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#finished this while it was storming where i live
sketchy-tour · 4 months
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I have been working on this piece for AGES aajsdfjkndf AUGH
I just! I just want Wally frog catching with his bestie to exist into the world dang it!!!! The idea of him slowly catching frogs and running straight to Barnaby to show him is one of my favorite things to think about. Now I can beam such an idea into yalls mind with the power of art I spent too much time on
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obscure-imagines · 7 months
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distraction - Sanji
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🌀staring. Vinsmoke Sanji x afab!Reader
⚔️ preview. "Good for moss head. I didn't think he had it in him to take care of a girl like you... don't take offense, love, it's just clear you can be a little... pent-up. It's part of your charm, if you ask me." Sanji flashes you a wink. "Roronoa is high-strung too. I've always just been under the impression that if you're looking for sex - good sex, the type that leaves you... unable to think about anything else - well, at least one of you has to be able to let loose a little."
tw/cw. unprotected sex, multiple reader orgasms, pussy lover Sanji, dirty talk, praise, oral (f receiving), fingering, hand job, mutual masturbation, sex in Zoro's bed, talking about Zoro during sex, jealousy, overstimulation, hair pulling, breast worship, big dick Sanji, cum play/filled kink, dick/bulge outline, deep penetration, mutual orgasm, etc… I pet names: (hers) love, sweet thing.
💦 rating. 18+ explicit I SMUT I wc. 4.1k
⚔️ aus. One Piece Live Action, fwb!zoro, friends to lovers Sanji, pwp, etc…
❄️ mlist + an. live action Sanji has such a specific diction/accent, I did my best to replicate it :)
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You stand along the rail of the ship, watching your friends row towards the island. The anger bubbling inside of you is only getting worse, and soon, it becomes too much for you to manage. Tearing your gaze from the sea, you storm toward the kitchen, in need of someone to vent to.
Sanji's prepping dinner, and his quick knife skills are made all the more impressive when he lifts his eyes from his work to assess you. He gives you a once-over, finishing the cucumber he's dicing before setting the sharp blade down. "Come on love, take a seat. Tell me what's wrong."
The chef is always able to read you like the back of his hand, and you do as he says, releasing a deep sigh as you plop into the chair in front of him. "I just wish they'd invited me to go to the island with them."
Sanji gives you an amused look, setting his palms flat on the table while he looks at you. "I think you mean, 'I wish Zoro had invited me to go to the island.'"
"You're too perceptive for your own good," you groan. "it's going to get you in trouble one of these days."
"Lucky for me I enjoy trouble," Sanji grins. "What is going on with you and moss head? Are you two... you know, going steady?"
You hate the way he says it, 'going steady,' as if you're both kids falling in love for the first time- part of you aches for that to be the truth of it all.
"Honestly? I don't know what we're doing," you admit. "I don't know what I'm doing."
"Well, start talking, and we can figure it out together, how's that sound, love?" Sanji suggests, picking up his knife to continue chopping vegetables.
"I just..." You take a deep breath, not sure where to start. "I thought Zoro and I were getting closer-"
"How close are we talking, sweet thing?" The chef grins slyly. "A little toss and tumble between the sheets?"
"Sanji!"
"That's a yes."
"Okay, fine, I'll admit it. We've slept together. Twice."
"Good for moss head," Sanji's smirk widens. "I didn't think he had it in him to take care of a girl like you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't take offense, love, it's just clear you can be a little... pent up. It's part of your charm, if you ask me." Sanji flashes you a wink. "Roronoa is high-strung too. I've always just been under the impression that if you're looking for sex - good sex, the type that leaves you unable to think about anything else - well, at least one of you has to be able to let loose a little."
You're a little shocked at his words, and you assess the chef. He's chopping vegetables smoothly, as if he didn't just drop a bit of a sexual wisdom bomb on you.
"I can let loose."
"Love, again, don't take this the wrong way but... that has yet to be seen."
"I'll prove it to you."
"Yeah?" Sanji sets his knife down again. "And how are you planning to do that, sweet thing?"
You swallow thickly, a proposition hanging on the tip of your tongue. Instead, you find yourself admitting, "You know... Zoro didn't even kiss me goodbye today."
"Bet he didn't make you cum either."
You shake your head.
"That's a damn shame," Sanji sighs. "A pretty little thing like you... I bet you taste as good as you look. If you were my girl, I'd have you for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert."
"Sanji-"
"You know what I think you need? A distraction. I think you need to explore other options- what's the line, the grass is always greener, or should I say, the moss?" He looks you up and down. "Only if you're interested, of course. We've got the time, your lover boy will be on the island for a couple of hours at least."
Your heart is thundering in your rib cage, and you can feel it all the way down to your core. Your mind might be fixed on Roronoa Zoro, but your pussy is screaming for Vinsmoke Sanji.
"Well... he's not my boyfriend..."
"Man didn't even kiss you goodbye before leaving you here with me, that's just stupid, but I've always suspected moss head to be a few utensils short of a full set, if you know what I mean."
You find yourself laughing, and you realize how much you enjoy listening to Sanji speak.
Zoro is always so quiet in bed, hardly moaning or whispering words of praise- you'd bet your life that Sanji is verbal while making someone come undone for him. And you'd be lying if you said you didn't want to hear him in that headspace.
"Let's do this," you say, shocked at how quiet your voice is.
"What was that, love? I didn't quite hear ya."
"I said... let's do this. You're right... I need a distraction... I need to cum." Your skin heats at your own admission, but you see the effect it has on Sanji. His pupils dilate with interest, and his breath catches.
"Come here," he instructs, placing his knife down and wiping his hands on the towel over his shoulder before tossing that to the table too.
Your feet carry you much too quickly to Sanji, and then you're standing in front of him, looking up into the prettiest blue eyes you've ever seen.
He wets his lips, hands reaching for you. One grabs your hip and the other moves to cup your cheek, thumb stroking over your skin. "Are you sure about this?" he asks. "You have to be sure."
"I'm sure. Fuck Zoro."
Sanji laughs, and his whole face lights up. "Fuck Zoro," he agrees, smashing his mouth to yours a moment later.
Your entire body relaxes, lips parting to allow his tongue further exploration- but at the same time, electric heat surges across your skin. It's much too easy to get lost in Sanji, your hands reaching to grab the front of his shirt, tugging him closer while he deepens the kiss.
You love the feeling of his hand still cupping your cheek, it's like an anchor. His lips taste like smoke, mint, and desperation, as if he's been waiting to do this for much too long.
The hand on your hip slips to the small of your back, and then it dips down further, giving your ass a gentle squeeze that makes you moan loudly into his mouth.
Sanji grins against your lips, taking the opportunity to pull away from you ever so slightly. Your eyes flutter open to look at him questioningly, and he simply smiles. "I like your sounds, sweet thing."
"I'll sound even sweeter with you inside me."
"Oh, I have no doubts about that." His thumb strokes your cheek. "Come on, love, let's get you to bed."
"You're not gonna fuck me here?" you ask, looking around at the kitchen.
"I want my first time with you to be on an actual mattress. We've got more than enough opportunity for me to bend you over one of these counters another day."
"You sound pretty certain we'll be doing this again."
"I'll let my skills speak for themselves, and you can be the judge of that."
He bends down, easily throwing you over his shoulder while you release a squeal of delight.
"I'd ask your bed or mine, but I've already got a place in mind," Sanji explains as he walks you toward the sleeping quarters.
You don't question him on it, but you're also not surprised when he gently tosses you down onto Zoro's bed.
"You're so bad," you laugh, grabbing at the familiar sheets while Sanji towers over you at the foot of the mattress.
"I thought you liked it bad in this bed," he teases. "Although, I'm about to change that."
Sanji sinks to his knees, grabbing at your leg to drag you closer. He reaches for the button and zipper, tugging your pants down in record time. He tosses them aside before his gaze narrows in on your core.
You watch the way his tongue licks at his lips, that familiar smirk returning. "You definitely look good enough to eat, love," he tells you. "Soaking right through your panties-" he hooks his fingers in the fabric, "How about you give these to me for safekeeping, yeah?"
"You want to keep them?" you ask, lifting your hips to aid in the removal of the last article of clothing keeping his mouth from your pussy.
"They'll be my very own One Piece," Sanji grins. "No matter what happens between us, if you gave me these, I think I'd be happy."
You can imagine him keeping them in his pocket as a constant reminder of you. Can imagine him reaching into his pants to touch them- wrapping your panties around his cock and using them to reach his own end-
God, Sanji is a bit of a perv, but you kind of love it.
You love knowing exactly the effect you have on him. Love knowing that he wants you like this.
You never know where you stand with Zoro, but with Sanji, things seem quite clear.
"You can keep them," you whisper, as he tugs the panties off your feet. "I want you to keep them."
"That's a sweet girl," he praises you, warm hands finding your calves to tug you even closer to his awaiting mouth. "Gonna taste you now. Feel free to grab my hair and pull- in fact, I kinda wish you would."
"God, Sanji-" you whimper, feeling his breath on your hot core.
"My name has never sounded prettier than right now, moaned from your lips," Sanji tells you, flashing you a wink as you reach for his hair.
He all but dives into you, pressing himself close to your pussy and licking you for all you're worth. His tongue parts your folds, teasing up to your clit and circling before dipping down, pushing gently into your hole and licking-
Sanji is everywhere, worshiping every part of your pussy while you whimper and moan. Your eyes close, your head lolling back against the mattress, your body consumed by his motions.
You can feel him smirking against you, and it's clear he's enjoying the sounds he's already working out of you. His hands massage your thighs, keeping them spread so he has full access to you with his perfect tongue.
When his lips suction around your clit, your pussy throbs desperately, and you tighten your grip in his hair, crying out his name while you begin to rut against his face.
Sanji groans against you, and you realize he enjoys the way you're trying to use him for your own satisfaction. He doesn't tease, doesn't move his tongue away, he keeps doing exactly what he'd done to earn this reaction from you.
No one has ever sucked on your clit like this, his mouth hot and wet while his tongue flicks at the sensitive bud- You can feel an orgasm rising quickly in the pit of your stomach.
Your skin is tingling with pleasure, muscles tightening with your impending release.
"Sanji-" you whine, "Fuck, please don't stop, I'm so close-"
If anything, he works your clit even harder, and it's all you need to topple over the edge. Your thighs shake around his head, his hands keeping them spread while your orgasm surges through you like wildfire.
Your hips buck toward his face, pussy clenching around nothing as he works you through your high. His tongue laps at your pussy, collecting every drop of your cum that begins to drip out of your pussy from how deep your pleasure contractions are.
Sanji is moaning as he worships you, and each vibration against your clit has your body shaking again, prolonging your orgasm until you feel tears in your eyes and your stomach almost hurts from how hard you've just cum.
He pulls away from your pussy and you let out a whimper, closing your legs and trying to catch your breath.
"You definitely taste as sweet as you look, pretty thing," he praises you. Then you feel his hand cupping your face, his thumb brushing over your cheek. "Sorry for making you cry."
"It's okay," you say, but your voice is shaky. "I've just... I've never cum like that."
"Just wait till you feel what I'm going to give you next, love." Sanji pinches your chin. "If you can take another."
You swallow thickly, opening your eyes to look up at him. "I can take another. I want your cock-" Your pussy throbs at the mere idea of him, and you stifle a groan. "Please-"
"How could I say no to a pretty thing like you?" he asks, bending down to press a quick kiss to your lips before standing up again.
You watch as he begins to undo his button-up, and after a moment of being transfixed by each newly exposed piece of skin, you remove your own shirt.
"Fucking hell," Sanji shrugs off his top, and you nearly drool at his ripped physique, "Roronoa really fumbled this one, didn't he, love? Look at you- you're an absolute stunner."
"You're not so bad yourself," you grin, relaxing back against the bed and spreading your legs for him. "Come on, Sanji, I think we both need a distraction."
"Am I talking about Zoro too much?" he laughs, undoing his pants. "My bad, guess I just can't stop thanking the guy- if he hadn't messed up, I would have never gotten this chance with you."
"Have you been waiting for a chance for a while?"
"Since I first laid eyes on ya," Sanji admits. "But, it was clear you had a thing for moss head, so I kept my distance."
"I'm glad you're not keeping your distance anymore."
"We're about to be closer than ever," he agrees. "Lemme just grab a condom-"
"No condom," you insist. "I'm uh- I've got birth control."
Sanji looks you up and down. "Sorry, it's just- you're telling me, you let Roronoa fuck you raw, and he still didn't bother to kiss you goodbye today?"
"Thanks for rubbing it in," you frown.
"My bad, love," Sanji gets onto the bed between your legs, leaning over you so he can kiss you gently. "I'm just- a little shocked is all."
"You're not only fucking me to get back at him, right?" you ask, wrapping your arms around Sanji's strong shoulders. "I mean... I know you two don't really get along-"
"Don't ever think that," he tells you. "I like you because you're you- this whole Roronoa thing is just an added bonus."
"An added bonus," you sigh. "You make it sound like you're toddlers fighting over a toy."
"Trust me, sweet thing, after this, you're going to be mine. If you're not already. What was it you said? You've never cum like I just made you cum?"
You laugh. "I want another," you grin, teasing your lips over his own.
"In a moment," he responds, slipping his hand down to your core, teasing you with two fingers. "Gotta make sure you're ready for me."
As he pushes his digits into your pussy, you reach for his cock. It's already leaking sticky precum against your abdomen, and you collect it, using it as lube so you can stroke him gently, teasing your thumb over the tip.
"Fuck, sweet thing," Sanji groans, dipping his head so he can look down at where you're both touching each other. "You already feel so good."
Instead of responding, you simply kiss him, using your free hand to grab the back of his head. You don't want him pulling away, you want to feel his tongue while his fingers fuck you harder, pumping easily into your wet core as you stroke his pretty cock.
You love the sounds he's making. When you squeeze him harder, he practically whimpers, hips thrusting forward, cock gliding through your hold.
Your pussy throbs desperately around his fingers as he scissors them inside of you, spreading you open.
"Please, Sanji," you groan, "I need you-"
He pulls his digits from your core, lifting them to his lips to suck clean. You watch in awe at the way he moans from your taste- no one has ever reacted to you like this before, acting as if you're their favorite dessert, and it does something to you-
Sanji is changing everything you thought you knew about sex. Where most men have eaten you out as a duty, Sanji treats it like it's his pleasure, and you know he's being genuine.
He wraps his hand around the base of his cock, and you let go of him to steady your grip on his strong shoulders, heart racing as he lines himself up with your aching hole.
"Please, please, please-" you whimper, leaning up to kiss him feverishly while he sinks the head of his cock into you.
The stretch is amazing- as much as you've enjoyed Zoro, Sanji is definitely girthier. The swordsman might have half an inch on the chef, but nothing feels like being split open on the cock of a man who just made you cum so hard you saw stars and cried about it.
You groan as his tongue swiped by your own, and he swallows up your sounds while your pussy swallows up his cock, inch after delicious inch. When he bottoms out, you throw your head back against the pillows, digging your nails into his shoulders. His lips find your throat and he peppers your skin in wet kisses, allowing you to get used to his size.
"Fuck me," you instruct, core throbbing around him- you need movement like you need Sanji, desperately.
"Only cuz ya asked so nicely, love," he grins.
His first thrust has your toes curling. His mouth picks up on your throat again, and he finds your sweet spot much too easily while he begins fucking you. Sanji's motions are fluid, almost dancer-like, and each smack of his hips against your own has the tip of his cock kissing your cervix-
"Oh my God," you whimper, threading a hand through his soft hair and gently tugging, earning yourself a moan against your neck. "You're so deep-"
"Roronoa never took care of you properly, did he, sweet thing?"
You don't want to talk about Zoro anymore. You want to focus on Sanji. He's not much of a distraction if he keeps bringing up the moss-haired man.
Instead of answering, you simply push on his chest. Sanji is quick to pull away, and you roll on top of him, straddling his hips. You sit up, pressing your palms flat to his chest while he stares up at you.
Zoro's only ever fucked you doggy style and missionary. He doesn't let you top, doesn't let you have control like this. And even if he ever had, you doubt he'd be looking up at you the way Sanji is.
"Tell me how good it feels," you instruct, rolling your hips. At this angle, Sanji's buried completely in your wet cunt, and the slightest of motions feels like heaven.
"Fuck, love," Sanji's hands move up to cup your breasts, rolling your sensitive nipples between his fingers. "You feel perfect. I could watch you ride me for hours and I'd be the happiest man on the ship- Happiest man in the entire ocean."
You throw your head back, riding him gently, getting used to the rhythm and the sensation in your thighs.
"There's no one like you," Sanji continues. "You're taking me so well- It's like this pussy was made for me." He sits up abruptly, pressing one hand to the bed to hold himself up while his breath ghosts over your chest. "You were made for me, weren't you, sweetheart?"
"Maybe you were made for me," you counter, riding him faster.
"Made for each other," he concedes, leaning forward to capture one of your nipples into his mouth, his tongue flicking the sensitive nub.
You groan at the feeling, your pussy clenching tight around his cock.
"I'd love to watch you cum like this," he tells you, looking up at you, eyes twinkling with adoration. "If you cum while on top, I might just have to worship you forever."
"Forever?"
"'M never gonna be able to get this out of my head. You're all I'm going to be thinking about, day and night."
"Sanji," you whimper, loving what his words do to you.
"That's it, love, squeezing me so well- I want to watch you cum again. You're so beautiful when you cum."
You grab at his shoulders, using him for leverage as you bounce harder on his cock. Each meeting of your hips has his cock driving as deep as possible.
"Lean back for me, love," Sanji prompts, gentle fingers finding your throat, helping you tilt your body ever so slightly- "Fuck," he grabs your hand, placing your palm over your abdomen. "Feel how fucking deep I am?"
You can definitely feel the slight outline of his cock, made more obvious by the slight contortion of your body.
It's one of the sexiest things you've ever experienced.
"Sanji-" you whisper again, mind completely numb except for his name, repeated like a mantra-
"I know, love, I know. I'm close too- can't believe you're gonna let me fill you up- It's gonna feel so good. You're gonna be right propper full, the way you deserve-"
"Oh my God-" It's getting harder and harder for you to ride him, body teetering on the edge of pleasure-
"C'm here," Sanji instructs, hand cupping the back of your neck to pull you back down with him as he falls onto the bed again, adjusting bellow you. "I can feel you shaking love, let me take over."
You practically collapse against his strong chest, holding yourself over his cock as he begins to drive up into you. One of his hands is on your hip, but the other slips between your bodies, expert fingers finding your clit-
You practically explode on his cock, letting out a squeal as you bury your face in against his throat, pressing gasped kisses to his skin. Your pussy contracts tightly around his thick length, and from the moans leaving Sanji's lips, you can tell he's fallen over the edge too.
You can feel his thick cum coating your inner walls- there's so much of it, you can even feel it on his shaft with each bounce. He fucks you through your highs, making the prettiest sounds, holding you tight to his chest.
You allow yourself to get lost in the sensation of him. Mind going numb. All that matters is you and him.
As Sanji's thrusts begin to slow, he grabs your hips with both hands. One slips to the small of your back, and then to your ass, squeezing as he helps you seat yourself entirely on his cock, your bodies flush together.
He's breathing heavily in your ear as you continue to kiss his throat.
You stay like that while your heart rates begin to slow again. Sanji strokes your skin, and you simply kiss him neck, teasing by his ear and making him shiver.
"Please tell me this won't be the only time," he says finally.
"It won't be the only time."
"What are you going to tell Roronoa?"
You sigh. "The truth. That I don't see him and me going anywhere, and that I have a better connection with you."
"Thank God."
"Were you really that worried?" you ask, pulling away from his neck. You sit up, and Sanji groans a little as his cock shifts inside your pussy. His hands find your hips.
"I guess..." He licks his lips, swallowing thickly. "I guess maybe I'm just used to rejection."
You like that he's being vulnerable with you like this. "You don't have to worry about that with me."
"No?" Sanji grins.
"Never."
"So if I asked for round two, you wouldn't reject me?"
You laugh. "You're horrible."
"Come on, sweet thing, you love it," he winks.
And honestly, he's kind of right.
He's right about a lot of things. He'd definitely been right about you needing to let loose a little, and now that he's shown you how to do that, you can't imagine ever going back.
Zoro may have been the start of your journey, but Sanji is the next chapter, and you can't wait to see what happens next.
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☀️ mlist + an. thank you for reading! If you liked this one, check out my recent Mihawk fic here or my new Zoro one here
🍭 support me by. sending a tip here or here
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© obscure-imagines — all rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any fic, reaction, or piece of original writing posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations not allowed.
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norrisleclercf1 · 2 months
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This might be real late but I was rewatching the Vegas gp. So if you are up for it, could you do a poly lestapen and reader where Charles gets annoyed about the first lap incident
A/N: It's been so long since I've watched that race, so excuse me if anything is wrong with this, also I've missed my babies lestappen
"Charles, just talk to me," You roll your eyes, knowing that Charles for the past 3 hours has refused to talk to Max since they finished their press conferences. Max had apologized to Charles for pushing him off the track, and you and everyone else thought Charles was perfectly okay, clearly that wasn't true.
The moment the cameras were off them, Charles wasn't saying a word and would only speak to you. The three of you were back from partying and now, Charles was trying to shower while Max was with you in the bathroom whining. "Charlie....please," Max whispers, hating this. You wanted to get involved but, when it came to their racing, you stayed out of it.
Charles gets out, wrapping a towel around his waist and kisses your cheek going to his suitcase to grab some underwear to sleep in. Max stands up quickly and storms into the bedroom and you follow knowing this wasn't to end well.
"If you're so angry with me, why date me? You knew this would happen, especially with us, you said you were fine, why did you lie? To hurt me, because if that was your goal, you've succeeded Charles. You've hurt me more than anyone else I know," Max turns and stalks into the bathroom, slamming the door making it and the wall rattle.
Charles just blinks and sighs, his shoulders deflating and turns facing you. "You've done wrong Charles, he didn't mean to do that. Has he ever apologized to you before? On live TV? Charles, he felt horrible, all he talked about was how bad he felt with what he did. You accepted his apology and made him think everything was okay only for you to ignore him the last 3 hours, that's just cruel." Charles doesn't say anything as you turn and climb into bed, turning your back to him.
"I made the mistake of reviewing the tape with the team, and they were all furious, and I guess....a small part was still angry and, I was being childish." You sit up quick and glare at him. "Don't say it to me, jackass, say it to the one you've actually hurt," You voice holds no heat which has Charles nod his head and move to the bathroom but stops when the door is ripped open by Max.
"I love you," Charles blurts, Max stuttering to a stop and staring at Charles like he grew a second head. "I know that Charl, but you still hurt my feelings," Max whispers and moves around Charles but, Charles grabs his waist and turns him around. "I'm a dick, and deserve to sleep on the couch. But, I'll never use what happens on the track affect the love I have for you and Y/n." Max sighs and moves hugging Charles, melting into his boyfriends hold.
"I love you too, please don't ever ignore me again," Max pleads, squeezing Charles close who sighs leading them to the bed. You make room for them as they lay with you between them. "You two ever argue again about racing, kicking you out of the bed," "Deal," they both agree.
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punkshort · 1 month
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i know who you are | 4. the others
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Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader
Chapter Summary: Winter begins to wrap its arms around Jackson, filling the town with snow and a nasty flu. Joel takes you to meet Ben and Lisa, and you finally discover more about your past.
Chapter Warnings: language, angst, amnesia, sad!joel, pining, sexual tension, slow burn, jealousy
WC: 9K
Series Masterlist
You looked happy.
Ever since you began working at the infirmary, you seemed happier. Like you were grateful to have a purpose. A way to contribute. To give back to the community that supported you.
You smiled more and you didn't shy away from him as much as you used to and it gave Joel hope. Every time you saw him and greeted him with a smile or said goodbye with a squeeze of his shoulder, it made his heart flutter. It's been weeks. Months, technically. But he was making some progress.
It was the first snowfall of the season and it put you in an even better mood than usual. Your face was pressed up against the window as he tended to the fire behind you, and you watched as the big, fluffy flakes of snow fell from the sky, coating Jackson in a perfect blanket of pure white.
"I didn't get much snow where I'm from," you told him over your shoulder. He knew that already, but he humored you.
"That so?"
"Mhmm. When I was a kid, though, we got hit with this freak storm. No one knew what to do. No one owned shovels or snow blowers or any of that, so we were all stuck inside our houses until the storm ended and everything melted," you said, turning away from the window so you could curl up on the couch, then pausing for a moment before tilting your head to the side. "Did I tell you this already?"
Yes, he thought, but he shook his head, eager for you to continue. He just loved hearing you talk, no matter what you said. Besides, if you were expected to rebuild your relationship, sharing your past would naturally be part of that, so he encouraged you to tell stories, even if he's heard them before.
"So, what happened?" he asked, putting the poker back in the stand and getting up with a groan, his knees cracking a bit before he settled in on the other end of the couch.
"Well, the power went out," you said, and he could hear the excitement in your voice, delighted to be telling him something you thought he didn't already know, and it made his heart swell. "So we didn't have any heat or any way to cook our food. We set up camping tents in the middle of our living room and slept in there with, like, five blankets each. And we lived off pop-tarts and granola bars and peanut butter sandwiches for two days til the power came back on."
"Two days?" Joel repeated, and you nodded.
"Yeah, but it was fun. As a kid, you know? I'm sure my parents were freaking out but me and Matty were excited. We played board games and ate by candlelight and told ghost stories," you said wistfully, your eyes looking miles away. "We talked about that for years," you finished softly, and Joel smiled.
"I didn't get much snow where I'm from, either," he told you, and your eyes met his again.
"Texas, right?" and he nodded. "Did you live there your whole life?"
Something deep inside him sparked with a mix of nerves and excitement. It felt like you were meeting all over again, and while it was under less than ideal circumstances, he couldn't help but feel those butterflies you feel when you first meet someone new.
"Yep, my whole life. Tommy, too, except for when he was in the army."
"Were you in the army?" you asked, but he quickly shook his head.
"Nah. Wasn't my scene. Besides, I had Sarah."
"Oh, right," you said, feeling stupid for asking. You dropped your attention to your hands, which were twisted in your lap, as you thought about your next question.
"How old was she?" you asked quietly, still looking down and avoiding his gaze, but you heard him take a deep breath.
"She was twelve when she died," he told you, his words hanging heavy in the air and he could see the conflict in your face as you tried to figure out a way to learn more about him without reopening old wounds. "It's okay, I don't mind talkin' 'bout her."
"Did we used to talk about her?" you asked him curiously, finally looking up to meet his gaze.
He shrugged. "Sometimes. But not at first. Still hurt too much back then, y'know?"
"Yeah," you breathed, your mind now drifting to thoughts of your own family. Were you together when they died? Did you see it? If so, was it some sort of sick twist of luck that you now couldn't remember?
"What was your favorite thing to do together?" you asked, watching as his eyes found a fixed point on the wall while he considered your question.
"My favorite thing was hiking. Hers was goin' to the movies or the mall, most likely," he said with a soft chuckle. "I didn't mind, though. I was just happy she still wanted to be seen with her old man at that age. Makes me wonder if she felt bad for me or somethin'."
