part in who he is and who he wants to be in his future. You are his future. He was young, damn near too young to be planning things with you this early in his life, but he couldn’t see it happening any other way.

He couldn’t see himself loving anyone else. 

That’s how the rest of the summer went. Actually, that’s how the rest of the year went. 

December came fast and that’s when everything changed. 

Avatar: The Way of Water was officially released. Spider was officially introduced to the world, and Jack had never felt more excited. It had been years since he filmed his scenes for this movie, and to see it all come together was emotional. 

You were his date to the premiere, something he had asked you months beforehand so you would be prepared, and to see Jack on the big screen had you crying half an hour in. The person you saw in front of you was one you didn’t know. You were complete strangers at the time of him filming this, and it was a big contrast to the version of him sitting next to you now, his hand holding yours tightly. 

It was that night when the inevitable happened. 

The movie was a massive hit, and though Spider was a character not many people liked, Jack was definitely a natural newcomer that had stolen the hearts of many fans. 

His Instagram followers grew with each passing day and you were grateful that the posts he had with you on his account were swarmed with kind comments. You knew that his career would take off fast once his movies hit the theaters, so you were prepared when your own comments began filling with fans of his. Mostly on the posts that involved him, mainly the birthday one you had uploaded a few weeks ago. 

Jack was called away for press tours and interviews and promo after promo. 

It was a miracle when he found the time to just sit and facetime you. 

The smile you were met with when you answered the call was enough to make you forget about the feeling of loneliness that had slowly started creeping into your body. 

At the end of the day, he was still yours. 

“Hi,” you say and place your phone on your desk, standing it up so you could go back to applying your makeup. 

“Hi, baby,” he said back and you don’t bother hiding the smile that took over your face at the pet name. “What are you doing?”

You drop the brush you were using back into the container and meet his eyes. “I’m just getting ready to go out,”

Jack nodded before a teasing grin took over his face. “Got a hot date tonight?”

You rolled your eyes. “Depends, are you coming home tonight?”

Your question made his heart skip a beat. Home. God, he missed you. He was sick of staying at these hotels with the rest of the cast. All he wanted was to come home to you. He feared he was beginning to lose touch with how his life was before all of this, and the thought of getting caught up in everything had his heart racing. 

“I wish I was,” he said quietly. 

“Yeah,” you trail off. “Me too.”

A silence took over and you finished applying eyeshadow before you looked back down at your phone.

“I’m just going out with some friends from high school,” you answered his previous question after realizing you never actually told him what your plans were. 

Jack nodded again before he gave you a boyish grin. He watched as you coated your lips in a shiny gloss before he sighed, “You are so pretty,”

Your face heats up and you refuse to meet his eyes as you begin cleaning up the surface of your desk. When you finally look at him, you find him already looking at you, his eyes full of love and longing. “I miss you,” you say as you grab your phone again. You stay seated as you hold the device closer to you, your eyes never leaving your boyfriend’s.

“I miss you, too,” he says back. “You have no idea how much I wish I could’ve taken you with me.”

You look away and chew on your freshly glossed bottom lip. “Can you promise me something?”

You hear the sound of shuffling and glance down to see that Jack had sat up to give you his full attention. “Of course,” he sounded unsure and you were beginning to question if you even had a right to be asking him this. 

“Maybe it’s not my place to ask this, but,” you trail off, unknowingly making Jack’s heart fill with a sense of dread. You continued before he could call you out on it, though. “Just, don’t forget about me, okay? Please.”

You felt pathetic for asking him that, but it was the only way to let him in and allow him to see what the change was doing to you without actually telling him. You were terrified of losing him and it felt as though it was gonna happen sooner or later.

“Y/n,” he said sternly, making you meet his eyes through the screen. “Nothing could ever make me forget you. I love you and I miss you more than you know. I mean, I’m in the middle of doing press tours for the movie I was in and all I can think of is coming back home to you.”

You felt dumb for feeling the way you did. Jack was living his dream and you were worried about him forgetting you when all he ever did was shower you with love and affection. There was nothing to worry about. “I’m sorry,”

“I love you,” he said again and you smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach your eyes, something he noticed. “We’re gonna be fine. I promise.”

You nodded and continued to listen to him go on about how much fun he was having with the cast before your friend texted you to let you know that she was here to pick you up.

The call ended on a good note. A great one, even.

Things were going well. 

Until they weren’t.

-

The release of Scream VI hit Jack’s career hard and completely flipped his world around. 

People absolutely adored Ethan and were infatuated with the face who played him. Jack went from a newcomer with a small fanbase to millions of people obsessing over him within the span of a few hours. 

Of course, you were his plus one to the premiere, and you got emotional at the way he played his character, your hand wrapped around his. You thought back to what you were doing when he was filming it, still stuck in high school and thousands of miles away from him. This person on the screen was one you knew, you loved, and belonged to you.

That was something a few people didn’t seem to realize. After gaining over  five hundred thousand followers, some of his fans stumbled across his posts with you. Long story short, your comments were filled with hate and jealousy and envy. You made your account private a couple of days after the film was released. 

That didn’t stop them from filling his comments. 

She’s mid fr.

She needs to get away from my man.

Ew.

You can do better.

God, people were brutal. 

Jack had no knowledge of the harassment you were receiving, but how could he? He was busier than ever and was once again off doing interviews and press tours. 

You were alone again. 

You knew what would happen to your relationship when he became a big time actor. You were prepared. You would have to share him with the world, and you thought you were prepared for that. 

But, honestly, who were you kidding?

And what made things worse was when he slowly stopped answering your texts. 

He was busy, you got that, but he would go days without talking to you, some of which were his most active days on social media. 

It shouldn’t be like this. 

Just the other day you were scrolling on TikTok and one of his videos came up. You looked through the comments and saw that he answered one that asked if he had a girlfriend. 

The simple ‘yes’ made you feel both annoyed and reassured. You weren’t sure where you stood with him, so knowing that he was still at least somewhat involved in the relationship was comforting. On the other hand, seriously, he can answer a stranger’s comment but not a text from his girlfriend of two years? 

You felt like a burden at this point.

Days go by without a word from him and you were beginning to lose control over your emotions. Your eyes ached from all the crying you did behind closed doors, and your heart felt as if it was decaying each day you were left unanswered. 

What excuse would he have if he ever decided to answer you? He got so busy that he forgot to check his texts? His phone number was leaked and he was bombarded with random messages to the point that yours were so far down? 

That would make you happy, you think.

Anything but the alternative. 

He forgot about you. 

Or he forgot how to be a boyfriend. 

Or how to be a decent fucking human being. 

You weren’t sure what you were expecting when you got ready for your date with him. It was planned weeks ago, set for the day after he returned home. 

Your texts went unanswered, but you got ready anyway. 

This was a test - one you hoped he passed. 

But, as the day turned into night with no sign of him, you felt the last piece of your heart break. You also felt the last piece of your self control snap.

He failed.

You grab your phone and click on his contact, not bothering to roll your eyes once you were sent to his voicemail. “Hey, it’s me. Um, you failed the test I gave you,” you say and quickly wipe away a tear that slipped down your face. “I don’t know what happened to us or what happened to you, but I’m…I’m done.”

You glance at your nightstand and pause when you see the framed picture of the two of you. If you could turn back time and go back to how things were at the time it was taken, you would in a heartbeat. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t enough for you, I really wish I was. You meant everything to me and I wish you kept your promise,” you continued to look at the picture as you thought of what else was left to say. “Good luck with everything. I wish you nothing but the best, and, yeah. I’m done. Goodbye.”

You hang up and toss your phone on your bed, grabbing the picture afterwards. You stare at it for a few more seconds, and slowly your sadness turns to rage. 

Another second goes by before your hand moves and throws the frame across the room. It hits the wall opposite from you and you hear the glass shatter before it hits the ground.

#jack champion #jack champion x reader #jack champion imagine #jack champion imagines #scream 6 ethan #ethan scream 6 #ethan landry x reader #ethan landry imagines #ethan landry #scream 6 x reader #scream 6 imagines #imagines #angst #fluff

[loveinhawkins]

Steve heads outside at about 10pm, hoping that the frigid night air will wake him up a bit. He’s conscious of the fact that he’s hardly been in the party spirit, trying and failing to stifle a yawn behind the lone bottle of beer he’d sipped at before abandoning it on Robin’s kitchen counter.

It’s less a New Year’s Eve party, he thinks, and more a relieved exhale. An I’m glad we’re all here kind of party.

There’s a swing bench out on the porch, and once he sits down, he kicks the whole thing back with his feet, the movement sending more fresh air his way. It turns his forearms to gooseflesh but does little to banish the drowsiness, as if it’s somehow been waiting all year to be felt…

“Hey,” comes a voice, and Steve startles back to awareness; Eddie is suddenly sitting down beside him. “Thought you’d absconded, Harrington.”

Steve smiles at the word—“You talk like you’re in a book, dude,” he’d teased earlier that evening, when Eddie and Robin were taking exaggerated swills of boxed wine, pretending to be sommeliers. Eddie had adopted a plummy accent, went on about “heady aromas” and “full bodied complexity” until Robin snorted wine out of her nose.

“Ah, Steve, Steve, Steve,” Eddie had said in delight, “that’s part of the fun, darling.”

And it was still delivered in that stupid accent, all part of the game, but it didn’t stop Steve from feeling a glow in his chest that had little to do with the wine they ‘sampled.’

Now Eddie’s voice is back to normal, if a little softer than usual, like he doesn’t want to disturb the stillness out here. “Thought I was gonna have to look for a glass slipper or something,” he goes on, and it takes a moment for Steve, lulled by the gentle cadence of Eddie’s words, to get the reference.

When he does, he snorts. “Bit early for that. But at this rate…” And he yawns again as he speaks, aiming for a self-deprecating shrug. “At this rate, I’m sorta doubting I’ll make it ‘til midnight.”

He’s expecting Eddie to lean into the teasing, call him ancient. But instead he just looks over with a fond smile and says, “I’m not surprised, man.”

Steve scoffs. “It’s not like I’ve really done anything.”

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

Steve gives another shrug. “It’s the holidays, dude, not exactly taxing.”

“Nah, that’s not…” Eddie shakes his head slightly. “You can’t see it, huh?”

“Can’t see what?”

There’s a moment where Eddie just considers him. “Steve Harrington,” he drawls, almost like it’s a little song, like Steve is the one who’s a character in a book. Like he’s someone admirable. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you, like, stop even once. And at first I thought…” He tilts a little closer on the swing, making it creak. “Like, ‘oh, that’s just how he is when the world’s ending’, right? But no. You’re like that all the damn time.”

Steve is far too tired to work out what ‘like that’ even means. He chuckles quietly, rubs at one of his eyes. “And, what, I can’t even keep going to see in the new year?”

“Eh, time’s a construct.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Steve says with absolutely no bite to it. “Midnight countdown is the one time when it matters.”

“Well.” Eddie nods his head as if to say fair point. “We could time travel.”

Steve smirks. “Oh, yeah? You park the DeLorean somewhere?”

Eddie grins. “Nope. It’s—” He stops, smile fading just at the corners, like he’s suddenly a little shy. “Okay, it’s kinda stupid. Like a family thing, I guess.”

“Lucky for you that I like stupid,” Steve says lightly—doesn’t really know how to say that he secretly loves hearing about quirky family traditions, sometimes feels like he can live vicariously through them.

(The last New Year’s Eve he’d spent with his parents had been in New York, and when they were getting a cab back to the hotel, his mom had said that he couldn’t fall asleep because they were sharing the ride with some business partners; it would be embarrassing. He’d spent the journey pressing his forehead against the cold condensation on the car window, fighting sleep.)

“So,” Eddie says, “every year since I was, like,” he gestures with his hand comically low, nearly touching the ground, “Wayne always let me stay up for New Year’s, and it blew my tiny mind ‘cause I was never tired. At all. And then, I think I was, what, ten…? Something like that. And I figured it out.”

“What?”

Eddie leans forward conspiratorially. “Sneaky bastard wound all the clocks forward.”

Steve laughs and laughs. “I love your uncle.”

Eddie rolls his eyes but he’s smiling. “Yeah, yeah, he’s something else.” Then he softens. “We did it tonight, before I came here. Early midnight countdown.”

And there’s a weight to that, like Eddie can hardly believe that he got to be there, to see the tradition continue.

Then Eddie blinks, and the heaviness is gone. “How about it, Harrington?” He pushes back his shirt to reveal his wristwatch. “Wanna try it?”

Steve smiles. “Sure.”

And he watches as Eddie fiddles with the watch until it reads as being a minute before midnight; and it’s silly, he knows they're not really time travelling, but he can’t help feeling that there’s some magic involved anyway. Like there’s suddenly a little pocket of the world that’s just their own.

They count down from 10, and then Eddie does a hushed imitation of fireworks going off, which makes Steve laugh again.

“Hey, Eddie,” he says. “Happy New Year.”

And suddenly it sounds like more than that—sounds like we made it and we’re safe.

Maybe Eddie hears all that, too, because there’s a sheen to his eyes that can’t entirely be blamed on the Christmas lights. “Yeah. Happy New Year, Steve.”

They stay put in comfortable silence. Eddie starts to rock the swing slowly with one foot, back and forth, and Steve knows that he doesn’t even realise he’s doing it—probably is hearing a song in his head that he can’t help but follow the rhythm.

And at some point Steve finds that he’s catching himself on the brink of dozing, then pulling back. His eyelids keep…

The softest laugh, somewhere very close. “Oh, Steve,” Eddie sighs, and Steve can hear him smiling, can hear the fondness shining through. “There you go, big guy.”

And his head is tilting down, down onto Eddie’s warm shoulder.

“Glad you’re here,” Steve just about manages to say.

Through a dreamy haze, he feels a hand brush across his forehead; an arm around him, so he doesn’t fall. “Ah, sweetheart. So glad you’re here, too, you’ve got no idea.”

And then he’s melting into sleep, right through the gentlest turning of the page from one year into the next.

#steddie ficlet #steddie fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #steddie

[kyojurismo]

Hii! Can I have an emergency request? I sprained my ankle trying to build a bed frame with my sister and i was wondering if I could have (aged up) genya smut alphabet?

▸ ANSWERING. hello anon! i’m sorry about your ankle ): i hope you’re feeling better. i had trouble posting it, that’s why i’m in delay lol. it was my first time writing a nsfw alphabet, i hope it doesn’t suck. thank you for the request <3

▸ FANDOM. kimetsu no yaiba

▸ CHARACTERS. genya shinazugawa x fem!reader

▸ RATING. nsfw

▸ WARNINGS. aged up genya, smut, oral sex, mention of unprotected sex, doggy style, mention of sex toys, masturbation, choking, overstimulation, lemme know it i forgot something + not proofread

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

genya gets pretty excited and feral during sex, but when you’re both satisfied with your activities he showers you with love and so much care. he carefully cleans you up, takes you water or food if you want, etc. he loves cuddling after sex, feeling your body close to his relaxes him and sometimes he would even spend the whole time resting his head on your chest, caressing your hips slowly while you caress his messy hair.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner's)

genya plus boobs equals love. seriously, he loves your boobs. in a way or another he’s gonna touch and kiss ‘em. you have to push him away. he loves when you are on top because he can keep his hand on your chest and grope at your breasts while you ride him.

when we’re talking about him though, i’m sure he appreciates his hands and his abs. he likes to show them off to you, that’s why he usually walk around your house wearing only his pants. he loves to wrap his hand around your neck because he knows how much it turns you on. don’t even get me started when he’s eating you out and his hands are holding your thighs.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

genya lives to make you cum. he’s always so eager when his head is between your legs, he needs to taste you so bad and keeps going even after the third orgasm because “i need more baby… i’m fucking starving,” he literally grunts against your wet slit, clit throbbing and tingling due to the never ending stimulation.

sometimes, he prefers cumming all over your pussy. his fingers then start spreading his semen around, before touching your clit. genya smirks like a possessed man noticing how it actually pleasures you.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

genya adores when you masturbate, he even provides you a cushion so he can watch you ride it as you desperately seek your release. your desperate moans and the way your eyes rolls back, genya is sure you’re the most beautiful creature he has ever seen.

“shit, baby– you’re so beautiful like this.”

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they're doing?)

i like to think that you were his first but he’s a fast learner, so after a couple of times genya knew his way with you. he learned what you like and what you don’t, what things turn you on, and he’s damn good.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

genya enjoys missionary so he can watch your face showing how much your enjoying it, but it works for when you’re on top too.

he’s a demon slayer and stress is always right behind the corner, so sometimes he would simply need a good fuck. face pressed into the mattress, ass up, back arched and it’s over for you. the way his tip repeatedly hits your cervix, his girth stretching you out so good, he even spanks you a couple of times, drooling at the sight of it wiggling.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

i think genya is pretty serious in bed. if you were inexperienced in the beginning he would try to ease the tension by making you laugh, but other than that he takes it really seriously.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

let’s be honest, before starting to have sex he was pretty careless about trimming it or not. he’s super clean none the less! so we can say that the choice is up to you, he lets you have it however you like it.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

you want it vanilla? genya will repeatedly kiss your face, hold your hands, caress your hips and your thighs, whisper sweet words into your ear while he gently thrusts into you.

rough sex? get ready to hear him curse and alternate praising to degradation and viceversa.

find you a man who can do both <3

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

he prefers being with you, so he’s not a big fan of jacking off. but if you’re away for longer than expected he would find some privacy and masturbate, thinking about your body, the way you clench around him when you’re close, when you pull at his hair when he’s hungrily lapping at your cunt the way you cry his name while gushing around his fingers or cock.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

choking. both giving and receiving. he moans so loud when you happen to wrap your hand around his neck and give it a squeeze while you’re riding him.

praising kink because he needs to know that he’s making you feel good and it gets straight to his dick. you noticed him rutting in the sheets while licking and sucking your cunt, you whining on top of him.

“genya, baby… oh fuck! you’re being so good, it feels amazing! please don’t stop, don’t—“ you get the point.

i know that he goes feral and his cock starts twitching if you call him “daddy” while getting fucked by him. i just know that.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

genya prefers keeping it private, your room or his room it doesn’t matter. but he loves when you two do it on his futon because it will have all your sweet perfume on it and would help him sleep when you’re not here.

if he really can’t wait, expect to be grabbed and pushed into a discarded corridor of the butterfly estate or maybe if you’re outside and he notices “private” spot he would surely take you there.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

as i said, genya desires to satisfy you. he wants to see how your face contorts while he’s pleasuring you and the way you squirm and arch your back, wants to hear the beautiful sounds escaping your lips.

i think he has a high sex drive, so he can function for many rounds. at the end of the night you’re totally spent, you probably feel like you’re floating.

