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#there's a reason it's a classic high school text
daz4i · 8 months
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it's funny how in school i was constantly failing literature and reading comprehension tests and essays but now in 2023 my tumblr niche is known for making long and detailed analysis posts. amazing what just a little bit of autism can change ✨️
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ririglow · 1 year
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I Wanna Be Yours | Joe Burrow
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pairings : joe burrow x reader
word count:16k+
genre : best friends to lovers
synopsis: joe has been keeping his distance from you , upon discovering why your friendship changes forever.
warnings: reader being totally oblivious, mentions of slight body dysmorphia, reader has 🧚🏽‍♀️beauty marks🧚🏽‍♀️, Joe being an asshole for like a second, best friends doing couple shit, smut, oral sex (fem receiving), overstimulation, a rushed ending (literally wrote it at 3am),
A/n: finally letting my baby I've been keeping since July 2022 out, it's been well, may you find success 😭 enjoy yall
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From Joey:
Hey, I'm skipping out on movie night. Sorry.
You stare down at your phone with a frown, after re-reading the text for the third time. Making sure you were reading things clearly. Your gaze reflects an aggressive glare. Are you fucking kidding me? He's bailed out on you yet again, you wouldn't be so annoyed if this was his first time canceling. However, recently, Joe has been clearly avoiding you at whatever cost. He has become particularly standoffish with you lately, giving you nearly every excuse in the book when you offer to hang out. If it's not working out, it's a team meeting, and when that's not an option- he says he's "too tired". His excuses were aplenty.
Joe has many attributes, but being a good liar isn't one of them. You knew something is wrong. Feeling very offended, you eventually begged him to hang out with you one day. After all, it's been a while since you two actually spent some time together, a perfect opportunity. But as soon as he showed up at your condo, your plan backfires. The plan for the day you arranged turned into Joe purposely busying himself away from you like the goddamn plague. Giving you halfhearted responses, making sure his attention was everywhere but you the entire time he was there while giving you the cold shoulder, in spite of what? You have no clue. And that is what's been killing you, the reason you're being utterly disregarded is entirely baseless. 
That horrid hangout was last month, and since then you haven't seen and hardly talked to each other up till yesterday when you swallowed down the grudge you were planning on holding and invited him over for a movie night. Something you used to do frequently when you were kids.
Swallowing down the anger and hurt, a moment of worry comes through. If it was any other friend giving you nothing but a buoyancy of discourteousness you would've reciprocated the same energy. Without hesitation. However, this was no ordinary friend. This is your best friend, someone you have known ever since he was merely an awkward preteen that had an obsession with Nickelodeon and Disney. The first and only child you ever knew was when you first moved to Plains Ohio when you were just nine years old. It has always been you and him, the classic two peas in a pod. He saw you pass through every milestone, from having your first crush, to your first experience of heartbreak, and the first time you had fallen and broken a bone on your body at the local neighborhood playground which resulted in eleven-year-old Joe carrying you all the way home crying. 
Just as he was there for you, you were there for him. Throughout all high school, you've been to every single one of his games, basketball or football. When he suffered through his drought at Ohio State you were there giving him encouragement and support. And when the opportunity came for Joe to take his talent down to Louisiana at LSU, you were right there. As well as taking multiple trips to games to support him, as you juggle between school and extracurricular activities. His career progressed into the NFL, and you sat right beside him on his parent's couch cheering him on. You were always there.
Reading his text over yet again you type out a response. 
To: Joey
you've really been a terrible friend lately…if there's something wrong you can tell me 
You watched as the "delivered" text turned into "read at 8:30pm". It wasn't long before the three grey dots appeared showing you that he was typing out a response. Sitting up from your slouched position on the couch, your heart race increases as you imagine all the possible responses to his reasoning for being such a shitty friend. 
This better be a good fucking reason, you thought watching the gray dots appear and reappear again as if he was typing out a whole novel worth. You clicked your phone off and placed it beside you, not wanting to look at the screen any longer, hoping that it will somehow make his response come faster. You wish that he was face to face so you could take a read at his expression, maybe he'll feel guilty that he's treating you like this or angry as he expresses what you might've done to make him act this way.
Eventually, your phone buzzes, and a sigh leaves you as you muster up the courage to open the message. And when you do, your mouth slackens.
From Joey <3
K.
That's certainly not the response you were looking forward to, did he really just send you a one-word—not even a whole word—a one-letter text? Despite being absent in your presence it felt like he had landed the biggest slap on your face, followed by a simple "fuck you". The analogy was a bit drastic, sure but so was his response. It was deceptively simple, though it tells you a lot. 
Your finger itches to hit the call button and give him an earful of scornful remarks. But you decided against it, knowing it would only add insult to injury he's clearly got an issue with you, and instead of being the one who does the chasing, you're going to let him come to you.
"Fuck him." You grumbled, shutting off your phone and tossing it aside with a little more force than usual as if you were imagining it hitting his face. Letting out a pitiful huff you look at the variety of snacks you had gotten scattered on the coffee table, including your best friend's favorites. 
Without giving him another thought, you reluctantly grabbed the bowl of popcorn and turned on the TV. Your movements were sluggish and unintentionally nonchalant, the curiosity was still nagging in the back of your mind. 
What the hell did I do to him?
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"I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong," Mrs. Burrow assures you, a ground rake in her hands as she smooths out the soil bed. You stood in the middle of the miniature garden surrounded by vigorous plants, fruits, and vegetables. After your somber movie night two days ago, your curiosity only grew about Joe's unorthodox behavior. Despite telling yourself you weren't going to go on a wild goose chase for him.
Truth be told, you had too much of an empathic nature about you to give him the cold shoulder right back. As much as you wanted to, that was simply not your character. 
You were his best friend, someone with whom he can tell everything whether it was good or bad. It felt very defective to brush him off aside not knowing if he was undergoing something that was truly difficult. To have a better insight along with some real needed advice, you decide to unleash your complications on Mrs. Burrow, his mom. Hoping to have a clear-cut understanding of what's been going on with her son.
"Has he contacted you since?" She adds, pausing a moment to stick the tool into the ground leaning against it, with one hand on her hip.
You bit your lip, looking off to the side. "He tried to,"
"What does that mean?" She furrowed her eyebrows curiously.
"He texted me yesterday morning and I left it on read." You said almost shamefully as you realize how immature it appears. But you honestly didn't care. If he was going to act petty with you for whatever reason, you were going to do the same with him. "It was only a Spongebob meme, but that's his way of trying to act like everything is okay." You were sure of it.
"You kids are truly something else, I don't like seeing you guys like this." Mrs. Burrow shook her head in disapproval.
"He's the one who started it!" You exclaim, feeling a sense of deja vu of the time when you and Joe were kids and would point the finger at each other about who broke her favorite vase. "Sorry, I'm probably putting you in a really awkward position right now."  You said sheepishly, making your way to the small two-person table and taking a seat with a sigh.
She followed suit taking a seat on the opposite side of you, the rake still in her hands. 
"Honey, you're fine. This is just all so unsuspected." She says.
And you could see why, you and Joe hardly ever had any problems, sure you guys would bicker about something every now and then. But it has never come down to this where one is being hostile towards the other, you could remember the times you were mad at him for no less than two days, let alone have the ability to be disdainful for weeks like he's been with you. 
That's what hurts the most, him allowing himself to be distant without a care in the world, acting as if though it doesn't affect him. Here you were mind going crazy about what he's possibly going through, yet it seems to be he doesn't give two-shits about how you're feeling and concerns right now.
"I don't know what to do," You said, sounding completely defeated, leaning your chin in your palm.
"Maybe you should go talk to him, face to face?" She suggests.
"Yeah, I guess that wouldn't be too terrible." You agreed reluctantly, that had been your next move even though a part of you wanted him to come to you instead.
"So," Mrs. Burrow said with a smile. "I hear you're dating someone."
You let your face light up in surprise at her abrupt mention of your dating life, automatically knowing who informed her. 
"His name is Malik." You told her though you're more for certain that she already knew that.
She let out a hum, before looking at you seriously. "Is he treating you right? I heard he's a bit of a playboy." 
You wanted to roll your eyes, of course, Joe ranted off his hatred for Malik, saying the same shit, yes Malik had his reputation as a playboy back in high school. However, years passed and a lot has changed so much that you didn't even recognize him when you ran into each other at the grocery store, the presumptuous and egoistic high school boy you once knew was now replaced with an amiable and responsible man. Yet you couldn't get Joe to see that, no matter how much you pleaded and begged for him to hear you out about Malik he simply wouldn't listen. 
You still remember the day you told him about the first date you were going on with Malik, angry was an understatement describing how Joe reacted.
Multiple curses fell from your lips, as you stood in front of the bathroom mirror struggling to wrap your thick and luxuriant hair into a neat ponytail. Due to how voluminous your hair is, your hands were insignificant trying to grasp every single strand. This has been a complication with you for as long as you could remember, when your hair is not tamed you would always need a second pair of hands to assist. And those hands would always lead to,
"Joey!" You called out, letting your arms flop down to your sides in defeat. He was supposed to have a lunch date with his friends who were bringing their gfs/wives, not wanting to feel like the oddball he invited you to keep him company. You were supposed to leave twenty minutes ago, and you just knew if you kept taking a chance with your hair it would be hours.
Grasping your brush and two ecstatic hairbands, you left the bathroom.
"Yeah?" His voice sounded muffled coming from all the way downstairs.
You skipped down the stairs and made your way into the living room seeing him sitting on the edge of the sofa, legs spread, with his phone in hand, eyes focused on the screen. 
"Can you help?" You asked, holding up your hands which held the brush and hairband.
Almost immediately he pulls his attention away from his phone to look at you with a small smile. "Sure, c'mere."
Your heart skipped a beat at his attention towards you,  you made your way towards him without saying a word, you handed him the brush and hair band before plopping down on the floor in between his legs. His thick thighs caged you in, barley being covered due to the pink shorts he wore, you were so close to him the scent of his cologne filled your senses. 
This was a bad idea, you thought, feeling him carefully brush your hair. Relishing in his gentle touch, you had been in the position many times before with him helping you with your hair, why does it feel different now? The answer is,  In those times you didn't stupidly develop a crush on him. 
As much as you tried to ignore it, those thousands of butterflies swarming around inside you couldn't be stopped. Or the hopelessly long gazes you found yourself giving him when he wasn't looking. It was incredibly impossible not to fall for him. He's so sweet, considerate, understanding, yet so complex in many things as well as being extremely overprotective. But you didn't care, he wouldn't be Joe if he didn't have all those aspects about him.
A small sigh of content escapes you before you could stop it, due to how engrossed you were into thinking about the man that was generously helping out in doing your hair.
He paused and set the brush aside before grasping both of your cheeks, tilting your head back so you could look at him in an upside down Spiderman kiss way.
"You good?" He asks, his thumb rubbing by your hairline. 
A shiver went down your spine at the seemingly loving gesture. Sometimes you wonder if Joe ever felt an ounce of the same feelings you have for him. But then you remember Joe has always been affectionate and gentle towards you, it wouldn't be right for you to try and make it into something that it's not. 
Giving him a weak smile you nodded your head that was currently being cradled in his large hands. "I'm fine."
"C'mon you can tell me." His eyes twinkled with curiosity at your feeble response.
No you can't, you really couldn't not without dying from shame and embarrassment.
"Really I'm fine" you say , looking deep into his blue eyes a few strands of hair fell down his forehead from him leering over you, your fingers itching to brush it away. 
Joe starts to open his mouth to say something when the phone that was in the front pocket of your shorts began ringing. He removes his hands from your face and settles them back into your hair as you retrieve your phone.
You looked at the caller ID and noticed it said 'Malik' almost immediately you hurriedly pressed ignore in guilt. Here you were sitting in between the legs of your best friend who you have a huge crush on, while the guy that was taking you out on Friday night was calling you. 
"Who's Malik?" Joe asks with a familiar caution in his voice. 
Oh boy, you knew a wave of excessive protection was headed your way. Along with some serious interrogation, after your last not-so-pretty breakup two years ago almost every boy you ever showed interest since then Joe manages to scare them off. These days you won't dare mention a guy that you were seeing in wary of Joe's overprotective tendencies. 
"Malik, ya know from high school? I ran into him at the store two weeks ago, um, we've been talking since," You trailed off, noticing the brushing of your hair was getting slower and slower. You could practically hear the gears turning inside his head. " He wants to take me out on Friday."
"Malik as in, Malik Jack-ass?!" He exclaimed, stopping his movements.
You glanced over your shoulder, his expression was hard to read but you could tell the bits of shock coming from it.
"It's Jackson, and yes." You say, not wanting to refer him to the nickname you and Joe came up with in high school.
"What the hell are you doing talking to him?" The wrinkles between his eyebrows appeared as he looked at you with confusion and annoyance. 
"Because I can? Look, he's not the same Malik from high school okay? He's really changed." You explained.
He lets out a scoff. "And you know that from the amount of time you've been talking to him, which is?"
You hated how he made sense.
"Two weeks," You mumble out, watching Joe throw his hand up in the air in exaggeration. "But, I can just tell he's different now! If he was the same guy back then, I wouldn't last a day talking to him."
"You don't think he still has those same qualities ? People just don't get rid of that shit, that's usually the type of person that they are!" His voice was heavy with fury and his eyes were narrowed. Joe always has a protective effect over you, but you've never seen him express this much anger over a guy you were talking to.
"Whatever Joe, it's not cool to judge people from their past, especially when they were in high school!" You shot back, turning your body back around prompting him to continue with your hair.
"I'm not being judgemental I'm simply taking into consideration the way he's treated girls so he won't do the same to you." He gathers your hair a little roughly and tight forming it into a high ponytail causing you to hold on to his bare thigh for stability as you wince. 
"Ow! Take it easy," You scolded, swatting him on the leg. "And he won't!" You said after he was finished, turning back around to face him, still sitting in between his thighs.
"How would you know? You're not going on the date." He responded,  you gave him a look of bewilderment .
Did you hear that right?
"Excuse me?" You questioned, eyebrows being raised in shock.
"You heard me, I'd be the worst fucking friend ever to let you set yourself up for disaster like that." His jaw was clenched, and you noted the way he said the word 'friend' almost as if he was disgusted to call himself that which confused you a whole lot more.
"You're not acting like my friend, you're straight up acting like my goddamn father right now! Which is so fucking annoying let me do what I want to do Joe, I'm not helpless." You huffed out, due to you being only two years younger than him for as long as you could remember Joe looked at you as if you weren't responsible or competent . He had his reasons to think that, back when you were younger however you needed him to know that you were twenty-three years old, very much capable of handling your own situations and relationships. 
Joe looks at you for what seems like forever with mixed emotions, before letting out a humorless laugh and throwing up his hands as if he was backing off. "Okay, you got it, I'll be sure to refrain from saying "I fucking told you so" when shit doesn't work out the way you wanted it to."
And he was right, things hadn't been working out the way you wanted to, but Malik wasn't the problem—far from it actually, it was you, for the longest you'd been trying to force the feelings you have for Joe to disappear and create something with Malik. Which ultimately made you try to walk in a relationship with only for the convenience it brings. You were content for the time being but you weren't truly over the moon or jumping with joy. All because you couldn't shake off the devotion you have for Joe. In the short time of five months with Malik you've found yourself thinking about him. 
Every.Single.Time 
Whenever Malik pulls you into a hug, you couldn't help but to think about Joe's much longer and stronger ones being wrapped around you. When he goes to give you a kiss, you imagine the lips you've been itching to taste for years, being pressed against yours. There was no way around it, and you felt completely horrible knowing Malik didn't deserve any of it. Which is why you ended things with him two weeks ago.
You inform Mrs. Burrow that you were currently single and weren't seeing him anymore. Her face contorts in surprise, with a bit of joy?
"Oh dear, what happened? He didn't do anything, did he?" She asks with concern
"No, it just didn't feel right, I guess." Your words come out in a mumble of shame, knowing you ended a potentially good relationship with someone due to your overwhelming love you have for your best friend who's currently ignoring you.
"Hm, wasn't the kind of guy that you're going for?" She says with a knowing smile, you felt as if her words had a double meaning to them or maybe your detection was off.
"No," You let out a sigh. " He wasn't."
"Does Joe know?" She asked curiously.
"No, don't think he'll care too much anyway." You shrugged.
"You don't know that, it'll probably make his day." She waves her hand dismissively, causing your eyebrows to knit together.
At first, her words confused you, why would Joe be happy? There was no reason for him to be before your realization hits you like a truck. You remember Joe's off Standish behavior when you first brought Malik around him, it was at a small get-together party hosted by your mutual friend from high school, and his displeasure went unnoticed by everyone. You thought it was just his socially awkward persona, but now you are looking back at all the times his mood went black whenever Malik was in his presence. Now that you are in deep thought about it, you realize that the whole time you were with Malik Joe was slowly distancing himself from you. 
Was he still holding his animosity towards your decision to date Malik? 
"I assume you'll be able to make it this weekend though right?" She says, breaking you away from your thoughts.
Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's going on this weekend?"
"The trip to Hocking Hills," She said. "Joe told me you wouldn't be able to make it because you made plans with Malik."
"I'll try to make it." You told her, depending on how your visit with Joe would go.
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After chatting with Mrs. Burrow for a couple of minutes you finally said your goodbyes and made your way to your car. As you drive down the familiar street of Joe's neighborhood, in preparation for how this unsuspected visit from you will go. You couldn't help but feel nervous, not knowing what the outcome will be. Eventually, you made it to his luxurious townhouse, as you parked behind his Porsche in the driveway you notice an unfamiliar car parked in front of the lawn with the engine running, when you got out and walked up the gravel walkway you glance at the green neon lights in the windshield, squinting your eyes you realize the word 'uber' is branded inside the car.
As you neared the entrance of the home, you went to lift up your hand to knock on the door. But before you could do that, the door swung open revealing not only a shirtless Joe but a girl next to him who made you do a double take due to the fact she was a girl you didn't think Joe would go for, she's a girl who looks just like you.
The sight has you completely baffled, she has your exact physique, along with the same type of full hair, and the same skin complexion. The only thing you notice that's different is her facial features, which helped with noticeable botox. 
Definitely a instagram model, you thought eyes dancing around her entire physique. Her own eyes looked you up and down condescending.
"Did I come at a bad time?" You asked taking a quick glance at Joe noticing his arm wrapped around the girl's waist.
"No you're fine." Joe clears his throat before saying. "This is-"
"Abby! My name is Abby" The girl interrupts give you smug smile as she offers her hand.
You took another look at Joe before bringing your attention to Abby grasping her hand with a tense smile. "Y/n, nice to meet you."
"I didn't know, you were coming over" Joe spoke, his voice laced with surprise and his face burned red as if he'd been caught sticking his hand in the cookie jar.
"Yeah, thought I'd pop up to see how you were doing." You cut your eye at him as you gave him a sarcastic smile.
Abby clears her throat looking between you two, more specifically you as she takes note of your tensed expression as you glare at the man beside her.
"Well, um, I'm gonna head out." Abby spoke, sensing the tension, she turned to Joe and gave him a sly smile. "Call me?"
He struggles to look at her as he replies."I will stay safe."
Abby proceeds to walk out giving you a subtle nod as you watch her walk down the walkway and into the backseat of the Uber, when the car door closes you turn to face Joe with a raised eyebrow. 
"What's that look?" He asks as you step inside, closing the door behind you.
"Nothing, just surprising your dipping your toe into something new." You said turning around to face him, taking in his disheveled appearance. His hair was slightly messy with a few curls dropping down, and his sweatpants hung low. Before you slipped into the depths of a salivating horn ball, you quickly looked away. "Or should I say your dick?"
Joe let out a breathless chuckle, running his hand over his hair multiple times. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" You mocked, Joe rolled his eyes at your childish answer as he stepped away from the doorway. "The real question is, what's up with your attitude lately?" You follow him out of the foyer and into the living room, where you spot two empty wine glasses. With a frown you turned your attention elsewhere, hating the fact that it was more likely when you were sitting watching horrible movies all night by yourself, Joe was accompanying someone else as you drowned in sorrow from his absence.
"Nothing, I've just been busy." He says looking everywhere but your face as he grabs the glasses from the coffee table and heads to the kitchen. 
"With Abby?" You say, leaning your forearms against the island counter as you watch him place the glasses in the sink. "Is that why you're acting like this?" You questioned again, You couldn't help the bitterness in your tone, from jealousy and anger.
From all the years you've known Joe, you know that he likes to keep his relationships private, and behind closed doors. He has a history of withholding his relationship status for the longest until he suddenly pops up with a girl on his arm randomly. To this day he wouldn't gossip about any girl that he takes interest in, he'd rather keep it to himself. Displaying his romantic life with anyone for Joe was a no-go.
"Acting like what? and no, she's just a friend." He responds, rinsing the glasses. His back was turned to you, showing a clear view of his toned muscular shoulder blades with faint red scratch marks. You managed to force yourself to look away, automatically knowing that his definition of her being a "friend" meant that her role is a casual hookup. 
"A "friend" who you ditched your real friend for?" You questioned shooting daggers at the back of his head, before adding. "Your best friend actually, who had to spend her Friday night alone."
"Is that what this visit is about?" He asked turning around while letting out a small huff when he noticed the small glare upon your pretty features, ignoring the way how cute your nose scrunched up or your soft lips form into a pout. 
"Yes! amongst other things, I want to get clear with you." You answered, relaxing your hostile stare.
He let out a hum briefly looking you up and down before saying. "What is it?"
You stood up straighter fiddling with your car keys in hand. "Are you still mad at me for dating Malik? Is that why you've been trying to be distant?"
The curiosity in you peaked more as you watched him draw back, his demeanor appearing to be flabbergasted, while he battled with himself to give you an answer. You wonder if he was conflicted between telling the truth or giving you a bold face lie.
"No, I'm not mad about your dating life. You are your own person. It's not my place to have a say about who you chose to have in your life." He finally says, after a couple minutes of silence. "You're happy, that's all that matters."
You laughed sarcastically. "You know, that would be so touching if it were true."
"It is the truth!"
"If it is, then why are you being so shitty towards me?" You pressed.
"I have not. You're being ridiculous."
"No, you are. You canceled on me yet again!"
Joe rolls his eyes. "Me canceling your plan to hangout automatically makes me a shitty person? Really?"
"No but doing it consistently and purposely makes you one." You said not understanding how can he not see what you were coming from.
"Oh that's rich coming from you." He chuckles as he shook his head.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"How many times have you canceled out on me to make plans with Malik? Do you see me coming into your home calling you a "shitty person" ? No! So cut all of this bullshit out!" His voice is raised and you could see redness creeping upon his neck.
He was getting angry.
"Are you serious? I have never stood you up for Malik it was always work-related." You look at him in disbelief before chuckling." Every time you find a way to bring him up, that just goes to show me you are acting like this because of him."
For some reason you didn't want to tell him you ended things with Malik. The fact he was willing to be mad at you for your choice to date him and neglect you because of it has you pissed.
He threw his hands up in frustration while letting out a deep sigh. "I'm not doing this with you."
"Doing what?"
"Having an argument. Because I called off on a stupid movie night." He furrows his eyebrows as he stares down at you with annoyance. "Don't you have a boyfriend to do that with any way or was he too busy balls deep in another chick to care?"
You felt a deep ache in your stomach as the words leave his mouth. You were hurt for two reasons: him calling your movie night "stupid" especially since you went all out for it buying his favorite snacks and the fact he couldn't see that you really wanted to spend time with him. Not Malik. Him the man who you're really in love with.
"What's really stupid is that you neglect me because you hate Malik so much!" This time your voice was raised as you glare at him.
"I already told you that's not true I've been busy!" He yells running a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Bullshit!" You shouted in return before trying to calm yourself. "Honestly I better go before I say something I regret later."
Joe scoffs while shrugging. "You know where the door is."
You bit the inside your cheek resisting the urge to reach over the counter wrapping your hands around his neck. However, you were never a violent person and couldn't imagine putting your hands on your best friend. So instead without giving him a glance you snatch your keys from the counter muttering under your breath "I hope Abby gave you crabs"
"What did you say?" He asked pushing himself away from the counter. You purposely didn't respond knowing it was one of his biggest pet peeves. As you proceeded to head towards the front door, you could hear his footsteps trailing after you.
"Fine you don't have to tell me, just know I won't be answering your calls or texts!" He shouted after you.
You laughed sarcastically. "Oh what will I ever do without talking to you."
"That's funny considering that's the exact reason you're here right now" He said smugly.
There is no doubt that he has you there, but you cannot allow him to have the final word.
"Unfortunately Malik was unavailable." You shot back .
"Yeah spending time with his other girlfriend I'd assume." Damn he won.
"Shut up!"
"You shut up!"
"Don't tell me to shut up!"
"Just did!"
You would've laughed at the childish banter if you weren't highly annoyed. Leave it to you two to argue like children. Without saying another word you yank the front door opened and proceeded to walk angrily over to your car.
