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igncrxntripley · 11 months

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their secret weapon pt. 12

synopsis: the judgment day and y/n come to terms with their new reality, and y/n makes a new friend at NXT.

a/n: READ IT AND WEEP SUCKERS.

mentions: poly!judgment day, overall SFW, some cussing, some fighting, fem!reader, appearance of a...TBA metaphysical presence?

taglist: @thesithdiaries @cassiesgreta @roseheartsworld @theworldofotps @babybatlover @ripleyswhore @auburnwrites @obl1vionblackhart @emogoblin-666 @hereliespumpkin @embertargaryen @neptune-lover @bunnysmyname @i-have-issues-lol @ares-athena @thatonepansexual2000 @witcherfromwallachia @infamousvampcx @christinabae

four people. professional wrestlers, who normally could keep their cool in any situation. but when they found out what had happened while y/n was in her meeting with hunter, those tough facades slowly faded away to expose what was hidden beneath the exterior.

“she’s what?”

as soon as the group found that abandoned purple bandana and strolled into hunter’s makeshift office, all hell had broken loose. they listened as their boss gave them the rundown of the decision he’d made, sending their newest member on a bit of a break back to NXT so she had time away from them to figure out “who she was on her own.” the judgement day knew that was a load of shit, though; and they knew exactly who was behind this.

dominik was pacing back and forth, damian sat with his head in his hands, and rhea and finn throwing question after question to hunter. “you’re joking, right?” rhea asked, echoing her previous statement. “y-you can’t just do that with no warning! that’s not fair!”

hunter watched the group with a straight look on his face. “i’m doing what i think is best for y/n, because what i’ve been seeing from her shows me that she needs to find herself and who she is in that ring. not under your influence.”

“no no no, you’re doing this because he doesn’t want her with us!” finn said. it was no secret edge, the man y/n had grown to recognize as a father figure after he and beth took her under their wing during her time in NXT, was the one behind this. he was going to break the group apart little by little, so why not start with the newest piece of the puzzle? “you’re letting his issues with us dictate y/n’s career and that’s not fair!”

“enough.” hunter’s voice boomed, the group deflating little by little as they realized this wasn’t a battle they were going to win right now. “I’ve made my decision and i’m sticking with it. y/n is going to be at NXT until wrestlemania is over, so the four of you can drop it. she’s going to be just fine without you, and if anything, she’ll come back better than before.” he gave one last look to the four individuals in front of him; four people, who under normal circumstances stood tall and with pride. but in this moment, they looked defeated and torn. something he wasn’t used to. “now please, go get ready for the show.”

as the four of them exited hunter’s office and made the slow walk back to their own dressing room, reality set in that the rated r superstar was sticking to his word and he was going to end what he started. he was going to pick this group apart, little by little and to their very core, until there was nothing left.

that walk to their dressing room felt endless. like that missing presence that was their secret weapon left a wide open wound in their group that nothing would be able to replace. and as soon as the door closed behind them and the group was alone, that wound only continued to bleed.

dom was the first to let his tears fall. as the youngest of the group besides y/n, he himself was still dealing with the highs and lows of this industry. he was also just a little more in check with his emotions, something he’d try to hide so he wasn’t seen as weak. but this time, he couldn’t help it. the poor thing couldn’t help but break the floodgates as damian pulled the young luchador into his lap.

finn watched rhea carefully, her holding that purple bandana in her hand and her own tears started to run down her cheeks. “it’s not fair.” she whispered, the irishman pulling her into his side and kissing the top of his head. the eldest two members of the group were focusing on making sure the younger ones were okay, which was only breaking their hearts more.

“i know it’s not.” finn said softly, rubbing his fingers through her short black hair. in that moment, he made a promise to himself and to his partners. one that he had every intention of keeping over the next couple of weeks until wrestlemania.

“he’s going to pay for this.”