N = No (something they wouldn't do, turn offs)

do anything that could possibly hurt you. i mean, a few spanks and a light bit of choking is always included (if you’re okay with it of course) but he would keep it safe. that doesn’t mean that genya’s not up to try new things.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

genya is a giver, so he will always eagerly eat you out. in the beginning he was a bit sloppy but he learned quickly.

if you want to take care of him tho, he would gladly sit down and let you have your way. he would try to keep his eyes focused on you, his hands gently holding your hair while he thrusts inside your mouth.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

find you a man who can do both. that man is genya. it depends on the day, but he can switch without problem if you feel like it (:

in the beginning, genya kept his pace slow a bit scared of going to far ngl, but with a bit of communication things changed and he even got more confident.

genya loves showing off his skills, or maybe something new he learned and would surely pin you down and let you take it, but if he sees you’re uncomfortable or something he would stop right away.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

we all know that he’s busy with demon slayer duties, so of course there won’t always be time to take things slow and enjoy the moment to the fullest, y’know? that’s when genya is in for a quick round.

he would put your pleasure first nonetheless, he would never leave you unsatisfied.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

as i said, genya is willing to experiment new things in bed, but is he risky? i don’t think so, or at least if we’re talking about pretty dangerous stuff. he would listen to your propositions tho and try things out.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

genya can go for five full rounds, remember that he’s well trained. it’s up to you if you can keep up with him (; he can last long, but i think this too depends on his training as a demon slayer (we’re talking about people who can stop bleeding with their breathing..)

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?

[modern au]

i don’t think genya would personally own any, but he knows them and is familiar with yours. he uses them on you sometimes, he enjoys watching you squirm while he thrusts into you and keep the vibe on your puffy clit, your sweet moans filling the whole room.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

i don’t think he would tease you that much, but when he wants you to be in charge he silently hope you would tease him a lot, and you love to do so because the way he whimpers is priceless.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

grunts straight into your ear. he’s not timid, he moans without shame because he knows you love when he’s loud. he used to blush a lot in the beginning though (;

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

um well… he overstimulates you when he’s eating you out so you’ll grab his hair and try to push him away while squirming and whining desperately, unable to handle the pleasure. that way he’s just grab your thighs, holding you down and let you cum again on his tongue, with tears streaming down your cheeks and trembling legs.

X = X-ray (let's see what's going on under those clothes)

genya has a muscular body, we all know that. the way he is capable of keeping you in his arms while he fucks you against the wall 😮‍💨

but we’re not here for that i guess… he’s big alright, his shaft is long. he’s pretty thick too

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

as i said earlier, HIGH. genya wants to take you whenever he can, but will respect your boundaries of course. but if it’s okay for you, he will go on. he even begs for you, genya is desperate. and the way he gets feral? can’t have enough of you, you literally have to push him away, even kick him.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

genya doesn’t fall asleep quickly, he doesn’t feel that much exhausted let’s be honest. but he would lie down with you, cuddle with you, and kissing you as he whispers how much he loves you. only once you fall asleep he would try to close his eyes and sleep too.

▸ BEFORE LEAVING. reblog and comments are super appreciated. thank you so much for reading !!! <3

#📂 — writing !! #genya shinazugawa x reader #genya shinazugawa x you #genya shinazugawa x y/n #kny genya #genya shinazugawa drabble #genya shinazugawa blurb #genya shinazugawa imagine #genya shinazugawa one shot #genya shinazugawa fanfic #genya shinazugawa smut #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba fanfic #demon slayer #demon slayer fanfic

[n0tangeliccc]

Mine

Toxic!Stan x fem!reader

(All characters are 18+)

Warning: Stan being an asshole, possessive and jealous Stan, arguments, smut, unprotected sex :b

A/N: this has been in my drafts for weeks and I finally finished it (also haven’t written smut in a long time sorry if it absolutely sucks🥲)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧˖°.

Stanley Marsh…were do we start with him? Well he was sweet most of the time, at least in private. In public it was a little different. Don’t get me wrong he wasn’t bad he was just a little jealous but nothing too bad. At least you didn’t think it was that bad, until tonight.

He’d invited you to his friends party, at first you were shocked since he never invited you to hangout with his friends but you excitedly accepted to go. You got all dolled up, putting on a nice dress, doing your hair and makeup as good as you could, and honestly you looked pretty damn hot. From the moment you walked out of your room Stan’s eyes were on you and they stayed on you the entire party.

He watched you from the couch as you chatted away with your friends. He had been feeling pretty good so far, he knew he could trust you it was these other men. He saw how people like Clyde would stare at you, it made him sick. You were his girl and he’d be fucking damned if any lowlife loser would try to take you away.

As he came back to his senses he noticed how his dear friend Kenny approached you, his eyes narrowed as he glared over at you both. The music was too loud to hear what Kenny had said that made you laugh so hard but Stan was already over it. He made himself over to you guys, jealousy pumping through his veins as he grabbed your waist and whispered in your ear, “We’re leaving, now.” You apologized to Kenny and turned to Stan with a frown, “Why? I’m having such a good time right now, can’t we leave a little later?” You watched how his eyes darkened as he pulled you away, you gasped in shock. Stan had never acted like this, “Because I said we’re leaving unless you want to keep being a whore.”

Your jaw dropped, “Seriously Stan? A whore, for what? Hanging out with my friends?” You snapped back at him angrily. “Oh yeah because that’s all you’re doing right?,” He rolled his eyes “I saw you there with Kenny and look at the way you’re dressed, you just wanted to make me jealous didn’t you?” You sighed, of course he was jealous, why wouldn’t he be? It was always like this. “Stan first of all I wore this for you and second I’m not trying to make you jealous! You’re always like this.” “Whatever lets just leave” He grumbled as he walked away angrily, you just followed him. Fighting with him wasn’t rare but lately it’s been getting worse from his envious nature. It was honestly tiring but you loved him and knew he wasn’t bad deep down, just overprotective...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧˖°.

The ride home was completely quiet as you sunk into your seat. Even while he drove you could feel his piercing gaze on you. His hand was on your thigh, harshly gripping onto it. You bit your lip, fights with Stan were bad but there was always one thing that was guaranteed when he was like this, the most mind blowing sex ever. It’s not like you would make his jealous on purpose but you didn’t have to, Stan could make himself jealous just with his imagination.

“Take it off” You heard Stan behind you, “What?” “Take your dress off, unless you want me to rip the damn thing off you” His voice was deep, his eyes were dark in lust and envy from earlier. Your breath hitched slightly as you slowly slipped your dress off (as much as you would have loved him to rip it off you this dress was expensive), you gulped as he watched you.

The way he looked at you was nothing like you’d see from him before. Stan was watching you like how a predator watches it’s pray. You could feel the pool of heat building up in your lower area as he made his way over and pushed you onto the bed. “So obedient, why can’t you be a good girl for me all the time? Why do you make me feel like this?,” Stan mumbled against the skin of your neck as he nipped at it “do you want me to treat you like a slut all the time? Is that it my angel?” You couldn’t help but moan at his words as his hands reached behind you back to unclasp your bra. He chuckled darkly at your reaction as he pulled it off and began his attack on the soft skin of your chest.

Your back arched up as you tried to get him to touch you more but Stan pulled away. “You don’t deserve to get touched yet baby,” He smirked as you whined, “shh just a good girl for me right now.” You watched as he unbuckled his belt and removed his shirt and jeans leaving him in his boxers, a prominent tent had already formed inside them. “Do you see what you do to me? You drive me crazy.” He leans over you and spreads your legs making you whimper, “Hmm I’m gonna ruin you, make sure everyone knows you’re mine next time they see you, my girl”, and with that it’s like a switch flipped in him.

Swiftly pulling of your panties before flipping you onto you stomach and pulling you’re ass back onto him. “Look at you just dripping from being treated like the slut you are.” Chuckling he gets out of his boxers and teases the the tip of his length against your slit enjoying your soft whines, “So fucking needy, tell me how bad you need it.” He growled lowly into you ear. “Please Stan, need it so bad” You groaned. “Tell me you’re mine, say it say that you’re mine.” “Mm yours Stanly, all yours.”

That’s all Stan had to hear before ramming himself into you with no warning, thrusting at an wild animalistic pace as he gripped onto your waist so hard you were sure there would be bruises there the next day. “That’s right you’re mine, all mine no one else’s.” He grunted out.“You’re mine, you’re fucking mine and I’m going to make sure you remember that you whore” Stan grunted as his grip on your waist tightened even more, his thrust were relentless and rough as he took out all his frustrations and jealous rage out on you.

“M’so close!” you cried out in ecstasy feeling how your leg’s began to buckle. Stan grabbed onto your legs pulling you even closer to him as he wrapped one of his hands down your abdomen to rub circles on your clit, “Do it slut, come all over my cock.” Your breath quickened as you felt your hight come closer and closer before finally releasing with one last loud moan. “Good girl, now hold on a little longer baby I’m almost there too.” Stan mumbled into the nape of your neck as he continued to fuck you through your orgasm. “M’ gonna fill you up, make sure you’re mine forever” He groaned out, getting sloppier with his thrust before finally reaching his own high. “Fuck...”

You both collapsed on the bed panting together. Stan pulls out and lays next to you pressing a kiss to your lips, “Mine…” he smiled. “Mmhm yours” you smile back at him as you moved to lay on his chest before drifting off to sleep certain that tomorrow you would be extremely sore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧˖°.

#south park x reader #south park fanfiction #south park x y/n #south park x you #south park smut #stan marsh smut #stan marsh x y/n #stan marsh x you #stan marsh x reader

[x0x0josephinex0x0]

take me to church | choi san

We’re back with another San work bc he’s hot and I love him. Genres: fluff, religious differences (but not like in an angst way, it’s really all fluff) Warnings: reader jokes about dying. Heavy discussion of religion, specifically Catholicism. Characters attend mass and confession. Brief sacrilege? Idk they kiss in a cathedral, so if you are Catholic and that’s offensive to you, probably don’t read this. San has unbelievable rizz (needs a warning) and is sometimes a bit suggestive.

“It took you long enough,” you tease, looking up from your book at the handsome young man holding two coffee cups and waiting for you to notice him. “You’ve been staring at me for a good long time.”

He grins at this. “Can I sit down?” he asks you, offering you one of the cups.

You take it and sip gingerly. “How did you know?” you ask him suspiciously.

“‘Apple cider with a shot of cinnamon and caramel syrup, warmed for one and a half minutes instead of two’,” he recites. “How long have we both been coming here?”

“Well, I’ve been coming here a month,” you tell him. “I don’t know how long it’s been for you.”

“It’s been a month for me as well,” he says. “The first time I saw you was my first time here.”

“Really?” you ask with an eyebrow raised. 

“Yeah, after that I just kind of decided it was my favorite,” he says, something wicked dancing in his eyes as he smiles at you. 

You shake your head with a scoff at the audacity of this man. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he says. “They have good coffee too.” He leans back in his seat and takes a sip.

You size him up -- broad shoulders and a well-muscled chest under a white henley shirt and puffy jacket to protect against the wintery cold, square jaw, high cheekbones, those dangerous brown eyes, and black hair styled up and off his forehead in a swooping Clark Kent-esque style -- and the verdict is easy. Gorgeous. But for one thing, you’d never give him the satisfaction of knowing you feel that way. For another, you know his type. He has the air of the frat boys from college who threw ragers and took bets to see if they could get in your pants.

So you sip your drink again. “So, what’s your schtick? Tell me so we can stop wasting each other’s time.”

“Time spent enjoying yourself is never wasted,” he shoots back. “And I don’t have a schtick. I just want to get to know you better.” He seems unruffled by your aloofness, the hint of a smile still playing about his lips.

“There isn’t a lot to know,” you counter. 

“Everyone says that, but it’s never true,” he says. 

“How many other girls have you tried this approach on?” you ask him with narrowed eyes.

“Enough,” he allows with another smile. “Although this is the first time I’ve waited so long to make a move.”

“I’m flattered,” you deadpan. “Lost your nerve in your old age?”

“Maybe I learned the value of patience,” he says, undeterred. 

You weren’t expecting him to keep up with you for this long, so you simply look at him for a moment. “You got a name?” you finally ask, and his smile grows wider.

“Choi San,” he says. “You?”

“No,” you reply lightly.

For the first time, he looks taken aback. “No, like, you don’t have a name?”

“No like I’m not going to give it to you. Yet.” 

“Yet?” he complains. “Damn, you’re one tough cookie.”

“You have no idea,” you say. “Speaking of which, I have somewhere to be.”

“Let me join you,” he says immediately, standing as well. 

“Oh, as much fun as that would be, I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” you tell him with a laugh, putting on your hat and coat and making for the exit of the coffee shop.

“Why not? Are you going to a doctor’s appointment or something?” he asks.

“Yeah,” you reply as you push open the door, shuddering against the cold air. “I have six months left to live.”

San’s eyes go wide before he realizes you’re messing with him. “You’re awful,” he chides, nearly running to keep up with your quick stride. 

“And you’re persistent,” you say over your shoulder. “Seriously, I’m not going anywhere fun. You should go back inside where it’s warm. You’ll catch a cold.”

“Are you worried about me?” he asks with a teasing smile.

“Extremely. You seem very unhinged.” But you’re laughing at the way he’s dodging the crowd of people on the sidewalk walking the opposite direction so that he can keep sight of you, and this seems to spur him on. Even as San apologizes to an elderly group of women for colliding with them, there’s a determination in his eyes that makes your heart beat quicker than is strictly necessary.

“Oh, I am,” San retorts. “I need someone to take care of me.”

“Call your mother.”

“I would, but she lives in Korea.”

“Call a friend. Do you have any of those?”

“I have plenty, but there’s a very specific cure for my ailment that none of them can provide.”

You stop in your tracks and he nearly runs into you. “What do you want from me?” you ask, half annoyed, half impressed at all the smooth-talking.

“Your name, first,” he says. “And then maybe a phone number. That’s all. I swear.”

You consider him, biting back the thought that he looks even handsomer than normal because of the cool air tinging his cheeks pink and the sunlight in his eyes. “Tell you what,” you say. “You make it through this, and we can talk.”

San’s eyes follow your finger to where you’re pointing -- at a towering cathedral ornately decorated with statues of staring saints. He looks at you with wide eyes. “You’re a church girl?”

“Decidedly so, yes,” you say. “You sit through one mass and I’ll give you my phone number.”

He still doesn’t seem to be worried about any of this. “If I do confession, can I have a date?” he asks hopefully.

“I think if you do make confession, we’ll be in there so long we won’t have time for a date,” you tell him with a roll of your eyes. “Now come on.”

He grins. “You already know me so well. Take me to church,” he says.

The other regulars in the congregation eye you and San with interest as San follows your lead, watching how you dip your fingers into the water at the entrance and then cross yourself. He tries, but ends up crossing himself the wrong way, and you have to stifle a giggle as the little old lady who sits up front gasps loudly. 

San looks at you in alarm. “What did I do wrong?” he asks.

“Don’t worry about it,” you reassure him. “She just has a spiritual gift for seeing when someone is trying way too hard to get someone’s number.”

He shakes his head and follows you into a pew. “How long have you been Catholic?” he asks in a whisper.

“Officially, I’m not,” you say. “But I’ve been coming to mass for about a year, ever since my grandmother died. She used to come twice every week. It’s been…comforting. I feel closer to her this way.”

A light of understanding moves across his features. “I see,” he says. “That’s a good way to honor her.”

You are amazed at the sudden tears that threaten to spill over in your eyes. “And you? Are you religious at all?” you ask as a distraction.

“Not really,” he whispers. “I sang in a church choir once, but that’s about it.”

He notices how your eyes light up. “Do you sing, then?” you ask with interest.

“Yeah, a bit,” he admits. “Why? Is that a dealbreaker?”

You laugh quietly. “No, not at all. I just didn’t expect it.”

He shrugs. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

You roll your eyes again. “So do you believe in God?” you ask.

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly.

“Do you believe in anything?”

“I believe in plenty,” he replies. “Fate…love at first sight…”

“I’m being serious,” you insist. “I don’t know if I can see myself with someone who doesn’t have some kind of guiding principle that gives them integrity. It doesn’t have to be religion, but you have to have some kind of moral compass.” 

He thinks for a moment. “Well, I guess I believe that we should treat others well,” he starts.

“Why?” you ask.

He doesn’t answer right away — and you appreciate that he actually does seem to take the genuine questions you’re asking seriously. After a minute he replies, “I guess because I’ve personally found the highest level of satisfaction in my life when I’m in harmony with those around me. And that’s something I can control. I can’t stop others from disliking me or not sharing my opinions, but I can always treat them well regardless of those things, and we can coexist.”

The priest begins the processional just after San finishes talking, and so you don’t get to tell him how impressed you are with that answer. But you find yourself glancing over at him during the service, giggling softly when he repeats back to the priest later than everyone else, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks when he catches you staring and shoots back a subtle wink. 

And then when mass is over, and he leans over to you and you can smell the spicy-sweet scent of his shampoo, you have to catch your breath. “So, what now?” he asks with that same suggestive glint in his eyes.

“Now I need to go to confession,” you say firmly, although you can’t help a grin.

“I’ll come too,” he says, but you tug him down before he can fully stand up. 

“Hold your horses,” you say, and although you’re nervous in a way that makes you feel like your skin is on fire, you fix him with a stare, your expression serious. 

You take a breath. “Seriously, why me? I’m sure there are other pretty girls you’ve seen before, but it’s a little extreme to go to all this trouble.”

His smile softens. “You’re worried about my intentions?” he asks lightly, sliding across the bench to sit as close to you as he can.

“Shouldn’t I be? I mean, you’re a stranger who followed me into church,” you joke quietly. And you’re surprised to realize as you say it that even though he’s been persistent, you never felt unsafe. Indeed, you have the feeling that if you had ever seriously told him to get lost, he probably would’ve listened to you.