You furrowed your brow, confused. "Why would she feel bad for you?"
He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't date much. Had a few poker buddies but I mostly spent my time with Tommy. Just worked so hard back then that I was too tired to do much else."
"And you were a contractor?" you asked, trying to remember the small pieces of information you picked up over the last two months. He nodded.
"Yeah, me and Tommy had our own business. That was a lifetime ago. Can't imagine doin' that kind of work now, not with my back," he said with a smile.
Joel's eyes flicked to the window over your shoulder, watching as the snow continued to come down, the window panes growing foggy in the corners. "Looks like we ain't goin' anywhere for a while," he said, changing the subject. You followed his gaze and nodded.
"What about Ellie? Is she okay back there?"
"Yeah, she'll be alright. She could make it up to the house if she got too cold," he assured you.
So, you were essentially snowed in. All alone.
You could feel his eyes on you as you watched the fire and you wondered if he was thinking about an alternate reality. One where you didn't have an accident. Where you remembered everything. One where you loved him the way he so obviously loved you, and what you might be doing differently in that very moment. You had a feeling your hunch was correct because he stretched his arm across the back of the couch and subtly inched a little closer towards you, the worn cushions dipping from his weight and causing your leg to bob.
Your body stiffened and your heart suddenly felt like it was being crushed in your throat. He was so patient, you had to give him credit. It couldn't be easy for him, and although you could finally admit to yourself that you found him attractive, you still didn't think you trusted him enough to take things any further. Not yet. Not when you still had so many questions. Your eyes drifted up to meet his and as you expected, he was watching you closely. Carefully. Trying to read you the same way you were trying to read him. The problem was, every time he looked at you that way, with his eyes all soft and filled with adoration, you could only think about what he was hiding. What did he lie about? And why was he so hesitant for you to meet Ben and Lisa?
Joel leaned in a fraction and his fingers tightened their hold on the back of the couch. He wanted to kiss you. He's wanted to kiss you ever since that day in the field right before that clicker ruined the moment. And with the soft glow from the fire and the snow falling silently outside, it felt like the perfect moment. He was terrified of making things worse after he finally felt like he made some progress, but it was killing him. He missed having you so fucking much, sometimes it felt like it actually caused him physical pain. Like his chest would explode one day.
He swallowed nervously and inched a little closer and you panicked. Just as he was about to say something, you cut him off.
"Do you wanna play a board game?"
He raised his eyebrows in surprise and you gave him a nervous smile.
"Sure," he replied, watching as you jumped off the couch to look through the games stacked on the bookcase. He groaned inwardly and rubbed his chin when you bent over and he had to force himself to look away before his body reacted, praying you didn't pick Twister.
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It took two days but the snow finally stopped. Ellie did eventually make her way to the house by the second day, simply because she was bored, so you helped Joel make a vegetable soup while Ellie set up the Monopoly board in the living room. You didn't have all the pieces, but you had enough, and what you didn't have you supplemented with buttons.
You didn't realize it; too caught up in cooking and the joy it used to bring you, but you and Joel worked together seamlessly in the kitchen. He chopped up zucchini while you diced onion and watched the pot on the stove that was cooking up noodles, slipping past each other to get to the sink and the cupboards and it all just felt so fucking normal that it made his chest ache. He wanted to draw your attention to it. He wanted to take you by the shoulders and say See? See how good we are together? But he didn't. He bit his tongue and bided his time until you came to that conclusion on your own, just like the first time.
But the first time was different. At least back then, you showed him affection. You kissed him and held him and shared your body with him and although you didn't want much more, not at first, eventually you did. And those moments in his bed were enough to hold him over until you opened your eyes and saw what was right in front of you.
He was selfish. He knew it was wrong to want you like that right now, but he wanted all of you, not just physically. He yearned to know what was going on behind your eyes, what you were thinking and feeling. What you thought of him. But if you would maybe just let yourself fall asleep in his arms on the couch while you read in front of the fire, or let him kiss you, just once, then maybe you would see it again. Feel it again.
"What the hell does a purple button mean?" you asked with a giggle, holding up the smooth, round plastic between your fingers.
"It's a hotel, duh!" Ellie said, grinning and rolling her eyes.
"Wait, why am I goin' to jail?"
"You rolled doubles three times in a row!" you told him, and you and Ellie bent over laughing at the confused expression on his face.
He made a disgruntled noise and moved his token to the corner of the board as he watched you and Ellie giggling and wiping tears from your eyes and fuck, it was nice. In another world, he would have made some joke about you being the one in handcuffs and maybe later he would have followed through with it and tied your wrists to the headboard, burying his face between your thighs until you couldn't take it anymore.
But instead, he just watched two of the people he loved most in the world have fun, the orange glow from the fire flickering over your smiling faces while the snow finally came to a stop outside.
Ellie had trekked back to the garage once the game was over. It was late, you looked tired, but he still suggested putting a movie on. He wasn't ready to let you go. He hated going to bed all alone. You seemed to consider his offer for a moment before you shook your head and yawned, and although he knew that would likely be your answer, he still felt his heart sink.
He walked you to your bedroom and as he was about to say goodnight, hoping to minimize the hurt by making it quick, you did something that surprised him. You pulled him into a hug, standing on your tiptoes, your chin resting on his shoulder with your arms wrapped around his neck, body pressed firmly against his and just as quickly as it happened, you pulled away. Joel was so stunned he wasn't sure he hugged you back, even though he stood cemented to the floor well after you went to bed, replaying the hug over and over, all he could remember was how he felt. And he went to bed that night with renewed hope blooming in his chest. Maybe you were finally coming around.
So the next morning when you asked him out of the blue if you could visit Ben and Lisa once the streets cleared of snow, he had a hard time finding a reason to say no. He should have known you wouldn't let it go, but he did hold out hope that maybe you moved on from the idea since it had been a few weeks when you last mentioned them.
He agreed, of course, not wanting to ruin the delicate foundation of your relationship. Besides, he already decided he would go with you and make sure they didn't tell you anything you weren't ready to hear.
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The snow had melted enough where the road was visible again, but the snowbanks still piled high around the buildings and houses and you felt strangely nervous as you followed Joel down the street. He had finally agreed to take you to meet Ben and Lisa, and while you were grateful he didn't have the reaction he had the first time you mentioned them, you still wondered what caused that outburst.
You tried to convince yourself that maybe he was just tired and cranky that day, having just gotten back from patrol for the fourth day in a row. But something still felt... off.
"Wow, when Ellie said they lived on the outskirts, she wasn't kidding," you said, realizing you were reaching an edge of Jackson you had yet to explore.
"Yeah, they tend to keep to themselves," he replied without further explanation. He didn't seem agitated, but he definitely wasn't happy about going to see them. He seemed more quiet and subdued than usual.
Finally, you arrived at a quaint looking cottage tucked back from the road a ways. Like Ellie had said, it was small, but it looked cozy. You could see the smoke pluming from the chimney and you couldn't wait to warm up again.
There was no porch. Just a small roof over the front door and a folding chair that looked like it had seen better days. He knocked firmly on the door and after a moment, you heard light shuffling on the other side.
The door cracked open and you were greeted by a short woman around your age with dull, brown hair and bright green eyes. She saw Joel first and, like most people in town, she hesitated. But then she noticed you next to him and her expression changed. A wide smile stretched across her face and she said your name softly, then held her arms out for a hug.
"It's so good to see you," she said in your ear, giving you a tight squeeze before turning around and ushering you both inside. "Come in, come in, it's freezing out there. Ben! You'll never guess who's here!"
You both stepped inside and as you were slipping off your outerwear, you glanced around the small space. It was tight, but it was filled with warmth. The living room had two small, mismatched loveseats on either side of the stone fireplace. Two large bookshelves that were filled with so many books that the shelves were sagging stood on either side of the fire, and curiously you didn't notice a television anywhere in the room.
You heard a man's deep voice behind you say your name and you jumped in surprise. Turning around, you were pulled into another hug by who you could only assume was Ben. He was tall - taller than Joel - and you wondered how on earth such a small house could fit such a large man. He stepped away, his dark eyes glittering with his hands still on your shoulders, taking in your appearance as if you haven't seen them in years.
Maybe you haven't.
You were so focused on absorbing every little detail about the house and its residents that you didn't notice Joel's body stiffen next to you, his eyes glued to Ben's hands. And while Lisa seemed to have the same reaction to Joel that everyone else in town did, Ben, on the other hand, did not seem phased by his presence. In fact, he appeared pleased to see him. Once he dropped his hands from your shoulders, he stretched out a lanky arm and shook Joel's hand, giving him a kind smile which Joel had a hard time returning.
"What a wonderful surprise. Come, let's sit. Do you want coffee or tea?" Ben asked, his eyes drifting between you and Joel. You both shook your heads and Ben smiled warmly at you once again. Even though the living room was just a few feet away from the front door, Ben still rested his hand on your shoulder and guided you to one of the loveseats as if you might lose your way, only dropping his hold on you when he sat down across from you on the other one.
Joel eased himself down on the couch beside you, the space so small that he had no choice but to rest his leg against yours, and Lisa went to join Ben, the crackling fire between both loveseats warming you up right away.
"We heard you had an accident. How are you feeling?" Lisa asked, her voice so small and gentle compared to Ben's booming baritone.
"Better, thanks. But it's kind of why I'm here," you said, glancing over at Joel nervously, but he was staring silently at Ben, who still seemed unaffected.
Lisa tilted her head to the side and wrapped a hand around Ben's forearm, leaning into him a bit as she got more comfortable on the couch. You noticed for the first time a basket on the floor next to her feet filled with different colored yarn and half knitted projects tucked inside. "Oh?" she asked, then it seemed to dawn on her. "Oh! Is it... is it true? Do you really have memory loss?"
When you nodded, you noticed the flicker of pity across both their faces as they exchanged a somber look.
"I can only remember my life before the outbreak. My mom, dad and brother. I don't even remember what happened or how they died or how I managed to survive," you began, feeling yourself growing a little emotional. Joel must have sensed it in your tone because he squeezed your knee reassuringly, and when you glanced over at him, he had finally torn his eyes away from Ben to look at you with concern.
"It's been hard," Joel said, finally speaking up, addressing Ben and Lisa. "Lots of confusion, lots of missin' pieces. But she kept a journal. Turns out, she wrote 'bout you two, so that's why we're here," he finished, narrowing his eyes a bit at them.
"You wrote about us? How sweet," Ben said cheerily, running a hand through his dark blonde curls.
"Yes, but-"
"It wasn't anythin' that detailed," Joel said quickly, and you frowned at him. He sat back into the sofa and glanced over at you. "Right?"
"Yeah," you said slowly, dragging your eyes away from Joel and back to your hosts. "Just that we went fishing and it felt like old times," you continued, and they both smiled at the memory. The only sound in the room was the fire next to you, the wood popping loudly under the flames as you weighed your next question. "So I was hoping you might help tell me about myself before we arrived in Jackson. Is that... okay?"
Lisa shifted in her seat, a small smile still twitching at her lips as she gazed up at Ben, waiting for him to reply. He hesitated a moment and you thought you saw his eyes flicker to Joel before responding.
"Of course," Ben said, slapping the tops of his thighs, jostling loose Lisa's grip on his arm. He quickly picked her hand back up and brought her knuckles to his lips for a quick kiss, but your eyes were drawn to the unfamiliar symbol tattooed on the inside of her wrist, only made visible when Ben picked up her arm and her sleeve hung down.
"Can you tell me about when we first met?" you asked, figuring you should start at the beginning.
"Oh, what was it? Six or eight months after the outbreak, yeah?" Ben wondered aloud, looking to Lisa to confirm. She nodded and scratched her neck.
"Sounds about right."
You allowed yourself to feel a glimmer of excitement. There were two people right in front of you that could help fill in the blanks for the first five years after the outbreak, and you couldn't wait to hear more.
"We met in the Atlanta QZ," he began, but you quickly stopped him.
"QZ?"
"Quarantine Zone. All the major cities had 'em. Was meant to keep people safe from infected but the military ran most of 'em into the ground," Joel explained. "Treated people like cattle. Strict curfews. Barely enough rations to survive."
"It was awful," Lisa added solemnly.
"Was I alone?" you asked them, and Ben nodded. "Did I tell you anything about my family? How they died?"
Their eyes shifted to Joel for a moment before looking at one another.
"I thought you had said the infected got your mom on the first day. But your dad and brother..." Ben trailed off, looking down at his hands sadly. "They got caught out after curfew. It happened before we got there. They... were punished."
You frowned a little, looking to Joel to help shed some light on what Ben meant, but he was staring down at his feet.
"Punished?" you squeaked as your heart began to pound faster in your chest.
"Punishment for bein' out after curfew was death," Joel spoke up softly next to you.
You looked at all three of them, your eyes wide in disbelief. "Death? The military were killing people?"
"It was horrible. It's why we escaped," Lisa replied with tears in her eyes.
"Okay, then what?" you pressed, trying not to dwell too long on the thought of your father and brother being murdered by the very people who were supposed to protect them.
"After we escaped?" Ben clarified, and you nodded. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze. "We survived. Did what we had to do."
There it was again. Did what we had to do. The same thing Joel said when you brought up Lisa and Ben the first time.
You waited for him to elaborate but when it became apparent Ben had finished talking, you pushed him further. "Like what? What does that mean?"
"We laid low. Found some secluded spots in the wilderness and stuck it out for as long as we could," Lisa said, her eyes casually drifting between the two men. You looked at Joel, who was holding a steady glare at Ben and Lisa, but otherwise he was perfectly silent.
"For five years we just laid low? In the woods? The three of us?" you asked, and they could tell you knew they weren't telling you the whole truth. "What aren't you telling me? Did we do something bad? Did something happen?"
Joel shifted in his seat next to you but you kept your eyes pinned on Lisa and Ben, trying to read the expressions on their faces.
Ben was the first to fold. He dragged his eyes up to meet yours and gave you a half smile and shrug. "Yeah. I mean, everyone did bad things one time or another. It's impossible not to-"
"Like what?" you demanded. You could feel your anger building up now. "I'm not a child. Just tell me."
Ben sighed and looked at Joel once again, and this time you had enough.
"Why do you keep looking at him?"
Ben's eyes snapped back to you and he forced out a small chuckle, trying in vain to diffuse the tension in the room.
"You're our guests, so I'm looking at you both."
You weren't going to argue with him when it was clear he was looking at Joel for direction on what to say. It all made sense now. No wonder Joel didn't fight you on coming to visit them. He had planned all along to control the conversation and keep you in the dark and something inside you snapped.
Standing up from the couch suddenly, you looked down at Ben and Lisa, anger brimming in your eyes.
"Thanks," you spat, heading towards the front door. "Sorry to bother you both."
"It's no bother," Lisa said, her voice wavering as she followed you to the door. "Really. Stop by any time, it was nice to see you."
You scoffed and resisted the urge to roll your eyes as you shoved your boots and coat back on, doing your best to finish before Joel so you could get a head start back home.
Flinging open the door without another word, you took a deep breath and stormed down the street, the chilly winter air filling your lungs, trying to cool your anger from the inside out. But then you heard Joel's heavy footsteps crunching in the snow, hurrying to catch up to you, and your rage peaked again.
"You alright?" he asked when he found his place back by your side.
"No, I'm not alright," you seethed, staring straight ahead with your arms wrapped around your middle. "What was that back there?"
"What'dya mean?"
You skidded to a stop and glared at him, his cheeks pink from the cold and his chest rising and falling a little quicker than usual.
"You know what I mean. I'm not stupid, Joel. What don't you want me to know?"
He stared at you, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to figure out how to respond.
"I'm not-"
"Don't bullshit me!" you yelled, and when you remembered you were in the middle of the street, you lowered your voice. "They were clearly scared of you. You didn't want them to tell me something. It was so obvious, Joel! I hit my head but I'm not fucking blind."
"I didn't ask them to say or not say anythin'," he said truthfully.
You stared at one another, both watching as your exhale mixed together, little clouds swirling in between you before rising above your heads and disappearing, each waiting for the other to break first.
"Maybe I should move out," you finally said, voice filled with sadness. His face fell instantly.
"Why?"
"You know why. I don't think I can trust you. How can I, when I can't even get a simple answer out of you?" What did he lie about?
If you had stabbed him in the chest, it would have hurt less. His gaze fell to the ground and he felt his throat begin to constrict. He had to do something. He couldn't lose you. So he told you a half truth.
"You and Ben used to be a thing," he said, and your jaw dropped in surprise.
"What?"
He clenched his jaw and rolled his eyes. "Before you came to Jackson. You and him were a couple."
You looked away from him, taking a minute to wrap your mind around what he just told you. You supposed it would make sense. It would explain why Joel was so weird about bringing you to see them. Maybe you misread the tension in the room. Maybe the tension was about something else entirely.
"That's why you were acting so strange? That's why you were staring him down?" you asked. His answer was still difficult to believe. It explained Joel's behavior, but it didn't explain what bad things you had done and why nobody seemed willing to tell you what they were.
He shrugged and rubbed his hands together. "Can we talk about this at home? I'm freezin'," he said.
The walk afforded you more time to think now that you had this new piece of the puzzle. Ben did seem like your type: he was handsome and kind, but if you and Ben were together in the past, where did that leave Lisa? They were clearly an item now. Wouldn't that have made for a strange relationship between the three of you? Perhaps that's why you didn't see them often.
Joel let you stew in silence for the walk home, fucking praying what he told you would be enough to keep you from following through with your threat. Why did it feel like every time he made some progress with you, something happened that fucked everything up?
Maybe he should have just let them tell you the whole truth.
No, that would have been bad. You didn't trust him enough yet. You said it yourself. And if you were willing to move out over something like this, you certainly would never speak to him again if you knew the whole story.
He needed to earn your trust first but it was so fucking hard when you wouldn't let him in. When you found out the truth the first time, you were already months into a relationship with him. You were already sleeping together, and while it didn't evolve into anything more until later, it still helped build your trust in him when he finally told you the truth.
He didn't have that with you now, and for the first time he began to doubt his ability to make you fall in love with him again.
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You huddled in front of the fire after the long walk home, the two of you remaining silent the entire way. Joel was in the kitchen, most likely avoiding you and your questions while you warmed up. You weren't even going to bother bringing up the topic again, but Joel surprised you by doing it himself.
"I'm sorry. 'Bout earlier," he said from the entryway. You turned from the fire to look at him. He looked worried. His eyes were wide and his brow was knit while his hands fidgeted at his sides.
"Why didn't you just tell me?" you asked, and he sighed.
"Dunno. Guess I was hopin' you'd let it go or change your mind," he said, ticking his jaw to the side.
"What would it have even mattered? I don't remember him, I don't remember what we had together. I certainly don't have feelings for him," you told him, sitting down on the couch and tucking your legs underneath you.
He looked around the room nervously as you waited for an answer that wasn't coming.
You sighed and rubbed your eyes. "If this is going to work, you need to be honest with me-"
"I was scared, alright?" he said abruptly. You watched him hang his head between his shoulders and take a deep breath before collapsing into the arm chair next to the couch. "I was scared you'd maybe remember him or..." he trailed off, finding it difficult to put into words what he was thinking. And although it wasn't the whole truth, it still was the truth. He was afraid this version of you would want someone like Ben and not like him.
He was afraid of losing you.
You seemed to understand because you didn't ask him to finish his thought. Instead, since he was opening up, you asked him something else that was bothering you.
"What did I do?"
He looked at you curiously, not following at first until you continued.
"Ben said I did bad things. We all did bad things to survive. What did he mean?"
Joel swallowed and thought about his answer for a moment. You sighed, growing impatient.
"You can't keep the truth from me forever. I'll find out one day, just tell -"
"You killed people," he told you, and you completely lost your train of thought. You searched his face as all of the air rushed out of your lungs, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air.
"I killed people?" you repeated, your voice barely a whisper, and he nodded slowly. You felt the tears begin to well up in your eyes but you blinked them away. What kind of monster did you become?
"Innocent people?"
"Depends on who you ask," he said right away, almost as if he expected that question.
"What does that mean?"
He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully as he stared into the fire. "I told you. Everyone did what they had to do in order to survive. I know it's hard for you to understand what it was like, but there were a lot of bad people out there. A lot of bad fuckin' people. The military was outta control. There were revolutions and raiders and slavers." He paused and sniffed a bit, continuing to stare into the flames while you hung on his every word. "When I say you killed people... it ain't black and white. I killed people, too. Alotta people. When the whole goddamn world ends and all you got left is one or two people you care 'bout, you'll do whatever you gotta do to protect 'em. D'you understand?" he asked, finally dragging his eyes up to look at you.
You blinked, thinking about what he said, his words rolling around your head like pinballs.
"I think so," you said quietly.
He nodded, still pinning you with his stare. "We all made decisions. We made choices based on what we knew at the time and we did our best."
You nodded, your voice wavering a bit when you asked "Am I a bad person, Joel?"
His eyebrows pinched together and he leaned forward in his chair, wanting to reach out to you, comfort you and pull you into his arms, but he refrained. "No, baby. You ain't a bad person," he told you softly.
And you weren't sure why, but you believed him.
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The streets were quiet as you slowly made your way to the infirmary. You didn't start your shift until late in the morning and you didn't feel like joining Ellie at the dining hall for breakfast, so you stayed home, only getting out of bed when you heard Joel leave for patrol. He had already warned you the night before that he would be back later than usual due to the storm. Trails would likely be difficult to pass and nobody could predict if there would be damage at any of the outposts, but it was highly likely.
You didn't move out like you had threatened to. You didn't even know what you were thinking when you said that. Where would you have gone? The garage with Ellie? You didn't know anybody else. Not really. But even if you had, you saw the look in Joel's face when you said those words and even though you were so fucking angry with him, you still felt terrible for causing him pain.
On one hand, it seemed like he was just looking out for you, but on the other, his actions often came off as selfish. You had every right to know your past and what you did, and you were growing sick of Joel treating you like a child. Like you were too fragile to understand.
But at least you got it out of him. Even though you had to take extreme measures, you finally got him to tell you something truthful, and that was a positive step forward.
Lost in your thoughts, you weren't even paying attention when a man's voice called your name from across the street. You looked up after the third try and were surprised to find Ben waving to you from the tailor. You raised your hand in greeting and made your way over to the building.
"Hey," you said a little sheepishly, "about the other day, I'm sorry for how I acted-"
He shook his head and gave you a reassuring smile. "No need to apologize. All of this has to be so confusing for you. We understand."
You dropped your gaze to the frozen ground and dug your boot into the snow. "Thank you, I appreciate that. It's very frustrating, actually. I'm just trying to learn about myself and what's happened in the past ten years and I guess I took out my anger on you guys."
He waved you off and leaned against the doorframe of the tailor. "Don't worry about it. We were just happy to see you again."
And even though Ben was absolving you of your guilt, you somehow felt even worse. He was being so nice and you hardly felt like you deserved it. "Joel explained it to me, by the way. After we left your house he told me about us," you said, waving your finger back and forth between you.
"Ah," Ben said with a knowing smile as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I wondered as much. It was a very long time ago but Joel can be..." Ben trailed off and scratched his chin, "he can be a little protective, I suppose. He never really understood the nature our relationship."
You tilted your head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"It was just casual. He always thought there was something more," Ben said, meeting your eye. "But I promise you, there wasn't. At the time, we were just lonely and scared and looking for comfort. Neither of us was looking for anything more than that."
You nodded thoughtfully. "He did say we were a couple," you said, and Ben chuckled softly.
"I wouldn't even call it that. Truly. There were no hurt feelings. We just never had a connection past... y'know," he said with a shrug. You felt yourself flush a bit at the words he left unspoken and looked away. "But I'm glad he told you."
"Yeah, me too. I know his heart is in the right place, I just wish he would have told me about us and all the shit we did before I came to see you. Probably would have made the visit a little more pleasant," you said with a laugh, but Ben's face fell.
"He told you about what we did?" he asked, his tone suddenly serious. You sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, he told me I've killed people. It's been really hard to wrap my head around, but I'm trying to come to terms with it. He explained the world we live in now is not like the one I remember."
Ben raised his eyebrows in surprise and unfolded his arms. "Wow. I'm kind of shocked he told you about us and the Fireflies. That must have been really hard for you both."
You frowned and searched his face. "Fireflies?"
His body stiffened and his face paled when he realized his mistake. "Yeah. He told you about the Fireflies, right?"
You shook your head. "What are the Fireflies?"
"Shit," he muttered, pushing himself off the wall abruptly and clearing his throat. "I should get back to work. Just please forget I said anything, okay?"
"Ben, wait," you tried, but he disappeared back inside the tailor, leaving you standing in front of the door while more questions piled up.
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There seemed to be a bad flu being spread around town because the infirmary was busier than usual. You were grateful for the distraction, especially after your conversation with Ben. You had spent the better part of the afternoon rushing from exam room to exam room, cleaning up after each patient as quickly as you could so Nick could continue treating the revolving door of people coughing and sneezing in the waiting room. Nick had recommended you wear a bandana around your mouth and nose to hopefully keep you healthy, but you had a feeling it would just be a matter of time before you caught the same bug as everyone else. Still, you kept the bandana tied around your neck as you worked diligently. What you didn't expect, however, was the bit of anonymity the mask afforded you.
You were cleaning up exam room six when you heard a woman's familiar voice in the room across the hall. Nick had left the door cracked open after he ushered her inside, and she apparently had another woman in there waiting with her as you started to pick up on hushed pieces of their conversation.
You didn't intend to eavesdrop, but curiosity got the best of you when you tried to place her voice, and when you realized it was Angie, your hands froze and your body stilled, doing your best to not make any noise so you could listen.
"... going down there almost every night... matter of time... him."
"But what about... freak out."
You frowned, inching closer to the door as you tried to fill in the gaps in their conversation.
Then you heard Angie say your name clear as day and your eyebrows shot up. You pressed your back against the wall and held your breath.
"She doesn't even like him. That relationship is a ticking time bomb."
You silently gasped when you realized they were most certainly talking about you and Joel.
It wasn't even true. You liked Joel. You were attracted to Joel. You were even starting to trust Joel a little more, although you definitely had plans to ask him about the Fireflies. But you were still getting to know him and it was taking time. Was this girl talking about trying to steal Joel away from you? The idea made your stomach turn and anger flare deep in your chest.
You shocked yourself with your reaction. Steal Joel away? Since when did you begin to feel some sense of ownership over him? Were you jealous?
You heard Nick's voice leaving an exam room a few doors down and you quickly made yourself look busy. He sighed tiredly in the hallway as he flipped through some papers before pushing open the door to Angie's room. You were changing the bedding on the mattress when you heard Nick call your name and you quickly dropped the sheets to cross the hall.
When your eyes locked with Angie's, giving her a hardened stare, you swore you saw a flicker of fear before she forced a fake smile and coughed into her fist while her friend, one you recognized from the bathroom at the Tipsy Bison, nervously shifted her weight and looked away. You felt a sick sense of satisfaction when it became clear to the two girls that you had heard everything they said, and you were grateful you had your mask on so they couldn't see the corners of your mouth twitch.