--- ---

getting the group to relax, specifically dom and rhea, was nothing short of exhausting for finn and damian. with the eldest two still trying to navigate their own thoughts and feelings over the situation, making sure their partners were okay was only adding to the weight they were both currently feeling.

but finn found a few moments to himself, and even if he couldn’t be with y/n to ensure she was okay, he had someone at NXT who he knew would be more than willing to keep an eye on her.

he found a dark corner for himself with some leftover sound equipment and dialed the number of an old protégé, who answered the phone with his own excitement.

“heya finn, long time no talk!” the irish ace himself, jd mcdonagh, answered finn’s call as he packed his bag for the upcoming NXT taping. “what have you been up to?”

finn ran a hand over his face, balancing himself against the wall. “i’m good, lad.” the tone of his voice was enough of a sign to jd that something was up, so finn took a deep breath. “look, i need a favor to ask of you. i know you’re busy, you have your own stuff going on, but this is really important.”

jd sat up a little straighter, his old friend and mentor’s demeanor making him realize just how serious this was. “anything. what’s wrong?”

“so, you know we added y/n to the group awhile ago, yeah?” jd had known y/n during their time together in NXT, but they weren’t very close. a couple greetings and holding the door open for one another was about the extent of their interactions during their shared time at the developmental brand. “she’s going back to NXT for a little bit. not because she wanted to, but hunter and shawn are sending her back for a...a little break.”

jd raised his eyebrows and sat down on his bed. “oh, wow.” he sighed softly. “i’m sorry, finn. she seemed like she was doing really well with you guys. what happened?”

finn bit his lip as he tried to formulate a response to that question. “i mean, she has been. we’re still trying to figure everything out, but it came as a huge surprise.” he didn’t think it was the time to tell jd everything; at least not right now. “like i said, i know you’re busy, but for the next few weeks, just until mania is over, can you keep an eye on y/n at the PC?” he asked softly. “just...just make sure she’s okay. and please call or text me if anything comes up.”

“of course, anything you need.” jd answered immediately. finn had done a lot for him over the last few years, so this was the least he could do for the man he considered a close friend and mentor. “and if you need anything, please let me know? you sound exhausted, man.”

he was feeling exhausted. for a man who wore his feelings like a badge of honor, who dedicated himself to making sure his partners had what they needed, he was really starting to feel his own emotions and how heavy they’d become over the last few hours. “yeah. yeah, i will. thank you so much.”

--- ---

6 weeks. a little over a month.

that’s all y/n kept telling herself as she sat in the NXT locker room, taping her wrists and reminding herself that she only had to ensure this torture for the next 6 weeks.

the young wrestler wasn’t sure what to feel as she came back to the same place that had been her home only a few short weeks ago. sure, the performance center was full of a lot of great memories. but her coming back here was also a sign that she couldn’t hold up on the main roster yet, or at least that’s what this felt like. that she wasn’t ready to be on the same level as rhea or damian.

y/n was nothing but a rookie. always has been, always will be.

even though she was back in NXT for a couple of weeks, she knew she had people to rely on which would make this a little easier. johnny and candice were happily letting her stay with them since they were also floating back to the developmental brand for a month, and she had old pals that were happy to see her back in action with them.

and her ex. one that she hit with a chair to cement her spot in the judgement day. but she wasn’t going there. that’s a wound she was going to keep stitched close during her new stint at the developmental brand.

with this new stint at NXT, though, y/n found herself starting to learn the new locker room environment. even though she’d only been gone for a few months, things were already changing. new people were coming in to achieve their own dreams of being a WWE superstar, others were looking to move onto the main roster, some people were stuck in the middle. not only that, but y/n was trying to figure out where she was going to fit into this environment.