San seems to watch all these thoughts passing through your head, and he pulls one of your hands into both of his own. “Give me a shot,” he says softly. “If we’re talking about belief, let me tell you something else I believe in. I believe that sometimes you can get a sense about someone before you really talk to them. And this is going to sound crazy, but if there was such a thing as past lives, I’d be certain I knew you long before I saw you in that coffee shop.”

You draw in a shaky breath, your heart soaring in elation at this confession in spite of yourself. He’s playing with your fingers, his eyes flickering in the dim light of the church. And he looks so adorably nervous at the admission he’s just made that you can’t help but nod after only a second’s consideration. “Okay, Choi San. I’ll give you my phone number. A deal is a deal, after all.”

He hands you his phone. “For the record, mass was pretty interesting too,” he tells you.

You scoff. “Like you were paying attention at all,” you say as you type in your number, which you’ve saved under the name “church girl” with a black heart emoji.

“I might have been a bit distracted,” he allows, “but I do also like learning about things like this.” He takes his phone back from you and laughs at the contact name. “Wow, when do I get to know your name? At our wedding?”

“Maybe after our third kid, I’ll consider it,” you say dryly, standing up and tucking your jacket over one arm. “Now, I have some sins to confess.”

He stands up with you. “I’m coming too,” he says.

“Don’t you have everything you need?” you ask him with a grin, gesturing at the phone still in his hand. 

“Almost,” he says. “But I’ve done a lot of sinning in my life. Maybe I’ll have a religious epiphany if I talk to someone about it.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “Are you in an anthropology class right now? Like, this has gotta be homework or something at this point.”

He laughs. “No, I am genuinely interested to know what confession is like,” he assures you. The both of you make your way to the confessional. “What do I say?” he whispers as you get close. 

“You start with crossing yourself,” you say, and you guide his hand in the correct motions. “Then you say ‘Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.’”

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” he repeats. “Then what?”

“List your sins,” you say. “But don’t say all of them. He doesn’t have all night.”

“Okay,” he says in amusement. “Anything else?”

“At the end say ‘I’m sorry for this and all my sins’.”

“What if I’m not sorry?” he asks.

“Then say it anyway,” you say with a shrug.

“Isn’t that lying, though? Which is also a sin?” 

You have to bite back another laugh at his question. “I think you’re taking this a bit too seriously,” you say. “Maybe only confess the sins you feel sorry for if it offends you to lie to a priest.”

He nods. “Fair enough. Can you confess sins you haven’t done yet?” he asks, feigning innocence, but you know exactly what he means.

You snort, swatting his arm. “Um, that’s called the sale of indulgences, and the church stopped doing that in the 1500s I’m pretty sure.”

He tsks in disappointment. “Oh, well. I guess it was worth a shot. Do you want to go first? I’m sure you’re going to take a lot less time.”

You raise your eyebrows at him. “I wouldn’t be so sure. There’s a lot that you don’t know about me, either.”

He shakes his head. “That was sexy,” he whispers after you as you move past him toward the confessional. 

You shush him. “Don’t say stuff like that in church. You’ll get struck by lightning.”

“That’s why I whispered it,” he says defensively.

“God can still hear you,” you say, giving him a little wave as you shut yourself in the booth.

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” you say, crossing yourself. “It’s been a week since my last confession.”

“Hey,” the priest says casually behind the grille. You recognize the voice of your favorite priest, Father Paul. 

“Hi, Father Paul,” you say.

“Doing missionary work, I see,” he says. 

“Huh?” you say. 

“The young man you brought with you today,” he says, a hint of humor in his voice. 

“Oh, that. Um, I didn’t bring him, he followed me,” you say. 

“He didn’t seem to bother you,” Father Paul observes. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile so much in church.”

You blush. “Are you gonna let me confess my sins, or what?”

“Fine,” says Father Paul, and you can hear the eye roll in his voice. “But next week you’d better have some more interesting sins for confession.”

“Father Paul!” you exclaim. “Isn't it a sin to encourage others in sinning?”

Father Paul gives a derisive laugh. “My child, I sit here in this booth for four hours twice a week and listen to people confess their problems with a spouse or disagreements with a neighbor. And now you come in here with a man who looks like that? Is it a greater sin to give in to the natural man, or to refuse to acknowledge a blessing when it comes?”

“This is a conversation I absolutely did not expect to have...ever, in any place, but definitely not here,” you say, your whole face redder than a tomato.

“Well, let me give you some revelation from beyond, then. If I were your grandmother, God rest her soul, I would tell you that seeing you alone for so long has been difficult for people who care about you. It may be time to let someone in.” He clears his throat. “Now, you may make your confession.”

Shaken, you do this quickly. Father Paul absolves you, and you clear out the booth. 

San is waiting right outside. “So, you’re forgiven,” he says, in the tone of someone observing the weather.

“Spic-and-span,” you say. “Your turn. You remember what to do?”

“I’ll figure it out,” he says, heading into the booth.

You head from the confessional into a tiny room where votive candles and a small statue of Mary Magdalene are kept, keeping the door open so that San will be able to see you after he leaves confession. You sit at the small bench, breathing deeply, trying to calm yourself. 

You aren’t used to being affected so much, but the man making what is certainly one of Father Paul’s more interesting confessions has upended everything normal in your life. You know what your grandmother would say -- “God likes to keep us on our toes.” “Well said, Granny,” you murmur to yourself, watching one of the flames flicker mesmerizingly in the otherwise dark room.

“Hey, Church Girl,” says a voice behind you. 

You jump and turn around. It’s San, standing there in the doorway watching you carefully. You stand, suddenly flustered. “Uh, hey. You scared me.”

“Sorry,” he says, looking at you strangely. He steps into the room and shuts the door behind him. “You okay?”

“Yes,” you reply breathily. “Um, just thinking about my grandma.”

“Got it,” he says, empathy at the corners of his tone. He comes to stand beside you. “I’m sorry to have interrupted.”

You give him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, really. So, you didn’t take very long in confession.”

“Nah, I don’t regret very many of my sins,” he says easily. “Father Paul seems cool, though.”

“He introduced himself?” you ask, surprised.

“Yep,” he says. “He talked about you.”

“Oh, did he?” you ask nervously. “What did he say?”

“He told me to take care of you,” he says simply.

“And what did you tell him?” you ask suspiciously.

He hesitates. “My sins,” he says finally. “Which turn out to be my failings as a romantic partner. I just told him all the ways I was worried I’d disappoint you.” He gives a soft laugh, and you look him up and down, fixating on his hands. 

They’re shaking.

Before you can think, before you can talk yourself out of it, you grab him by the front of his coat and pin him against the wall closest to the door. And then you tell him your name before pressing your lips to his.

He catches your face in his hands as you do, the pads of his fingers slightly rough but warm against your cheek and jaw and the back of your neck. His lips on yours are hungry but gentle, and his hands pull you back whenever you try to come up for air. You have to clutch at him to stay upright as the room starts spinning, and he moves his arms to your waist to support you as he kisses you again and again and again, until your lips feel bruised and you can hardly remember anything but the feel of his skin under your fingertips.

Finally, you break apart, gasping for breath. San’s chest heaves against your own, and he leans his forehead to yours. “What was that for?” he asks breathlessly.

“That was the trade-off,” you say with a laugh. “Phone number for mass, kiss for confession.”

“For real? What do I get if I go every week?” he asks eagerly.

“I guess we’ll see,” you say, brushing a stray strand of hair off his forehead.

“I like the sound of that,” he says, his arms tightening around your waist.

You lean against him, letting your head rest on his chest. “Me too.”

#ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez fic #ateez x reader #ateez imagines #choi san x reader #choi san fluff #choi san #san fluff #san imagines #san of ateez #san x reader #san x you

[tightjeansjavi]

Burning in a Hopeless Dream

Boston QZ: Part 15

“They See Right Through Me”

Joel Miller x f!o/c

A/N: thank you for your patience as I took the time to write this for y’all. This was not only the longest chapter I have written, this was also the hardest, and emotionally challenging one thus far. I am extremely proud of how this has turned out. Thank you for reading ♡

Summary: Save who you can save Joel.

~word count: 11.7k~

Warnings: age gap (o/c is in her early 30’s Joel is in his 50’s) established relationship, angst, dark! Joel, mean! Joel. You’re gonna hate him by the end of this chapter! Joel, canon typical violence, death of a major character, trauma, arguments, gaslighting, PTSD, anger, rage, heart break, triggering themes that may be disturbing for some viewers. Please proceed with caution and read the warnings. (+18) minors dni !

Songs for this chapter:

“The Archer” By Taylor Swift

“You Are My Sunshine” by The Civil Wars

“Godspeed” By Frank Ocean

“Same Old Same Old” by The Civil Wars

“take a moment to breathe” by normal the kid

“My Cell” The Lumineers

“Paper Houses” by Niall Horan

“Wait” by M83

“Save Yourself” by KALEO

“It’ll All Work Out” by Phoebe Bridgers

Summer, 2023 : 5 Miles outside the QZ

“From this point forward, the three of us have to actively remember that Ellie is just a kid.” You spoke, sitting along an old crate in the abandoned building you, Joel, and Tess had found to take cover from the storm. Ellie was asleep, in the middle of the room. She used her backpack as a pillow, under a bed of moss.

Joel scoffed alongside you. His hand was still bloodied and bruised up. The thin skin of his knuckles were torn, shredded, and you were doing your best to clean out any debris embedded in the flesh. “She ain’t just a kid. She’s fuckin’ cargo to us.” He gritted out. He could feel the muscles, and tendons in his hand twitching. He had definitely broken it from the amount of times his fist made contact with the FEDRA soldiers face.

“Does she fucking look like cargo to you Joel? That’s a kid who’s life just got drastically turned upside down in a matter of hours. All she’s clearly known is Marlene, and the fireflies, and now 3 strangers.” You shook your head, refusing to make eye contact with him as you swiped a bit of 20 year old disinfectant along his knuckles, eliciting a hiss from between his lips.

“She is cargo. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you don’t let your emotions get in the fucking way. You forgetting what we’re doin’ this for? We’re doin’ this for Tommy, Gwen. We get the battery, the truck, everything Marlene promised us, and we go and find my brother. That’s the plan and it ain’t changin’ darlin’.”

“You know, if I had just met you two, I’d think you were an old married couple by the way you fuckin’ bicker together.” Tess whispered, amusement in her tone.

Joel rolled his eyes immediately in response. “Yeah?” He scoffed. “Well, we sure as hell ain’t an old married couple.”

“No, but you’re actin’ like one. At this rate, I’d put a ring on her finger sooner, rather than later Texas.”

“You see an every kiss begins with Kay or jade jewelers, or whatever the fuck around here? Cause I sure as hell ain’t seein’ any. Not to mention, that ain’t our style. Marriage? That’s hilarious Tess. Really fuckin’ funny.”

It wasn’t that Joel thought there was anything bad about marriage. It was more-so the fact the that he hadn’t had thoughts about marriage in over 20 fucking years. Besides, putting a ring on your finger seemed way too cliche. Totally not yours, or his style.

“I think I’d actually commit murder if he even attempted to put a ring on my finger.” You chimed in, your eyes were still focused on tending to Joel’s hand.

“That’s exactly 100% why you’re Joel’s girl.”

“Damn right she is.” He agreed.

“You’re both seriously beyond insufferable right now. Just wanted to let you know.” You mumbled under your breath with a small grin tugging on your lips.

A bright flash of lighting, followed by a loud crack of thunder, ended the lighthearted banter.

“Have you thought of the possibility that maybe Marlene is lying about the truck, and weapons that she promised us? Look, I have my reasons to not trust Marlene, but I really think we need to think about this from a logical standpoint. If the case ends up being there’s no truck, or weapons, we can’t just leave Ellie to fend for herself.”

Joel was ripping his hand from your grasp when you had attempted to bandage his knuckles up. He had given you a stone cold look, one that sent an unpleasant chill down your spine.

“Marlene seemed too fuckin’ desperate to make up a lie like that darlin’. Besides, Tess and I have known Marlene far longer than you have. If she says there’s a truck and weapons waiting at the state house, she ain’t lyin’ about that. The only reason you have to not trust her is because she’s a fuckin’ firefly.”

You narrowed your eyes at him as you tucked your first aid kit back into your backpack and stood up. “Yeah? Well if you remember correctly, she’s the reason why I got fucking thrown into lockup. Her and the rest of the fireflies are the reason behind that. You just want me to go along and trust her? She’s never even fucking liked me Joel.” His gaze fell upon your face as you shrugged off your jacket and gently placed it over Ellie’s curled up sleeping form just a few feet away.

“You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time Gwen. Shit fuckin’ happens. You don’t wanna trust Marlene? Go on right ahead and see where that gets you. You’ll be eating your words the second we drop this kid off and get our reward.”

You scoffed under your breath as you sank down against the wall, far away from him now with your arms crossed over your chest. “Yeah, okay Joel. Can you stop being a fucking asshole?”

“Stop saying stupid fuckin’ shit and then I won’t have a reason to be an asshole darlin’”

You bit down on the inside of your cheek, tasting copper along your tongue. You missed the moments where Joel was attentive to you, and your feelings. Where he was tender, gentle, soft with your heart. You missed that side of him desperately.

Ellie, unbeknownst to the three of you, was wide awake and listening to the entire conversation as it ensued. The second you placed your jacket over her, she felt an immediate trust for you. Especially for the fact that you emphasized that she was just a kid. She was wary of the other two you traveled with. Especially Joel. He seemed like one mean motherfucker.

Joel had taken the first watch of the night while you and Tess slept. Except, you couldn’t sleep at all. Despite how mean your partner was to you earlier, you couldn’t give him the cold shoulder forever.

He had turned his head towards you in the slightest when he could hear your boots scraping against the pavement as you stood up. He let out a soft sigh when you sank down beside him, pulling your knees up to your chest.

“Why aren’t you sleepin’ honey?” His tone was much softer now, but you didn’t want to get your hopes up.

“I don’t sleep most nights anymore Joel.”

He frowned at this and finally looked over at you, turning his body so he was facing you. His good hand was still firmly grasped around the machine gun strapped across his shoulder.

“You wanna talk about it? I’m all ears for you darlin’” he rasped.

“There’s nothing to talk about Joel. This has been going on for months. I’ve come to accept that a decent night's rest is not something attainable for me anymore. I’m on edge constantly, and for good reason.” You had your chin tucked into your shoulder as you looked over at him. The rain wasn’t as heavy anymore but there were still low rumbles of thunder in the distance.

Joel took a deep inhale through his nose, his nostrils flaring slightly as he breathed out, feeling the tension in his shoulders dissipate.

“C’mere. You ain’t have a reason to be on edge when I’m right here. Okay? Look, I know these last few months have not been ideal. Shits been handed to us left and right. I don’t want you thinkin’ that I don’t care either, alright? You know I do.” He slipped the rifle off of his shoulder before he was reaching for you, gently wrapping his good hand around your forearm, coaxing you closer.

“I know you care, Joel. I know that you’re just stressed over Tommy, and now this whole situation. I just…I got so fucking comfortable when we were just..happy. You remember that?” You didn’t fight him as he gently pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly to his chest, resting his chin along the top of your head. His arms were secured around your middle, your back pressed firmly to his chest.

“We both knew that wasn’t going to last forever baby. Those were the best moments. I ain’t forgotten them. M’sorry for the way I’ve snapped at you. I don’t know how to deal with how I’ve been feelin’ about Tommy. I know that’s not an excuse to treat ya that way. I don’t wanna lose you too..”

“We could have stayed with Bill and Frank y’know. There were so many houses and we could have had a comfortable life there. I know it sounds silly, how can anyone live comfortably in an apocalypse? Somehow Bill and Frank have. They’ve pretty much gone and done the impossible. Listen, I know you don’t mean what you’ve said. Does it hurt me? Absolutely. You’d have to do something unforgivable to lose me Joel. So please don’t go speaking like that.” You placed your hands over his, as you gently brought his damaged hand up to your lips, lightly pressing a kiss to the broken skin on his knuckles.

“Maybe we can have that one day, sweet girl. Just the two of us, okay? We’ll find a home somewhere to call ours. Maybe a couple horses, a nice big yard? A library for all your books..a decent mattress, with pillows that aren’t moth eaten. A nice big kitchen where we can cook together. We’ll have Bill, Frank, Tess, and Bea over every weekend for dinner. I’ll make sweet love to you every fuckin’ night. Doesn’t that sound wonderful baby? We’ll have that one day, I promise you. It’s just not in the cards for us right now, but that’s okay. You wanna know why? Cause no matter what, I got you, and you got me. Kay? No matter what happens.” He whispered against your hair, his eyes closed as he pictured a domestic lifestyle with you by his side. He wanted that so fucking badly with you. He could nearly taste it.

You were left feeling stunned in his arms. Joel’s confession was well thought out, tender, filled to the brim with all the little details. You could tell by his deliverance that this was not something he came up with on a whim. No, your Joel had thought about the possibility of having a normal life with you for a long long time. “No matter what happens, I got you, you got me. Always.” You whispered.

Joel tightened his grip around you slightly. He didn’t care about the throbbing pain from his freshly broken hand, or the impending reality that your lives had drastically changed in a matter of hours. He just wanted to make sure you got a decent night of sleep finally.

So, he sang. Just above a whisper, the same lullaby you had sung to him the night that his nightmares nearly consumed him.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away. Please don’t take my sunshine away…”

You were fast asleep by the time he whispered out the last word. He held you all night long, listening intently for any sounds that could be of a threat. Even when it was Tess’s turn to take watch, he didn’t wake her either. His gun was nearby, ready to grab if needed. His eyes stayed trained on the sleeping teenager just a few feet away. Ellie, who he viewed as just being cargo to transport.

By morning's impending approach, the storm had since passed on. The sky was painted in an array of pink, red, and orange hues. Although a sight to behold, a red sky at dawn was never a good sign. The old saying goes, red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors warning.

The four of you had no inclination to predict that this was Tess’s last day walking in the living realm. Predicting the weather was something just about anyone could do. Predicting the moment someone would take their last dying breath? That was a feat impossible.

Ellie had slowly awoken to the sun's warm rays peeking through the cracks in the abandoned building. A golden butterfly fluttered above her sleeping form as her eyes slowly opened. She was still in a sleepy state as she slowly sat up, taking in her surroundings before she heard a loud creaking sound behind her.

