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euaphoric · 8 months

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MAKE A WISH ✨

♡ ♡ ♡ all jungkook wishes for on his birthday is you ♡ ♡ ♡

✩‧₊˚ pairing — jungkook x f!reader, best friends to lovers

✩‧₊˚ warnings — mostly fluff but i sprinkled in a *tiny* bit of smutty action towards the end hehe, the cliche (but cute) dynamic of being total opposites, koo wants you sooo bad omg, jk shoots his shot in such a cute & smooth way, food play (kinda?), unedited for rn but i’ll edit it later at some point !

words ⥂ 2.3k

made a lil post for jk’s birfdayyy, even tho he’s 26 he’s still like 21 in my eyes hjsjfjfds. i haven’t posted in a while so this is the least i can do for now lol hope y’all like it 😵‍💫

it’s your favorite person in the whole world’s birthday today ! you woke up in the wee hours of the morning to get everything ready for your best friend’s big day. you texted him straight away at midnight, sending the sweetest birthday message along with a gif of my melody holding a cake. you could never express into words enough how much jungkook means to you but your actions do most of the talking anyway. since he was turning 26 you got 26 pink and white balloons to scatter all over your living room, you also work at a bakery so it was obvious you had to make one for his special day. it was a single tier cake in the shape of a heart with a cute minimalistic design of a bunny and pink/white stars surrounding the edges. though the cake itself looked fairly simple, you worked really hard on it and took about 4-5 hours perfecting it. there was a lot of time and effort well spent into all this but was very worth it— only the best for the most amazing person you love and cherish. <3

the sheer excitement within you couldn’t be contained, feeling so giddy about him being on his way over to your place to come celebrate. you’ve known jungkook for years but this was the first time celebrating his birthday with just the two of you. a couple weeks ago, you asked him what he wanted for his birthday, to which he simply replied, “i don’t need anything, i just wanna hang out with you all day.” it was an odd request to you since he had so many other friends but you didn’t go against his demands, who are you to question the birthday boy’s request? to dress for this special occasion you wore a pretty pink flowy dress with a satin bow barrette in your hair, pairing it with white frilly lace socks and mary jane platforms. you looked super cute and jungkook will definitely think the same, it’s too bad he doesn’t wear much colorful stuff anymore, he’d look great in pink!

you get a call from jungkook saying he’s at your place and you immediately sprint to the door, going in for a hug as he steps inside. “happy birthday to the bestest boy in existence!” you cheer, gleefully smiling up at him. “thanks sweetie pie— wait, did you really decorate your whole house for this? there’s so much pink everywhere!” his glassy eyes soared around the room, taking in all the pretty decorations. jungkook’s outfit completely contradicted the theme, he was wearing a black fitted CK tee with black distressed jeans, very much on brand of him. “i thought it’d be cute! but that’s not all, i made you a cake, come look!” you grab his hand, leading the way for him to follow you into the kitchen, “tadaaa!”

he couldn’t stop smiling at how cute you were being, flailing your arms out towards the cake like it was some extraordinary discovery. he only chuckles in response, staring at you instead of the cake. “do you like it?” you hesitantly ask, second guessing if the cake design was a bit too simple. jungkook indefinitely snaps out his trance to respond, “oh i love it y/n, it’s adorable and i can’t wait to eat it!” well thank goodness, a weights now been lifted from your very tense shoulders. “phew.. okay good. you better have or else, i didn’t break my back doing all this for nothing!” you jokingly tease, pinching the side of his face to squish his adorably round cheeks. “can’t believe my boy has turned 26 today, you don’t look a day over 20, no wonder you still get ID’d at the bars!” it was too easy to keep teasing him, you have way too much fun doing it over the years.

“is this why you were so eager to spend my birthday with me? just so you can bully me all day?” he pouts like a child who’s about to throw a tantrum, “better be lucky you’re so darn cute..” that last comment made your face grow hot, attempting to cover your face so he doesn’t see you blushing. it’s weird how you’re getting so worked up over your best friend complimenting you, he always does it, there wasn’t much of a difference now. “you know you didn’t have to do all this for me right? celebrating this day with you is already a gift in itself.” jungkook really was a simple guy, all he needed was the people he loved most around him, that’s the best birthday gift in his eyes. “oh please, you’re my best friend so obviously i’m gonna go all out for this! plus i literally do this kinda thing for a living.. i had this prepared days in advance for you. also, quit being so sweet, you’re gonna make me cry on your own birthday!” you don’t know what’s in the air today but you can’t shake this feeling of butterflies in your stomach. “nooo, don’t do that you’ll ruin all the gorgeous makeup you’re wearing, i’m sure you spent a lot of time on that too!”

you’re not sure if it’s because it was his birthday but jungkook was acting extra cute towards you. the way he was paying more attention to you than anything else around him built an inexplicable tension between you. “i’ll go get the candles and something to cut the cake with, then after that we can do whatever you want!” you squeal from excitement, grabbing the box of colorful pastel candles and a cake knife that you actually stole from your job. placing the tiny candles around the rim to make it look aesthetically pleasing, you take the lighter from the table to light the candles. “turn off the lights!” you shout to him behind you, he hurries to find the switch to flip it off, making the room completely dark except for the tiny orange flames. you gesture for him to come closer, “ok now sit here!” sliding the chair out to let him sit down. the omitting light from the candles illuminated his face so beautifully, making your heart burst when he looks up at you with star-filled eyes. you’ll never understand how this man can be single, he’s so damn breathtaking.

it isn’t a birthday without any singing involved so you began chanting the happy birthday song to him in a cutesy high pitched tone, being the annoyingly loud best friend you always are. you had your hands rested on his broad shoulders, swaying side to side as you sang your little heart out, it probably wasn’t the best singing he’s ever heard but it’s the thought that counts! “you’re so freaking cute, stop ittt.” jungkook says after you finished singing, “it hasn’t even been a full hour yet but this is already my best birthday, thanks y/n, you made me feel special today.” he couldn’t help but express thorough gratitude for all this, you went so above and beyond for him. “oh it’s nothing really kookie, i’m just happy i get to spend this day with you.” you know he can’t see it but you smile anyway, hugging him from behind, the intoxicating scent of his cologne on his shirt made you feel dizzy.

“ok, now it’s time to make a wish. wish for anything in your wildest dreams, the world’s your oyster!” “hmm, alright.. will it come true though?” he asks in a hopeful tone, “of course it will! and if by chance it doesn’t, then i’ll make it happen.” you’d practically do anything for him, your friendship meant the world to you. “okay, here goes nothing i guess.” he shrugs, closing his eyes for a minute to think of his undying wish, once he opens them again he blows out the array of candles. “yayyy, it’s official now!” you ferociously clap, turning around to go find the light again but jungkook stops you in your tracks. “wait, please don’t turn the lights back on.” his voice sounding a bit more serious than usual. you listen and turn back to face him again, “wanna know what i ended up wishing for?” he gets up from the chair to walk towards you, pulling your hand to hold you in close to him. here comes the butterflies again… “what? you aren’t supposed to tell me your wish silly, then it won’t come true!” you playfully argue, thanking the heavens above that it’s too dark for him to see how flustered you looked. “but this wish is important, i really need it. you even said so yourself that you’ll help make it happen, right?”

just what the hell could he be up to right now ? you’re so clueless about what’s going on but you decide to humor him anyway. “hmm, yeah i guess i do remember saying that.. what was your wish that’s so important then?” pressing your body further into his chest, the atmosphere felt much different than it usually did, you couldn’t seem to put your finger on why though. without any hesitation he reveals his only wish, “i want you to be my girlfriend.” your body felt frozen, you were sure this had to be a dream at this point, there’s no way your best friend is asking you out.. no freaking way. “w-what?” the dry lump in your throat made it impossible to talk, you were so overwhelmed with emotions it seemed like you were rejecting him, but in reality you were just too stunned to speak. “i don’t care if this ruins our friendship anymore, i can’t keep holding this in… i’m in love with you y/n. ever since you broke things off with that loser i couldn’t stop thinking about you being my girlfriend. i can treat you so much better baby, i promise, just give me a chance. that’s all i want for my birthday, just wanna make you finally mines.” he gravely confessed everything, laying out all the thoughts he had building up over time.

you were still in shock but you had to say something before you mess up, clearing your throat to voice what you had to say. “i can’t believe i’m about to say this but, i don’t want to keep being friends anymore...” slowly pausing before finishing your thoughts. “wha-” “because i want to be your girlfriend too.” you quickly cut him off, heart anxiously pounding at the fact you just admitted to this. it never dawned on you that jungkook could ever feel romantically towards you but he hid his feelings a little too well for you to never detect this secret. the distance between you was seemingly nonexistent, feeling his warm breath against the side of your face as he leans in closer. “i guess it’s official then, you’re my girl now.” a pair of ring clad hands cup your face gently, pulling you in for a slow kiss. his soft lips felt so divine against yours, the languid movement of his body with yours was like magic. out of all the fake scenarios you created in your head about kissing jungkook, none of them could top the real thing. his peach flavored lip balm tasted so sweet, delighting you with even more hunger for him, the room felt like it was spinning.

a whine slips from your lips when he momentarily pulls away, missing the peachy candy taste of him. you could kiss him for hours with absolutely no complaints. “now that you’re my girlfriend can i do the thing i’ve really always wanted?” jungkook cranes his head to the side while asking, tracing the outline of your lips with his thumb. you thought him kissing you was what he wanted most but guess not. “of course honey, whatever the birthday boy wants the birthday boy gets!” you were willing to make this the most memorable birthday he’ll ever have. “to be completely honest, i want you to ride my face. but you can do that later for me, i wanna try this cake you made!” his attentions drawn back to turning to the light on again, finally getting able to see each other better. you were trying so hard to play it cool after he said that, but on the inside was total chaos. this whole day escalated so quickly, you wanted to pinch yourself to wake up but this felt way too good to be a dream— you’re now dating your best friend and couldn’t be happier.

“this looks so damn good, i can’t wait to eat it.” jungkook smacks his lips at the piece of cake you cut for him, and of course, it was on a pink plate with a matching fork to fit the theme. “i’m most excited to eat you instead though.” he smugly grins, dipping his finger into the frosting, but instead of eating it he dabs it on the side of your face. “what are you doing?” you cluelessly respond before he leans in again, this time licking the sweet buttercream off your cheek. “i wanna try somethin’ real quick, hold on.” he announces as he goes back to dip in the frosting again, you could sense the mischief all over his face. his other hand travels to the neckline of your dress, pulling it down slowly to reveal one of your perky breasts, his eyes were like a deer in headlights, in complete awe of how perfect you looked. “so much fucking better than i imagined.” the tent in his pants grew inevitably, biting his lip at the stunning sight in front him. bringing his finger to your perched nipple, he coats it with the pink icing, bending down to sensually lick it off once again. “nnghh.. that felt so good..” you lull out a moan, body turning into straight puddy by his touch. “don’t worry babe, there’s more where that came from,” the devilish smirk on jungkook’s face was enough to know he wasn’t kidding around, “i’m about to have the best birthday sex ever.”

#jungkook #jungkook bts #jungkook fluff #jeon jungkook fluff #jungkook smut #jeon jungkook smut #jungkook x f reader #jungkook x reader #jungkook imagines #jungkook x female reader #bts smut #bts fluff

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peachhcs · 13 days

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losing the championships

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

will's self-doubt creeps in after losing the finals making him snap at the one person who's always there for him, almost making her turn her back on him.

2.6k words

warnings: a bit of angst, arguing, crying, this is a sad post in general

ik im feeding y’all rn but i feel weird putting this out in two days and not now haha, but guys you know i had to do it. i had to get the angst out. i think this is like the first angsty post in the series?? i hate when there is angst, but i love writing it lmao. i'm not sure how accurate some of this is, but i hope the trio stays on for another season!! i'd actually be devestated if they don't. anyways keep requesting!! <3

au masterlist

it didn’t feel real. nothing felt real watching her best friends crumple to the ice in utter defeat and heartbreak just two days after winning the semifinals. samy stood up in the stands nearly motionless while everything around her fell silent. she didn’t think those moments were actually real whenever they played in movies, but here she was hardly focusing on anything but her best friends in tears.

her eyes couldn’t leave ryan on his knees with his face in the ice. she just wanted to wrap all of them into her arms so none of them would feel this type of pain anymore.

the stupid jumbotron panned to everyone’s reactions, basically putting the boys on full blast when they most definitely didn’t want anyone to see them crying like they were. samy’s heart only broke further when she finally looked down at her boyfriend trying to hold himself together while comforting a sobbing ryan and teary gabe.

her own eyes grew teary seeing those three so destroyed not knowing what was next for any of them. that was probably the scariest part.

when will searched for samy’s gaze the waterworks broke like a dam for the couple. the youngest hughes was completely crying and will’s shame settled into his skin that he lost the game without even scoring a single point.

their coach urged the boys down the tunnel before the cameras could get any more shots of them. samy tried pulling herself together, but her hiccuping cries didn’t stop slipping out no matter how hard she tried holding them in.

boston’s side of the lobby was nearly silent which almost mirrored michigan’s team two days ago. suddenly, seeing those happy memories wasn’t as easy anymore. samy’s mind raced wondering if this game really was the last for her favorite trio or if they’d stay on one more season with boston.

thirty minutes passed before the bc boys slowly trickled out of the locker room. their bloodshot eyes and tear stained faces were enough to send more tears into samy’s own eyes. her lip quivered waiting for her boyfriend to appear, but he didn’t come out after his usual spot behind ryan and gabe. the two boys found samy’s gaze, frowning even deeper.

“hey, i’m so sorry. i-i have no words,” samy brought them into big hugs hoping to ease a bit of their ache.

“what a fucking night,” ryan muttered bitterly.

“you guys played well. those refs were idiots making calls,” the brunette shook her head.

“will’s still in there. he’s..he’s not taking this one too well. you can go in if you want, but he may explode. I i don’t want you to think he’s mad at you, he’ll just find something to take his anger out on,” gabe explained briefly. samy’s eyes slid towards the locker room doorway where her boyfriend hid.

“don’t worry, i know how he gets. I’ll see if i can talk to him,” she couldn’t be scared of will.

he was her best friend and boyfriend. he’d never intentionally hurt her and if he said things, she knew he was just angry with himself, not her. the girl shuffled her way towards the locker room trying to put on a brave face for will’s sake.

she knocked on the door before slowly pushing it open. her eyes scanned the practically empty room until she found her boyfriend slumped in his stall at the end of the benches. her hands trembled as she slid further in and leaned against the door.

“will?”

his eyes snapped towards hers. he looked like a mess and that only unleashed more waterworks seeing him in this state. it wasn’t one samy saw him a lot in, so when she did, it hurt extra hard.

“if you’re here to try and make me feel better, i don’t wanna hear it,” the boy mumbled bitterly which quickly caught samy off guard.

she wasn’t expecting that from him so immediately.

“i’m not. just here to be with you,” the girl said, trying to hide the shake in her voice.

“well, i’m not really in the mood to be around anyone right now. just go. i’ll be out in a few minutes,” the bitterness in his voice definitely stung, but samy tried shaking him off knowing he was just upset.

“will..” she inched forward, wanting to reach out to him. he looked as if anyone touched him he’d just break into a million pieces.