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Joe shut the door loudly with a sigh hearing your car drive away. He hates fighting with you, in fact, he hates anything that causes a frown on your face. And knowing he was the reason made him feel like shit. Of course, when you confronted him about being distant, he knew where you were coming from. You were right he has been pushing you away because of Malik. He felt as if its the right thing to do. It made him sick to his stomach that Malik gets to hold and kiss you the way he's been yearning to do for years. To the point the feeling was becoming overwhelming he needed to stay away. Of course, he feels guilty and a little disgusted with himself to put you in the position of feeling like you've done something wrong.
Especially since it's not your fault he's fallen head over heels for you.
The situation is definitely not easy to be in since he's convinced you for sure don't love him like he loves you. Each day goes by and it feels like the feeling grows stronger and gets deeper. He knows feeling this way will only cause a great deal of trouble. The love continues to evolve whenever you were near even when you two were arguing he felt his heart swell with heavy emotion. There were many times he thought about just blurting out how much he's in love with you however in came that fear of confessing to someone you've been close to and tarnishing the indestructible bond you developed.
In fact he would rather suffer knowing you are smitten by another man , than to not have you as his best friend. He couldn't imagine losing you even though it already felt as if he had the minute you told him you're dating Malik.
Letting out another deep sigh, Joe walked into his living room and plopped down on the couch fishing his phone from his pocket to try and get his mind off you for once. Of course, that didn't go well because as soon as he opened his phone he was met with a picture of the two of you on his lock screen.
The picture was taken by his mom on the day of his 25th birthday when you gifted him a bouquet of peach-colored flowers. He remembers the embrace he pulled you in tightly, the pleasant smell of your natural, earthy, and rich scent as he thanked you. As well, he recalls pulling away when his mom announced that she was taking a picture of you both with her brand-new digital camera. Immediately you jumped up in his arms, and your legs were wrapped sideways around his waist in a hip carry position. No surprise there you were always an intimate hugger, never shying away to hold someone close. Your arms encircled his neck, he could feel his cheek pressing against yours as his right forearm gripped your waist and his left hand held the flowers firmly. You smiled brightly as the camera flashed.
Ultimately it became his favorite photo of you both, mostly because how naturally you two looked so much like a couple.
Additionally, the picture managed to capture his favorite piece of jewelry on you. You received it as a college graduation present from him: a two-piece diamond anklet bracelet. The idea of him spending a large amount of money on something so small on you was something you absolutely didn't want to accept at first. It seems you never take it off now, which he really enjoys.
A caller ID soon took over his screen interrupting his gaze. He answers it without hesitation.
"Hey Mom, what's up?" He said.
"Nothing much just finished making your father and I's lunch." Said Mrs.Burrow. "You know Mrs. Elwood from down the street? The nice lady that used to give you and y/n's those gigantic candy bars? Poor thing fell down the stairs."
"Really? That's terrible. Is she okay?" Joe furrowed his eyebrows in concern.
"She suffered a broken hip unfortunately but other than that she's fine. Luckily her daughter was visiting and immediately called 911. So she's currently in the hospital right now, maybe you and y/n can visit her ?" She tells him.
He stayed silent for a moment not knowing if he should tell his mom about the argument he'd just had with you.
"Joe? Hello?"
"Yeah, Ma I'll see." He murmurs picking at the loose thread of his sweatpants. With ample opportunity he'll visit he just wasn't so sure you'll both go together.
"Honey are you okay? you sound a bit down when you picked up the phone." She could immediately detect the sourness in his tone.
"Me and Y/N kinda gotten into an argument." He blurts out, knowing there was no way he could get away from his mom's intuition.
There was silence on the other end for a minute. Now it was Joe's turn to call out. "Mom you there?"
"I'm here, just thinking what in god's name is going on with you two. "
"I don't know mom, she came over bringing up the fact I'm not being a good friend to her." He explains. "Then it escalated from there."
"Was it a really bad argument?"
He shook his head as if she could see him. "No. It was just ridiculous. Her argument completely stems from the fact I didn't join her for movie night."
"And why didn't you?" His mom asked curiously.
"I've been busy." Joe said defensively.
"With what?"
"You know working out, training camp is in a couple weeks. Umm—" He stops to think of any other things he was currently doing which wasn't much.
"Here I'll finish it for you, avoiding my best friend because I'm in love with her and I don't like the fact that she's dating someone." She said in a mocking deep voice.
"Mom!"
"What?! That's exactly what you're doing Joey. And you are breaking her heart in the process." She scowls. "This method of trying to make your feelings go away is not doing you any good. You need to tell her how you feel now is a perfect time."
"How is now the perfect time mom? pretty sure she's got me on her block list." He said while rolling his eyes and he wasn't kidding he knew you can get petty like that.
"For one she's coming on the trip-" His mom started to say but what cut off.
"Mom I already told you she can't make it." He huffs out sinking deeper into a grumpy mood remembering why you're not going. Fucking Malik Jack-ass's birthday since when did you actually give a shit? he swears he never thought he'd see the day.
"Yeah, when she was dating that Malik guy," Robin says and he could practically see the smirk on her face.
What?
"What do you mean?" He asks incredulously. There was a tugging in his heart as his mind process her words. What does she mean by "was dating"? He was certain you were still seeing Malik and you weren't going on the trip.
"I mean Romeo, your girl is single and she's making it to the trip this weekend."
He felt as if ice-cold water have been thrown on him. Millions of questions were running rapidly in his head. You and the Jack-ass broke up? Since when? Why didn't you tell him?
Before he could utter out another word his mom continues to clarify.
"I talked to her earlier when she came over pretty upset by you and told me during our conversation." She adds.
"What? why didn't she tell me?" Joe now felt bad and concerned as to what the hell might've happened between you and Malik.
"She said you probably wouldn't care considering the way you're acting toward her."
If he felt bad before, he now feels like shit. It was a fight between happiness and having pins and needles stick him repeatedly. Before he can do any internal celebrating he needs to know if you were distraught in any kind of way. No matter how long he waited for this day to come he couldn't be happy with himself knowing you were undergoing heartbreak.
"Did she say why?" He said carefully his mind racing with all the possibilities of why you two would break up; Did the old Malik show up? Was he not giving you the amount of attention you deserve?.
"Just that he wasn't the guy she was going for," Robin said reassuringly she knew how passionate Joe was about you. " Don't worry she said he didn't do anything bad, they ended things on good terms."
With that, Joe finds himself at ease but only for a bit, he couldn't fully relax unless he hears it from you directly face-to-face. He wants to know you're not sugar-coating anything in protection for Malik because God knows how badly he's been wanting an excuse to punch him square in the face. Joe was never a fighter by no means but when it comes to his love he wouldn't hesitate to protect.
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You hated packing.
Mostly because you were terrible at it. In the past you overpacked so much you felt ridiculous, now you're scrambling around trying to limit the number of outfits and necessities. You tried to make it a thought process but ultimately threw in what you felt is necessary. With a huff, you zipped your travel bag not feeling entirely satisfied you knew once you get to the resort you'd forgotten something. For a moment you thought about not actually going, the argument with Joe still had you in a sour mood best friends or not there's no way you'll enjoy being in his presence for three whole days. But despite that, you knew you couldn't leave Robin in the lurch especially after giving your word.
Halfway through you gathering your items, three loud knocks were heard at the door. Furrowing your eyebrow you checked your phone to see who could be possibly stopping by, but nothing. There wasn't any new text messages and the last person you to talk with was Robin telling her you were still getting ready.
Your feet padded along the carpeted floor toward the door, and curiosity peaked until it didn't. Standing there dressed in a white tee and white hoochie daddy shorts, is Joe practically towering over you.
Immediately your eyebrows were pulled down as you eyed him." What are you doing here?"
"You look nice." He said, looking over your appearance. Nice being an understatement, you looked beautiful, he thank God for the heatwave Cincinnati was currently experiencing because if it weren't for that you wouldn't be standing there in a mini floral print lace dress. You never really wore dresses or anything that showed off your body casually, always finding comfort in baggy stylish clothes. You've always preferred to rather leave something to the imagination. That's one of the things he loves about you.
"Thanks." You mumble, tugging at the cropped cardigan even though it was almost crossing over to 90 degrees outside. Despite the compliment, you still kept your tone cold. "Now are you going to answer my question?"
"Can I come in first? I brought lunch." He helped up a bag in his hand that you didn't notice before.
You contemplate for a minute eyes darting between him and the bag, which has the logo of your favorite restaurant on it. He's trying to butter me up, you thought getting a whiff of the fresh food.
Without saying a word you step aside, you told yourself you were only doing this because you missed out on breakfast. Like knowing the back of his hand Joe navigates through your condo and into your living room. He set the food bag on the coffee table before sitting on the curved sectional sofa. There his expression flicker to something unreadable as he makes eye contact with you.
"Why are you showing up here unannounced?" You asked while taking a seat in your lounge chair.
"Like you did with me a couple days ago?" He raised an eyebrow at you, his tone wasn't irritated or vexed but rather amusing in fact if you weren't mistaken he seem to be in a good mood. A certain glow in his demeanor catches your attention. His overall presence felt relaxed and less annoyed the opposite of what you've seen for months now.
Abby probably lifted up his mood this morning The thought left a bitter feeling in your chest and for that, it made your glare towards him even harder.
Joe notices your harsh stare and chuckles finding it rather cute, of course, he knew you were rightfully mad at him but he couldn't help it your angry faces were never intimidating in the slightest. "Would you stop pouting? you're gonna get wrinkles by the time you hit thirty."
"You still haven't answered my question as to why you are here." You started crossing your legs as well as your arms.
"Maybe if you hadn't blocked my number, you would know." He said reaching into the bag and pulling out the take-out containers. The fresh smell had your stomach grumbling and mouth-watering
"Well, you did say not to call or text." You shrugged. "I was just making it easier for you."
"It isn't. Believe me, not exactly a good day if I don't hear from you. " He sighs. His voice sounded soft and gentle you'd never heard him speak like this before. As soon as his pale blue eyes met yours, you instantly felt a tickling sensation at the pit of your stomach as if millions of butterflies were crowded in one tiny room.
He looks at you with so much....love? no, It can't be. You wanted to scoff at your own delusions of course you would mistake his happy mood for something that's not that there.
Clearing your throat and breaking away from his eyes. "Are you going to answer my question?"
"Do I have to? C'mon, you know we always ride together whenever we go on a trip." Joe didn't care how mad you were at him, there's no way you could break a tradition like that.
"Who says I'm going on the trip?" You said nonchalantly. Though you had a pretty good idea of who it was that told him.
He rolled his eyes. "My mom told me. But you already knew that, so would you stop being stubborn?"
You expected him to elaborate more on what Robin told him specifically about the fact why you weren't seeing Malik anymore but it never came.
You raised an eyebrow while scoffing. "Forgive me for not wanting to be stuck in the car you."
"Look, I know you're still mad at me and for that I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you the best way I know how."
"By giving me food?" You quirked an eyebrow while accepting the container he handed off to you.
He chuckles showing off a duchenne smile. "Well I don't know anything other than food that will make you forgive me."
Your love and affection
a kiss maybe ?
"Coughing up Tee's number didn't cross your mind?" You half-joked. If you weren't stupidly in love with your best friend Tee would definitely be the guy you'll try to go for. He's so sweet and smells good every time you're around him.
Joe instantly loses his smile as he looks at you irritated. Making you laugh out loud. You don't know why, but it amuses you when Joe always felt strange at the thought of you with someone from his team. In fact, he told you it would feel similar, liking one of his blood brothers. "No, It didn't. It never will."
"Don't worry, I'll get it out of you somehow." You assured.
"Good luck with that." He says, shaking his head.
"I'm guessing you're not going to leave until I agree to ride with you, huh?" You inquired as you observed him comfortably lean back into the sofa. He took up the majority of the space, sitting there with his legs wide open and one arm stretched out.
God, you were supposed to be mad at him. But him sitting there looking like that your grudge is becoming fruitless.
"You guessed right. I'm not leaving here without you." He clarifies keeping his eyes trained on you. His gaze has been possessing since the moment he walked in. You heart skips a beat it was a look you certainly wasn't used to coming from him.
Lord give me strength. You thought while swallowing as you focus your attention back on your food.
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The humming engine and music faintly played in the background filled the silence in the car. As Joe drove along the highway, one hand on the wheel, the other was picking at his lip. It's about an hour into the ride, and you have yet to indulge in a full conversation with him, only talking in a monotone, giving him occasional one-worded responses, and even answering with "k". He knew you were on some petty payback plan and had every right to be. Back at your condo, he thought maybe the food he'd bring will soften you up to him and it did, but only for a moment. As soon as you two hit the road, you were disconnected from him. Now he was left feeling pretty angsty, never have you two been on a quieter ride in your entire life, especially on a road trip. He really fucked up. With a sigh, he took snuck a peek at you and was met with the most endearing sight.
As your head rested against the window, hands crossed and eyelids hanging low, you stared ahead dazed. Sleep was just a few seconds away. Soft puffy lips he'd dreamt of kissing so many times were slightly parted. The wind that was coming through the window was blowing you long coils all around, you looked ethereal. And even more so in that dress, he wonders if Malik ever had the chance to see you in it or if was he the first person to witness such beauty. Sundresses were never your go-to summer fit so probably.
He came to the realization that you had taken off your sweater and that the strap of your dress had fallen off your shoulder revealing more of the swell of your breast. That's when he saw them. Tiny parallel streaks of thinned glossy skin printed on the slope of your breast. Stretch marks. He'd heard you complain about them to your girlfriends over the phone one time calling the marks ugly.
How so wrong you were. He felt they made you more enticing. Lifelike even. They were an everyday beauty of something he'll like to see often. Striking and heavenly just like you.
The sound of a loud horn pulls him away from his stare.
"Shit!" He cursed loudly placing both hands on the wheel as the angry driver of the semi-truck blew their horn again.
You jerked up in surprise a shriek left your lips as the car narrowly avoid contact.
"Jesus! Joey are you trying to kill us?!" You shouted, heart, feeling like it was ready to burst from your chest.
"Sorry, I kind of spaced out." He replied. His face beat red not sure if it was from almost crashing or the embarrassing fact that you were the reason he was distracted. You were quite literally going be the death of him.
"You're red." You stated with a frown of concern. "Are you okay? Do you want me to drive?"
"No! I'm fine, really." He clears his throat keeping his eyes forward. "Just the heat is getting to me I guess."
The window was immediately rolled up and you reached for the console control panel, where you tapped the ventilation system and selected 'fast air conditioning' without saying a word.
It was something any normal person would do if they were in the middle of a heat wave, however, since he knew you always preferred to have your window down. He didn't bother turning on the air.
Silence filled the car for the next few minutes with Joe's attention fully on the road with a faint smile.
You notice. "What's that grin for?"
"You called me Joey."
"And?" You said wanting him to elaborate more.
"That means you aren't mad at me anymore. Whoohoo!" He cheered taking one hand off the wheel to reach over and enthusiastically shake your shoulder.
Your tongue poked the inside of your cheek trying not to smile at his over-the-top celebration. "Yeah, well, after nearly experiencing death I thought maybe holding a grudge isn't the best way to go out."
"Now who's the one being dramatic? We weren't going to die I had it under control."
"Lost in your thoughts so much you almost crashed is having it under control?" You raised an eyebrow watching him struggle to answer. "What were thinking about anyway?"
You, as always. He thinks.
"How much you were right about me." He says and then fell silent.
He could practically hear the gears in your head turning.
"What do you mean?"
Taking a deep breath his gaze remains on the road. " I didn't like the fact you were with Malik. "
"Why?" Your tone had a sense of hopefulness to it as if you were expecting him to say something.
"Because," He paused thinking over the next words that were going to leave his mouth before continuing to say. " I was stuck into thinking he was the same person from high school and I didn't want my best friend with someone who would hurt her in the end."
Joe missed the way your face dropped with disappointment.
"Well, he didn't."
"I heard. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Other than the fact I'm back to square one, I'd say I'm feeling fine." You said bitterly crossing your arms.
"Don't sweat it, the right one will come." He said.
You scoff. "Easy for you to say, you got people flocking to you left to right."
"Oh, and you don't?Superbowl girl" Joe teased.
You groaned out loud at him referring to the time you went viral for attending the Superbowl the camera broadcast you for millions to see for five seconds. Within a short period of time, you gained followers and thirsty users in your direct messages. For some reason, people thought you were attractive at that moment looking concerned for Joe as he lay on the ground withering in pain.
"You just had to bring that up." You said shaking your head with a smile.
Joe's chuckle erupts throughout the car. " I'm just saying I'm not the only one here whose dms looks like a thirst fest."
A laugh left your lips and he felt his heart swell. Even your laugh was beautiful. It was light and laced with amusement.
"You were right too you know." He looks over at you in confusion causing you to elaborate more. "Things didn't turn out the way I wanted."
"Like I said, don't sweat it. They will soon enough."
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You and Joe continued joking, laughing, recalling nostalgic memories for the rest of the ride until you eventually arrived at a modern style lodge cabin. It wasn't over the top luxurious or anything but you can tell that it's sleek and spacious while still having a cozy atmosphere. With the car parked, you immediately got out and stretched while Joe circles around the car to retrieve the bags out the trunk.
"This looks peaceful." You comment looking at the cabin. The mellow glow of the evening sunset made it look extra harmonious.
"And isolated," Joe adds with a sigh.
"Sounds like you got a problem with that." You began to head for the walkway up to the cabin.
"I do." He says walking alongside you toward the entrance of the lodge each hand carrying his and your travel bag. "Easier for us to get killed. Next time I'm picking where we go, not my mom."
"I'll be sure to tell her that." You said in a sly tone.
"Don't you dare." He warned cutting his eye over to you.
Before you could say anything else the front door opens abruptly revealing Joe's mom in all her glory. A smile on her face when she spots you two climbing up stairs of the porch.
"Finally you both are here, I was afraid you guys got lost or something." She said ushering you both in.
Upon entering you were met with a bright and open generous space, with high ceiling and cedar wood construction walls. The entrance of the cabin is connected to the kitchen which is sleek and spacious. It also smelt of Joe's mom infamous meatloaf that has your stomach rumbling. From where you were standing you could into the grand living space that features a dramatic stone fire place and floor-to-ceiling windows. Next door is a formal dining area with the view of the back patio. If you had the option to live here you would gladly take it.
"We almost did. Since someone wanted to tell me about a shortcut they seen on Google maps." Joe not so subtly cut his eye over to you.
"You took that wrong turn,not me." You shot back remembering the moment of frustration when he misheard the direction he was given.
"And let's not forget we wouldn't be standing here at all because someone wanted to daydream behind the wheel." You added.
"What?!" His mom turn her head in direction.
"It was nothing I had it under control." Joe said sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
"Jesus, you know what next time we are all going in one vehicle."
"Speaking of next time, he said that you-"
"Ahem!" Out of nowhere Joe started to fake cough uncontrollably.
"You okay honey?"
"Yeah m'fine." He said clearing his throat. You wheeze out a chuckle that didn't go unnoticed by Joe who squints his eyes in your direction when his mom turned her back.
"Well anyway, your father and brothers went out to grab firewood for the firepit tonight. I'll show you both your room so you guys can get settled in." She says walking out the kitchen.
You didn't miss the way she said "room" instead of rooms and apparently Joe didn't either,
"We're sharing a room?"
"Yeah, when I initially thought y/n wasn't going I ended up booking a cabin that fit all of us."
You hated the way your stomach flutter with excitement and nervousness. Sharing a room with Joe was frequent when you were younger was easier and less nervous now as you are a full grown adult with feelings It feels like a dream and nightmare at the same time.
His mom lead you both to the other side of the house , passing the spiral stairs you thought you were going in the direction of. Instead she stops at the only bedroom located in the back of the house on the first level.
"Okay here we are!" She exclaims opening the door revealing a spacious rustic bedroom with wooden ceiling and walls, two large floor-to-ceiling windows faced the direction of the lake. You would've admired it more if the only bed in the room didn't capture your attention.
A faint ding of a timer goes off in a distance.
"That must be my dinner rolls. Get settled in you two!" A smile was thrown your way before she rushes out the room her kitten heeled sandals clicks loudly against the hardwood floor.
There was a pregnant pause as Joe silently walks over to the cushion storage bench to set your bags down. You examine more of the room, specifically to busy yourself from acknowledging the big fat elephant. For the life of you it felt like you couldn't tame your racing heart, sharing a bed with Joe was the last thing you needed in order to get rid of your feelings for him. There's no way you'll be able to get through the night.
"Looks like we got our own bathroom." Joe spoke, snapping you away from your racing thoughts.
You turned in his direction to see him walking inside the adjacent bathroom. Oddly enough you notice he didn't mention anything about the single bed. Clearly it wasn't a big deal for him and it should put you at ease however it raised even more questions. Is he expecting you to protest? Look for another place to sleep?
"Really? That's cool." You said trying to appear nonchalant as possible.
When he steps out the bathroom you see him look at the bed with a grimace. "Nope, absolutely not."
You felt like your heart fell down to your stomach in despair. It was because of you isn't it? Of course he doesn't want to share a bed with you he probably feels weird.
"What is it?" You asked in a quiet tone, pretending to take interest in the outside world.
He clearly sees you has someone who he didn't want to be that close and intimate with.
"It has too many pillows."
Oh.
You looked over and he was right; the king size bed were mostly filled with different sizes of pillows. Before you knew it he began to toss some of them at the foot of the bed.
"Is that necessary?"You asked standing near the opposite side of the bed.
"There going to end up on the floor anyway seeing that m' gonna be dealing with a wild sleeper tonight." He said with a teasing smile.
"I am not a wild sleeper." You said in denial.
"Sure," He sarcastically rolling his eyes.
"Well, you snore so I'll be dealing with that."
"What? No I don't."
"Do, too. You snore like your dad whenever he nods off in his comfy chair." You laughed.
He slowly licks his lips before pressing them together as an attempt to hide his smile and keep a straight face.
"Take that back right now."
"Nope. You sound exactly like this—" You said before mimicking the obnoxious loud sounds you once heard coming from him.
Seemingly out of nowhere he makes his way around the bed launching for you, quick. A shriek left you as he got a hold on you his hands latches their way to your sides fingers wiggling alongside your ribcage. Immediately bubbly laughter left you as you tried to get away not prepared the way his fingers danced around your weak spots.
"Joey! Stop!" You laughed as you fall laying on your back on the bed.
"Take it back." He playfully scolded. His hand moves down towards your stomach the place where he knows you're the most sensitive.
"Noho!"
"You know I haven't given these to you for awhile so you've asked for it now." He chuckles as you try to capture and stop his hands.
"W-wait, hold on!" You yell out rolling on to your sides as you try to move away. The fact that you could very well be revealing everything that underneath your dress wasn't a factor in that moment.
All you could think about the sensations you were experiencing and Joe's laugh in the air mixed with yours.
He began to tickle all over your neck and collarbone, your hands struggled to capture him in order to stop his movements. Soon you broke out in silent laughter. Tears forming at the corner of your eyes at the intensity of his tickles.
"S-s-stop it Joey!" You said in between giggles.
"Or what?" He taunts, pausing his movements.
"You really don't want to know." Your voice was giggly and non-threatening whatsoever.
"Oh yeah?" He said before his hands went back to work.
Your reaction is immediate, a shriek of laughter fell from your lips, legs flailing up causing your dress to rise more likely flashing Joe but you didn't care as you tried to pry his fingers away. 
"Oh,my god. I can't breathe" You said.
He laughed. "Yes you can. Just say sorry and I'll stop."
"Wait,stop, joey."
"That's not sorry." He said.
"Okay! I'm sorry!" You gave in, just as his hand went to your thigh to continue the torture. Tiny droplets of tears rolled down your cheeks, which were weakly wiped away as you were still on the high of laughter.
As he hovers over you on the bed, his hands stop. While catching your breath, you realized the position you were in. Joe was on top of you with one leg caged in between yours, his small diamond chain dangling in front of your face. Relax, calm yourself. Even though you were telling yourself to refocus, that was easier said than done. Because as soon as your eyes met his, the same look he had given you at your condo appears yet again. The same covetous gaze you tried to justify.
He's staring at you like he wants you. Does he want me? You wondered full of hope.
Your heart will stop when he says what he says next.
"You have the most beautiful smile."
You've been complimented before by Joe. However, it has never been done with so much passion and desire. It was shocking and exciting. Especially from someone you never would've thought would speak to you that way. That someone who is your best friend.
But a friend just wouldn't look at you in the way he is now.
"Um, uh, thanks." You stammered out.
He smiles sheepishly. " Hope m' not making you feel weird."
With his large frame leering over you with his arms propping himself up on either side of your head along with that look. Feeling weird wouldn't even be on the list of the thing you're experiencing right now.
"You're fine." You said getting warm.
He opens his mouth to say something but the sound of loud voices could be heard down the hall. The sound of his dad and brothers voices.
Immediately he gets up as you follow suit adjusting your dress which had risen up quite high.