She was greeted by a stern look from both Joel, and Tess. He was holding his assault rifle between his hands. The barrel of the gun pointed at the ground. The look he was giving the teenager was menacing enough as it was. The only kind face Ellie could find in the small space was yours.

“Morning…” she spoke, hesitation laced in her tone.

Just as she began to slowly rise from the mossy floor, Joel had lifted the gun in her direction, causing the teenager's eyes to go wide and you kicked his chair with your boot from where you stood behind him. “Joel..” you warned. He could feel your eyes glaring into the back of his skull, disapprovingly.

“If you say that she’s just a kid one more fuckin’ time.” He snapped back, keeping his gun trained on Ellie.

“Do I look like I’m infected? Seriously, can you not point that thing at me man? What, are you actually gonna shoot me?”

“Just might. Now, show us your arm. Slow. If you make any—”

“Sudden movements you’ll shoot. Yeah, I think I fucking got that part.” Ellie quipped back. She slowly lifted the sleeve of her hoodie revealing her 3 week old bite mark in the sunlight. From where the 3 of you were, it was pretty obvious this was not a fresh bite in the slightest.

“Yeah, it’s not getting any worse, is it? I’m not infected. This thing is 3 weeks old and I haven’t turned into one of those..things.”

Joel slowly lowered his gun before he slowly looked over at Tess before he let his gaze slightly drift up to you. “What the hell was Marlene doin’ with an infected kid in the first place?”

“I’m not infected. She found me after I was bitten and before you ask, no. She didn’t shoot me. She locked me up in that shit hole and had her guys test me every fucking day. They chained me to a pipe and made me recite my name and other shit back to them to see if my personality had changed. It clearly didn’t.”

“Did your shit attitude come before, or after you were bitten?” Joel asked.

You kicked the foot of his chair again, this time a little harder.

You could tell the teenager fought hard to not roll her eyes at him. “Y’know the thing I think really impressed them was the fact that I didn’t turn into a fucking monster.”

When the three of you didn’t respond, Ellie slowly rose to her feet and Joel’s gun followed. “Really man? I thought we were done with that shit. Can I just go pee now? I’ve been holding it for a while.”

Tess had grabbed an old magazine on the floor and tossed it over to the teenager. “Go ahead. You can find a nice spot back there.”

Ellie caught the magazine before she started to walk towards the back room to do her business. “There’s not gonna be anything bad in here?”

“Just you.”

Once Ellie was out of sight, you nearly wanted to rip Joel’s gun from his hands but refrained as you crossed your arms over your chest with a sigh. “She made it through the fuckin’ night, Joel. I think you can cut it out with pointing the gun at her. She’s clearly not a threat to any of us.”

“It doesn’t fuckin’ matter. It’s gonna happen sooner or later. Maybe her body just has a late response to the cordyceps. She can’t be trusted. I told you this was a bad fuckin’ idea to begin with and now that we know she’s infected, you still think we’re gonna follow through with this?”

“You saw her arm, Joel. If she was infected it would have looked completely different. We’ve seen what infected bite marks look like and she is not one of them.”

“Yeah well I ain’t about to go and take that chance. We’re close enough to the wall. We can sneak her back into the QZ and we’ll just find a different way to get the battery. I ain’t hauling an infected kid around with us.”

“We take her back to the QZ and they’re gonna kill her. FEDRA see’s that bite mark and she’s through. You really wanna have a kid's blood on your hands like that?”

“Do you hear yourself right now Gwen? You’re actin’ like this kid has some fuckin’ life ahead of her or somethin’. We take her back to the QZ and get the battery a different way.”

“What happened to fiercely believing in the fact that Marlene is gonna have a whole truck and weapons waiting for us if we bring her to the state house? You’re just gonna go and abandon that?”

“You should be jumping for joy over the fact that we’re finally fuckin’ agreeing on somethin’ for once. An infected kid is not worth the possibility of that truck, or the weapons we were promised.”

“I’m with Gwen on this one.” Tess finally spoke as Joel whipped his around suddenly to look at her, narrowing his eyes.

“You’re what?”

“You heard me Texas. I don’t think I need to repeat it.” She spoke without looking at him just as Ellie had returned. “You hungry kid? You can share some of ours.”

“Thanks. Marlene sent me with my own.” Ellie spoke as she sank down into the moss, pulling out what appeared to be a chicken sandwich from her backpack.

“Is that chicken?” You asked, feeling your mouth water at the sight of something besides the dried, tasteless jerky the three of you were eating.

“Yep. Marlene said they get it from smugglers..guess not you guys.” She smirked a little as she took a bite of her sandwich.

Tess was already up and out of her chair and Joel had tried to stop her but she pushed him away. “Why are you so important to Marlene? Hm? Don’t even think about lyin’ to me kid. If you do, we’ll take you back to the QZ.”

“Well..you take me back and you don’t get your battery.” Ellie responded.

“Ohh. So you got a good set of ears on you huh? Well, then I’m sure you heard that he wants to shoot you then right?”

Ellie no longer possessed a smirk on her face as she slowly looked up at Joel’s displeased face. “So then why hasn’t he shot me already? If what you’re saying is true.”

“Trying to change the subject isn’t gonna do you any good either. So I’m gonna talk to you like an adult, alright? Joel and I aren’t good people. We’re doin’ this for us because apparently you’re worth somethin’ to Marlene, whatever that may be. So if I were you, I’d drop the smart ass attitude because his patience? It’s wearing mighty thin. I suggest you answer my question. Why are you so important to Marlene?”

“What about her? Is she not a good person either?” Ellie spoke, gesturing her head towards you.

“Gwen? Let’s just say..she’s better than the two of us but not by much. Sweet face, sure. Knows how to wield a knife like it’s the fuckin’ back of her hand.”

“That’s badass.”

“Answer her question, Ellie. It’s alright.” You spoke softly, earning a disapproving look from your lover.

“Okay..well, Marlene told me not to tell anyone and here I am telling the three of you..” she sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. “There’s a Firefly base camp somewhere out west with doctors. They’re working on a cure.”

“Oh of course they are. Yeah, sure I’ll believe it. This ain’t the fuckin’ first time we’ve heard about a possible cure. It’s all horse shit.” Joel muttered under his breath.

“So whatever happened to me is—”

“The key to finding the vaccine. That’s what they all fuckin’ say and guess what? They’ve tried to find a cure numerous times and ain’t nothin’ worked. It’s the same goddamn thing every single—”

Ellie rose to her feet in a fury, staring at Joel head on. “Fuck you, man. I didn’t ask for this.”

“You and me fuckin’ both. We’re wastin’ daylight the more time we spend talkin’ on this nonsense. I’m done. Pack your shit up and let’s go. We’re takin’ you back to the QZ.”

Tess let out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair. “Let’s just finish this Joel. We get what we want regardless. We take her back, and we risk all 4 of us getting shot. I don’t know about you, but I still have some life worth livin.’”

Joel clenched his jaw tightly, breathing in deeply through his nose. This was not a good idea. However, we was now outnumbered by two. “If she so much as fuckin’ twitches—”

He was cut off by the obnoxious sounds of Ellie portraying a clicker. Making the snarling clicking sounds as she contorted her limbs at an uncomfortable angle.

“Ellie don’t.” You warned her.

She rubbed the back of her neck, clearing her throat as she nodded, “okay..”

The 4 of you gathered up your things to head out and just as Joel was lifting his rifle from the ground, slinging the strap over his shoulder, Ellie asked if she too could have a gun.

“Can I have a gun?”

“Absolutely fuckin’ not. Not a chance in hell.” Was Joel’s immediate response.

“Okay, Jesus fuck. Fine. I’ll just throw a fuckin’ sandwich at them or something.” She muttered under her breath as she threw her backpack strap over her shoulder.

As the 4 of you stepped out into the warm sunlight, you watched as Ellie looked around the ruined city in amazement. Buildings half fallen over, taken hostage by thick vines and moss. There were giant craters, the size of small moons, where the government had sent bombs to slow down the rate of the infected.

Joel had come to a halt in front of the impassable wreckage blocking a quick path to the State House. “Long way or short way?”

“It’s the long way or the ‘we’re fuckin’ dead way.’” Tess added.

“Long way it is then. We’ll have to go check from the hotel first. See if the coast is clear. C’mon.” You were leading the way now, while Ellie walked alongside you, Tess in the middle, and Joel in the back.

You and Ellie engaged in small talk. You genuinely wanted the kid to feel somewhat comfortable with this entire situation and Ellie seemingly appreciated your efforts. She told you how she had gotten bit and you had to admit, this kid was pretty ballsy for her age. “Well, I mean, you got some balls on you, sister, that’s for fucking sure.”

“Thanks.” She had a grin creeping up on her face.

“Soo..no one is gonna come looking for you right? Mom, dad?..boyfriend?..”

“Uhhh well, I’m an orphan and nope.”

You could feel Joel’s eyes on the back of your skull as he walked behind you, shaking his head at your efforts to befriend this cargo.

“See, everyone told me the big open city was gonna be crazy! Infected runnin’ around everywhere. Are we even gonna see any? Cause I’ve heard there’s like super-infected that explode fungus spores on you! Is that not true?”

“Shit, I hope not. Those sound fuckin’ terrifying.” You said with a small grin.

“Okay, what about the ones that have their heads split open and can see in the dark like bats?”

“You mean clickers? Yeah, there’s lots of those. They’re the most common type that we’ve come across. Not the hardest to kill, but they use echolocation—” you were cut off by the sound of a loud, distant animalistic yell coming from deep within the fallen city.

On instinct, Joel was close to your side, looking around as you waited for another yell to follow. The only sound you could hear was a crow perched on a tree nearby.

“Let’s keep movin’” Joel spoke as he gave you a gentle nudge forward.

As you approached the hotel, Ellie had her own set of questions for you as she kicked at the stray rubble beneath her red, worn sneakers.

“So is he like..your boyfriend or somethin’?”

“My boyfriend? Well, no. Not exactly. I wouldn’t call him that if I’m being honest.”

“But you’re like together, right? I think that part is pretty obvious.”

“Yeah, we are. Just don’t think he’d particularly enjoy me calling him my boyfriend. It’s not really his taste.”

“Well, no offense to you, he doesn’t seem like the boyfriend type anyway.”

This elicited a light laugh to slip past your lips as you covered it by coughing into the sleeve of your jacket. “Oh, you’re right on the money with that one, kid. He is far from the boyfriend type.”

“But he’s like your partner then?..Your person?”

“Yeah, something along those lines. I wouldn’t go as far to put us into a box, y’know?”

“I understand..what about Tess? Does she have anyone?”

“Back in the QZ she does. She has a girlfriend named Beatrix.”

“Wicked.”

“You two done chit chattin’ up there?” Joel spoke, distaste evident in his tone.

“Yeah, we’re just makin’ the time pass is all.”

“Oh yeah? Well ain’t that fuckin’ nice for you two.” He scoffed as he walked ahead of you, stopping at the foot of the stairs looking into the overflowing of water into the once hotel lobby.

“Is he always this grumpy?” Ellie leaned over and whispered to you.

“Oh, this isn’t even the worst that you’ve seen of it, kid. Trust me.”

The 4 of you started to trudge through the green, murky water to get to the other side of the lobby. Ellie being the kid that she was, wandered off to the side when she saw what used to be the front desk and pressed on the bell a few times as she leaned over the counter. “Ding! Ding! Yes, sir. I would like your finest suite, please.” “Yes, ma’am. Would you like me to take your luggage?”

“You’re a weird kid.” Joel watched her with a quizzical expression etched on his weathered features.

“You’re a weird kid.” Ellie sarcastically responded back, nearly sticking her tongue out at him as she pushed the luggage trolley forward.

A very deceased human Skeleton slipped out from behind the trolley and scared the living daylights out of the teen. Much to yours, and Ellie’s surprise, Joel was at her side immediately, gun raised in the direction of the apparent threat.

She’s just cargo, my ass. Was the first thought that came to your mind.

Joel had offered Ellie his hand as he helped her up but as soon as their hands touched, he was ripping his away from her grasp, staring down at it momentarily with a hard expression on his face. Perhaps it was from the fact that his hand was still freshly broken. Or there was a possibility he was shocked that he even allowed himself to touch someone who was ‘infected.’

After climbing 10 flights of stairs, you were met with another obstacle that was definitely not present the last time you had come through this way. “What the fuck man. This definitely wasn’t here last time, was it?” You asked, bent over slightly as you were catching your breath.

“No, it sure as hell wasn’t. Maybe we can try one of the doors?” Tess walked past you, trying the two doors with no luck.

“Damn. Well, maybe we can go climb through it and work our way around?”

“It’s worth a shot.”

Joel had pushed Ellie to the side then, before giving you a boost up over the rubble before you helped Tess over the side, grasping her forearms as you pulled her up.

“Just be careful, alright?” He spoke as he slowly sat down on an abandoned suitcase across from Ellie.

“Yeah yeah. We’ll be fine, cowboy. Just keep an eye on the kid.” You peeked your head out from a gap in the rubble and gave him a reassuring nod, and a subtle wink.

Ellie sat across from him, flipping her switchblade and catching it by the handle each time.

“That’s a nice knife you got there. Where’d you learn to do that?” Joel asked.

“The circus.” Ellie deadpanned.

Joel let out a deep sigh, looking off to the side as he tried to figure out why he even bothered to make small talk with a teenager.

“Where are you from?” Ellie asked.

“Texas.” He gruffly responded.

“What about Tess and Gwen?”

“Detroit. It’s in Michigan and Gwen is from Chicago.”

“I go to school, smart ass. I know where Detroit is. Chicago has that giant fucking bean, right? Always wanted to see it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it. She’s obsessed with it. No fuckin’ clue why.”

“Uh huh. So you two like a—” Ellie already knew the answer, thanks to you. She was just slightly curious to see what Joel would respond with.

“Pass.”

“Oh well cause she told me you guys were—”

“Pass.”

“How’d you end up in Boston?”

“Pass.”

“So what am I supposed to do? Talk to a fuckin’ brick wall? Fuck. She was right, you are grumpy all the time.”

“She what? God dammit Gwen.” He growled lowly under his breath. “No more questions about me, alright? That’s enough.”

“Alright, grumpy. How long do infected live?”

Joel whipped his head back around towards her, narrowing his eyes before he chuckled, “Oh, I thought you went to school.”

“Yeah, well..it’s a really shitty one.”

“Some of ‘em last about a month or two. There’s others that have been walkin’ around ‘bout 20 years.”

“Yeah? You ever kill one?”

Joel nearly scoffed at this question, almost offended that this kid even assumed that he hadn’t killed any.

“Yeah, I have killed lots of ‘em.”

“Was it hard killing them?..like, knowing they were people once? Has it ever bothered you?..”

Joel was slightly taken aback by her question. He often did forget that the infected used to be everyday people he would see on the street. Sometimes he would be forced to face humanity, and realize that he was in a sense, killing people. He wasn’t a total monster like many would have assumed him to be. He just wasn’t the most open with sharing personal details about himself.

“Sometimes. It’s easy to forget that they were once people when they’re comin’ at you with one goal in mind; to turn you into one of ‘em. So you gotta decide if it’s gonna be you, or them. You think I survived this long without havin’ to kill?” He sighed as he leaned back against the wall. “I ain’t exactly proud of it, but it’s what you gotta do to survive. It's always either gonna be you, or them.”

“What about that guy last night?”

Just as Joel was going to respond, he could hear rustling just outside the door and he was up in a flash with his gun aimed at the door.

“You can put the gun down, cowboy. It’s just us. Relax.” You spoke through the door as you pushed it open, revealing you and Tess on the other side. From the looks on your faces alone, Joel could tell that something was definitely wrong.

“What now? Did you guys see something?”

“Yeah, and you’re not gonna like it. Not one bit I’m afraid.” You confirmed.

“Fuckin’ fantastic.” He grumbled as he gently nudged past you and Tess followed by Ellie.

Shortly after, the 4 of you were standing over the ledge of the hotel, looking down at a shrieking hoard of infected, writhing on the ground below. You were standing alongside Joel, noticing that he was nervously fidgeting with his fingers and picking at the skin around his cuticles. You gently grabbed his hand, interlocking your fingers together as you gave his hand a light, reassuring squeeze.

“The last time we were here, there weren’t nearly this many of them. Most of them were still deep inside the buildings. Guess enough people came wanderin’ through looking for the QZ. They found themselves seeking shelter..went inside the buildings and that’s how they get more of the fuckin’ city bit by bit, year after year.” Tess stated, glancing over at you and Joel momentarily before looking at Ellie.

“What’re we gonna do?” You spoke quietly to him, gently stroking your thumb across the outside of his hand, leaning in close to his tall frame.

“We’re gonna have to go through the museum. We ain’t have another choice darlin.’”

“That was nearly a suicide mission the last time we went through..remember?”

“Yeah, but there’s a chance whatever is left of ‘em is dead by now. If it gets dicey, we split and figure out another way, alright? Right now, this is our only option and I ain’t lookin’ forward to it either.” he pressed a quick kiss to your forehead, just a smidge of affection that it seemed like you both needed.

“They’re connected in more ways than you know. The fungus also grows underground. Long fibers, like wires. They’re all entwined under the surface and if you step on a patch of cordyceps in one place, you can awake a dozen infected somewhere else. They know where you are and it’s only a matter of minutes before they find you. You’re not immune from being ripped apart, kid.” Tess explained.

Ellie was fully listening, soaking up all the information that Tess was providing her. The situation at hand was becoming all too real for her 14 year old self.

“We have to go through the museum. It’s the short-way and not the most ideal, nor the safest, but we ain’t have much of a choice.” Joel spoke up, letting go of your hand as he stepped forward.

“I had a really bad feelin’ you were gonna come to that conclusion Texas.” Tess spoke with a sigh.

Ellie’s eyes nearly bugged out of her skull when she saw the amount of fungus tendrils stretched across the expanse of the outside structure of the museum. The colors were faded, not nearly as vibrant as freshly infected. Despite their obvious expiration, the building still looked ominous and uninviting.

“You’re fuckin’ kidding me. We seriously have to go through there? You sure there’s not another way man? This is screaming ‘DANGER’ like c’mon, aren’t the lights flashing in your brain right now too? Cause mine are like fuckin’ sirens.”

Joel ignored the teen as he bent down, inspecting one of the thick strands of fungus. He used the butt of his gun to stab at it to check and see if it was in fact dead. “It’s bone dry. Good chance that they’re all finally fuckin’ dead in there.” He was already pulling his flashlight out from his bag while you and Tess were pulling out your guns.