"Would you mind grabbing a bag of cough drops and a jar of menthol from the supply cabinet?" Nick asked, completely oblivious to the shift in the air.
"Sure thing," you told him, turning on your heel to leave and allowing yourself to finally smile.
Joel might scare the rest of the town, but you sure as hell scared the shit out of Angie.
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Your shift at the infirmary went longer than expected. By the time you arrived home, you were exhausted and the sun was almost setting. So far you weren't feeling sick, but from what you had overheard all day, the symptoms came on quick, so you had already decided to call it an early night and get some rest. When you swung open the front door and found Joel hunched over the kitchen table, your plans went flying out the window.
He looked like he was on death's door. You had never seen him look so run down and pale. He didn't even open his eyes to look at you, he just kept them shut while he rubbed his temples and tried to stifle a cough, his backpack abandoned at his feet.
"Joel?" you called, toeing off your boots and hurrying over to him. You crouched down on the floor and pressed the back of your hand against his forehead. "You're burning up."
He groaned and cracked open one eye. "Feel like shit. Dunno what happened."
"There's a bad virus spreading around, the infirmary was slammed today," you said, pushing yourself up onto your aching feet to get him a glass of water. "Drink this and I'll heat you up some soup," you told him before heading towards the stove.
"You don't gotta-"
"Drink," you said firmly, cutting him off. He winced before picking up the glass and forcing down the cool liquid. Once you got the gas going on the stove, you grabbed an empty bowl and shoved your boots back on. "I'll be right back," you told him. He sat up a little straighter in his chair, about to ask where you were going but you already disappeared through the front door, returning seconds later with the bowl filled with snow.
"Lean back," you instructed, placing the bowl on the table. He did as he was told and closed his eyes, the lights from the kitchen ceiling making his head ache but when you pressed a handful of packed snow against his forehead, he groaned with relief.
"Oh shit, that feels good," he whispered as you tried to ignore the twinge between your legs at his low tone. He released a shaky breath and you watched as the snow began to melt, little trails of water dripping from his hair and down his scruffy cheeks. When it was nearly melted, you took your hand away and dumped the remnants in the sink, grabbing a towel and drying your hands on the way back. You pinched his stubbly chin delicately in your fingers and tipped his head towards you while slowly and gently wiping away the water from his face. When you finished, your eyes found his already boring into you and you felt a tingle shoot down your spine.
"Better?"
His gaze softened as he continued to stare up at you, searching your face quietly, making your heart begin to beat faster in your chest. You swallowed nervously and forced yourself to look away, and it was then he finally realized you had asked him a question.
"Yes," he murmured, "thank you."
You dragged your eyes back to his and gave him a small smile. "More?"
He didn't trust himself to speak. He just slowly nodded and watched with heavy lidded eyes as you scooped up another handful of snow. With your free hand, you slid your fingers behind his neck and through his hair, cupping the back of his head in your small hand before pressing the snow gently against his forehead once again. And even though he wanted to keep looking at you, he couldn't stop his eyes from fluttering shut at the cooling sensation, earning you another deep groan from his throat and causing your breath to stutter.
He heard it and opened his eyes.
You stared at each other, lips parted as the air began to thicken with tension. His eyes flickered over your face, noticing the way your pupils appeared bigger as you gazed down at him. He took a risk and slowly brought his hand up to rest on your side, watching you carefully for any sign that he should stop. He pressed his fingertips lightly into your hip, the fabric of your shirt bunching up slightly from the pressure.
You dropped your eyes to his hand and blinked rapidly, then opened your mouth to speak when you heard sizzling at the stove. You whipped your head around just as his soup began to boil over the pot.
"Shit!" you yelped, dropping the half melted snow onto the towel and racing over to the range. You twisted the knob off and put the pot on one of the unused burners and the liquid immediately simmered back down. "Sorry," you said, refusing to look at him as you started to gather a bowl and spoon, embarrassment burning your cheeks.
"Don't be," he replied, still leaning back in his chair in the same position you left him. He watched you fumble nervously in the kitchen and he had to suppress a smile.
Maybe he still had a chance, after all.
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Joel's temperature was a little high but nothing too concerning, so you pushed the fluids and he ate all of his soup and it helped put your mind at ease. You really didn't want to have to ask for ibuprofen unless it was absolutely necessary, especially considering how the same virus was hitting almost every house at the same time. You made sure to check on Ellie from her doorway, not wanting to risk her catching anything since she appeared to be fine, before helping Joel up to bed.
Once you followed him into the room and he turned on the light next to his bed, you realized you hadn't actually ever entered his bedroom before. Sure, you've walked past it when the door was open and glanced inside, but you never really looked. As he gathered some fresh pajamas and began to unbutton his flannel, you turned your back to him to give him some privacy and examined his bookshelf. Your eyes drifted over the titles on the spines of a handful of books, most of which you hadn't heard of before noticing a framed photograph sharing a shelf with his books. It was faded and a little torn, but you could still make out their faces. It was Joel - a far younger version of Joel - with his arm around a beautiful little girl with dark hair and eyes and a stunning smile. You felt your throat tighten when you realized who it was, and if you had any doubt, Joel's voice piped up behind you.
"That's Sarah."
You heard him shuffling his bedding around so you figured he was dressed.
"She's beautiful, Joel," you said, walking over to his side of the bed and popping the thermometer under his tongue one more time. "It's wonderful that you were able to find a picture of her. I wish I had some pictures of my family," you said sadly, watching the hands of the clock on top of his bookshelf tick, counting down the seconds until you could check the thermometer. "I would have loved for you to at least see them. I think you would have gotten along with my brother really well. Maybe too well," you added with a soft laugh, not realizing he was silently hanging on your every word as you continued to stare at the clock. "He was always looking out for me. Always protecting me, trying to shield me and it drove me nuts when I was younger, but as time went on, I understood it a bit more."
You pulled the thermometer out and checked the number. "Still the same," you told him, resting it on his nightstand.
"How much time?" he asked, and you gave him a confused look. "How much time did it take 'til you started to understand?" he clarified, and you realized what he was really asking.
"I don't know," you replied honestly, sitting on the edge of his bed with a sigh. "But I'm starting to... understand," you said, giving him a sideways glance. You really wanted to ask him about the Fireflies but seeing how sick he was, you decided to bring it up another time. His hand slipped out from underneath the covers and gently squeezed your knee.
"That's good," he said softly before furrowing his brow and turning his head to cough loudly into his pillow. You winced at how bad it sounded and rubbed his upper back. When the coughing fit passed, you handed him his water and he took a grateful sip.
"Do you need anything else before I go to bed?"
"Could you stay here?" he found himself asking before he could even think. Your eyebrows shot up in surprise as you struggled to answer. "Just 'til I fall asleep?"
"Oh," you replied, looking awkwardly around his rather sparse room. "Sure, let me just go wash up," you said, standing up from his bed. You were dead on your feet from your shift at work and you knew the next day wouldn't be any better, but you felt bad saying no, so you changed your clothes and grabbed one of the books Joel had found for you before dragging the chair from the corner of his room to the side of his bed.
"You can stretch out over there," he told you, pointing weakly to the other side of the bed before coughing into his closed fist. "I won't bite."
You smiled as you settled into the chair. "I'm alright, thanks," you said, opening your book and leaning back, trying to get comfortable. After a few minutes of reading, you looked up just to find him still watching you. You laughed and said "you need to get some rest if you want to kick this thing," then he grinned and finally closed his eyes.
You may not have been in bed with him, but you were close enough to help him relax and for the first time in months, he fell fast asleep within minutes.
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stuniolo-simp4life · 11 days
Text
Tease- Matt Sturniolo 
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☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Paring- Matt Sturniolo and Y/n 
Description- y/n teases Matt all day until he decides to do something about it. 
Warnings- Teasing, Dom! Matt, orgasm denial, p in v, cursing, smut, fingering. 
NOT PROOF READ! 
Today was one of those days when you just felt bored as hell. You were sitting next to your boyfriend Matt, who’s gaze was currently on the movie playing in front of you. 
You were scrolling on your TikTok, until you came across a video.
It was one of those “got my nails done” TikTok's, where the girl was showing her nails on her boyfriend's sweatpants. Suddenly, an idea popped into your head. 
“Hey Matt, there’s this TikTok I’ve been wanting to film with you.” He looked at you. “Yeah, sure babe,” he said a little confused. 
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_  
Matt could feel his cock twitch with every move the back of your hand made against him.
And of course, he just had to wear grey sweatpants. He could feel his breathing increasing, he wished he could just flip you over fuck you senseless. 
You, on the other hand, were enjoying this. You could see him holding back, his face red, the bulge in his pants.
You smirked with satisfaction as you finished the video. “Thanks babe,” you said as you kissed his cheek. Then you walked off. 
Matt groaned with frustration as he went to the bathroom, to take care of his “problem.” 
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ 
Later, you decided to clean up the kitchen, but with a twist. Matt was sitting at the island table, watching you wash dishes.
Here’s the thing: You were only in a T-shirt, and you weren’t wearing anything under it except for your white lace panties, which were Matt’s favorite. 
Once you were done with the dishes, you grabbed the broom and started sweeping the floor. You moved yourself and the gunk right into Matt’s view.
Once you collected all the dirt and dust, you bent yourself down to sweep all the stuff. 
Matt’s eyes widened as he saw you. Your ass was on display, and you were wearing his favorite lace panties. He knew you had to be doing this on purpose.
He felt his dick stiffen as he kept watching you. He slowly started palming himself, earning a small groan. 
“Matt? Are you okay?” He slowly opened his eyes to see you staring back at him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”  
You gave him an innocent look, and then went ahead to put the dishes away.
When you opened the cupboard, you stood on your tiptoes to put the plates away, making your T-shirt rise. Once again, your ass was on display. 
“I’m going to the bathroom,” Matt mumbled as he got up. 
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ 
“Matt there’s popsicles!” you yelled from the kitchen. He was in the living room watching a movie. “Do you want one?” You heard the TV stop playing, and footsteps coming towards the kitchen. 
“Sure babe.” He grabbed one from the box and opened it. You did the same. You sat across from him and opened yours.
At first, you swirled your tongue around the top of the popsicle, then you put the whole thing into your mouth, sucking it in up and down motions. 
You were looking directly into his eyes while you did this. 
Matt was going crazy. This was the third time today that you had teased him. And he couldn’t take it anymore. “Damn it y/n.” 
He took the popsicle out of your hand and threw it away, then he picked you up and threw you over his shoulders. He stormed up to his room and slammed the door shut. 
He threw you on the bed, and practically ripped your panties off. Your thighs were drenched with your juices. “Such a slut,” he mumbled. “Look at you, so wet.”
He then pinned you to the bed and whispered in your ear. “You're going to be punished for what you did to me. Teasing me and then acting like nothing happened?”  
He kissed you roughly and left marks on your neck, making you moan. “F-Fuck Matt. I need you.”  
Matt smirked in satisfaction. “Arms up,” he commanded. You lifted your arms, and he removed your tank top, revealing your hardened nipples.
He took one into his mouth, while one of his hands made it to the other.  
You moaned, enjoying the feeling of Matt sucking and nibbling your sensitive breast. “Mmm- fuck- s'good,” you moaned. 
Matt detached himself, and slid 2 fingers into you, causing you to let out a whimper. “M-Matt.” He started to pump his fingers in and out of you, making you tremble with pleasure.
“Fuck- more, please, more.” He suddenly curled his fingers, hitting a spot, that made stars burst into your vision. 
He repeatedly hit that spot, over and over, making your body tremble more.
You let another loud moan as you clenched around his fingers. “You like it when I hit you there, hmm?” Matt whispered into your ear.  
You nodded your head. “I want you to answer me Princess.” Tears brimmed in your eyes as you felt yourself get closer and closer.
“Fuck Matt. Yes! I l-like it! Mmm- right there!” You felt the knot in your stomach getting close to breaking. 
“Mmm- Fuck I’m gonna cum-” Matt suddenly removed his fingers, your high immediately going back low. “W-what?” 
Matt smirked at you as he removed his sweatpants. “You're not going to cum just yet.”
He pulled his boxers down, revealing his hard length. You could see the veins pulsing, and the flushed tip already leaking pre-cum. 
You felt yourself getting wetter at the thought of him pounding his cock into your pussy. 
He stroked himself a few times, then aligned himself with your aching hole, slowly pushing forward.
You let out a whimper, and he let out a groan, as he kept pushing himself in, until the both of you were connected. 
“Fuck, such a tight little pussy,” he groaned. He then slowly started thrusting himself in and out of you, until he found a good, quick pace. “Fuck fuck fuck,” you moaned, arching your back. 
He somehow pushed your body to the side, allowing his cock to reach deeper inside you.
He repeatedly hit your g-spot, fucking you dumb. “Oh my god, Matt, right there.” You let out more breathy, frequent moans as you felt your high returning. 
“Mmm- Matt, I’m gonna- shit- I-I'm gonna cum,” you moaned, the familiar feeling of a knot in your stomach returning.
He grunted then said, “You're not going to cum until I say so.” Your eyes shot open. “Consider it as a punishment.” 
“You’ll be able to cum if you beg like a good girl.” You could feel the knot in your stomach tighten, begging to be undone.
“Fuck Matt, please please, let me cum.” You could feel tears slipping down your cheeks. “Matt, please.”  
“Cum,” He commanded. You instantly let yourself release all over his cock, a long moan following. After a few more thrusts, Matt also followed you.  
He pulled out, collapsing right next to you, his breathing heavy. “Fuck. Are you alright baby?” he asked, planting a kiss on your forehead. You nodded, breathless. “Yeah, I'm fine.” 
He let out a low chuckle. “Next time, try not to tease me so much.” 
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beforeimdeceased · 1 month
Text
ENTANGLED IN YOU— WHEN WILL MY LIFE BEGIN?
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ways to help, daily click, do not support neil
ellie williams x reader
a/n: this actually isn’t the best but i’ll post it now and edit it later :D let me know what you think
tags: @astralnymphh
masterlist
once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who lived a castle…
okay maybe it was an abandoned apartment complex, and maybe she wasn’t a princess, but that isn’t the point of our story. our story focuses on how fate is inescapable.
“flower! let me up.” the doctor calls. you look outside of your broken bedroom window and quickly rush to the main room where there is a lever. you then, twist it with all your might. this triggers a series of reactions going downward which opens a space in the wall for the doctor to walk up.
this was a daily routine. doctor would go out and forage for supplies and food while you tidied up your “tower” as you called it. it wasn’t much but it was home and helped protect you from the outside world.
many years ago an outbreak occurred causing a sickness in the people of the world. doctor says it was terrifying to see. disfigured faces as a parasitic virus took over their minds.
but you were special.
you were born a few years later in a hospital doctor had been working in at the time. your mother had been seeing doctor for months and she was finally ready to deliver you. then suddenly, there was a break in. the infected monsters stormed through and bit your mother as you were being born. in a panic, doctor wrapped you up, ran as fast as she could until she found this abandoned building, and promised to always keep you safe.
she waited to see if the affects of the bite were passed onto you, and gratefully reveled in the fact that they did not. she still continued to watch you carefully. just in case. then, one day while cleaning up, she turned her head for a moment and you’d been scratched by an infected that had found its way inside the building.
you wailed and so did she before she realized that you were not turning. days began to pass and you still hadn’t turned. you were completely fine other than a small scratch on the back of your neck.
doctor rapidly got to work. after running various tests she used your blood to create a cure. it’s temporary against the infection, but it helps keep it from doing extensive damage. it gave those who were previously hopeless a reason to be hopeful.
she was excited about the results and prepared to share them with the world.
once she’d gotten in touch with the others in her field, they said in order to make a viable cure for everyone you would have to die, which she did not agree with.
so she rushed back to the tower, closed the doors, and swore to never let you leave out of fear that others would hurt you. even after you’d grown older. even after a cure had been fashioned years later from a mystery flower. even after the apocalypse had been declared over and it was semi safe to leave again. you would never leave. and she was confident that you’d never try to, until…
“are you excited for you birthday tomorrow, flower?” doctor asks as she walks into the lounge area. you were sat in the corner knitting a scarf out of yarn you’d fashioned from leaves. “i am actually. i’m more excited about the possibility of-“
“leaving to see the festival?” she finishes your sentence. you huff. “doctor, please. i look outside of my window and i see people laughing and lights shining just down the mountain. i know that a settlement is out there. have you still not checked it out?”
“no i haven’t checked it out and i’m not going to. i told you it’s probably fires started to control a large population of infected.” her tone is stern. she has checked already, it is a settlement.
you slump down in a chair next to her, hands clasped together. bottom lip sticking out. “please. please! atleast promise you’ll check on your next trip.”
she looks over at your face and smiles. “fine. we’re running out of supplies anyway. i’ll check on my trip tommorow, would that make you happy?”
“very.” you respond, smiling.
♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧
a loud clanking is heard from underneath the tower followed by a string of curses. “doctor?” you call out. your heart begins to race. what if she’s hurt again and she needs help? or more of the cure? you quickly turn the knob and listen as her footsteps get closer.
then you hear her speak and it is definitely not doctor. you hide behind the entrance, a frying pan in hand as it was the closest thing to you. you watch as the woman steps up and looks around. breathing heavily with dirt all over her. before she can turn around, you knock her hard on her head.
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steddiealltheway · 9 months
Text
"Steve! You've got to help me. I panicked, and I told my Tinder date that you and Eddie have been dating for two years!" Robin yells as she storms into their living room. 
Luckily, Steve's gotten used to her entering their apartment in such a way over the past few years, but he barely registers what she says in her haste. He takes a moment to stare at her with his eyebrows drawn together in confusion, hoping the words will eventually make sense. 
They don’t. 
"What?" 
Robin paces back and forth while gesturing wildly with her hands. "You know how I do the thing where I ramble around girls I find really really hot? Well, I was doing that, and I brought you up and kept going on about how annoying my roommate is-" 
"Are you kidding m-" 
Robin continues as if she didn't just insult him. "And she kind of stopped and look at me and said, 'Your roommate is a guy?' And I got confused and said yes because why would I lie? And she got all uncomfortable and started asking more questions like if you were gay or straight, and I told her you were bi, and she got even weirder! So, eventually I just straight up asked her what was wrong, and she said that she didn't want to go out with me if my roommate was potentially into me. So I told her that wasn't a problem because you've been dating Eddie for two years." She finishes with that awkward lip bite she does which can be oddly endearing sometimes. But it’s not this time. 
Steve leans forward on the couch. "I'm sorry. You still want to go out with a girl who has no trust in my ability to keep things in my pants? As if she doesn't trust that you're a lesbian and if I ever made a move on you, you would absolutely punch me in the throat." 
Robin sits next to him and grabs his hands. "She's so so hot, Steve. Please." 
Steve rolls his eyes. "Fine, you can keep telling her that I’m dating Eddie, I guess." 
Robin breaks eye contact and starts picking at her nail polish. 
Well, that’s not a great sign. "What aren't you telling me?" 
Robin slowly looks at him in the way a dog looks at their owner after destroying their favorite shoes. "Okay, so then I really got a bit crazy, and when she asked me to show me pictures of you two together, I dropped my phone in my glass of water." She slowly pulls out her phone, and sure enough, it won't even turn on. 
Steve digs the heels of his hands into his eyes before grabbing her phone and stalking off to the kitchen to find rice and a bowl. Robin follows after him. 
"So, all I need to do is take a few pictures of you guys looking really coupley on dates and whatnot and make it look like they range over the past two years. I also told Veronica that I would let her meet you two sometime soon,” She rushes in to add the second thing before Steve can really process the first one. She just smiles, trying to look all sweet and endearing.  
Steve gives Robin the best bitchy glare he has, but she shoots him one back and counters by saying, "You owe me, and you know it." 
"For what?" Steve asks as he pours rice over her phone. 
Robin crosses her arms. "Three weeks ago, you kicked me out of the apartment without warning to have sex with some random girl, and I was left stranded for the night." 
Steve scoffs, "You went to Nancy's and slept in her very nice guest bedroom!" 
"You owe me!" 
Steve puts the bag of rice down and sighs. "Fine, but if Eddie doesn't agree, then I'm out." 
Robin smiles. "Deal." 
Steve hates how confident she is about the whole thing, so he calls Eddie and puts him on speaker. When he answers, Steve immediately says, "Hey, Eddie, you're on speaker with me and Robin, and she has a very ridiculous request for you. I'll let her tell you the details." 
After Robin recounts her night and Steve tries not to rant about how much of a bad vibe he gets from the girl, Eddie pauses for a bit to take it all in. Then, he says, "Robin, I really don't like this Veronica girl." 
"She's hot!" Robin retorts. 
Eddie snorts on the other line. "I'm in if Steve's in." 
Steve's jaw drops. Robin shoots him a big smile. "Perfect! What if we started on pictures early tomorrow? I've got a lot of random dates to prepare you guys for." 
Steve interrupts before Eddie can answer. "And why can't you show her like... three pictures of us cuddling on the couch?" 
"We need to cover our tracks as much as we can and cuddling on the couch a few times won’t do. Oh, we should hang a few pictures of you two around the apartment!" Robin plots excitedly. 
Steve runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. He can't believe he's doing this. They don’t even have pictures hanging up. 
"Tomorrow works for me," Eddie says, entirely oblivious to Steve’s internal struggle. 
But Steve can't help but get a little excited at the thought of seeing Eddie and spending a whole day with him. 
So, he sucks it up and says, "I'm free, too. And I'm excited to see you, Eddie. I've missed you." 
"I saw you yesterday," Eddie laughs on the other line. 
Steve blushes and argues, "Seeing you for a minute when I get my coffee doesn't count." 
"Whatever you say, pumpkin bread." 
Pumpkin bread? Steve scrunches up his nose in protest. “That’s one of the worst things I’ve ever heard.” 
"Just practicing for when we meet this Veronica girl, my peach." 
Steve can’t help but laugh. "We are not that kind of couple. But I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night. Sweet dreams, rubber ducky." 
Eddie laughs loudly on the other line and muffles the sound probably with his hand. 
Steve bites his lip, trying not to get too pleased at causing that reaction. 
"Good night, sweetheart." The line beeps three times as the call ends, and Steve can't help the smile that grows on his face. Sweetheart... he kind of likes that one. 
"Glad to see you two get into your roles," Robin says with a smirk. 
Steve jumps back, having forgotten she was there. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight.” With that, he quickly rushes off to his room before Robin can say anything else about the interaction. 
"Goodnight, dingus!" she calls after him joyously. 
This all better be worth it.
-:-:-:-:-:-
The next morning, Steve can't help but get a little nervous when Eddie sends him an "Almost there!" text. He has a feeling this whole thing is going to blow up in their faces or something. 
He's always known that Eddie's been cute. Hell, the first time he saw him, Steve thought he was hot. But he had never thought of them together after that. Sure, there was definitely a certain chemistry between them, but for some reason, Steve always saw him as off-limits. Especially since Dustin would kill him if he ever broke Eddie's heart. 
So, Steve learned to push down any feelings he's had for him over the years. And he's afraid that all those repressed feelings are going to come up today.  
There's a knock on his and Robin's apartment door, and Steve freezes. Hopefully his and Eddie’s friendship will survive whatever happens next.  
Here goes nothing.  
He opens the door to find a curly head of hair in front of him that isn't Eddie's. 
"Nancy?" 
"Hi! I'm here to take pictures today," she explains as she walks through the door, wiggling her Canon camera in her hand. "I thought Robin told you." 
"She certainly did not," Steve says and pinches his nose. He might kill her. He pushes the door shut, but it stops. 
"Hey," Eddie says peaking his head out from behind the door and catching Steve’s eye quickly. "Sorry, I'm late," he apologizes as he pulls Steve into a tight hug. 
Steve lingers in it, squeezing Eddie tightly, smelling the lavender shampoo he uses, and trying to make the moment last as long as he can. 
The sound of a camera shutter snaps him out of the moment. 
He pulls back and looks at Nancy. 
"Taking some candid pictures," she says unapologetically. 
But Steve doesn't care too much when he feels Eddie's hand linger on his back. "You're taking pictures for us? What happened to Robin?" 
"Yes, what did happen to Robin?" Steve asks raising his voice so she'll hear him. 
"Coming!" she yells then comes out of her room looking very strangely put together. Steve glances down at her wrist and notices her wearing her lucky black bracelet. When did she start wearing that again? 
"You look nice," Nancy says with a soft smile. 
"Thanks," Robin replies with a soft blush. 
Steve is definitely missing something, but he can't pay attention when Eddie is gently rubbing his back. He's going to end up dying on the spot. 
"Eddie!" Robin says, finally noticing him, "I see you brought the extra clothes." 
Steve glances down to where Eddie's suitcase sits on the floor. He does not remember him bringing that in. Shit, he's so distracted by his presence. Wait. "Why did you bring extra clothes?" he asks Eddie then notices how close they're standing. Oh, hello, Eddie's very soft-looking lips. 
"I told you we're covering two years. That means different seasons," Robin says as if the answer is obvious. 
Hell no. "There's no way in hell I'm wearing cold clothes outside in the heat." 
"Good thing I planned for us to stay in for those pictures," Nancy says with a smile on her face. "Now go change into one of your sweaters or something. Oh! Eddie, you should change with him so you two can color coordinate. It'll be so cute!" 
Steve adds Nancy to the list of people he might murder. 
Eddie's hand drops from his back as he wheels the suitcase into Steve's room. Steve follows and closes the door behind him. 
"Sorry for all this," Steve says, glancing around to make sure nothing embarrassing is laying out. 
Eddie shakes his head and brushes it off as if it's nothing, "Nah, it's all good. I think it could be fun if we let it. Color coordinating is a horrible idea though." 
"Agreed," Steve replies, deciding that his room looks fine. He opens up his closet and pushes his short sleeve clothes to the side to try to get to his sweaters hanging in the back. "What are you thinking for clothes?" 
"I don't care as long as you wear your yellow sweater for one of the pictures." 
Steve snorts. For some reason, Eddie had such an attachment to the thing. One time, he mistakenly put it in his designated donation bin, and he thought Eddie was going to cry when he found it. 
He had cradled the thing to his chest and dramatically said, "You don't understand, Steve. Some people's lives depend on you wearing this sweater. Their lives, Steve." 
Steve had rolled his eyes, put it back on a hanger, and hung it with the other sweaters. "Better?" he asked. 
"Much better."  
And the whole thing had been worth it to see the smile on Eddie's face - especially when Steve decided to surprise him by wearing it to the coffee shop the next day. 
"Whatcha thinking about?" Eddie asks with a smile, suddenly very close to him. 
Steve shakes his head as if shaking away the memory. "Nothing." 
Eddie raises an eyebrow but he doesn't push it before he goes back to his suitcase and starts laying out his clothes on Steve's bed. 
Steve strips off his shirt and pulls the sweater over his head. He glances down at his jeans and decides that Veronica probably won't remember what pants he was wearing in each picture. 