"I'm gonna go see if they need help with the firewood." He said before abruptly leaving the room quite flustered himself and was looking everywhere but you.
As the day progressed, you and Joe were in a state of awkwardness and uncertainty. As a result, you had allowed yourself to ignore the obvious tension and converse with his family throughout dinner. You couldn't help but glance at Joe, who was already staring at you before quickly averting his gaze elsewhere. However awkward it may have been for you, you can't now deny that he was at least attracted to you.
It had your head spinning and heart skipping. Yet you couldn't help but to feel confused as to why. Was it the dress? Or did he got caught up in the moment? The questions were embedded within your mind later on in the evening when you found yourself sitting around the fire, everyone was stuffed from dinner and delicious pumpkin pie all except Joe who is on his second serving of the dessert. Voices and laughter overbearing the crackling of the fire as you sat silent enjoying the nature and atmosphere around you.
You were brought out your thoughts by soft weight being layed upon your exposed shoulders.
"Hey, cover up with this ,honey it looks like your freezing." You turn your head to Joe's mom wrapping a chunky knit blanket around you.
"Thank you." You said in relief, she was right with the temperature drastically dropping down your thin dress was fruitless against the night weather. "Whatcha got there?"
"A guide of all the things we can go to and do tomorrow" She said taking a seat next to you in the empty camp chair a small pamphlet in her hand. "There's a winery and flower farm I think would be great to visit."
"That seems fun." You would actually agree to go anywhere, it hasn't even been an entire day yet you could feel yourself catching cabin fever already.
"Oh! I meant to ask if you were comfortable with the room situation? If you're not I can always make one of these goofballs room with each other." She gesture towards Joe and his brother who were joking around with each other.
"I don't mind it." You said and immediately cringing at how fast you answered.
"Good, maybe this be will your opportunity to confess your feelings to him ." She blurted out.
Your head whipped in her direction so quick you were surprised it didn't snap. "W-what?"
" The looks were giving at him during dinner alone gives it away, honey."
You wanted to be mendacious and deny. Though it would be pointless as one, you wouldn't come across as believable and two, she wouldn't buy it either way. To be cautious you took a glance in Joe's direction he was still engrossed in his conversation with his brother, it brought you a huge relief he didn't hear anything that was said. You would've probably died from embarrassment.
"It's that obvious huh?" You said with chuckle.
"He feels the same way to you know." She says casually. "You guys just needs to stop dancing around before it hurts you both."
"I don't want to risk ruining our friendship." You muttered, staring ahead at the fire. You knew your friendship is valued and didn't want it to end because you misinterpreted things with Joe.
"He is very attached to you, so I don't think that will happen."
Before you could utter another word a droplet falls from the sky and lands on your cheek followed by another. Soon came the sound of pounding thunder in a distance. Everyone immediately got up from their seats and began to scramble inside. Once you were away from the rain it seem everyone went their separate ways to call it a night.
After saying goodnight to Joe's parents you and him both proceeded to head towards your shared room. The room you'd been given that has one bed. There wasn't a single word uttered once you entered the room and has you walked over to your bag to fish out your pajamas which is a oversized looney tunez t-shirt gifted by the man himself and a pair of pajamas pants....which is not packed. Your eyes widened, the pajamas pants you were sure you packed weren't there.
You searched frantically in the bag hoping you may have overlooked but came up empty handed, except your underwear and t-shirt. God this is going to be awkward.
"What's wrong?" Joe asked taking off his shoes as a distressed sigh leaves your lips.
"Nothing I just forgot something." You mumbled out quickly going inside the bathroom to do your nightly routine.
Another deep sigh left you when you shut the door behind you and turned on the lights. The bathroom is fairly spacious with an elegant rustic style that goes along with the rest of the cabin. Typical personal care products and essentials are splayed throughout. When you got finished admiring you walked toward the huge walk-in shower. You knew the water controls would cause you a headache just by looking at it. And it did after several attempts of learning you finally got to your right temperature and soon as you stepped in before shutting the glass door the heated water soon soothes your tense muscles. The Steam rose to the ceiling clouding above your head, and the sweet fragrance of your body wash filled the space around you as you gently rub it against your skin.
As you got lost lathering your thoughts began to drift to the conversation you had with Joe's mom.
He feels the same way too you know
No, you in fact don't know, aside from the moment earlier you don't ever remember Joe looking at you with any interest.
It was hard to not take Joe's mom's word though. Especially since she's the person who knows him well and through. Now you started to question his real reason for disliking Malik. Was he just jealous the entire time? Just the thought made you happy and feel lightheaded.
You begin to hum to try to take your mind off the speculation and forced yourself to think of something else.
Finally, after what felt like forever, you turned the shower off and stepped onto the fluffy mat. You quickly dried off and lather your body before slipping on your underwear and t-shirt. Sighing, you glanced in the massive rectangular mirror, mentally wincing at how the shirt came down to your mid-thigh. Fingers brush over the tiny stretch marks that are splayed on the side of your thighs. Deep down, you knew nothing was wrong with them and that it was natural and inevitable. But you couldn't help to think about Joe's reaction to them. Would he find it strange?
You shook your head mentally scolding, hating yourself for getting sprung over what a man thinks of your body. No matter who it is, you were raised better than that.
When you emerged from the bathroom along with steam. You find Joe sitting down on the end-of-a-bed bench with a full bowl of popcorn and a remote in his hand as he stares at the TV. He turns his head in your direction when he sees you walk past him swiftly to put your discarded clothes away.
"What's all this?" You asked after zipping your bag, gesturing toward the bowl.
"Isn't it obvious? I owe you a movie night." He says quite proudly.
"Hm , I thought it was stupid?" You said tugging down the shirt as you walk over to the bed.
"What I said was stupid" He shakes his head. "I'm doing this as a part of making it up to you."
There goes that look again....
"So what do you have in mind?" You climb on the bed careful not to flash your underwear and layed by the end of the bed flat on your stomach.
"I was thinking you pick while I'm in the shower?" He holds out the remote for you to take which you gladly did.
"Don't mind if I do." You muttered, immediately going to horror. It was the perfect setting a horror movie night anyway, deserted cabin, heavy rain and thunder.
"No horror movies!" He adds standing up and getting ready to head into the shower.
"Scaredy cat." You called out right as the bathroom door shuts behind him.
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Thirty minutes later, Joe returns from the steamy bathroom with just sweatpants and a towel drying his wet hair. In the same position, he spots you laughing at your phone most likely at a tiktok video . Your eyes caught his gaze and you sit upright turning off your phone. He gulps suddenly becoming nervous, it's been awhile since you've shared a room and the first time to actually share a bed together. For the longest he's dreamt of this. The love he has for you is too strong to ignore the situation and act like everything is fine.
"Superbad or The Hangover?" You asked keeping your eyes on him as he got situated on the bed next to you.
He ponders for a second before saying. "Um, Superbad, haven't seen that one in awhile."
The wind continues to howl as the rain pours down harshly outside when you press play. He pretends not to notice the brush of your elbow, despite being in a fairly large bed you two were in close proximity both sitting up with your backs on the headboard. In his peripheral vision, he secretly stares at your side profile looking for any sign of discomfort about the fact your lying in the same bed. Instead he sees you focused on the TV laughing without a care in the world. Your relaxed state automatically makes him feel the same way. No big deal. It's just like sleeping by himself, and he's willing to pretend he's alone. Yet how can that be possible when he is in fact not alone and is joined by you—the person he's head over heels for in just a t-shirt? No doubt it will be a challenge.
"That was you in high school." You nudged him before pointing towards the screen which splayed Michael Cera's character Evan awkwardly talking to Becca.
He scrunches his nose. "I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that."
"Am I wrong though? Remember Emily Robinson from study hall?" You questioned with a teasing smile adorned on your face. "She pretty much threw herself you at every given chance and you were totally oblivious. "
"The opposite is true, I wasn't oblivious." He said with honesty.
Confusion filled your eyes as you furrowed your eyebrows. "What? You're lying!"
"I promise you I'm not." He chuckles throwing his hands up in defense. " I knew she liked me, I just didn't know how to tell her off."
As you shake your head, you exclaim, "Oh, that's so hard to believe."
"And why's that?"
"That's the case with virtually every girl who shows interest in you."
He shrugs. "Or who knows maybe it's because I'm always looking at someone else."
"That's a possibility." You said in a quiet tone completely unaware how he looked at you while saying that.
The irony of teasing him about his obliviousness and failing to see how deeply in love he is with you is quite funny. Outside eyes are already taking notice of what is happening. Why couldn't you? She's waiting for you to make the first move his mother would say and he prays to god she's right.
For the rest of the night you spent watching a couple more films as the storm outside turns into light drops of rain. It was 2am when you both decided to finally call it a night, after flickering off the TV you cautiously tucked yourself underneath the covers Joe is currently under. There's a generous amount of space between you as you faced away from each other, tension arises as the only sound in the room is the plattering of the rain.
By a slight whisper you wished him a goodnight.
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As your body rolls over yet again for the millionth time, you let out a frustrated sigh. Sleep seemed so close yet so far away. You've tried practically every method from counting sheep over the fence to creating fake scenarios, all of which include the man sleeping next to you. And still nothing . This type of restless night drives you crazy, sleeping in an unfamiliar setting causes this and because you can't help but to still process you're sleeping in the same bed as Joe, so your mind couldn't help but wonder.
You kicked majority of the blankets off your body hoping that some coolness would ease your mind into exhaustion. Again, nothing. Feeling completely hopeless you sat up, eyes looking around as if you could make out anything in the pitch darkness the only thing that's visible is the alarm clock on the nightstand that reads 3:30am.
Movement beside you caught your attention as Joe rolls over on his stomach. You couldn't distinguish which direction his head was turned as you laid back down as an idea came to you.
It's worth a shot, hopefully he'll take pity on you.
"Joey?" You whispered.
No response of course, you said it so low you practically mouthed it. You were still debating on whether you should wake him up or not. It's selfish and quite frankly inconsiderate you know this. Especially since you're ruining someone else's good night sleep for you own gain. But you're desperate and can't go to sleep so you call out his name again a bit more louder.
"Joey?" This time you reach over to softly poke at his bare shoulder. Since when did he take off his shirt?
"Yeah?" He responds , in a voice that sounds nothing like he'd just been woken up.
"Are you awake?" You ask , dumb question. Of course he's awake, sounds like he's been up this entire time.
A slight chuckle comes from him. "No, I'm asleep."
"How long have you been up?" You mumbled.
"Since you start fidgeting"
So about an hour. Damn.
"Sorry , I can't go to sleep." You said sheepishly.
Suddenly, there is silence and you believe he has fallen asleep until you feel him shift closer to you. Your back is facing him, and you are so glad it was because you got flustered instantly. He lifted the blankets up and said softly. "C'mere"
Well fuck, there's no way you're going to be getting any sleep tonight.
Without saying a word you shift under his arms, his bare chest pressed against your back as you got situated. A sigh of content escapes you as Joe practically engulfs you in his embrace. He feels so warm,big,and strong. His arm pulls you in tighter which you had no problem with. This is definitely not what best friends do.
What is this?
"Are you comfortable?" He asked you could feel his lip on the shell of your ear and the urge to turn around to lock lips is strong.
Swallowing thickly you nod your head. "I am, didn't think you're the cuddle type Joey."
"M'not but I know you are." He says.
That's true. Almost everyone knows you're a fan of cuddles, so much in fact you sleep with a body pillow at home.
"Well, thank you." You said in a way to be grateful as you trace over the multiple prominent veins on his hand in front of you. You wished to see the size comparsion to your hand and his but you could feel it. So big just like the entirety of him.
You weren't blind you'd seen how Joe has grown into his muscular frame since the Superbowl, the countless workouts really pays off as his arms and chest became more defined. Which you are more than lucky enough to be currently cradled in. Reality hits hard at the situation. Joe is cuddling you right now, full on koala hugging you from behind. You always wondered was it'll be like to be smothered in his arms, close to his body, you never thought you'd see the day.
During your enjoyment of mindlessly playing with his hand, you can feel his heart beating against your back. As if he were nervous or scared. As you furrow your eyebrows, you open your mouth to ask him what's wrong when he grabs your hand and laces it with his.
"I need to tell you something." He says quietly, gripping your hand with firmness.
You tilted your head in his direction with concern. "Everything okay?"
"Not really." He chuckles slightly but it was far from sounding amusing, it was more of a nervy laugh. "You know, I care about you alot. We've been friends since forever and what I'm about to say could possibly ruin that."
"What are you—?"
"I lied earlier," He interrupts causing you to frown.
Lied about what?
"In the car, I told you I was being distant because I didn't want Malik to break your heart." He swallowed heavily, before continuing, "That wasn't entirely true. I just didn't like seeing you with him...or with anybody else."
Time seemed to have slowed down and the air became thicker. Your heartbeat increased, and your stomach twists immediately. However with all those things happening it didn't stop you from uttering out a blatant "W-what?"
It's hard for you to comprehend that he's basically confessing his feelings for you. So long you've hoped and dreamt about this exact moment.
"I want you to be mine and I don't want you to be with anyone else." He sits up leaning on his elbow his other arm is still wrapped around your waist and fingers still laced with yours. "I hate to sound cheesy like those cliché rom coms you make me watch—" He laughs before continuing. "But I'm really in love with you, it's to the point where I can't stop thinking about you."
Happiness bloomed inside you and you felt a sudden flare of relief. Joe—the man you've been in love with—just confessed his feelings. Your heart has been daring to hope that he feels the same way for a while, even though you've convinced yourself that it's not possible.
Holy shit.
"You really love me?" You said gripping his hand tightly.
He leaned down to rest his chin on your shoulder. "I do, so much."
"I love you too," You smiled when you heard him a sigh of relief. Your hand slips from his as you reach up to caress his jawline. "I have for a long time actually. Took you long enough."
You feel him smile and lean against your hand. Just when you thought everything couldn't possibly get better, he opens his mouth and asks a question you've been waiting for so long.
"Is it okay if I kiss you?"
The excitement unfolded like a flower as you nodded your head. And before you know it his mouth is on yours. He's passionate and fierce as if he'd been stranded in a desert in need of a drink and you were that cold glass of water he found and drank so desperately. His tongue traces over your bottom lip before slipping into your mouth wasting no time exploring every inch. You moan as his tongue intensifies swirling against yours , while doing so his hand grips your waist holding you against him.
That's when you feel it. The hardness prodding on your lower back, you could feel it through the thin fabric of your t-shirt which had risen dangerously high.
Pulling away, he kisses you from your jaw to your neck, gently sucking while you gasp, wrapping an arm around his neck as you enjoy the feel of his lips. Under the thick blanket, his hips are pressed against yours, keeping you in a state of shock. He felt massive and thick. And you want more of it.
"I want to touch you." His words are muffled due to his never ending kisses on your neck. "Can I touch you? Hm?"
"Yes, please do." As soon as you gave him the go he takes his hand from your waist and travels down to your expose thigh gently massaging it cherishing how soft you feel. You sigh in contentment, eyes fluttering shut when his hand goes underneath your shirt and go upwards to cup your left breast.
Taking you completely by surprise he rubs your breast before trailing back down to the hem of your underwear where he slips fingers inside. You let out a whimper when his fingertips glides over the area you wanted him the most. His body tense when he felt your arousal that was practically soaking his hand. Tiny moans escape your lips as he circles your sensitive clit, your hips immediately start to squirm.
"Keep still." He groans, his forehead dropping down to rest on the back of your shoulder. You weren't aware that the more you squirm the arch in your back goes deeper, essentially grinding your ass against his hardness.
"I can't, not when you're touching me like this." You murmur hand clutching his forearm where you could feel the muscles flexing with every strum that his fingers makes.
"Fuck!"He grunts breathlessly as your hips continues to move. There's no way he going to cum like this as much as you're making him feel absolutely good he was ready to explode at any given moment by the movement of your hips.
He takes his hand out of your underwear much to your dismay letting out a sound of disappointment he quickly repays you with a kiss on the lips before sitting up yanking the covers off the both of you tossing it to the side.
"Roll over on your back for me." He commanded.
You follow his order, finally coming face to face even though you're in almost complete darkness the outline of his body and features were visible to you. The diamonds from his chain certainly stood out as well. He grabs both of your legs and spread the wide getting situated between them.
"Lift up your shirt all the way." He said quietly, almost at a whisper.
You could feel your soul take flight as an unsuspected feeling of realization consumed you. This isn't a dream, Joe is really here in between your thighs ready to fuck you in the most delicious way possible. No amount of words could explain how happy and eager you feel.
When you finished taking off your shirt he wasted no time bending down attaching his lips on your tits, the coldness of his chain grazes your warm skin causing you to shiver. His tongue flicks and licks around the hardness of your nipple before he gently sucks.
"Hmmm Joey." You moan grasping the back of his head, not knowing what felt more good his tongue or the fact his cock is being pressed against your aching pussy.
Another moan escapes from you when he strokes his hips against you rubbing right on your clit and causing you to be blinded by pleasure. His hair tickles your chin when he switches over to your other breast giving it the same attention. It took everything in you to keep your moans at a lower level, still mindful of the fact you're doing this under the same roof as his family. The last thing you wanted is for one of them to come down and interrupted your intimate session. God , you would never show your face again.
Joe detaches his lips with an audible 'pop' leaving your skin glazed and sit up on his knees while his hands grips your underwear and swiftly pulls it down. Lifting up both of your legs together he takes your panties off completely. Now you're on full display, laying there letting him venerate every inch of your body. For some reason you didn't have the urge to shy away or cover up like you did with past lovers ,no, you are ready for him to see and cherish you including the imperfections.
"You have the softest skin. So beautiful." He mumbled lowering his head to kiss by your hips trailing down to your inner thighs peppering extra kisses on your beauty marks. Joe lifts his head up for a moment grabbing a spare pillow handing it over to you. "You might wanna hold on to that, m'not gonna be able to contain myself."
Without giving it a second thought you wrap both arms around the pillow when he hitches both your legs over his shoulder. His mouth is on you in seconds, low groans leaves his lips as he engulfs his tongue over your folds and run it on your clit where he sucks and massages.
"Oh, my god!" Your words muffle due to your mouth on the pillow. And your hips tries to come up from the bed but they don't have the chance because Joe's hand immediately reaches out to slam you back down.
He takes your legs off his shoulders and held them down each flat on the bed, spreaded wide, his hand on holding down your thighs firmly. The intrusion of his tongue slipping inside you takes you by surprise, a loud raw moan wanted to desperately get out but all you could muster up is a whimper. Eyes closing shut, your legs started to shake at the intense pleasure.
Messy smacking and slurping noise could be heard underneath your heavy breathing, the way he's eating you is borderline sensual yet unhinged. He left no parts untouched, you could feel wetness pool beneath you. Which turns you on even more.
A familiar heat is burning inside at the pit of your stomach and you knew that it'll only be a matter of time you gush out your release.
"M' gonna cum." You sob out in a whisper, twisting your upper body to the side slightly.
Joe pulls away yet again and you swore you were seconds away from reaching down to finish yourself off. However when Joe releases his hold on you and reaches down to take off his sweatpants that idea is immediately gone.
He carries a throbbing cock beneath the thin happy trail; it slaps against the lower abdomen where a prominent vein runs from his tip to his thick shift. There is no way you could deny that you are a little intimidated; the sheer size of him had you gulping.
He settles back in between your thighs, this time lifting your left leg on his shoulder. That's when he notices it, the diamond peice anklet, a smile adorns his face when he pressed a kiss on your ankle. His eyes focuses back on you drinking in your needy state, the pillow he gave you is clenched in your grip with anticipation.
Not wanting for you to wait any longer, he spits loudly into his palm before wrapping around his hand around his length, slick noise of the sound of him jerking could be heard.
Gripping your left leg as your right curls around his waist, he aligned his tip to meet your seeping wet entrance you shuddered feeling a slightly burn from being stretched out.
"It's okay, take a deep breath for me, you gotta relax" He assures you noticing the way your muscles tensed. The last thing he want is for you to be uncomfortable.
You force your eyes to be transfixed on the digital clock on the nightstand as you focus on taking deep breaths for a few seconds. Once it became tolerable and no longer confining he involuntary pushes his hips forward going deeper. As soon as he did that you tighten around him. His face contorts into an expression of pleasure, pressure on your thigh is coming from his hand that grips it tightly. You can tell he was holding himself back from fully pounding into you relentlessly.
His thrusts are slow and impactful. Moans after moans continues to leave your lips.
"Faster Joey, I want you to go faster." You said mindlessly body jerking up at every stroke of his hips.
"You sure?" He asks.
You nodded before he presses his lips together and took hold of your waist when he slams into hard and fast. Your left leg is still on his shoulder when he leans down to lock his lips with yours silencing your moans. The pillow you were gripping is tossed to the side as you find stability in clutching on to Joe's biceps, digging your nails into his skin.
"Fuck Joey!" You cried out as his tip kept hitting your sweet spot. Faint sounds of skin smacking filled the air along with the sound of your wetness. "O-oh my g-god, you feel so good!"
"You like that baby?" He asked, his chain is brushing against your chin with every stroke.
"Mmhmm, I love you so much." Eyes rolling to the back of your head at the constant pleasure, he fucks you even harder thrust filled with passion. You were on the brink of letting out a scream of pleasure, stopping you from doing so you leaned and sink your teeth into his shoulder.
You can feel your stomach tighten when you felt a strong deep pleasure within. A surge ready to be released.
"Cum for me, just let go." He reaches his hand down and plays with your clit. You let out a mixture of a whimper and sob, your back arching, legs still, eyes fluttering, and jaw slack. The feeling you're experiencing felt otherworldly, it has you in disbelief. He fucks you through it nicely with slowed thrusts before pulling out, your left leg slips off his shoulder and lies limp.
"Oh my god." You breathed out placing a hand on your temple as you try to find your train of thought. He quite literally fucked you stupid.
"You still with me?" The corner of his mouth curls up into a smile. A hum in response is all he got. Once you have officially recovered, he orders you to lie on your side. Confused, you turn to the right facing the direction you were in earlier. As Joe kneels in between your legs, he straddles your right thigh and lifts your left leg to curl around his left hip. Almost before you can process the position, he enters you and starts to devour you.
Your tits bounces rapidly at his merciless hips slam into you over and over again. It wasn't long before they're being groped by Joe who pants heavily above you, a low moan coming from him occasionally.
He hovers over your quivering body with a bruising grip on your hips. His pace is sharp, quick, and so deep you felt dizzy with never ending pleasure as your sensitive body takes in everything that he's giving to you.
"J—mhgh" You couldn't fathom any coherent words as you began to feel overstimulated. This position he has you in makes you feel like you're being fucked beyond your limits.
Joe notices your hands blindly searching for anything to cling to and releases your breasts from his hold. His hands completely engulfs yours as he laces them back together place them on either side of your head.
A couple more thrusts followed and you've approached your second orgasm. Way more intense than the first , so intense you've made a mess on Joe's lower stomach matting down his happy trail and coating the both of you with your essence.
"Shit," He grunts out feeling the aftermath of your orgasm, pace becoming sloppy as he's rapidly approaching his release. He pulls out abruptly ready to fist his soaking cock when you stopped him.
"I wanna do it." You said sitting up he was still straddling your leg as you reach down to stroke him.
"Fuck fuck fuck" He chants, head leaning forward to rest against your shoulder. He moans your name as his release hits, lips connecting with yours when he's spilling multiple spurts on your hand and even on your chest.
With a sigh you both shared a lazy kiss before plopping down next to each other. There is a moment of contentment instilled in your heart during this time, and you remain there for a moment. Enjoying the presence of the man who just took you into a different realm. It wasn't long before the moisture and stickiness on your skin became a discomfort.
Taking a deep breath you slowly eased out of bed. When your feet planted on the floor your legs buckles slightly.
You hear Joe chuckle in amusement. "Take it easy, huh? Where you going?"
"Shut up, I'm headed to the shower." You blushed holding on to the bed post.
He stands up and walks over to you with a glint in his eye. "I take it you got room for one more?"
Taglist:
@luvjoe9 @idyllicbarb @lonelywiththestars @balanceingrace @maricciardo @joeburreauxsworld @tigertales9 @clumsyjoeb @certifiedlesbianbaddie @cherry2stems
If you want to be apart of the taglist dm me babes!
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bitchlessdino · 8 months
Text
mood rings, drive thru theaters, and the latest issue of tiger beat (m)
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Pairing: chan x college student!reader (afab) Genre: angst, smut, fluff Word count: 6.9k tags: SVTHUB COLLAB, set in the 70s, plot twist with dark ending (possibly triggering to some), pwithplot, tutor!reader, busty!reader, pining, brief mention of religion, mention of recreational drugs, mention of death, mention of medicine and medical practice, mention of tragedy (car crash), breeding kink, daddy kink, unprotected sex, couch sex, handjob cream pies, dirty talk. Summary: when you fall in love, it can feel like you’ll be with that person forever, that there isn’t another being in the world you rather be with. This case is just as heavy in your youth, tutoring a boy you’ve only ever walked circles around, while you wear a mood ring from his parents souvenir shop so you could feel closer to him. When it happens, you don’t expect things to crash harder than the way they do. author note: she's here!!! i might reedit later but i wanted to get this out before i changed my mind about the plot again so enjoy and check out the rest of the collab!!!!