“I have a spare hand y’know.” Ellie stated the obvious.

“Congratulations.” Joel responded.

He was the first to enter the museum, rifle at the ready. When he deemed it was safe enough to enter, he turned his head towards the opening of the door and gave you a quick nod to follow.

Once the 4 of you were inside the museum, Ellie’s pupils had blown out when she saw just how much fungus coated the walls, floors, and pretty much any inanimate object. It was everywhere.

Joel was still extremely cautious where he stepped, shining his flashlight along the fungus infested floor. It appeared that the once living infected, were all deceased by now. That was until Ellie stumbled upon a fresh kill and let out a surprised, “oh shit!”

Joel was immediately stepping around her, gun raised and his face immediately fell as he looked over at you and Tess. So, maybe they weren’t all dead after all. Or maybe this guy was attacked outside the museum and just found himself to be in an unlucky situation.

The three of you began to talk in a hushed whisper over the situation. Ellie could barely decipher what was being said from how low your voices were but she caught onto the bit of the conversation regarding ‘not hearing them’ what the hell were they going on about? What were they listening for? As far as she was concerned, the museum was deathly silent.

“I don’t hear anything. Who, or what would you hear?” Ellie had suddenly asked. Joel’s response was to raise his hand off his gun, giving her a warning look to shut the fuck up with his eyes alone.

“Did an infected person do that? Cause I was attacked by one and it sure as hell didn’t do that. Dude is all torn up. I’ve never seen anything like it.” She whispered.

“Okay, from this point forward, we are silent. Not quiet. Silent.” He emphasized heavy on the silent part as he looked sternly at Ellie. He held no concern over you and Tess being silent but this kid was already becoming a nuisance in his eyes. “You got that? Not one single fuckin’ sound. This isn’t funny business, kid. This is the real fuckin’ world.” He harshly whispered.

“What—”

“No. No questions. Just do what I say, alright? You wanna live to see another day, don’t you? Exactly. That’s what I thought.” He whispered as he lowered his gun and took a few silent steps to the side, locking eyes with you for a moment. Your Joel never usually showed fear. He was able to encase it well behind his hardened features. A furrow of his brow, the quirk of his upper lip, all used as decoys. Even in the low lighting, you could see his face etched with fear. Just as fast as it appeared, it was gone again, hidden behind the vast ridges of his weathered skin.

Joel had taken the lead while you silently stepped behind him, keeping your finger hovering over the trigger of your gun, ready to react if need be. You glanced back at Ellie and gave her a reassuring nod to follow you while Tess walked behind her. Despite how quiet you all were being, the old floor boards were creaking with every step your boots took.

The stairway was absolutely covered with now bone dry fungus. You couldn’t even see where the next step started from how dense the fungus was. It creeped up the walls, over paintings and the railings of the staircase. You watched Joel’s footing as he carefully stepped over a mound of once living infected. You couldn’t even make out their faces as the fungus had completely morphed them to be unidentifiable.

The sickening crunch of a once human hand beneath Ellie’s shoe had Joel whipping around, shining his flashlight that was attached to the rifle at the teenager. He gave her one long look before he turned away from her and continued to head up the stairs.

A few more steps up and Joel was at the opening of the doorway, slowly pushing it open as you waited for his silent cue. Just as he had given it to you with a slight nod of his head, some of the building's structure began to collapse and crumble as you, Tess, and Ellie stumbled inside before the debris could crush the three of you.

Joel was reaching down grasping the kids arm as he quickly helped her up from the dusty floor while you helped Tess up.

Then there was a loud screech, one that you had heard far too many times. It still sent deep chills down your spine.

click click click click

Ellie was slowly backing towards a wall, her eyes wide with fear as she tried to steady her nervous breaths.

Out from the shadows, illuminated by the steady, bright beam of Joel’s flashlight was a clicker. Its head was completely split open by the cordyceps. The brain cavern was taken over by the fungus. Thick, putrid and brightly colored. Clickers could not see, as they were blinded by the fungus, but they could hear, and they could hear very well.

Its body contorted at an uncomfortable angle as it clicked and snarled.

Another screech was heard;two clickers.

Joel was already quickly nudging you against the glass case. His face constricted painfully in your view. This was not an ideal situation to be in. Not one fucking bit.

Ellie was in his direct eyesight and he quickly mouthed to her, “they can’t see, but they can hear.”

The clicker let out a loud, bone chilling growl from the other side of the glass case. You found yourself squeezing your eyes shut momentarily, holding your gun firmly against your chest.

Don’t make a sound. Don’t move. Don’t make a sound. Don’t move.

Joel had slowly brought his pointer finger to his lips, keeping his eyes locked on Ellie to keep her calm.

You could feel the teenager's anxiety, and fear rising with every second and you silently pleaded with her to stay strong.

Joel had turned his head slightly as the clicker stumbled around the side of the glass display case. It was so close you could nearly feel its putrid breath on your skin.

Ellie had let a sharp breath slip past her lips and it was loud enough for the clicker to hear her.

It all happened in a flash as the clicker turned around and screeched loudly before it lunged. Joel had gotten a few shots into its body from where he stood, but it wasn’t nearly enough to inflict any serious damage. “RUN!” he yelled as the other clicker appeared from the shadows. You shot at it once before grabbing Ellie’s arm firmly in your grasp.

Tess had taken a couple more shots before she followed behind you. The three of you ran around the corner, hearts racing and blood fiercely pumping. The clicker was hot on your tail and gaining on you quickly. In one quick movement, you shoved Ellie to the ground, ordering her to crawl to safety.

You and Tess turned to shoot again, but neither of you had time to aim and wasting bullets was the last thing you wanted to do.

You both could hear a loud crash from the other side of the room and Joel’s heavy boots before everything went silent again.

click click click click

Joel had taken cover behind another glass cabinet as he quickly unloaded and reloaded his small pistol. His senses were on overdrive when he heard the low clicks approaching. His eyes squeezed shut momentarily, thinking that his cover was blown.

The clicker had let out a low snarl before it stalked in the other direction and he could barely make out Ellie’s crouched form behind the tarnished glass.

His footsteps were quiet, calculated and precise as he moved from his hiding spot and crouched beside Ellie. He had no other choice but to get her out of this situation. It was almost as if in those crucial moments, his protective nature had completely taken over. He was going to get this kid out of here, unscathed if it was the last thing he ever did.

Him and Ellie silently communicated with their eyes alone. One tilt of his head and she was quietly moving along the side of the glass case, following his lead. Just when he thought they were in the clear, something had crunched beneath his boot. It was stray shards of glass. His blood ran cold at the crunching sound. Neither him, nor Ellie had time to react as the clicker lunged over the glass case and threw itself on them.

You could hear Joel’s grunts and Ellie’s terrified screams from where you stood behind a nearby wall. You were going to have to act fast if you were to save them both.

bang bang bang

Joel had pumped the clicker with lead, causing it to stumble backwards, allowing him and Ellie to scramble to their feet.

You peeked around the corner, taking aim at the clicker's head before you pulled the trigger and sent it stumbling to the ground. Even after its body hit the floor with a sickening thud, Joel pulled his own trigger a few more times till it was no longer moving.

The second clicker came charging out of the blue, but didn’t make it far as Tess had thrown an ax at its neck, and you finished it off with a bullet to the head.

Once the apparent threat was deceased, everyone let out a shaky breath. From where you were standing, you could tell Tess was injured from the way she was avoiding putting too much weight on one foot. “You alright?”

“Just a twisted ankle, I’ll live. Don’t worry.” She responded.

“Fuck me.” Ellie exclaimed as she lifted up the sleeve of her hoodie and revealed a fresh bleeding bite mark along her forearm. “I mean, if it was gonna happen to one of us..”

You were at her side then and gently tugged her sleeve down. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Tess’s final and only request

You sat alongside on the roof, pulling out a roll of duct tape from your bag as she pulled off her boot. You wasted no time to start to wrap her foot with the tape. “Just a sprained ankle you said? Nothin’ else?” You asked, looking up at the older woman momentarily.

“Yeah, just a sprained ankle Gwen. I’ll be fine.” Tess looked at you as if she was studying your features. As if she was storing your image deep inside her brain so that she wouldn’t forget you, or your face.

Joel had given the kid a piece of cloth to wrap her arm before he was crouching down on the other side of Tess. “You can walk, right? Ain’t need any help?”

She looked at him the same way she had just looked at you. She wanted to keep your memories up to the very last second. “I’m fine, Texas. Really. Go on and make sure she doesn’t accidentally kill herself or somethin.’”

He gave her a small nod before he stood back up. “Yeah, I know. It looks scary and all but it really ain’t that bad.”

Ellie turned around briefly to look at him before she responded, “no. That was scary. This is wood.” Before she stepped across the thin planks to the otherside.

You gave Tess’s arm a light squeeze before you followed after the kid, glancing back at them momentarily before you crossed over the narrow planks of wood.

“What if the first bite didn’t take? What if the second one does? We’re in way over our fuckin’ heads with this Tess. We all could have fuckin’ died back there and—” Joel was cut off by Tess snapping back at him.

“How ‘bout you just take the good news? Can you please just do that for once? None of us are dead. We’re gonna finish what we started Joel.”

He looked at her briefly, trying to decipher what had ticked her off so easily before he let out a sigh and grabbed his rifle from where it laid on the discolored roof tiles and slung it back over his shoulder.

I failed them. I failed them both. I failed Bea. Tess silently thought to herself as she pulled her knees up to her chest, taking in a few shaky breaths.

Joel crossed over the planks and stood alongside Ellie.

“Is it everything you hoped for?” He asked.

“Jury’s still out.”

“But, man, you can’t deny that view.” Ellie concluded.

You were reloading your gun off to the side, glancing over your shoulder to see Tess approaching. Her demeanor alone was a sure signal that something was off. You just couldn’t figure out what exactly had happened back there. It was going to drive you up a wall, not knowing. You were sure of it.

“C’mon, let’s get there before it’s dark. We’re wasting daylight. Let’s go.” Tess gritted out between her teeth as she was already climbing down the old steel ladder. Her erratic movements threw you off guard completely.

You stopped alongside Joel, brushing your hand across the outside of his bicep before you followed Tess and Ellie down the ladder.

Joel waited a few moments in silence as he glanced down at his broken watch strapped around his wrist before he grabbed the side of the ladder and climbed down.

They’re gonna hate me.

They’ll see right through me.

What will Bea think?

Will she think me to be dead?

I let her down too.

She’ll never know what has become of me.

I won’t turn into a monster.

I won’t become one of them.

Tess was leading the way to the state house. Her footsteps were uncharacteristically fast. She seemed on edge, nervous, sporadic.

The 4 of you were crouched behind a long abandoned car outside of the state house. There was a large military grade truck parked outside. However, there were no signs of weapons, or the fireflies.

“Where the fuck are they? Marlene said they would be here. She fuckin’ promised us.” Tess whispered.

“Everyone just stay here. Alright? Somethin’ ain’t right here.” Joel whispered back before he crept from behind the car to investigate. Once he approached the truck, the 3 of you took a bated breath as he opened the door, aiming the barrel of his gun at the inside of the truck. He was met with blood stained seats but no fireflies.

The side of the open truck door was spattered with blood dripping down the dull metal.

Something definitely was not right here.

Joel had glanced back at you and Tess, shaking his head slightly to signal that it wasn’t safe just yet as he crept around the back of the truck slowly. He took a deep, visible breath as he opened up the two heavy steel doors and was met with no signs of any passengers inhabiting the vehicle.

“What the fuck is goin’ on Joel?” Tess asked as she walked towards him, brushing off your hand along your arm.

“The fuck did I just say about stayin’ back? It ain’t safe! Why didn’t you wait for my–”

“They went inside.” Ellie confirmed from where she was standing. There was a trail of blood leading up the gravel steps to the state house. This definitely was not a good sign at all.

Tess was already heading up the steps in a fury. From where you stood, you could see her hands trembling. “Come on!”

“Tess just wait a fuckin’ minute! By the looks of it, the fireflies are dead and we ain’t gettin’ our battery!” Joel yelled at her to stop.

“Come on!” She was insistent with her tone.

You, Joel, and Ellie had no choice but to follow Tess into the state house. Once inside, you were all met with the bodies of the deceased fireflies, all in a circle in the room. Their crimson blood spilled out along the tiles, staining them in a dark red.

“I mean, there’s gotta be a fuckin’ radio or somethin’ right? Help me look for one!” Tess spoke in a rushed tone as she frantically started looking through the deceased fireflies supplies, knocking over items onto the tile below, creating all sorts of noise.

“Tess? What the fuck is going on with you?” There was an edge to your tone as you came up alongside the older woman. “Maybe Joel was right..maybe we should go back to the QZ and regroup.”

“Fuck that. We’ve made it this far, and now you want to turn back? No. Help me find a radio, Gwen! There’s gotta be one around here. There has to be!”

Joel had noticed that one of the deceased fireflies had clearly been bit as he used his boot to tilt its head to the side.

“Tess, what the fuck are you doin’?” He asked while he watched her rummage around in a fury.

“Where did Marlene say she was taking you? Ellie! Where did she fuckin’ say she was taking you?” Tess ignored Joel as she walked over to the teen and you instinctively stepped in front of Ellie.

“Uhh..I don’t know. All she told me is that she was taking me west but she didn't say where exactly.”

“Just west? Fuck. Okay. She didn’t tell you anythin’ else?” Tess wasn’t even looking at you. Her eyes were frantically searching the expanse of the room. “Well, I mean, one of them’s gotta have a map on them, right? Joel? Gwen? Can you fuckin’ help me?! Stop just standin’ around!” She snapped as she started searching for anything she could find on the deceased bodies.

“No! Tess..it’s over. We are goin’ home, alright? We are way over our heads, bit off more than we can chew. We’ll go back to the QZ and–”

“That’s not my fucking home!” Tess snapped. “I’m stayin.”

“What the hell do you mean you’re stayin’? What the hell has gotten into you?! You’re actin’ fuckin’ weird! Why won’t you even look at us?!” Joel spoke exasperatedly.

Your blood suddenly ran cold. You figured out why Tess’s behavior was so sporadic and uncharacteristic for her just as Ellie had figured it out too.

“Fuck. She’s infected.” Ellie spoke softly, the realization washing over her.

Joel looked at Tess then and felt his world suddenly begin to cave in, all at once. Just before he could open his mouth to speak, you were stepping in front of him, feeling your heart pounding out of your chest.

“No. Tell me it's not true, Tess. Fucking tell me its not true!” You pleaded with her, as Joel was already protectively pulling you back behind him.

“Show me. Show me your fuckin’ arm Tess.” He demanded and when she took a step towards him, he immediately took one back. He did his best to ignore the pained look that struck across Tess’s features.

Tess let out a sigh as she drew her hand up to the collar of her jacket and pulled the fabric back to reveal the fresh bite mark along the base of her neck, along her collar bone. You could see the veins of the fungus growing up her neck already. There was only a matter of time before she would be completely gone.

“Oops, right?” She said with a pained laugh, tears threatening to spill over.

You pushed Joel out of the way once more, you weren’t afraid of Tess. She wasn’t a monster. She was still human. She was still breathing, pumping blood through her veins. “You can’t fuckin’ die. You can’t! Tess…what about Bea? You–” Your own tears had threatened to spill over as you shakily grasped the collar of Tess’s jacket between your fingers. “This wasn’t supposed to happen to you!”

You could feel Joel grabbing your forearm, trying to yank you back. “Let me the fuck go!” You snapped, ripping your arm from his firm grasp.

Tess was hugging you, nearly knocking the air from your lungs. You could feel her entire body trembling as she held you. “You fuckin’ listen to me okay? I haven’t got much time. You protect him, okay? Please protect him Gwen. He’s going to need you more than ever now. No matter what happens, no matter what he says, please don’t leave him. Keep him safe. Please.” She whispered, squeezing you tightly.

“Tess, I–”

“Promise me Gwen. Promise me you’ll be there for him”

“I promise.” You whispered.

“Tell Bea that I love her, and I'm sorry.”

Tess released you from her grip and frantically pushed you away as she stumbled back.

She addressed Joel directly now, balling her hands into fists, to ease the trembling. “Ellie. Take your bandage off.” She asked with a shaky breath, walking over to the teen as she grabbed her forearm in a firm grip.

“This is real. Joel, she’s fucking real. Look at her arm!” She let go of Ellie’s arm and brought it down to her side. Her forearm was twitching, trembling as the cordyceps were quickly invading her nervous system.

“You get her to Bill and Franks. You load up on ammo, and you take her out West. You find Tommy and the fireflies.”

“No.”

“There is no time to fuckin’ argue with me! You take her to Bill and Franks. I’ve never asked anything of you Joel. Never asked you to feel a certain way about me.”

He went to open his mouth but she immediately cut him off.

“No. You shut the fuck up and listen to me ‘cause I don’t have time. This is your chance to do some fuckin’ good for once. To make up for all the fucked up shit we did. You keep her alive. You keep her safe. You hear me? You set everything right.”

“Tess, No. I can’t fuckin’ do that.”

“Yes you fuckin’ can Joel. Please say yes, Joel, please fucking say yes.” She pleaded with him, a stray tear rolling down her cheek .

“Oh fuck!” Ellie yelled as one of the presumed deceased bodies snarled, clawing at the ground.

Joel wasted no time to pull his gun out, aiming it at the infected and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight to its head as it collapsed down to the mossy floor.

fuck fuck fuck.

The tendrils of the cordycep fungus rose up between the deceased fingers, and it dawned upon you that the infected were more connected than you could possibly understand. The fungus was weaved intricately below the surface, webbed together in a firm structure.

You could hear the approaching snarls from outside the wooden doors.

They were coming.

Tess was already moving around you, using the butt end of Joel’s rifle to open up the large barrels of gasoline, spilling the flammable liquid onto the tile. She was working off pure adrenaline as she knocked over each barrel. She tossed a box filled with grenades onto the floor.

The realization that Joel was losing another person who was so important, so close to his heart, was crashing down on him. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears. His eyes and mind went blank as Tess approached him. “Joel…save who you can save.” She whispered her final plea to him. These were her last words spoken in the walking, living realm.