“i said go. i don’t need your fucking sympathy. i feel feel like shit,” the blonde snapped this time making samy instantly draw back.

“i know you’re upset, i get it. this loss fucking sucks. i’m just trying—”

“you don’t fucking get it, samy! i just lost the championship game 2-0. we scored zero points. you know how fucking embarrassing that is? i’ve been trying to prove myself all season about how good i can be and then i lose the championship game. you’ll never fucking get it!” there it was.

will’s tone rose with anger and hurt all mixed into one. samy swallowed the nerves climbing higher in her stomach as she tried remembering none of this was really directed at her. she was just the person will was getting his anger out on.

“i-i do get it, will. remember my championship game in december? we choked. i-i get it, i do. it sucks and i’m so sorry it ended this way. i wish it didn’t—”

“stop saying you get it. it’s not the fucking same. you’ve never had to work for anything in your life because of your family!”

the blonde’s harsh words finally hit a nerve. samy’s face twisted and she didn’t know anymore if he really didn’t mean it or not, but through the anger, will realized what he said.

“samy..i didn’t—”

“fuck you, will. you of all people should know how hard i’ve worked to be where i am right now. i know you’re upset about everything right now, but you don’t need to bring me down to make yourself feel better. don’t bother waiting up. i’m leaving with ryan and gabe,” samy stormed out of the locker room before will could say anything more.

the tears streamed down her face as soon as she was in the lobby again. ryan and gabe instantly noticed her distraught expression, immediately going to her.

“shit, what happened?” ryan muttered.

“can we just go? i can’t deal with him right now,” samy choked out. the two exchanged a worried glance, but obliged.

the whole ride back to the hotel was nothing but silence as everyone reeled from the disappointing night.

—

gabe let samy camp out in his hotel room for the night. he didn’t dare ask her what happened in the locker room knowing she’d tell him if she wanted to; however, the dark-haired boy wanted to go knock some sense into will knowing he most definitely snapped too hard at samy which made her want to avoid him.

it was almost two in the morning when there was a small knock. still awake, the two exchanged wary glances, so gabe got the door.

he pulled it open to reveal a very weary, teary-eyed, sad, and frustrated will. for a moment, gabe almost let him in, but he stopped himself because he didn’t want the boy blowing up at samy again. the girl sat nervously on the bed just out of sight of the door listening in on them.

“is she here?” will rasped out, voice dry from the amount he cried after samy left the locker room and getting back to the hotel.

“i’m not sure i wanna answer that,” gabe stood his ground.

“come on, perreault. leno said he didn’t have her,” will tried again.

hearing how wrecked he sounded broke samy’s heart all over again. gabe gazed back at her, a look in his eyes asking her if she really wanted to see him.

even though he insulted her, something in samy was still trying to justify it for him being upset and angry. she really wanted to believe he didn’t mean it. with that, the girl crawled off the bed and shuffled her way behind gabe’s 6’1 figure.

“we can talk in your room,” samy mumbled.

“o-okay,” the shake in her boyfriend’s voice made samy want to lunge herself at him and make all the pain go away, but she had to stand up for herself still.

“you’re sure?” gabe wondered before letting her go.

“i’m sure. i’ll see you tomorrow,” she rubbed his arm and stepped around him.

her and will walked three doors down where his hotel room was. it was basically hers too since most of her stuff was scattered across the room over the past few days they’ve been there.

will shut the door behind them. the brunette looked at him expectantly knowing she said everything she could. a beat of silence passed before the tears quickly filled the blonde’s eyes and he started completely sobbing in front of her. he crumpled against the door, choking sobs falling from his lips as he body sunk into the ground.

for a second, samy just stared at him until her instincts kicked in and she went to him without hesitation this time.

“oh will,” she curled into his side, stroking his hair as his body fell into hers.

“i’m so sorry. i didn’t mean any of it. i don’t know why i said it. i was upset and i know that’s not an excuse at all,” the boy rambled into her shoulder.

“i know this loss hurts, but taking your anger out on people with harsh words isn’t gonna make it better,” samy said.

“i know, i know. i-i’m so sorry. i shouldn’t have lashed out on you. that’s not fair to you at all.”

“i was just trying to comfort you like i always do after losses,” the girl hated seeing her boyfriend so upset like this. his tears dripped everywhere on her even after samy tried wiping them away with her thumb.

“i know. i shouldn’t have pushed you away like that. i just.. I didn’t want you to see me like that,” will’s voice grew softer at his small admission.

“what do you mean like that?” i’ve seen you lose games before.”

“i don’t know if this is how you felt after your soccer game, but i felt so pathetic for losing a championship game where we didn’t even score. my pride was hurt and i worried you’d think i wasn’t good enough anymore because i lost like that,” his words continued breaking samy’s heart.

she grabbed ahold of his face so he was looking at her, “i’d never think any less of you because you lost. it happens. you’re not pathetic for losing and i promise it doesn’t make me look at you any differently.”

“i guess i’m just always scared you’ll get sick of me and realize i’m not actually worth it. that and a hundred other emotions were just going through me and it came out really wrong,” will frowned.

a small sigh escaped the girl’s lips hearing the boy she’s known all her life doubt himself so much. “you’re always worth it, will. nothing’s ever gonna change that for me, okay? i’m always gonna be in love with you and wanna be around you win or lose, whatever's happening in your career. you’re stuck with me,” a small laugh escaped their lips at the last part.

“i know that. i just get really doubtful when i get down on myself and hard losses like that happen.”

“i get it, but i’m not going anywhere, okay? you played your best tonight, those refs were making shit calls and unfortunately, denver just figured us out.”

a small nod came from will. he pushed his forehead onto samy’s just trying to ease all the thoughts running through his mind while focusing on the way she ran her fingers gently through his hair and around his curls. some of his roots were rough and red from the way he pulled harshly on them earlier, so her gentle motions slowly eased the ache.

“i’m scared that i don’t know what’s gonna happen next with any of us,” will spoke again after a small silence.

he lifted his head again to meet his girlfriend’s gaze before leaning it against the door.

“are you gonna sign on?” the idea played in samy’s mind as well after tonight’s game.

the decision was entirely up to the coaches of each of the guy’s respective teams, but considering how well all of them played and improved in one season, they may want them sooner rather than later.

“i don’t know. it’s up to whether the sharks want me now or later,” will answered.

“have you talked to ryan or gabe? what they may do?”

“washington’s pushing closer to the playoffs. they may want ryan on for it. i dunno. gabe’s most likely gonna stay. i don’t think the rangers are quite ready for him yet. the ideal situation is we all stay one one more season with boston,” will explained a bit, his fingers drawing mindles shapes into samy’s leg.

“what do the sharks say about you?” the girl wondered with a raised eyebrow.

“you know what they say about me. they want me now. they wanna wait another year. it’s..sort of up to me i guess,” will shrugged a bit, avoiding eye contact.

“would you sign on now?” she rephrased her question from earlier.

“if i sign on now, my entire life gets flipped around in a week and i have to move to california, but then i’d possibly get to play in the playoffs. if i wait, i get to stay with boston and everyone for another year and more importantly, see you more frequently than if i was in california,” samy rolled her eyes at the last part—he was always so down bad for her.

“don’t make the decision based on me, will. you’ll see me still.”

“i know, but i think i do subconsciously anyway. you’re just my life now,” his words sent a deep blush across the girl’s cheeks.

“i’m flattered,” she rubbed the side of his cheek making him lean into her touch.

“you’re everything to me, samy. i’m really, really in love with you and i can’t imagine my life without you in it,” will smiled softly.

the girl flushed, but returned his smile. hearing those kinds of things come out of his mouth was still something the brunette was getting used to even after 9 months of being together.

“you’re everything to me too, will. i love you a lot.”

the boy leaned forward to place a gentle, yet loving kiss on her lips. they melted into one another, small sighs escaping their mouths at the contact. her hands tugged at his curls while his own curved around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer like he needed her as close as possible or else he couldn’t function.

part of it was true. without samy, will was lost like a fish in the ocean. she was a part of him and he was a part of her. they were intertwined and always would be. her soft lips soothed every single thought and self-doubt will had because as long as his favorite girl believed in him, that was all that mattered.

“i know i said this already, but thank you for being here. it means a lot to me,” will said when they pulled apart.

“i’d never miss this. i’ll always skip classes for you,” she grinned.

the boy beamed, pulling her back in for another kiss.

the two didn’t get into bed until nearly 3:30 in the morning. samy curled into will’s side, his arm tightly around her as she laid on his chest. the tension in the air completely dissipated and the cries died down. things felt okay again.

they’d sleep tangled in one another all night knowing the next morning samy had to catch her plane back to michigan and will would be left with one big decision that would decide what plane he had to catch.

#hughes!sister x will smith au #will smith hockey #samy x will #boston college #boston college hockey #samy hughes #umich hockey #will smith imagine #will smith x oc #uofmichigan #bc hockey #ryan leonard #gabe perreault #will smith hockey fluff #willl smith fluff #umichsoccer

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watchyourbuck · 8 months

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Oh god okay here we go

Why must I go into heavy detail you ask? Well, I am actually unable to shut up so here it is them 10 TOP “there’s no chance this is a straight friendship” MOMENTS

“You can have my back any day” aka the enemies to lovers speedrun. The immediate feeling we’re supposed to get from the screen is jealousy. Buck is jealous of the new recruit because he’s hot, a medic, a veteran, whatever. I’ll give it to you children, he WAS jealous. But then they go on call and they get into immediate danger bc 911 is a drama and then Eddie’s very keen on being Buck’s partner. Nothing queer til then right? WRONG. Eddie’s line is pretty normal but the way Buck reacts isn’t. I have had my fair share of “huh this person I didn’t like is actually cool” moments but nEVER have I once sucked in a breath, forgot how to blink, rushed in my words OR stared at said person like I’d like for them to be my lover. Three points to Gayfindor.

“Is your son REALLY the reason you don’t date?” This line and the dialogue that follows makes absolutely no sense from the non-queer glass. Alright he asks bc he wants to know why two girls practically launched themselves at him and he declined (such a kind offer lmao) but… why are you standing so close? Why do you bump shoulders with him as you walk? Most importantly, what the FUCK does Eddie’s smirk mean after “they’re not my type either… not anymore.” Idk about you guys but when I’m not on the market I’m actually not in it 😀 and I don’t go around looking at my best friend like I’d consider fucking her (I’m actually kinda yikes about that thought bc she’s like my sister). Bottom line is: if you’re willing to fuck your best friend, there’s attraction. That scenes oozes attraction and I’d be willing to white glove challenge a body language reader.

The Tsunami. YES okay, there are far many moments in between but I also need to make this a somewhat readable list so here we go. We’re gonna pretend for a hot second Buck wants to save his best friend’s son, and not the child that he considers his own bc I’m tired. Let’s skip to the far end of this (be GrAtEfuL I’m skipping the whole sacrifice that this episode entailed. Buck was willing to die, to never sit down again if it meant looking for Chris [& the utter fear he has to face Eddie]. It’s a lot). Now, I do not OWN a child (thank god) but if I did, I wouldn’t be particularly comfortable with a simple friend from work taking care of them. They could be my very best friend from work and I’d still feel a little icky -at least nervous- about it. Yet Eddie not only takes Christopher back A F T E R the tsunami (Chris could’ve died and Eddie is nothing short of apprehensive), but he says ‘there’s no one I trust with my son more than you’. Um. Not his wife. Not his family (CHRIS’ family), not Abuela, not Tia Pepa. Buck. Who he… just met? Surely it isn’t bc he’s uncle buck… I don’t believe even Maddie has said that to Buck, where he’s actually, yknow, UNCLE BUCK. Co-parenting is not something done between a parent and a friend, and I know this shit bc my mom raised me with a few of her friends and guys,,, she never said that to any of them. Also Chris is practically never seen with anyone else from the 188firefam alone.

The Kitchen Scene™️. I have gone on rants about this before but truth be told THIS is the scene that conveys the MOST canonically sexual tension between them. We can joke about it all y’all want but this scene is unhinged. I don’t think Oliver and Ryan were aware that they should’ve been friends in this scene. The way the conversation shifts from apologetic sad puppy eyes to “you’re throwing your punches at the wrong guy” to I CAN TAKE YOU (???) you can what? “Oh you think?” “Oh I know” HELLO? Pls don’t even get me started on how Buck approaches Eddie, the way he’s puffy-chested, his hand on his belt, eyeing him up and down, nearly biting his lip, cocky grin,,,,, explain to me in hetero. I’m waiting😐 guys c’mon exPLAIN IT TO ME IN HETERO. The way Eddie glances to the side bc where’s Chris? And h o w he sips his beer right after, smirking, tiLTING His head. I’m sorry this is not straight in any way. I’m sorry you’re gonna have to accept this.

Clipboard Buck. Alright u got me!!! This one’s a lil silly, but so is my life, so it’s fair game. Clipboard Buck is annoying as fuck, he’s so fucking annoying. The entire firefam picks up on this, no one wants to be around,,,, except Eddie. You could argue that it’s bc he likes him as a friend and he’s just indulging …. 👁️👄👁️ sure but he also hides from Interim Captain Han soooo anyway what’s fun about this is how willing Eddie is to comply with everything he says. He’s basically twirling his hair, kicking his feet, smiling & blushing and “check!” 🧍🏽‍♀️ buck is kinky (that is canon e.g the ring cutter) and he gets high on authority and Eddie does backflips to meet his kinks. Exhibit 5 complete.

The Lawsuit Arc acka the first divorce era😔✊🏼. This one makes me rage a little bit because I get really upset at Buck for acting recklessly. Like baby let yourself HEAL. Anyway,,,, onto what brings us here 🥷🏼. It’s canon that the entire team is mad at Buck, they don’t really wanna bump into him, can’t really speak to him,,, but Eddie? Eddie’s filled with wrath. I cannot stress enough the fact that he uses Chris as an excuse “do you even know how much he misses you? how could you! you’re not here”. The way he expresses himself, and we’re choosing to ignore the fact that he HIMSELF misses Buck,, that’s how you talk to someone who has a responsibility with the child, not the fun coworker that randomly shows up @ your house with pizza every once in a while. “I couldn’t even call you to bail me out of jail”. He’s so u p s e t that for the first time they know each other he can’t rely on Buck when he’s hurting and in danger. And pls for the love of Jesus Christ my lord & savior don’t tell me that it’s a 118 thing bc he calls Ronda Rousey to come pick him up 🎅🏻 that grocery store scene is.. interesting.