Tag: @shiningstar-byulxx @misssugarlips @tommolex @hoeforhao @homerunhansol @dkakapizzaboy @junhui-recs @svtup @buffhoshi @meowmeowminnie @caratochan @lovebot4han @6969lilithcat @wonuhour @camisun93 @emmmui @toruro @jeonride @novalpha @nvmrljk @feat-sun
Falling in love in the seventies wasn’t easy. You didn’t have mobile phones or text messaging, hell, you were lucky if you had email. Most people didn’t. That’s what made it so much harder to be a person stricken in love. All you had was paper, a pen, and the possibility of hearing something through your home landline.
Every day you would wait for the confirmation call he’d be coming. He was one of the polite ones. You were grateful to have formally met him through the tutoring program held in college and you look forward to that phone call and the weekly meetings every Tuesday and Wednesday to go over organic chemistry. Somewhere in that mix, you had hoped to find your own chemistry with him despite knowing how selfish that’d be.
You’d never admit it loud but you had the classic high school pining back when you attended the same classes in the same town. He was a sweetheart then just like he was a sweetheart now and you longed for him like any other teenager. He had you doodling combinations of your names together in a worn out notebook and cherishing an item you secretly associated with only him. Yours was a mood ring.
In the summer of 74’, a new souvenir shop had just opened around the block after countless failed businesses by previous owners. This shop was owned by the Lees, a cute mom-and-dad duo that was sweeter than any cream-filled Twinkee. There was not a thing intimidating about them. They seemed like good people. What you weren’t ready for was their son working the register that day.
What was it about a man in wide leg jeans and a tight fitted shirt that made you want to physically fall to your knees?
At the time, he was wiping a glass candy tray rather meticulously. He has only greeted whoever came in without looking, too focused on getting every dust particle out of every crevice, so he didn’t notice how you found him to be the most interesting sight you’ve seen.
His smile when seeing the swell job he’s done was priceless compared to every piece of merchandise in the store. If there was a chance you could bottle up and take it away for keeps, you would. You would tell the local newspaper this store would be a new world wonder just from this boy alone. 
You had to pinch yourself to finally pull your eyes away from him, scanning for something, anything, interesting enough to purchase and ring it up with him. Finally, your eyes land on something colorful, ever-changing, and wearable.
“Will that be all for today?”
You nodded, holding back a wide grin as you watched him run through your purchase. His smile never faltered in front of you, and for some reason, it made you feel special, despite the assumption he probably smiled in front of anyone who came in. Still, it made an impression.
“That’ll be a dollar please and since you’re a new customer,” he picked something from a box behind the counter, “a pack of now and laters for the road. You can have one now and another later. They’re great.”
God, he’s cute.
You mused at him, accepting the ring and freebie after paying him up front. “Thank you.”
“Have a great day. Catch you on the flip side!”
You waved back at him on your exit, immediately regretting not staying longer to chat. As expected, your mind went blank the second he spoke to you, and the moment you were alone, you slid on the mood ring on your ring finger and focused all of your energy on thinking about the questions you could’ve asked. For him, that was like any interaction, but for you, it’ll be a core memory. 
It was throughout the years you realized that you’d be attending the same high school, sharing the same senior year, experiencing the same last year festivities, but despite the many opportunities, you never had an encounter like that with him again. You’d pass by that souvenir shop countless times, glancing at him while he worked every shift, but cowardly never approached him again. Not with the lack of trying, of course, your adolescent self was too busy to find a way to make him fall in love with you according to whatever you read in Tiger Beat.
You remember flipping through it, back and forth, momentarily distracted by the boyish charm of David Cassidy, and then going back to reread it in case you missed something. This had been your adolescent bible to understand whatever was on trend because only God knew you needed it. Somedays, you’d pretend you were talking with him through your magazine posters. Now that was a face deserving to be in magazines.
“You’re still thinking about that boy? Just talk to him already.”
Even your closest friend, Stacey, couldn't get your head out of the clouds. 
You adamantly shook your head, the magazine clung to your chest. “No, absolutely not. Me talking to him wouldn’t even happen in my dreams. In fact, I’d probably have to pay admission to see him in my dreams.”
She rolled her eyes, letting you get back to whatever exactly you were doing. “Okay, drama queen. We get it. You like a boy.”
She was used to this at that point and it’d be all the same. You never outgrew it entering colleges either, the same one he happened to attend, which you couldn’t have been more stoked to find out. “He’s not just any boy, Stacey. he’s the boy. He’s so far out. I can’t even fathom his existence.”
You were in fact exaggerating, but at the ripe age of 18 all of it felt sincere and you truly did believe it was all true.
And to think you hadn’t formally met him yet until you started participating as a tutor in a peer help program at your University. You didn’t expect much of it, only thinking of collecting some community hours and hopefully maintaining a good reputation with your professors and there he was, like fate. There he should, hair coifed in intentional pristine, a loosely buttoned vibrant green shirt, and familiar tightly fitted pants that flared from the bottom. 
Your breathing seized, stunned by the sheer fact you have stood this close to him since the first time your eyes laid on him. When he turned to you, he didn’t seem to notice your reluctance to walk closer as he strode confidently in your direction. 
“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Lee Chan. You're my tutor, right?”
Your heart sounded like a metronome at the highest speed at this point, taking your breathing in little by little, timidly returning him with your own introduction. Safe to say, you were both scared out of your mind, yet excited about this turn of events. Though, if you thought about it too hard, you had the chance of rendering tutorship useless and then it’s farewell to Chan.
That’s when you made the executive decision to omit him from your head during these sessions and treat him like any other peer needing help, as you initially intended with anyone you were assigned. If you wanted to continue these sessions and help out Chan, you needed to do more than think about what your future looked like together with 2.5 kids and a big picket fence.
You picked up a polite smile and settled in at a table, flipping a textbook to the first chapter of the course. Fortunately, he followed just as any other person struggling in chemistry and attempted to keep up with the lesson plan. As expected, you’d stumble over many of your teachings, forgetting some of the information yourself and having to refer to the book due to the blinding glow of your student, but as time passed, things eventually were more tolerable.
It was a few months later found an easier medium of being infatuated with the young man but helpful enough to pass the assignments in the above-average percentage. He just happened to be a good student that required more patience. Somewhat, it made you warm to learn that about him, including the fact he was good at listening, or how his eyes lit up picking up a lesson and recalling from memory. However, you kept this situation mostly professional, avoiding social interactions that would take away from your role. That was until Chan found comfort in spending time with you, having a sense of gratitude much grander than anyone teaching him Aldol reactions or valence electrons.
You could feel his soft gaze as you outlined something on his study sheet, emphasizing its importance since it’s appearing in the final he’d be taking eventually. If this were you back in the days of learning his name for the first time and thinking about him every waking second, you’d faint right about now. You’d be lying right now if you said you didn’t feel dizzy from the heat of his presence, but as you have been for the time spent together in the library, you’ve trained yourself to ignore it while mastering to subdue your intrusive thoughts.
Chan somehow found a way around that.
“Oh, your ring. Looks like the one in my parents' shop.”
You momentarily glanced back at the trinket before zone backing into today’s lesson, awkwardly chuckling to yourself. “Oh. Ha ha, that’s because it is.”
His eyes lit up the way they do, a cartoonish gleam in his eyes. “Really? I think I’d remember seeing you.”
“It was once a really long time ago.”
“Well, you should visit again. I can give you a good discount. We just got a big shipment of pop rocks.”
“Okay, sure.” You smiled, internally giggling at the thought of Chan entertaining himself with explosive candy and sharing it with you like the coolest treasure. “Alright. Organic compounds—“
“We really met before?” He interrupted.
“It really was so long ago. I’d be surprised if you did remember.”
“Well, I feel bad. I feel like there’s time it should be making up.”
You waved it off, not minding the now teary expression of guilt on his face. “It’s fine, Chan.”
“How about we go and watch a movie? I think the drive thru is replaying ‘The Godfather’. You should come with me.”
“Really? I don’t know.”
“Come on, consider it a thanks. You don’t even get paid for all the time you’ve spent teaching me.”
“No, but I get community hours. Speaking of teaching.” He placed his hand over yours, cuffing off the words caught in your throat. You find yourself helpless at the sweat pleas of Chan who works the cute angle all too well as he scooted closer to you. “I don’t think I can rest knowing I haven’t found a way to thank you. You’ve been tutoring me for 4 months. The least I can do is take you out.”
You’re a bit stunned, your leg already shaking in nerves as you never expected such a proposal to easily leave his lips and for you nonetheless. You exhaled, mustering the courage to meet his eyes before nothing, pressing your lips to discourage an all too gleeful smile. “Fine. We’ll watch ‘The Godfather’.”
He let you go, beaming, and tracking his pencil tracking over his notebook filled with chicken scratch that was comprehensible to him. “Good, I can pick you up.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” he repeated before gluing his eyes back on the textbook, a noticeable hue of peak creeping up the back of his neck. “So, organic compounds...”
This arrangement was all you could think about until the day of, reading and rereading your magazines for possible outfit ideas, dating tips, and anything with the potential of making the best of this nerve-wracking situation.
On the day of, you got in your best get up just in time for the meetup. Anxiously, you turned your mood ring around your finger as you waited by the door, contemplating to yourself if what you chose was the right course of action. When the knock came, you came swinging the door open and pinched yourself from swooning seeing him in casual attire, including jeans that hugged his hips just right.
Chan, on the other hand, didn’t hide his emotions. Bright and animated, you grew hot under his watch, fiddling with the mood ring now on your middle finger and seeing it glare back a yellowish orange, indicating how nervous you really were. He took cautious steps towards you, mouth falling in awe, and he tugged at his band tee, which now felt lackluster compared to what his eyes were now seeing. “You look really good. I feel underdressed.”
“No, no,” you said, shaking your head and stepping down from the porch. “I just threw something on.”
“Well,” he offered an elbow, “shall we?”
You accepted his offer and hooked it through, hiding your elation. “Of course.”
He escorted you to the car and guided you to the passenger seat before closing the door, allowing you a moment to swallow the spaciousness of his station wagon before heading off to the theater. 
Cars beside cars, people neither mingling, making out, or taking advantage of the concession stands with 25-cent popcorn and pop. The sun was in the process of setting before it became a violet hue and eventually pitch black, perfect for movies. You got out of the car and smoothed out the wrinkles of your outfit, taking another deep breath.
You only had a fleeting second seeing him come out from the driver's seat, a smile settling on his face for what felt like you and only you.
Then came the hoard. Voices calling out Chan’s name, boys and girls his age gathered around him, offering his gregarious greetings and rowdy conversation. They hounded him with hugs, not minding you who stood off from the side behind the cat. Your expression dropped, starting from your smile before spreading over your body language. Chan, remembering your existence, tugged you from the hood and brought you to his side. He briefly introduced you as his tutor, and you did your best to greet them back just as politely.
They nodded at you, sly faces towards Chan as if you wouldn’t notice, and then came their bombarding again, only this time in your presence. You kept up the calm facade, only laughing when necessary before turning to the person who brought you here. “Nice to meet you all. Hey, Chan. I’m gonna get some snacks.”
“Okay. I’ll be here.”
You didn’t let the disappointment show on your face as you walked away but let it fall free as your back was towards the group. You hear their teasing and playful banter, questioning if you’re really just his tutor and Chan confirming, leaving no implication for anything else. You crossed your arms in embarrassment, already regretting letting this situation occur, imagining the worst scenarios to come.
You quietly asked for popcorn and a grape pop, greeted with your refreshments a few moments later, along with a box of raisinets. Your lips parted in confusion. “Oh, I didn’t order these.”
“On the house,” the guy winked, leaning over the counter a little too close for comfort, “a secret promotion for cuties like yourself.”
“Ah,” you gave him a tight-lipped grin, visibly distancing yourself, “thanks.”
“You know, I can always sneak away from my post for little liplock in—“
“Hey, you doing alright? I was worried about you.” You didn’t have to look to know. His body came crashing into yours. An arm slung over your shoulder, an action almost as natural as breathing. “Do you have enough?”
Your eyes flickered toward Chan who came to your rescue, nodding curtly. “Huh? Y-yeah.”
Chan met the seller's eyes before accepting your purchase for you, handing you over only the popcorn. You stared at the box of raisinets before he tugged you away from the stand.
“I did good, right? I’ve been told that guy’s a creep. I didn’t know he worked here.” His whisper sent chills through your body, yet burned your ears. You could feel the fanning of his breath, tickling your skin and raising every hair in your body.
“Me neither.”
“He’s not a good guy. You see him around, walk in the other direction ok?”
You nodded, taking his advice into serious thought. “Thanks, Chan.”
When it’s clear you’re out of sight, he parted from you, keeping his hands down his pockets, visibly apologetic. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable with that. He just won’t let it go unless he finds out you have a boyfriend or something.”
“Mmh-hmm.”
“Let’s get back to the others, hmm?”
You spent most of the night with Chan and his friends. Some laughed at how cheesy the movie was or actually scared of what was actually occurring (Chan was a mix between the two). You’d enjoy it more if you weren’t a bit bothered by the circumstances. All you could was glance in Chan's direction while he smiled and laughed along with his friends. Even though you were sitting next to him in the same car hood, you never felt further away. Every direction tonight felt like a punch in the gut, having only spoken to him before the movie started. At this point, you felt as if you had no place here, blinking away the humiliation tears threatening to fall.
“I’m a little cold. so I’m gonna finish the movie in the car.”
Finally, his eyes landed on you, “What?”
You slid off the hood and dusted yourself. Chan followed behind you confused before seating himself inside the car with you, a worried expression on his face. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Of course not.” You splayed a less genuine smile, raising your cheekbones for good measure, but seeing its failure to convince otherwise.
“That means I did do something wrong,” he said, smiling bitterly. “Sorry. I’m not the best at picking up cues.”
“I told you, Chan. I just got cold.”
He sighed and turned to reach for something behind, pulling over something thick and warm over your body, covering your torso and legs. “Here. So you won’t catch anything.”
There’s that familiar clang to your heart you should be used to by now, following the marching band that typically arrives after inside your chest. “Thank you.”
You both sat in silence for a bit, continuing to watch the rest of the movie. He makes so attempt to communicate with his friends outside and he doesn’t smile, only focusing on the movie, insistent on being in your presence. You aren’t sure how to behave, fingers inching at lingering awkwardness.
“If I’m being honest,” You started saying, filling the charged air with something other than tension, “I didn’t expect to see that many people with us.”
“You didn’t?”
You shook your head. “I misunderstood all on my own. Don’t worry about it. Let’s just finish the movie.”
“Hey—“
“I’m feeling warmer already,” You said, grinning as yourself deeper into the blanket.
Your eyes were ready to train back in the movie before he spoke again, hearing a tone in his voice you weren’t all that familiar with. “I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable alone with me. I guess I did anyway.”
Guilt festered in the out of your stomach, regretting making a big scene out of nothing. “That’s not—“
“I got scared,” he admitted, the corner of his lips quirking up in a self-loathing grin. “They already saw my tickets so they thought they would get some too. Make it a group thing. I didn’t want it initially, but I thought, maybe it’d make things easier…I should’ve run it by you.”
You met his eyes, earnest yet soft. You didn’t know how to respond to any of this, processing his confession slowly. A fit of emotions wash over him and you see now the inner conflict that he had dealt with, somehow washing you over with relief. The final deep exhale you let out was solace, thinking to yourself how situations like this only happen in movies and books. You’re warm all over, an overwhelming urge to reach over and hug him, a fellow rambling mess.
“You didn’t misunderstand anything. I did want to go to the movies with you, but I wasn’t sure if you felt pressure or—“
You grabbed his hand, lacing your fingers through his. He stiffened under your touch, blinking back at you like a lost child. You smiled back at him from ear to ear and body leaned over on his side. “Just hold my hand. We’re not going to cause any more misunderstandings. Okay?”
He matched you, his pearly whites staring back at you as pretty as ever. “Okay.” His thumb caressed over your fingers, noticing something interesting as he did so. “It’s purple.”
“Hmm,” You looked down at your clasped hands, noticing that same thing he did: your mood ring in a solid rich purple. “It is.”
“Do you remember what purple means?”
You avoid edhis eyes, quietly laughing to yourself. “You know better than anyone.”
“I do.” He tightened his grip, head leaning against your shoulder and it felt as if time had stopped. You don’t doubt that he can hear your heart racing right or your uneven breathing. He turned the ring around your digit, watching how the colors periodically shift. “I won’t let there be any more misunderstandings.”
Since that incident, you went about your tutoring sessions as normal, with the additional intimacy that didn’t exist before. You both gradually developed these sessions into more study dates and then they became real dates. Things only became official when the semester finally ended and he continued wanting to see you, visiting your place whenever you got the chance using any possible excuse.
You could remember how happy you felt at the time. The relief there was to know he liked you back. It was almost as if you were living a dream. A damn perfect dream.
Then your first kiss came around. You were as nervous as anyone anticipating the first. Every doubt in the past didn’t matter, only now did. Everything all led up to this point. It just happened in the way you least expected it to.
You didn’t know why he insisted on teaching you how to play arcade games when he was just as bad. Still, it was cute seeing him try so hard. The firmness of his back followed your movement, guiding you to the right combos, shifting the joystick to move in the right direction, and although it was all wrong, you appreciated the back hug you were getting in return. Even the claw machine had to be a teaching lesson, insisting he had something to teach you. 
“I did it. Chan, I did it!” You saw the stuffed dinosaur grabbed by the metal prongs, dropping right into the winner’s slot. You bounced on your feet cheering and took Chan along with you, hugging him tightly as your inner child healed and squealed at your achievement.
“I knew you could! You’re amazing.” His strong arms came around you firmly, pressing you against the glass of the machine.
Your breath was seized, replaced with weightlessness and tension in your chest that doesn’t seem to want to leave and perhaps you didn’t want it to. Although he didn’t pull away from the embrace, he parted far enough to meet your eyes and the longing in them. He knew what it was because that’s what was in his eyes, falling into their trance like a lucid dream that had him higher than any recreational drug. Neither one of you was willing to let it go, so all you do is stare. Stare at each other like you’re in your own world and no one else’s. As if life as you know it ceased to exist except for you and Chan. Nothing else matters.
When it felt as if you could imagine a more perfect moment, he leaned in with closed eyes, finding your lips like they were a second home and stealing your breath. You thought to lean in to kiss him deeper, but he already had found his grasp and pressed into you closer against the glass, feeling every ounce of muscle and shape of his body beneath his clothes. His shallow breath against yours, his hug of lips pulling at your bottom lip, and he emitted a soft grunt.
He pulled away from you with his arms still wrapped around your sides, shocked by his impulsivity. He stroked the side of your head, scanning for any fear in your eyes, slightly relieved to see any in sight. “I’m sorry. That was…a lot, huh?”
You shook your head reassuringly. “No.”
“Then I can kiss you again?”
The corners of your lips turned up, gripping his jean jacket to pull him closer. “Yes.”
You were kissing for hours that day and the next day, and then again the day after. Since then, something has shifted and these teenage dreams turned reality into something less family friendly. Your nights in his dorm became more frequent, more intimate, and always backed by a melody thanks to a record player gifted to him by his dad when he moved out. His prized possession, besides you anyway, as he claimed.
“What do you want to be when you’re older,” he asked, dragging his digits in and out between yours. He smiled, noticing your mood ring turning a mix of pink and purple before kissing your knuckles. “You know I want to be a nurse. What’s your dream?”
In the background was Led Zeppelin, their intoxically addictive tune spinning on the table. You thought to yourself a bit before turning your head back up at him, nuzzling closer into his warm touch before answering. “I want…to be surrounded by the people I love.”
He laughed like he heard the sweetest thing on planet Earth before his fingers threaded through your hair. “Baby, that’s sweet but not what I meant.”
“I know what you meant, but it’s what I want. It doesn’t matter much what I do, as long as I’m with my loved ones.”
“Am I one of these loved ones? Do you love me?” 
“Yeah. I love you.” You didn’t even hesitate, the words were always on the tip of your tongue until that final push. You lifted alight above him to repeat yourself louder. You let him heed your words. “I think I really love you.”
You thought he’d react differently, more scared and unsure but—“I love you too.”
“Chan,” you smile, warm filling your inside as you let your breath chase away the race in your chest.
“I mean it.” He bent his head down to meet your lips, cupping your cheek with the warmth of his palm. “I really, really love you.”
Chan toppled over you, lips meeting yours repeatedly in a heated frenzy, caressing your body and holding you desperately against him as you did the same to him. He kept you between his legs, whispering it over and over, ‘I love you, I love you,’ blistering and marking your skin. How was it that made you feel as if you weren’t allowed to breathe? 
Before you realize it, clothes started coming off. Piece by piece. As ‘Babe I’m gonna leave you’ replayed, shirts, belt, pants, and everything underneath fell to the ground. You saw him. You saw all of him. And he saw all of you. Your instinct was to shield away, be conscious of your then and there but in his own way, he reassures you, speaking to you as though all his words were nothing but the earnest truth. “I’m here. You’ll never have to worry about me not being here. I love you so much.”
Your flesh spilled through his fingers, imprinting his hands through your nude. Sounds of worship leaving his lips between every kiss, not even the worry of lack of condoms could stop him. Your thighs were glued to his hips, and you felt the warmth of his length titter to your fresh heat. You moaned every time you met lips, every bite he gave to your skin, and every full twist his fingers made with your sensitive buds before filling the inside of his oral cavity of your full breast.
You ached to have him in you, hand barely reaching his girth before wrapping a tight wrist around him. He shuddered at your touch, thrusting through the circle of your palm. You felt the need in his movement as he grinded down on his couch, not minding the wool burn inevitable to be left behind. Weak chuckles escaped his lips and he flashed you a smile, seconds away from melting into helpless groans. “You know just how to handle me…”
“Only because you treat me so well.”
Kissing one breast and then the other, he reached your lips as he held your thighs against the sides of his torso. “And I’ll do it for as long as I’m alive.”
You looped your arms around his neck and pulled yourself against him, his warm breath tickling the tip of your nose. “Make love to me. I wanna feel you inside me.”
“Then I won’t wait a second longer.”
The moment you felt him inside you, you felt higher than anything you could find in a blunt offered by the shady next-door neighbor. You buckled into him, lifting your hips off the couch for a fully bloomed taste. The stretch he left had your jaw falling, clutching to his shoulder, and letting out exasperated breaths. You nearly choked on your own spit that had only forced it down when he picked up the pace.
You molten walls only sucked him in deeper, calling his name in blurred whines. Each thrust and each kiss was fueled by an undying passion. He carried you, palm to your back and your legs around his waist, and pulled you on top of him. From beneath you, he drilled your insides, meeting your longing expression. 
Your fingers draped over his face, and you held on to his blissful expression that occasionally dropped in anguish when chasing after his rhythm. You whined his name desperately, clinging to him as you dug down your hips down his lap. He moaned louder than before, gingerly cupping your breasts and finding your stiff nipples between his fingers.
“You feel so good taking me…and your tits are so soft and warm.” He pushed himself to thrust hard, pleased with how easily you easily bounced against him, watching your flesh moving loud and fluidly like water. “You’re so perfect to hold, and love, and fuck my dick into—shit.”
Your chest rose and fell catching up with his efforts. “Chan, I love you so much.”
“I love you too. So, so, so—fuck!”
You felt his grip grow tighter and saw his jaw drop lower. His legs clenched to your sides impulsively, unwilling to let go. Soon enough, he couldn’t take it anymore and came inside you. He looked as if everything in his brain told him not to, but it seemed that nothing could stop the geyser within him from coating your insides with hot ivory. He snapped into you in an erratic rhythm, cum spilled in you and out of him until it stained the wool underneath.
Chan was red in the face, both in embarrassment and heat. He looked up at you in panic at the direness of circumstance considering neither one of you thought to stay protected. “Shit, fuck,” he exclaimed still pumping inside you, “you feel so good. I’m so sorry.”
You shook your head, bending down to kiss him. “It’s okay, just don’t stop…please…”
His stressed expression melted, as did his fingers into your skin. He caressed over your sides with love in his eyes, swallowing nervously. “Really, baby? That ok?”
Perspiration coated his skin, beading down his adam’s apple as it bobbed. You felt like mush in his touch, letting your hips make use of the natural lubricant. Your boyfriend groaned at the sound of the slick moisture sliding over his skin. You cupped his face in your hands, working your jaw in a needy liplock. “Yes, please. Fuck your cum in me, please.”
His fingers tensed, dragging your lips to slap down on his. He exhaled slowly, your walls hugging his cock erect. He asked in a breathy voice, “Fuck my cum in you…my pretty girlfriend wants something so dirty done to her?”