“well well well, look what the cat brought back in.”

that irritating, nails on a chalkboard of a voice made y/n look up above her to see a barbie-pink ensemble and blonde hair staring down at her as if she was the dirt on the bottom of her pink boot. tiffany stratton, one of those new stars y/n had yet to meet, was standing right in front of the stranded member of the judgment day and clearly had no intention of leaving her alone.

y/n sighed and ripped another piece of tape for her wrist. “get lost, tiffany. i’m not in the mood.” she had a match and wanted to take her time getting ready, getting into the appropriate headspace so she could show why she belonged on the main roster. tiffany had other plans, though.

focus, little one. she isn’t worth your energy.

with her new placement at NXT, y/n had been...hearing things. it sounded odd, but she thought maybe she was just overwhelmed and taking everything to heart. sometimes she would feel so overcome with emotion that she seemingly lost control of her actions and would lash out, but just as fast as it came it was gone. y/n couldn’t explain it, but she was trying her hardest to push it away. tiffany wasn’t making it any easier though.

“get lost?” tiffany scoffed and crossed her arms. “come on now, that’s not a very nice greeting. the least you could do is have a conversation with me.” she smirked down at y/n. “maybe you wanna talk about why you’re back? your gaggle of freaks don’t think you’re good enough to be apart of their group? hunter realized you don’t serve a purpose on the main roster?”

her blood was boiling. tiffany had no room to talk and had no clue what she was even talking about, and y/n wasn’t going to allow her to run her mouth. y/n stood up and tossed the roll of tape to the side, staring daggers into tiffany’s eyes. “you heard me loud and clear, tiffany.” she challenged, her voice lowering. “get. lost.”

tiffany chuckled to herself and got closer to y/n, their chests almost touching. “or what? you’re gonna send mamí after me? dom’s going to stop bullying his dad for five seconds to come save you?” y/n’s fists clenched at her sides, knowing that none of her little family was going to be able to come help her. tiffany was rubbing more and more salt into the wound without even realizing what had happened during her meeting with hunter. “you’re all on your own now, y/n. you’re the same nobody who left NXT to join a group of freaks who’s clearly washed their hands of you already.”

don’t listen to her. she only wants to get under your skin, love.

y/n let out a soft growl before tiffany even finished talking, shoving the blonde away from her so she hit the row of lockers behind her. “mind your fucking business, and stay out of my face!” that same voice was back again, wanting y/n to defend herself and once again taking over her actions before she’d even realized what she’d done, her hands were back on tiffany and shoving her against the nearest wall again.

jd was only walking through the hallways of the performance center, saying hello to coaches and producers so he could go get ready himself. but he was stopped in his tracks by the arguing coming from one of the locker rooms. when he took a peep inside to see y/n arguing with tiffany, he knew he needed to step in and do something; finn told him to look after y/n, so that’s what he had every intention of doing. even if it meant breaking up a fight.

just as tiffany had shoved y/n right back and the two reached for each other once again, jd stepped into the locker room to break the two of them up. he wasn’t sure why they were fighting, but he saw the look in y/n’s eyes and knew tiffany struck some kind of nerve. the irishman stood in front of of y/n to keep her from launching herself at tiffany again, and he could feel the anger radiating off of her body. “okay, okay. tiffany, clearly y/n isn’t looking to talk so just go away.”

tiffany straightened herself out and smirked. “wow, she has a bodyguard already? someone moved on fast.”

“i swear-” y/n tried to move past jd as tiffany walked away, but he turned and held her arms. “hey hey! come on, don’t stoop to her level.”

y/n took a shaky breathe and ran a hand over her face, trying to calm her frustrations. even though tiffany was walking away, her words left y/n with a bubbling rage inside of her; one that wouldn’t even be there, if edge wouldn’t have gotten involved and sent her to NXT. one that she wouldn’t have, if she were standing side by side with her partners to help run the main roster. y/n was swimming in anger and frustration. and she was taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

jd turned around and backed up a bit to give y/n some space. “hey, you okay?” he asked softly.