He turns to tell Eddie as much but freezes when he sees Eddie shirtless, sorting through the clothes to find the perfect assortment of layers. Steve swallows and adverts his eyes. He is not going to check him out while he's changing. He clears his throat and turns back to his closet. "I think we just need to change our shirts. Maybe outside, you can start with a base layer then add on top of that." 
Steve doesn't think he can stand to see shirtless Eddie with all his tattoos out in the daylight or the moonlight - if it takes that long. And he certainly does not want to let anyone else see that either. 
"That's smart, babe." 
Steve's hand squeezes whatever poor shirt he was grabbing a little too tight at the nickname. He's never been one for nicknames, especially over-the-top ones, but knowing it's Eddie calling him that as if he really does love him... it really does something for Steve. 
He doesn't reply as he grabs a few shirts and jackets and lays them out on the bed next to Eddie's stuff. 
He glances up at Eddie and almost breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that he has a shirt on. And a flannel. And his leather jacket. Thank goodness for layers. 
He looks back at Eddie's face and catches the exact moment that Eddie registers him wearing the yellow sweater. His eyes fill with unhinged excitement and joy. He walks right into Steve's space and leans down - oh my god - to talk to the sweater. 
"I've missed you so much. You know, it's so unfair that Steve only gets to wear you for a small part of the year. And he doesn't own anything short-sleeved in your beautiful color it seems." 
Steve puts his hands on his hips and stares up at the ceiling. He can't believe he's ever had trouble pushing down feelings for this man. 
(But he makes a note to himself to buy more things in yellow just for him.) 
There’s a loud knocking on the door, then Robin yells, “You two have been in there for a while! Everything okay?” 
“Eddie is talking to my sweater again!” Steve calls back. 
There’s a pause before Nancy says, “Sorry, we didn’t hear you right. What?” 
“I’m talking to his sweater! Be out soon!” Eddie yells. 
There’s some mumbling outside the door as Steve finally looks down at Eddie and asks, “Are you done?” 
Eddie smiles up at him. “Never.” 
But he straightens up and presses a quick kiss to Steve’s shoulder before he turns to leave the room. “That was for the sweater, not you,” Eddie clarifies. 
“Right,” Steve replies. Because that makes so much sense.
Today is going to kill him. 
Part two ;)
(This was meant to just be a ficlet for my dear friend @henderdads , and then it turned into a six-part fic. I hope you enjoy!! ((Especially you, Cass)) AO3 Link here!)
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worldlxvlys · 2 months
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complicated (part 1)
chris sturniolo x reader
matt sturniolo x reader
warnings: making out, mentions of sex, suggestive, angst, cursing
a/n: this one is longggg so i broke it up into 3 parts. i already wrote parts 2 and 3 so they’ll be up soonnn :)
matt, chris, and i were all chilling together in their living room.
nick had gone to his room to start editing a little while ago.
matt and i were seated next to each other on the couch, chris sitting on the loveseat.
my relationship with the two of them was complicated.
matt was my best friend, he knew me like the back of his hand. with one look at me he could tell what i was feeling.
we spent so much time together, we were often with each other longer than we were apart .
we were so close that we blurred the lines between friends and something more every now and then. but it never went further than lingering touches and almost kisses.
i’m not sure why, but late nights staying up talking have often led to our lips being mere centimeters apart lately.
i chalked it up to sleep deprivation and getting caught up in the heat of the moment.
chris, however, was different. i wasn’t as close to him as i was matt, but the few times where it was just us hanging out, i always had fun.
there was this unspoken tension between chris and i. we never said anything about it, but we were both well aware it was there.
he made flirty comments toward me whenever matt wasn’t in the room, finding joy in my flustered state that resulted from it.
i never let anything happen though, out of respect for matt being my best friend.
it seemed like chris made it his mission to get me to break, constantly testing my self-control.
the three of us had just finished watching a movie, watching as the credits began to roll.
immediately, matt stood up, patting my knee as he did so.
“alright, i’m gonna get food. you guys coming?” he asked.
chris stood up as soon as matt asked the question.
“no, i’m good” i answered, not feeling like getting up.
chris glanced at me for a second before answering, “actually, i’m not really hungry”
matt narrowed his eyes in confusion before shrugging and beginning to leave.
“alright, i’ll be back in a little” he said before leaving.
chris walked over to me, replacing matt’s spot as he sat down next to me.
“wanna listen to some music?” he asked as he grabbed the tv remote.
“sure” i answered, watching as his long fingers worked the remote.
“why didn’t you go?” i asked, watching him from the corner of my eye.
i watched as he clicked shuffle on a playlist, before the room was filled with the melody of a song.
wet the bed - chris brown
“chris, you’re not fucking serious right now” i deadpanned as the suggestive lyrics played out.
“i didn’t pick the song” he held his hands up in defense. “i just picked a chris brown playlist, i know you like his music” he said.
i just wanna take your legs and wrap 'em round
girl, you cummin' right now
my head to your chest feelin’ your heartbeat, girl
“how do you know that?” i asked, confused.
“you’re always listening to his music, so i assumed you liked it. i mean, unless you just listen to music you hate for fun”
“i didn’t realize you were paying attention” i said.
“of course i am. you make it hard to focus on anything else”
i don't want to be a minute man
baby, you're just like a storm rainin' on me
girl, your soakin' wet
i turned my body towards his as he caught my attention.
“what do you mean? do you find me distracting?” i asked, leaning forward slightly.
“you know i do” he said as his eyes traveled down to my lips.
i’ma kiss you right (yeah, yeah)
i'm gon' lick all night (yeah, yeah)
girl, when i'm inside (yeah, yeah)
“why’d you stay?” i whispered as i stopped myself from pushing my lips to his. “you know damn well you wanted to go”
“i did, but i wanted to stay with you more” he said.
“why?” i asked as he rested his forehead against mine. he placed his hand on my thigh, lightly gripping the side of it.
“because i want you” he breathed out, hooking my leg over his waist to straddle him.
yeah, girl, you heard what I said
i'm gonna make you wet the bed
i looked down at him, steadying myself by grabbing his shoulders.
“we really shouldn’t chris” i spoke as my lips brushed against hit.
“definitely not” he spoke against my lips, his eyes closed.
“it’s wrong” i whispered.
“but one kiss wouldn’t hurt, right?” he asked, his hands running up and down my waist.
“chris” i sighed.
“please, i need it so bad” his hands now traveled down to my ass.
“just one-” his lips were on mine the second i spoke the words.
i'ma put your legs behind your head
when I make you wet the bed
my hands found their way to his hair as his lips moved greedily against mine.
one of his hands found my jaw, holding it steady as he deepened the kiss, tilting his head.
after a while, we pulled away for air. “one more” he spoke before attaching his lips back to mine, barely giving me time to breathe.
one more turned into two more, two turned into three, and before i knew it i was lost in the way his lips pressed against mine.
his hands traveled to my ass, squeezing it, eliciting a moan from me.
when i let out a gasp in surprise, he slid his tongue past my lips.
“what the fuck ?” came a voice from behind us.
i pulled my lips away from chris, moving off of his lap.
“matt-” i began before he cut me off. “what? what excuse could you possibly give me right now?” he asked.
“look, i’m sorry that i hurt you, but i’m an adult. i don’t really need to give an excuse for anything i do” i spoke defensively.
“whatever” he scoffed as he shook his head, “ i brought you food for later, i knew you’d probably get hungry anyway. but i guess i’m the only one here who thinks about other people” he spoke in a low voice before walking away.
my face dropped at that, starting to feel bad about not considering his feelings at all.
“hey, if you wanna blame someone, blame me. i’m the one who kept pushing you, so please don’t blame yourself” chris spoke, practically seeing the gears turning in my head.
“yeah” i whispered in response, still feeling incredibly guilty.
“hold on, i’ll be back. i’m gonna go talk to him” he spoke, squeezing my hand before going off to matt’s room.
after sitting there in anticipation for a few minutes, i began to get nervous. not knowing what was going on was killing me.
my body moved quicker than my brain as i got up and made my way towards matt’s room. i pressed my ear to the door, listening to what they were saying.
“you know how i feel about her” matt’s muffled voice traveled through the door.
“you barely even hang out with her, you just want her because you know you shouldn’t” matt continued.
“you like the thrill of having to sneak around, and chasing after someone you can’t have. you never once showed any interest in her before i did, now suddenly you just have to have her?” matt asked.
“it’s not like that, matt. i don’t hang out with her often because whenever i do, you accuse me of stealing her away from you” chris started, but was cut off by matt.
“that’s not true, and you know it. you can’t just warp the truth to support the sorry excuses you come up with. just admit it, you don’t actually want her” matt said.
“that’s the thing, matt, i do want her. i just didn’t wanna make it obvious, since you obviously can’t handle that”
“what i can’t handle is the way you think you’re entitled to do whatever the hell you want. did you ever stop to think about what this would do to my friendship with her? or my relationship with you? do you ever think about anything other than yourself?” matt asked.
it didn’t seem like their conversation was going anywhere. the second they started to get somewhere, someone would throw an insult at the other.
deciding to intervene, i knocked on the door loudly. the arguing stopped immediately and the door opened a few seconds later.
i was met with an angry matt, but his face softened as soon as he saw me.
knowing i wanted to be let in, he moved to the side to let me pass. he closed the door behind me, watching as i went to sit on his bed.
“look, i’m sorry guys. i shouldn’t have kissed chris, it was a mistake. the last thing i ever want to do is break the bond that you guys have. let’s just forget this ever happened” i said to them.
“no” chris started, taking me by surprise. “i want you to pick”
“what?” i asked, my face dropping at this.
“chose who you want to be with. it doesn’t make sense for us to fight over you, it’s your decision. whoever you decide to stay friends with won’t take it personal, right matt?” chris asked.
“yeah, we’re not gonna force you into anything you don’t want. if the feelings aren’t there, then they aren’t there” matt agreed.
two minutes ago they were arguing uncontrollably and now they were able to come to an agreement in seconds? this was weird.
“so, who do you want?” chris asked.
who do i want? i had no clue.
i loved spending time with chris, but what if matt was right? what if i only enjoyed the thrill of having someone i can’t have ? was that worth jeopardizing my friendship with either of them over?
and matt? i had such a deep connection with him, i didn’t want to lose him. if i fucked up our friendship, i’d never forgive myself for it. the last thing i ever wanted to do was hurt him, yet that was exactly what i was doing in the moment.
“i don’t know, i don’t even think i can pick” i spoke honestly.
“then why not give us both a shot?” chris asked.
“wait, what ?” i asked, confused.
“well, you wanna see if this is more than just tension, right ? and you wanna know if you have feelings for matt?” he asked.
“i mean, yeah” i answered.
“well, there’s a way to answer both of those questions” he spoke as he pointed to the bed.
my eyes widened at the implication , “sex?”
“if it’ll help you decide who you want, then why not?” chris asked.
“that’s not really the first approach i would’ve taken, but he’s not wrong” matt hesitantly agreed.
“obviously sex isn’t the only factor that goes into a relationship, but you already know all of the other factors. you know how we treat you outside of the bed, so maybe the key to your decision is what happens in it” matt spoke.
“i mean, if you don’t want to that’s fine but-” chris started. “i’m in” i cut him off.
“so, who’s first?” i asked playfully.
“me” chris spoke eagerly, “i mean, we should finish what we started earlier, right?” he tried to cover up his excitement.
“alright, get out of my room” matt started, ushering us out. “and please don’t be loud, i don’t wanna hear that shit”
🌀🌀🌀🌀
next part
masterlist
tag list: @lustfulslxt @flowerxbunnie @sturnssx @mattslolita @its-jennarose @sophssturn @bernardsleftbootycheek @queen161718 @cupidsword @imwetforyourmom @nickmillersn1gf @mattsneezing @chrisstankyleg @sturniolobltch @ciarasturn1 @bethsturn @bernardenjoyer @mbbsgf @rac00ns-are-c00l4 @ssturniolo @blueeyedbesson @mxqdii @sturniolowhore @readerakayourname @defnotayonna @urmom2bitch @rootbeerworshiper @starsturniolo @hearts4chriss @theyluv-meee @carolinalikesthings @itzdarling @chrisstopherfilmed @judespoision @sstvrnioloo @littlebookworm803 @nicksdrpepper @chrisloyalgf @robins-scoop @fandomhopped @chr1sgirl4life @bbglmfao @55sturn @sturniolololover @meg-sturniolo @mattsnymphette @leah-loves-lilies @vanteguccir @ineedchriscock @junnniiieee07
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imaginecolby · 4 months
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prove it || c.b.
summary: after an argument between you, colby promises you that he'll do whatever it takes to get you to forgive him. requested by anonymous.
"i'm so tired of having this conversation with you! if you can't trust me, then we shouldn't even be in this relationship anymore!" you shouted, storming upstairs.
"you don't get to storm away from me in my house!" colby said, following closely behind you.
"well, maybe you should actually listen to me for once, and i won't have to storm off. i don't know how many more times i need to tell you that i don't want you for your clout, or your money. the faster you understand that, then the faster this fight can be over." you took a deep breath before speaking again. "colby, we have been going at this all day. i'm tired of fighting. until you get can get it through your head that i want to be with you, then i can't do this anymore."
you finished packing your things up, and made your way to your car to leave. you half expected colby to come running after you, but when he didn't, you finally let yourself cry. you drove back to your house in silence, letting the tears fall. this was the only thing that you and colby ever fought over, but after the fourth time having this fight, you didn't have it in you to continue to argue over it.
after a quick stop for food, you finally made it home. you sat on the couch, crying as you ate. you really were worried this was gonna be the end of your relationship, but you knew that you couldn't be part of a relationship where someone didn't trust you. you deserved better than that, and you weren't going to continue to put yourself through that.
a few hours passed with no word from colby. you figured you wouldn't hear from him tonight, and forced yourself to try to sleep. unfortunately, that proved to be easier said than done. you tossed and turned all night, mind racing with images of your night replaying in your head.
"god, this sucks." you sighed. you slept for a total of about two hours, and it hit you bad the next day. you moped your way through work, barely talking to anyone, or getting any work done. everyone was trying to get you to open up, and offer some comfort, but you weren't in the mood. you were just trying to get through the next few days, in case this was really the end. once you were finally off of work, you made your way home, and stepped straight into the shower. you sat in the bottom of the tub, letting the warm water massage your muscles, and washing away the stress from the day.
after your shower, you put on some pajamas and moved to the couch, turning on a movie. you rolled your eyes as all of your recommendations were romantic comedies that you were not in the mood for. you ended up turning on an action film that you ended up not paying much attention to. you spaced out as you ate your leftovers, feeling numb. you were all cried out, and now longer knew what to feel.
"god this has been the worst few days." you sighed, turning the tv off. you sat in silence for a while before there was knock on the door. you got up to the answer door, colby standing on your porch.
"hey." he said quietly. you stood there, your arms crossed across your chest, saying nothing. "can we talk?" you turned to move back into your house, colby following closely behind you. you say back on the couch, and he sat on the chair across the living room for you.
"talk about what? just so you can talk down on me some more? you've made it abundantly clear that i don't come from the same world as you and that i don't understand how the industry works." you spat, mimicking his voice. "news flash, i knew that when we met, and i knew that when we got together. you don't need to continue to make me feel bad about it."
"i know, i'm sorry. sometimes i just get too into my head about all this. you're the first real girlfriend ive had since i've been in LA, and im still having trouble figuring this out." he said softly.
"you can't continue using that as an excuse whenever you blow up at me. i understand you're having a hard time figuring this out, but sometimes it feels like you don't understand how badly it hurts when you say things like that to me. it makes me feel like you don't trust me and that you don't want to be with me."
"god, i'm such an idiot. i never want you to feel that way. i love you, and i love everything about us. i never want to make you feel like that i don't care about you, or i don't trust you. i regret that i ever did that to you, and i want to do everything i can to fix this."
"well, an apology is a start. but i need you to prove that you actually believe that and you do trust me."
"i do, and i will. i am so so sorry that i ever made you feel like i didn't want to be with you or that i didn't trsut that you were with me for the right reasons. i love you. i love you more than anything, and i want to be with you." he said, moving to sit next to you.
"i love you too." you said, pulling him into your arms. you hugged him tight and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
"i'm sorry." he said again, looking up at you. "so so sorry."
"i know. and i accept your apology. and all the future ones i expect from you." you teased.
you and colby spent the rest of the night together, finally feeling better after the last couple of days. you hoped that things would continue to be good for you and colby, and you would stay in a good place for a while. maybe forever.
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littlegodzilla · 4 months
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Well I heard someone might be a little down in the dumps today. It's been a while since I've posted anything here, but I wanted to do a little something to make you feel better.
I hope you like it
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I can try.
Daryl Dixon x Fem Reader.
One shot.
@celtic-crossbow birthday present.
Warnings: M. Friends to lovers. Smut.
Words: 10k.
Summary: You and Daryl are good friends, but sometimes is good to try new things.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No. Stop... wait..." You gasp with a frown. "Stop, stop."
"What's wrong?"
"That I can't... I can't."
"What?"
"It's not going to work...I'm going home." You push his hands away from you, getting up from the bed, reaching for your clothes.
"But what's wrong with you? I thought you..."
"Yes, I wanted to, but you've been looking for my spot for fifteen minutes... it's not going to go well, I'd better go." You shake your head getting dressed.
"But don't leave me like this! At least let me finish."
"Use your hands, like I'm going to do when I get home." You tell him and quickly leave the room.
"You're such a bitch!"
You hurry out of the house, adjusting your jacket to your body, the weather is still nice, but the nights are starting to get cold. Your feet move fast towards home, you want to get home as soon as possible and get into bed, you'd even like to disappear if possible.
Things have changed. A lot if you stop to think about it. Alexandria has changed for a few years now, after the Wolves, the hordes of Walkers, The Whisperers and some Communities that tried to take over yours, but finally Alexandria is safe and you all live in tranquility, or at least what this new world allows you. Since then, since you have settled there, you have allowed yourself to free yourself a little, of course there will always be guards to keep, to go out for supplies, to fight, but when all is quiet, you allow yourself to be who you were before. You spend days on the porch or in the garden, reading, watching the clouds move, you help in the fields, with the animals, you teach the children, who are more and more in the community. You have boyfriends. You have sex, arguments, breakups. It almost feels like your old life, but something is not right now.
You have been dating Nathan for a few months now, thanks to Deanna you have a new calendar and the days don't go on forever. You've been going out with him for a while now, he's nice, you get along well, you have fun... but in bed you don't quite click. It's frustrating and a bit embarrassing, you've been running away like a rat, but you'd rather cut the relationship before things get even more strained.
You get home. You're going to spend a few days at Rick and Michonne's house, the last storm that hit Alexandria washed away part of the roof of your house, now you entertain yourself in the morning to fix it with the help of other colleagues, but you still have for a few days. You close the door with some violence, your anger coming out.
"Dun be so noisy. There’re children sleepin’." You hear a voice in the darkness.
"Fuck, Daryl!" you jump, holding a hand to your chest. "What the fuck are you doing in the dark?"
"I've just come up now." He says turning on a small light in the dining room. "Rick and I are gonna out fer  few days."
"Well turn on the light, you could kill someone with a heart attack." You growl, looking sideways at him, he shakes his head.
"Sorry." He apologizes, you can feel his gaze running up and down you, making you nervous. "Bad night?"
"Frustrating." You reply in a curt tone, making it clear you don't want to talk about it. "Where are you going?" You'd rather change the subject. You know Rick doesn't get out of the community much since RJ was born helping Michonne with whatever she needs.
"Dunno. Not too far. Maybe a couple of days, no more than a week." he answers your question, shaking out his backpack a bit, rearranging the things inside. "Back Rick wants to go to Hiltop, need anythin’ from there?" he wants to know, you stand for a moment thoughtfully and gesture to him.
"Wait." You nod and trying not to make any noise, you go up to your room, coming down shortly after. "Here, give it to Maggie, please." You hand him a small letter. He looks at it, but nods, tucking it into his vest pocket. "Thank you. Have a safe trip and be safe." You ask.
"A'right. Night."
"Good night." You whisper looking at him again and go up to your room.
You've been traveling with Rick's group since they showed up by the Greene farm where you too had taken refuge after your parents were bitten and Hershel locked them in the barn. Your first impression with Rick Grimes' group was rough and wild, but you will never regret following him after that, thanks to him you had a real home in the prison, thanks to him you were still alive, thanks to him you now have this community, you are safe and happy. They are your family now and you know you can trust them, Maggie, Tara, Michonne, Rosita, they are your friends you can vent to, Carol sometimes acts more like a mother and that's not much older than you, but it's her instinct above all else. Carl and Sophia are little siblings to all of you, as are Judith and RJ. 
You lie in bed, curling up, feeling your body pulse, the heat coursing under your skin, but you ignore it, your head dull, the anger still lingering. You close your eyes and try to sleep.
"Good morning." Michonne greets you that morning, carrying little RJ in her arms.
"Good morning." You greet her by putting the coffee pot on the stove for breakfast the two of you. "Hey, shorty." You touch his nose and smile looking at Michonne out of the corner of your eye. "Quiet night?"
"Until Rick left...I think he feels it, he's been restless after that." She tells you, tucking the child into her arms.
"Daryl told me it wouldn't be many days, they'll stop by Hiltop when they get back." You tell her, she nods and sighs.
"Sometimes I miss getting out and exploring the world."
"Me too, you can leave the little one with Rosita or Carol, for a few hours I don't think they'll mind."
"I know, but now I have the constant fear of... not coming back." She whispers and you look at her pityingly. 
"Hey that's not going to happen, you're our samurai, no one can take you." You joke and she laughs low, chuckling. "Sit down, I've made breakfast."
"Thanks. If you keep this up I don't know if I'll let you go home." She jokes too. "Speaking of which, you came early last night, usually when you meet Nathan..."
"Yeah, well... we broke up..."
"Broke up? Why, what happened?" she sets RJ down in his highchair accepting the coffee you hand him. 
"It wasn't working... we didn't quite click..." You explain on top of it, but start to explain more when she prods you a little.
"You know Nathan is going to get hysterical, they're going to say a lot of bullshit..."
"I don't care, at the end of the day I took off leaving him halfway through." You shrug your shoulders as you braid your hair into a braid.
"If you see him get too nervous, we can get him to shut up."
"Don't worry, Michonne, I'll manage." 
After breakfast, you leave the Rick family's house, to go to work in the fields and with the animals, that afternoon you have guard duty too, it's going to be a long day, but at least it will help you to keep your head busy.
The whispers, gossip and looks soon spread through the community. Nathan, completely pissed off with you, goes out of his way to make it clear to every man in Alexandria that you are a slut. You try not to make a big deal out of it, but two weeks have passed and your neediness continues to grow and no one pays any attention to you, which makes the situation more frustrating
Daryl and Rick have been back from patrol for a week now, they've brought some people with them, they've made new deals with other communities that are starting to expand, they've even brought more supplies. They are at the bar that opened a year ago having a home brew, it's not great, but it's drinkable. Abraham, Eugene and Glenn are with them.
"We're expanding the southern part of the community." Rick explains to Glenn since he hasn't been around for a while. "We're opening up the walls bit by bit, keeping an eye on the hordes of Walkers and slowly moving the houses out of the compound."
"That's a good idea, we're expanding the farming area too, there are more and more of us and the houses are getting too small."
"If ya guys need help with construction we can form a posse." Daryl says as Abraham nods.
"Thanks, I'll talk to Maggie and Jesus." He nods grateful for the support of those who have always been his family.
"I tell you guys don't let that bitch fool you." They hear talking from another table. "She dried up and took off." He growls again. Daryl frowns.
"Who are they talking about?" Glenn asks curiously and Eugene snorts saying your name. Daryl's blue gaze bores into him.
"Apparently they had a relationship. But the thing didn't work out. They broke it off and he's running around talking all kinds of shit." He keeps talking, this time Abraham. "I've threatened to smash his face in, but he won't fucking listen to me." Daryl sees the anger under the ginger mustache.
"I'll have to go talk to him myself." Rick snaps tongue in annoyance.
"Hey, Nathan." Daryl raises his voice and almost the entire bar falls silent. "Why dun ya keep yer voice down?"
"What do you say, Dixon?" he replies, rising from his stool. Rick and the others tense up, but Daryl remains calm.
"That yer talkin’ shit ‘bout someone who ain't here and can't defend herself." He turns his head to look at him. "Besides, it's bullshit."
"And what the fuck do you know?" he roars, but Daryl doesn't flinch.
"I know ‘cause I've been with her too." His companions' eyes widen so wide they look like they're going to pop out of their sockets. "Ya should stop sayin’ she's a slut, maybe ya weren't able to touch her like she deserved." He spits at Nathan with a growl at the end of the sentence.
"And you do, redneck? Since when do you know what a pussy is?"
"Better than ya, like I see." He replies and when the man wants to pounce on him, the bar owner grabs him and pulls him out of there by force.
"Have you slept with her?" Abraham asks unable to contain himself any longer.
"Nah." He shakes his head, drinking from his beer.
"And why the fuck did you tell her that?"
"To get him to stop sayin’ that shit about her."
"But now they'll think she's your girlfriend." Rick tries to understand. "That's not going to get any guy to want to be with her again." Daryl gives them all a sidelong glance, and goes back to drinking from his beer.
"She's gonna be pissed." Eugene says what they're all thinking. "It's not like she's flirting with the men in this community all day, but she has her needs. Just like everyone else." Eugene says again. Daryl gives them a sidelong glance, but shrugs it off as unimportant.
It's frustrating. And you're pissed off. You don't know what's wrong with the men in the community, but they all avoid you like you're cursed, have a fatal disease, or worse. You don't need a steady partner either, but maybe you do need someone to give you some fucking affection.
"Is it that you guys are avoiding me or what's going on?" you growl when another fellow member waves at you from afar, but he looks scared.
"No, it's just... we don't want any trouble."
"Trouble about what? Hey if it's about Nathan, I understand being pissed, but that's only ever happened to me with him..."
"No, it's not about that, Daryl already said he had a big mouth."
"Daryl? I-I don't understand..."
"You're his girl, he said so. I'll pass on Dixon having me in his crosshairs."
You're speechless, you can't even defend yourself from what he just said before he walks away. What  Daryl talked to them? That you're his girl? What's that all about? You don't understand anything. Yet as the pieces start to fall into place, your brow furrows, your cheeks flush as anger bubbles under your skin. You emerge from the bar almost like a basilisk ready to talk to the archer. You discover the motorcycle parked next to Rick's house, so you don't hesitate, you walk determinedly towards the basement door and slam it with all your might.
"Dixon, I know you're in there!" you bang on the door again. "Your bike is outside!"
You're tempted to turn around the house, go in the front door and kick down the basement door inside, but it's too late, surely the kids are already asleep. Then the door opens, Daryl looks at you confused from the other side, his hair is disheveled and his eyes are narrowed, it looks like you've woken him up. At another time you'd feel sorry for him, but you're still angry, so you walk in uninvited, crossing your arms.
"What are you doing?" You bark.
"What?" he grunts, rubbing his eyes. You realize then that he's only wearing his jeans, bare-chested and barefoot.
"What have you been going around saying?" you insist shaking your leg nervously.