Eddie Underground. Alright we’re getting serious now guys,,, might as well put on your thinking caps on this one. We all know the story, this isn’t a latest ep recap soooo The wAY Buck’s the ONLY ONE who desperately calls Eddie’s name when he’s fallen underground, amidst the heavy rain and dirt. Listen to me: he starts digging with his hands. With his bare hands I tell you!!!! 😩 Bobby has to physically pull him back as he cries on his lap. Buck is a smart man, he wouldn’t do something that’s completely illogic, he knows he can’t dig him out but he’s so desperate. His voice breaks, he can’t breathe, he becomes impulsive, reckless, impatient. Do I need to remind y’all the reason he wasn’t the one getting strapped to go underground??? “You’re not going down there. So we can have two cut off ropes?” Everyone knows he’s willing to sacrifice his integrity for Eddie bc his life doesn’t make sense without him. “We’ll get him back for you”

The Shooting + “I’ve made u my son’s dad lol”. When Eddie gets shot the world freezes for Buck. He’s left standing there, staring as Eddie’s blood splatters on him. He has to be tackled down. Even then, he’s unable to move, to breathe. He just looks as he bleeds out, and theN he snaps back into reality, bracing himself to go under the truck (foregoing his own trauma - I’ve said this before) and preparing for the amount of strength it’s gonna take to pull him under it. He screams at him to hold on, and later when he manages to pull him inside the truck he tells him he needs him to hang on. He rips his uniform open, he cries and screams,,, then Eddie wakes up, and he asks BUCK if HES okay. Bc he saw blood :( also as @butraura pointed out, he can’t die if Buck’s dying bc what about Chris? He only lets himself drift off when he knows Buck’s okay. Then we got The Will Reveal™️ also so unhinged. “You knew I wouldn’t turn it down” right what is this guys??? That was a year ago. He added him to his will A yEaR aGo. Idk about y’all but I haven’t added my friends to my will😀 also Buck’s the one who tells Chris ??? (I’m being very brief on this subject). Also “Because, Evan” shut up🧎🏽‍♀️

& 10. The Lightning Strike + “She sees me”. I’m doing these together bc I haven’t watched this episodes yet but I’m an addict so I’ve spoiled myself to the brim. The way Eddie screams Buck’s name, the way he saves him, “do more” h e l l o ?? The absolute PAIN in Eddie’s eyes, “you died Buck” “3 minutes and 17 seconds”, “his humor hasn’t changed” & the fact that he listens to Buck on his super genius math theory. And then Buck goes and says “I feel like Natalia sees me” ok. I mean my feelings mean nothing but Eddie’s face ??? That’s a man that knows he’s waited too long.

I rest my case. I’m missing a lot of scenes (like a lot omg Abby comes back, Buck under the Truck, Buck vomiting blood, the Taylor Arc) & y’all can argue in the comments about them, or add shit or try to dismantle mine, honestly the floor is yours idc wHat u do, just know you won’t convince me otherwise 🤸🏽these two are in love & that’s pretty much that on THAT. PERIOD.

#I’m sorry for this long ass post #buddie #911 fox #evan buckley #eddie diaz #911 #911 tv show #buck x eddie #evan buck buckley #buck and eddie #911 abc #buddie drabble #buddie ship #evan buckley x eddie diaz #evan buck buckely #buck/eddie #911 buddie #buddie 911

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pedriscroquettes · 1 year

Note

☀️ #1/2 for pablo torre please xx

anywhere – pablo torre

prompts: forehead kisses, and smiling through the kiss & resting their forehead on the other’s after a kiss

warnings: none except really cute fluff?? lots of spanish slang???

listened to a rock and a hard place by bailey zimmerman & jersey giant by elle king just so y’all know how fluffy this is.

the darkness that engulfed the room made you wonder if you were still dreaming and if the loud sound that came from the bathroom had even occurred. you were about to fall asleep again thinking you were just hearing things but soon a small mumble could be heard from the bathroom and you noticed the empty space next to you. you reached over towards your nightstand to check what time it was on your phone.

4 am.

you couldn’t help the disappointed sigh that escaped your lips. you took a few minutes to wake yourself up and made your way towards the bathroom. you were met with a half awake and half asleep pablo upon your entrance. he was currently picking up some of your lotions from the ground while still rubbing his eyes awake.

“pablo…” he turned around to face you. “you promised you would stop doing this. it isn’t healthy for you.”

the brunette had been waking up in the early hours of the morning just so he could be the first one to practice as well as to get some extra hours in the gym. you had found him sitting at the kitchen table asleep and had made him promise he would sleep for another hour or two. there was no reason for him to tire himself just to end up in the same situation over and over again. you hated seeing himself burned out just for him to see the game like a spectator instead of playing in it like he dreamed of.

“joder, me asustaste.” he combed his hair with his hand. (fuck, you scared me.)

“a lo mejor te lo mereces por la manera que estás actuando.” you grinned proud of yourself. (maybe it’s what you deserve for the way you’re acting.)

his expression falters for a moment as if he was trying to figure out how to defend himself. you can see the wheels turning in his mind. you’d known him for years, you knew when he was about to have a serious conversation and you could sense one coming up.

“i just don’t want you to feel like you moved here for nothing.” he blurts out.

“what are you talking about?” you’re concerned for him now.

“i feel like i’m letting my family, my friends, and you down every game. i never play and now they want to send me to scotland. there’s nothing wrong with ireland but we just moved here and i don’t want you to leave somewhere you just got adjusted to. if i manage to prove myself we don’t have to go through that.” pablo’s cheeks are flushed by the end of his rant.

“pablo, look at me.” he turns around to face you and step closer to him as you cup his face. “i have followed you everywhere. i left santander for you, trust me i would follow you to ireland too. and listen to me carefully when i say you have never let me down except that time you refused to let me take a picture with lewandowski.”

pablo can’t help but laugh remembering how you had told him that lewandowski was a dilf. he had never let you near him again after that.

“i just don’t like that you come to all the games when you could be studying just to see me on the bench or run around for at most fifteen minutes. i know how much your degree means to you and i don’t want to move you around anymore.” he tries to explain his point of view.

“i really appreciate how much you care about me pablo i really do but you’ve got to take care of yourself as well. i go to all your games because i support you even if you don’t play. as for my degree there’s universities in scotland too. it’ll be okay whatever happens just don’t burn yourself out.” you try to reason with him.

he can’t help but embrace you wondering how he had gotten so lucky. you’d both had been so supportive of each other ever since your geography teacher had paired the both of you up for a project. initially he had just invited you to games just for the sake of it but soon enough he had started dedicating his goals to you. he kisses your forehead as he remembers how you’ve been there for him, always.

“you’d actually move to glasgow with me if for some reason i do get loaned?” he whispers.

“only if you let me talk to robert before you leave.” he steps back glaring at you. “i’m just kidding pablito. i’m here in barcelona aren’t i? obviously i would go anywhere with you.”

“no me gustan tus gilipolleces.” he says sternly before breaking into laughter. (i don’t like your bullshit.)

“you love me.” he leans in for a kiss.

a kiss that you’ll probably never erase from your memories by the way you both smile halfway through it. pablo can’t help but rest his forehead on yours internally thinking about how he had won the lottery with you. he was eternally grateful for the project about central american nations his teacher had assigned him all those years ago. he also puts a reminder in his mind to thank you later because he missed the feeling of his comfortable mattress.

#my first fluff ever??? cheers!!#pablo torre #pablo torre imagine #pablo torre fic #football imagine #football fic #ash writes #ash answers #ash’s big 300

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tarisilmarwen · 10 months

Text

Rebels Rewatch: “Brothers of the Broken Horn”

Hooooooondoooooooooooooo! :D

When we open we see that Phoenix Cell has temporarily taken to port at Garel.

Which is looking as lovely as ever.

We pan down with a pleasant musical cue to see that Rex has set Ezra up with some blaster training, enlisting Chopper as a moving target.

Ezra’s already clearly frustrated and grows moreso when Kanan shows up and tells him he’s missing a Jedi training session. His discouraged, “What if I don’t want to be either [a soldier or a Jedi]?” surprises Rex but alarms Kanan, who knows how desperately Ezra wants to be a Jedi in normal circumstances.

Neither man can figure out the reason why Ezra’s upset though (really guys? y’all be dense), and they’re interrupted by Sabine calling them in for a briefing.

The mission is honestly a little bit incidental to the plot, only really there to establish the MacGuffin that people will be wrestling over trying to possess this episode. Ezra doesn’t get to participate as now Hera is on him also, to scrub the Phantom.

So many “teenager whines about chores to parents” vibes in this scene, especially when Hera chides Chopper for laughing about it and makes him help too lol.

Ezra is understandably feeling overwhelmed by the myriad pressures that are colliding over him right now, complaining to Chopper about it. Kanan and Rex are pulling him in opposite directions and fighting with each other over it every step of the way, and this has made him discouraged, unsure of his path forward, and missing the simplicity of his life before the Ghost, as rough as it was.

So of course he jumps at the opportunity to distract himself from everything when Chopper picks up a distress signal from Vizago’s ship.

Borrowing Mom’s van to make a wellness check on your old criminal fencing friends lol.

Yes, this is super irresponsible and dangerous but also Ezra really needed this little day trip to clear his head and remind himself how much he’s changed from the kind of person who would’ve jumped at Hondo’s offer.

So this episode is mostly character building/character renewal for Ezra and also a Friendship Fetch Quest that nets us Hondo Ohnaka. After Rex, he’s one of the most important allies we gain this season.

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Back to Ezra doing things that absolutely got him grounded after this episode. XD

(Lol at Ezra’s defensive little, “I know how to fly.” towards Chopper, immediately belied by him scraping the Phantom on its hooks.)

Garel be pretty, what can I say?

Hilarious that the ship got stuck in Garel airspace, I have to assume Hondo and Vizago met with their, ah, “disagreement” literally almost as soon as they took off lolol.

Fyrnock cue coming back here, I guess we’re using it as shorthand for uncertain perilous situations now.

The similarities to the previous episode in the creepy seemingly abandoned nature of the ship I’m going to assume were deliberate in order to catch us off guard when it was all subverted and Hondo was introduced, instead of some horrible danger.

And yeah, Hondo is a bit “defanged” from his Clone Wars incarnation but I think it kinda fits, you know, the all-consuming overwhelming evil of the Empire is such that mundane run-of-the-mill pirates and criminal overlords are simply just not as frightening or dangerous anymore. The Empire ruins everything, even the lives of outliers who used to just fly under the radar.

Ezra keeps darting glances at Hondo’s arm around his shoulder like he’s not entirely comfortable with it being there, lol.

I mentioned that Ezra’s mechanical skills sort of fall by the wayside as he grows into his role as Jedi so it’s nice that he gets to use them here.

“This was such a bad idea, Hera’s going to kill me when if I get back.”

Ah man, Ezra continues to have just such a look of regretting all of the decisions that led him to this point, poor bby.

He slips pretty naturally back into his street orphan trickster/swindler/pickpocket persona though, smoothly bargaining with Hondo to distract from his swiping the sentry droid control.

Frynock cue transmuted to strings instead of brass as we descend.

Nice to see a moon that looks like an actual moon. This is a pretty unique location and I’m glad we get to visit it again later in the season.

Ezra planning ahead for trouble because he remembers how this kind of thing can easily go down, kind of a subtle hint at how familiar he is with the workings of the criminal underground.

And it’s a good thing he did because it’s Azmorigan that we’re meeting. Love Ezra’s immediate look of, “Ah hell.” and hiding his face.

“I don’t deal with washed-up old relics!” “Come now, let’s leave your wife out of this.” PFFFKJHGKH HONDO PLZ.

This brief comedic exchange actually kind of gives some insight into Hondo’s changed circumstances. The current criminal overlords consider him outdated, washed up, from a bygone era, an old fool desperately clinging to relevance. It fits because Hondo is a bit of a classic romantic at heart, fond of what we would call “swashbuckling adventure”. It’s the reason he loves the Jedi and thinks back on them wistfully and nostalgically, they represent the kind of dramatic tales and bold feats of a golden era full of opportunity for reward and glory. But there’s no more room for that kind of frivolous excitement under the iron oppressive hand of the Empire, you adapt or you die out, and Hondo refuses to do either.

...Right, now that I’ve given myself feels over a comedic side character let’s move on.

The light woodwind ditties in the soundtrack belie the actual tension of this scene, especially when Ezra has his helmet pulled off. (The cadet helmet he had Sabine paint for him, which he keeps retreating into when he feels unsafe in this episode, the biased shipper in me would like to point out.)

You can practically hear the string of curses inside his head as he tries to hide his face here.

No dice, Azmorigan recognizes him, cue Big Damn Heroes moment from the orange tin can murderhobo himself and a decent little action setpiece. What I’m most impressed with/interested in in this sequence is Ezra himself, how he moves with such skill and finesse.

Also catch me crying remembering when he was tiny enough to hop over his own bound hands like a jumprope. I don’t think that trick would work as well post growth spurt.

An impulsive and genuinely selfless move from Hondo as he pushes Ezra out of the way of the cargo ladder Azmorigan sent rolling at him. And this is before he knows Ezra’s a Jedi so Hondo really basically just took one look at this kid and decided he’d die for him. Which, you know, valid.

This droid is a menace lol.

Ezra takes a risk by using his Force abilities. Fortunately Azmorigan is too busy fleeing for his life from Chopper to see, and Hondo loves Jedi. (See again: classic romanticist at heart.)

“You must have many responsibilities.” “Yeah. Too many at the moment.”

This kid. :(((( He’s under such pressure.

Ezra’s little “Wait a minute.” side look here lol.

And he continues not to enjoy Hondo’s affection ha ha.

It’s cute but also my brain is wandering to the fridge on this one because:

A) Ezra is now comfortable with all the casual touches and gestures of physical affection from the Ghost crew, which mirrors how he’s found a new home with them and no longer belongs in Hondo’s world.

And B) given the events of last episode it’s not surprising Ezra is a bit touchy about weird strangers violating his personal boundaries.

“Maybe I would make a pretty good pirate. Inquisitors don’t hunt them do they?” Honey you are Force Sensitive and already on their radar, hanging out with Hondo would only hide you for so long.

(Yet another thing that’s apparently been on his mind and adding to his anxieties. In light of that his initial refusal to help Vizago makes more sense, the kid has so much on his plate already and just does not want to deal with anything else.)

Lol Ezra talking to Vizago like Vizago’s a problem child he’s babysitting.

Right, this whole scene right here is why I don’t do stories with casts of morally gray protagonists, the constant backstabbing and side-switching are exhausting.

Look, even Ezra’s exhausted. Poor kid needs a nap he looks so tired.

Fortunately for Ezra, Chopper has his back, having put the Phantom on autopilot beforehand. So he winds up not losing the Phantom (this time) and actually accomplishing the mission without really trying.

I do wanna see that missing scene where the Phantom returns to the Ghost and Hera’s all ready to let Ezra have it and then this weird Weequay pops out lolol.

They look so proud, like, “Awww that’s our little gremlin child.”

Aaaaand this little heartwarming look from Hondo is getting to me a bit this time around.

He’s so fond of Ezra ajkhaksfjfh.

Hera’s taking the whole “running off with the Phantom instead of doing his chores” thing remarkably well all things considered. I guess it helps that he lucked into finding some generators.

There is no reason for this shot to be this pretty this is just a hanger.

*sobbing forever about how Hondo functions as narrative foil for how Ezra could have turned out if not for his Found Family and how that’s acknowledged in-text*

SEE PREVIOUS OBSERVATION ABOUT HOW EZRA IS USED TO AND COMFORTABLE WITH CASUAL AFFECTIONATE TOUCHING FROM HIS FAMILY.

I caught a lot of unexpected feels rewatching this episode, I’ve always liked it for being a fun Ezra-focused episode but I’m seeing just how it fits neatly into his character journey. Things got hairy last episode, the stressors and pressure points (Rex and Kanan’s bickering) continue to increase and he got understandably overwhelmed.

The growing pains in his self-identity, questioning whether or not he even wants to be a Jedi at this point, just to get granted a glimpse of what his life might have looked like if he had continued on that self-serving path and realizing how much he’s changed... aaaaaaah I love it!