“Yes, yes, please…” You whined.
He slammed up into you, feeling how he’s already bottoming out inside you. Hearing you moan his name lit a fire beneath him and he rolled you on your back to rut in you like a merciless animal. 
“You want my cum in you, hmm? Fill you up with my cum and put my fat load in you?”
You jerked in the opposite direction, your skin smacking against each other causing the tenderness of your skin. “Yes, please,” You choked out, “I want it all with you.”
His lips picked up from the corner in a smirk, turning you back over to plant you against the couch while his feet finally touched the ground. “You want it all? Like a life? A family? You want me to build a family with me…have me fuck my babies into you?”
“Yes, baby, please. I want you to fill me up so I can make you a daddy.”
“You love me that much?” He slammed into you with a proud smile. “You love me so much you see your future with daddy?”
You batted your lashes back at him. “I see every day either full of joy or full of your cum inside me.”
He snickered before biting his lips in a filthy moan, “Such a dirty mouth on the mother of my kids.”
You’re spent by the time your legs gave out, and you and your boyfriend exhausted your bodies to the point you couldn’t move even an inch off the couch. Cum seeped out of your holes like sap, only halted as you pressed your legs together to get comfortable. Chan had barely enough energy to tug a blanket off from behind him and throw it over your bodies. You smiled into his warmth, nuzzling into his chest, and inhaling his lusty musk. 
You moaned in satisfaction. “Mmh, I like this…”
“Me too.” He hummed.
“I never want this to end.”
“And it won’t,” he said, kissing the temple of your forehead.
“Are you hungry?”
You moaned. “Starving.”
He chuckled, holding you closer to him as his voice dropped an octave. “Let’s fill you up with something, hmm?”
You rolled your eyes, smiling as you lightly shoved him. “Chan…”
“Food, babe,” he said with a cheeky smile, “get your mind out of the gutter.”
After a quick shower, and a few wet kisses in between, you’re set to refresh yourselves with some fast food and can’t help but be filled with elation. You cozied into the passenger seat accepting the hand he’s offered as the other steadied the wheel. You can’t help but notice how he glanced every now and then when he shouldn’t, making you nudge him to fix his gaze.
It was always a loving one, one that you’d forever burn in your memory. You don’t even know why, but you shed a tear looking at it. That smile of his seems to go on for miles and brightens your day like the morning sun. You felt it in your heart. Something suffocating that you couldn’t describe but all you think in your head is that this was love and that loving Chan would be the easiest thing you could do.
He sent you another glance before making a turn, one a little longer than the few before, then all you heard was a loud blaring honk, your voice screaming his name, and then your vision went pitch black. You stared into darkness. Emptiness. Nothing was in sight. 
That was until your eyes were open again. You woke in a place of all white, smelling of antiseptic and a hint of febreeze. You slowly blinked, scanning the room, unmoving. Still, in fact.
“Good afternoon, Sunshine. Sleep well?”
You only could see who entered when they walked in your field of vision. Your eyes stared in shock at the sight of your boyfriend, smiling back at you in scrubs as he wrote away in his clipboard and looking as if he hadn’t aged a day. You internally screamed at your body to move, crying from within the inside at the inability, and then soon growing tired, realizing it’d never be possible. As he put away documents in a file holder pinned to the high wall, you stressed your throat to speak, hoping for the least a sound to follow, but instead, it was your silence.
“I’ll just open the blinds a bit, make sure they’re not too much light in your eyes. Too bad your nap was a little long. The weather was so good. I thought we could roll you out into the garden.”
You are losing your mind. The last thing you could remember was a car accident that felt like mere seconds ago and staring into the eyes of the man before you, who matched the love in your eyes. Now you’re imprisoned in your own immobile body, with no clue why and how the love of your life survived when you barely did.
“Your heart is pounding. Wait a second.”
Chan strode over to the monitor just out of view, forcing yourself to rely on your peripheral to watch him. His side profile and his body were all within reach but unassessable. You felt the sweat of your palm through the sheer determination alone, but to no avail, he stayed away from your grasp.
“Hmm, we’ll have to figure that out.”
Finishing up, he stood in front of you like a figure of light radiating brightness unfathomable to man. A light bright enough to fully grasp your reality. Your true reality.
That’s right. He’s not your boyfriend. You were never together.
You’ve been the way you were for two years, by a car accident nonetheless. This was Nurse Lee–your caretaker and nurse–who insisted you call him by name and talked to you as if you could talk right back. 
And this wasn’t the 1970s. It was the 2070s. 
Your gaze quickly turned to “Three's a Company” playing on the highly advanced TV plastered on the wall, momentarily surprised that they still had the show on cable, before snapping right back to your nurse, now going on about the daily work gossip. You couldn’t help but stare again, watching his handsome face turn up in a smile every time something delightful popped into his pretty little head as he spoke. Your eyes fluttered in remorse, a familiar sinking feeling in your chest as you inhaled and exhaled through your breathing tubes.
It all made so much sense. Too much in fact. Here you were in dreamland living in disbelief that someone as sweet and kind and Charming as Lee Chan—nurse Lee Chan—would ever be someone so madly in love with you. You lived a happy and healthy and normal life in your dreams, shutting off from the dark truth of your world is, as if you’ve never been in this accident. You dreamt of life before it was taken away before you narrowly escaped death.
If you could call this escaping death anyway. You were practically dead.
And perhaps the worst part—
“Vivian liked the flowers you suggested. I think she’ll finally stop being mad at me thanks to you.” 
He gently moved your head to fluff the pillow behind you and placed you back on top. He brushed away a hair that strayed over your face, and you felt a sensation pulse through your fingers. “I wish you could meet her. You’ve always been there to listen to me talk about the wedding planning, the bridal stuff, and then the actual wedding. I hope you liked the photos, the guy we hired was—phew—a pretty penny.”
You started to blink rapidly, seeing your reality crumbling before you, and all he could do was look as devastatingly beautiful as always, even with the dark circle under his eyes from long hours of work. 
“I talk a lot, huh? That’s what you’re thinking. Sorry, you’ve always been a listener, not that you can help it.” He chuckled to himself. “Sorry, dark joke. I’m sure if you could move now, you’d laugh.”
No, you wouldn’t.
“I’ll be out of your hair in a second. Don’t worry.” 
He did the last round of his thorough check-up of your room before standing by the door with his clipboard in hand. Clicking his pen, he turned back to you one last time with a smile now turned bittersweet.
“Any day now. Your heart pulses a little faster every day. Your family is waiting for you. And because I’ve grown attached to you I’m waiting for you too. Maybe after all this, we could be friends, then you can tell me how much you love or hate when I talk to you. Just as long as you’re up and running again.”
The moment the door closed, you were alone again. The fluid built in your tear ducts finally found their escape and streamed down your still face, facing their discomforting warmth. Your chest heaved, your grew breaths shallow, your throat went dry, and suddenly your lips quivered. In solitude and sheer desperation, you said your first words in years.
“Chan…come…back…”
But it didn’t matter.
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Curses from Ex-Boyfriend || Oneshot
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Character: Artist!Bucky x Reader
Summary: Y/N navigates humorous breakups and manages an art gallery. A reunion with first love, Bucky, at an exhibition ignites a whimsical love story woven with unexpected enchantments.
Main Masterlist || support: Ko-fi
Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more. 
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Y/N sunk into the barstool, her eyes telling tales of another failed relationship. Yolanda, the supportive friend, encouraged Y/N to share the latest misadventure in her love life.
Y/N sighed, "Okay, get this. The first one, Mike, broke up with me because he claimed my choice of pizza toppings was a reflection of our incompatibility. Apparently, pineapple lovers and non-pineapple lovers are destined to fail."
"Then there was Mark," Y/N continued, a smirk playing on her lips. "He couldn't stand the fact that I had a more extensive collection of pokemon than he did. He said it was a sign of divergent life goals."
Yolanda raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Tell me more."
"James, number three," Y/N chuckled, "Simple, he doesn't like dog."
"Alex was next in line," Y/N continued her tone a mix of disbelief and amusement. "He called it quits because he believed my excessive use of emojis in texts was a clear indication of a lack of emotional depth. Can you imagine?"
Yolanda laughed, "You can't be serious! What about the fifth one?"
Y/N sighed again, "Oh, Tom. He said my insistence on arranging our bookshelf by color instead of genre was a deal-breaker. Apparently, a good relationship requires organized literature. Can you believe these reasons?"
"Bucky was the longest, wasn't he?" Yolanda mused, a smile playing on her lips.
Y/N nodded, "Yeah, high school sweethearts, you know? We were the classic emo couple, complete with matching black outfits and moody music playlists."
Curiosity flickered in Yolanda's eyes, "So, why did you guys break up?"
Y/N chuckled, "Dead serious. Bucky was deep into it. I remember one day, he used a spell to try and cancel a math quiz."
Y/N grinned, "Oh, maybe because I'm over with emo and I think because Bucky got into magic, like, real magic. He bought this ancient-looking spell book at a flea market."
Yolanda's eyebrows shot up in disbelief, "Magic? Seriously?"
Yolanda burst into laughter, "Wait, what? A spell to cancel a quiz?"
Y/N nodded, "Yeah, he was convinced he could influence the universe with his newfound magical prowess. The thing is, our math teacher did cancel a quiz that week, but I later found out it was because he had a stomachache."
Yolanda's laughter faded into a look of realization, "Wait, are you saying Bucky's spell worked, or was it just a coincidence?"
Y/N shrugged, "Who knows? But I guess that was the beginning of the end. Bucky's magic phase and my inability to take his magical ambitions seriously eventually led to our breakup."
Yolanda winked, still teasing, "Maybe he enchanted you with a love spell, and that's why your relationships have been so... uniquely challenging."
Y/N rolled her eyes, feigning exasperation, "Please, if Bucky had any magical influence, it would've been to summon more black eyeliner or something."
Yolanda joined in the laughter, realizing the absurdity of her own suggestion. "I guess you're right. Love spells and high school relationships don't really go hand in hand."
As they clinked their glasses together, Y/N couldn't help but feel grateful for Yolanda's light-hearted humor.
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Y/N groaned as she woke up with a slight headache, the remnants of the drinks from the previous night's escapade still lingering. Despite the throbbing in her head, she dragged herself to work at the prestigious art gallery where she served as the manager.
As Y/N settled into her office, her boss, the eccentric Madam Madeline, swept in with her fur jacket and oversized glasses, an aura of sophistication surrounding her. Madeline, always on the lookout for the next big thing, had an uncanny talent for discovering hidden gems in the art world.
With an air of excitement, Madeline announced, "Y/N, darling, I've found the next big artist during my travels around Europe. A true visionary! Prepare yourself; this is going to be huge for the gallery."
Y/N, still nursing her headache, tried to focus on Madeline's words. "Really? That's fantastic news. Who is this artist?"
Madeline beamed, "Oh, you'll see soon enough. I've arranged for the gallery to showcase their artwork. We need to get everything ready for the grand reveal. This could be a game-changer for us, my dear."
Despite the pounding in her head, Y/N felt a surge of adrenaline at the prospect of introducing a groundbreaking artist to the gallery's patrons. With a nod and a determined smile, she assured Madeline, "Consider it done. I'll make sure everything is prepared for the big showcase. This artist is going to leave a mark on the art world, and our gallery will be at the forefront."
As Madeline left the room, Y/N rubbed her temples, contemplating the exciting challenge ahead.
The day of the grand art exhibition arrived, and the gallery buzzed with anticipation. Y/N couldn't help but be excited about unveiling the mysterious artist's work. The moment Madam Madeline revealed the artwork, gasps of awe echoed through the gallery.
The paintings were truly impressive, capturing the essence of emotion and movement in each stroke. Yet, as Y/N studied the intricate lines, a sense of familiarity tugged at her. It was only when Madeline dramatically unveiled the artist's identity that Y/N's surprise reached its peak.
"Bucky?" Y/N muttered under her breath, disbelief washing over her. She couldn't reconcile the image of the once-emo high school boyfriend with the sophisticated artist standing before her.
Without the signature eyeliner and long hair covering half his face, Bucky had transformed into an entirely different person.
Madeline, reveling in the dramatic revelation, announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the brilliant artist behind these captivating pieces is none other than Bucky!"
Y/N's eyes widened as Bucky approached her with a confident smile. "Hey, Y/N. Long time no see."
It took a moment for Y/N to process the situation. "Bucky? The Bucky from high school?"
He nodded, "The one and only. Surprised?"
Y/N couldn't help but laugh nervously, "More than you can imagine. I didn't know you had this side to you."
Bucky chuckled, "Life is full of surprises. Just like art."
As the reality of the situation sank in, Y/N couldn't help but marvel at the unexpected twist of fate.
Intrigued by the transformation in Bucky's life, Y/N couldn't help but ask, "Bucky, where have you been all these years?"
Bucky grinned, a twinkle in his eyes, "After high school, I decided to pursue art more seriously. I entered art school, but it turned out the formal education wasn't for me. So, I packed my bags and hit the road, traveling around the country to draw inspiration from different landscapes and cultures."
Y/N listened, captivated by the adventurous turn in Bucky's journey. "And then?" she prompted.
Bucky continued, "I found myself in Europe, sketching the beautiful landscapes and immersing myself in the art scene. That's where I crossed paths with Madeline. She saw something in my work, and the next thing I knew, I'm back home."
Y/N couldn't hide her amazement. "That's incredible, Bucky. I had no idea you were out there making a name for yourself in the art world."
Bucky smiled modestly, his eyes reflecting a mixture of pride and gratitude. "Yeah, life has a way of surprising you," he remarked. "Art became my language, and every stroke on the canvas felt like a piece of my soul. Little did I know it would lead me here."
As Y/N continued to admire Bucky's work, a comfortable silence settled between them, punctuated only by the soft background hum of the art gallery. The familiarity of their shared past mingled with the newfound understanding of the paths they had taken.
Bucky broke the silence, "You know, Y/N, seeing you again brings back a flood of memories. The art, the laughter, the quirky moments—some things never change."
Y/N smiled, "Indeed, some things don't. Life has a funny way of circling back, doesn't it?"
As Madeline enthusiastically dragged Bucky away to meet other attendees, Y/N found herself momentarily alone, surrounded by the captivating artwork.
Observing Bucky engage with the crowd, Y/N couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for the once-emo high school boyfriend who had evolved into a renowned artist. The whimsical nature of their teenage years seemed worlds apart from the sophisticated individual now navigating the art world.
Y/N strolled through the gallery, and she noticed a subtle but significant detail in each painting – a delicately drawn flower nestled somewhere within the vibrant strokes. The realization struck her like a soft breeze, and she couldn't help but smile. It was her favorite flower, a subtle signature Bucky had left in each masterpiece.
Bucky, engrossed in conversation with other attendees, glanced in Y/N's direction. Their eyes met, and in that fleeting moment, an unspoken understanding passed between them. Y/N felt a warmth spreading within her, realizing that the flowers in Bucky's art were more than just a visual motif.
The language of art spoke louder than words, and Y/N interpreted the message within those flowers in the quiet exchange of glances. It was a silent acknowledgment, a whispered confession that transcended the boundaries of time and distance. Bucky's subtle gesture conveyed, "I still think of you."
As the art gallery hummed with admiration for Bucky's creations, Y/N couldn't help but feel a connection rekindling.
After the event, the air crackled with anticipation as Y/N mustered the courage to approach Bucky. "Bucky, would you mind grabbing a coffee with me? It's been so long, and I'd really like to catch up," she said, her heart pounding with a mix of nerves and excitement.
Bucky, meeting her gaze with a warm smile, replied, "Absolutely, Y/N. I'd love that."
As they sat in the dimly lit cafe, the atmosphere seemed to thicken with unspoken emotions. Conversations veered into shared memories and life's twists and turns. Y/N couldn't shake the feeling that, perhaps, this was a crucial moment—a juncture where destiny hung in the balance.
Later, in the intimacy of Bucky's hotel room, he opened an old sketchbook. Pages turned with a whisper, revealing an old photo of Y/N. Intriguingly, on the adjacent page, a spell was inscribed—an enchantment woven into the fabric of their shared history. The room seemed to pulse with an energy that felt both familiar and intense.
Bucky's chuckle was dark and enigmatic as he muttered, "Damn, it works."
The revelation left Y/N completely unaware. Little did she know that the seemingly whimsical magic from their teenage years had woven a thread connecting their souls, guiding them back to each other after years of divergent paths. As they continued to share laughter and stories, the magic of the past lingered in the air, creating a subtle but powerful force that bound them together.
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Author Note:
Hey friends,
If you've been enjoying the content, I've set up a Ko-fi account. Your support through tips would mean the world and help me keep creating. Only if you feel like it!
Here's the link: Ko-fi
Thanks a bunch for being fabulous followers!
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theglamorousferal · 1 month
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Tony keeps in touch with Harley post IM3.
Tony hacks into Harley's school to see what his grades are and it not clocking that he could literally just ask about it.
Tony keeping up with the Keener’s via twice monthly phone calls that turn into weekly ones that turn into Tony and Mrs. Keener texting back and forth.
Tony invites the kid to visit during a school break where they both just tinker with things. Harley is nervous at first until they meet up again and they start snarking back and forth.
At least one minor fire or explosion happens. If asked, neither know what started it. (Tony was wiring a gauntlet and Harley jokingly called him Dad when Tony told him he had to do his homework.)
The Keener’s visit for a week in the summertime, Tony has bought the lake house earlier to have a place away from people. Mrs. Keener and Pepper get along pretty well and both the kids like Pepper, so Tony counts it as a win.
Tony offers to pay for Harley and his sister's education and Mrs. Keener took him up on it because there was no way she’d be able to afford to send both her kids to college unless one of them got a free ride and Tony shows he cares by spending money and making sure those he cares about are safe and comfortable.
Harley spends the summer before his freshman year of high school with Tony. Tony finds a used classic car and they spend the summer rebuilding it and upgrading the engine to run clean.
Tony finds Spider-Man and finds out he’s a year older than Harley. Tony panics because here’s another kid genius but this one's in way over his head and will stay in over his head regardless of if he has support or proper equipment. Tony decides that no one else is gonna help this kid and give him as much protection as he could if he built him a suit, so he does just that.
Tony finds out about Midtown through Peter and approaches Mrs. Keener with an opportunity for Harley. (It's a genius school and it's practically a feeder to MIT, it'll be great.) Harley moves into the tower that Tony has kept here because he has reason to stay in the city.
Tony is a lot better at dealing with a kid because he's been hanging out with Harley so long, so he invites Peter over to meet Harley and have lab time. 
Harley just quips “so you’re my replacement?” to Peter and Peter immediately panicking and stuttering over himself while Harley howls with laughter.
Harley helps Peter learn to be more comfortable around Tony by roasting Tony for twenty straight minutes and after a month of lab days enlists Peter's help in making a program for FRIDAY to blast Barbie Girl when Tony has spent 24 hours or more in the lab.
Peter asks Harley to hang out with Ned outside of lab days. The three of them end up building a LEGO Deathstar and have drawn up the plans to be able to make it hover the next lab day.
Peter and Harley become thick as thieves and get to the point of that weird twin telepathy especially when it comes to being sassy.
One school break the three of them didn't go outside for the first four days, just spending most of the time in the lab so Pepper comes in and orders them to go outside for once my god Tony. Take them to your favorite burger place, I don't care, just be outside.
This leads to the three of them getting Pap'd. ("Yeah, I was out to lunch with my two interns, what's the matter with that?" is the quote above a picture of him laughing as the two boys pretend their straw wrappers are mustaches.)
This leads Tony to realize that he hadn't actually gotten the boys registered as his interns and remedies this immediately. (with backpay into a trust for each of them(Harley already gets an allowance, Tony has no idea how much is the proper amount to give to a 14 year old, and so usually gives him a few of whatever bills are in his wallet.))
Tony decides that now that they're officially employees of SI, that means they get to check out the place and so brings them down to R&D where everybody is immediately charmed by Peter and amused by Harley. The boys end up talking to the interns on the floor while Tony discusses the latest StarkPad.
One lab day both Harley and Peter look exhausted but Peter still showed up for lab time so they make their way there. Tony takes one look at them and asks FRIDAY to scan them, they both have fevers and he herds them into his living room.
Tony orders all the cold remedies he can think of to be brought up to the penthouse. Tony instructs the boys to pick a movie while he gathers blankets and dumps them on the boys.
Tony frantically texting Harley's mom and May asking them what he should do I've never taken care of a sick kid before, there are two of them, what do I do??
May asks Tony if Peter can stay the night because she's working a double that she can't get out of. He says yes if she can tell him what to do for sick kids because Harley's mom hasn't been able to respond.
Tony ends up joining the boys on the couch after forcing each of them to take cold medicine and thrusting a bowl of chicken noodle soup into each of their hands. Tony's in between the boys.
Over the course of WALL-E each boy begins to sag eventually trapping Tony on the couch. He's got one drooling in his shoulder and another drooling on his thigh. He asks FRIDAY to take several pictures before going back to his work on his StarkPad.
This starts Peter staying over whenever May is working night shifts. Then staying over every other weekend. Then Tony invites May and Peter to go on vacation to the lake house for a few days in the summer.
The Keener family is also present and May, Pepper and Mrs. Keener get on like a house on fire. Peter loves playing with Abbie with Harley. Three group chats are made that day. The adults in a co-parenting chat, the ladies in an exasperated with our geniuses chat and the kids in a sass and meme chat.
Just, Tony becomes a dad to two brilliant boys (and maybe one of the boy's baby sisters too depending how you want to write her).
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rinstrumental · 9 months
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ellie gf headcanons
# modern au. im in luv with her. this is so long oh my god its an illness
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did karate from 1st grade all the way up to high school and basically considers herself your bodyguard
immediately offers you her hoodie without a second thought when you show the slightest signs of being cold. she lets you keep it too, of course. what kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn’t ???!!!!
she needs either your hands on her or her hands on you at all times. sosososo touchy and BIG on pda her kisses are inescapable. constantly has an arm around you or resting on your waist… the whole world needs to know. she’s actually insufferable i’m sorry but in the most endearing way ever how can you resist
“would you still love me if i was a ____???” she wants a serious answer too
genuinely thinks ur the prettiest person alive. which is kind of the bare minimum but she worships you truly
happy with any sort of date as long as it’s with you. fancy dinner? this is the only reason she keeps a suit and tie. staying in? what movie do you want, babe? running errands? she’s already waiting for you in the car!!!
speaking of cars she drives an old station wagon which used to be joel’s. ellie used to moan about how lame it was until you said that the back was perfect for sitting together during camping or stargazing…. and other activities too ;) wink wonk
gets flustered when she makes you flustered because you’re telling her that SHE did that?? she made u nervous??? shit man now shes blushing too
her love language is gifts she loves to spoil you with your favourite snacks and soft toys and even homemade gifts. she just wants you to see her in your room and have her on your mind as much as you’re in hers!!
it’s no secret that she’s an artist and it’s also no secret that her favourite subject to draw is youuu!!! her favourite thing to do is just have you sit across from her and draw what she sees
of course naturally that means she takes tons of pictures of you… to study for her drawings… and keep in her special photo album of you… and to look at when she misses you. Ofc
makes fun of you/teases you sometimes. she can be a mean bitch to other people but she would never actually hurt your feelings and you know that
ellie hates goodbyes. even if it’s after spending a full day together and you’re going to see her soon anyways… i just know she’s the kind of person who feels empty after hanging out with someone.
calls and texts about everything… and it’s always so cute :( she definitely has autocaps on
ellie: I drew you again!!
ellie: Hey babe I saw this funny bird it reminded me of u
ellie: I miss you so much. When can I see you again?
ellie: These cats r like us lol
keeps a pet gecko or something like that for sure. it’s you guys’ baby
her top two movie genres are horror and romance after that. the only reason romance is that high up is because it reminds her of you
does stupid romcom shit like hold a boombox outside your window. makes you mixtapes even though CDs are basically extinct (joel has a player thank god). corny pickup lines. asks you to be her valentine publicly. runs to your house in the rain. dances with you in said rain.
when she gets sick it’s like the end of the world omg… she needs u to be at her side 24/7 and hold her and keep her company and give her get well soon kisses, it’s essential to her recovery. doctors orders. he said it not her!
gets along so well with your friends and family. she does her research and takes this shit seriously! whatever it takes to make you happy because what’s better than watching your girlfriend get along with the people you love
she also takes her own family seriously - family time is important to her and she spends a lot of time with joel. it’s even better when you can join, some of her best memories are with the two of you
“i’m happy as long as you’re happy”
pet names galore. her personal favourite is just babe (classic) but when she likes others too (sweetheart, honey, darling etc she’s so cheesy it’s awful)
in conclusion she’s just a clingy sappy lesbian who’s absolutely head over heels for you. and you wouldn’t have it any other way <33
bonus: (these tweets that are so ellie)
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dropout-if · 7 months
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Dropout Customization
Due to some questions about MC customization, I have decided to compile all the physical and personality aspects that are selectable about the Dropout.