"What ‘bout? The beer from the bar still has my head choking." He rubs his hair and cross his arms, hands under his armpits.
"What have you told Nathan? Or all the guys in the community? That we're boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"No. I didn't say 'girlfriend'." He shakes his head, understanding what you're saying at last. "I just shut his mouth. He was goin’ around callin’ ya slut and frigid. I just made him think the problem was his ‘cause he didn't know how to touch ya."
"That was my problem! You had no business butting in." You snort in frustration. 
"I didn't want him to keep talkin’ bout ya like that." He's not upset, that much is obvious and it stresses you out more.
"Now all the guys are ignoring me! It's like they're afraid of me. No, they're afraid of you."
"M? Ain't gonna do anything to them."
"No, but they think I'm your girl." You remind him, waving your arms nervously. "You can go to the bar and talk to them, clear it up. Tell them we broke it off or it was a shag. But we're not together anymore."
"’kay." He shrugs. "Sorry."
"Well..." You tell him going to the door again. "Anyway... thanks." You look sideways at him. "I know you just wanted to help me and I appreciate it, but I deserve it too."
"Dun think so."
"I left him half-heartedly, I got frustrated, I couldn't... no matter how much he..." You have to admit you're embarrassed to talk about this with Daryl. "So he had a right to say all those things about me." You shrug turning back towards the door.
"I can try." Daryl speaks and you stop.
"What?" you turn to look at him.
"It's frustratin’, the need, wantin’ to finish but not getting there..." He advances towards you, slowly, calculating his steps. Your eyes follow his every advance feeling goosebumps rise on your skin. "Even when yer alone in yer room, it's as if ya've suddenly forgotten how yer own body works.”
"Y-yes..." You gasp, his thumb brushing your lower lips, his blue eyes sinking into you.
"I can try..." He says again. "Maybe it was just Nathan, that he really didn't know what he was doin’."
It's possible, but you're so enraptured in his gaze that you're unable to respond. Daryl holds you by the back of the neck, his nose brushing against yours.
"I only have one condition, close yer eyes."  He whispers very close to your mouth.
You hesitate for a few seconds, not quite sure if you want to figure out how this is going to go on, but your eyes close. Seconds later, Daryl's lips are on yours, very lightly, slowly, they feel warm, but not nervous. The sensation makes you snap your eyes open, seeing Daryl staring at you. He breaks the kiss, but his hand is still holding the back of your neck.
"Close yer eyes."
"Y-Yes." You nod closing them again.
This time his mouth encompasses yours completely, his fingers closing tighter against your skin and hair, you don't hesitate to reciprocate, his lips moving against yours, his tongue entering your mouth and you moan low resting your hands on his bare chest. Daryl kisses the line of your jaw, down your neck, you throw your head back, leaning against the door. Daryl's mouth continues to run down your neck, you feel him bite against your racing pulse and you moan at the pleasure coursing through you. You close your eyes tighter, tempted to open them again to see what he's doing.
A squeak escapes your mouth as Daryl pulls you away from the door to make you walk towards his room. He pulls your shirt off, his large hands caressing your wide hips, moving down to your ass as his mouth kisses and bites your shoulder, moving down to your chest. Daryl's hands grip your ass tighter lifting you a few seconds off the floor then sitting you on his bed. Daryl kneels in front of you, his fingers brush your cheeks and lips, you can't see him because your eyes are still closed, but he smiles at you for being so obedient.
He unclasps your bra, his mouth once again running over the skin of your shoulders as he pulls down the straps of your bra before tossing it to the floor.
"Daryl..." A gasp escapes you.
His fingers grasp one of your breasts, he bites and kisses its shape before catching your nipple in his mouth, which he plays with inside his mouth, sucking, licking and nibbling at his pleasure, not neglecting your other nipple which he fiddles with between his fingers getting your head to start spinning, pleasure forming in your stomach, your body jerking. Daryl releases your nipple with a wet sucking sound, licks your skin with the gate of his tongue, from your sternum, down to your navel as he guides your body to lie on the bed. He bites your navel, licks your soft, bulging skin. His deft fingers unbuckle the belt of your pants as well as your boots quickly leaving you in your panties on his mattress. Daryl stops, giving you a little time to catch your breath, he sees you agitated, he doesn't want to make you nervous. He gets up from the floor, you are tempted to open your eyes again when you hear the sound of his belt slapping against the bedroom floor. You lick and bite your lip, waiting for what else Daryl is going to do with you. You feel his body lay down next to you, his mouth runs down your cheek and neck again, one of his arms wraps around your shoulders under your body, his other hand again caresses your belly, your hips, his fingers tighten on your thick thighs to spread your legs apart. You jerk, his hand under your neck covers your eyes as the fingers of his other hand caress your clothed pussy. You hold your breath for a few seconds, your heart racing, your skin too sensitive to his touch.
"Yer scared?"
"No..." You assure him and swallow hard.
"Anxious." He understands then, caresses your mons, slowly moving down, finding the opening of your folds, feeling the dampness of your underwear. "Needy." He kisses your cheek, your mouth, your tongues tangle in a passionate battle.
You arch your back, Daryl's fingers begin to move in circles over your clit, you spread your legs wider to give him better access, still kissing. You dare to touch him at last, one of your hands grips the back of his neck, pulling his hair slightly, your other hand holds his wrist, not stopping him, perhaps daring to guide him a little, before reaching for your breast and stimulating your own nipple. The hunter's pupils dilate, at the sight of you, his fingers on your clitoris move faster.
"Ya like this, ain't ya?" he whispers against your ear, catching that same nipple you're touching, in his mouth, you withdraw your hand, moaning louder.
"Daryl!”
You're so close, you can feel it, how the pleasure starts coursing through your whole body to pool in your lower belly, you're so close already, your eyes roll under Daryl's palm.
"No, not yet." He denies you and his fingers stop the moment.
"What?" you sound desperate, but you don't care, you were touching the best orgasm in a long time and he's denied you.
"Hold on a little." He asks you, releasing you.
Again the urge to open your eyes and say what he's thinking comes over you, but you hold tightly to the sheets as Daryl grabs your panties by the edges of the waistband. You lift your hips to help him get rid of them, the garment getting tangled around one of your ankles. Your heart races faster as you are aware of what Daryl wants to do to you and you bite your lip again.
"Nathan didn't know how to touch ya." You hear him speak. "I barely touched y’ and look how yer already." He scoffs, his fingers running along your folds.
"Don't... Don't talk about him now." You protest with a thread of a voice hearing him chuckle.
Daryl settles between your legs, spreading them a little further apart, his thumbs parting your folds watching your entrance press against nothing. When his tongue brushes your skin, hot, wet, you jump, your hips thrust against his mouth and Daryl devours you like a starving man. His tongue runs up and down your cunt, between your folds, prodding at your entrance, working its way in, he grunts and purrs at your taste, his lips close and press against your clit, sucking, pressing to heighten your pleasure. Which soon begins to swirl in your lower belly again. You close your eyes tightly, clutch the sheets between your fingers, until your knuckles turn white. Your legs jerk, in your mind you beg for it not to stop again. The air gets stuck in your lungs as one of his fingers finds its way into your core moving in and out, adding a second finger, increasing the pleasure, you spread your legs further apart, moving your hips against his hand. You feel him getting closer and closer, stronger and stronger. Daryl has no intention of stopping, but the point he's taking you to is too much.
"Daryl, wait, wait..." You moan, but you can't stop him in time.
You cum, with a long moan, in surprise and pleasure, you let yourself go, feeling yourself squirt and splash on Daryl's face. It's not the first time you've cum like this, it had happened to you before with other boyfriends who had known how to touch your exact spots, but from experience not everyone liked the experience and you didn't want this to ruin the moment.
"Fuck... Daryl, I'm sorry..." You say apologetically, covering your face with both hands.
"Did ya squirt?" He lifts his head, licking his lips. "I've never seen a woman do that..."
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Can ya do it again?"
"Can we pretend it didn't happen and..." You uncover your eyes and look at him, you can't help yourself. "What?"
"Could ya do it again?"
"I- I don't know..." You stammer, completely confused, it's the first positive reaction you've had to this.
“Find out?"
He kisses you again, intense, needy, his teeth biting your lips, his tongue fucking your mouth, his hand covers your eyes again and you close them just the same, lying back, letting his fingers cover your core again, overstimulating your clit, fucking you with his fingers, bringing you to another orgasm, this time faster than before. Your fingers tangle in his hair, you can't help it, and you bite him on the cheek as you cum again, soaking his fingers. Daryl protests at the bite, but his fingers don't stop until you close your legs and hold his wrist.
"Turn around." He tells you in a husky voice.
He releases you and turns away from you.
You do as he asks, turn around, hug the pillow, using it to cover your face, spread your legs apart, dig your knees into the mattress and raise your hips. Behind your back you hear Daryl rummaging for something and the tearing of plastic. You're about to say that at your age you're not worried about getting pregnant, but you're grateful that he's worried about the possibility or you getting something. You gasp as he returns to your side, pushes you slightly further forward, holds you by the waist and guides his cock to your entrance, pushing himself inside, bit by bit. You open your eyes wide, holding your breath, feeling him stretch you, working his way up until he's wedged inside you. You hear him huff and puff, gripping your hips with both hands, he slowly pulls out again, tearing a gasp from you, and you groan as he thrusts in a single thrust, taking on an almost cruel rhythm. Fucking you fast and hard, his fingers digging into the skin of your wide hips. Your moans echo in the room, muffled by the creak and squeak of the bed with each thrust Daryl delivers.
"Oh my God..." You moan holding onto the pillow, bucking your hips against his cock, moving to the opposite direction of his thrusts.
"Fuck..." You hear him say and his movements become more desperate.
The pace is fast, clumsy, sloppy, he's reaching his limit, you can sense it by how tightly he grips your body. But that's not what surprises you the most, it's the fact that he's going to get you to cum again. Three times, since before the apocalypse that hasn't happened to you.
"Daryl, Daryl!" you moan, your toes curling as you tense and clench around his cock.
You hear him curse through his teeth and your orgasm takes over as he spanks your ass hard as he too cums staying still inside you as he unloads and fills the condom. 
You both need to catch your breath, you can feel him rocking forward, but he doesn't quite land on your body, his fists are resting on the mattress. You gasp hard against the pillow, trying to process everything that just happened, to stop your knees from shaking.
Daryl steps carefully away from you, you hear his footsteps getting lost down the hallway, all the way to the bathroom, you guess, until you hear the flush of water running. Maybe it's your cue. Maybe it's time for you to grab your clothes and leave. You don't wait for him to tell you. Still feeling weak in the knees, you grab your clothes from the floor, get dressed quickly, leaving the room with your shoes still in your hand. You pass him at the bathroom door. You don't quite know what to say, but he doesn't seem to expect you to either.
“Night." He says.
"G-good night..." You reply, lowering your gaze, walking out of the basement.
You're not sure you'll be able to sleep that night with how fast your heart is beating.
You watch the sunrise. Lying in your bed, looking up at the ceiling, you slowly watch the moon leave its place for the sun, the first rays are annoying, but then you get out of bed. Ready to go on with your daily routine. That makes you think, what's going to happen now between you and Daryl? How should you talk to him? Look at him? What exactly did it mean?
You've known Daryl for years, you've seen him change, that transformation that earned the trust of his entire group, you've seen him fail, make mistakes, but also be loyal, faithful, a friend and protector, you've even seen him joke and laugh when he thought no one was watching. You know his true loyalty is with Rick and Carol, they are the most important people to him, even though he loves the whole group, they are the ones he would give his life for the most. Still, being wandered back and forth and in prison, he took time and patience to teach you how to defend yourselves, how to hunt and how to be invisible. You can say you are friends, almost certainly, you know that if you asked him for help or a favor, he would do it. But this is different. You're not blind, Daryl has his own charm. Many women have noticed that appeal too. Quiet and grumpy, but at the same time he has a big heart. It's also true that you've never seen him with a woman or a man either, but it's clear he knows what he's doing and how he's doing it... maybe before the world went to hell he was in a relationship, or in his travels from community to community he's met other women he's had fun with... no, Daryl's not like that, you don't see him that way.
You let out air loudly through your mouth, trying to stop thinking about it, you adjust your clothes and leave the house to head to the farm area, Olivia gave you a list of things that needed to be replenished in the store room; Beans, tomato, squash if there were still any left, you were starting to plant cabbages as well and although they are not your cup of tea, you are excited to see how the first ones are starting to emerge, slowly forming.  It's ironic, how little you loved getting up early on your parents' farm to help them with the work in the fields and how much you treasure it now. You still hate mosquitoes, though.
"Good morning." You raise your head when you see Carol right in front of you, with such a characteristic smile. You smile too.
"Good morning, Carol." You greet her, carefully plucking some tomatoes, dropping them in the box you bring with you. "Do you need anything?"
"I've come to get some carrots and squash to make a couple of pies." She tells you walking into the field with you. "I talked to Olivia and she gave me permission." She jokes, making you smile again. "How are you, I see you in a better mood than you've been these days." She comments absentmindedly and you open your eyes wide.
You know you can't hesitate with her, Carol is quiet but she knows how to observe and as the mother of the group, she will worry if she sees you take too long to answer or try to make up a lie.
"Y-yes, it's just that I went to talk to Daryl yesterday." Your voice trembles for a second and you clears your throat. 
"Oh, so that was you, Michonne said someone almost woke RJ up because they were banging on the garage door."
"Shit..."
"Don't worry, I think Rick already calmed her down."
"Argh, I don't want to know about that..."
"So were you able to talk to Daryl?" She asks you again, helping her pluck the carrots. "You know he sometimes acts without thinking, but he doesn't mean it."
"It's like you're talking about a puppy or a child..."
"What's the difference?" she jokes, making you laugh, but yes, if you told her what Daryl had done to you she wouldn't think of him as a child.
"We were able to talk and he told me he'd clear it up, so I was more at ease."
Carol shoots you a curious look, you frown slightly, waiting for her to say something, but the woman remains in a state of mystery. When you finish filling your boxes, you walk together toward Olivia's storage room.
"What, are you going to tell me what's on your mind or not?" You say because you can't stop seeing her smile.
"It's nothing, it's just that your 'courtship' gave a lot of buzz."
"Oh yeah?" You look at her curiously.
"Sure, believe it or not, Daryl has a lot of popularity among women." She nods, your eyebrows raise higher making her laugh.
"But... I've never seen Daryl with a girl... Do you know if he's ever had a girlfriend?"
"Well, we know he's tricky when it comes to making friends, but yeah, I know he had a thing with a girl he met in the woods... you know, after what happened with Negan, that time he took to himself." You nod. "And Connie..."
"I knew it!" You blurt out, perhaps shouting louder than you should have. "I knew it...I thought it was so cute that he wanted to learn sign language." You laugh softly, Carol nods. "But Connie."
"She's in the Commonwealth, you know she comes to see us from time to time, but last time, she told us she'd met someone there."
"Poor Daryl..."
"He was the first one to be happy for her, he's always been so good at heart."
"Yes... And what about the other girl?"
"I didn't know her." She shrugs. "But he told me she didn't want to come to Alexandria, he made her choose and when Daryl went looking for her, she was gone."
"...Do you think he misses her?"
"I don't know, this happened even before Connie, maybe he has her as a good memory, but I don't think so... Why?"
"No, curiosity, like I'm telling you, I've never seen him with a woman and... now you've blown me away."
"Daryl is so much more than you think."
Those words ring in your ears for the rest of the day. Yes, it's true, you found out that very night, when you showed up over there and he did with you whatever he wanted, whatever you let him, but it's not just that. You've discovered that Daryl has his little secrets, he's had his romances, his little love stories. None of them have ended, maybe, well and maybe that's why he's still elusive but it makes you want to know more, it makes you think about you, what has what happened meant to him? Should you talk about it?
"Hey..." His voice pierces your ears, making you raise your head. You're helping Olivia with the warehouse inventory and he's peeking through the garage door.
"Hi..." You whisper, you feel nervous and your hands move awkwardly, you don't know where to put them and you fold your arms. "Are you here to get something?"
"Carol." He answers with a nod. "I was told she had gone to the orchard, have ya seen her?"
"She came all the way out here with me, she was bringing some stuff to make some pies, I guess she's home."
"Nah... she ain't there, I've already looked for her."
"Uhm... maybe she's at the mill, or she's gone to help Rosita with Coco..." You give him several options seeing how he shrugs. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I'm gonna go to Hiltop." He tells you. "Maggie and Glenn need help there, I'm taking a group for a few days. I just wanted to say goodbye."
"Oh... You've already got the posse closed?"
"Yeah, wanna come?" He shifts his body weight from one foot to the other, squeezing the crossbow band with his hand.
"Uhm no, if you've already got it all organized."
"No, ya can come, if ya wanna, the more hands we have the better." He shakes his body, raising his hands.
"Okay." You nod, you really feel like going to Hiltop, see Maggie, maybe talk to her about what happened with Daryl. "I'll pack the backpack and..."
"Okay, let Rick know, we'll wait for you at the gate."
"Okay."
It looks like things haven't changed between you and Daryl. You're relieved about that. Thinking about how you should act from now on was weighing you down a bit, but the hunter doesn't show any sign of discomfort, or approach either, it's a bit disappointing, but you prefer it that way, you don't want the friendship you have with him to be ruined. Once you have your pack ready, you grab your Halberd and run off in search of the group, Daryl is waiting for you along with a couple of wagons with the horses, your companions and the gear you're going to need.
"Hop on." The archer says to you, looking at the bike. You nod, climbing on without hesitation. It's not the first time you've ridden together on his bike.
On the ride nothing is out of the ordinary, except for how fast your heart feels. You're used to riding the bike with him, but your head is going a mile a minute. Daryl slows down a little as you ride over the bridge you built a few years ago, the vibration of the wheels going over it sends a tingle through your body and you hug a little tighter to Daryl's body. He looks over his shoulder at you, smiles and speeds off again. Arriving at Hilltop fills you with excitement, you almost jump off the bike when the gates open and you finally stop. Maggie, Glenn and Jesus are the first to greet you. You run straight to your friend, hugging her tightly. It's been days since you've seen her, she takes care of the whole community with her husband and Jesus, she had too many obligations on her back.
"I didn't know you were coming."
"I joined the group at the last minute." You smile, hugging Glenn and Jesus too.
"Good, because I hadn't gotten around to responding to your letter yet." He looks at you apologetically and you shake your head. "We've been pretty busy."
"I can see that, I love how you guys are rebuilding it, after what happened with the Whisperers." You sigh. "It's almost like going back to our parents' farm."
"Yeah... come on, we'll show you where you'll be sleeping these days." Glenn gestures for you to leave your things there.
The wagons are put aside, the animals are taken to the stable. Your companions are housed in different wooden cottages and you and Daryl are taken to another, slightly larger, two-bedroom cottage. 
"We didn't know you were coming, but I guess you don't mind sharing the house."
"No, no problem." Daryl shakes his head. "It's not the first time."
"No, I remind you that I was the one putting up with his snoring in prison." You joke and hear him snort.
"My snoring? The one moving the walls was you."
"No way!" You look at him offended, watching a small smile form on his mouth.
"I'll leave this here." He changes the subject, dropping his backpack on the couch. "I'm gonna go with the others, to find out what we're doin’ tomorrow."
"Okay, I'm going with Maggie and Jesus." 
"Okay." He nods before leaving the house.
With your friend and Jesus you go up to the main house of Hilltop, they have restored it, it is almost as majestic as it once was, no doubt they are trying their best to preserve that place. You feel a little uneasy, you didn't want to make a big deal out of it, seeing that Daryl hasn't changed his attitude towards you, but after what Carol has told you about his courtship, you need to talk to someone about it.
"We've been scouting the northeast area, we've covered more ground since the last checkpoint, across the bridge. We've found some settlements..." Maggie begins to speak as you enter her office. 
"I've slept with Daryl." You throw up, unable to contain yourself any longer. Jesus and Maggie raise their heads at the same time.
"What?" is all you can say.
"Are you dating Daryl?" he dares to ask. He doesn't want to get too much into the conversation, but curiosity gets the better of him too.
"No..." You avert your gaze, but you know you've captured Maggie Rhee's undivided attention.
You forcefully release air through your mouth, wanting to shake off the weight you feel on your back. You start talking, you tell her what happened with Nathan, how the relationship started to deteriorate, the little connection you had in bed and how you left his house leaving him in the middle. You then explain to him that Daryl tried to defend himself in his own way, tangling things up a bit more and when you wanted to talk to him, things cleared up, but you were surprised by his proposal.
"Was he the one who told you?" Maggie is getting more and more intrigued.
"Yes...and it was..."
"Okay! I don't want to know so many details!" Jesus refuses. "I'm leaving, when you're done, we'll talk." He tells you and leaves quickly.
"But don't say anything. Daryl keeps treating me as usual, it's not weird or awkward... I don't want things to get complicated."
"But...do you like him?"
"Daryl? Well..." You get quiet all of a sudden.
"Come on, haven't you ever thought about it?"
"I don't know. Have you?"
"No! I have Glenn."
"Let's see...he's changed a lot since we met him at your dad's farm...not just physically, I'm aware of that, but I never thought he...well nor that he could...like me." You shrug.
"Why not?"
"I don't know!" you groan in despair, covering your face with both hands. "I always thought Carol and him, but... well, we're friends..."
"Glenn and I started out that way." He tells you. "Sort of... and now we're married and we have Hershel."
"That last part doesn't bother me, getting pregnant at my age..."
"You can always adopt, like Aaron."
"First we'll figure out what this is, then we'll talk about kids..."
Maggie smiles broadly, you feel your cheeks flush, but you try to concentrate on what's important, the plans your friend was talking about with Jesus, the settlements found, the departures to talk to them, expand the circle of allies or prepare for a new battle. You spend hours planning, talking, rewriting everything they have to show it to Rick and Michonne, planning something also with Ezekiel. When you finish with your meeting you make a dinner for all the people of Hilltop, you use a huge kitchen that they have installed in the main house, there are a few of you who move between the stoves and tables, leaving everything ready. You feel your heart warming up as you look around you, discovering that everyone is enjoying that moment, the peace and calm that surrounds all those people. You look across the table when your eyes connect with Daryl's on the other side, next to Glenn and a few others, he stares at you, you can see him smiling sideways, a smile forms on your mouth as well and you look away, focusing on the food on your plate.
Your heart beats so hard you feel it pounding against your bones.
When dinner is over you feel your body pass you a ton. After all the travel, the community involvement and then the relaxation you've felt from being at dinner, it has taken all your strength. As you enter the house you almost throw yourself on the couch, but Daryl holds you down.
"No, no." He says. "Go to bed." He orders you. "Tomorrow we're gonna start work and ya need to be in top shape."
"Bossy..."
"Get used to it, although I dun think ya care sometimes." He subtly pushes you toward the room you've decided is going to be yours. You know what he means. You've understood his little dig. You turn to look at him, but he just points to your room with his chin. "Night." He says and disappears into his own room.
"Good night..." You whisper at his door.
 
Things are definitely business as usual. You know what Daryl is doing, he's feeling out the situation, trying to figure out the same thing you are, that everything is fine, that there's no conflict, that you can still call each other friends. Still, you can't help but smile, he tries to flirt with you too, carefully, dropping his words, waiting to see their effect. You wonder again what would have happened if that woman had returned with him to Alexandria or Connie hadn't stayed in the Commonwealth.
******************
Jobs are hard at Hilltop, everyone cooperates to raise the houses, expand the walls surrounding the city, protect the fields, outside Hilltop, so that the Walkers don't enter and destroy everything. Also to keep the animals safe.
Maggie has wanted to know on several occasions how things have been going with Daryl, if there have been any problems, you repeat to her several times that no, it's fine, not to insist on it. Anyway, you come home exhausted every day, the only thing you think about is taking a shower and going to sleep.
Your body is much more relaxed when you get out of the shower, the mist on your skin is the perfect sign that you've used up all the hot water. You feel a little bad for Daryl, but you know he'll understand.
"Rough day?" You hear Daryl's voice from his bedroom door.
"Same as yours." You look at him, he's showered too, before you, so he was already home when you've arrived.
"Come..." He whispers in a little roar that ruffles your hair.
"Okay." You whisper as well walking over to where he is.
Your body weighs down on Daryl's, you arch your back feeling the pleasure coursing through you as the archer, grabbing your ass, helps you move over him and he cums letting out a gasp in a grunt. You lay back on his chest, trying to catch your breath, Daryl's hands are still on your ass, you can feel his fingertips close, squeezing your ass, almost making you laugh.
"I don't know if I'll be able to go to my room..." You say with a trickle of voice.
"Ya can stay here. Dun gotta leave."
**************
There they are again, those same young women who have been after him for several weeks now. You frown slightly. Daryl has just returned from another trip of a few days, this time he brings some gasoline and parts that will be used to reinforce the walls of the community and continue its expansion, your people come and go constantly, some of you stay longer inside the high walls to take care of the city, but he is constantly out, which makes seeing him come back always a relief.
As soon as he drops the bike in front of his front door, there's already a group of girls nearby, wanting to help him, all talking at once, hovering around him, touching him without his permission. What do they intend?
"I think if you keep staring so hard you'll get some of them blown up." You listen beside you. Your heart leaps inside your chest, you raise your head, discovering Carol right next to you. You didn't even realize when she got there.
"I don't know..." You try to make something up, but she sits, on the porch, grabbing another shirt to help you. You're mending some clothes, small holes, adding patches of denim or leather to make them sturdier. Out of caution.
"Are these the girls you told me about?" She asks you again, you just nod.
"They've been after him like headless chickens for weeks." You sigh fixing your gaze for a moment on the patch you're sewing, the last thing you need is to stab a finger. "No matter what time, they're always waiting for him in front of his house."
"How do you know that, do you spy on him?"
"What? No! But we're neighbors, I see them walking past my house and..."
"I don't think you need to worry. I'm pretty sure Daryl has no interest in girls that young."
That shuts you up, also stopping in your tasks. You look up directing your gaze back to Daryl, the girls and now Rick is talking to his brother, the two of them seem engrossed in an important conversation. Ignoring the archer's small fan club.
"I-I don't mean age... Daryl can be with whoever he wants, but it bothers me that they think it's so simple, that he's going to notice them dressed... like this..."
You can feel that like this slipping out of your mouth. There is disappointment and frustration in such a small word. They're young and you understand that, despite the world you live in, they like to draw attention to themselves, feeling safe behind those walls, but you don't think those tiny jean shorts and tight t-shirts are the right bait with Daryl.
"You think Daryl isn't a man who notices pretty legs or a pair of boobs?" Carol asks, mockery and irony shaking her question. You grunt, shaking your head.
"No, of course he'll like those things, but I mean..."
"Are you afraid they'll take him away from you?" Attacks Carol again and that leaves you speechless.
After what happened at Hilltop, you've talked to the group. You've ended up telling them all, whatever is going on between you and Daryl. Maybe your main idea was to take a load off your mind, to clear your head, but you were also hoping for some kind of advice, some encouragement from them. But you only found curiosity and gossip, which makes that every time Daryl is around or comes up in a topic of conversation, mocking looks fall on you, wanting to disappear.