Joel understood, as he searched her eyes. He seared her memory into the deep cavern of his brain. He would never forget her and he refused to let her down.

In a flash he had grabbed Ellie’s arm in his one hand and yours in the other, immediately yanking both of you away from the immediate danger.

“No! We’re not leaving her! We can’t! Get off me, you fucker!” Ellie yelled as she clawed at him, trying to pull her arm from his grasp.

You stumbled after him, frantically looking over your shoulder at Tess for the very last time. She gave you a small smile, followed by a reassuring nod before her face was obstructed from your view as Joel pulled you and Ellie outside, to safety.

All you hoped for was that Tess went peacefully. That she didn’t die in fear. You hoped that she died with memories of you, Joel, and Bea. Tess deserved that. She deserved to die peacefully, painlessly. You loved her to her very last moments.

Moments after Joel pulled you and Ellie outside, there was a loud explosion of breaking glass, and bright flames. The sound had Joel throwing his body over you and Ellie protectively. You could hear the distant screams of the infected suffering in the hot flames, and billowing smoke. You hoped to god that Tess wasn’t one of those blood curdling screams.

Joel immediately had his gun raised, ready to shoot down any stray infected. There were none. They were all dead. Tess had sacrificed herself for your lives. She gave you a fighting chance and you’d never forget her bravery.

You brought your arm around Ellie’s shaken up frame, giving her a firm squeeze. You kept her close as you turned her body away from the destruction and death.

Joel had already walked away as he could feel tears begin to prick in the corner of his eyes. He quickly blinked them away as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.

The three of you were dead silent as you walked into the nearby woods. Your mind felt numb, and your heart was raw. Tess had so much more life ahead of her to live. She had friends, a lover, and a purpose. She was smart, witty, and brave. She fought for those she loved, till her dying breath.

Joel was crouched down alongside the river, far away from you and Ellie. He was reaching into the clear stream, picking up rocks below the surface and gently stacking them upon one another. He was creating a cairn in her memory. A silent memorial for her short life. He thought of her as he placed each stone on top of one another.

I’m sorry. I should have done more. I should have been quicker. I should have protected you. I let you down. I failed you.

Your approach towards Joel was hesitant. You had no idea how he was going to react to your attempt to comfort him. You knew he didn’t handle loss, of any kind, well. You refused to let him suffer alone. He had his moment where he could mourn in peace. You wouldn’t take that moment from him. He deserved it. You both did. Despite this, your heart pulled you towards him. You had to make sure he was okay. You needed each other more than ever now. Tess’s words echoed in your mind with each step you took. “No matter what happens, no matter what he says, please don’t leave him. Keep him safe. Please.”

Joel could hear your footsteps slowly approach. His back immediately tensed up at the sound of your boots crunching under stray twigs. His heart yearned for your touch, your comfort. His mind was scrambled. It screamed for him to shut you out. This was your fault, after all. You insisted they take the kid from the get-go. In his eyes, and his fragile mind, Tess was dead because of you.

He squeezed his eyes shut when he felt the warm expanse of your palm press between his shoulder blades. His breath trembled as he fought hard to not lean into your touch.

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me.” He hissed lowly, keeping himself facing the stream.

“Joel, Please..Don’t—”

“Don’t what? It’s your fuckin’ fault that Tess is dead.” He harshly whispered, clenching his jaw tightly as he let his toxic thoughts slip through his broken, cracked lips.

His words felt like a thousand knives stabbing you in the heart over, and over again. You took a shaky inhale, remembering Tess’s final request to you.

“You don’t mean that. You don’t mean that Joel. You’re upset..let me–”

He whipped around to face you, his eyes narrowed into slits as he rose to his feet, towering over you. “I fuckin’ mean every goddamn word. You insisted from the get-go that we take this fuckin’ kid. I told you it was a bad idea. See what happens when you try to be the fuckin’ hero, Gwen?”

You took a step back from him, feeling your own tears threatening to spill over. “Stop. Please fucking stop! I am not at fault for Tess’s death! Neither of us could have predicted this to happen Joel!”

“I fuckin’ told you that we should just take her back to the QZ! What do you do instead? You fight against me, tooth and fuckin’ nail! Every goddamn fuckin’ time. Why couldn’t you have just listened to me for once in your goddamn life!” He spat, taking two heavy steps towards you.

“Because Ellie is just a fuckin’ kid! She’s just a kid that is now OUR responsibility! Tess agreed that we shouldn’t take her back to the QZ! She agreed with me, Joel!”

He scoffed, shaking his head as he let out a deep chuckle.

“Do you fuckin’ hear yourself right now?! Fuckin’ take some accountability for your fuckin’ actions! Tess is dead because of you! Bea is never going to see her again, because you wanted to fuckin’ save this kid, this cargo! How does it feel, huh? Are you fuckin’ happy with yourself Gwen? Do you feel fuckin’ good inside right now baby?! TELL ME HOW IT FUCKIN’ FEELS!”

Joel’s booming voice rattled your skull, and pierced your heart. You physically felt yourself cowering away from him, shrinking in on yourself.

Ellie had heard Joel’s yell from where she was sitting against a nearby tree. She was up and running to your aid immediately. You watched as the teen shoved at Joel with her hands, pushing him back with rage filled in her tear brimmed eyes.

“Hey! Leave her alone, you fucker! Leave her alone! It’s not her fucking fault! LEAVE HER ALONE!” Ellie yelled as she shoved his chest as hard as she could.

Joel was grabbing the teens wrists in his calloused palms, immediately shoving her away.

“You fuckin’ stay out of this kid! This ain’t your fuckin’ business!” He felt his pulse drop when he heard the familiar click of your gun perched firmly between your shaking hands. The barrel was shakily aimed at him.

“LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS JOEL. YOU WANNA LET YOUR ANGER OUT ON ME? FINE. LEAVE ELLIE OUT OF THIS!” You yelled, tears streaming down your cheeks.

“You gonna fuckin’ shoot me?”

“If you lay your hands on her again, I won’t hesitate.”

“You’re breakin’ my fuckin’ heart baby.”He seethed between his gritted teeth.

“Gwen..” Ellie pleaded with you.

“It’s okay, kid. I will handle this, okay? Please just...just go sit down. Please.” You whispered, giving the teen a reassuring nod that everything would be okay. Joel would never hurt you. He would never dare.

Ellie looked between you, and the brooding man before she reluctantly nodded, walking away.

Your gun was still aimed at your lover as your tears continued to fall. “How fucking dare you speak to me like this Joel. What the fuck is wrong with you?!? How dare you speak to Ellie like that! She has done NOTHING to you, Joel!”

He took a few menacing steps towards you, feeling the barrel of your gun pressed firmly against the cavern of his chest. Your lower lip was trembling, your eyes glassy with tears as you looked up at him.

“You gonna pull that fuckin’ trigger baby? You gonna pump me full of lead?”

“You know I can’t Joel. You know I fuckin’ can’t.” You whispered shakily.

“Just like you can’t fuckin’ admit that you’re the reason Tess is dead. Can’t own up to your fuckin’ actions to save your life.”

“Please stop Joel. Please. I’m begging you to please fucking stop. You’re hurting me. You’re fucking hurting me!” You yelled. Your tone was raw, heartbroken, beaten.

“Who are you fuckin’ shedding those tears for, huh?! You shedding those tears for Tess? She hated you! You know she fuckin’ hated you with every fibre in her fuckin’ being! You don’t get to cry for her! She meant NOTHING to you. Don’t stand there and act like she did! You don’t get to weep and feel sorry for YOURSELF!”

The barrel of your gun was pushing so deep into his chest now. Surely there would be a bruise of some sort forming but it was clear he didn’t give a fuck about that. Not even in the slightest. He felt his heart screaming at him to stop but it was too late. The words were spoken and they were etched deep into your own heart. Joel had gone and done the unforgivable.

“Fuck You. You don’t get to stand there and tell me how I'm allowed to feel Joel! She was my fucking FRIEND too! We had our differences, and we overcame them! I fucking loved her and YOU don’t get to take that away from me! YOU DON’T HAVE THE POWER TO TELL ME HOW I CAN AND CAN’T FEEL!”

Joel’s breaths were coming out in heavy puffs, fanning your face as you watched his nostrils flare, and his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Deep down, he knew this wasn’t an argument to win. He was just devastated that he lost someone so close to him. He never learned how to handle loss well, his old habits, and toxic feelings welcomed him in with soft whispers, and warm touches.

This was not your Joel.

“Gwen…” He whispered.

“No. Fuck you. You don’t get to say all that, speak to me that way, and take it all back. You don’t get to fuckin’ do that Joel.”

“Baby, I’m sorry I didn’t–”

“NO.”

“Gwen. You know I didn’t mean it..I lashed out, but I didn’t mean any of it! I got you, you got me, Always. Remember? I’m so sorry I–”

As soon as he was reaching out for you, you harshly pushed him away, pressing the barrel of the gun further into his chest.

“You’ll never fucking touch me again Joel. Never.” You whispered.

You removed the barrel of the gun from his chest, pointing it upwards towards the sky, before you pulled the trigger.

The deafening sound of the bullet being released and cracking through the cool air had him flinching.

You wanted him to know that you could have pulled the trigger on him. You loved that man too much to hurt him. You could never.

“Stay the fuck away from me. Don’t you dare come near me.” You seethed, tucking your gun back into the holster around your waist before you turned on your heel, and walked away from him.

Joel was left standing near the rivers edge, watching as you walked far, far away from him.

‘Cause do I love you..Oh, I do..and I'm going to ‘til I'm gone…’

Tag list:

@chaotic-mystery @peterhollandkait @yuly @soft-cryptids @dinsdjrn @myrealmofchaos @itskenziebb @lovers-liability @korynnekorynne @ems-alexandra @kirsteng42 @casssiopeia @novemberrain-writes @goodwithcheese @loquaciousferret @sarahhxx03 @777-wonders @bearsbeetsbeskar @beskarandblasters @dinsdjrn @bonglorddaryl @mirasantidotes @luvrking @finnsbubblegum @pedrostories

#joel miller #joel miller fanfiction #pedro pascal characters #the last of us #joel the last of us #dark joel miller #joel miller fic #joel miller x original character #joel miller x oc #the last of us fanfiction #tlou oc #tlou fic #joel miller imagine #the last of us imagine #the last of us hbo #tess servopoulos #ellie williams #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal #joel miller angst #joel miller series #joel miller smut #burning in a hopeless dream fic #gwen and joel #joel miller x female oc #joel miller x f!oc

[sevinisms]

THE GODFATHER — TSU’TEY HEADCANONS

#SYNOPSIS: tsu'tey being being a godfather/uncle to the sully kids

#WARNINGS: none

#CHARACTERS: tsu'tey, neteyam, lo'ak, kiri, tuk'tirey

#AUTHORS NOTE: this is my first post so be easy 💀

NETEYAM

without a doubt tsu’tey and neteyam had the most in common. they were both noble older brothers and strong hunter/warriors who took themselves way too seriously. a man of few words, tsu’tey wasn’t nearly as vocal as jake in regards to neteyam’s responsibilities. don’t be fooled though, his expectations were just as high. he considered his godson to be his successor as olo’eyktan one day and wanted to be sure that he could handle the pressure that comes with the title.

began calling neteyam "mighty warrior" when he got his first knife at 6 years old, teasing at first, but growing to mean it over the years. neteyam was without a doubt his favorite sully to hunt with, and he took pride in knowing that he helped perfect his shooting form (not that it needed much correcting, the boy was valid).

he gives the most insane dating advice like it’s normal.

“if you like this person, simply kill a sturmbeest and give it to them as an offering so they know that you're a good hunter. the bigger the better, then they’ll be more likely to mate with you.” “mate? i’m only 15–”

or

"someone made a pass at them yet you sit here whining to me? you must challenge them to a duel! i’m sure you could kill them easily-" "godfather, no-"

LO’AK

this boy is his father’s son through and through. since the day lo’ak uttered his first word, he and tsu’tey had been butting heads. i’m talking full blown arguments between a grown man and a child. tsu’tey didn’t care – he never ran from a fight, and he’d be damned if he started now.

he would always tell jake that he, "didn’t care for the little one” as a bit, but when lo'ak failed his iknimaya, you can bet that tsu’tey immediately began preparing him for the next one. he’d poke fun at him from the sidelines the same way he did when it was jake’s turn all those years ago. he’d point out every mistake lo’ak made, all to avoid saying that he was actually super proud to see him get an ikran this time around.

catches lo’ak and spider in places they shouldn’t be several times a week. he always wrangles them up and returns them to the village, swearing to rat them out to jake and neytiri. he’s usually bluffing though, save for the few times they’d actually had the potential to get hurt. sometimes he’d turn them in just to keep them on their toes which usually kept their antics at bay for a while. at the end of the day, they were just kids doing kid shit, and tsu’tey could only be so concerned about that.

KIRI

he wasn't rocking with her at all for for the first few years of her life. he still wasn't comfortable around "dreamwalkers", even after the war, so kiri’s miraculous conception from a dormant avatar did very little to ease his suspicions.

“look, i understand if you don’t want to be her godfather, but she’s not going anywhere. we’re all she’s got.” jake said.

though his suspicions began to fade over the years, they never left him entirely. having agreed to be her godfather as well, he tried to support her interests when could. they changed constantly, to whatever facet of nature she was obsessed with at the moment. this week it was mushrooms.

“i don’t know what kind they are so don’t ask.”tsu’tey would hand kiri a leather pouch full of random mushroom caps he’d collected during his last hunt.

she would always inspect the plants he brought and he’d take note of which ones she kept and which ones she didn’t, so he’d know the right ones to get next time. he would still accidentally bring the poisonous ones home sometimes.

he was the personification of "he's a little confused but he got the right spirit"

TUK’TIREY

tsu’tey would die for all of his godchildren in a heartbeat, but he would kill for tuk. she was his little partner in crime, often tagging along while he did his patrol of the forest or made new weapons. people rarely showed interest in the chores of the chief, but she’d found them cool enough, and that meant a lot to him.

one time, tuk was sulking around camp for days, until tsu’tey asked what was wrong. she’d asked jake to teach her how to shoot a bow, and he told her no, that she was still too young.

“nonsense. i learned to shoot an arrow before I could walk. i will teach you.”

tsu’tey was careful that he didn’t scold or poke fun at her when she released her shot too early or complained that her arms were sore. he didn’t want to discourage her. still, he wasn’t the type to offer flowery words of encouragement. he would simply correct her form and re-direct her towards her target.

“do it again.” “but godfather-” “again. and don’t slouch your shoulders like that.”

he’d give any gemstones and shells he found to tuk to polish and make into beads or armbands. in the beginning, he could admit that they weren’t as perfect as he liked, often uneven in shape and size, but he sported them anyway. after scoring his biggest kill wearing her beads, it became tradition to make him a new strand before every hunt. he kept every strand they ever made.

#atwow #avatar headcanons #tsu’tey headcanon #tsu’tey avatar #avatar 2009 #avatar way of water #neteyam #neteyam headcanons #loak #loak headcanons #kiri #kiri headcanons #tuktirey #tuk avatar #masterlist

[claiestve]

PLS PLS I WOULD CRY WHILE READING IT !!! Isaac buying the listener a cat but as a surprise and the listener getting really emotional but in a happy way. The listener jumping onto Isaac and hugging him and showering him with kisses.

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 ꨄ 𝘐𝘴𝘢𝘢𝘤

˜”* ❝𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙖.❞

⎯⎯ ୨ ୧ ⎯⎯

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ: ɪꜱᴀᴀᴄ ꜱᴜʀᴘʀɪꜱᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴅᴀʏ.

⎯୨⎯ " " ⎯୧⎯

You were lying in bed, almost closing your eyes. For context, you had a really hard day. You hd lost sleep from the night before so working was just too difficult when your mind wasn’t even working. Isaac had asked you a few times if you were alright and you would try to reassure him but he insisted that you relax for at least an hour. It seemed like he was going soft on you lately but you didn’t mind. 

The house was quiet. Like, suspiciously quiet. Normally, you could hear any little sound but you heard nothing. That was until you heard the front door open and then shut. However, it didn’t sound like someone was leaving, it sounded like someone just came in. Did Isaac seriously leave and you didn’t notice? Damn. You were really that tired. 

You could hear some rummaging and shuffling before it got closer. Next thing you knew, the sound was right outside your door. 

Two knocks.

“Can we come in?”

We? Well, that detail didn’t matter anyway because you were too tired to catch it. 

“Yeah, come in.” You reply, trying to project your voice and hide the tiredness in your tone. 

You hear the handle move around a bit before seeing the door open. 

“Okay, wait. Close your eyes.”

“Huh?? Uh… okay…”

You close your eyes and smile. These little shenanigans were so out-of-character for Isaac but at the same time, It was so… him.

“Hold out your arms”

“Like this?”

“Nononono,” He gently adjusted your arms, “Like this.”

He put something in your arms and you immediately held onto it tight enough to make sure it wouldn’t fall. 

“Alright, open!”

You open your eyes to see a beautiful grey and black cat (American Curl - they’re super cute) in your arms. 

“Isaac!” You look at him with your jaw practically to the floor, “It’s a cat!”

“Yeah, I was looking at her for a while and she reminds me of you so… See, she’s already looking at you like you’re her parent.”

“That’s because I am now. She’s my baby.”

You gently put the cat down on your bed and hug Isaac tight. He puts his head on top of yours and kisses your forehead. You lift your head up and kiss all over his face.

“Do you like my surprise?”

“Like?? I love her. She’s like our baby now.”

“Yeah, we’re her parents now. Ah, but, we need to give her a name.”

“I have so many ideas for that…” You say while going back over to the cat and petting her. 

You couldn’t see it but Isaac was looking at you with the most loving eyes ever.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

“Ow! Y/N, she keeps scratching me!” 

“She just wants to play!” You say, taking her in your arms. 

You lean forward, to Isaac and kiss him. 

“Thank you, baby. Thank you so much.”

“Anything for you.”

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

AHHHHH THIS WAS SO CUTE TO IMAGINE. ISAAC GIVING THE CAT TO THE LISTENER UGHH. they're so married i swear. anyways TYSM FOR REQUESTINGG ! requests help sm w writer's block and having no motivation so thank u sm and i hope this met your expectations

#zsakuva #zsakuvaxreader #asmr #isaac #isaacrhodes #i love you issac

[arc1t3ct]

More on Sigma since yall ate up the last post tysm guys (*´꒳`*)

Anyways as I was saying Sigma has done some shit that proves he’s not a UwU baby and here I’ll explain to you more. 