Another successful Friendship Fetch Quest accomplished.

#star wars #star wars rebels #ezra bridger #rebels rewatch #liveblog #meta rambling #rebels rambles

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havin-fun-imagining-twd · 2 years

Text

Especially for an autobiography

***Reader Request***

Relationships - Fabulously confident reader x domestic dork Daryl. That’s right, fabulously confident and plus-sized reader from Simply one of those days is back! Have fun, kids, and thank you for the request, anonymous friend!

Pronouns - she/her

Perspective - 2nd person You, 3rd person Him.

When - Alexandria, pre-Negan

Genre - fluffy and romantic! Also might could be a tad steamy; it’s the hormones. Daryl doesn’t mind. Y’all are married.

TWs - it’s not unsafe for work, but you are feeling rather...amorous. Otherwise, we have some crude language during Daryl’s POV

Word count - oh, let me have my fun

Masterlist for more stuff and thangs, and a link to. . . Kofi :D

Him

He couldn’t help but laugh when she dramatically flopped back onto the bed and sighed, “Ugh, I’m so tired!”

And as soon as he did crack up, she was quick to toss back, “Daryl darling, are you teasing me?”

But the pout she was giving him wasn’t serious, a fact proven by her wink as she flipped onto her stomach.

“Oof, apologies, my sweet,” she exclaimed before readjusting so she wasn’t directly on her stomach. “Can’t lay like that anymore, I suppose.”

“Y’okay?” he quickly checked, forgetting all about buttoning his shirt back up to jog over and kneel beside the bed.

“We’re fabulous, don’t you worry.” She hummed and gave him a look he’d very happily grown familiar with. “You’re so sexy when you get all concerned about us,” she purred, and reached out to lightly drag her fingers through his hair to pull him close.

Yeah, that was another thing about her being five months along.

Her own exact words regarding it were: “Lordy, every time I look at you, I want to yank your jeans down, mount you, and have at it.”

His cheeks got all warm as he remembered that particular afternoon. Both because he was currently (rapidly) getting in the mood as he felt her kissing his neck, but also because of the memory itself.

She’d accidentally said that—yes, that, the whole quote, word-for-word—right in earshot of most of the group.

Tara and Glenn were fucking rolling, and he’d never seen Abraham get so red as he wheezed alongside Carol and Rick. Even the reverend guy—sorry, ‘Father Gabriel’—coughed awkwardly to try and hide his laughter from his spot in the corner.

Then Carl had come downstairs wanting to know what was so funny, and for some reason, Eugene had actually started to repeat the damn thing.

Luckily, Michonne spoke up louder, wiping her eyes as she told Carl that “Y/N was being funny about her hormonal changes.”

“You know how I have a flair for the theatric, sweet boy,” she’d told the kid with a wave of her hand and a shrug of her shoulders, even while covering her eyes in embarrassment and trying not to giggle.

Meanwhile in real time, his wife was very effectively getting ready for another round.

He wasn’t complaining.

By then on top of him, she breathed into his ear, “Don’t worry, handsome, I won’t keep you too long.”

His hands were on her beautiful curves, savoring every inch. “Keep me all day, gorgeous, I won’t mind,” he managed to murmur back.

She hummed. Tossed her hair in that confident way he loved so much, and gave him a wicked little smile that turned him on like nothing else. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

You

He’s always so tender afterward. Even after you two ‘have fun’ in a less-than-tender place.

Mmm, like when you’d done it against the back wall of the house that time...or the other time...or that time in the garage on the work bench...or that time on his bike behind the building during that supply run...or the other time...or when...

Lordy, you had no idea how wildly randy you’d be at this point in your pregnancy. Granted, you’d been pregnant just about as long as you two have been physical. Honeymoon baby. When Maggie had correctly guessed the news, she’d playfully lauded your efficiency.

Anyway, for the past several weeks, you swear it’s as if you’re insatiable! In your defense, Denise said it’s entirely normal at this stage.

And, in your defense, your husband is exceedingly sexy, truly a work of art.

The thing that knocks your socks off is the fact that he’s only been at this for five months. He was a remarkable student. And just so...attentive. Generous, you might add.

And it’s so deliciously sweet that whenever you try to praise him about it, he shakes his head and mumbles that “You’re the one who showed me the ropes.”

You gaze down at him sleepily as you lay in bed together. His bare back with his scars and tattoos is showing the rise and fall of his breathing. His legs are barely covered by the sheet, likewise that stunning behind of his. And those strong arms you love to look at so much are draped around you.

You can’t get enough of this, how soft he becomes after. Pun not entirely intended...

And you’d be content to have him keep resting his head against your waist as you play with his messy, messy hair all day. His messy, sexy, rugged, masculine, even a little dirty hair—Lordy, you two only finished a several minutes ago and here you are gearing up again.

How can you be so exhausted and yet so ready to tumble again? You’d thought food cravings and some emotional ups and downs would be the standout of this adventure. Well, you certainly were mistaken.

Instead, you’re very tired and so very, very liable to get aroused.

So tired today, in fact, that you may even possibly, potentially, only maybe...

Oh, there’s no use in denying it: you’re too tired to go on the supply run today. Just thinking about it, you’re almost in tears at the idea of walking up all the steps and packing up boxes of books to lug back.

But you’re equally in near-tears at the thought that you won’t be doing so.

The supply run is to a library this time!

Well, it’s really to a fairly unpicked urgent care clinic abutting a dentistry office, but it’s a block away from a library! Your favorite place! And because you’re so thoroughly tired, all you want to do other than make out with your husband is read, which is just another reason you were so looking forward to going.

Worth a mention is that it’s high time this place had its book collection tended to.

C’est la vie, you suppose. This exhaustion is only temporary.

“What was that sigh for, gorgeous?” your hear him ask you softly as he kisses your stomach and finds your hand to take into his. You could feel the rumble of his voice reverberate through your body from where his lay pressed against yours.

“I’m just being a little dramatic. I’m not looking forward having to get up and put on clothes. Then, the thought of carrying of all those books back to the tru—”

“—Still can’t believe Denise ain’t barred you from doin’ stuff like that,” he grunts to himself, his hand now absently drawing lines on your thigh.

You gave an indignant hmph, then reminded him with a kiss on his head that “It’s considered safe because I’m not adding any strenuous new activities, only maintaining what my body is used to.” You take his hand into yours and bring it to your lips. “And I’m far enough along that it isn’t a big concern.”

Another kiss, then you rest his hand on your breast for safekeeping. “Plus, I’m not lifting as much as I used to,” you add.

His thumb begins to move gently back and forth over it. “And you've been real excited to get more books.”

“Have I ever. I miss my book collection so much. It was fabulous, Daryl.”

Among your collection, you’d had all of Austen, all of the Brönte sisters, all of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, an original copy of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ and only the fancy-bound variety of Shakespeare’s plays plus a signed (signed!) copy of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”

You especially miss the book your mom gifted to you. It was an Evelyn Stuart Hardy illustrated edition from the 1910s of Jane Eyre, your absolute favorite book in the world! It reminded you of her like nothing else...it had been her favorite book, and your granny’s, too.

You’d packed it up and kept it with you after the world fell. It was still with you after most everything else you’d had was stolen.

Until you’d ultimately had to burn it during the winter, when you were still alone.

Not a day later is when you’d run into Beth at the stream. That’s when she brought you to Daryl, and just like that, they brought you into the group. The rest is history, but how you kicked yourself for burning it.

Straightening your posture even while reclining, you push your shoulders back and remind yourself that you made a necessary decision. You’d needed the warmth.

“The shelves here are woefully understocked, darling, and there are plenty of houses to fill up,” you begin to tell Daryl. “I was saying to Deanna just the other day how perhaps we could transform one of the empty ones into an entertainment venue of sorts, keep morale up. Library on the top floor—very convenient if one wishes to browse the stacks with her very handsome, work-of-art husband in private,” you hint.

Does he realize what he’s doing as he rubs his thumb over your breast back and forth like that? Eyeing him, you continue. “A movie theater type room on the bottom or perhaps in the basement, a gaming room, a music room, an art room with supplies in the attic!” You’re getting excited again just picturing it! “Wouldn’t that be so fabulous?”

You hum at the thought, then look down to find him gazing at you with the most...“Daryl? Please don’t look so utterly in love with me, you know how your being in love with me turns me on. And I might mention what you’re doing with my nipple?”

Him

He couldn’t help but snort again—and he stopped doing that thing with his thumb, obviously.

“Your being in love with me turns me on.” Hell yeah he was in love with her, it was impossible not to be. Other than being entertaining as fuck, her confidence and endless optimism had its own gravitational pull, she was smart, caring, and—shit—so damn attractive. And she liked him! That was the craziest part of it.

He’d probably let himself fall for her ever since that time she’d kissed him on the cheek at the outdoor goods place a year or so back.

It was either then or when he’d finally seen her again, after Terminus. It was because of what she’d said that made him finally realize it.

The words hadn’t even been to him, they’d been to Carol. “Alright now, you. Get yourself over there and hug your best friend. He’s missed you.” Those words, weird as it might seem, that was what made him see it.

That realization had been scary enough, so just imagine how he felt next. Her first words to him were spoken softly, so only he could hear.

“Daryl Dixon, I would like to marry you someday.”

And then she’d kissed him as if there was nobody else there at all.

Yeah. He's just glad that sometime after finding the reverend guy—sorry, ‘Father Gabriel’— that he’d gotten brave enough to finally bring up what she’d said. As much as he hated himself at that point in time, he felt safe enough with her that he couldn’t not ask. There was too much risk of losing her again.

“Y’know that thing you said? Before you kissed me that time, Y/N?”

“Which time, handsome?”

His pulse had been going hog wild. “...When I finally saw ya again.”

She’d smiled through her exhaustion, so much like that first day he’d met her. Winked at him.

“That was a very nice one, I must admit.”

And that’s when her eyes grew wide as she’d remembered exactly what she’d said before she’d done so, as well as noticed that he was nervously looking back and forth from her to the reverend guy.

“Oh!”

The morning they’d woken up in the barn after surviving that hurricane was almost when they’d gotten hitched. Almost; Aaron had showed up, though, so it got pushed back only until the group decided to go to Alexandria.

At that decision, she saw no reason to wait any longer. Neither did he.

“It’s just a pity we’ll need to wait until I can lay you down and show you my ‘form and function,’” she’d lightly teased in his ear as she wiped her tears away, fully aware that that time might never actually happen.

For all they knew, their marriage could have been as short as only that day, depending on what lay ahead in that place.

But, turns out, Alexandria was safe. A good place.

So, two days in, she’d brought him to a bedroom in the quiet part of the house, and...showed him the ropes.

And now, he and she had a kid. Honeymoon baby. He was so fucking excited about it.

Denise said in a month or two is when he’d be able to finally feel them kicking around in there.

“So, you’re tryin’ to bring home just how many books today?” he asked Y/N, scooching up from his nook against her waist so he could hold her in his arms. “The whole damn library’s worth?” he teased.

“I would have endeavored to make a dent, perhaps.” Was it his imagination or did she sound disappointed?

“Would have?”

She pulled his arm around her tighter. “I’m just too tired, darling,” she admitted quietly. So that was why she was down.

He curved his body against hers and breathed in the smell of her hair. He didn’t like it when she was down, seemed unnatural. “It won’t be the last time we go.”

“Certainly not. Sasha, Olivia, and myself were calculating just how many trips we might need to take to get enough volumes. Final estimation was three.”

The way she announced that made him grin. “But you had your hopes on comin’ today,” he stated more than asked as he wove his fingers in between hers.

“I did. Libraries and auditoriums are my favorite places. And, it’s simply been a while since I’ve ventured outside the walls. Well,” she considered. “Other than to check on sweet little Enid, she’s quite the escape artist.”

“What kinds of books were you gonna bring back?” he wanted to know. Because he was fixing to bring back every dang one.

But he felt her make a shrug as if it were unimportant, and then she waved it off. “I made a list, it’s on the kitchen island or the coffee table, if I recall.” It was kinda cute that she thought she could fool him into not knowing when she was disappointed.

“What are some of the things on it?” he pressed, gently caressing her belly.

He felt her shrug again. “The useful parts of the reference and how-to sections, especially agricultural ones for Maggie. Oh, and you’ll notice a note regarding a pasta-making book for Shelly.”

She shook her head in amusement. “I appreciate generous helping of homemade linguini myself, so why she hasn’t simply made some by hand to enjoy is beyond me. You simply roll it out flat and slice it, easy as can be, no machine required.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

He moved back so she could turn and face him. “What else?” Come on, tell me what you want, gorgeous.

“Nothing, that’s all it takes to make homemade pasta.”

He grumbled only a little. “I meant the books, Y/N.”

She gave him another playful pout, then went on. “The teens and children here need some new reading material. Glenn will know which comic books are best, and he knows what Carl’s into. Oh, and our sweet Beth adored choose-you-own-adventures, so the kids will really enjoy those, if you find any.”

Fuck. He winced when she mentioned her name. That poor fucking girl. Losing her had been like losing Sophia all over again, but somehow worse because that time, it was undeniably his fau—

“—I can feel where your mind has gone, and as your wife would ask you to not think those things about yourself,” she told him firmly.

And after pressing a delicate kiss to his cheek and reminding him that she loved him, she resumed telling him more about the list.

“Tara could use one or two or several books on tape. She enjoys real histories, but reading is off limits until her concussion is healed more, so she was lamenting the other day. She’s bored to tears and going stir crazy.”

“I would be, too. Must suck.”

“There’s C.S. Lewis for Father Gabriel, ‘The Art of Peace’ for Morgan so he can have a backup copy. Carol and Rick enjoy Agatha Christie, Rick prefers her Poirot series. And Rosita has been very down, as you know, but she once mentioned a joke Fluffy told, so if the DVD section had any of Gabriel Iglesias’ stand-up specials, I was going to take them.”

Was Y/N gonna say what she wanted, though?

“And um,” She giggled and shook her head. “I was more of going to tease Eugene by taking him home an entire encyclopedia. Oh, and I just found out that Michonne is a fan of cozy mysteries, too! I thought she’d be more the Stephen King variety, but no.”

Okay, finally something Y/N was into: cozy mysteries. Cozy mysteries...um...“What are cozy mysteries?”

“They’re in the mystery section—”

“—Stop,” he snorted.

“In the mystery section, but you’ll know them by their absolutely fabulous titles. They’re all puns!”

Puns. Okay. Um… “W-what kind of puns?”

“I’ve read a lobster shack themed one with the title ‘Drawn and Buttered,’ and Scotland themed one called ‘Under Loch and Key,’ so on so forth.”

Huh. Interesting. He’d bring back some if he could find them, he guessed. Sounds kinda cute.

“Tell me about what you want.”

Believe it or not, she’d somehow managed to toss her hair while laying there, then angled herself to look at his face.

“I was, handsome.” She winked. “Though...”

You

You feel bad for relaying your list of things to Daryl as if he were a servant or as if you were a woman who thoughtlessly ordered her man about.

Maybe it’s your pride speaking, but having him search around for your favorite book(s) is a little too much for you to accept when you’re still so disappointed that you can’t go yourself.

You’re used to being very physically strong, so this stage of exhaustion is a change you’d prefer to ease into, rather than dive into. And you hypothesize that your beloved Jane Eyre would say the same.