"No. I'm not afraid they'll take him away from me. He's nothing of mine." You fight back, feeling yourself start to get angry, nervous. It always happens to you when you're cornered. "But I think if they knew him well, they'd know that Daryl is not one to be swayed by first impressions, and it's obvious that they're just trying to get his attention because of his physique..."
"They want to have fun with him, yes, that's obvious." Carol agrees, calming down her game a bit when she realizes she's pulling on you too much. "But you know Daryl and you shouldn't worry. I doubt he'll fall for their game."
"I'm not worried...but I find it a little depressing that every day they do the same thing, like hoping that in the end, out of desperation, he'll agree."
"As I say, I don't think you should worry, he's clear about his own interests." Says the white-haired woman again.
You raise your head once again directing your gaze towards the hunter. Rick nods his head several times, Daryl speaks and expresses himself with his whole body, with quick and nervous gestures, but both men seem to come to an agreement. Rick taps him on the shoulder affectionately, helping him with the gas canisters he has brought, Carl is also there to lend a hand, Abraham and Olivia, who notes down everything the archer has brought. Leaving the bike and the empty trailer, Daryl is left alone again, well, the group of young people is still by his side, waiting to get his attention, but the man passes by. Between his hands he fiddles with a piece of paper, it looks like a new list of things to do or bring. You tense slightly as you realize he is walking directly toward your house, toward Carol and you. The girls call out to him, but they stay back, they never get too close when he's with any of you, whether it's Denise, or Rosita or whoever, they prefer to talk to him when he's alone. Or at least try to.
"Here comes Romeo."
"Carol!" you groan, looking at her with wide eyes.
"Hey Pookie!" The woman greets him, ignoring your reproachful voice. "How was the ride?"
"Fine, fine. I brought gas from a stand that traded it for Walkers, they have huge barrels, ain't sure where they get it from or how it stays stable, but it'll help us for a few days." He comments with his voice in a growl. Carol nods. "I've also brought some parts Eugene needed for the radio, I'm going with him to the Commonwealth to see Princess and Merce, Rick has some stuff for them." He shrugs. You raise your eyebrows.
"You're leaving again?" you blurt out, perhaps sounding more distressed than you intend.
"Yes, tomorrow, I'll get some sleep today, pack a car with everything I need and leave early." She nods chewing her lip several times.
"But you just got here..." it sounds almost stupid and you watch as he just shrugs, not understanding why it's a problem.
It's not a problem, there's no problem really. You understand that it's his job, that despite how long Alexandria is his home, Daryl is more comfortable outside the walls, it's his spirit animal, it's who he is. But it's a selfish feeling, you'd like to see him at least a few days over there, calmly, simply enjoying the day, with you, perhaps, doing nothing else. A single heartbeat, strong, forceful against your chest makes you aware of what you have just thought. Your pulse quickens as your face must reflect everything you are thinking, for the faces of your companions change, they look worried.
You want him to stay in Alexandria, with you.
Fuck…
"Are you okay?" Carol asks you.
"Y-Yeah, just..."
"Wanna come to the Commonwealth?" Daryl's voice brings you out of your bubble completely.
"What?" you feel a little stupid for your question.
"It's a good idea." Rick's presence catches you by surprise. You hadn't even seen him, he's there, standing in front of you, hands on hips, with a kind and calm gesture, but at the same time he has an amused gleam in his eye. He knows something, surely Michonne has told him something. "Juanita is going to need help organizing the party she has planned, I'm also going to send Rosita, Enid, Eugene and another group to help, to organize it with Max as well."
"Yes, that's a good idea, besides it's been days since you've been out, I'm sure Connie will be glad to see you." You're encouraged by Carol, for a second you want to ask if she'll be happy to see you or Daryl, but you bite your tongue in time.
"Well, okay, that way I can see how Princess is doing too." You agree although still a little nervous. Daryl nods his head.
"Get some clothes ready, a backpack and we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"Okay..." You nod watching as they all slowly leave, leaving you alone again with Carol.
"You really like him." She comments. It's not a question, there's no hesitation. She just mentions something so obvious it makes you shudder.
"I..." You gasp nervously, looking at Daryl.
"It's possible that you always liked him, but that none of them would have noticed."
"Sounds like a cheesy romance novel..." You mutter and she laughs.
"More like an erotic novel, don't you think?" she jokes getting your cheeks to flush bright red.
You decide to set about getting your things ready after your conversation with Carol. You don't want to think about it too much. Have real feelings for Daryl. Not just the sporadic sex you two have. That makes you nervous and anxious at the same time, you'd like to talk to the archer, ask him if he feels the same way too, but at the same time, you're afraid that he doesn't, and it will all end drastically and awkwardly for both of you.
You leave your backpack, your weapons, your things in general ready at the side of the bed. You go over the edge of your halberd, it's been days since you've been outside the walls of Alexandria, you want to have everything ready so that there won't be any problems later. At night you find it hard to fall asleep, you are nervous about the trip, it's nothing new, it has always happened to you. Sitting on your couch, with a book in your hands and a dim light, you try to lure yourself to sleep so you can go to bed when you hear a knock at the door. Frowning slightly, you put the book down on the couch to open the door. Daryl is on the other side. Maybe in another situation you'd be surprised he was there, but not now. A small smile forms on your mouth in greeting, he gives you a sidelong glance before entering the house as you step aside. The door closes slowly, neither of you needing to say anything. You lean against the wall as Daryl leans into you, kissing you slowly. Your arms go around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
Falling asleep after that was much easier.
The next morning, the two of you wake up in your room, not for the first time, here or in Daryl's basement, since that night at Hilltop, sleeping together is also an option and in the mornings it doesn't feel strange, neither the situation, nor the conversation. Daryl gives a gentle touch to one of the legs lying on top of his, waking you up completely. You rub your eyes lazily to look up at him out of the corner of your eye. He looks asleep too, but greets you with a small smile.
"Morning." He grunts, you just hum, unable to find your voice yet. "I'm gonna go home to get my things, gotta everythin’ ready?"
"Yes...but, don't you want some breakfast first?" You offer, looking at him already with your eyes fully open and awake. He shakes his head.
"I'll eat something while I get the bike organized." He comments, you nod letting him free, you move your legs aside, Daryl gets up looking for his clothes.
"Okay, so I'll meet you later at the main house by the warehouse to get the wagon and horses."
"Okay." He nods, getting up, putting on the black sweater and vest.
Even today you find it painful to look at his back, there are many new scars due to the new world you live in, you all have them, but nothing compared to what the hunter has tattooed on him from his previous life. You sigh, earning Daryl a raised eyebrow, you shake your head.
"I don't know if I'll be able to get up." You joke, not wanting to worry him with your real thoughts. Daryl laughs through his nose, lowering his head, hiding his red cheeks with his hair.
"Don't be long, the Commonwealth is far, we need all day to get there, dun want us to get caught in the night." He asks you and you nod your head.
"Yes, sir." You smile, earning an intense stare, but the archer leaves without another word.
Later, already prepared, with your pack and weapons with you, you're finishing off the last few boxes in the wagon, Olivia making a list of everything you're taking with you as you tie the horses to the wagon. Daryl approaches down the same street, Rick meets him at the door of the house, greeting him with a gentle touch on the back to which the hunter responds with the same touch. Eugene and the rest of the group accompanying you are also ready to leave.
"I'll go ahead with the bike." Daryl says. "We'll position ourselves around the wagon to avoid any kind of assault or any Walkers getting too close."
"The group stay well aware, we know what the way there is like, we have communities that are allies, but there are always people who don't respect the rules." Rick speaks as well. "Don't waste ammunition unnecessarily, but don't be intimidated either."
"Don't worry, boss." Abraham says getting into his car. "We'll call in on the radio as soon as we get there."
"Go carefully." He asks you and you all set off.
Before you leave the community you see Carol standing by the front door, waving goodbye to you. A mischievous smile runs across her mouth and you look down, you know what's going through her mind and you don't want her to see your face turn red. A new trip with Daryl, which will keep you out of the community for a few days, surely Princess will offer you the hunter's old apartment, where he lived with the Grimes family. Thinking about it makes your stomach clench, butterflies flutter loudly almost making you dizzy. You shake your head to get those thoughts out of your head. The trip is going to be a long one, you need to stay alert on the road, the last thing you want is for your companions to end up in trouble because of your fantasies.
**********************
Princess and Merce are waiting for you at the huge gates of the Commonwealth when you arrive late at night. The sun is already setting leaving the uncertainty of the night behind you, but it has been an intense journey. You have been caught in an ambush of Walkers, two or three of which you have been able to deal with without much trouble, but further along the same road, they were cutting you off. Among them there was still some Whisperer, guiding them, using them as a shield to continue to survive. The supplies and yourselves are fine, but you arrive tired, covered in blood and mud, which does not prevent your friend from hugging you when you enter the community. Juanita gives Daryl a gentle hug, she has known the hunter for less time than some of you, but has learned that displays of affection with him are brief, with the rest she allows herself to give you a tight hug, smiling broadly and even laughs when she hugs Rosita, excited. Yumiko, Magna and Connie are also waiting for you in the main square, Max runs directly to hug Eugene who wraps his arms around her, happy to see her again. Merce approaches you giving you a handshake, the soldier is still stiff and formal, despite no longer working under anyone's orders. 
"It's good to see you again." You hear Daryl mutter, out of the corner of your eye you see him gesturing to Connie. She smiles broadly, giving him a hug that he accepts without hesitation.
You don't like the way you feel at that moment. Connie is a wonderful person and an excellent friend, for your stomach to cringe like that when you see them together, you don't like it. You don't want to feel that way. You and Daryl are nothing and they seem to fit together perfectly. You wonder again what would have happened if the two of them had decided to stay in Alexandria or come to the Commonwealth together. You'd possibly see Daryl a lot less and you'd never have figured out those feelings you have for him.
"Shit..." You mumble under your breath. Magna looks up, they're getting the stuff from the cart where you are.
"Everything okay?" she asks you leaving several boxes in a small trailer being taken away by other soldiers from the community.
"What? Oh, yeah, it's just... it's been a long trip." You lie, though not entirely. Truth be told a shower and a bed wouldn't hurt right about now.
"Okay, let the boys take care of this, come with us." Princess says, taking her partner's hand and you all walk towards the main building. You have a small meeting at the entrance. Max hands out a few things among you, apartment keys, a few bags with some towels and food already prepared.
"We have placed most of you in your old apartments, the rest of you are also relocated to various houses. If you don't know how to get there, we'll drive you, I think some of you are coming to the community for the first time." She says looking at some of the companions who have come with you.
"There is hot water so you can take a shower, the apartments are clean and we have prepared something to eat for you." Max explains as well. "We guess you guys are exhausted, we'll talk about the party tomorrow."
"Daryl." Merce speaks after a while observing the situation. "You guys we've put you in Rick and the kids' old house. Where you were living."
"A'right, thanks... I figure it's time for a well deserved rest." He looks at you, your body trembles, you didn't expect him to invite you, although it's clear, where else would you go? Well maybe in some other apartment, or with Rosita and Coco.
You detect out of the corner of your eye how Connie looks at the two of you, curiously, and then she smiles biting her lip. You open your eyes wide, nervous, feeling your cheeks burn. Something knows, something senses, which is reaffirmed when Daryl gives you a tap to get your attention, you snap out of your self-absorption to look at him.
"Cmon?"
"Y-yeah, see you tomorrow." You smile a little.
"Is there something I should know?" You listen to Merce talk to Princess.
"Later at home I'll explain it to you." She replies kissing your cheek. "Everyone to rest." She gives the others permission to retire.
"You're good at being the boss." Rosita tells her, cradling Coco in her arms.
"Nope. Merce take care of everything, I just pretend I know what I'm talking about." She jokes, making the small group laugh. "People are a lot calmer now that things aren't ruled...well, like they used to be." He shrugs.
A party. The thought keeps running through your mind as you walk the dark but quiet streets of the Commonwealth. True, things are quiet, it almost seems like the world you once knew, but that's... you still remember the first party in that world of the dead. When you arrived in Alexandria, not knowing what was going to happen, who these people were, or if things would work out. Deanna invited you all to a party to welcome you, seeing dresses, party clothes, high heels inside the closet of what would be your new home made you a little dizzy, making you think that that community would not stand for long.
You were glad you were wrong about that.
"It's been a while since I've celebrated Christmas." You comment, not sure if you said it loud enough or just thought it. When you feel Daryl's gaze on you, you know you've caught his attention.
"We've never celebrated." He mutters, not giving it a thought. You look at him in surprise.
"Never?"
"Well, when I was a kid, but I don't remember much...it was just another day my dad came home drunk." He shrugs.
"I'm sorry to hear that..." You whisper pityingly. You know little and less about Daryl's life, only what he's told you, and truth be told, he's never been too cheerful.
"It's not like I care." He shakes his body. "We can do it so the kids can enjoy a different kind of day, gifts, sounds good to me."
"I have to figure out what to get Judith and RJ."
"It's not like you have much of a choice." He tries to joke and you laugh through your nose.
"You're right..." You stand there for a moment thinking. "Do you want to come with me to the mall?" You say it as a joke, but at the same time it's true, you'd like to take a quick trip to the mall near the Commonwealth, “I'm sure it's stripped down, but just to try it out.”
"To the mall next door?" he asks catching you by surprise. "Do you think there will be anything left?"
"I-I don't know, but I'd sure like to take a look."
"Okay, we can make a list, bring stuff for the kids here too..."
"And for us, I mean... I'm sure the others will be excited too."
"I guess."
A small smile tugs at your mouth, biting your lip to try to stifle it a little and not annoy the hunter, but you feel his gaze on you, one eyebrow raised, questioning.
"What?"
"Nothing, I'm just excited by the idea. Just from imagining the kids opening the presents." You laugh softly and he seems to catch it, snorting.
"You like kids." He understands, looking sideways at you, opening the apartment door. "But I've never seen you with one."
"The world went to shit, Daryl, remember? The thought of bringing a baby into this world scares me, I know we're safer now, that things are different than they were in the beginning, but..." You shrug, venturing inside the house, right behind him. "Besides at my age the chances of me getting pregnant are very small..."
"But it's not impossible." You cut off your thoughts. You look at him, twisting your head slightly, smile trying to joke and put your hands on your hips.
"Is it that you want a baby, Dixon?"
He looks at you, there doesn't seem to be any expression on his face, but the intensity in his eyes make your smile falter, forcing you to hold your breath for a few seconds before he shakes his head.
You, maybe.
"Nah, who'd want another Dixon for the world?"
"I know of a group that would love to help you with that." You can't bite your tongue in time. By the time you're aware of what you've said, Daryl is already looking at you with raised eyebrows and a pursed mouth. How stupid.
"What?"
"Nothing."
But you know his question is rhetorical. That he understood perfectly well what you were referring to, he's just trying to set the conversation straight. You're standing there, in the middle of the living room of the apartment, now it feels incredibly small to you, feeling suffocated, you'd like to leave the conversation there, tell him goodnight and tomorrow will be another day. But Daryl turns on his axis and walks towards you a couple of steps.
"You mean the group short shorts?" He says with an amused edge to his voice.
Oh. He's noticed it too. You think, but of course, how can you not? As Carol told you, why wouldn't nice legs and little ones still in place get his attention? They'd get your attention too if you'd like those things. You shake off those thoughts, taking a small step back, looking at him sideways.
"They are always waiting for you when you come back from some mission..." You try to justify yourself.
"They're just looking for attention. Besides I don't think I could handle all four at once. I'm not that good." 
Your gaze shoots to him, there's a small smile on his mouth at the same time the tips of his ears look reddened. You hold each other's gaze for a few seconds before you laugh and lower your head, hiding the laugh between your teeth.
"Idiot."
"I have no intention with any of them." You say again. "I don't like them following me around either, but they don't listen to me."
"Bark, you're good at it when you're angry." You prod him and he snorts.
"I think you like it when I bark at you." He smiles moving a little closer to you.
"You don't bark at me...you just growl at me." You smile wanting to tease him, Daryl growls, brushing his nose against yours, a chuckle escapes you.
"You want me to growl at you?" he whispers against your lips, you nod.
"Yes..."
Opening your eyes you feel Daryl's arm around your waist, pressing you against his chest, fully asleep, or so it seems. Slowly, not wanting to wake him, you look up, discovering how calm and relaxed he seems. His other arm under his head, his disheveled hair falling over his eyes, his mouth half open, letting out several sighs that don't become snores. It is a privileged view that you try to burn into your mind. Very slowly you move between his arms, kissing his chin, the line of his jaw, but the movement wakes Daryl, putting him on alert. His huge hand covers your mouth as he turns sharply, standing over you. Your heart races at the sight of his still sleeping eyes. As he begins to become aware of where he is and who you are, he snorts and slowly lowers his hand from your mouth.
"I'm sorry. I was asleep..."
"I know, it's a miracle I didn't know existed." You joke and he rolls his eyes.
"Shut up. What were you doing?"
"Looking at you."
"That's creepy." He jokes and you laugh quietly.
"I like looking at you, you're so cute." You continue to sting watching his ears turn red.
"Why didn't you roll over and go back to sleep?"
"Because we have to go get the kids presents." You smile wider seeing him get a small smile too.
"Okay." He grunts letting you off the hook, sitting down on the bed to get his clothes and get dressed.
It's been days since you've dreamed of that time. Before you and Daryl started this relationship. The Christmas that changed everything for you.
Your relationship with Daryl started to become more evident and continuous from that first night in the Commonwealth. You went next to the mall, talking to Princess, Merce and Max about your gift idea, everyone thought it was a good idea and put together different requests from kids and teens in the community to try to bring everything. While you were looking for the last requests before Christmas day, the party was all organized, the room where it was going to be held was fully decorated, even a Christmas tree had been put up and was being surrounded by lots of presents, but some were left behind and you were doing your best to find them when you and Daryl heard a very soft cry coming from one of the tents.
There you found Oscar, a baby just a few months old, begging for attention, possibly starving. His mother was chained up not far from him and it was evident that she had not long ago been transformed. You didn't even hesitate, Daryl gave his mother rest and then took little Oscar in his arms, he was wrapped in a blanket with that name embroidered on it, so you decided to leave that name for the baby. When you returned to the community there was a small commotion when you saw the baby in your arms, many questions plastered on the faces and eyes of your companions.
"You were supposed to go for gifts for the children, where did you get that one?" Princess asked for the others.
You explained to them what had happened at the mall and no one doubted that you had done the sensible thing. On the other hand, the idea of adopting Oscar didn't cross your mind at first, in fact your idea was to leave him at the Commonwealth, surely someone would take care of him, but Daryl didn't think so.
"We kept it. We found him."
"Daryl, it's a baby, it's not a toy. You can't just… claim him..."
"And what yer gonna do, leave him here for someone to raffle off." He snorted and you opened your mouth but then closed it. If you thought about it...
"I'm just trying to find him a family."
"We could be his family!" He barked and you looked at him with wide eyes.
"We?"
"In Alexandria, I meant... all of us, in the community... you..." mumbled looked visibly nervous. You knew there was something struggling to get out but his mouth refused to spit it out.
"Fine, we'll take him with us to Alexandria, but you can't force me to have a baby, Daryl." You tried to make him understand. "Much less if I have to take care of it by myself."
Again you saw that gesture in him, like chewing his lip as his eyes searched for a spot to look other than you, the ideas building up in his head, but his mouth still didn't want to speak.
"You know Daryl. If you have something to say to me, say it, it's not good to keep things to yourself." You provoked him to speak, but he just turns and walks away. "I thought so..." You growled.
As Rick arrived with the others, even Carol with Ezekiel from The Kingdom, you had to explain again how you had found Oscar, earning you some funny looks from your friends, but you wanted to ignore them, however, in your mind Daryl's words followed, maybe you should take Oscar to Alexandria, he will be safe there too, after all there will be other mothers there who can help you if you had doubts, plus other children he could make friends with. Maybe you should listen to Daryl. During the day you took care of Oscar, taking care of him, bringing out your maternal instinct. It's not that you don't like children, you loved taking care of Judith and RJ, but you never thought you would become a mother. That day with Oscar in your arms, you ended up making the decision that you would be his mother and that he would come back to Alexandria with you. 
Daryl got to you before you got to him. At the ball, after getting everything ready, the archer appeared through the party room, walking straight towards you.
"Daryl listen..."
"I wanna have a baby with ya." Your words got stuck in your throat. "Ya asked me if I wanted to have a baby, yes, if it's with ya." You were unable to speak, Daryl was breathing heavily, his nose swelling, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Saying all that was complicated for him, it was clear he'd had an intense argument with himself. "You said you didn't think you could have babies and suddenly Oscar has shown up...it's...I dunno..." He was stunned, he simply couldn't get his thoughts together and it was overwhelming him.
"Is that what you want? It would be a commitment... very long term, Daryl, it's..."
"Yer my girl, ain't ya? A commitment..."
"I'm your girl?" your heart raced violently at those words.
"Ya wanna a ring or somethin’?" he asked leaving you speechless once again.
The sparkle on your finger captures your attention, pulling you back out of the memories. You didn't need a ring for Daryl to make it clear how he felt, his words had already done that, but still the archer showed up with a ring that symbolized a little more of how he felt.
"You're such a romantic, Dixon." You laughed with him accepting the gift.
"We were already friends. The sex is fine. All that was missing was the baby." He told you and you laughed.
"Mom?" You hear in the hallway, putting you both on alert.
"Shall I go?" asks Daryl who is already sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Please, I'll be right there and fix some breakfast."
"Okay." He leans over giving you a kiss. "Coming, champ."
"Daddy!" replies Oscar with an excited shout.
You sit on the bed for a few more seconds, enjoying just that, the feeling that is enveloping you, in the distance, you hear Daryl's voice and Oscar's laughter enjoying his father's attentions. You close your eyes feeling goose bumps, your heart racing. How everything has changed with a few simple words.
"I can try…”
498 notes · View notes
gureumz · 8 months
Text
oh, you're the girl?
like a freak, like a g [installment 2]
rating: explicit
member: heeseung
premise: news travels fast in the frat house. and so do your bedroom noises, apparently. if you wanna sleep your way through the frat, it might be best to keep it down. or don't.
notes: fem!reader, greek life!au, university!au, dom!heeseung, unprotected sex, dirty talk, degradation, breeding, slight begging, mentions of stealing reader from jake, mentions of drugs
a/n: second installment of the 'sleeping around the frat house' series! and so the drama begins. don't worry if jake's installment is shorter than this, he will be coming back in the future installments heh. in the meantime, enjoy your stay with heeseung ;) *divider by cafekitsune
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it's fucking horrendous how much the frat house reeks of weed tonight. you're surprised cops aren't banging the door down at this very moment as you're sure the stench has at least a 1-kilometer radius from its point of origin.
the music rings loud in your ears as you shuffle through the crowd of people hollering at the beer pong game in the living room. you bite your tongue when you feel a girl jam her elbow into your side, not even an apology or at least an apologetic glance given your way.
you sigh, trudging on, eyes scanning the faces of the people around you.
jake did say there was going to be a party tonight and that you're welcome to seek refuge in his room while people rage downstairs. but you have needs and one of those is food, and while you would prefer to not have the smell of cannabis sticking to your clothes, you are hungry. the last meal you had was the lunch jake ordered for the two of you nearly twelve hours ago.
you vaguely remember jake getting up to shower roughly an hour after the two of you finished what must have been your third round. that's when he told you about the party. you hummed dismissively, planning to leave even before the party starts.
but apparently, jake must have fucked you real good, because you knocked out for hours after you drifted off to sleep at the sound of jake's soft humming in the shower.
so here you are, scouring the party for your technically-not-boyfriend, wanting nothing more than to see a familiar face.
you reach the kitchen. no jake.
you peek through the window to look at the front yard. still no sign of jake.
you stumble out into the backyard and see that of course, it's a pool party, with about fifteen people crowding inside the water, spilling beer everywhere. because drunk and high college students around bodies of water are totally safe and fine.
you're about to storm back inside the house when you feel a warm presence materialize behind you.
you squeak in surprise when you find yourself face to face with one of jake's friends, his broad frame seemingly shrinking you in comparison as he eyes you down. you've seen him a few times before as his room is next to jake's. but you cannot for the life of you remember his name.
"are you okay?" he asks. his voice is smooth and clear, indicating that he's probably not as inebriated as everyone else.
"yeah, i'm just looking for jake," you explain. "you don't happen to know where he is, do you?"
the friend smiles, eyes flicking up and down briefly over your body.
"oh, you're that girl. the one jake fucks around with," he says, as if stating a well-known fact and not a semi-personal detail of your life.
your cheeks heat up as you nervously glance around to see if anyone's close enough to overhear.
jake's friend laughs, nudging your arm playfully.
"i don't know how to tell you this but there's no point in keeping it a secret. everyone in the house is well-acquainted with your...noises," he says, winking.
you huff, crossing your arms over your chest.
"yeah, well, do you know where jake is?" you press on, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"he's off buying more booze," the friend states. "he just left, actually."
a twinge of annoyance tugs at your chest. he leaves you in his room and not even a text to tell you where he's going?
"you can stay with me for a bit," the friend offers. you study his face and he smiles, raising his eyebrows expectantly.
"we can crash in my room," he adds, thumb jerking upward towards the direction of the house's second story.
you sigh, the beginnings of a headache creeping up behind your eyes.
"sure, yeah, i guess."
he smiles holding his hand out to you. you take it and let him lead you through the party. as you exit the kitchen and re-enter the living room, it seems as if the number of people have doubled, jostling you about and nearly knocking you off your feet. you feel jake's friend wrap an arm protectively around your waist, tugging you along towards the stairs.
he doesn't let go until you're right in front of his door.
the name 'heeseung' is spelled out in those small felt letters, the ones used for scrapbooking, stuck smack dab in the middle of the door.
'cute,' you think as you chuckle quietly to yourself.
"what's so funny?" heeseung asks, a playful look on his face. he swings the door open and motions for you to enter.
you shake your head. "nothing. the name on the door is just very middle school."
heeseung laughs, following you as you step inside the dimly lit room. a sunset lamp is turned on in the corner, casting faint shades of yellow, orange, and hints of purple and pink on the walls.
"it helps when the others drunkenly drag girls up here during these parties," heeseung explains. "you'd be surprised at how they forget which room is even theirs when they've had enough to drink."
you giggle, plopping yourself down on heeseung's bed.
"wait—are you the one that i'm hearing about lately? the girl that's trying to sleep her way around the frat?"
your smile fades as you remember the conversation you've had a week ago with jake. or more appropriately, the challenge jake sprung up on you that you so recklessly accepted.
"uh...," you begin, avoiding heeseung's eyes.
"yeah," you finish simply, shrugging. what else is there to say?
heeseung grins, clearly amused. he keeps his eyes on you as he empties his jean pockets of things, setting them down on his desk. keys, a wallet, a square foil wrapper—oh, wait—two square foil wrappers and—
"why do you have so many condoms?" you ask in mild disbelief.