“i’m fine.” y/n mumbled, barely able to even look up at him. “listen, jd, i don’t know you very well and i don’t want you to get involved in whatever this shit is. okay? i’m just trying to lay low and get out of here.”

he wants to help. he’s a friend of the prince and wants to make sure you’re okay.

even though she was right, the two didn’t know each other very well, jd already knew this wasn’t the same y/n that had worked her way up the roster for the last couple of years; this wasn’t the same y/n that was personally recruited by the judgment day themselves to join their faction. parts of that person was still there, but jd was looking at a partial shell of her. and he was worried to see what would come from this situation.

the irish ace sat down on one of the benches. “you might not want me involved, but i know you getting into fights with people who aren’t worth your time is going to make this whole experience even worse.” he said, watching as y/n nervously bit her fingernails. “finn told me what happened. and i’m sorry you’re dealing with all of this. but finn cares about you so i care about you as well, and i’m going to make sure you get through the next few weeks until mania.”

y/n should’ve known finn was going to tell someone to keep an eye out for her. and while she would normally groan and complain about a partner having a babysitter for her, she had to admit that knowing finn cared this much eased some of that ache in her heart.

she finally managed to look up at jd and gave him a small nod. “i appreciate that.” she said softly. “is..is finn okay? did you talk to any of the others?”

now jd’s heart was aching. the poor thing wasn’t worried about herself, she was worried about the four missing pieces to her heart. and he wasn’t going to stress her out and tell her everything finn told her over the phone. “they’re all upset. finn sounded pretty overwhelmed. but if you can get through the next few weeks then so can they. it’ll be over before you know it.”

“yeah, we’ll see about that.” she mumbled softly, sitting on the bench opposite jd’s. “thank you.” y/n nodded at him, jd reciprocating that before he stood up.

“you know where i am if you need me.” he left the locker room. so y/n could focus on calming herself down a little bit more. six more weeks, she kept telling herself, trying to remind herself this wouldn’t be forever.

your prince and his little family are worried about you, little one. but they want you to be strong. show everyone why they chose you, why you deserve to be with them.

y/n rubbed at her temples, this voice only causing her head to throb with frustration and confusion. but for once she was choosing to listen, and whatever this was, she knew it was right. she could do this. she just needed to do what she’d always done, and continue to prove why she deserved her spot in this company.

six. weeks.

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starcrossedxwriter · 1 year

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Built for Love Part 6 (MBJ x Famous OC)

Warnings: NSFW, mentions of past experience with DV

A/N: I'm really excited about this one because… we are getting some fluff and smut with minimal to no angst lol love that for them! Enjoy!

“So how’s shit with Charlotte going?” Calliet asked, the loud crack of the pool table filling the air as Michael took his first shot.

“You mean, Els, get that shit right nigga,” Stello interjected, snickering lightly as Michael rolled his eyes at him. If there was one thing his friends were always going to do, it was make fun of his romantic side.

Michael let out a low chuckle, choosing to let his best friend’s comment pass him by without a retort. “We’re good. She’s… she’s good.”

“You sure? Cause you don’t seem sure.” His friends immediately picked up on the pause in his words.

“Nah, she is good. Great actually. I’m gonna sound crazy sayin’ this but she’s the one.”

“Nigga, it’s been three months. Relax, my guy.”

Michael shrugged. “When you know, you know. And I know that shit. It’s just…” Michael scratched his head. He had not told his friends about Charlotte’s past yet. He questioned whether it was his place to do so, to share details of her life she did not offer up herself. It seemed that only her family and closest friends knew the truth and he did not want to spread it around. However, he could not deny that he could use a sounding board as he navigated such murky waters. And he was not a man who was afraid to talk with his boys about his problems and be vulnerable. He decided he would just keep it vague, the details were Charlotte’s story to tell. “Things really are good. It’s just this shit from her past that comes up occasionally. Her ex was abusive.”

“Oh shit. For real?”

“Fuck.”

“He hit her?”

Michael shook his head. “Yea. The couple things she told me were fuckin’ insane. And I don’t think I’ve heard the worst of it. If I ever see that nigga…” He let out a deep exhale as he clenched his fists. Michael was far from a violent person, he could not even tell you the last time he even had a desire to get into a fight with anyone. Everyone in his orbit, including himself, would describe him as the calming force in a room, he always had the ability to keep his emotions in check. However, if he thought too long or too hard about Shaun Parker, all he could feel was rage. And the only action he could think of was ripping him limb from limb.