“C’mon, let me bring you back at least one book. Just one, gorgeous?”

...You suppose you can mention your genre of choice, at least, especially when he’s asking so earnestly.

“If you bring me back a nice, clean historical romance, I won’t object. Please steer clear of the harlequin section, darling.”

“Done,” he’s quick to announce. Until he sounds confused as he repeats, “Harlequin?”

“The bodice rippers,” you clarify.

“Bodice-rippers.”

You smile, and twist your body so it’s once again flush to his, lay his hand on the spot where your neck and shoulder meet, then arch your back and stick our your chest to make a pose.

“The books covers look somewhat like this, only the woman would have a gown or nightdress on rather than be completely in the nude.” With a light peck to his jaw, you simply must mention next, “And the man on the cover won’t look nearly as delicious as you.”

Which is of course why you next hear “Daryl! Y/N!” called from the main floor.

Him

“We’re coming, Abe! Allow us a moment,” Y/N shouted back.

“Golly, don’t tell us exactly what you two are up to!” was the undeniable voice of Carol that echoed next through the house, as did a very loud blast of laughter from Abraham. What are they, thirteen?

At least his wife thought it was funny. She’d even clapped.

“We were discussing literature, you! Keep your minds out of the gutter!” Y/N cracked up as she called back.

So, he groaned and got himself off the bed, threw his clothes back on quickly, and helped her get hers on. She’d almost fallen back asleep when he was looking for her socks.

Denise said how tired she felt was normal, though, as was the...other thing she was experiencing.

He thought it was gonna be cravings and throwing up like women had on like TV and shit, but nah, just sore boobs and being sleepy in the beginning, and now real sleepy and real horny were how it was going for Y/N.

It was good she was gonna stay home today. He was getting more and more uncomfortable with the thought of her going outside the walls too far with or without him. After what happened to Noah on that supply run, he just...

But he didn’t want to seem controlling or over-protective, so he tried not to protest too much. And she was just so damned excited about the library run, how could he tell her he didn’t like her wanting to haul boxes of books around?

Well, he thanked whoever was up there that she was too tired today.

Plus, now he got to surprise her!

Because fuck yeah, he knew exactly what book he was gonna bring her. It didn’t hit him at first, but he knew the perfect one.

Like, obviously he was gonna grab all the books and stuff on that list, but first thing he was gonna find was that one.

He’d read it in high school. Loved it. Reread it. Reread it again.

Got a good-ass grade on a report about it, too. Did it again the following year, wrote a whole new report and got a good-ass grade on that as well!

He didn’t even realize it was considered a chick book until some asshole made fun of him for it.

Well, fuck that guy, ’cause that book was the shit. And it was an autobiography, the idiot.

And just because it was kinda romantic and the main character was a girl didn’t make it ‘just’ a chick book.

Nah: it was about a kid who wasn’t really loved or treated well, who grows up and tries to stay decent but doesn’t really know what she wants to do, only what’s been kinda laid out for her.

She’s got big balls, a backbone, and the story ends up being a mystery wrapped in a drama and all of it ties together because she makes peace with her family and discovers a new one, then makes one of her own!

Who wouldn’t like that shit?

And, okay, this is dumb, but it was also really funny how the writer used the word ‘ejaculated’ in like every damn chapter. Not one time did that word mean what that word usually means, either.

The first time he saw the word just chilling there in an otherwise normal book, he almost snarfed up the beer he’d snuck into school he was laughing so hard.

Anyway, it was called “Jane Eyre: An Autobiography” and it was fucking amazing. And because it’s set like way back when and there’s a love story without tits in it, that’s fits the criteria of a clean historical romance, right?

Y/N was gonna love it so damn much. He almost asked her if she’d read it already, but decided he’d make it a surprise. There was some fancy wrapping paper he’d seen in Eric and Aaron’s garage, so he was gonna wrap it up all nice, too.

Such a fucking good book.

You

Maggie was a doll and made you a cup of your favorite wild mint tea while you were in the midst of sniffling on the couch about the supply runners having left.

That poor, sweet boy Sam came over shortly thereafter, and you were going to play Mario Party with him like you’d promised, but ended up falling asleep again. You awoke on the couch to find Sam sitting by you, albeit on the floor, between the recliner and the wall, reading The Phantom Tollbooth.

“I read that one when I was your age! Please lend it to me when you’re finished, I’d adore to take that adventure again!” you gushed.

He’s coming out of his shell more and more, but it’s very slow-going. You suppose that with a father like his, it was only natural, even if the man was dead now.

But today, Sam was comfortable enough to smile and start to tell you about his favorite parts of the book, which was excellent.

What’s also excellent is that you falling asleep while he was there seemed to have encouraged Carol to make cookies for him. It was plain to see that she was trying to keep the boy at arm’s length.

She’s terrified of becoming attached to another child for whom she condemns herself inadequate to care for. Her wounds run deep, especially in terms of Sam; she sees parts of herself in his mother.

So, that she gave in and baked for him and didn’t immediately kick him out once you’d accidentally taken a nap was a good sign.

The cookies were fabulous, by the way, and with the mint tea, it made the chocolate (chocolate!) rations taste that much better.

After that, you went on wall duty so you’d be somewhat productive today.

Your official job assigned by Deanna was as a recruiter of sorts; ease newcomers into life here, and go with Aaron, Eric or Daryl when pertinent to talk to survivors.

Only thing was, you hadn’t gotten any new survivors yet, so wall duty and supply running and some babysitting was what filled your days.

But it is nice that yours and your husband’s jobs are connected. He recruits, you welcome.

“Say, sheriff, what time is it?” you called down when you saw Rick taking Judith for a walk.

He looked at his watch. “They’ll be back in about two hours, Y/N,” he let you know you with a smile.

The thought of waiting two more hours got you weepy again.

Although, maybe you could manage to squeeze in another nap after your shift was over.

Him

The place had like 7 copies of that book! Would it be a dick move to take all of them?

Fine, it would. Okay, he’d just take...four—no, three. He shouldn’t be greedy.

That new-looking one was a no-brainer, so that one was coming. Aw shit, and that one had a creepy cover. That one was his, he called dibs. And...shit, look at the really old one. Book people like old copies, don’t they? Aw shit, it’s got pictures in it, too? Damn, these are good-ass drawings.

This is the one. It’s perfect.

Once those were tucked away safely, Glenn helped him find all the other things on her list.

Meanwhile, the rest of the supply runners browsed for stuff like zip ties, tape, and toilet paper, and were getting very distracted by all the books and magazines. And since there weren’t that many walkers in there, it was a good time.

He even remembered the title of the other book he’d ever really liked. It was another he’d read in school, called ‘The Giver.’ He liked that one because the kid mans up big-time and saves the baby’s life. Carl would probably like it, so he packed that up, too.

Then, Glenn popped up from the books-on-tape and DVD section and held out what might have well been a gold bar. Turns out, the British made a whole damn TV series about Jane Eyre six-ish years ago, and this library had the box set.

“My baby sister loved this one. She was in the stage version of it in high school,” Glenn shared with him quietly. “It’ll be nice to watch it again, and Mags will enjoy it.” He coughed a little. What was that smirk for? “That is, if it won’t be intruding on you and Y/N’s private time.”

“Shut up.”

You

...zzz…zzz…zzz...zzz...

Him

It was fine, he could wait until morning. Unless she woke up and wanted a really late supper or something...?

...But Y/N was sleeping like a log.

He slumped his shoulders.

Denise insisted that his wife was fine, checked her blood pressure, all that. He’d been real worried, is all.

Y/N did give him a “Why hello there, Daryl darling” when Denise woke her up to check on her, but she went right back to sleep after, and very happily, by the looks of it.

He knew she needed the rest, but he was also bummed that she was asleep when he got back. Really disappointed, but it ain’t like it was her fault. She had their baby in there, that’s gotta take a lot out of somebody.

He looked at the wrapped present on the nightstand. Eric did him a solid by finding a bow for it.

Then he looked at the copy of Jane Eyre he’d decided to keep as his own, the one with the spooky cover.

And then he felt only moderately like a dick for being excited that he could crack it open and reread it without any interruptions.

Like a kid finding a toy they thought they’d lost, he opened it up, flipped to the first chapter.

Oh yeah, there was the good stuff: “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.”

That’s right, no long walk for you today, Jane, you get a break. Don’t worry, kid, I remember: you don’t like long, chilly walks ’cause it makes your toes too cold. I don’t like cold toes, neither, that shit ain’t no fun. Just sucks that your dickhead cousin is about to fuck shit up. It’ll be okay, you’ll get out of there.

Okay, kid, let’s see if we can’t get you out of Gateshead by the time I need to hit the sack...

You

When you woke up at 2:32 a.m. and needed to use the facilities like nothing else, you only knew that your husband was asleep in his clothes beside you on the bed, and that he’d apparently borrowed your booklight.

This didn’t phase you, and you went about using the toilet, washing your hands and face, brushing your teeth, and primping your hair as you normally would before bed.

What you learned after you came back was that he’d fallen asleep reading (and had rolled onto the paperback slightly).

That hadn’t happened yet in all five months you’d shared a bed and all of the two years give or take that you’d known him. It was also quite alluring to you, to say the least, and you felt delighted to have found one more thing to love about him as you grabbed the glass of water on the nightstand and took a few gulps.

But what made your panties liable to fall off right then and there was that he’d fallen asleep while reading your favorite book.

Jane Eyre!

Still floored and frozen in place when his groggy “Hey” reaches your ears, you blink out of it, remember to swallow the gulp of water that you’d forgotten about in your shock, and smile back at him.

“Good evening, Daryl,” you are able to respond, returning your glass to the nightstand and crawling back onto the bed.

He’s got an arm around your waist in seconds and has his lips on yours right after. “How you feelin’, gorgeous?”

You make the executive decision to crawl onto his lap and straddle his hips rather than crawl to your side of the bed.

“I’m feeling fabulous.”

“You hungry? I can go grab food, there’s leftover—”

“—Stay here with me, sweet man.”

“Done.” It was dark, but you could see a lazy, shy grin light up his face nonetheless. “I, um, brought ya back somethin’.”

But before he could say or do anything else, you have to kiss him again. And a second time. Might as well do a third for good measure. And by the third, you realize: he brought you ‘back’ something, not brought you ‘up’ something.

As in, he alluded to having brought something home, not to him having brought a snack upstairs earlier, as you initially thought he’d meant.

“You brought me back something from the supply run, you mean? Other than yourself alive and well?” you coo, nuzzling his neck, content to simply feel his heart beating against yours.

That explains that copy of Jane Eyre. How on earth he knew that was your favorite, you cannot fathom. Unless Carol remembered and told him at some point?

He must have been trying to read it before giving it to you so he’d be able to talk about it.

Your kisses get more frantic.

“Babe, hold up, let me grab the damn thing,” he giggles as you kiss that ticklish spot by his ear.

“It’s right here, handsome,” you let him know, intending to lean back and grab the book for him. That is, until he presents to you a lovely little wrapped gift with a bow on it.

What on earth?

Him

The surprised look on her face was reward enough, and she hadn’t even unwrapped it yet!

She looked almost bashful (Y/N, bashful! That in itself was something!) as she unseated herself from his lap and settled down beside him, taking the package and turning it over in her hands.

“I sense a book in here, I’m already thrilled,” she told him, and looked back into his eyes with that same surprised, almost kinda confused expression.

Finally, she began to unwrap it, so he was finally able to start telling her all about it.

“It’s this really old copy of this book. The story is damn good, I’m tellin’ ya. I even, um...” he trailed off. Shit.

All she was doing was staring at it. Hadn’t even unwrapped it fully.

Why was she just staring at it? Oh shit, and she’s crying. Shit, man. He knew she was hormonal and stuff, but shit, um, okay, what could he do to fix this? What did he do to cause it, though? He was such a fuck up—WHOA, never mind, now her lips were on his.

Kissing her was one of his favorite things, sure, but now he was the kinda confused one. She was crying while she was kissing him.

Over a book?

“Gorgeous, hey. Tell me what’s wrong,” he murmured into her ear when she stopped for air.

In response, she looked at him as if he’d just spoken gibberish.

“Wrong? Abs—absolutely nothing is wrong, you sweet, silly man!” She sniffed again and wiped her eyes before hugging the book to herself. She started kissing him again, too.

He was trying to gather the wherewithal to pull away and ask her again what was going on, buuuut he didn’t want to, not when kissing her was one of the best damn things.

Lucky for him, she ended up pulling back.

“Darling?” She broke out into that gorgeous smile and rested her forehead on his. “I had this exact edition. My, my mother bought it for me as a college graduation present,” she explained, slightly out of breath as she sat back up. “These are happy tears, don’t worry. Though, maybe a few unhappy tears because I miss her and dad but, oh my goodness, I’m so... I feel like I’ve got a piece of her back!”

For all that she just spilled, the best he could do was blink and ask “This same one?”

“The Collins Clear Press, E. Stuart Hardy Illustrated Edition. Oh, Daryl, I am feeling so many things right now!” She hugged it to herself again and sighed. “I had every work of the Brönte sisters, but no less than five copies of Jane Eyre. It’s my all time favorite.”

Okay. Okay, he felt better. So much damn better, shit.

But just to make sure, he had to check, “You like it?”

Yet another kiss was her first answer, followed by “Darling, I adore it.”

She then swallowed and pushed her hair behind her ears. Exhaled heavily, then drew herself onto her knees and—oh, okay, lovin’ this—straddled him again.

“Now, if you’re up for it, handsome, I would like to make very slow, long, drawn-out love to you?”

He made an unintentional groan by way of response, his jeans were getting tight. Oh right, he forgot to put bed stuff on. Pajamas, whatever you call them.

To which Y/N bit her lip and laughed softly. Tossed her hair the way she knew he loved so damn much. “But before I relieve us of our clothing, first I would like to know the mystery behind this.”

She leaned back to grab something…

Oh, his book. She’d grabbed his copy of—aw shit, had he fallen asleep on it? The pages got all bent.

Damn.

You

“If I have this copy, what is this one?”

“That one’s mine,” he tells you shyly. Or maybe he wasn’t speaking shyly as much as he’s getting out of breath because you’re lightly grinding your pelvis over his.

“You have your own copy, Daryl.” Not a question, more of a declaration, but you’re just proud you managed not to moan as you said it. Cool down, mama, let the man talk, you remind yourself.

“Just got it today. I took,” He cracked up and bowed his head as if embarrassed. “I took three of them. The old one was for you, there was a new one that I figured could go in your library, and that one I wanted to keep for me, I dunno.”

Perhaps you’re panting a little right now...“Oh, I think you do know,” you whisper back, endeavoring to slow yourself down. “Now, please tell me how on earth you came to want a copy of your own?”

He makes a shy little shrug. “It’s a good story. The book, I mean. I just, um, read it a bunch of times back in high school—mm, fuck!” he lets out an appreciative groan after you can’t help but buck your hips.

Ah, it's about time his hands found their way under your shirt.

“But, um, yeah, I just really liked it. ’Specially for an autobiography, those are usually so damn borin’—h-hot damn, Y/N,” he chokes out. Okay, you may have done that one on purpose...

You help him take your shirt off. “Everything that is coming out of your mouth, darling, is making me so hot.”