A reminder that this is all subject to change and that new things may be added (or deleted). Feedback and ideas to further develop MC are encouraged.
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Main Ideas
Name Surname Nickname
Sex, Gender, Pronouns (it's possible to customise them), Breast/Pecs, Penis/Vagina (If MC is transgender, their transition takes place while they're away) Title (Ms. / Mr. / Mx.)
Virginity or lack thereof.
If MC is trans (when they realized about it [high school, middle school, college] and if they told their family // the ROs already know, as MC told Uma and J, and word spread).
Birthday which establishes the Dropout's age as either 21 or 22 depending on the season (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter)
Major (Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Computer science, Law, Economics, Education (in relation to science/maths/etc), Mathematics, Physics, Psychology). The Dropout's Major affects flavor text. These options are the ones approved by the Dropout's parents, though it's possible for MC to express interest in other degrees/topics (music, art, English, anthropology, archeology, classical studies, history).
Reason behind dropping out (MC got kicked out (they were caught cheating) MC didn't get a high enough GPA and dropped out / MC never even wanted to go to college and ultimately decided they wanted out / MC didn't fit in (they were discriminated, lonely, etc) though they really liked college / MC originally liked their degree and college but gradually lost interest in the entire thing / MC never liked their degree and decided to drop out / Something specifically related to mental health (mainly anxiety) / Impostor's syndrome.) This affects flavor text.
2 Coping Mechanisms (Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, Sleeping around, Avoidance, Overspending, Humor, *Hobby (overworking self) [Anger, Fake/forced happiness, Sadness, Indifference].) Each coping mechanism opens a variable and a storyline. You can choose two, though choosing one related to emotional responses [between brackets] automatically blocks out the others.
2 Hobbies (Singing, playing an instrument, songwriting, creative writing, drawing, sketching, sculpting, acting, photography, soccer, football, swimming, basketball, gymnastics, boxing, judo, karate, taekwondo, kickboxing, going to the gym, cooking/baking, dancing [ballet, contemporary dance, modern], yoga.) This affects flavor text and scenes.
Job (Bartender [Wanda, Statler is also around often], Cashier [Statler], Columnist [J (+Kai if poly)], Caregiver [Kai], Waiter/Waitress [Uma (+Travis if poly)], Tutor [Travis]) Each job gives you more time with a certain RO, as well as unlocking a storyline.
Personality Stats
Playful/Serious Honest/Dishonest Friendly/Rude Introverted/Extroverted Laid-back/Uptight Cynical/Idealistic Flirty/Reserved Family oriented/Individualistic
Others: Insomnia, Migraines
Physical Appearance
*It's possible to choose MC's appearance as a high schooler as well. This affects flavor text.
Height (very tall, talk, average, short, very short)
Skin tone (ebony, dark brown, light brown, russet, golden, olive, honey, tawny, tanned, fair, rosy, ivory.) Choosing any skin tone gives you the possibility of choosing to be a poc (idea I stole from Mila, @beyondthegame)
*Build (scrawny, skinny, lithe, lean, muscular, chubby, curvy, hourglass).
*Hair color (max 3 tones, 1 base and other 2) (possible to return home with a mess of dye for Maude to fix. NATURAL (Ashen blonde, Sunflower blonde, Strawberry blonde, Caramel, Honey brown, Chocolate brown, Copper, Auburn, Ruby red, Midnight brown, Jet black, Ebony black) NON-NATURAL (Pink, Violet, Lilac, Blue jade, Vermilion red, Snowy white, Silver, Emerald green, Canary yellow, Bleached).
Hair texture (kinky, very coiled, coiled, curly, wavy, slightly wavy, straight)
*Hair length (ear-length, chin-length, shoulder-length, below shoulder-length, chest-length, waist-length)
*Hair style (SHORT/MEDIUM: natural, side-parted, mullet, layered, bob, ponytail, twin ponytails, buzz fade, slick back, messy, wolf cut, bun. LONG: natural, high/low ponytail, messy, shaggy, California waves, a half updo, side-swept, bun, braid, twin braids, twin ponytails).
*Eye color (albino red, dark blue, light blue, dark green, light green, hazel, amber, chestnut brown, chocolate brown, black, grey).
Others
*It's possible to choose MC's appearance as a high schooler as well. This affects flavor text.
*Glasses (yes, no, contacts)
*Facial hair (No/shaved. Stubble, full beard, goatee, ducktail,van dyke, garibaldi, mustache, soul patch, light beard).
Scars, can choose as many as possible (Back, chest, abdomen, upper and lower arm, thigh, knees, calf, mouth area, neck, cheek, hands, eye area, shoulder)
*Tattoos (One big in X body area, patch-like bodysuit, bodysuit, one/two sleeves, just legs, a few tattoos all over, a small in X place).
*Piercings (Ears [helix, lobe, industrial], navel, tongue, nose ring and septum, eyebrow, lips, smiley, nipples, genital)
Dimples
Braces
Freckles (face, body, both)
Beauty mark, multiple (under eye, over lip, neck, body)
*Outfit/Style (streetwear, alternative, cute, preppy, casual, formal, business casual, dark academia, messy, boho/eclectic, comfortable)
*Bedroom, at family home and at new apartment (messy, colorful, emo, basic, boho, modern, industrial, vintage, minimalist, cute)
*Diet (vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, keto, meat-eater, lactose intolerant)
Family pet (small/large dog, cat, fish tank, hamster/rabbit/guinea pig, cockatiel/parrot/canaries)
Characters
Closeness to all family members (tight-knit, close, so-so, cold, barely any relationship)
Same with the friend group
Crush on Statler during high school (yes/no)
'Popularity' during high school and college (popular, social butterfly [got along with many people but wasn't part of the popular groups], normal, loner, outcast [somewhat antagonistic in a way/rebel].)
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benkyoutobentou · 4 months
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12 Books for 2024 (Japanese Edition)
You may have seen my post about the twelve books I read in 2023 (here), and I thought it would be fun to follow it up with a little tbr for 2024! Ideally, I'd like to read more than twelve books in 2024, but twelve is enough for now since I've got some series on this list that I'd like to either make some serious progress in or finish up completely. This list is in no particular order!
地球星人 - 村田沙耶香: I read コンビニ人間 by Murata a few years back and loved it, and this one has been high up on my tbr for a long time now. With how many people say they're completely traumatized by it, it sounds like the perfect book for me. The only reason I haven't read this yet is because I've hyped it up so much for myself.
生命式 - 村田沙耶香: A short story collection by Murata? Sign me up ten times over. This one sounds weird and gruesome and right up my alley.
本を守ろうとする猫の話 - 夏川草介: Another cat book, who can blame me? This was also touted as being perfect for book lovers, and I haven't heard a bad review yet.
吾輩は猫である - 夏目漱石: Keeping with the cat theme, this one I actually have planned in tandem with a challenge I have to read twelve big ass classics throughout the year. Between the sheer size of this and the fact that the text is so densely packed in, this book kinda scares me. I'm planning to read it in December of next year so that I have as much time as possible to prepare haha.
世界から猫が消えたなら - 川村元気: Last cat book, I promise, but I had to keep them all together (it's actually not about cats, though). I've had this one for a long time and just picked it up on a whim. I've heard a bit of mixed reviews, but the premise sounds interesting enough, and it seems to be pretty popular.
博士の愛した数式 - 小川洋子: This was one of the first books I bought in Japanese, so it's high time that I get it off my tbr. I've seen so many people love this, in and out of the language learning community. This author also has a bunch of other popular works, so I'd really like to jump into her books and experience the hype for myself.
告白 ‐ 湊かなえ: I've seen a bit of buzz about this book in the language learning community, but what really convinced me on it was seeing people outside of language learners also enjoying it. It sounds dark and mildly depressing, and I'm hoping that it'll have some interesting commentary as well.
独り舞 - 李琴峰: Somehow, I haven't read any queer literary fiction in Japanese yet, despite it being my favorite genre, so I'm so excited to jump into this one. For the life of me I can't remember where I heard about this, but I think it'll be one of my first reads in 2024.
デゥラララ!!- 成田良悟: I used to be obsessed with the anime adaptation in middle school but never revisited the series out of fear that it wouldn't stand the test of time. After seeing a fellow language learner gush about the series, I decided to give it a shot, managed to find it at a local used bookstore, and snatched up the first volume. Don't let me down, nostalgia!
憎らしい彼 - 凪良ゆう: This is the second book in the 美しい彼 series, and even though I'd like to read the third one next year as well, I'm just combining them. Seeing this series next to series like No. 6 and キノの旅 I'm really grateful to have a trilogy on my tbr haha.
No. 6 - あさのあつこ: Saying that I would like to finish this series next year is a bit of a stretch, seeing as I have eight of ten volumes left, but I'd like to put a serious dent in it to be sure.
キノの旅 - 時雨沢恵一: This series is more of a read as I please type series for me, since there's not really any overarching plot. I'm also not racing to make progress, since there are over twenty volumes (and still going). I'm savoring this series and I'm okay with that.
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thief-of-eggs · 4 months
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Timkon no-capes AU where Tim and Kon meet at high school because they both decided to try out for the soccer team- and they’re both, surprisingly good. Which leads to competition between the two of them, as they battle to be the star player.
Tim hates Kon initially for a few reasons- Kon is literally the school’s theater kid who doesn’t even like sports, but he’s somehow insanely good at them. He’s entitled, attractive and knows it, and makes friends with an ease that Tim can’t understand. He’s loud and cocky, and clearly thinks he’s too good for everyone around him. Tim watches him from the sidelines, memorizing his schedules for who knows why, scrutinizing everything he does- from his social media posts to the earrings that he wears.
And Kon hates Tim because Tim is the debate team leader, and Tim doesn’t remember this, but he once absolutely demolished Kon during an in-class debate. The kid can talk in circles and always land on top, and it drives Kon wild. How is he so smart? Why doesn’t he have to try in school? Why is he so ok with blending into the shadows, when anyone can see he’s twice the person Kon ever will be? Kon’s jealousy of the kid is insane, and Tim doesn’t know it, but Kon watches him just as much as Tim watches him.
And there is tension so thick it’s choking, snarky comments galore, and mini acts of sabotage from them both. They just don’t get the other- and both of them are so into them that it hurts, they just can’t quite explain it.
Overtime it evolves into a careful friendship, and then finally they kiss after a game they win, and it’s purely instinctual, half the team sees it, and they’re both absolutely mortified.
But they both go home with grins on their faces, with butterflies in their stomachs. Tim texts Kon that night, asking if he regrets it- and Kon tells him he didn’t.
Cue the careful relationship that forms, one that they try their best to keep under the radar. Because Tim doesn’t want the school watching him like they all watch Kon, doesn’t want that added weight to his shoulders.
And, ya know. Classic secret relationship vibes, classic angst that comes from the popular kid and the top of the class kid dating.
Idk, this idea’s just in my mind and I cannot get it out.
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ddarker-dreams · 8 months
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Hellooooo I have been DYING to know this from you 👉👈. You know how there's a lot of tips for writing stuff? Well do you happen to have any tips for reading stuff? I want to read the books you recommend but I fear I'm just too dumb 😭 and won't understand what is going on let alone the themes and philosophies discussed. I feel like I would be insulting Dostoevsky by reading his work looool. We were never taught this stuff in schools ;O
I'm talking about critical thinking and analysis skills, media literacy, being able to picture and visualise sceneries; characters' voices/appearances etc., and just overall being able to comprehend one sentence that doesn't use the most basic active voice structure 😭 thank you if you choose to answer!!!!
SWEET ANON !!!! YOU ARE NOT DUMB !!!!
this is coming from a survivor of the american education system, so it might not be universal, but my experiences in middle/high school made me dislike reading books. no joke. i didn't see the point and thought reading the classics was a waste of time. i'm sure that's partially teenager arrogance, but from the conversations i've had with others, reading was rarely framed in a way that stoked intrigue. we're not given the tools to engage with the text so i'm rarely surprised when i see the worst takes imaginable on a piece of media i enjoy from a 14 year old.
i'm still learning myself when it comes to media literacy, it's an ongoing journey. when i read notes from underground for the first time last year i was literally so confused. i can normally read anywhere from 80k-100k words in one day if i'm motivated enough, but NFU, a novella at around 43k words, took me over a week.
i say all this to reassure you that you're not alone!
some advice that comes to mind when reading a dense work:
do some background research on the author. i know teachers hiss at wikipedia for some reason but reading a few paragraphs about the person's life, beliefs, politics, etc really helps put their writing into perspective.
look into the time period it was written. what were the pressing social issues at the time? who was in charge? what conflicts were ongoing/just ended? what was the predominant religion? books don't exist in a vacuum, a lot of the classics are filled with jabs at ideologies the author doesn't like (i'm looking at you, dante).
if the author's from a different country than you, getting a basic grasp on the culture helps a lot. with reading dostoevsky specifically, historical events like the emancipation of the serfs was an entirely new concept to my american brain.
not everything is going to make sense. sometimes the cultural/historical layers go so deep you'd need to have been alive at the time to immediately get it. fortunately, there are nerds with degrees in book who do extensive research and can give insight. i'll think i maybe understand a book okay, go to read a journal article on it, and go ??????? wat???? page 632 paragraph 3 references euclid's optics?? how was i supposed to know that.
finally, you're not going to like every book you read, even if it's well written. there's a difference between persevering and actively torturing yourself with words. if you dread picking it up again, there are other books to check out instead. there are some classics that i don't care for much (some of edgar allen poe's short stories, the fall by albert camus, no longer human by dazai osamu, to name a few).
ask yourself questions while reading. why did this character do that? is there a reoccurring motif throughout the work, and if so, why might the author be trying to highlight that? what perspective is the work from? is the protagonist lucid, are they an unreliable narrator? what themes are being explored here?
i hope some of this helps dsfhgkdjshgks there's a lot to be said on the subject but i didn't want this post to be miles long.
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treason-and-plot · 8 months
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Saffron has been at the library revising for her legal studies exam for the past three hours, and plans to stay here till closing time. That is until Connor turns up with Wesley and the new girl at school, Laura. Apparently Laura used to go to kindergarten with Wesley and their parents were friends until Laura’s father, a high-flying executive with some big consultancy firm, was transferred overseas. But now Laura and her family are back in Bridgeport, and Laura seems to have superglued herself to Connor’s hip, not only at school but outside of school as well. There are myriad reasons for Saffron to dislike Laura, but chief among them would be her high, lispy voice and pretentious accent, which is apparently the result of having lived in so many different cities around the world. She is in Saffron’s Classic Literature class and every time she is called upon to read or to answer a question Saffron wants to vomit into her book bag.
It is Connor who sees Saffron first; things have been frosty between them since their fight, and she texted him the same day to tell him she didn’t want to tutor him anymore. He feels bad about their falling out and guilty about some of the things he said to her, and sees an opportunity to make amends.
“Is that Saffron over there?” he says. “Shall I ask her if she wants to come and sit with us?”
“Yeah, that might not be a bad idea,” says Wesley. “She might be able to help me with this algebra crap.“
“I verry much doubt she’ll say yes,” says Laura, rolling her ‘r’s in a way that Connor finds quite charming.
“What? Why?” he says.
“Oh, because she absolutely hates me,” says Laura.
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dianawinchester03 · 29 days
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Season 1, Episode 6 -Skin
Series Masterlist
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Y/N's POV
The boys and I pull up to a musty old gas station to fill baby up. "Alright, I figure we hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south...be there by midnight..." Dean looks over to Sam and we notice Sams focused on his phone and he might not be listening, "...Sam wears women underwear" Dean adds and I snicker while playing Sudoku on the newspaper.
"I've been listening, I'm just busy" Sam says and I peer over in the backseat to take a peek at who he's texting. "Busy doing what?" I ask as Dean gets out of the car. "Reading e-mails" Sam says. "Emails from who?" Dean asks. "From my friends at Stanford" Sam responds.
"You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?" Dean asks amused as he picks up the gas pump. "Why not? He kept in touch with me when he went to Stanford" I pipe up. "Well..." Dean says as he puts the pump in the tank, walking back to the side of the passenger seat. "...what exactly would he tell them?" He says to me. "You know? About where you been, what you been doing?" Dean finishes, talking to Sam.
"I tell them I'm on a road trip with my big brother and my childhood best friend. I tell them I needed some time off after Jess" Sam says shrugging. "Oh, so you lie to them" Dean says causally. "No. I just don't tell them...everything" Sam defends. "Hate to break it to ya Sammy, but that's called lying" I say ironically, leaning back into the backseat.
"I mean, hey man we get it. Telling the truth is far worse" Dean says chuckling. "So what am I supposed to do? Just cut everyone out of my life?" Sam asks and Dean shrugs. "You're serious?" He asks. "Look, it sucks but..a job like this, you can't get close to people. Period" Dean says chuckling.
"Don't you agree with me Y/N?" Dean asks me and I turn to Sam "As much as I'd hate to admit it man. He's got a point. I mean. I don't keep in contact any of my high-school friends or old lovers due the nature of this job" I give my opinion and I notice Deans eyebrow cock up at the word 'lovers'. Sam shakes his head in disappointment at this.
"You're kind of antisocial, you know that?" Sam retorts to Dean and I snicker at this. "Dean? Antisocial? Have you seen him at happy hour when the cougars are around, ready to dig their claws into some fresh white cub meat" I throw my head back laughing and Sam chuckles. "Shut it, nutcase" Dean grumbles at me. "Make me, asshat" I counter, winking at him and he smirks at me.
Sam looks back down back at his phone and mutters shocked "God". Dean peers his head in the passenger side window and I lean forward to look over Sams shoulder. "What?" Dean asks. "This email from this girl Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine" Sam says. "She hot?" Dean asks intrigued and I roll my eyes.
"I went to school with her and her brother Zach. She says Zach's been charged with murder. He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says 'he didn't do it but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case' ". Sam explains. "Dude, what kind of people you been hanging out with?" I ask surprised and he shakes his head.
"No man. I know Zach. He's no killer" Sam defends. "Yeah, well. Maybe you know Zach as well as he knows you" Dean says ironically. "Jesus man, that's cold" I say and Dean shrugs. "They're in St. Louis. We're going" Sam turns to Dean and he chuckles. "Look, sorry about your buddy, okay? But, this doesn't sound like our kind of problem" Dean says and I cut him off.
"It is our problem, They're my friend" Sam says firmly. "St. Louis is 400 miles behind us Sam" Dean exaggerates. "We've driven further for less, Dean. Let's just go and if it's not our kind of deal, we split" I try to reason with him, coming to Sam's defense. Sam shoots me a grateful smile not before hitting Dean his classic puppy dog eyes whenever he wants to get his way. Dean just sighs and gets in the Impala, turning around to make our way to St. Louis.
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Now in-front of Sam's friend Rebecca's house. He knocks and almost immediately she opens the door, a smile plastered on her face. "Oh my god. Sam" She says happy. "Well if it isn't little Becky" He smiles back and I almost immediately notice the enticed look on Deans face when he sees Becky.
I'll admit, she's pretty hot, blonde. Exactly Dean's type. Everything I'm not...wait, why am I wondering if I'm Dean's type? Ugh, whatever.
"And you know what you can do with that 'little Becky' crap" She retorts back before hugging him. "I got your email" Sam says when they break the hug. "I didn't think you'd come here" She says shocked. "Dean. Older brother" Dean cuts in, putting his hand out to shake hers. "Hi" She says. "Hi" He says back with his usual shit eating grin on his face.
"Y/N, childhood best friend" I push Dean aside lightly, putting my hand out to shake hers. Dean grumbles a bit at this but I ignore it. "Hi, Y/N" She says to me smiling widely. "We're here to help. Whatever we can do" Sam says to her. "Come in" She invites us in.
"Nice place" Dean compliments her house as I wolf whistle checking it out. "It's my parents. I was crashing here for the long weekend when everything happened. I decided to take the semester off. I'm gonna stay until Zach's free." Rebecca tells us as we're walking in. "Where are your folks?" I ask.
"They live in Paris for half the year, so they're in their way home now for the trial" She explains to us. Damn, must be nice. "You guys want a beer?" She offers us. "Hey" Dean says gratefully. "No thanks" Sam cuts in and Deans face drops. "So, tell us what happened" Sam asks her, leaning on the kitchen island.
Rebecca sighs, "Well...um...Zach, he came home, and he found Emily tied to a chair. And she was beaten up and bloody, and she wasn't breathing, and so he— He called 911 and the police, they showed up and— And they arrested him" She explains to us, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"But the thing is, the only way that Zach could have killed Emily is if he was two places at the same time." She continues and me and the boys look at each other. "The police, they have a video. It's from the security tape from across the street. And it shows Zach coming home at 10:30. Now Emily was killed just after that but I swear he was here with me having a few beers until at least after midnight" She explains fully.
"You know, maybe we could see the crime scene. Zach's house" Sam suggests. "We could" Dean says. "I mean, why? I mean, what could you do?" Rebecca's asks. "Well, me, not much. But Dean and Y/N are cops." Sam says and Rebecca looks over at us shocked. Me and Dean chuckle before I turn to her. "Detectives, actually" I say and Dean grins cockily at my choice.
"Really? Where?" She asks curiously. "Bisbee, Arizona" Dean says nodding and I nod as well. "But we're off duty now" Dean says and Rebecca hesitates. "You guys, it's so nice to offer, but I just— I don't know" She says unsure. "Beck, look, I know Zach didn't do this." Sam says, sympathizing with her. "Now, we have to find a way to prove that he's innocent" Sam reasons with her.
She looks over to us and we smile at her. "Okay. I'm gonna go get the keys" She agrees and leaves the room. When she walks off, Dean wolf whistles checking her out, "Well, you're a real straight shooter with your friends" Dean says. "Look, Zach and Becky need our help-" Dean cuts Sam off. "I just don't think this is our kind of problem" Dean exaggerates again.
"Two places at once? Like I said, we've looked into less" I counter and Sam nods. Dean sighs, giving in and agreeing.
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A little later we're over at the crime scene. We all jump out of the Impala and Rebecca asks. "Are you sure this is okay?" Clutching her sweater to her chest. "Yeah. We are officers of the law" Dean lamely says and I internally roll my eyes as we walk over to the house. This man has no game. How he gets women? I will never know.
Opening the door, the scene is not pretty. Blood everywhere you could think of. I turn to Rebecca after seeing the state. "Hun, you wanna wait outside?" I ask her gently. She shakes her head and steps in, under the police tape. "No, I wanna help" She says walking inside, clutching her hands to her chest. "Tell us what else the police said" Sam says to her.
"Well, there's no sign of a break in. They say that Emily let her attacker in. The lawyers, they're already talking about plea-bargain" She tells us tearfully. "Oh god" She gasps tearfully, looking at the scene. "Look Beck, if Zach didn't do this, it means someone else did. Any idea who?" Sam asks her calmly while shakes her head then she realizes something.
"Um, there was something. About a week before, somebody broke in here. They stole some clothes. Zach's clothes. The police, they don't think it's anything. I mean, we're not that far from downtown. Sometimes people get robbed" Rebecca explains to us tearfully. I hear a dog barking outside.
Me and Dean open the door to see a big brown labradoodle barking aggressively at the door. Rebecca comes behind us and says. "You know, that used to be the sweetest dog" She says as the dog is growling at us. "What happened?" Dean asks. "He just changed." She says shrugging.
"You remember when he changed?" I ask. "I guess around the time of the murder" She says, me and Dean share a look at this sighing. Turning back to walk inside to the kitchen. There Sam is by the fridge, looking at a picture of him, Rebecca and Zach. "Do the neighbors dog went psycho right around the time Zach's girlfriend was killed" Dean tells Sam.
"Animals can have a sharp sense of the paranormal" Sam says. "Yeah, maybe Fido saw something" I say and Sam's eyes narrow at his brother. "So you think maybe this is our kind of problem?" He asks Dean knowingly. "No, probably not. But we should look at the security tape" Dean still denies, causing me and Sam to shake our heads.
"You...." I clap my hand on his shoulder gently. "...Are one stubborn bastard" I chuckle ironically and Sam says, "Yeah" while Dean huffs, rolling his eyes as I take my hand off his shoulder. Rebecca comes back into the kitchen and I ask her. "So, the tape, the uh security footage? You think maybe your lawyers could get their hands on it? See we just don't have that kind of jurisdiction" I tell her.
"I've already got it. I didn't wanna say something in-front of the cops" She admits, nodding her head towards me and Dean. We chuckle at this. "I stole it off the lawyers desk. I just had to see it for myself" She says to us. "Alright" Dean says happily to me and Sam, gesturing for Rebecca to make her way out, he walks out and he follows behind her.
Sam looks at the picture with him and his friends sadly and I rest my hand on my best friend's shoulder comfortingly. He turns to me sighing, his head dropping a bit. "We'll find whoever did this to your friend, Sammy" I give him a small smile, trying to reassure him. He just nods and sighs. "We better" He says.