"i'm director of operations, which just means i manage the house and make sure no one comes home one day with a baby," heeseung rattles off, picking up one of the condoms and brandishing it at you.
"hence, the condoms."
he points to a drawer in his desk. "there are two more boxes there. no frat babies on my watch."
you afford yourself a laugh. heeseung smiles along, stretching his lithe body out. your eyes observe the shift of his muscles under his shirt, the curve of his ass in his jeans, and the way his hair falls messily into his eyes.
heeseung groans in satisfaction and you rip your eyes away from his pecs.
"so, director of operations...," you say, raising a brow at heeseung.
"ah, jake did mention you were narrowing your, er, conquest to the executive committee," heeseung muses as he makes his way to you.
you crane your neck up at him and from this angle, you can easily lean forward, undo his belt, unbutton his pants, and—
"that's five more people to go through, including me," heeseung says with a grin. "you sure you can handle that?"
you scoff, shaking your head. "i really hate it when people underestimate me."
"i'm not underestimating you, sweetheart," heeseung denies, holding his hands up as if in apology. "i'm just wondering if you know what you're getting into."
you cock your head to the side, eyebrows knit together.
"jake might be willing to share, but the others?" heeseung stops there, whistling lowly.
you think about it for a moment. six guys, some you haven't even met yet. unknown kinks and fantasies. uncharted territories. he's right. what have you gotten yourself into?
"also, just a side note, we get tested every three months," heeseung says, pulling you out of your thoughts. "it's an initiative i started. we just had our last test the other week and everyone was clean."
you nod along, admittedly impressed.
"you're very efficient as the director of operations, heeseung," you compliment. a bashful smile spreads on his lips.
"thank you," he says, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"i'm efficient in a lot of other things, too."
you swallow. you can see where this is going. you know heeseung locked the door earlier, and the show of condoms wasn't an accident, either. it's dark in this room but you know the look in heeseung's eyes.
your first actual conquest in your mission to see if you could sleep your way through the frat.
"really?" you ask, trying to stretch out the inevitable limbo, the in-between, the not-knowing of whether you're permitted to move to the next level.
"and what might those other things be?" you add.
heeseung laughs, sounding exasperated. he leans down and you back up, scooting further up his bed. heeseung plants one knee on the mattress, his arms on either side of your legs. he's not trapping you in. not yet, at least.
at this point, it's anyone's game.
"baby, let's just do what we came here to do."
that easy, huh?
turns out yes, it's that easy. because your legs are parting and heeseung is sinking between them, one hand reaching out to hold your face steady. his other arm braces against the headboard as he finally cages you in between the wall and his broad frame.
heeseung kisses you, rough and spontaneous and intense. you groan against his lips, your hands laying gently on his neck. you can feel his pulse and his heart is absolutely racing.
"come here," heeseung mutters, pulling you forward. he pulls you over himself as he sits back, your legs on either side of his thighs as you straddle him.
"say 'red' if you want to stop, okay?" heeseung whispers, a hand smoothing up your back.
you nod, perching yourself on heeseung's lap, resuming your assault on his lips. you bite down gently on his lower lip and he moans, nails digging into your sides.
you're about to lose your damn mind.
"fuck," you whisper as you feel heeseung roll his hips up against your core. he smirks, his mouth working its way down from your jaw to your neck.
"don't hold back on me now, baby," heesueng coos. he pulls back and looks at you, tucking your hair behind your ear. "i hear you every time you're next door in jake's room. wanna hear you do the same for me."
you bite your lip, your whole body heating up now that you're confronted with just how loud you are.
"come on," heeseung urges, pushing your shirt over your chest. you wordlessly put your hands up, letting heeseung tug the garment off you.
heeseung reaches behind you and snaps your bra open in a second. you shiver as you feel him pull your bra off.
he must have done this a thousand times before.
you let out a breath as heeseung dips his head, lips capturing one of your nipples in his mouth. his hair tickles at your chin and you can smell the faint scent of his shampoo. you smooth your fingers through his silver locks, tugging lightly when you feel him bite down.
"i'm not hearing you," heesueng mumbles between your mounds, leaving open-mouthed kisses on your skin. his fingers reach for your other nipple and he pinches down, hard.
that's when you let out a shriek of surprise, grip tightening in heeseung's hair. he hums, sucking on one spot right in the middle of your sternum.
no low necklines for you any time soon. or maybe you'll wear them, anyway. see what jake has to say about the hickey his friend left on you.
heeseung slides you off him, guiding you down onto his bed. he taps your hip.
"off," he says curtly, referring to your jeans. heeseung pulls back and gives you the space to tug off your pants, his own hands frantically pulling off his own clothing.
a minute later, the two of you are left in nothing but your underwear.
heeseung takes ahold of your thighs, spreading your legs wider. you hear him breathe in as he eyes your core.
"you're such a nasty whore," heeseung says abruptly, his hand coming down to slap your pussy. you gasp, lurching forward in surprise.
heeseung presses a hand on your stomach, applying the smallest amount of pressure. it's a warning. stay still.
"getting wet at the idea of fucking your boyfriend's friends," heeseung sneers, smacking your sensitive mound again over your panties. you whimper, shaking your head.
"n-not my boyfriend," you sniffle. "he's n-not."
"still," heeseung responds. another loud smack. harder this time.
"what kind of person lets a whole frat house slut them out? a dirty fucking whore, that's what."
you feel tears prickle at your eyes as heeseung lands a few more slaps on your aching pussy. you're drenched at this point, making a mess for sure on heeseung's sheets.
heeseung practically yanks your panties off, revealing your glistening cunt. he licks his lips, the pads of his fingers pushing lightly against the relative area of your clit.
your back arches slightly off the bed. your whole body seems to shake of oversensitivity.
heeseung hurriedly discards of his own boxers and your mouth instantly waters as you're greeted with the sight of his cock, long and girthy, tapering off perfectly toward the tip.
heeseung props your legs open, aligning himself with your entrance. your eyes meet and you look at him, confused.
"what happened to your whole 'director of operations and no frat babies under my watch' spiel?" you ask.
heeseung snickers. "i'm a bit of a hypocrite, baby."
he pauses, studying your expression and waiting for you to say something. the safe word. your teeth worry at your bottom lip but you nod.
"go ahead," you whisper.
heeseung nods as well, pressing himself against your leaking entrance. your mouth falls open as heeseung manages to squeeze in half of himself in you. he pauses, planting his hands firmly on your hips. he pushes all the way in, pulling you down on him at the same time.
you both gasp.
"oh fuck," heeseung curses. you clench down on him and he grunts.
heeseung starts to move, and if there's one thing you know about him by now, it's that he wastes no time. he's ramming into you relentlessly after only a minute, your head spinning as your mind tries to catch up with your body.
he feels good stretching you out like this, that's for sure. your pussy squelches each time heeseung pushes in, proof of just how wet you are for him.
you're moaning uncontrollably now, heeseung's hips snapping up against yours. looking at him, his forehead creased, eyes squeezed shut, it dawns on you what you've started.
if all the other guys on the executive committee would look just as good as heeseung does right at this moment, buried to the hilt in your cunt, then maybe you are a nasty whore.
"heeseung, heeseung, heseeung!" you cry out, unable to contain the pleasure coursing through your body.
heeseung leans down to press his lips messily onto yours. tongue and teeth and spit greet you as you kiss him back. you wrap your legs tightly around heeseung's hips and he lets his eyes roll into the back of his head.
"baby, oh god," he says, pressing his forehead against yours.
"you think jake will mind if i cum inside this pussy?" heeseung whispers, his breath ghosting over your face.
you can't help it. you moan out like a cockhungry slut at heeseung's words.
"please," you beg. "need your cum, need it inside me."
heeseung chuckles darkly, pulling away slightly. "you need it? gonna go around and tell my brothers that you need their cum too?"
you shake your head, though you're unsure why you're doing this because you know heeseung's right. maybe at this point, you've truly gone dumb over cock. heeseung's cock.
"no, no," you protest. "n-need your cum now. need it, want it so bad."
heeseung wraps his arms around you, pressing your bodies close together. he buries his face in your neck as he continues to fuck into you shallowly. your belly tightens as your own release approaches. the friction of heeseung's abs against your clit pushing you closer and closer.
"gonna cum," heeseung warns. "gonna cum inside this pussy, god—"
you feel heeseung twitch inside you and a final drag of his toned abdomen over your nub sends you over the edge. you tighten your hold around heeseung as you sob onto his shoulder.
the two of you lay still for a few moments, breathing heavily. you hold each other close for another minute before heeseung pushes himself off you, sweeping his sweaty hair back.
he grins down at you before kissing you lightly.
"i might need to steal you from jake after this," heeseung jokes as he slowly pulls out of you. he grabs a towel hanging off his desk chair, holding it between your legs.
you laugh weakly, your head lolling to one side as you feel exhaustion wash over you.
heeseung plops down beside you, arms automatically winding around your midsection. "you can stay here for tonight."
you hum in contentment, snuggling up to heeseung.
---
jake is frantic as his call is unanswered for the fifth time. where the fuck are you?
the party has mostly died down by now and he thought you probably had gone home. that's when he started calling. two missed calls. no problem. you weren't a phone call type of person, anyway.
he asked everyone who he thought might know you at this party about your whereabouts and if they saw you leave or not, but no one seemed to know where you wandered off.
hence, five more missed calls.
"you alright?"
jake looks up from his phone to see sunoo dragging a plastic bag behind him, halfheartedly picking up stray cups and chucking them into the bag.
"it's ______. she's not answering," jake complains, pressing the 'call' button once more.
"oh her," sunoo says with a knowing smile. "i saw her with heeseung a few hours ago. they haven't gone back down since."
jake pauses, immediately ending the call. he sighs, half wanting to laugh and half wanting to punch himself.
so, it's started. alright, then.
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babyleostuff · 5 months
Text
BLANKET FORT | MOON JUNHUI
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jun had a habit of checking the weather forecast every morning - he woke up, grabbed his phone, ignored all of the messages from his manager, and checked the weather app. it was a small, unconscious habit he developed after you began dating. jun didn’t even realise he did it until seungkwan asked him why he was checking the weather for korea, when they were abroad for their schedules.  
he was away the first time it happened. you called him, your voice shaky and panicked, as you explained that there has been a power outage because of a thunderstorm. jun could hear you quietly sob through the phone, and his heart broke, because there was nothing he could do to help. 
he had never felt so powerless before. 
after that, he decided to check the weather every morning in case of a storm, so you could prepare beforehand. well… almost every morning. 
jun cursed at himself, rushing out of the studio to his car, rain hitting the windshield as he speeded through town, while a low rumbling of thunder could be heard from the distance. 
you got home safely just before it started raining, though you knew the big, grey clouds hanging over the sky meant more than just rain. but there was no way you’d call jun. he was at work and you didn't want to disturb him, certainly not because you were afraid of a silly little thunderstorm. 
what you didn’t expect was to hear a knock a second later, revealing a drenched jun standing in your doorway. 
“i got here as fast as i could,” he said, breathing heavily. you figured he must've taken the stairs, something he always did when he was in a rush to see you. “what are you doing here, silly? shouldn’t you be at work?” you brushed his wet bangs away from his face, noticing how he shivered slightly. you pulled your boyfriend by his wet jacket before he could say anything, forcing him inside. 
“we finished the recording earlier today,” jun said, as you kept dragging him in the direction of your bathroom. “and as i was leaving i got an alert for a thunderstorm, so,” he took a deep breath, grabbing your hand tighter. “i decided to come to you.” 
just as you were about to scold him for being so reckless and not going home to change into something dry so he wouldn’t get sick, a loud boom echoed through your apartment. you immediately stopped in your tracks, jun’s body colliding with yours. he could feel how your body tensed up, the familiar panic written all over your face, as you looked into the direction of the window. 
“come on, i’ve got to get these wet clothes off me,” jun said, tracing his knuckle over your cheek. truth be told, he didn’t care if he was currently freezing his ass off, but he knew it would take your mind off from the storm going on outside. “y-yeah, let’s go,” you gulped. 
after jun changed into dry clothes and wasn't in danger of getting sick anymore, you left the bathroom with a little hesitation, where, fortunately, you didn't hear what was happening outside the window. “you know what,” he said, pulling you onto your bed, cradling your body to his chest, so your head rested right above his heart. “i saw this thing a while ago, and i was wondering if we could make it together,” he whispered, running his hand through your hair. 
“hm?” you murmured, looking up at him. “a blanket fort. we've never done it together before.”
maybe any other day you’d say that it was a bit silly for you to make a blanket fort, but as another rumble of the thunder passed you nodded your head quickly, latching onto jun even more. 
“hey,” he whispered. “’s okay, baby. i know you’re scared, but i’m here with you,” he said, pecking your forehead. “you’re safe here. you’re home. with me.” 
and that’s how you ended with chairs placed all around your living room, with all of your blankets and sheets you didn’t even know you had thrown over the chairs and your couch. “i’m going to get some more pillows, i’ll be right back,” jun said, before disappearing from your little blanket fort. 
you weren’t sure you needed anything more, your little bundle was already full of everything - blankets, pillows, food and snacks, fairy lights, your computer, even a couple of plushies jun got you when he was on tour - you name it. but you didn’t have the heart to stop him, your precious boyfriend looked over the moon when you were setting up the fort, like a little kid on christmas day. the rain was still heavily pattering against your window, but it didn’t bother you as much anymore. 
“okay,” a blonde head peeked into the fort. “i think we’re ready,” jun crawled inside, while trying not to destroy anything. you giggled as he struggled to sit down comfortably beside you, his back hunched because he was too tall. “i think your legs are too long, baby,” you laughed, grabbing onto his arm. 
you could feel jun’s smile as he pressed a kiss against your cheek, bringing you closer to him, so you could lay between his legs. as he tried to manoeuvre the both of you so you could lay comfortably against the stack of pillows, a particularly loud thunder stroke making you flinch. “don’t you think it’s a bit silly?” you asked in a whisper, nuzzling yourself further into jun’s arms.
“what?” 
“that i’m afraid of thunder. that’s just stup-,” 
“don’t even dare to finish that sentence,” you had to suppress a smile hearing his offended tone. you didn’t even have to look at him to know he was pouting angrily. “it’s not silly or stupid to be afraid.” 
“yeah, but it’s just thunder.” 
“and what about it? mingyu yells like a little girl any time he sees a bug, but that doesn’t make him less of a man. it’s okay to be scared,” he said, stroking his thumb over your tummy. “besides, i’m always here to protect you.” 
and so you spend the rest of your afternoon cuddled under tens of blankets, watching your favourite movies, until eventually you drifted off in the arms of your boyfriend not bothered by the thunderstorm happening outside anymore.
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scenteddelusion5 · 2 months
Note
Hi, can I request a platonic Rosie(or several overlords if that’s okay) with a Female reader who’s a teenager overlord who accidentally became an overlord?
The Overlord of Disasters
Fem teenage reader x platonic Rosie (and other overlords)
This got way too long so I tried to shorten it, hope you still enjoy it.
Word count: 2886
Note: I actually am working on a young adult/teenager oc that has the powers to become an overlord, so the fact that this is my first request is very funny. When I've finished her design, I'll write about her. But for now, here is the story of Y/n the overlord of disasters.
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Y\n had to admit that she wasn't the nicest person but she never expected to end up in hell. HELL, like yess she was a bit of a troubled teen... she was a petty thief, yess, but some of her peers were much worse. Besides, she was only fifteen when she died. She never had the chance to do better. That should've given her at least some leeway? Right?? RIGHT???
But no, she ended up in hell.
When Y/n first arrived, she roamed the dangerous streets looking for shelter. Her face and slim goat-like stature was hidden by a torn cloak. She tried to be inconspicuous, discreet, low-key but she overlooked one thing... Our Y/n was ridiculously clumsy. So when she tripped over her own foot, her arm bumped into the light pole causing it to fall over onto a postal van. That in turn caused all the letters to fly out on the street. Some of the papers got carried up by the wind, eventually getting stuck onto the cord of a power pylon. Then there was fire, which spread onto a building...
Everyone's eyes were focused on her, including a set of hollow eye socket. It didn't take long for the demons that lived in the now burning building to storm her.
"YOU FUCKING BITCH!!!" One incredibly tall shark demon took the lead. "I'm going to rip fucking longs out of your chest and feed it to those CANIBAL FREAKS!!!"
At first Rosie didn't want to intervene. It really wasn't her style to get involved into random street fights, even though she found Y/n's disastrous display hilarious. But now that the loan shark insulted her people, she felt it was her duty to step in.
"Gentlemen, whatever might be the problem?" Rosie stepped in between you and the threatening hoard and flashed her sharp teeth to them. "You aren't bullying this poor newcomer, right?"
"Uhm, n-no miss, uhm Rosie. We're sorry." Before Rosie could open her mouth again, they ran back into the still burning building.
The overlord then turned to you. "Now darling, I take it you don't have a place to stay?"
Y/n shook her head.
"Then you can stay with me. I'm quite the powerful demon."
From that day on Y/n stayed with Rosie. During the years of living together, the two grew quite close. The overlord took over a motherly role for the teen. Everyone in cannibal town loved the unofficially adopted daughter of Rosie, they were even willing to put up with Y/n's clumsy nature.
Rosie truly loved her and when Y/n accidentally called her mom while helping out in the store, she was the happiest demoness in all of hell.
From that day on Rosie introduced Y/n as her daughter to anyone and everyone, even some of her fellow overlords.
Alastor and Y/n had met many times and often had tea together. The man often joked about how it's never boring with her. She had also met Zestial and Camilla a few times, but she wasn't as close with them as Alastor and Rosie.
One day Y/n had to make a trip to the Doomsday district. Rosie had, reluctingly, sent you to deliver a dress to a customer. She was all alone, her hand rested on the angelic steel knife on her belt. Rosie had given it to her so she could protect herself, just in case. Most people knew you were close to several overlords but you could never be more careful, especially Y/n.
Y/n was repeating her 'safety protocol' in her head.
Stay away from the walls
stay away from the poles
stay away from the demons
Stay away from the fire
Look where you step
Hold th-
She walked into something and fall back on her but. Looking up was a demon she recognized... An overlord, he was in charge of the Doomsday district.
"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!!!" This situation seemed awfully familiar.
Y/n clenched her shirt. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to."
"I DON'T CARE!!!"
The demon was menacingly towering over her. She crawled back and pulled herself up. Seeing as this wasn't going to be resolved with a pleasant conversation over tea, Y/n pulled out her knife. Her arms were shaking and the knife felt heavy in her hands.
"What do you think that toothpick is going to do?" He stepped forward and you stepped back. On and on until she hit the wall... OH no... she hit the wall...
Her elbow hit the random waterpipe on the side of the building and broke it. Water spewed out right into the overlord's face. The demon fell back. The water had landed on the street, causing a car to slip and running over the overlord and crashing into the wall. This in turn caused the satellite aerial to fall down and slightly bumped your back. The knife shot out of your hand right into overlord. The aerial send out a weird frequency.
"Spare me... Please..." The overlord gasped out.
Y/n was still shaken up. "What?... Uhm I don't plan on killing you." her voice sounded unsure, which the overlord took way different than you meant.
"Please!" He wailed. "I'm begging you... You can have all my souls, just please."
"I don't uhm..."
"PLEASE!!! TAKE THEM!!!"
"... Sure...??" She said very confused. "I'll take them." The two shook hands and immediately, Y/n could feel the pure power flowing through her veins. "Alright... Bye now?" As she stepped away a shadow covered the overlord. Before Y/n could look up a piano hit the demon, pushing the knife deeper in effectively killing him.
What the fuck just happened?
Everything was quiet. All eyes were on her, again... As always, only this time, she doubted she would be saved this time. She was prepared to be killed again... Only nobody did anything, no demons threatening to kill her, no stray bullets that got way to close to her head, not even another butterfly effect disaster... The demons around just stared.
One small demon with black eyes walked up to you... "What are you going to do to us?"
"What...?"
"What are you going to do to us?" He repeated. "You are the new overlord of the Doomsday district, you own our souls."
"I... I don't." She awkwardly grabbed at her sleeves. "I'm not an overlord."
"Yes, you are. You defeated the previous overlord of doom, took over his souls and territory, you became an overlord." Y/n stayed silent at this. "How about we talk in private?" He took her into a smaller building nearby, away from all prying eyes. "Let's start over. I'm Piper. You own my soul." The small demon introduced himself.
"Uhm... Y/n, and I'm no overlord. Overlords are like scary, like WHA!" She made grabby gestures with her hands. "And BOE! I'm anything but that."
Piper looked at her like she had just grown another head. "How about this? I'll keep your territory in control while you think this over a bit? And in turn, you'll keep me in high up in the social latter here."
Her mouth was dry. "... Deal..?" She was so confused.
From that day on Piper took care of the Doomsday district for her. Y/n never went to Rosie about this. She always wanted to keep her daughter safe and would be so mad to find out she got into trouble again... At least that's what Y/n convinced herself.
Even though Piper took care of most of the problems in the Doomsday district, word got around of the new overlord of disasters; a terrifying force of nature that shouldn't be reckoned with. So of course there were demons that wanted to challenge her. Every other day y/n needed to sneak out of Cannibal town to 'fight' these challengers. See 'fight' as in accidentally defeating them.
Y/n was filing her bag with a cloak and a mask she picked up to hide her identity when a knock came from her door.
"Y/n darling! It's me and Alastor." Rosie opened the door and summoned a table. "Please sit down, we want to talk to you."
She sat down in the Victorian style chair, but not before stumbling a bit.
"Little lamb, your mother is worried about you." Alastor broke the silence.
"Deary, you've been sneaking out a lot and staying away for longer and longer and when you come home you're exhausted-" Rosie took a deep breath "- what I'm trying to say is that you can talk to me if something's wrong... You know that right?" Her cheeks were droopy, a frown plastered on her porcelain face, it made Y/n's stomach turn.
"I'm fine, mom. There is no need to worry about me." She lied.
Alastor's eyebrows down, almost like he wanted to frown, but he still had that giant smile on his face. "Are you sure? If somebody is bothering you, we don't mind serving them for tonight's dinner. Hahaha." He joked, underneath, however, he was nervous. The Radio demon had grown quite fond of her and, knowing how clumsy she could be, he couldn't help but worry.
"No, one is bothering me... Thank you for offering though." At this point, Y/n had grown used to the cannibalistic tendencies of the people around her and so shrugged Alastor's joke off.
Rosie had a bad feeling about this. "Can you at least tell us where you've been sneaking of to?"
Shit
Y/n didn't have excuse for this. "J-just some friends... I.. I didn't want them to be scared off, so I didn't tell them about you. I'm sorry mom." Tears filled her eyes, she didn't want to lie to her. Rosie had done so much for her... She was planning on giving this whole being an overlord up anyway, there was no reason for Y/n to tell the truth now. It'll be like it never happened and then she can go back to her normal life with her mom.
Rosie stared into her cup. "Alright deary, but please make sure to be careful. Genuine friends are rare in hell."
"Thanks mom." Y/n stood up again and left the imperium, through the front door this time.
Alastor squinted his eyes, following your silhouette. Something was wrong, you were lying. He could feel it... But this was Rosie's responsibility, so he should leave it up to her. "She is lying."
"I know but if she isn't ready to talk about it, then I'll wait."
"On a different note, did you hear that the Doomsday district has a new overlord." Alastor took a sip from his 'Oh, Deer' mug. "They've been defeating demon after demon. I've been meaning to meet them for my radio show, would you like to come with me?"
Y/n was walking down the street to the Doomsday district. I should've just told Rosie the truth. She thought. But she had panicked and lied, only making it harder for herself.
Stepping into the same, small building where Piper first dragged her off too, Y/n put on her overlord disguise.
"You didn't break anything, right?" Piper asked, dressed in a brand-new suit. "I don't want to fix the sewerage again."
"It went fine!" She put up her thumb, before knocking over a chair that landed on a vase, breaking it in two thousant pieces. "Sorry."
Y/n and Piper walked around the district for a while, more so to let the demons know that the overlord of disaster was still around and that they were close with Piper. She caused chain reactions all around her, letting people know she got her title for a reason... Not her fault the denizens of hell took it the wrong way.
The two were rounding the corner when a familiar set came into view... What were Rosie and Alastor doing here? Y/n's panic only grew once she realised Alastar was trying to get her attention. Did they recognize her? What was happening?
As the two overlords came closer and closer, Y/n ducked into an alleyway and seemingly disappeared~
The dumpster wasn't Y/n's first choice of hiding place but it was the only one she had.
Piper was left alone on the burning streets with two dangerous overlords heading straight for him.
"Where did she go?" The woman, who Piper recognized to be the cannibal overlord, asked. "I swore she was just here."
"And what relation do you have with this new overlord, my incredibly short fellow." The second man Piper knew all too well. The terrifying Radio demon. "I was hoping to speak to her."
"Ah, I- I'm incredibly sorry... B-but the disaster overlord doesn't like dealing with overlord stuff, so she makes me represent." Piper sputtered.
"I see, but you see I want to speak to the REAL overlord. Not some pathetic representative." Dials appeared in Alastor's eyes and strange symbols started floating around. "GOT THAT."
"YES!"
"Lovely, then you can set up an audience for me. How does Friday sound?"
"Perfect, Friday at 5 p.m."
"Great, I can't wait to meet her." The two overlords went on their merry way again through the streets of Doomsday district.
Friday came around and nothing. Alastor had waited for twenty minutes, yet there was no sight of the disaster demon or her little pet. This was rich, never before was the overlord stood up like this. Who would dare to waste his time?! Alastor's stature as well as his antlers grew. That day there was a very horrifying broadcast and Y/n was at home with Rosie. She had to admit she almost peed her pants when Alastor openly threatened her on the radio broadcast...
There was no way she could come clean now. From that day on, you didn't show your overlord self once. Always letting Piper deal with everything.
That was until he came running to you, a letter in hand. It was an invitation to an overlord meeting, one she wouldn't be allowed to send Piper to. At first she didn't want to go, but Piper thought that would be a surefire way to piss off even more overlords. She had to go.
That's how she ended up, dressed in her cloak and mask, in front of an office building in Carmilla's circle of the pentagram. Stepping into the building the place was quiet, no one was around... Was this a trap? Y/n continued on the conference room, although more cautious. Room 666.
Everyone was already there. Were you supposed to come early?
"Disaster demon, glad you could join us." Carmilla spoke first. "We weren't sure you would show up anymore."
Y/n kind of shrugged trying her best to hide her voice.
"How rude, this new generation of overlords ought to know their place. Don't you think so Zestial?" Alastor commented half-jokingly.
"Yes, I must agree." The oldest overlord answered.
You wobbly sat down in your seat, but in doing so breaking the seat. A metal leg shot out to Vox, who protected himself. It ricocheted to the chandelier, which luckily kept hanging. Unluckily though, one of the more heavy ornaments fell down onto the table. It broke in two.
With each sound and broken item, Y/n hugged herself more and more until she resembled more of an hedgehog than a goat. She felt incredibly awkward, tears came out of her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"I'M SORRY!!!! YOU ALMOST BROKE MY SCREEN AND DESTROYED THE CONFERENCE ROOM AND ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS SORRY?!!!" Vox screamed, he was about to launch over the broken table but Alastor stopped him.