“I h-had a hunch,” he murmurs back with what’s almost a self-satisfied chuckle.

“May I finish removing your clothes, Mr. Dixon?

“Yes, ma’am.”

You’ll tell him that the book is entirely fictional and not really an autobiography later, because right now, you need to press your lips to his along with everywhere else that you can on his body.

Him

Judith was up real early today, he heard her squealing. She was almost walking on her own now, ain’t that wild?

Call him soft if you want, but he was so damn excited that another one was gonna be running around with her soon enough. His own kid, too, how insane was that? And maybe Glenn and Maggie would finally have one, too...

Hot damn, was he feeling soft this morning.

Kinda hard not to be. Y/N was still fast asleep with one thigh wrapped around his middle—oh, he’d just made a pun, didn’t he? Hard-not-to-be-soft. Wait, was that a pun or something else?

Y/n would know, is she awake yet? He looked away from the pages to check on her.

Nah, she’s still asleep. And shit, man, she was damn gorgeous whatever she was doing, just look at her.

Anyway, while his wife was still recharging and while neither of them had to get up just yet, he had gotten Jane all the way through her boarding school years and she’d just met the kid she was nannying.

It’s cool that this copy had footnotes, because he’d forgotten what the stuff the little French girl spoke meant. How do you even pronounce that stuff?

You

As you stretch awake, you have to make a little mmhm in appreciation.

“The first thing I see when I wake up is my husband reading our favorite book. Today’s going to be a very good day, I can tell.” You’re still exhausted today, but that’s alright.

The corners of his mouth prick up and his cheeks redden. “The first thing I got to see was you naked, so it’s already a real good one.”

Oh, how fabulous! He isn’t usually as forward as that, even in private. You’d say he even sounded proud of himself, which is in itself a triumph.

And after last night, oh, he has every right to be proud.

You reach behind you to grab your water glass from the nightstand and take a long, refreshing sip, then hop out of bed and saunter your way to the bathroom. Slowly.

When you turn your head back, you’re pleased to see him staring and adjusting his legs to hide the excitement you just caused.

After freshening up and using the toilet, you slip on some clean undies and pajamas, then pick up the copy he’d given you and clutch it to your chest before snuggling back into bed with him.

“So, how far did we get this morning?”

“Jane just asked Mrs. Thornfield-lady is there are any ghost stories about the mansion they live in.”

“Getting to the juicy parts.”

“Hell yeah.”

“Are you meant to head out again today for your official job?”

After a signature grumble, he closes the book and pulls you to him closer. “Can I bring this with me?”

“I won’t snitch that you’re reading while you’re out there.”

“I meant you, Y/N.” He pauses. “But I should take the book, too, s’good idea,” he grunts, almost as if to himself.

You lightly kiss his cheek. “Let’s get up, sweet man. All three of us need breakfast, and you, as much as I hate to say it, need to put on,” You roll your eyes and sigh in mock-disgust. “Clothes.”

Him

Not that he was good at it, but he was doing his best to try and flirt with her. She deserved all that romantic stuff. Part of him was just still in shock that she was into him at all.

“You sure you want me to put clothes on?” he teased under his breath. That was flirting, right?

He nervously glanced over and saw that she seemed to enjoy it. “I certainly do not. But I have something in mind for later. Would you like to hear what it is?”

Try to sound manly for her and shit.

“Y-yeah.”

Way to go.

“As soon as we’re both home, I would like to bring you back here...” Her fingers were trailing down his chest...then down his stomach…

...to where his book lay in his hands, upon which she tossed her hair and asked in the cutest damn way possible: “Then we can read for a few hours?”

He didn’t expect her to go in that direction, and he was so damn in love with that woman at that moment he thought he’d fucking burst.

“That sounds perfect, gorgeous,” he chuckled. “It’s a damn good book.”

She bit her lip and and giggled, taking one of his hands into hers and kissing it. "Especially for an ‘autobiography.’”

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stellaeviventem · 8 months

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Man fuck 🍉. truth be told I don’t feel sorry for 🍉 at all. Maybe I’m just not a very forgiving person but to me she’s just been let off easily. I can’t sympathize with someone who constantly Harasses their ex and current partner and encourages their friends to do this shit. The audacity to shit talk in your server with ur FANS and in the document allegedly stalk in someone else’s server is fucking crazy. But when people do the same to you, you run and hide and temporarily close the server??? All bark but no bite type shit. That bitch made 4 videos of their ex and was sneaking dissing all the time on her discord status and her streams🤣 and the ex she” hates” she’s drawing herself with and drawing herself in their clothes. Saying that she fell in love with the “old one🥺” weirdo ur ex was like 13 that time and ur 17. then made a doc claiming that her ex friend is a pedo and another steals shit and stuff, which wasn’t even true 😆.

Then she had the GUAL the AUDACITY to point out how one of the ex friends made NSFW in the past like SHE never did, like SHE didn’t have a whole tumblr page dedicated to it. This is one hypocritical ass bitch let me tell you that.

why haven’t most of her friends called her out previously? Why did none of them be like “hey guys, this is kinda a trash ass move we’re doing, let’s stop” but they were probably scared to ngl. I’d be scared too . Though if y’all really cared for her you guys would’ve wanted the best for her and told her to stop. At least that one friend wanted to try to get her into therapy and was scolding her.

Not to mention they lied about being fucking sexually assaulted…. Does 🍉 not know how hard it is for victims to be believed already???? How fucked up do you have to be to lie about something so fucking serious. Do you wanna ruin ur exs life that bad?? Your ex doesn’t even think about you anymore. Like how can I forgive someone who lied about being forced to do sexual acts.

‘But her mental health isn’t good rn’ bruh ur mental health will always explain ur behavior, but it will never fucking excuse the shit you have done.

she definitely wasn’t thinking about her ex’s mental health when she was making videos about them and shit talking about them. She wasn’t thinking of anyone’s mental health when her little whitenight dick eating friends went and attacked her ex’s current partner multiple times on their YouTube and even their tumblr. She wasn’t thinking about anyone’s mental health when making her private drama with her ex and ex friends public and dissing them in video descriptions and captions lollll.

This is another reason why kids shouldn’t live and breathe on the internet for so long until they’re adults. They end up being fucking weirdos who can’t think critically. The fact she isn’t even home schooled either, she just sits around all day on her computer screen for days on end since she was like what 12??? 🍉 if you’re reading this , which you aren’t, do us all a favor and get off the internet for a while, get some therapy too dude.

nothin to add to this because yeah thats pretty real

can i offer a gnola bar in these trying times?

#asked and answered #anon #🍉

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dainluvr · 2 years

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Y’all heard of Yandere Whumpers but let me put y’all on Yandere Whumpees.

They love the attention Caretaker gives them, to the point of jealousy when Caretaker turns to speak to someone else instead of them. Ever since they’d escaped Whumper and had been left with horrendous scars all over their body, they don’t think anyone but Caretaker could ever love them and they will do anything in their power to keep it like that. They see anyone who Caretaker shows the slightest bit of affection to as competition, even family.

At first it starts off small, Whumpee scaring away animals Caretaker has shown affection to, hoping they won’t show up again.

However when that doesn’t work, Whumpee resorts to other tactics, killing said animals when Caretaker isn’t looking and leaving them on the doorstep or around the house, making Caretaker believe they have some “bad charm” against animals, which eventually makes Caretker interact with animals less, much to Whumpee’s satisfaction.

Soon it starts getting worse, when Whumpee sees that their plan didn’t work and Caretaker is still dividing their attention between them and now Caretaker’s friends, they move onto a different approach. They start telling Caretaker’s friends or family that Caretaker doesn’t want to see them anymore. No explanation given, just “Caretaker doesn’t like you anymore, please don’t ever contact them again,” They might do this from Caretaker’s phone, impersonating them, or just straight up face to face, pretending Caretaker sent them.

They start going crazy when that doesn’t work either, and Caretaker just finds new friends. They remember how phase two of their plan with animals work and decide to use it on humans too. They know it’ll be hard but they don’t care, as long as they can have Caretaker to themselves in the end, they’ll do whatever it takes. So they adjust to that. They steal Caretaker’s phone one night and message their closest friend, asking to meet up in a remote place. Friend shows no hesitation, agreeing to meet up straight away, much to Whumpee’s pleasure.

Whumpee gets to the location before Friend does, hiding somewhere close but not close enough to be spotted, a sharp steak knife sitting comfortably in the palm of their hands. Soon enough, Friend arrives, stepping of of their car and looking around, admiring the scenery as they wait for ‘Caretaker.’ Whumpee takes this as their chance, quickly running up behind them and slashing their throat with one swift move, not caring about the look of sorrow filling Friend’s vision before the life is drained completely from their face. The murder feels almost like an euphoria for them, and they go home that day feeling most satisfied than they have been during the past few months.

Whumpee does this 5, 10, 20 times, and soon enough, less and less people start hanging out with Caretaker, noticing how everyone who hangs out with them mysteriously goes missing. Rumours start spreading, about Caretaker being a murderer- or having ties to one. Which obviously drives Caretaker into a deep state of sadness. They don’t understand, why everyone they hang out with goes missing, why nobody likes them, it’s not their fault some psycho killer is out to get everyone who coincidentally hangs out with them. They’re happy they still have Whumpee though, the one light of their life, the person who’s always been there for them, “Whumpee, promise me you won’t die, that you won’t leave me like everyone else,” They say one night. Whumpee just smiles at them, a hint of sadism behind their eyes as they get closer to Caretaker.

“Of course darling, you always have me, you’ve always had only me,” They say as sincerely as they can, pulling Caretaker into a tight hug, knowing they’d finally gotten what they’ve always wanted.

————————

A/N: this was longer than I expected it to be 💀

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littlealeta · 1 year

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In Defense of Vincent Brooks

I’m obsessed with Vincent and I can’t stop defending him. Right now, I’m feeling pretty mad because I recently got into a fight with Twitter over Vincent and the discussion ended up being not productive at all and just ended in insults and lost arguments. I think the things that make him divisive are actually what make him well-written as a character.

TW: SA, Domestic Abuse, R word, Cheating

Okay, let’s start with the number 1 argument:

“Vincent cheated!”

You are looking at the game from a superficial perspective. I’m sorry if some of y’all were in a bad relationship and were triggered by Vincent’s story. You have my sympathies. But please don’t look at the game as some simple typical story about someone cheating on their significant other. Vincent never asked for some random girl to come up and molest him. We never really see Vincent actually make a move on Catherine, it was always Catherine first. We are seeing through Vincent’s perspective who doesn’t remember the details and thinks he’s cheating! If you look at the big picture, because of these things, you can see that the cheating angle was never clear cut in the first place.

“Vincent should’ve said he had a girlfriend”

Who doesn’t even treat him nicely in the first place? I won’t argue with you that Vincent shouldn’t have been so codependent on two Karens and I’m not going to trash you if you ship Vincent and Katherine but the entire point of the game is Vincent trying to figure out what he wants in life. You don’t just get out of high school/college and suddenly know what you want out of life. Adulthood is just the beginning. You may not have cliques and peer pressure anymore, but you have careers, families, relationships etc. which can be just as hard and confusing. Vincent is stuck between a girl who he has loved for so long and a girl who loves freedom just as much as he does and on top of that, both treat him like shit! Of course that would be confusing. It doesn’t mean he’s a cheater because he doesn’t make a move on Catherine in the first place, he’s just confused.

Vincent should've told Katherine that he cheated

Excuse me??? Vincent should've told Katherine that HE FUCKED UP? Don't you realize that we're talking about a fictional character here? Most cheaters or people who have done something wrong would NOT FLAT OUT TELL the person they KNOW is going to punish them. I mean, yes, he was under the influence, but often people don't forgive others for using the alcohol excuse.

“Rin doesn’t deserve him because he hit her!”

Which he tried to make up for? I won’t argue with you that that was rude. What I will argue with is saying that he doesn’t deserve Rin for this. Vincent just lightly slapped Rin, which was probably accidental because sometimes we get so stressed that we literally can’t control ourselves. Plus, friends fight and break up and make up. That doesn’t make them bad people or that they don’t deserve each other. Vincent can get back with Rin and start a healthy relationship.

“Vincent is a completely horrible person with no redeeming qualities. He is the worst.”

Oh God, so much to unpack here…

First of all, are we talking about Catherine or something? Have you guys not played Full Body or even interacted with any of the sheep or bar patrons? Have you fallen for the harmful misandry messages? Are you trying to be hyperbolic on purpose (because that's real funny man, real funny.👏👏)? HAVE YOU EVEN BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO CATHERINE IN THE FIRST PLACE OR ARE YOU JUST TOO BLINDED BY YOUR TUNNEL VISION WITH VINCENT'S FLAWS? Look, I am guilty of feeling strongly about some very awfully behaved fictional characters, but as someone who used to dislike Vincent, even I wouldn’t be foolish enough to say this. I dislike Caillou, but I would not call him a bad person. He’s a toddler with barely developed morals and parents who don’t discipline him. If you think about it, nobody in Catherine are really much better than Vincent. They all have different issues, but that doesn’t mean they’re angels either. In fact, Erica, Orlando, and Katherine have all manipulated and lied to their partners just like Vincent yet somehow Vincent is the worst? WE HAVE A SUCCUBUS R WORDING, ABUSING, and MOLESTING MEN, A BARTENDER TRYING TO KILL MEN VIA NIGHTMARES, A MAN WHO GIVES NO FUCKS ABOUT LIFE OR PEOPLE IN GENERAL, TELLS HIS FRIEND TO GO CHEAT ON HIS GIRLFRIEND, BULLIES A FRIEND FOR BEING THE YOUNGEST, IS CONSTANTLY INSENSITIVE TOWARDS SOMEONE GOING THROUGH THE WORST TRAUMA IN THEIR LIVES AND STARTED A SHADY FISHING BUSINESS AND SOMEHOW VINCENT IS.THE.WORST?!?!?! Vincent is not a terrible person just because he’s meek and cowardly, those traits aren’t inherently bad traits to have. Vincent CAN be a bad person, but that’s only if you’re going for Catherine. In the other endings, he becomes a better person. That’s what character development is all about. If Vincent hadn’t made those mistakes, there would be no conflict or character development. There are characters people love dearly who act much much worse than Vincent, yet people despise and demonize Vincent because he’s a “coward”.

“Vincent deserves everything he gets”

Okay, I’m going to repeat some of the things I said in the Jerry Smith defense post that I made (which I will admit, I don’t even like Jerry anyway, I just feel like people saying he deserves all the abuse he gets and that he is the worst while we have Rick and Beth sitting over there is pretty disturbing and confusing to read). Jerry is, you guessed it, another meek and cowardly underdog character who everyone loves to hate on. Again, you need to look at the big picture instead of what a fictional story full of asshole characters are saying. Yes, Vincent should get consequences for his actions but the consequences he gets are often too severe because again, THIS IS A FUCKING VIDEO GAME. The game is not trying to send any positive messages about dealing with men who are sheep and have commitment issues. We only have that conflict because it makes a story interesting and unique. We love to see characters struggle and try to overcome it. But saying that Vincent truly deserves all the horrible trauma, near deaths, and abuse he went through is the disturbing part about it. Again, I and many others are guilty of saying fictional characters need to be cancelled or killed, but that doesn’t mean it’s a logical thing to say.