Sigma, unlike the rest of the DOA doesn’t want to just jump to violence, that’s not his thing since he knows his ability really isn’t meant for combat. Though he will still do it as seen multiple times. It also never once says he regret hurting/killing multiple innocent civilians. “Oh but Dazai said he didn’t see Sigma as a terrorist at all 🥺🥺 therefore-“ nope. Shut up 😍. Compared to Gogol and Fyodor, Sigma is not a terrorist. He hasn’t done nearly as much as they have, but he still is. Now I’d like to bring attention to the fact that the casino is actually Sigma’s REWARD for the use of his skill. Therefore, due to his part being over in the plan as Dazai said, he had no reason to fight on the frontlines. Yet he still did it to protect the casino, which was being used for terrorism and stuff. Hmmmm…. If he was an UwU innocent baby why would he do this? It’s because he’s not please shut up I’m actually losing in from people acting like that. Just note this past section is only from the first few pages of the 18th novel. We’re no where near close to being done!! Remember when The hunting dogs asked him to shut down that casino? Here is his reaction to that:

I personally don’t think this is how any UwU baby would act… idk just my thoughts. He literally yelled at them, didn’t even try to politely explain why he wouldn’t do that he just told them to fuck off. Now we have Tachihara and Teruko walking along just doing their job (stop hating Teruko for doing her job it makes me so mad) and just getting stabbed by a random civilian. Here we see Sigma, literally making stuff up as he’s using people as literal weapons whilst knowing damn well you’re not supposed to do that. He literally uses the fact that as police Teruko and Tachihara can’t hurt them as a way of ENCOURAGING people to harm literal government figures. He had no hesitation to do that to people, unlike when he hesitated to use the plane on the casino, showing that at this point he is valuing a CASINO over HUMAN LIVES (B-but the casino is his home 🥺, ok and? Would you manipulate innocent people into literal weapons to protect your house? I don’t think so) It’s important to note that this is the only thing Sigma really owns, so he is defending it in a state of panic. It still gives him no right to do such things though. No I’m not trying to make Sigma sound like a bad person he’s my favorite bad character and it physically hurts to see all the mischaracterization I cry myself to sleep bc ppl r like this. As Fyodor said: “You won’t find a scarier thing in the world than a common man who is desperate” and we know that bc sigma said “If it’s for the casino I’ll do anything” here’s a little reminder:

Now yeah he was having a little breakdown about it, like who wouldn’t. Can someone not show emotion without being called UwU soft? Seriously? If you were in that situation I bet you’d want to spring outta that room crying too. And yet here we are, he’s still using on and you know how? He’s shooting at Teruko with big ass guns. I don’t think owning those is legal in the slightest. 

(Pardon the fact its in Russian I got this off of Pinterest) 

This is not legal. Firing these is not legal. And here is the most important part. The sonic gun and this is gonna be in bold bc it’s one of my leading points He showed no hesitation to kill Teruko in one of the most painful ways for a hunting dog to be killed. He forced her to puncture her eardrums as a last result of survival, as he says “This is all apart of the plan” showing that he planed ahead of time to try and kill a hunting dog. This is not something someone who is innocent would do in the slightest. He is well prepared to kill someone without regret. He decided to save a casino instead of his self, and attempted to take Teruko down with him. 

And then we get to the part when he gets saved by Atsushi. He says he didn’t mean to stab the chief. Ok fine he didn’t mean to do that, but he still did it even if he regretted it. Can people not show regret for their actions? Goddamn ok. Also the way he spoke to Gogol- that’s not innocent at all he was downright hating on him. “I hate dealing with this decay member the most” bro even was like: Why didn’t you die man. In no way in his speech does he act soft at all I can’t see how you people got that. Maybe it was from his confused reaction? Or something. And just know this it only the 18th novel I’ve covered so far. I’ll do more in a later part :3 but anyways thanks for reading this I hope both sides of ur pillow are cold and I hope this helped you understand sigma better!! 

#bsd #bsd sigma #sigma bungou stray dogs #stop mischaracterizing him

[unfinshedsentec]

random ran headcanons❕

a/n: it’s rans birthday…AHHHHH HAPPPY BIRTHDAY RAN

HERES THIS TO CELEBRATE HIS B-DAY

reader is gender neutral!

character: ran haitani

tw: cursing and suggestive content (it’s ran)

o   This man is uh…one of the most confident in the Tokyo rev universe

o   By confident I mean cocky

o   He stands by ‘love your s/o as much as you love yourself’

o   Which basically means he loves you a lot

o   In all seriousness, Ran does love you. He will go out of his way to make you happy, and protects you with all he has

o   He, in general, is a pretty protective boyfriend

o   Sure, he’s not possessive or anything, but he definitely will beat up other men who flirt with you

o   Sometimes he gets jealous, but really, it’s not that often

o   In fact, you’re the one who’s getting jealous!

o   Ran has a naturally flirty personality and he gets hit on pretty often because of it

o   Of course, you’re not a fan….and you end up telling A LOT of girls off

o   Ran thinks this is superrr hot though

o   Seriously, it drives him INSANE to see you get all protective over him

o   Don’t worry though, Ran will never cheat on you. He loves you way too much for that!

o   He’s sure to show that to you all the time too

o   He’s always got a hand on you, whether that’ s in public or when you’re alone

o   He especially loves grabbing your ass

o   It’s a damn good way to show other people you’re his

o   He loves cuddling with you too!

o   He cuddles with you every night, and if he doesn’t get his cuddles, he will be a real bitch…until he gets his cuddles

o   You better run your fingers through his hair at some point too

o   He LOVES that

o   It pretty much puts him in a trance

o   He ALWAYS brags about you to his friends

o   Seriously, sometimes you’re all he can talk about

o   I mean, he loves you so much and he’s so proud of you, who wouldn’t he brag about you?

o   Ran also spoils you A LOT

o   He’s rich, what do you expect?

o   He gets you anything you want, if you’re a good s/o, of course

o   Don’t think he’ll buy you something if you’ve been bad

o   Most times though, he’ll just go out and buy you whatever you want

o   A new phone? He’ll buy the most expensive one. Jewelry? He’s already at the jewelry store. Games? You better bet your ass he already has them

o   Even if it’s just food, he’s already bringing it to your doorstep

o   Anything to make you happy, after all!

o   Of course, he also spoils you by taking you on a TON of dates

o   He’s the type of to just randomly show up at your door and say ‘Get in bitch, we’re going somewhere’

o   And then he proceeds to take you to either the most beautiful place or most expensive place in Tokyo

o   HE ACTS LIKE ITS NOTHING TOO

o   Apparently, he’s rich enough to spend hundreds of dollars at a restaurant and think it’s absolutely fine

o   It’s truly baffling

o   Apparently, you have to teach him about saving money…

o   Another thing he especially loves is when you take care of him

o   Seeing you care for him when he’s sick or more likely, injured is something that really just warms his heart

o   He can absolutely see you doing this for him in the years to come…and something about it just makes him look forward to the long future ahead of you

o   He dreams of having an amazing future with you, where you get married, have a family and make of his brother

o   The thought of it puts a smile of his face, even in the worst of times

o   Ran really does have a soft spot in his heart for you

o   You’re one of the only people he truly opens up to, and shows his true emotions too

o   You’re also one of the few that he feels he can genuinely trust

o   Overall, Ran Haitani loves you A LOT…and you better love him too

o   After all, you’re stuck with him now!

masterlist || reblogs are very appreciated <33

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #ran haitani #ran haitani x reader #tokyo rev #tokyo rev x you #tokyo rev x reader #ran haitani x y/n #ran haitani x you #ran x reader #ran #ran x y/n #ran x you #haitani ran #haitani brothers #haitani ran x y/n #haitani ran x you #haitani ran x reader #tokyo revengers ran #tr hcs #tr fluff #tr ran #tokyo revengers haitani ran

[zhansww]

Shi Ying is just 18 years old but he already carries himself like an immortal, with maturity and such elegance, composure and confidence. He's an all-around very attractive character. And yet — and yet — we're supposed to believe he falls for a girl who is his age but acts and sounds like a damn toddler. It just makes no fucking sense. This "love story" is already literally the worst I've ever seen (and we're just a quarter of the way thru jfc) and it makes me think about how hard it must be for gg or dd to suffer thru filming that or any other of the shitty love stories they filmed. God, am I glad dd doesn't do that anymore. And I seriously hope Sunshine With Me will be easier to watch. Or even better, that gg will stop taking such roles, too, no matter how good everything else is in the script o.O

#rant cw #yu gu yao #xiao zhan #text

[artzychic27]

… What if… SB&IB actor au?

(AU where the fans have taken over the studio and rewrite it according to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black and are forcing Thomas to watch every episode, and the actors are just thrilled)

Director: *Laughing* Cut!

Marinette: I’m sorry! *Hugs Chloé* I love you, Chloé!

Chloé: I love you, Mari! Being mean is torture!

—

Nathaniel: Nooroo, Wings- Ugh! I… I had something in my mouth.

Cast: *Laughing*

Nathaniel: What was in my mouth?!

—

Alya: Ever heard of Anan… An…

Marcelle: Anne?

Alya: Anne. Yes, my sister wrestler name is Anne.

Cast: *Laughing*

Alya: That’s her wrestling name, y’all! Remember that! Nailed it! *Walks off of set*

—

Ivan: *Just starts dancing out of nowhere*

Sabrina: *Snickers* Why?

Ivan: Why not?

—

Jalil: Now, as you know, the one with the scepter is Akenathen. And there, opposite is Nefertiti… Akenathen. That’s what I said.

Alix: That is what you said.

Alim: It is.

Jalil: I’m dumb. I’m so dumb.

Alix: No, you got big brains up there.

Jalil: A big dumb brain.

—

Nathaniel: Everyone in my class is a virgin!

Kim: *Walks on the set* Way to call us out, man.

Nathaniel: Get out of the shot!

—

Marc: *During Horrificator; Bumps into the classroom doorframe* Fuck! Jesus- Ah! Oh, I hit my forehead- Ow!

Sabrina: *Laughing* Are you okay?

Marc: No! No, I’m really not! I’m taking my coffee break! *Walks off the set*

Cast: *Laughing*

Nino: *Laughing* You had your break five minutes ago.

Marc: I need another one!

—

[Confessional]

Marc: Asstruc always had me slouching, because, back then, I was the “feminine” boyfriend, so I couldn’t be too tall when around Nath. And I… Sometimes forget how tall I am.

Nathaniel: And when I was around Marc, I wore shoes that gave me some more height, but around others, I was in my regular shoes.

Marc: Yeah, but now he’s my short boyfriend again. *Kisses his forehead*

Nathaniel: That sweet one-foot height gap. But when I’m Monarch, I’m in heels, because that’s just to assert dominance.

—

[Confessional]

Marinette: Hey, I’m thrilled we got rid of that asshole. Now we got cool assholes running things!

Adrien: And I can curse now! I’m not some “Sunshine Baby!” Watch this! THIS NEW SHOW IS FUCKING AWESOME, YOU COCK-SUCKING PUSSY-LICKERS!

Rose: Guys, check this out. KISS MY BALLS, BITCHES! *Cackles*

Adrien: We’re gonna cause so much fucking chaos now!

—

[Confessional]

Juleka: I, for one, think it’s pretty cool they incorporated our sexualities and genders into the show. Like… That’s badass, right? How many shows or movies do that?

Nino: Yeah, and they’re not like all in people’s faces with me being a trans guy.

Juleka: Yeah, just got that little patch, and that’s it.

—

[Confessional]

Nathaniel: Yeah, it gets weird talking to the air constantly, but when I see the final thing, I’m like, “Damn, that’s good.”

Kim: Yeah, but you can hear the other cast members laughing while we’re conversing with the Kwamis. Now I know how Mari and Adrien felt.

Max: It’s hard as hell. But, the jokes on them since they’re gonna be talking to Kwamis in season 2.

—

[Confessional]

Denise: I… I am thrilled to finally have lines.

Lacey: Yeah, Ass-truc literally just stuck us in the class and said, “React.” Like… Like we’re the background characters in VicTORIous!

Ismael: You have no idea how invalidating that was! I went through years of acting classes only to be stuck in as a background character!

Aurore: Yeah, and somehow Marc becomes the main classmate.

Marc: One of the worst parts had to be how Asstruc was so uncreative with the outfits for characters who weren’t me, Aurore, or Mireille. Seriously, Jean’s sweater was reused like four times!

Jean: But then, the design team gave it some life! I’m a theater nerd as God herself intended!

—

Ikati Black: FUCK OFF ROGER! The rest of you! Unless you wanna look like jackasses for firing at a villain while he still has a captive, you're all going to listen to me, and listen good! GOT IT?!

Officers: Sir, yes sir!

Ikati Black: *Slips on a pair of sunglasses* Power move.

Scarlet Beetle: *Rolling on the floor laughing* Stop! Stop!

—

Copy Cat: Nice try, little bird. But you're not going to escape this cage so easily.

Marc: Perv!

Copy Cat: Dude!

Nathaniel: *Putting on his Monarch costume* Perv!

Roger: Oh, total perv.

Copy Cat: I need a coffee break!

Marc: All according to plan. *Leaves while still tied up*

—

[Confessional]

Marcelle: I’m glad they gave Marc a sister and brother, and it’s even more exciting since we’re all actually siblings.

Marc: Yeah, it’s fun seeing my sibs during shoots. Kiran was especially excited.

Kiran: I can’t wait to get Akumatized!

Marcelle: … *Whispers* I’m gonna tell him.

Marc: *Whispers* Don’t you dare.

—

Austin Q: *Hugging Austin T after they finish Lady WiFi* I love you.

Austin T: I love you, too. But we’re just acting.

Austin Q: I know, and I’m sorry for the mean things I said.

Austin T: *Pats him on the head* It’s okay. Later we’ll get ice cream.

Austin Q: Yaay!

—

[Confessional]

Austin Q: I hate being a jerk!

Austin A: I want redemption! Are we getting redemption?!

Austin B: *Sucking his thumb*

Austin T: … I’m what’s known as the group mom.

—

[Confessional]

Ivan: I’ve been handling our fame pretty well. Y’know, with new outfits comes new fashion lines, cool new fanart, and music videoes. But sometimes, I’d just like to enjoy a cappuccino in peace. Is that too much to ask?!

—

[Confessional]

Lila: When the fanfiction writers tied up Astruc and bound him to a chair, I was like, “Okay,” then they burned the scripts and I’m thinking they must be on something, but then they bring in new scripts, I’m reading them, and I’m like… “I’m not an asshole bitch anymore?” I love it. The writing sounds like something teenagers would actually say, and I am perfectly fine with doing the show ever if it means getting to follow this script.

—

[Confessional]

Alya: *Getting her Lady WiFi makeup done* The artists… They’re just wonderful. Okay, they aren’t putting the girls in My Hero Academia female hero costumes, they aren’t giving the guys insane muscles, it’s all good. I felt comfortable in my costume.

—

Marinette: I would like your son’s hand in marriage.

Gabriel: Consider it done.

Adrien: That is not in the script!

Emille: Adrien, shush! It’s improv!

Alix: I thought that was when people say, “Yes, and?”

Adrien: Someone say “Cut!”

—

[Confessional]

Kim: *Looks up from his book* Oh. Hey guys. We have a lot of fun on this show. But one thing that’s not fun is forcing Luka Couffaine to only wear pants.

Max: That’s right, Kim. Thomas Astruc has forced Luka to wear pants instead of being allowed to wear the skirts they so love.

Nino: Don’t get us wrong, Luka still looks amazing in those jeans, but come on! Who doesn’t want to see Luka Couffaine in a skirt?!

Ivan: I know I wanna.

Nathaniel: As do I.

Ismael: Skirts make his ass look hot.

Simon: So, if you or someone you know wants to see Luka in a skirt, donate to Let-Luka-Couffaine-Wear-Skirts.com.

Jean: Together, we can all see Luka Couffaine in a leather skirt and fishnet stockings.

Adrien: If you don’t donate, then you’re a joke. And so is your family.

Marc: Let’s put Luka Couffaine in a skirt so that we may simp over them when they bend over.

—

[Confessional]

Cosette: So… I’m getting a girlfriend! That’s right! Uh-huh! I’m getting a fucking girlfriend! There’s gonna be hand-holding, kissing, all that shit! Yeah! Fuck yes! I’m getting a girlfriend!

—

Marc: When I let you go, you better get running in the next ten seconds, or I will jam one of my fucking pens through your neck, yank it out, and then finger-fuck the hole!

Nathaniel: … What’s stopping you now?

Marcelle: … You bisexual little fuck.

Cast: *Laughing

Marcelle: I stand by my statement.

—

Reshma: *Just randomly dancing* I… I don’t know. *Laughs*

Ismael: Okay, okay. That’s alright. But how about this? *Starts Moonwalking*

Marc: *Doing Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation choreography* Ya’ll got nothing on me.

Mireille: Okay, okay. But have you considered- *Starts breakdancing*

Denise: *Doing Luisa’s Surface Pressure choreography*

Jean: *Voguing* You were saying?

Cosette: *Doing Wednesday’s dance* Should this just be the show from now on? Everyone’s dancing for no reason?

—

[Confessional]

Chloé: *Getting her hair and makeup done* So, this is cool, I’m actually getting redemption, and some of the Austins along with a few canon characters are going to be… Wait, was I supposed to… Oh, God… Oh my God! I am so sorry!

—

[Confessional]

XY: It’s awesome being back on the show. I get to see some friends, hang with my dad, and we’re actually to peel back some of my layers.

Bob: Yeah, while it sucks I’m still the asshole father, I think this is good; it’s something audiences need to see- The-the toxicity of the music industry and the effect on teenagers.

XY: And we never delved into our relationship on the original show. It was clear I was being abused.

Bob: Exactly! God, I’m glad Asstruc is in the dungeon. Speaking of which, it’s your turn to feed him the fish heads.

XY: Damn it!