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We're all now back at Rebecca's house, reviewing the security tape. "Here he comes" Rebecca says, pointing at the tv is a clear video of Zach at, "2204, that's just after 10. You said time of death was 10:30" Dean indicates, sitting on the handle of the couch Rebecca is on, while Sam and I stand, looking at it intently.
"Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert. He says the tape's authentic. It wasn't tampered with" She tells us and I notice something flash in Zach's eyes on the screen, I nudge Sam with my elbow lightly to see if he saw it too. He nods and turns to Rebecca. "Hey hun, can we take those beers now?" I ask causally smiling. "Yeah sure, no problem" She smiles at me, getting up to get the beers.
"Hey...uh...maybe some sandwiches too?" Sam adds and she smiles. "What do you think this is, Hooters?" She says chuckling. Dean looks at us suspiciously when we do this as it's completely out of character for us. Dean chuckles at her Hooters comment. "I wish. What is it?" Dean asks us, getting up from the couch to move closer.
"Check this out" Sam says, rewinding the security footage to when Zach turned his head to the camera. There, is a silver flash in his eyes. "Maybe it's just a camera flare" Dean suggests but I shake my head. "That's not like any camera flare I've seen before" I say and Sam nods in agreement. "You know a lot of cultures believe a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul" I say.
"Right" Dean says and I continued. "Remember that dog that was freaking out? Maybe he saw this thing" I suggest. "Maybe this is some kind of dark double of Zach's, something that looks like him but isn't him" Sam adds. "Like a doppelgänger" Dean adds. "Yeah" Sam says and I nod. "That would sure explain how he was in two places at once" I say as we look at the screen.
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Early the next morning. Sam wakes us up to go back to the crime scene at Zach's house. We're at the back. Coffee in Deans hand and cigarette in between my fingers. Me, Dean and Sam exit the Impala, shutting the door behind us. "Alright. So, what are we doing here at 5:30 in the morning" Dean asks annoyed as I scratch my head and yawn.
"I realized something. The videotape shows the killer going in but not coming out" Sam says. "So he came out the back door?" I ask taking a drag from my cigarette, squinting my eyes from the harsh light coming from the sun while Dean takes a sip of his coffee "Right. So there should be a trail to follow. A trail the police would never pursue" Sam says, walking across the street, around the side of the dumpster.
While I lean against the front bumper of baby, Dean says. "Because they think the killer never left. They caught your friend Zach inside" Dean leans on baby next to me. "I still don't know what we're doing here at 5:30 in the morning" I grumble annoyed as I another drag and letting it out. Dean nods agreeing with me.
"Aww does the Princess need her beauty sleep?" His tone is teasing, pouting jokingly at me while I take a drag. I give him a side glare and I roll my eyes. "You need it more than me, charming" I tease back, winking at him and letting out the smoke as he scoffs. "Who pissed in your coffee?" He chuckles when I pointed to Sam in annoyance.
My eyes trail down his face as he drinks from his cup. The way his lips wrap around the little opening in the lid. He catches me staring and smirks. "Not a word" I huff and he puts his hands up in surrender chuckling. We look over to see Sam staring at the wooden post right across from the dumpster.
"Blood. Somebody came this way." Sam says from across the street, nodding towards it with his head. "Maybe the trail ends. I don't see anything here" Dean says and I second that. "Me neither" I say shrugging. We hear sirens from a ambulance in the distance. It comes rushing down the street we're on and we all look at it past by.
The boys and I share a knowing look. I sigh and toss my almost burnt out bud on the ground, crushing it with my boot before we all jump in the Impala and follow behind the ambulance.
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Couple blocks over we get out of baby to scan the scene. Cops are putting up police tape and the place is crowded. "What happened?" I ask a woman who's onlooking the commotion. "He tried to kill his wife. Tied her up and beat her" She tells us. "Really?" Sam says as shocked as we are.
"Yeah. I used to see him going to work in the morning. He'd wave, say hello. He seemed like such a nice guy" She says sadly as we look at the police escort a man in handcuffs to the squad car.
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Sam and I decide to go to the back of the building to see if there is anything of significance. We see some large blue trash bins and begins opening them. "Hey. Remember when I said this wasn't our kind of problem" Dean calls out to us as we walk back out. "Yeah?" Sam says.
"Definitely our kind of problem" Dean says a little excited. "Finally you're on board. What'd you find out?" I ask as I stick my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket. "I just talked to the patrolman who was first on the scene, who heard this guys Alex's story. Apparently the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked" Dean explains and it clicks.
"So he was two places at once?" Sam beats me to it. "Exactly!" Dean exclaims. "Then he sees himself in the house. Police think he's a nut job" Dean adds. "Two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way" I start, walking a bit forward, turning back to the boys.
"Could be the same thing doing it too" Dean suggests. "Shapeshifter?" Sam asks questionably and Dean shrugs. "Something that could make itself look like anyone" Sam adds. "Every culture in the world has a shapeshifter lore. Legends of creatures who transform themselves into animals or other men" Dean gives us the rundown and I nod.
"Right. Skinwalkers, werewolves.." I give examples trailing off. "We got two attacks within blocks of each other. I'm guessing we've got a shapeshifter problem" Dean says. "Let me ask you this: In all this shapeshifter lore, can any of them fly?" Sam asks us, walking forward and looking up at the building.
"Not that I know of. You?" Dean says, then turns to me asking and I shake my head. "I picked up a trail here. Someone ran out of the back of this building, headed off this way" Sam says. "Just like your friends house" I say. "Yeah. And just like at Zach's house..the trail suddenly ends" Sam says.
"I mean, whatever it is just disappeared" He said confused and something clicked in my head. I look down and Dean nudges me. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" He asks me. "Yeah, I think so. There might be another way to go" I look up at Sam, nodding towards the sewer hole behind him.
He grimaces. "Aw come on!" He groans while me and Dean chuckle.
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We all climb down the drainage, closing back up the hole. Looking around it's a dark long corridor. "I bet this runs right by Zach's house too" Sam says. "The shapeshifter could be using the sewer system to get around" I say as we walk towards Dean who's flashing his flashlight in a dark corner.
"Look at this" He says with a grimace on his face, stooping down to the ground. Infront of us is a pile of what looks like human skin, blood, hair and slime. It's all mushed into a gooey guck that smells like a rotting corpse.
"Oh gross" I gag in disgust. "Gimme your butterfly knife" Dean puts his hand out and I reach into my combat boots, pulling out the knife and handing it to him. He flicks it open, picking up a hair strand that's drenched in the slimy substance. Sam groans in disgust behind me. "Is this from his victims?" He questions and something crosses my mind.
"You know. I just had a sick thought. When the shapeshifter changes shape....maybe it sheds" I say and Dean coughs from the repulsive thought. "That is sick" Sam says, the grimace on his face deepening.
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Now back above ground. I turn to Dean asking him. "Yo. You got silver bullets?" I ask him and he nods. "Yeah, right here in baby" Dean opens the Impala trunk and takes out the silver bullets and I pull out my revolver.
"One thing I learned from Dad. No matter what kind of shapeshifter it is. There's only one sure way to kill it" I say, taking the silver bullets one by one and loading it. I look over to Sam who has a smirk on his face. "Silver bullet to the heart" He says, his dimples showing. "That's right" I say smiling. "Atta girl princess" Dean says proudly, patting the small of my back.
My heart leaps at the way he praised me and I feel a knot tie in my stomach when he touched my back. I cover it up with a smile and Sam's phone rings. He walks off to answer it. "This is Sam....We're near Zach's, we're just checking out some things" he says into the phone and I assume it's Rebecca.
"What're you talking about?" He asks confused and then sighs after a couple seconds. "Why would you do that??...Beck.... " He tries to defend and his face drops. "We're trying to help" He says sadly and Dean and I look at each other like 'oh shit'.
I can hear Rebecca's angry voice slightly but couldn't make out the words. "Look Beck I'm sorry but-" and then takes the phone off his ear. "Go easy on him" I whisper to Dean. "Nope" He says back and I roll my eyes before we close the trunk and walk back to the side of the car where Sam is.
"I hate to say it, but that's exactly what I'm talking about" Dean starts and I internally facepalm. Sam doesn't look at us. "You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you they'd be freaked" Dean finishes his lecture. "It's just- It'd be easier if-" I go to add but Sam cuts me off. "If I was like you two" He says sadly.
"Hey man, like it or not, we are not like other people" Dean says with a small smile on his face. "But I'll tell you one thing though, this whole gig..." I start, pulling out a gun with silver bullets and handing it to Sam. "..it ain't without perks" I say smugly, earning a chuckle from both boys. Sam takes the gun and sticks it behind his pants and we walk back down the block to make way back into the sewer.
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The dirty mucky water splatters at our feet as we walk through the sewers, flashing our lights through the empty hallow dark tunnel. After a few minutes of walking down the drainage. I spot a pile of skin on a pipe next to Sam and I nudge Dean, shining my light at it.
"I think we're close to its lair" I say. "Why do you say that?" Sam asks. "Cuz there's another puke-inducing pile next to your face" Dean  indicates and Sam flinches. "Oh, God" He gasps in disgust and me and Dean snicker at this. I shine my light a little lower, revealing more skin, blood, gunk and old clothes on the ground.
"Looks like he's lived here for a while" I say. "No kidding Sherlock" Dean retorts back sarcastically, groaning and I roll my eyes at him. I cover my nose using my shirt to block the stench but it doesn't really help. "Who knows how many murders he's gotten away with" Sam says.
He turns to us, flashing the light behind us and yells "DEAN! Y/N!" And I feel a sharp pain behind my head, knocking me to the ground. Dean falls beside me, clutching his left shoulder as Sam shoots at the shapeshifter who attacked us but misses.
I moan in pain from the sudden attack. "Get the son of a bitch!" Dean groans in pain, holding his shoulder. I'm still on the ground, dazzled from the pain. Dean holds me up, wrapping my arm around his shoulder. "Come on, princess. I've got you" He says gently, helping me up and we bolt out of there.
We crawl out of the sewer hole. Grunting as we get out. Dean let's me up first and I take his hand to help him out. "Come on, charming. I've got you" I repeat his words to him and he gratefully takes my hand. "Alright. Let's split up" Sam says to us.
"Alright, I'll meet you guys on the other side. Stay together okay?" Dean instructs us and I nod curtly. "Be safe" I say quickly. "Ditto" He winks at me and we go in separate directions. Sam and I walk down the crowded street, concealing our weapons, looking for the shifter.
After some time, we come up empty. Now at a street corner. "Hey" We hear Deans voice behind us. "Anything?" He asks us and I shake my head. "No, he's gone" I say disappointed. "Alright, let's get back to the car" Dean says and we all make way back to Baby.
"You think he found another way underground?" Sam asks. "Yeah, probably. You got the keys?" Dean asks. "Hey, didn't Dad once face a shapeshifter in San Antonio?" Sam asks Dean suspiciously. "No. It was Austin. It turned out not to be a shapeshifter. It was thought form. A psychic projection, remember?". Dean says casually.
"Oh, right." Sam says shaking his head and chuckling. "Here you go" He throws the keys to Dean who caught his with his left shoulder....oh no. We walk back around the side of Baby as 'Dean' opens the trunk.
"His shoulder was hurt" I whisper to Sam, nudging him. "I know, that's why I threw it at his left" He whispers back. "You thinking what I'm thinking??" He asks me still whispering. I nod, "That ain't Dean" I say. We draw our guns and rush over to the trunk where 'Dean' was leaning down over it.
"Don't move you slimy bastard!" I yell, pointing my gun at 'Dean'. "What have you done with him!?" Sam demands as he points his gun at 'Dean'. He puts his hands up in surrender, taking a confused look. "Guys, chill. It's me alright" He says.
"No. I don't think so. Where's my brother!" Sam demands. "You're about to shoot him". 'Dean' retorts, gesturing to our guns. "Guys calm down" He tries to reason. "You caught those keys with your left. Your shoulder was hurt!" I tell him, knowing he was lying.
"Yeah, it's better. What do you want me to do, cry?" 'Dean' says sarcastically. "You're not my brother" Sam says wearily and I cock my gun, hesitant to shoot. "Why don't you pull the trigger then? Hmm? Because you're not sure. Guys, you know me." 'Dean' says and I hesitate. "Don't" I grit my teeth at him.
In a flash, he knocks the gun out of both of our hands. I feel another sharp pain in my head and everything goes black.
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My eyes flutter open, a throbbing pain in my head. My vision is slightly blurred but I open my eyes to see Sam. "Sammy?" I groan, my voice raspy from the pain. I feel a dampness on my legs, my neck is tied to a post, my arms bounded behind me. We're back in the sewer, captured by Deans evil twin, great.
Sam's across the room from me passed out, tied exactly like me. Sam eventually comes to, groaning in pain like me. I see movement behind Sam, only it's Shapeshifter Dean. He walks up to Sam with a straight face, ropes in his arm. He back hands him across his cheek and I scream. "DONT TOUCH HIM YOU SLIMY BASTARD!" Trying to rip out of my binds but it's expertly tied.
Sam grunts in pain taking a deep breath. "Where is he??" Sam asks the imposter. "Where's Dean you face stealing freak!" I yell angrily. Ready to maul the son of a bitch if he hurt Dean. "I wouldn't worry about him. I'd worry about you" Shapeshifter Dean says, turning to me.
"Same goes for you, Princess" He winks at me, smirking and I grimace. "Where is he?" Sam asks again. "You really don't wanna know" The Shapeshifter says morbidly, chuckling. "I swear, the more I learn about you two and your families...I thought I came from a bad background" Shapeshifter Dean says ironically.
"What do you mean learn?" Sam asks as the shifter pulls out a knife, examining it. The shifter starts holding his head, cringing and grunting as if he's in pain. He then turns back to Sam, a slight smirk on his face. "He's sure got issues with you. You got to go to college. He had to stay home" He taunts Sam, walking towards him and dropping his bag.
"I mean, I had to stay home. With Dad. You don't think I had dreams of my own? But Dad needed me. Where the hell were you?" Shapeshifter Dean says irritated but Sam isn't letting up. "Where...is my brother?" Sam demands again. "I'm your brother" Shapeshifter Dean says, leaning down to eye level with Sam.
"See, deep down, I'm just jealous. You got friends. You could have a life. Me? I know I'm a freak. And sooner or later, everybody's gonna leave me." Shapeshifter Dean says, walking a bit back. "What are you talking about?" Sam asks. "You left. Hell, I did everything Dad asked me to, and he ditched me too. No explanation, nothing, just. Poof. Left me with your sorry ass" He walks towards Sam.
"But still, this life...it's not without its perks" Shapeshifter Dean repeats my words from earlier. "I meet the nicest people. Like little Becky, seeing as Dean is so convinced he doesn't have a chance with Y/N and is so stupid to not even admit his feelings for her to himself. He would bang little Becky if he had the chance" Shapeshifter Dean says and I freeze, my heart feels like it's gonna fall out of my chest.
What the fuck? Is he high or something? He's got to be lying. Demons do it to weaken their targets. Surely shifters do it too because he was just taunting Sam. Sam looks over to me quickly and Shapeshifter Dean turns to me.
"And sweet sweet little Y/N.." He coos, striding over to me. "He has quite the thing for you..I mean me. Gotta admit though, I've got amazing taste in women" He crouches down and rests his hand on my cheek, which makes me feel physically ill.
"Don't touch her!" Sam shouts protectively and I nod at him to ensure him I'm fine. I move my head away from him but he just comes closer to me. The smile on his face makes my stomach churn and not in a good way.
"You are the package deal. You're sexy, smart, snarky, and funny. You know how to keep me on my toes, challenge me. You make me laugh in any situation despite how stressful it is. Hell, I hate to admit it but you keep me in line whenever I'm acting like the dick I am" He chuckles at the last part, stroking my cheek with his thumb.
"Sometimes I'm even a bit jealous at the friendship you have with Sammy....But the way you would look at me sometimes, your flirty little comebacks, the way you would sway your hips when you walk, the sight of you on that bike of yours....oh mannn....gets me going everytime" He licks his lips looking at me with a lustful gaze and I feel a chill run down my spine in disgust.
"Jesus dude, at least by me dinner first" I sneer at him and he chuckles. "See? That's the snark I'm talking about" He says, smiling at me and rubbing his thumb on my bottom lip. "Where.Is.Dean?" I grit my teeth at him. "I'm right here baby" He says huskily and I groan.
"I remember how stoked I was when you didn't hesitate to come with us to find my dad...then your daddy went missing too...tsk tsk tsk...poor thing" He says sympathetically, clicking his tongue.
"You grew from this adorable shy timid girl who was afraid of her daddy to this beautiful confident badass women who stood her ground against her controlling father and left..." He trails off as if he's recollecting something, then he roughly grabs my hair, pulling it harshly causing me to wince in pain.
"LET GO OF HER YOU DICK!" Sam yells from across the room, trying to rip out of his bindings. "Did you know when you ran away, your dad had me looking for you for months!" He shouts in my face. "Hauled my ass from Washington to Florida and back!"
"You should've never run away you little bitch" He seethes through his teeth pulling my hair more making me cry out in pain. "You're lucky I covered for your ass every single time, I knew exactly where you were and I had to lead him away every time because I was trying to be a good friend!". He grits his teeth in anger
"You did me just like Sam and walked out when I needed you most! Sam left and then you! God you two are selfish" His tone is pained, betrayed. And I snap, a sick thought crossing my mind but I'm too angry to care right now if he kills me or not.
"Well let me make it up to you" I say suggestively, flashing him a coy smile. Hes fully taken back at this. My eyes flicker to Sam and. I can see his expression go from angry to confused from across the room. A clear look of shock is evident but a sickening smirk on Shapeshifter Dean's face.
"And how would you do that, princess?" He says huskily. I could see Sam's face contorting to disgust across the room, confused and angry. "Lay a kiss on me charming, you wouldn't regret it" I wink at him, smiling seductively.
"You're kidding?" He says surprised, chuckling, his grip loosening on my hair. "No jokes" I grit my teeth, trying to hide my disgust. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" Sam yells from across the room.
Shapeshifter Dean's eyes flicker down to my lips, when leans in to kiss me, just as his lips is centimeters away from mine. I hawk up a loogie, spitting it in his face and draw my head back instantly, head-butting him in his nose.
"YOU BITCH!" He screams in pain. He holds his nose, stumbling back. When he recovers, he draws his fist back, right hooking me in my face, hard. "STOP IT!" Sam pleads begging. I turn my head back to Shapeshifter Dean, laughing, a victorious grin on my face. The metallic taste of blood and saliva coating my taste buds.
"Fuck you, you even punch like a bitch. That's to show you'll never be Dean" I sneer at him, spitting the blood out from my mouth on the ground besides me. He groans in pain, grabbing a tarp covering Sam who's yelling at him. He then grabs another to cover me but before he does, he looks at me and says. "I can't wait to kill you" and I smirk.
"Look at me good. Remember this face clearly. Cuz I'll be the last thing you see when I put a bullet in your head, you skin shedding, goopy son of a bitch!" My tone is deadly as I seethe through my teeth. "Well...if it ain't working with you...let's see how it works out with Becky" he winks at me. Covering me with the tarp.
Sometime later, the tarp slips off me and I see Sam struggling. "You okay?" He asks concerned. I shrug, blood still dripping from my mouth. "I can take a punch" I chuckle weakly, trying to slip out of the bounds. "Damn it" Sam grumbles. "Can't get out either" I tell him. We hear a bit of movement and someone coughing. "That better be you, Sam and Y/N and not that freak of nature" Dean voice echos through the sewer and I chuckled sighing in relief as Sam laughs.
"Yeah, it's us. He went to Rebecca's, looking like you" Sam says grunting as me and he try to get out of the ropes. "Well, he's not stupid. He picked the handsome one" Dean says smugly and Sam looks back offended. I chuckle lightly at this. He sure did.
"That's the thing, he didn't look like you. He was you...or he was becoming you" Sam says to us as we try to get out of the ropes. "What do you mean?" Dean asks. "I don't know, it's like he was downloading your thoughts and memories" Sam says.
"You mean like the Vulcan Mind Meld" Dean asks. "Yeah, something like that. Maybe that's why he doesn't just kill us?" Sam says. Dean gets out of his ropes and goes around to Sam saying, "Maybe...he needs to keep us alive for the psychic connection" He says untying Sam. "Yeah, come on, we gotta go. He's probably already at Rebecca's" Sam says.
Dean comes around and unties me. He notices the blood on my mouth. "Jesus, what did he do to you Princess" He asks gently when he notices my busted mouth. He holds my face in his hands, worry etched on his face. "I'm good charming" I smile at him, reaching up to hug him. "Let's go fellas" I say and we all get out of there.
"Come on, we gotta find a phone. Call the police" Sam says to us as we climb out of the hole, leading us to an alleyway. "Whoa whoa whoa. You're gonna put an APB out on me?" Dean says, helping me out. "Sorry" Sam says shrugging. "This way" Dean leads us down the alley.
A little later, after Sam made the phone call to the police, we're on the street infront of a shop with TVs showing the local news, with a crappy sketch of Dean. "An anonymous tip led police to a home in the Central West End where a SWAT team discovered a local woman bound and gagged. Her attacker, a white male, approximately 24-30 years old was discovered hiding in the home. Shots were fired-" The reporter says but Dean cuts it off saying, "Man, that's not even a good picture!" He exclaims. "It's good enough" Sam says as I shake my head and we walk back down the street.
"If you ask me, I think the bastard was talking a pack of bullcrap to throw us off. Like what demons do" I suggest and Sam cocks his eyebrow at me. "It didn't seem like it Y/N. He had certain memories only Dean should know" Sam says and I huff.
I don't look him in the eye because I already know where he's getting at. As much as I would love to believe what that shifter said as Dean is true. It couldn't be. Can it?
"Why don't you think he was lying?" Dean asks and I shake my head, Sam looks over at me urging. "He just said a ton of crap, that's all" I say. "And he tried to kiss her" Sam interjects. "He what!?" Dean yells pissed. "Relax!" I put my hand in his shoulder.
"I hawked a loogie in his face and head-butted him in the nose with my forehead" I say and Dean grins proudly. "Atta girl" He says proudly, patting my cheek and my heart leaps. He needs to stop doing that I swear.
We walk further into an alley way and Dean almost trips on a puddle of water and it splashes on him, "Come on!" He yells. "They said attempted murder. At least we know-" Sam says and Dean cuts him off. "I didn't kill her" Dean says."I'll check on Rebecca in the morning , see if she's alright" Sam says.
"Well first I'm gonna find that handsome Devil and kick the holy crap outta him" Dean says aggressively. "I might just beat you to it" I growl, still pissed about what happened down there. He looks me over a bit shocked but it seems like he understands why I'm pissed.
"Guys. We have no weapons, no silver bullets" Sam tells us. "Sam, the guy's walking around with my face AND he tried to kiss Y/N. It's a little personal. Okay? We wanna find him" Dean turns to Sam irritated. Sam just nods, "Okay. Where do we look?" Sam asks. "Well we could start with the sewers" I suggest." We have no weapons. He stole our guns. We need more." Sam reminds us.
"The car?" I say. "I bet he drove over to Rebecca's" Dean says. "The news said he fled on foot. I bed it's still parked there" Sam says. "Oh the thought of him driving my car" Dean growls. "Alright, Hulk Hogan. Come on" I say patting Deans back as we walk back down the alley. "Its killing me" Dean says angrily. "Let it go" Sam shoots back.
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After some time of walking, we end up a few blocks from Rebecca's by foot. "There she is" Dean breaths out a sigh of relief after seeing Baby. "Finally, something went right tonight" Dean says happily as we walk towards baby. Suddenly a squad car comes around the corner, sirens wailing.
"Oh crap" I mutter and the boys and I run down the alleyway. Only to be cornered by another car at the end. "Whoa whoa whoa" Dean says surprised. "This way! This way!" Dean leads us out and we follow behind him running.
We come up to a wall. "You guys go. I'll hold them off" Sam says and I nod. "What're you talking about?!" Dean exclaims. "They'll catch you!" I yell at Sam. "Look. They can't hold me! Just go, keep out of sight! Meet me at Rebecca's" Sam order us and we sigh scaling the walls. "Dean. Y/N! Stay out of the sewers alone!" Sam shouts and we jump over, now on the other side
"I mean it!" Sam yells. "Yeah yeah!" I shout back irritated. Dean looks at me trying to catch his breath. "What're you thinking about?" I ask him after seeing the look on his face. "You know me princess, I can't wait" He says smugly and I sigh. "Fine let's go. We'll wait for it to clear out and get baby" I say.
"You can't-" He starts but I cut him off. "Don't you dare Winchester. I'm coming. End of discussion. We protect each other right?" I say firmly and he smirks at me. "Damn straight" He grins.
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When the sun comes up, me and Dean head back down to the sewer. Trudging through the tunnel there's piles of skin littered all over. We come up to a corner where there's candles lit and a bunch of chains. We hear some movement and I nudge Dean.