“Vincent is a pussy”

Uh… yeah? Again, that is the whole point of character development? Not everyone needs to have a flaw where they're only rude or amoral or arrogant. And did you not pay attention to the fact that this dude got r worded, molested, abused, pressured, accidentally cheated, and had to survive through 9 days worth of sleepless nightmares climbing blocks and running from monsters? What were you expecting? Vincent to suck it up and be a typical overly assertive, opinionated protagonist who shows no emotion to the things he was going through? Would you think differently if he was a woman? We need more emotionally vulnerable men in fiction!

Do you just hate passive characters in general? If so, okay, but that doesn’t make them bad characters. Passive characters can be written well, but the problem is most people write them this way just to be the underdog or because they’re too lazy to have that protagonist further the plot or have any other traits besides being passive and nice. At least Vincent is a multi-dimensional character, he does further the plot (by lying and hurting K/Catherine), and does have some good reasons for being scared. The major problem with him is that your choices don’t actually matter until the end.

But put yourself in Vincent’s shoes. How would you feel if you had to survive through all the stuff he was going through? Even if you may not understand the codependency issues or his tendency to hide and lie his way out of everything, I doubt you wouldn’t lose it as well. Some of y’all might even act way worse than Vincent ever had. You probably only hate him because he’s a vulnerable, scared man who expresses his emotions over the things that he was going through.

Edit: Oh, here's another common complaint I found.

"Vincent didn't tell Toby about Erica's gender"

Y'all are just looking for any reason to shit on Vincent huh? Not that many of y'all's takes weren't bad and shallow enough, but I digress. Why should Vincent bear the responsibility of telling Toby about Erica's past? That is THEIR relationship and THEIR business. In reality, Erica was more in the wrong for not being honest with Toby. I don't even think this is the case of being socially awkward or impolite. It's reasonable enough for Vincent to assume that since they were in a relationship, Toby possibly could've already known about Erica being transgender unless they were actually seeing Erica lie to Toby.

ERICA was the cause of the strain of her and Toby's relationship, NOT Vincent and his buds. But again, you just like to ignore everyone else's actions and think of them as perfect or good human beings, while Vincent is the one who gets all the shit because he is the opposite of them. Unconfident, unassertive, fearful, insecure, and socially awkward and again, none of these traits make someone a bad or evil person.

I’m not trying to say that you should like Vincent and I’m sorry if I may have overreacted a bit (trying to be nice, I swear). I just feel disturbed by some of the things people have said about him and to me during some of our arguments. I understand he may not resonate with many people, especially westerners. But I feel like people can often be a bit too hard on him. I understand feeling strongly about fictional characters, I often get like that too, but I’m just hoping my essays would get people to see Vincent in a new light instead of this shallow black and white protagonist and inherent hatred for any meek character.

The point of his character isn’t to be universally relatable nor is he the typical stoic badass protagonist. Not every character needs to have either one of those traits. I’d much rather watch a quirky character in a quirky story rather than a character who acts exactly like what I see in everyday life. I admit, I don’t entirely relate to Vincent either. I would never cheat, lie, smoke, drink, or stay in toxic relationships. And anyone who knows my account knows that I am FAR from meek. But Vincent isn’t supposed to be a role model so…

But let’s be honest, as someone with severe anxiety, I would break too if I was in Vincent’s situation and I’m sure anyone would. I’d likely actually go crazy. Dude got sexually assaulted, believes he may or may not have cheated, and had to solve complex puzzles and get chased by monsters in an ENTIRE week. And on top of that, no one gives a fuck about him or treat him kindly but Rin (the only one he acts normally toward), which he loses midway in the game. How would you expect him to be sane and well-adjusted from that?

I’m not trying to say Vincent is perfect because he isn’t! But he is not an irredeemable devil. No one in the game is besides Catherine and the Boss. Vincent isn’t supposed to be perfect because again, there would be no character development if he was. Vincent tried his best, many people don’t even care to fix their issues or take responsibility for their mistakes unless maybe they get some huge wake up call while Vincent tried to fix his mistakes before getting those wake up calls. Some people go completely off the rails. We got to give Vincent credit where credit is due for trying to clean up his mess and try to be a better person even if he stumbled alot because growth isn’t linear or easy.

#catherine game #catherine full body #vincent brooks #defense #this is a vincent stan account and i will never stop defending him #also vincent is hc autistic so y'all demonizing him is kinda ableism since most autistic people do not have good social skills

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verfound · 7 months

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MINIFIC: Oct. 23: Day 13: Skeleghost (MLB, Lukanette, DLM AU)

“Mini” isn’t so much a word limit as it is something you feel with your heart. 1k is totally “mini” when some of these oneshots I throw at y’all are 10k, right? 😂

For @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers October Minific Challenge 2023.

Read on Ao3

To Feel Alive Again: Ch13: Skeleghost

Luka looked up from his guitar at the knock on the door, his eyebrows lifting. He wasn’t expecting anyone. He had been perfectly content to ignore the rest of the world for the evening, actually. Just…him and his music.

Moping, a dry voice that sounded suspiciously like his sister drawled in his mind. He told it to fuck off, because he was definitely not moping.

Whoever was outside knocked again, and he sighed as he put his guitar down.

“All right, all right!” he called, scrubbing his hands along his face as he walked over. “I’m coming!”

Marinette was on the other side when he opened the door, a large tote bag on her arm and bundled in her sweater. He had to smile at that: he was pretty sure she hadn’t taken it off since he’d left it for her. She’d been wearing it every time he’d seen her since, at least. He had to assume that meant she liked it.

“Sorry,” she said, biting down on her lip in that nervous way she had. “I hope I’m not bothering you?”

You could never bother me, he wanted to say.

“I wasn’t doing anything, no,” he said instead. “What’s up?"

“Today sucked,” she said, and he had to agree with her. He’d been distracted all day, ever since Mendeleiev had hauled her and Fred away from breakfast. Not…not worrying, not really. Just…worrying. She pursed her lips and bobbed her head back and forth. “Actually, this whole week has sucked. And I really don’t want to be alone tonight. So…I was hoping…maybe we could not be alone together? I brought movies.”

She held up her tote, watching him from beneath her lashes with a look that made him a little lightheaded. He tried not to focus too closely on her words when she looked at him like that – on how not being alone together sounded, what I don’t want to be alone tonight would mean if it was anyone other than Marinette at his door, because Marinette would never mean it like that anyway. Because it’s not what she meant, he knew, and even if it was…it wasn’t what either of them needed. What either of them were looking for.

She wasn’t Théo, looking for some meaningless physical connection.

He’d never been good at meaningless, anyway.

She needed a friend.

…but he wasn’t sure he knew how to be a friend anymore, either.

“Fred working again?” he asked, peering into the bag. Her pink blanket was tucked inside, along with bags of microwave popcorn and at least ten DVD cases. He thought he even saw a deck of playing cards.

“No, he’s home,” she said. She looked at the bag, her teeth worrying her lip again. “I just…I think a movie night with you would be more fun than a movie night with him?” His eyebrow lifted higher, and she rolled her eyes. “You’re going to make me beg, aren’t you? Here I was, thinking we were making progress – thinking you actually did want to be friends – and you’re just gonna keep being a butthead.”

His lips quirked with a smile.

“…you can call me an asshole, you know,” he said, stepping out of the way and gesturing for her to come inside. “Most of my friends do.”

“Well, that shows what they know,” she sniffed, walking past him. She paused by his side, peeking up at him with those blue, blue eyes of hers twinkling up at him with a knowing little look. “I don’t think you’re an asshole, Luka. I think…you’re a grumpy puppy. I think the world hasn’t been very kind to you, and I think it’s made you hard. I don’t think you were meant to be hard, though.” She winked at him. “Softie.”

“Marinette…” he started, but the words caught in his throat and he looked away. She didn’t know him. She was…she was wrong. He wasn’t soft. Not…not anymore, though he supposed that was kind of her point. He shoved a hand through his hair, scratching to dispel some of the anxious energy running through him. “So. Movie night. What did you bring?”

“I hope you like horror,” she said, turning and walking over to the couch. Her eyes widened when she saw the guitar. “You play?”

“God, I hate horror,” he laughed, closing the door and following her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned at her. “You don’t get enough gruesome shit at work?”

“Luka,” she said, nudging his arm and gesturing to the guitar. He paused when he remembered he’d been attempting to play when she’d knocked. “I didn’t know you played.”

“…I…” he tried, but the don’t got stuck in his throat, too. He didn’t, not really. Not anymore. But music had always been so deeply ingrained from the moment he’d held his first guitar. It was in his blood. Was it really fair to say he didn’t when lately it had been more a case of wouldn’t? “…stopped. For a while. I’ve been trying to get back into it, though.”

“Would you play me something?” she asked, turning to him. “Not now, if you don’t want to. But…sometime? I’d love to hear you play.”

“…maybe,” he said, moving around her to pick up the guitar. He hesitated a moment once he was holding it, then he shook his head and went to put it back in his room, where it would be out of sight and (hopefully) out of mind. “We’ll see. I’m…pretty rusty.”

“I feel like I should have realized,” Marinette called from the living room. He paused, his hand still on the guitar. “I’m pretty sure Juleka had said something about you being in a band. Of course you’d play, if you were in a band. It’s just you never talk about it, and I’ve never seen you play, or…well, I guess I’ve never really been over before, have I? Fred gave me your address – I hope that was ok. I just thought…I mean, you came to visit me, so I was hoping you wouldn’t mind me visiting you, but…eep!”

He had gone back out to the living room, where she was emptying her bag on the coffee table. She stood and turned, squeaking when she found him directly behind her. She laid a hand over her heart, giggling nervously.

“You scared me,” she said, grinning up at him. His hands had come up to her shoulders when she’d turned, holding on to steady her.

…he hadn’t moved them. He should probably move them.

“Sorry,” he said, his lips twitching with a smile. He still wasn’t moving his hands. “It’s all right, Marinette. I don’t mind. I…would like the company.”

She lifted an eyebrow at him, her grin growing, and he chuckled as he shook his head.

“I would like your company,” he conceded. He squeezed her shoulders and finally let go, looking around her to see what movies she had set out on the table. His nose scrunched when he saw she actually had brought nothing but horror movies. “Though maybe we could see what’s streaming? I’m really not a horror fan.”

“I’m usually not, either,” she confessed. His eyebrows lifted, surprised, and she shrugged. “But I figured…I don’t know. Things feel different now, you know? Since…I thought maybe I could handle them now.”

“It didn’t change for me,” he said. He picked up the first movie in her pile. He didn’t recognize it, but the back said it was about…a ghost? Skeleton? Skeleghost? He supposed that was a thing? It sounded dumb to him, honestly. Like Sharknados. “But I’m game.”

…thirty minutes and five bad jump scares later, they were both huddled under Marinette’s blanket, their heads bent together as they tried to avoid watching the screen. Theoretically, they could just turn the damn movie off, but the remote was on the far side of the coffee table and neither felt brave enough to leave the safety of the blanket.

Or…well. At some point, Marinette had practically crawled into his lap, an arm and leg thrown around him while she pressed her face against his chest. Luka could easily reach for the remote and turn the movie off, but that would mean moving Marinette.

…and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to move her. Not yet.

She burrowed closer as someone on the screen screamed, and he glanced up in time to see the Skeleghost bludgeon someone with its femur. He ducked his face back against her shoulder and pulled the blanket over their heads. Her fingers twisted in his shirt, and her nose pressed into his clavicle.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered, wincing when another scream filled his flat. “Next time, puppies. Oh my God, why didn’t I pick puppies?”

…he liked the sound of that. There being a next time. And puppies, but…yeah. He was game for a next time.

#miraculous ladybug #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #ml fic #ver fic #lbsc october minifics 2023 #to feel alive again #dead like me au #dlm lukanette au #lukanette are sissies #but he gets snuggles out of it so he's not complaining #I mean no Luka doesn't want snuggles what show are you watching #he's tough #she's totally got his number

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jeskoholic · 2 years

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A Little Piece of You: Chapter 2 The Skylit Penthouse

This is Chapter 2 of an ongoing series. If you missed out on the previous entries, you can check my masterlist here.

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The peace and silence of the afternoon was a worthwhile reward after a long-ass day and I always made sure that I indulged in it to relax. This time, however, was different. I have been to a couple of different places and this won’t certainly be the first time that I’m heading off to a place after class, especially on a bar for that matter. I have never been to Skylight Hotel or even thought of heading in it in same shape or form and this would be my first time to venture inside it.

The fact that I’m also accompanied by people that some I barely or not even know at all, added a thrilling experience to it. In my book, it feels like I’m breaking some rules but it also feels like I’m growing off into a new chapter of my life.

If only I was not squeezed inside the small cab seated next to Kino, then the tall figure of Shinwon, then Soyeon and Ningning, then this trip would have been a lot more comfortable. I could almost envy Kyungsoo and Hongseok who were seated up front and relaxed on the wide taxi. I’d say that seating next to the window is one of the subtle rewards of this small predicament, albeit a really bad trade-off. Soyeon, on the other hand, loudly complained how despite her slim figure, could not fit her entire butt on the free space of the seat and has to resort on seating a portion of her thighs on Shinwon and Ning’s legs.

“Does anyone know where Dawn is?” Soyeon asked as she held on the front headrests for support. “Is he not coming with us?”

“He bailed. He told us that he has some things to do, so there’s that,” informed Shinwon. “I don’t believe it though; I know he’s probably thinking that he has to spend a fortune just for that.”

“Did no one tell him that Hongseok’s paying for the entire thing? I bet if you tell that to him, he won’t even hesitate to come,” Kino suggested.

“Hey, I haven’t told of anyone that tonight’s my treat, but it actually is,” I heard Hongseok’s voice say from the front seat. “Y’all assumed it already before we head here anyway so I guess it’s not that necessary anymore.”

“You haven’t told anyone that you’re treating us for tonight?” added Ningning from the other side of the cab. “I’m surprised then, that Kino managed to show up despite not knowing someone else is going to pay. For most cases, that’s what happens.”

I then heard her loud, high pitched laugh which earned a look from pretty much everyone else inside the cab, including the driver.

“That’s just over the top, Ning. I actually came here out of my own free will and not because it’s someone else had to cover for us. And since when did I come just because it’s Hongseok’s treat?”

“You seriously want to hear the answer to that?”

“Okay, maybe not, but the point is… I came here just because I want to spend time with all of you... with my friends.”

“Bullshit,” snapped Ningning with a teasing smirk she conveyed through the rear-view mirror.

“Okay I better shut up, then.”

“Y’all making this a big deal but can we just point the fact that I’m barely seated her between you two and yet I’m not even complaining, so at least just shut it while we’re here, okay?” Soyeon interrupted as she turned towards Kino on mid-argument. “You two didn’t even notice that it’s just the two of you talking while we’re all shut. Save the arguments for when we’re already drunk. At least by then, it would make things a lot more interesting.”

“It is worse when they’re drunk, trust me, but that goes on ahead for everyone else,” replied Kyungsoo from the front.

I honestly could not figure out anything to reply to everything that was going on that moment, yet I would say that their little bickering does put a smile on my face. You don’t get exchanges like these every day.