"Not a step closer my pal." Alastar's horns grew, showing that he was serious in protecting the newest overlord.
"There is only one demon in the entire universe who could create such a mess." Rosie spoke to herself. "Y/n is that you?" Rosie almost couldn't keep herself from smirking when she removed her mask.
"Yes... I-"
"Alright, everyone out this meeting is over!" Carmilla said. The demons left but only with some push. "Not you three."
They were all looking at you, Carmilla, Zestial, Alastor and Rosie, waiting for an explanation.
"Be- Before you get mad at me, this was an accident."
"I'm not mad about my conference room, now explain." Carmilla's eyes stayed focused on her, like lion waiting for its prey.
"I don't just mean the conference room, this was an accident." Y/n points to herself. "I didn't mean to become an overlord. It just kind of happened and I thought you would be mad at me and then I dug myself into a deeper hole, and now I'm here dressed like this embarrasing myself in front of everyone." The tears that had been slowly building up, started flowing.
"Oh deary." Rosie stood up and gave you a big hug. "I could never be mad at you. I just wish you would've told me. We can work this out together, besides this means you have the power to protect yourself. You don't know how worried I was if you would ever find yourself in a sticky situation alone."
"Thanks mom." Y/n hugged her back.
"If I may interrupted your lovely bonding time, but how exactly did you 'accidentally' defeat the previous overlord?" Alastor asked.
"Oh, I didn't defeat him." She explained. "He got runover by a car, then he decided to give me all his souls and a piano dropped on him."
"Excuse me?"
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yanderecrazysie · 2 months
Text
Twisted Zoo Chapter Seven
This is based on the stories of a keeper reader with the octotrio by @ashensgrotto and @merakiui .
Also @twistedcece @cenatour @ursinaw @xiaopleasecomehome @bearshideout @koebishrimpuwu @vash-yuu @help-whatdoimakemyusername @secret-potion @magmdnv @sunshine-for-serotonin @mel-star636 @silkkorchid @thatpersonuouknow @the-ace-reader @pamv11 @coffee-or-hot-cocoa @hrhqueenfox @goseew @luxthestrange @juno-of-wonderland @who-mst @despairingy-obsessed @lanxianschoenheit @ceramic-raven @sirenetheblogger @a13x15a5133p @abcdontbotherme @m0063576 @kimdourden @rammylog @starshiningsirius @im-here-for-the-fun-of-it @the-monochrome-jester @leleunderscore06 @tinymonke @lonelybluesworld and @thisisafish123 wanted to be tagged! Let me know if anyone else wants to be tagged for future chapters. If you no longer want to be tagged, please tell me! (Some of the tags might not have worked, and I’m sorry if so!)
Summary: You’re a brand new zookeeper at The Halfling Zoo- a place where half-animals live in captivity. Your job is simple- feed them and study them. Your main worry is that one of the more dangerous halflings might kill you. 
Unfortunately, that may become the least of your worries.
WARNINGS: none
Previous Part: Chapter Six
Next Part: Chapter Eight
Note: All characters are aged up, since there will be mature themes in future parts.
Also, I can’t promise I’ll finish this. I suck at finishing stories.
—-------------------------------------------------------
You balanced the boxes of donuts in one hand while you pulled open the door to the savannah exhibit open. Then, you slid inside, happily carrying the boxes through the heated exhibit. The heat was already causing beads of sweat to appear on your brow, so you made sure to hurry.
The hyenas were where they were the other day, by the waterfront, chatting animatedly between each other. At least, they were until Ruggie yelled “Hey!” and, in a storm of dust, raced over to meet you.
Ruggie stood in front of you, eyes gleaming, no signs of being afraid of you anymore, “You brought donuts!”
“Yes, I did promise you that I would!” you said with a laugh.
Ruggie wrapped his arms around you and placed his head on your stomach in a strange hug. You couldn’t really hug back with the donuts in your arms, but it made you smile all the same.
“What kind do you want?” you asked, opening the top box. Ruggie snatched up a chocolate frosted donut with rainbow sprinkles and plopped himself down on the dry grass below, chowing down on the donut without leaving time to breathe between bites.
“Slow down, Ruggie, you’re gonna choke,” you laughed, motioning for him to calm down. Ruggie looked up at you with a mouth full of donut and he looked so innocent you couldn’t help but melt a little. 
He tried to say something, but it was muffled by the chocolate in his mouth. He seemed to realize you couldn’t understand him, so he chewed, swallowed, and said, “All for me?”
“Nooo, everyone gets a donut,” you laughed, “You are not eating 36 donuts on your own.”
Ruggie pouted and continued to chomp on the rest of his donut. The other hyenas came up and each took their own donut. Once they were all finished, you picked up another chocolate sprinkled donut and handed it to Ruggie, “One for the road, hon.”
“Road? Hon?” Ruggie was confused, tilting his head at you as he tried to understand.
“It’s a phrase and a nickname,” you said, patting Ruggie’s fluffy hair gently, “Don’t worry about it.”
Ruggie leaned into your touch as he scarfed down the new donut. You waved goodbye to the hyenas, who all hesitantly gave you a little wave back, before heading across the savannah to the far end, where the lions laid.
“Hey guys!” you yelled, “Who wants donuts?”
No response. Oh well, you were used to that.
“Hey Leona, which donut would you like?” you asked the king of the savannah.
“I eat meat, not sweets,” he replied coldly.
“Have you ever had one before?” you asked coyly, “Or are you just trying to avoid me?”
Leona’s jaw hardened and, after a moment of glaring at you, he held out one hand with claws extended, “Give me a donut.”
“You have to pick which kind,” you explained, “There’s too many flavors.”
Leona growled, but he allowed you to open the box and show off its contents to him. Leona reached for a powder sugar donut and gasped in surprise when he saw his fingertips, “This donut! Its white covering sticks to your paws!”
You tried not to laugh, “Yeah, powder sugar gets everywhere, but it’s really good.”
Leona raised the donut to his mouth hesitantly. You smiled encouragingly and he tentatively took a bite. His eyes fluttered closed at the sweetness and he let out a pleased hum.
“Still don’t like sweets?” you teased.
“You were right, herbivore,” Leona conceded.
The lion halfling sat up on the rock and called out to the other lions, “Take one donut each! Do not be tempted to take more just because of their sweet flavor.”
“Thanks, Leona” you said, turning the box so the other lions could see. One by one, they each took a donut.
You watched them eat (and Leona lick powdered sugar off of his claws) for a while before you realized the sun was starting to go down. You bid them goodbye, not realizing that Leona’s eyes followed you until you were out of sight, licking his lips both from the powdered sugar and the predatory instincts he felt around you.
You finally left the hot savannah and headed for the wolf exhibit. A little girl came up to you and asked if she could have a donut. “Of course you can!” you said cheerfully, letting her pick from the leftovers.
From his perch not far away, Leona’s eyes narrowed, one thought going through his head until you disappeared into the wolf exhibit. You would make a good mother.
Unaware of Leona’s dark thoughts, you walked through the wolf exhibit. You barely made it a few feet when the wolves popped out from their places behind the trees.
“What do you want with us?” one of the wolves snarled, “You keep returning!”
“I’m a researcher,” you explained calmly, “I have to come back, that’s my job.”
“What’s that you’ve got there?” another wolf demanded to know.
“Donuts!” you said happily, opening up the box and showing it to the halflings. Disgusted, they backed away into the shadows without another word. You sat down on a tree stump, disappointed by their reaction.
“Donuts,” a gruff voice said. You instantly brightened when you realized Jack had stuck around.
“Yes, would you like one?” you asked. He nodded and sat down in the grass next to you, taking a random donut from the box without really looking. His eyes lit up at the flavor and he began devouring it like a man starved.
Pretty soon the both of you decided to split the remaining dozen. You both chowed down and, by the time it was over, you felt like your stomach may burst. Even so, you and Jack smiled at each other.
“Frosting,” Jack said, shyly reaching out his thumb to brush away some crumbs on your lips. He leaned in close and, for a moment, you thought he was about to kiss you. Instead, he nuzzled your cheek affectionately. You wondered if he could feel the heat radiating from it.
Jack placed a gentle kiss on your temple and your face grew even warmer. “I… um… I should probably get going.”
It wasn’t just an excuse- it really was getting dark outside. Jack backed away with a nod and escorted you to the exhibit door. You gave him a pat on the head and he melted into the action, sighing softly at the feeling of your hand on his white hair.
Then, without further ado, you headed on home to write your notes out. A special about lions was playing on TV.
“When a female is in heat, she will mate with a male from any pride, and they will stay together for three or four days. During this time, they will mate every 20–30 minutes, with up to 50 copulations per 24 hours.”
“Jesus Christ,” you muttered, “That’s crazy. I’m glad I’m not a lion.”
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sweatervest-obsessed · 5 months
Text
Spencer Blurb!
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader
WC: 500
A/N: I am in the trenches with finals rn so I needed something positive to think about as well as a distraction from what I should be doing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m starting to realize why people commit murder.” You grumbled to yourself. 
Honestly, you were a sight to see. You had claimed the living room of your apartment with Spencer and books were everywhere. Your laptop was front and center and papers were scattered about as if a storm had come through. 
Spencer peeked his head out of your bedroom, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sorry, what.” 
The frustrated sigh that left your lips almost knocked the curiosity right out of him. 
“It’s just…” 
Spencer had met you in the Boston Public Library, where you had been writing a paper for one of your classes, and you couldn’t find the statistics you needed. Enter Lover Boy with all your answers. He was only nineteen, completing his third Bachelors over at MIT and you were a sophomore over at Harvard, studying psychology. You were slated to graduate a whole year early, but it wasn’t your intellect that drew Spencer to you, it was your charm, the way you spoke your mind. 
You said anything and everything to him, and he wanted to listen to every single thing you said. You started dating six months later. You ended up following him down to DC a little while after that, and supported him while he completed his first Doctorate. You loved living with him, even when his life got hectic, even when he decided he wanted to go fight crime for a living. 
So when six years later, you’re working on your Ph.D at Georgetown, and you said you understood why people murdered others, Spencer wasn’t sure he wanted to keep listening. 
“Just what.” He walked over and sat down next to you, taking into account the four cups of coffee, three mugs of tea, a banana, two empty Panera bags, and a myriad of gum wrappers. “When’s the last time you left the apartment?” 
“Like a week ago, when I wasn’t trying to finish my fucking draft of my dissertation. I don’t know how the fuck you did this Spence.” 
Spencer kissed your head and took your hand. “Why don’t you go to the library or something. Get out of here for a bit. Go on a walk.” 
“I’d go to the library if you came with me.” You smirked a little bit as you fixed his tie, causing his cheeks to blush at the memories you were reminding him off. 
“Thats–that’s not what I meant.” 
“That’s why I suggested it.” You kissed his cheek, and looked back at your laptop, the moment of joy on your face disappearing. “Can’t you take the day off Spence?” 
He started to shake his head, but then saw just how exhausted and overworked you were. “I—give me a minute.” 
Spencer kissed your head and went into the bedroom, where you heard him make a call to Hotch, claiming he needed the sick day. 
You smiled and started to clean up your space, excited to spend the day away from your work, and with your favorite person.
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mickyschumacher · 7 months
Note
NGL I LOVE UR WORK... ive been hopping thru ur m.list since the last hour.... its currently 1 am and i have an essay to finish before 8 am(im sure my prof will give me more time ik dey love me) anywasy i was wondering if u could do an enemies to lovers with Lewis((like really hated eachother)the reader could be a driver its oky don mind what she does) and then they were arguing abt sumting lewis says something thats completely out of the line and she starts crying in front him then he just kinda leaves her be, a few days later he would go on then apologize to her abt wat he said and then more fluff. (just ignore this if ur not into it or not takin a request at the moment. but im actually just hapi i kind of got the courage to ask u for a request also ur stories are soooo good i admire and envy u at the same time.)
𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 𝐌𝐄  .ೃ࿐
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𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: as lewis's former teammate, there are lines that shouldn't be crossed. but a bad move from lewis puts him completely out of line.
𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: enemies to lovers trope!, poor humour, some fluff, in depth moment of an alternated 2021 wdc (apologies in advance), therefore ANGST, bad race jargon, horner and masi discussed :(, mention of intermittent explosive disorder, misogyny, allusion to racism (not from the reader ofc!), shitting on the fia for a bit, lewis kinda being a dick for probably an unfair reason lol, a proclamation of feelings from sir lewis himself
𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: lewis hamilton x red bull!driver!fem!reader
𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 3k+
𝐀/𝐍: you're too sweet to me! 🤧 i couldn't tell if you wanted this to be romantic but i went that way in the end! hope this was good! ♡︎ very very loosely based of swift's 'right where you left me'. but if you argued it wasn't, i would be inclined to agree. proof-read...ish?
𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓
⋆  •°.  。  .°•  ⋆
No one ever truly understood your move to Red Bull. It was in 2019, far from when Max was practically living on pole, so Red Bull wasn't exactly a threat to Mercedes, your previous team. Toto had even put a three-year extension on the table several months before your contract came close to expiring.
Yet you had chosen to sign with the devil.
When the commentators, journalists, and fans took a closer look at your decision, the only thing they could all collectively agree on was that you had moved to Red Bull because of Lewis Hamilton. Because you both couldn't keep your differences aside and Lewis had finally struck your last nerve.
While you weren't quite sure about the last part, the first was true. You had Lewis had never ever exactly met eye-to-eye. Every F1 driver had a specific style of driving. You liked to call Lewis' the 'calm before the storm'. He raced with a composure and maturity that most drivers did not hold. He was particularly calculative and the everyone loved him.
You, on the other hand, had given yourself a new nickname along side 'Flash 13' because you did everything in a flash: you overtook ruthlessly and calculated, you pushed the car till it was undrivable, and you were decisive to the very nanosecond. But you had also garnered yourself the name 'IED', after the behavioural disorder.
In part this nickname was due to the misogyny you faced as the only current female driver in F1 but also due to the sheer anger that bursted out of you whenever you encountered Lewis.
The amount of warnings Toto had given the both of you was simply endless. He had even resorted to putting you two with the team therapist.
The source of your hatred for each other was as clear as day. You hated Lewis' arrogance because somehow it was even worse than Rosberg, Alonso, Räikkönen, and Verstappen. And Lewis hated you for your 'perspective'. You didn't know what he initially meant by that but you regretted asking him. He said you needed to be stronger to be in F1 and that you were far too soft-hearted. Right after you had gotten your first ever pole.
It was ridiculous, to say the least.
No F1 driver was soft-hearted. You were all, simply put, a bunch of dicks. Not literally, of course. Naturally, following that comment, Lewis had pissed you off. He hadn't even had a second to know you before even making that judgement. It was ironic as well, considering your nickname that labelled your anger.
After watching Lewis win several championship titles with you following multiple places behind and seeing you only get angrier with each other, you had decided to call it quits for Mercedes. If people were going to take your annoyance and frustrations with amusement, you were going to head to the angriest team of all and leave your former team fuming.
Two years later, in 2021, you had finally gotten the perfect opportunity.
You hadn't really a clue how exactly Red Bull had made the 2021 car so well that you were matching the speed of Mercedes' car but you didn't care. You were matching Lewis. And Christian Horner was a happy man. A sexist prick but a happy man nonetheless.
Pole was either Lewis' or yours. Either he was a Grand Prix winner or you were. It was a game of cat and mouse, always in a constant pursuit of each other. The same went from your team leaders, Toto and Christian, who practically had the race director, Masi, on speed dial.
And by Abu Dhabi, you were equally tied, locked at 369.5 points. It hadn't been easy after getting penalised for multiple incidents against Lewis, but you were here. Lewis was trying to get his eighth championship and you your first.
You weren't sure how this was going to end. Heck, no one could've predicted what happened that day. But all you knew was that you were not going down without a fight.
You secured pole in Abu Dhabi which had put the entirety of Mercedes and F1 on edge. After a discussion with your engineer and several strategists, you had opted for soft tyres to further your advantage over Lewis.
Despite all of that, it was Lewis who had led the first corner after those red lights had gone out. It was only by turn six did you even get a lead. But it was a moment too short as your former teammate regained his top position by going off into the damn run-off area of the track.
You didn't need to scream in annoyance. You couldn't hear Horner, but deep down you knew he had already called up Masi, demanding an investigation. Your engineer reported to you that the stewards had dismissed it. The gap between you and Lewis was getting bigger, the race was coming to and end, and you knew you needed a miracle towards the end of the race if you wanted to win.
And that miracle was called Nicholas Latifi. The poor guy had crashed into Mick and the safety car was out on the tracks. Thankfully, they were both okay, but the timing of it was simply impeccable.
You had pitted to get new soft tyres and Mercedes was on the fence about heading to the pit lane in fear of the race restarting. So Lewis didn't pit. Miracle 2.
You re-joined the track with five lapped cars in between you and Lewis. And soon enough, Race Control had given the dooming message: lapped cars were not allowed to overtake.
The taste in your mouth was bitter. You had cussed out Horner, asking why you were even seeing these lapped cars in front of you.
Then came Race Control again: only the five cars in between you and Lewis were allowed to overtake. Miracle 3.
But of course, F1 had a flair for the dramatics. Because you were fucking restarting. Putting you and Lewis on a tight show-down for the final lap.
The bad news? Lewis hadn't pitted yet.
The good news? You could overtake Lewis. Miracle 4.
And the headline? You won.
You fucking won.
You were F1's first female champion in history.
You made history... or, well, herstory?
Yes it was controversial. Yes it was dramatic. Yes, questionable decisions had been made.
But you won.
By the time you had gotten out of your car and finished with screaming and crying in pure happiness, you had finally caught a glimpse of Lewis.
A small part of you felt bad. You knew for a fact, that these decisions weren't 'human error' as the FIA would go on to claim the following year in Bahrain.
It was entertainment. It was business. It was money.
You had both worked so hard this year. But the fight between an F1 driver breaking the record for the most championship titles and the first possible female champion in F1 was too good to resist.
Things between you and Lewis after Abu Dhabi hadn't gotten worse. You just talked far less than you normally did. You barely argued with each other anymore. It was disconcerting to say the least. Especially now that you were struggling to match Max's pace, always coming second or third as per the instructions of your engineer. For a moment you thought, what was the point of winning if you weren't going to win again?
━━━━━━━━━━━
You were still determined. Beating your own teammate would be hard. But you weren't a stranger to the idea. You had spent years trying to beat Lewis while purposely being the support for him to win. They were two actions they didn't go together but it had happened.
That being said, the venture was proving to be more difficult than you anticipated. In fact, it had caused a full collision with Lewis in the first lap of the Qatar Grand Prix.
You were so focused on beating Max you hadn't taken a second to look around you.
"What the fuck was that?" Lewis' voice invaded the air as he barged into your driver's room, ridden with sweat and still in his racing gear.
"Look, I'm sorry okay. I didn't see you. It was my fault. End of story," You told him curtly, not really wanting talk to Lewis any further.
"Damn right, you didn't see me. You could've taken me or anyone out! Are you so fucking stuck up your ass that you couldn't see me?" Lewis asked incredulously.
You scoffed at his accusation. It was true. But you didn't like when the truth fell from his lips... especially not when they sounded like that.
"Lewis, drop it. No one got hurt. Let's just move on okay?" You queried, annoyance dripping from your voice.
"Why? Can't handle the truth, L/N?" He laughed gently, almost mocking you. "Right... you were always like that."
You snapped your head towards him, raising a sharp brow. "Excuse me?" You spat as if to say he was becoming dangerously close to crossing a line he did not want to cross.
Lewis folded his arms, shrugging nonchalantly. "What? You don't like the truth. It's simple. I told you that you need to be stronger because you're too soft-hearted. And you hated that. And now that I'm telling you that you're selfish, you obviously can't handle it."
"Oh my God, you are one to talk. Lewis, you are so blinded by your arrogance that you can't see anyone else win. That's why you can't accept that I won right?"
"Not Abu Dhabi, aga–"
"Yes, Lewis, Abu Dhabi again. You are so fucking sour about losing that even when the hate targeted me, you let it. You let them say that my win was due to race and gender. Me, Lewis, out of all people, me."
No matter your differences, you had stuck up for Lewis on many accounts when it came to the FIA, 'fans', and haters. But he wasn't there for you.
You could see dark expression fall onto Lewis' face. "That's not true, Y/N."
"Then what was it Lewis?" You flailed your hands in exasperation. "Because you sure as hell didn't come to my aid."
"Because you didn't deserve it!"
You blinked blankly, arms falling to your side. Your mind took a minute to process the words that had fallen from his lips in mere seconds.
Lewis' face dropped as realisation struck him. What the fuck did he just say? "Y/N, I–"
"Get out," You grumbled.
Lewis did a double-take on the fresh line of tears accumulating on your waterline. He took a step closer to you, hands reaching out. "No, no, no, Y/N, I–" But your words made him stop.
"Lewis, get the fuck out of here before I start screaming like the bitch everyone thinks I am."
You watched Lewis return his hands to the side, clenching his jaw tightly as he made way to the door of your room. He stopped briefly, hesitating to open the door, taking one last glance at you before leaving.
━━━━━━━━━━━
Four days.
You had pondered in deep thought for four days. And after 72 hours, one thing had become obvious to you.
Lewis wasn't with you or any of the other drivers. He was still in 2021, right where you had left him. Not a second had gone by for Lewis where he hadn't thought about Abu Dhabi.
What if he had just pushed for Bono and Toto to get him in that pit lane?
What if he had veered the car a little to the side and you didn't overtake him?
Lewis was still reliving the worst moment of his career and his life and everyone had moved on. Sure, every fan and commentator talked about it time to time. But it was something of the past.
To say you didn't deserve your championship title... you had heard it from several 'fans' and insignificant others. But to hear it from Lewis? It fucking killed you.
You cared about his opinion more than anyone in the world. And he knew that.
You would've never said anything as shitty as that to him or anyone for that matter.
You had worked your ass off to get to F1. Fuck, you had won F2 two fucking times because no one was willing to let a girl on their team... into a man's sport. Every driver worked hard to a certain degree. But you were a girl who didn't grow up with the means of driving yourself to your death every day. If everyone worked hard, you had worked ten times harder.
Everyone knew that you and Lewis had fought. And by the looks of it, they also knew it was far worse than your normal fights. You wouldn't look at him, you refused to speak to him, you spent minimal time in the same room, you had even paid your media fines in full to avoid everyone...
Max had even become some sort of bodyguard, telling Lewis to turn back around when he neared the Red Bull garage.
All of this protection, and yet, he had still found you in your favourite place. The one you both came to when you needed to become level-headed. The top stand of any empty Grand Prix, in this case the México Grand Prix, where the air felt a little bit cooler against your heated skin and you could think for even it was for just a second.
You sucked in a sharp breath, seeing Lewis in your periphery while you were firmly seated. He looked nervous, chewing on his bottom lip and taking cautious glances at you.
"Hey," Lewis greeted, making you raise a brow at his lame entrance.
You forced yourself to look at the rest of the empty seats in front of you. "Hey," You mumbled back, trying to swallow the bitter taste in your mouth.
An unsettling silence enveloped the both of you. You were sure Lewis was here to apologise. But you could also tell he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Not in a selfish way. But in the most guiltiest way possible.
You sighed. "How are you?" You asked gently, peeking out of the corner of your eye.
Lewis winced at your question. Leave it up to you to still be this kind after what he had said to you. "Sorry. I'm so so sorry," He rasped, voice raw with the pain that had been gnawing away at him ever since those god forbidden words had left his mouth.
You nodded slowly, taking another deep breath. "I know you're going to call me soft-hearted but what you said really fucking hurt, Lew," You jested with a brief smile.
Lewis grimaced at your poor humour, before his ears perked up at the old nickname you had given him when you first started getting on each other's nerves. "I know. I'm an idiot for saying something like that. Or that you're soft-hearted. You've worked so hard for all of this. You absolutely deserve everything and that win was only the first of many, I'm a hundred percent sure of it. Your Dutch shortie doesn't really know what's coming."
You gave him a tight-lipped smile after huffing in amusement at his diss towards Max. "Thank you," you told him earnestly. "Although, I am quite positive he is like almost ten centimetres taller than you. But, thanks anyways."
Lewis rolled his eyes. "Have you seen me? You don't think I give off tall energy?"
"You mean tall in insults?" You joked, grinning at the blank look on Lewis' face.
Lewis sighed. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean any of it. And by 'it', I mean all of the insults and fights. I was just disappointed in myself. Even more so that I didn't stand up for you. I'm so sorry."
You drew your eyebrows together, turning your body to face him. Confusion filled you. "Then why did you say it at all?"
"I–" Lewis blew out a small laugh. "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Lewis, can you not see me dying here? Like a whole kitchen set of knives in my back?" You deadpanned.
Lewis rolled his eyes again. So dramatic.
He brought his hands together, staring at you briefly before looking at the empty stand. "Well, obviously, I heard of you before you joined Mercedes. I thought it was ridiculous that you had to get two F2 championships to get a seat, but anyways, I digress. Toto told me, he was considering you even though you had never been in the junior team.
And I remember just being so fucking jealous of you. Toto was consumed by you. He and Horner had been fighting for your seat for so long and now that they finally had an open seat, it was chaos. Toto won, obviously. And then we met each other in person for the first time and I thought you were the most beautiful woman in the world."
You felt your heart begin to race and your skin heat at the sudden proclamation. "You... you what?"
Lewis smoothly glossed over the compliment. "And then we had our first quali together and you beat me. You got pole on your first race. So you were talented and beautiful. A crime, might I add.
And so when you came to tell me, you were so excited with all your talent and beauty, I was pissed. Because out of all things in the world, I had gotten an amazing competitor I was bound to feel for. I thought that by saying you were soft-hearted and all, it would get on your bad side and it would make me less attracted to you. It didn't. It got worse while it got easier to pretend to hate you."
You blinked blankly at him, cheeks aflame. Lewis Hamilton liked you. Your stupid teammate? The same one who's eighth championship you arguably took? "I'm sorry... hold up, we've been fighting for years because I'm a hot, talented, gifted, smart driver and you're a simp?"
Lewis squinted his brown eyes at you. "I did not include all those adjectives."
"I mean... that's basically what you said," You shrugged, flickering your eyes to the setting sun.
Where did all the damn cool air go? You wondered, pressing your hands to your flushed cheeks and feeling your soft palm absorb the molten lava known as your skin.
Lewis chuckled, picking up your flustered reaction quickly. He watched as you suddenly stood up. "Okay, well I'm... I'm going to meet Hugh and find a way to beat Max. See ya!"
Lewis paused, grabbing your wrist. "Wait? What? You aren't going comment about what I just said?"
You eyed his hold on your wrist: it was searing you. You turned to him, lowering your head to meet his gaze. You briefly looked down at his lips before looking back up. "I think I prefer hating you."
Lewis felt you press your lips on his cheek before walking past him. He watched your retreating figure, your kiss feeling heavy on his face, putting him right where you had left him: absolutely and utterly smitten.
© 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑
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