"This way" I say and he follows behind me. We see what looks like someone covered with a tarp like what me and Sam were covered with. Dean pulls it off and it reveals, "Rebecca?" We say shocked. She's all bloody and busted up. Her hair scattered all about. "What happened?!" I ask her as me and Dean untie her.
"I was walking home and everything just went white. Someone hit me over the head and I wound up here just in time to see that thing turn into me" She explains shakily, tears drenching her face. "How is that possible?!" She asks sobbing. "Okay. Okay. It's okay. Come on. Can you walk?" Dean tries to calm her down and she nods.
"Okay. We gotta hurry okay hun? Sam went to see you" I tell her and she grabs onto us. We get her out of the sewer and into Deans car.
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Me and Dean pull up to Rebecca's house and bolt out of Baby. We knock her door down, just in time to see the shifter as Dean ontop of Sam in the middle of the living room choking him. "Hey!" Dean yells. Both of us aiming our guns at him. The shifter stumbles off of Sam, looking at us like he's ready to attack.
I don't give him time to and I shoot twice, right in his chest and he launches backwards into the wall, dropping dead. I don't notice Rebecca come behind us through the door. "Sam" she says concerned, running over to check on him.
Me and Dean walk closer slowly towards the dead shifter and kneel next to him, listening to make sure he's dead. I pull Deans chain that he stole that was around his neck and hand it to Dean. He gives me a grateful smile and wraps it in his hand, I smile back at him and look over back to the dead shifter.
"Told you I'd be the one to kill you" I growl angrily.
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The next day, we're outside parked waiting for Sam to finish talking to Rebecca. Dean's leaning of Baby's hood checking a map for our next hunt. While I'm bracing on her, smoking a cigarette. He comes and sits next to me, judging me a bit.
I look over to him and smile. "You okay princess?" He asks me concerned and I just look down and nod. "I'm fine charming" I smile at him reassuringly. "I don't know what he said to you, but whatever it was, don't let it get to you" He says calmly, placing his hand on the small of my back comfortingly.
I look into his eyes and notice it softened a bit. Wondering if what that shapeshifter said could be true. Does Dean have a thing for me?
"I won't. I promise" I say smiling at him, flicking my burnt out cigarette to the side. His eyes pierce mine and I gulp a bit. I could've sworn he glanced at my lips again but our heated gaze is cut off by Rebecca and Sam coming of of the house. "So this is what you do. You, your brother and best friend, you hunt down these kinds of things?" Rebecca says and Sam chuckles.
They have a short conversation before they hug. She waves at us. Me and Dean wave at her back before she walks in and Sam sighs walking towards us. "So what about your friend Zach?" Dean asks. "Cops are blaming this Dean Winchester guy for Emily's murder" Sam says to us ironically.
"They found the murder weapon in the guy's lair..Zach's clothes stained with her blood. Now they're thinking maybe the surveillance tape was tampered with. Yeah Becca says Zach will be released soon" Sam says to us nodding and smiling.
"Hate to be that guy" I joke and Dean rolls his eyes at me as we jump in his car.
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As we're driving down the empty road. Dean turns to Sam. "Sorry man" He says. "About what?" Sam asks. "I really wish things could be different you know, I wish you could just be...Joe College" Dean says apologetically. "It's okay" Sam says causally taking a deep breath. "You know truth is, even at Stanford, deep down. I never really fit in" Sam says.
"Well, that's cuz you're a freak" I pipe up jokingly from the backseat and he turns to me smiling. "Yeah thanks" He says sarcastically laughing. "Well, I'm a freak too. And so is Dean." I shrug smiling, Dean looks at me in the rearview mirror and winks. I try to hide my blush but I'm sure he noticed. "And we're right there with you all the way" Dean adds supportively.
"Yeah, I know you are" Sam nods smiling. "You know, I gotta say, I'm sorry I'm gonna miss it" Dean says. "Miss what?" Sam asks. "How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?" He jokes and I laugh along with Sam.
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Authors Note:
This is unedited so I'm sorry if there's alot of mistakes. Hope whoever is reading enjoys. Thank you!☺️
Xoxo
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Ineffable (Dream of the Endless x f!Reader) - Chapter 2: Devious
Also with Corinthian x f!Reader
Masterlist - Playlist
Everyone, please welcome your favourite charismatic miscreant, The Corinthian. Wonder what's in store for him and the Reader? Read on, fellow dreamers.
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I wake up well rested. After the conversation with Dream in the library, I just wandered off into Fiddler's Green and lay down on the grass. There wasn't much work to be done in that moment, so I just thought it would be nice to reconnect with an old friend.
For reasons which are probably all too clear, Gilbert may be one of my favourite places to roam in the Dreaming. And I vaguely remember already unwittingly wandering there, years before I even met Gilbert. He once said that I look quite familiar, and this was in our second meeting, so I just jokingly breathed out, "Well, I'm glad I have a face you wouldn't see fit to forget."
Of course, once I moved back to London from living with Gilbert and Rose, I admit I had to find my footing once more. I had to re-enroll at UCL and come across some familiar faces I'd rather would not have encountered again. Uni was both a refuge and a bother, in my experience. But of to course, getting accepted into my BA in Classics was almost a miracle, considering my high school record back in America. This opportunity seemed the only avenue for which I would be able to develop my passion in the Latin language and its texts, but the people were.... meh, to say the least.
Now back in London, living in a humble little studio in Walthamstow, and struggling to piece through my thesis, I have to admit I miss waking up in the morning to Hal practicing their dramatic numbers in the living room, Barbie and Ken having a constant lovers' spat in the room next to me, and so on..
I plant my feet on the floor, and stretch. I stand, and it takes me about 10 steps to reach the modest, little coffee machine in my kitchen. I get it started, and wait.
My mind drifts to what Morpheus said the night before... "You are important to me."
Hmmm... something tingles up my spine - a feeling of warmth, excitement. At the very least, now I know that the attraction may not be one-sided after all.
Silly girl, my thoughts barge in, you mistake interest for genuine connection.
I am pushed out of my thoughts by the ring from the intercom. Who could it possibly be at this Godforsaken hour?
"Yes?" I press the button.
"Why, hello, darling..." a familiar voice drawls.
"Cor?!" I hear myself squeak. Damn, I really do need that coffee.
"The one and only."
"What are you doing here?" I ask, but I have a feeling I am eager to see him, no matter the reason. Well. Shows you how messed up I am.
The Corinthian and I first crossed paths nearly 2 years ago, before I was even fully accepted into the fold in the Dreaming. Gil, Rose and I had driven to some hotel after receiving an anonymous call about her brother Jed. Looking back, it's understandable why I sensed something was wrong when we arrived.
They were having some sort of 'Cereal Convention', regardless of the fact that there was nothing even remotely related to cereal in sight. I had a hard time describing it at the time but the people made me feel queasy, especially the guy in the check-in booth with the name tag, Fun Land. Even Gil looked shaken after walking off for a few minutes, and he had managed to catch me in the lobby before leaving and stammered, "Be very careful, and look out for Jed and Rose!"
Minutes later, I bumped into a tall man with dirty-golden hair, and I was so amped up with adrenaline that I cried out, "Fuck!".
"Well, excuse me." he laughed, "That was my bad, I guess."
"Sorry," I felt embarrassed, straightened up and got a good look at him, "Nice glasses." I remarked.
"Ah, well that's nice of you to say." He leaned back, as if assessing me, "You're... different."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what's a beautiful girl like you doing... here, of all places?" He spoke as if he had never lacked confidence a day in his life.
"It's a Cereal Convention, isn't it? Maybe I like cereal." I nervously said and thought, What a flirt.
He looked down at the name tag I was wearing, which Rose had managed to nab from the Welcome desk.
"The Siren, huh? As fitting as that sounds, I have a feeling you don't belong here. So maybe you should leave before it gets..."
"There you are!" He was interrupted by a wiry woman in a tailored suit, with a shorter, tense-looking man, "We have to introduce you to some people."
"Be right there." He politely said.
He glanced back at me once more, and it seemed as if he had more to say, but held it in.
"Good day, ma'am," He tilted his head, "Take care of yourself."
Weird...and strangely well-spoken, I had thought. The tone of his voice was almost akin to being melodic, reeling you in.
I would come to understand much later why he had warned me to leave. Jed, Rose and I found ourselves chased by Fun Land down a hallway. He had us trapped in a corner, but I had become so livid, thinking of what he could have done to Jed, what he had done to so many other kids...
I let out an agitated scream, and felt a rush of energy emanate from me. The lights flickered wildly, and he was flung a few feet backwards, hitting a wall with a crack.
Shit, I thought, I had done it again.
The Corinthian strode in from the end of the hallway, as if he had been there all this time.
"I thought I told you to leave." He said to me, as if almost annoyed.
"Oh well," He shrugged, and grinned maniacally, "The more, the merrier."
Of course, this was all before he had to be eliminated by Morpheus, and later reincarnated to be more loyal and subdued, and less... well... homicidal.
He returned to doing his duties in the Dreaming, where we crossed paths once more.
"It's you." He said, as if he wasn't surprised at all of my presence. Or of how I was able to move and do as I please in Morpheus' kingdom.
I had walked in the central hall, ready to report on the affairs of several dreamers that I was tasked to handle for that time.
"I knew she was special," he directed to Morpheus and Lucienne, "and now here she is."
He had looked highly amused. Morpheus looked back and forth between myself and The Corinthian, and it's safe to say he did not share his amusement.
We managed to see each other time and again in the Dreaming, and we've become quite familiar that I now see him as a... friend, of sorts. I was initially cautious around him, reckoning with all the things that he'd done, but I've come to know of who he is, made anew. In some ways, perhaps this was how The Corinthian was meant to be all along. He retained his calculated brand of deviousness, which seeped in ways such as in the musings that he would share with me. But I can see where he's coming from. I understand him, I think. Besides, I can't claim to being a complete saint myself.
I've also grown to calling him Cor instead of his official-sounding moniker.
"I just feel like I'm addressing a Bible verse sometimes." I grumbled once, to which he let out a guffaw. Don't get me wrong, I do like his name just as it is, but I liked the fact that only I called him by something else. It feels more...intimate.
Strangely, I barely saw him in the past few months, both in the Dreaming and the Waking World. I tried searching for him, when I was sifting through the Dreaming, but I couldn't.
I once came back to the library to find His Great Lordship sat there in all his solemn glory. He really looks like he needs Aspirin and some sunlight sometimes, that anthropomorphic personification. And perhaps a hug. Or two.
"You should stop trying to find him," he said, "He's occupied. And besides, considering his track record, he may not be the best companion for you."
"You made him," I pointed out, "and he's better now. You made him better."
He stared at me long and hard. "Nevertheless..."
He went back to what he was reading, and I walked off to find a volume that I needed. Why was he being so dismissive?
-------
"Are you going to let me in, or should I just manifest myself in your room?" Cor's voice echoes through the intercom. I manage to collect my thoughts, and press the opening buzzer.
Half a minute later, I open the door.
"Hey there, trouble." He leans on the doorframe.
"Trouble yourself." I go in for a hug. It's been a while.
He laughs warmly. "I can see that trouble missed her favourite Nightmare."
He walks into my flat, and takes everything in.
"Cozy." He comments.
"Don't say a word," I point at him, "It's... nice."
"Hey, I never said it wasn't." He puts his hands up, and sits down on my bed.
"What are you doing in the Waking World anyway? Morpheus know you're here?" I walk to the kitchen and finally fix myself a cup coffee.
"Well, I was looking for you, actually." he responds, "And no, I think Lord Morpheus may be dealing with something else at the moment."
"Oh?" I sit next to him.
"What do you say we go on a trip?" he proposes, nudging me with an elbow, "I actually have something I have to do in the Waking World. Loose ends to tie up and all that."
"I'm listening..." I mumble, taking a sip of coffee.
"It'll be fun." He declares excitedly.
"You know that really doesn't tell me anything, Cor," I complain, "I haven't seen you for months and now you want to go on some roadtrip?"
"Precisely." He says, not missing a beat. As if his plan was completely ordinary.
I think to my work, my unfinished thesis. I glance around at the state of disarray of my tiny home, which bothers me. And what about the mission I have to undertake with Morpheus?
Well, I suppose my thesis can wait. Who knows? Maybe getting some fresh air may be just what I need to find the right words to put to the page.
As for Morpheus... I'll see him in my dreams.
"Fine." I give in.
"Perfect." Cor smiles widely, and I found myself having missed this sight.
"But first...." I demand, "You help me clean up." I gesture around with one hand.
He breathes out, and after a pause, strides to the closet where I keep the cleaning supplies. He pulls out the vacuum, and I giggle at the whole picture.
"Stop it." He says firmly, feigning annoyance.
"You're actually doing this?" I ask, incredulous.
"Well, this might ruin my fuckin' suit. But... anything for you, trouble."
End of Chapter 2.
All right, that was quite heavy on the Corinthian x reader side but his character is just sooo. . delicious.
The dynamic of Dream x reader x Corinthian will be shown in the next one!
Also, this was barely proofread so I may make some tweaks later if needed.
How do you guys like The Corinthian? Would you like more of him? Or shall the focus be on Dream?
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sethshead · 2 months
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The surge of anti-Semitism is a symptom of the decay of democratic habits, a leading indicator of rising authoritarianism. When anti-Semitism takes hold, conspiracy theory hardens into conventional wisdom, embedding violence in thought and then in deadly action. A society that holds its Jews at arm’s length is likely to be more intent on hunting down scapegoats than addressing underlying defects. Although it is hardly an iron law of history, such societies are prone to decline. England entered a long dark age after expelling its Jews in 1290. Czarist Russia limped toward revolution after the pogroms of the 1880s. If America persists on its current course, it would be the end of the Golden Age not just for the Jews, but for the country that nurtured them.
I also began my undergraduate studies in the late-'90s, just a few short blocks from Columbia University. My memories of the time and place are not so rosy as are Mr. Foer's. I remember a humanities lecture being disrupted by a student revolt because it focused on the Holocaust. This was back when everything was called a "Holocaust" except the actual Holocaust, and unsurprisingly the Holocaust was equated with New York State's prison system. Bad as carceral culture is, it is not the Holocaust. Columbia had its LaRouchists camped forever outside. Friends at CCNY were taught that people like me were fake Jews and responsible for slavery by faculty approved by the likes of Leonard Jeffries. Academia, even then, was a setting where antisemitism retained respectability, provided it was couched in radical enough theory and jargon.
Yes, Jews are the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to liberal backsliding, the first to be othered, antisemitism the first bigotry to be destigmatized. But it has likewise been a very long time since American academia has been committed to the liberal project; longer than I've been alive, I'd reckon. My experience is of an academic humanities and some social sciences mobilized to problematize, deconstruct, and dismantle liberalism; of instructors who had appointed themselves radicalizers and indoctrinators, not critical guides in teaching how to think, how to interrogate all texts.
This conflict between the university's traditional liberal role of hosting reasoned debate among a diversity of ideas, and faculty and students who wish to create intellectual monocultures of goodthink on campus, will ultimately cause the collapse of the Ivory Tower. It has for too long tolerated doctrines intolerant of dissent or argument. The Fourth Estate tried to hold the lines of liberal democracy, until the internet democratized media and the mob went where it could find the maximum bias confirmation, be pointed towards the old classic villains to explain all personal and social failings. Now both demagogical extremes may blame different Jews, but in the end, they both blame Jews for America's problems. And where are our old defenders? Where have they ever been? Have we ever had defenders?
In 1968, when a local New York City public school board tried to fire an almost-entirely Jewish group of teachers, who defended them? The largely Jewish-led union. But unions don't care as much about Jews anymore, not when they're more preoccupied with international events than with the welfare of their members here at home - just ask the Jewish teachers harassed and threatened at Hillcrest and Origin High Schools how vocal their union has been in their defense, and against DOE attempts to whitewash bias incidents.
American Jews sought influence in our liberal environment for our own protection, but that liberalism has required us to cede some influence to those who also know marginalization. At the local level, this has made us again vulnerable.
That said, liberalism is a mixed blessing for Jews. It offers us the opportunity for individual advancement as far as our talents will allow, without having to renounce our Jewish identity. Yet at the same time, Jewish identity isn't really individual, it's grounded in community, in family and public ritual. At heart, ours is a tribal and insular culture. The more we're accepted, the more diffuse our connection to the community becomes; when under disability and persecution, we huddle together and renew our dedication to our people and to the intergenerational transfer that is our future. Whatever happens in America, we will survive - Am Yisrael hai. American liberal democracy, and that of any country that turns on its Jews? About that I'm not so sanguine.
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Hey there Slug! I hope you ain't too buys and might have a lil fun with this one! Of each individual character, what are your respective favorite songs of theirs and why?
This is an easy ask to answer, so I'mma clear it from the pile and get to some older ones eventually.
I assume you mean solo songs only, right?
Under a cut for length because there are a bajillion boys in this series
Ichirou: I like his VA's rapping work in just about everything; he's really solid. Stage Ichirou also has a youthful quality I appreciate a lot, but of the main series songs... probably Break the Wall. It's high energy in a fun way. It also ties into a creative project I've been chewing on for years that's near and dear to my heart, although I'm not sure if I'll ever put it to paper and share it anywhere.
Jirou: I think Jirou's VA has a very pretty singing voice, so I like his softer songs. In general, I admire the "softer" aspects of Jirou's character and think that's where he shines best. So probably School of IKB, although I adore his choruses in Re:start.
Saburou: Requiem. I'm very, very, very into things that commit to being over the top and goofy, and I also enjoy combining classical and baroque elements with other genres. What's not to like here?
Samatoki: Gangsta's Paradise. The high speed rap is technically compelling. I generally appreciate v. fast rap since I enjoy learning and singing them. If the stage plays count, I really enjoy the emotion Samatoki's stage actor brings to Come Back to Me.
Juuto: ...There is some interesting text in the Personality section of Juuto's wiki page. (I have it pulled up to quick reference the song lists.) If anyone with wiki edit powers is reading this, you may want to clean that up... Anyway, I feel like they give Juuto great background music in just about every song, but Uncrushable takes the cake for me. I really like the BG music in that.
Riou: Move Your Body Till You Die, hands down. Goofy as fuck. Also, great workout music.
Ramuda: I find his main voice pretty grating, and his usual styles of music aren't my favorite in general. So Ramuda songs don't do a lot for me. I appreciate Pink Colored Love for plot reasons, though.
Gentarou: The slower Hypmic songs rarely do a lot for me, but I found myself enjoying Yume no Kanata a lot. Not sure I know why, necessarily...
Dice: 3$EVEN was one of the first songs I really enjoyed in Hypmic, and I still like its high energy today. In general, I'm impressed by Dice's VA's rapping ability and appreciate his parts in group songs a lot.
Jakurai: Like I said earlier, I'm not usually a fan of slow songs, so none of Jakurai's solos or duets have ever stood out to me. With that being said, I think Jakurai's speech style and slower rhythms makes him more fun and easier to translate w/ full rhyme and rhythm than many other characters. Like I think Labyrinth Wall would be fun to do a full cover of with syllable matching rhymes and line length while simultaneously trying to stick as close to the core meaning and tone as possible.
Hifumi: Both Champagne Gold and Don't Stop the Party are high-energy bops and great for working out. Slight preference for the former. I also really like his singing voice in group songs.
Doppo: Doppo's angrier verses in group songs are fun, but I'm especially fond of BLACK OR WHITE. In particular, I enjoy the DOTAMA cover. I'm a big DOTAMA fan for both his lyrical strength and considerable rapping chops. He's got a lot of songs that are really punchy and angry in this exact vein, and I love throwing on a playlist of his stuff while grinding out tedious work projects. Hahaha. Just rapping along "I don't want to work. I don't want to work. I don't want to work. BUT HERE I AM, WORKING!!!!" furiously under my breath.
Sasara: Comedian Rhapsody is really fun. This is another song I would love, love, love, love to try and do a full translation w/ preservation of rhyme/line length/jokes. Not for sharing--at that point it's just kinda showing off--but it's fun to chew on bits of it when I have moments of free time.
Roshou: Like most of the slow song characters, Roshou's solos aren't my favorite. I guess I prefer Under Sail to Own Stage for its background music.
Rei: All of Rei's songs are wild to the point of me liking them for the goofiness. If you commit to the bit, I'll enjoy it 9 times out of 10. Doesn't matter what the bit is. Shiro to Kuro is probably my favorite. LOVE the "heh heh we are up to no good" NPC villain energy of that song. But also, shout-out to his singing in Enishi, even if it's nigh-on intelligible to me. I love the hell out of Enishi in general.
Kuko: The king of goof himself. Sou Gyaran BAM is probably my favorite, but I am--to some degree--into virtually every song he's in.
Juushi: Wow, I'm listed as a source on this wiki page, lol. Anyway. Juushi's aesthetic as a whole isn't my cup of tea, but I have a soft spot for Moonlight Shadow, because the first two times I heard it were on Spotify shuffle while I just so happened to be scrubbing a toilet. So for a couple months after, I would put Bad Ass Temple on every time I cleaned the bathroom. Hahaha.
Hitoya: One and Two, and Law is so fucking goofy. I adore it. The live version with the airhorn? Chef's kiss.
Otome: Fuck it, let's do the ladies too. Out of all of her musical appearances, I like Just Do It the most. It adds such an interesting strength to her character, and the English portions are done super well.
Ichijiku: Love, love, love her part in Verbal Justice for its strength. This is yet another song I think would be fun to do a hell TL of, and then I remind myself that trying to rhyme "Kadenokouji" in English is a fool's errand.
Nemu: Her singing voice in WINK is nice, but I love her part in Femme Fatale for its energy. "I'm Nemu, and this is my masterpiece" Fuck yeah it is
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desceros · 3 months
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hi sam!! kind of a different request, but would you list as many of your favorite orchestral pieces as you can? association with turtles v welcome but also optional! i have trouble doing my coursework because i can't listen to anything in the background while doing it (shows, music with lyrics), but i listened to scheherazade because of you and really loved it, plus got some work done to boot!! i'm not sure where to start in looking for more music like that so i thought i'd ask you. :)
oohhhh what a FUN ask, thank you so much!! i promise i am going to TRY to be REASONABLE with how much i talk about this. if i really did mention "as many as i could" i think i'd find out if tumblr has a character limit in text posts, hahaha!
so my favorite symphony of ALL TIME is symphony 9 by dvorak. absolute must-listen. my favorite moment of the entire piece (which you HAVE to listen to the entire thing to get REALLY feral about) is the last huge chord progression in the fourth movement that takes the db major brass chords from the second movement and puts it to the BOMBASTIC TYMPANI EB MINOR EXTRAVAGANZA from the first movement and makes me want to CHEW THROUGH BEDROCK, RAHHH
aside from that, here are a few that i love a lot and totes recommend:
all of scheherezade is, of course, absolutely stunning. it's one of my favorite pieces of all time. if you haven't listened to the other movements, i highly recommend! in this same vein is you liked that are pieces like the stepps by borodin, the polovstian dances (also borodin), marche slav by tchaikovsky, and to some extent saint-saens piano concerto no. 5 has some similar themes, particularly in the absolutely DELICIOUS second movement. it's called "orientalism" and while the, uh, intent has a history of. to say generously. problematic undertones. the pieces themselves are lovely.
russian easter overture by rimsky korsakov. i played this one in high school and man. it's just so FUN and PRETTY.
symphonie fantastique by hector berlioz. it's the story of this dude having a really bad acid trip. no i'm not kidding. also the fifth movement has the dies irie in my favorite iteration ever. eat your heart out, mozart.
...actually just literally anything by tchaikovsky. gun to my head, i'd say he's my favorite classical composer. i'm partial to his ballet work because that's what i played a lot of personally, but his overtures and concertos are quite fun. his romeo and juliet overture is extremely famous (though i personally vastly prefer the opening part over the latter, more famous part). every violinist you ever meet will be traumatized by him, though. so do be careful.
speaking of concertos: my favorite (ugh. i'm a traitor) is probably the barber violin concerto. it just has this. cinematic vibe to it that makes me think of something magical.
(....though the elgar cello concerto and the grieg piano concerto may have something to say about this.)
the planets suite by holst is very fun. you've probably heard mars, and you may recall the romance theme from jupiter if you've seen the movie braveheart. it's one of those mainstream pieces most people have heard. my particular favorite movement is uranus. it's so bouncy and fun!!! classical headbanger music here
beethoven is quite fun to listen to. for his orchestral work, i'm partial to symphony no. 5 since that was the first one i played and the drama of it is enthralling. (yes. i think it's better than nine. sue me.). that said, between you and me, i like the egmont overture better than his symphonies. that low open c on the viola is just so god damned juicy—[door bangs open] OH NO. IT'S THE PRETENTIOUS POLICE. THEY FOUND ME
i'll stop there. these are a few symphonic pieces, since you asked for those specifically. i also really love chamber music (which is just the strings section, sans the woodwinds/brass/percussion/etc), but i find those amazing to listen to as well! anywho i hope you enjoy some slash all of these and good luck with your studies!!
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