Anyway, the cab turned blocks here and there and the inside was filled with silence, with my attention being focused solely on the open window beside me. Then, for a brief moment that I turned my head to the inside, my eyes met Soyeon’s for a second just as everyone else was silent throughout the trip. As courtesy, I merely smiled towards her direction as she supplied me with a toothy grin, leaving me to wonder how crazy each and every single one of us could end up once we have enough alcohol in our systems to throw us off. It would just be a matter of time before I find out the answer to that.

---A FEW MINUTES LATER, AT THE FOOT OF CITY SKYLIGHT HOTEL---

I always remembered City Skylight to be this huge, tall building placed proudly amidst the busy streets of South Korea; and surprisingly enough despite being a bar readily accessible in its location, it was not that far from the University itself and only separated by a couple of blocks. That was perhaps the reason why even in this time of the day, I could see some of the familiar faces from my classes, some that I know and some that I just recognize by face. It was the first time that I’ve ever had the chance to enter this establishment entirely, and as my new found friends busy themselves on how to split the taxi bill evenly among us, I was more occupied on admiring the beautiful architecture.

The afternoon sky had begun to bid its farewell as the first signs of stars started to show itself on the welcoming horizon, embracing the advance of the incoming twilight. Orange-purple hues of the sun’s final streaks began to reflect on the subtle glass panels of the huge establishment as well as illuminating the small mini-bar that is clearly seen on its second floor terrace. From where I was standing, I swear I could have seen some sort of flashing light right at the building’s rooftop although I cannot entirely be so sure about it.

Kyungsoo eventually gestured towards the building’s main entrance as soon as the cab fare was done and taken care of. I don’t know if it was just me, but on my end there was this air of anticipation; a part of me is certainly excited about getting to drink with new people for the first time. The addition of Kyungsoo, Shinwon, and Kino was perhaps the catalyst for my comfort. If only Dawn was here then things would have been a perfect mini-highschool reunion.

“We’re heading to the bar,” Hongseok said towards the guard waiting up front, showing him his school ID and that he is of age. “Here’s is my ID, and I can assure you that all of my friends are of legal age.”

“Alright, may I request for your other friends to present theirs upon request upstairs,” the middle-aged man said, gesturing for the rest of us to show our bags for checking. “Are you sure that all of you are of legal age?”

He then transferred his gaze to Kino, arguably the one who had the youngest-looking face.

“Some of you don’t look like it.”

We all nodded in unison followed by a sly smile with regards to Kino’s face, and with that we were all given a blessing to finally enter the premises of City Skylight hotel immediately followed by the welcoming grand lobby of the high-ceilinged hotel. To our immediate left, the main receiving panel was a huge table lined with elegant golden ornaments amidst its seemingly reflective wallpaper, accentuating a further impression of royalty in its premise. On the immediate right was the main waiting area of the lobby, which consisted of an equally impressive glass wall that stretched towards the ceiling above and providing the inside with a breath-taking view of the twilight-lad sky of the city.

As our group walked beyond the welcoming lobby of the hotel and into the elevators leading to the penthouse bar on the top floor, I could not help but appreciate how perfect the leather-clad furniture stood up against the artificial fireplace. However, before I could fully take in the aesthetic of the place, I felt myself tugged by Kino as the rest of the group took a sharp corner and followed a small hallway.

It turns out; the small detour was actually the destination as the hallway was a small waiting area for two side-by-side elevators on the right and a huge gallery of walls on the other. I turned just in time to see Soyeon tap Ningning’s shoulder and point towards the mirrors in utmost enthusiasm.

“Quick, snap a photo of it! These mirrors are so pretty and classy that it’s even hard to pass on it!”

Ningning was quick to fish her phone out and moved to pose with Soyeon, and it would not be long before the two ladies began posing in front of the mirror while Hongseok and Kyungsoo administered the elevator buttons.

I was about to walk and join Kyungsoo and Hongseok when I felt my arm being pulled by Soyeon and she beckoned me to join the small photo shoot. I was really awkward doing it at first; especially posing with two girls might get me a lot of questions home just in case this gets to leak. Luckily, Kino and Shinwon gladly joined on the shoot as well as giving wacky poses that actually eased p my mood for a bit. As much as I really don’t want to admit it, that small act felt like a huge social ice-breaker for me on a place like this.

DING

The elevator doors swung almost immediately after the short bell and it served like an alarm for most of us who were posing in front of the mirrors. Luckily, all we saw inside the swinging doors were nothing but our own reflections seen on the mirror located inside. Thanks to all the golden chrome clad decorated within its interior as we made our march inside; the entire lift gave off a huge elegant vibe. In my opinion, it felt too much especially for us who came here really just to spend the night together with friends. I take that Skylight hotel gave me that sort of vibe, but really I have nothing much to base that from as I never really got the chance to go inside any hotel of the same calibre as this one.

The fact that my friends as well as Hongseok, Soyeon and Ningning were so cool with it only emphasized how out of place I felt at this very moment. This was something that happens to them normally apparently.

The lift’s doors finally closed and the silence was immediately broken by Kyungsoo.

“I wanted to head here as soon as we could because it’s going to be a busy weekend. I figured we should pick a good enough place before everyone else from the university come for their break as well. We better get these drinks on while we still have the chance.”

My attention shifted towards Kyungsoo, who was on the farthest right corner of the elevator. However, I saw just in time as Shinwon nodded and placed a reassuring hand over Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Oh don’t worry about that; my friend who’s joining us actually came here about twenty minutes ago. She said that she’s reserved more than enough seats to accommodate us all including picking the best view for the entire house.”

‘She’…?

“Did she pick the one near the terrace?” Ningning asked from the other corner of the elevator. “Skylight’s view at night is amazing.”

“She didn’t tell me anything, but at least we know that we won’t have to worry for the space tonight. It’s all been taken care of.”

Kyungsoo nodded in silence and in agreement as the rest of the group silently watched the floors on the display board slowly crept up. I do not know if the impending silence after that exchange was purely out of anticipation, or someone else in the group is silently excited as well as nervous the way that I was feeling.

DING

That was the signal that swung the elevator doors free, greeting our group with the same kind of mirror aesthetic we had on the lobby floor below. Even on our location, I could already hear the loud beat of the bass coming from the bar ahead; it’s subtle pounding seemingly rattling the very floor we’re about to walk on as we head to Skylight’s so-called “Penthouse”.

---

It would be an understatement to call a person’s first experience of Skylight Hotel’s Penthouse as ‘beautiful’ for it felt surreal or ‘magical’ even. The place was famous among young adolescents such as Jae-In and now he could see why. The Skylight Penthouse was this huge area located at the very rooftop of the building, supplying a breath-taking view of the taller Seoul skyscrapers surrounding its vicinity. A large, open, central roofed hall lined its immediate centre, with the insides lined with blazing disco lights and loud music enveloping the seats arranged parallel to each other like a boat house, with tables laid on each set of chairs. A huge television broadcast was overhead with the latest basketball game being shown.

The rest of the open rooftop was a set of chairs and tables arranged in sets surrounding the boathouse, with the furthest sets of chairs, located on the far end opposite the entrance, held an even more splendid view of the open urban jungle of Seoul as Skylight Hotel towered amongst any establishment in front of it. The noise of the cars and the busy street could barely be heard from below, and Jae-In felt that they were separated from the real world as his eyes explored the rather elegant-yet-playful motif that the place was going in for.

He could already see some people occupying the respective tables around them as they proceeded to head to their place, including a couple of people he knew by face already starting their drinking session inside the boathouse. Huge towers of what appeared to be cocktail mixes lined their tables along with the loud music and a plethora of flashing lights. Even though he could see how happy they were with each other, he was sure to not hear even the loudest of their laughs given the volume of the music played on the background.

“She’s there,” Shinwon interrupted amongst Jae-In’s rather impressed self as he pointed towards the table on the furthest end of the rooftop. “She’s seated by the terrace. There, the one who’s waving towards us.”

True enough, through the distance of the loud party music blaring throughout the entire atmosphere of the penthouse, a figure in the distance-a young woman dressed in a white-collared shirt covered by a large blue zip-hoodie waved in utmost enthusiasm as the group finally approached. This so-called ‘friend’ of Shinwon looked really familiar to Jae-In, albeit he could not quite put his finger on where he first saw her even with them closing the distance with her.

“I want you guys to meet a friend of mine, Kim Yerim. She’s on the same year as us and is studying Medicine. Please be kind to her,” said Shinwon, gesturing towards the woman called Kim Yerim who bowed in courtesy.

“I look forward to meeting you all! You can call me ‘Yeri’ for short.”

“Oh my god, you’re so pretty!” Soyeon immediately remarked.

As Jae-In was still held in confusion as to how he remembers this Yeri person, he felt his elbow being tugged by the person to his immediate left, Kino, who in turn added a wild smirk on his face before proceeding for a soft whisper.

��Hey, is she the one that Shinwon’s talking about? Is she the one he shared a subject with and always wanted to hit on?”

“I guess so,” replied Jae-In. “Apparently, she’s the one he never shut up about.”

“I thought she’d be taller,” said Ningning as she squeezed between Jae-In and Kino, apparently hearing the conversation as well. “Shinwon’s such a tall guy; I thought he’d pick someone about on the same height as he is.”

“Shhh, don’t be rude to her; she literally reserved seats for us. It’s not like you’re that tall too, Ning,” retorted Kino.

“I am tall! I think I am even taller than you!”

“We better get some drinks before this gets out of hand,” Kyungsoo interrupted.

Luckily, Yeri was too much absorbed in a conversation with Hongseok and Shinwon that she’s sure enough to not hear Ningning’s accidental comments about her. With that, the group, finally with the addition of Yeri, went off ahead and sat on the reserved table just as the waiter handed the menu for the evening.

Jae-In immediately headed towards the farthest end of the table, the one closes to the glass-fenced terrace with Ningning notably taking the seat opposite him. Kino then gladly took the seat beside him while Soyeon sat beside Ningning on the other side of the table. Meanwhile, the rest of the group were all in debates as to which specific name of cocktail they ought to order for the evening. It was a difficult balance, considering most of them were only getting to know each other through that drinking session. A hard drink might defeat the purpose of forming new friends and would end up knocking everyone else before a good conversation ever begins. However, some of them (notably Shinwon and Hongseok) really wanted to go hard and test their limits for the evening.

Once everything was settled, Kyungsoo managed to order a good balance between both their goals. Two separate cocktails, one that felt really light and would cater to the soothing kick of alcohol that they needed (aptly named Midnight Summer Dream), and one that is generally good tasting but is known to be secretly strong and hid a wild kick (dubbed Love Potion). Most of them were really in favour of the stronger one, especially Kino and Ningning, but Jae-in was just there curious as to how each of them tasted.

“Oh god, look at how much Dawn is missing on just because he didn’t go here,” commented Soyeon a few minutes after placing the order.

“Next time, we should ask him to take care of the payment. He’s missing out so much on us,” joked Kino.

Just like that, the night kicked off as it should. The atmosphere of the place was quick to kick in, and as the group continued to wait for their orders, Jae-In, Soyeon and Kino engaged on different stories with regards to their daily lives. Meanwhile, Kyungsoo and Ningning unintentionally engaged in a heated debate as soon as the latter overheard a misinterpreted statement from the former. Shinwon and Yeri were having a deep conversation on the far end of the table while Hongseok was overlooking the terrace, engaged on another phone call.

The waiters soon arrived with two whopping towers of alcohol; one colored a clear green while the other a striking bright orange; six litres of mixed alcohol. To Jae-in’s surprise, it was Ningning who stood up first and broke the debate between her and Kyungsoo to volunteer and distribute the ice cubes.

“Holy shit, you’re really into this aren’t you?” Kino commented from Jae-in’s side. “Dial the enthusiasm down a bit because we all want to drink too.”

“I’ve waited long enough for this, so let me do what I want to do. You’re also getting your cup LAST,” she snapped back. Ningning then began filling each cup with a choice of green or orange before distributing to everyone else. It appeared as though she chose for the newcomer, Jae-in, as she did not even went off and asked and merely gave him a glassful of the green Love Potion.

He took a good whiff out of the glass and surprisingly there was no sign of alcohol. In fact, it was a candy-like smell that registered in his mind. It was an obvious sign why it had a notorious reputation; it was easy to mistake it for juice.

“Is this the stronger one?” he asked Kino, who immediately shook his head.

“It’s the other one. You won’t feel it kick in unless you’ve had like, five glasses or so.”

But isn’t this the Love Potion?

“Alright,” Hongseok said as he finally hung up the call and raised his glass up in the air. “I don’t have much time with you guys so we better get to the good part already. It’s still on the house, and I want you all to enjoy even if I’m headed home. Cheers.”

Everyone then followed suit, adjusting from their chairs and raising their glasses to meet his.

“Cheers to what, exactly?” asked Soyeon.

“Cheers to old and new friends,” declared Kyungsoo before eyeing Jae-in. “Cheers to both Jae-in and Yeri for joining us here. Here’s to more drinking while our young bodies could still tolerate it, I guess.”

And with one sip, all of them finally moved and clanged their glasses in mid-air before proceeding for a sip. Almost every single one of them was quiet for the rest of that session, and was only broken when Soyeon downed her glass to speak directly to Ningning.

“Why the fuck is your glass already at half?”

“I thought we don’t need the formal stuff so I went off ahead and drank,” she replied and then proceeded to scratch her lengthy hair, but not before supplying Soyeon with a wide smile.

---ABOUT AN HOUR LATER---

It could perhaps be the sudden effect of the ‘Love Potion’ hitting Jae-In’s consciousness as things quickly became a messy blur. The drink itself tasted really well especially coupled with the coldness of the ice with it. It was hard for him to not treat it as refreshment like countless of people before him who fell victim to the Love Potion’s hidden venom. Not to mention, he was engaged with a long and drawn out conversation with Kino that he failed to even notice that Hongseok has long gone home already. Yoon Jae-in only realized how much the drink has hit him when he went off to stand and pee; the world has begun to spin on itself already at that point, and he could barely find his way towards the rest room.

With regards to what was going on around him, everything dissolved into a messy blur of party music as well with flashes of light being the only thing that was guiding him back to the table. He was not off-balance by any means, but he was for sure having difficulty walking normally.

As he came back towards the mess of his table, probably after leaving for almost ten minutes or so, he could only make up the image of Kyungsoo, Kino and Soyeon engaging in a deep conversation; with Soyeon mostly doing all the talking. Shinwon and Yeri were pretty much in deep talks already since the entire night begun and so it was not a surprise that they were at the far edge of the table lost in their own world once again. Jae-in could not even remember when they went off and ordered another tower, but he took that as an explanation for the recent taste of ‘Love Potion’ lingering in his mouth. His subconscious never really questioned why he never ran out of drinks.

With nothing else to do, he scanned the area as soon as he came back, silently looking for Ningning. She was pretty much the person who has been excessively drinking for the past hour along with him, and so she ought to feel the same effects as he was feeling.

And there he found her perched on the balcony overlooking the night jungle of Seoul with her head hanging low that her face was shrouded in auburn hair. He was the only person who had no one else to talk to anyway and the alcohol was already giving him a boost of confidence to talk to people he just met, and so Jae-in moved out of his way, took his glass from the table and ignored the rest of his friends before he finally approached the waiting and drunk figure of Ning Yi Zhuo.

#kpop story #kpop fluff #girl group #male reader #female reader #exo #ning yizhuo #kpop series #gidle

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