—

[Confessional]

Aya: When I got an email saying Asstruc was taken hostage, I was thrilled, but then I got another email saying the new writers wanted me to have a role on the new show, and I was ecstatic! Yes, my son plays the villain, but I’m happy he’s not longer a background character who’s only important when it comes to some ship that’s not even that cute anymore.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #scarlet beetle & ikati black #actor au #ao3fic

[guessthestrangers]

Under The Sea (pt.1) | Steve Harrington x reader

Steve Harrington x f!Henderson!reader

Words: almost 1k

Warnings: sexual jokes, flirting, inappropriate words

Summary: There’s a school dance right after spring break (season 4), and you’ve had a crush on your best friend Steve for a while. Seize the opportunity or is that too fishy?

A/N: This is part 1 because I’m at school. Characters are not mine, they belong to the writers/directors/producers. Feedback appreciated. Thanks Strangers

 

Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington. King Steve. The one and only part-time babysitter all mothers loved. A lowkey hopeless romantic/man-whore. 

Your best friend. 

Everyone was happy and alive. Vecna ruining spring break was in the past. Vecna’s dead, Eddie’s doing his thing, Chrissy and Jason have gone separate ways after their near death experiences, and Steve was still thriving at family video with Robin. 

“Robin, I don’t know where the damn Goonies go, okay? I’m on the phone,” Steve shooed her away and balanced the phone in between his shoulder and his ear as his elbows rested on the grey counter.

Robin smacked him with the DVD and Steve yelped, “Hi Jessie!” she shouts next to Steve’s ear. 

Steve jumps away and speaks frantically, “It’s Heidi! No no no, I dunno what she’s talking about, babygirl…” He reassures the girl. 

Robin rolls her eyes. 

The movie suddenly  gets snatched from her hands and she yells, “Hey!”

“What’s up with Babygirl over there?” You tease. 

“Y/n!” Robin sighs in relief and hugs you tightly, “I think he’s talking to Sherri again. Or was it Jamie?”

You and Robin have been friends since you pulled her hair in 3rd grade so she’d turn around and be your friend. You had told her you admired girls who aren’t afraid to have short hair, because your mom wouldn’t let you. 

You’ve been inseparable since.

She’s the one who introduced you to Steve. She “thought you’d he perfect for eachother”. You introduced her to your red headed neighbour. 

You hum, “Good for him.”

Robin stares at you with a shock smile, “Oh my god.”

You look at her, “What?” You laugh. 

Robin laughs at you.

You laugh, confused, “Wh-What?” 

She gasps and puts her hand on your shoulder, “You’re jealous.” 

“No-”

“Don’t be jealous, Y/n!” “I’m not-” “Steve loooooves you”

“Robin” you whine.

You love him too. 

“He’s just waiting for the perfect moment to tell you,” she says matter-of-factly .

“Robin, please, I’m not jealous, I’m actually really happy for him, why would I be jealous if I don’t feel anything but happiness for him,” you explain, taking the DVD from her hands once again.

Robin sighs, “Heidi’s just a distraction, don’t worry,” she laughs and pinches you playfully.

You pinch her back, “Mhm, okay,” You give up. 

You’re both cut off as Steve smashes the phone down, “Dammit!” He groans, “Another girl, Robin! Why are you all so difficult— Y/n!” 

He hugs you from accross the counter and you laugh. 

“Babygirl,” you call him teasingly, “The perfect partner will come to you sooner or later okay? You’re so great, Steve, they’ll come to you,” You promise. 

“Lovebirds—“ Robin coughs, before you step on her foot to shut her up.

You SMACK a piece of paper on the counter, and the three of you huddle up to look at the colourful poster you brought. 

“We’re going,” You state. 

“No.”

“Oof.”

“No.”

“Please, Steve” you drag out his name.

You and Robin have been bringing him to any and every event you could that would involve him doing awkward or embarrassing things. (You had a discussion in the beginning, and he loves it and you all have a special phrase to tell eachother if you’re seriously not okay with being embarrassed again) (but it’s not major things, it’s like Steve having to learn how to make a puppy balloon with a clown…) (So don’t worry y’all we all good). 

And even events that are at Hawkins High even though he graduated. 

“Steve,” Robin sighs, “We promise your suit will be good.” 

You and Rob look at Steve pleadingly, and Steve stares at your puckered lips and wide eyes for a second too long. He gulps, then nods frustratingly, “Okay. Okay, Jesus, fine I’ll go.” 

You and Robin jump excitedly and she messes Steve’s hair and you kiss his cheek. With red cheeks, he looks away, mumbling, “Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome.” 

Then he smirks, “Don’t give me an octopus costume okay? I know I’ve got many long limbs but— ouch!” Robin smacked him again. 

“I’ll leave you guys with that,” you say, “Rob, I’ll call you tonight when your shift ends, and we’ll brainstorm.”

As you clutch the poster in your hand, you wonder why this spring dance was such a random and big event. 

Steve sighs and shouts to you, “We defeat Vecna and now go to some dance as if nothing happened?”

You smile and turn back when you reach the door, “I don’t know,” you shrug, “but I’m kind of excited for an ‘Under The Sea’ dance,” you wink.

As you exit the door and here the ding, you look for your car keys. Suddenly, you bump into a hard chest.

“Well, hello to you to, gorgeous.”

You look up to see Billy Hargrove. 

You laugh and brush off his comment, “Shouldn’t you be in class, Bill?” 

You and Billy have been friends for a couple months, ever since he moved to a different house with Susan and Max. 

Billy had not beaten the shit out of his dad, he went to the police and sent him to jail the minute he recovered enough to talk. Billy had failed his senior year, and used the summer to heal and recover from what happened at Starcourt mall. He now had night classes, and you were very happy for you favourite neighbour. 

“Got off early, sunshine,” he laughs and says, “I really wanted to come to family video and bump into this specific special girl of mine.” 

You and Billy hug sweetly, and you pull back quickly as an idea comes to you, “Is Max home?” 

The teen shrugs, “Should be? I’m getting the movie for us to watch tonight.”

You smile and head to your car, “Mm. Okay thanks!”

“Woah, woah, woah,” he takes your wrist gently, “I got a question for you.”

Part 2 coming soon

#steve harrington x reader #stranger things #steve harrington #henderson!reader #billy hargrove #stranger things x reader #steve stranger things #Steve Harrington imagine #Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader #Stranger things 4 #guess the strangers #Robin Buckley #Hawkins #Steve x you

[lmk-aus-galore]

Cinema Sins/Wins Rip off of Lego Monkie Kid

‘Duplicatnation’

Inspired by @satansaidmyturnintheh3llscape

Rules:

-I won’t be counting Animation Mistakes, because Idk how to do that, and I myself am a beginner animator (more like incredibly amateur, to the point I’m asking my sister for help) Unless of course the Animation is obviously and clearly having a mistake for me to watch. (Or it is said in the wiki) The other reason is because I don’t want to keep repeating a scene just to check for an animation mistake.

-I also won’t be counting flashbacks as ‘mistakes’ because most of them are based on bias.

-I’ll be formatting it like this

-Neutral

-Sin

-Win

-Most of this is Commentary, so there won’t be a last sentence nor win or sin counter.

-This is mostly for fun, no need to get offended.

Alright I’ll be placing the rules every single time, without further ado, let’s get into the episode

———————————————————————————

-Intro

-._.

-Already we’re having a good start to the episode, having a look at our dear boy’s daily life.

-And already we see the side effects of being a people pleaser…

-And already we can see the negative effects it’s having on MK-

-I do wonder if that paint’s gonna last in the water…heck what does the water look like with all the painting he’s doing?

-So is it normal for people to go at the arcade every night?

-Stress in a TV show, this is why kids, you don’t overbook and you can always say no.

-‘Wow MK, you look like hot garbage’ that line always throws me off for some reason, Tang was brutally honest here-

-Also he’s here again, so he just comes there everyday…I feel worried for his stomach-

-That bowl of noodles is obviously MK’s breakfast, no way in hell is Pigsy gonna let him eat that.

-I always wonder, if the place is so busy, then why is the shop always empty?

-‘You’re pushing yourself too hard MK, working all day, partying all night, painting boats?’ And this my friend is the reason you’re not a dad, you’re a mom.

-But in all seriousness does anyone not notice that for MK or…?

-‘I don’t wanna let my friends down y’know’ establishing the character development right away.

-I’m still wondering why Mei is partying every night at the arcade.

-It’s specifically the arcade even- like they don’t even go anywhere else-like seriously girl how are you not bored yet?

-MK forgetting Wukong’s abilities makes him more life-like cause damn even I don’t know all his abilities, like, we know the main ones are in the show, but in the original JTTW he’s confirmed to have the ability to revive the dead-

-‘One of Monkey King’s 72 transformations’ wait, is that true? Or is this a mistake? Does this even count as a transformation?

-The animation is so beautiful :3

-Glad they changed it to blow, in one translation, Wukong had to chew on his own hair and turn it into a hair ball before making it into a monkey, that would have been unsanitary to be honest-

-I’m also guessing they changed it to blow as in ‘Blow life unto it’ Idk, I’ve seen a lot of legends in Asia that tell about the creation of people and how Gods literally have to ‘Blow air into them’ to bring them to life.

-Foreshadowing

-Tiny little detail that not everything about the animation is copy and pasted.

-Love how Tang slowly gets concerned over time- perhaps this is how he just becomes that other parental figure in his life?

-Another tiny detail, both MK’s don’t leave at the same time.

-Man, Tang’s really chill compared to his past life-

-So…when delivery MK was made…was the reason he ate all that food was because this MK was skipping breakfast? Because he’s taking those orders surprisingly fast…

-I LOVE Party MK

-Again, Tang why are you still here?! That amount of noodles can’t be good for your stomach.

-Notable detail, Pigsy squeals when scared.

-I know some people will call this out as fat shaming, but they may be trying to do the old 2015-2019 format of cartoons. Still this might be offensive to some people.

-See this is why you shouldn’t constantly work someone to perfection.

-Also Porty MK got a point Mei, no one parties this much- So kinda miscommunication there?

-Haha

-Ok that is a concerning amount of hair loss…

-Although Delivery MK is pretty adorable, he acts like a baby :3

-‘I don’t know.’ PFFT HAHAAH- it’s funny cause it’s never really said in the book how Wukong got rid of his clones.

-Delivery MK confirms that even the clones can lift the staff.

-The fact the only wavy kung fu MK knew was that one move Wukong taught him last episode.

-Hairball

-I kinda feel bad for these clones tbh.

-‘OG MK in the House Yo!’ ‘I don’t even know what that means!’ Implies that MK would have learned ‘90’s’ or ‘party slang’ if he kept partying with Mei.

-You know, MK being evil is terrifying tbh.

-‘You’re really bad at making clones by the way’ Sorry Mei- but uhm, I think the clones are him, just in a much deeper level than you’d expect.

-Why did you need that many clones?!

-Ok, first off how was this legal? Secondly, did Porty MK bribe the owner or something? Thirdly, How the hell did you even make this?!

-Oof, played yerself.

-The fact the hair just…sticks.

-‘Did you learn your lesson?’ Yeah, it’s MK learn to say no, and Everyone, ask someone else, he isn’t the only person in the world. Seriously guys, from what I see you only overwork him.

Yeah! Sorry this came late-

#lego monkie kid #lmk #monkie kid #lmk mk #mk lmk #lmk qi xiaotian #lmk mei #lmk tang #lmk pigsy #lmk sandy

[firewoodwander]

hello allow me to infect your brain with a polyship. After the war: Fives/Tup, Tup/Dogma, Dogma/Slick (potential Tup/Dogma/Slick or Fives/Tup/Dogma, but Fives and Slick are on sight)

(for additional fun and profit throw in Echo returns with his batch of badboyfriends)

this is for the pairing/smut trope/kink meme, but you know they might be too busy fighting about everything, for anyone to get laid 🤣

BCNCBSSJHS the Tru Poly Agenda is one of my favourite agendas and I’ve been thinking about tup and dogma (my ogs… my beloveds) already, so this is too good. Idk how to get [counts fingers] almost nine whole (lol) characters into a prompt fic but the thought is there

Wish you would write…

“I’m back!” Fives shouts into the house, letting the door slam shut behind him.

“Did you pass Slick on your way in?” Tup calls out. Dogma swears under his breath and jabs Tup in the ribs, but Tup only grins and wriggles a little bit in his lap to get away from sharp fingers.

“No,” Fives says, sounding immediately perturbed, “thank the stars. Why is that bastard still coming here?”

“Because he’s a pain in the ass,” Dogma drawls, at the same time Tup snorts a laugh and emphasises the phrase, “Because we like him,” like he would to a cadet.

“He’s an indicted felon!” Fives protests—an old argument. He wanders into the living room and finds them sprawled on the sofa. “A coward and a bastard,” he explains, leaning down distractedly to kiss Tup hello and Dogma on the top of his head, “and he blew up half the fucking base on Christophsis.”

“We weren’t even there,” Dogma mutters. He has his thumbnail between his teeth and he’s not paused reading the article on his datapad. Fives makes an irate noise. “Get over yourself.”

Tup swings his feet down to the floor and gets up to follow Fives and the crinkle of grocery bags into the kitchen. “Anyway—aren’t there more important things to discuss?”

“Always,” Fives agrees, his frown melting into a wide grin as he unpacks the fresh produce. “The Marauder is on course to make planet fall, ETA twenty-two-hundred hours. I picked up a few more bits than usual, we’ll have a late latemeal and an extra mouth to feed tonight!”

Fives’ joy is infectious. Tup finds himself grinning too as he absorbs it, wrapping himself around Fives’ back and making a great hindrance of himself, not that Fives seems to give a damn.

“More like five extra mouths,” says Dogma, finally following them in. He sets his datapad in its cradle and comes over to help pack away the food. He gets an extra jab in to Tup’s side with his elbow and a smirk; Tup sticks his tongue out at him.

Together they clear the counters. Tup washes and slices up a bowl of fruit for the three of them. Dogma takes the time to wipe down all the surfaces, and then gets carried away scrubbing the sink and then the hob while he’s at it. Fives watches, plying him with berries from time to time and planning what to make for Echo’s return.

“We’re going to need to move soon,” Tup announces suddenly.

Both Dogma and Fives pause in their heckling of each other and look towards him in askance.

“Well, as much as I like our flat… it’s kind of small?” Tup runs his hand along the length of the counter and makes it only a foot or so until his fingers find the edge of the sink. “And with the number of people coming and going, it’s not just ourselves that Dogma and I are thinking about, anymore.”

Dogma is already frowning off into the middle distance. Tup can practically see the thoughts cycling through his mind, discarded or tagged onto his list of priorities one by one. More bedrooms, for one. A bigger reception area. Maybe even an actual table to eat at, rather than finding pasta under the sofa cushions way later than they ever want to be finding it.

But then Fives asks “Are you inviting me to move in?” with a sly, and slightly shy little smile, and that snaps Dogma right out of it with a huff and a flick of a tea towel.

“Are you seriously being coy about that? You live here already, you dolt.”

Fives cackles, dodging Dogma’s next snap of the towel. He hides behind Tup, who smiles wryly and pats his shoulder.

“So? What do you think?”

Ever-indulgent, Dogma smiles over at him. It makes the vertex of his tattoo crinkle a little, just the way Tup loves.

“I think that would be wise,” he says, and lunges for Fives again. “Especially if we’re going to keep picking up strays.”

Tup reaches out and snatches Dogma by the waist, preventing him running after their hooting third. Dogma goes pliant in his hold and Tup squeezes him around the middle.

“Thank you,” he says, utterly sincere. Dogma twists to brush a kiss along his jaw.

“Of course.”

#ugh this came out disgusting actually #what a tone shift for the evening #trudemaethien #thank you!! #cloneshipping #writing tag #tup/dogma #Tup/dogma/fives

[invisiblegarabgetruck]

How do you feel about Cronenberg Jerry?

there are two sides to my feeling about him :

it's a shame that he died but at least we got to see many new aspects of him :)

and

I LOVE AND MISS HIM. PLEASE BRING HIM BACK I REFUSE TO BELIEVE HE'S DEAD--

but seriously, I was so disappointed about his short-lived cameo in S3 but S6 happened and is now one of my favorites in the series, (besides my general liking for jerry's) I find it funny that the show keeps surprising us with his re-appearance when we thought he dies and forgot about him lol (and i hope they still do that 🥺 pwease)

I think he's a very interesting character to see, he just has gone through so many changes! from S1E6 that he goes apeshit because he was so jealous to actually kind of badass at the end of the episode? (but I always like that you can see that he has always been a bit more aggressive than other jerrys in the show) S3E1 we saw that not only his and the family’s appearance have changed so much, but they also lost a bit of their mind too. (the way they talk, act aggressively, and tried to kill summer because she ‘stinks of rick’) make you wonder how long it takes until they lost it. we didn't get much of his personality during that time (but he seems more serious and confident.)

and S6E1 changes everything!! there are so many details to point at. his clothing looks less wild? he looks more blended into his surrounding now ( now that he didn't has anyone else to stand out to anymore- ) /love his way of using the Cronenberg (human) skins tho, like damn a cape and a backpack? lol his hair and beard are all grown out and grayed a bit (🤔hmmmmm)

^^^^ The 'badass-ness' is gone. all left is just a sad lonely and broken man(!!!!!) ^^^^

and he has the looks of someone who hasn't slept well in a long LONG time. I feel like Beth and Summer's death knocked a lot of senses into him because he no longer acted so feral like S3 now. like he is more calm and jaded now, kind of an asshole tho. and can you imagine how many survivor guilt he has to go through? I'm actually surprised he didn't go completely insane at that point. It is rather sad how much it cost him to develop to this point, I wonder if deep inside he regrets this life and would rather go back to being a simple lame dad instead?

/I've seen someone mention the contrast between Cronenburg Jer and our Rick. (since they suffered the same tragedy) how Cronenburg Jer takes on rick's mindset of letting go of everything and isolating himself from everyone while rick himself couldn't do that but instead never let go in the first place. and both are not good for them!!! (and tbh Cronenburg Jer mindset ended up being more parallel to Rick Prime instead!!!!)

//also, it kinda sucks that he always has developments off-screen. and we’re left with the aftermath and the end. but at the same time, i don’t think it’d be very fitting to insert the Cronenberg world episodes somewhere between the season? lol

so yeah..... that is kinda how I feel about him....... thank you for asking <3!!

#sorry this took so long to answer. #there are just..... too many thoughts to put into words....... hrngngng #rick and morty #cronenberg jerry #hermit jerry #//ask #wrick please pick ur son-in-law up and keep him around please