“Damn, that’s tough. How is she doin’?”

“Most of the time, she’s great. She’s herself. You know she’s shy and reserved in front of other people but once she’s comfortable, she’s so energetic and fun to be around. She’s charming but still has that cute awkward shit goin’ on that keeps her real and honest, fuckin’ hilarious. But the rest… I’ll say or do somethin’ that triggers her and she seems terrified of me but doesn’t know it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like it’s not a conscious thing but I can feel it wafting off of her sometimes. The first time, she broke a wine glass at my place by accident, got red wine on the rug. She’s clumsy as fuck. But I don’t care. It’s actually kinda cute. And shit happens. It’s just a fuckin’ rug. By the time she came over again, I had a new one already. She looked like she had seen a ghost, pale and freaked out. She apologized a hundred times. Her hands were shakin’ so hard, she couldn’t even pick up the glass. A couple weeks ago, she forgot we made dinner plans, same thing. And it wasn’t a big deal at all. I actually preferred it cause I was tired as hell. We ordered in and just talked. But I could feel her whole body tense like she was waiting for me to lash out at her. We were out last week, she was chatting with the waiter while I took a call. She was like an entirely different person when I got back to the table. And I wasn’t thinkin’ twice about who the fuck she talked to. But in her mind, she committed a crime or some shit.”

“That shit’s heavy,” Calliet offered as he rounded the pool table for his shot. “Seems like small shit to us but to her, it means a whole other thing. How you dealing’ with it? I know that shit bothers you.”

Michael scoffed, taking a long sip of his drink. “Of course it fuckin’ bothers me. To have the woman I love seem terrified of me, terrified I would even consider hurting her like that? Shit is frustrating. But I dunno. I did all this research on how to be supportive and been slowly tryin’ to add that in. But I dunno. Just worried it isn’t enough.”

“Want my two cents?” Steelo offered. Michael was usually weary of taking relationship advice from his best friend. Steelo’s longest committed relationship amounted to months. But he also never pretended he wanted anything else, he was more than happy living the single bachelor life. Michael decided to just hear him out. If it was bad, which it was likely to be, he would just ignore it.

“Hit me.”

“I know I was anti-Charlotte after everything went down in Philly but this the happiest I’ve ever seen you. I think you gotta just keep showing up and maybe, actually talk to her? Research is great, google is your best friend. And you can do all that. But you also gotta know what she needs and the only person who can tell you that is her. Ask her, give her time to figure out what she needs from you, and then do those things in addition to the other shit. And I know it sounds crazy but maybe she also just has to hear you say that shit. You know… assurances and all that… women love that shit.”

Michael glanced at Calliet who merely shrugged. “Hey, I agree with him. Broken clock is right twice a day.”

The men laughed a bit at Michael’s friend’s expense before the only married man in the group added, “Nah but forreal. The kid is right. Talk to her. Ask her how you can make her more comfortable and go from there.”

“That might be the first solid dating advice you’ve given me.”

“Check back in another decade, I might have more.”

***

“Dinner was delicious, babe. You know when you said you could cook, I definitely thought you were lying.”

Michael chuckled. “My momma taught me a thing or two. Said she wasn’t raisin’ niggas who couldn’t throw down in the kitchen.”

She nodded. “Well, shout out to your mom. The women of the world, particularly this one,” she pointed at herself. “Thank her.”

He brought her a plate with a piece of chocolate cake on it, his favorite. He smiled as she did a little happy dance in her seat. His girl most certainly had a sweet tooth.

“Don’t tell me you made this too? Cause then I might have to marry you,” she joked.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, baby,” he winked at her and smirked, causing her to roll her eyes. “But nah, my sister would kill me if I took credit for that. She’s the baker. I’m hopeless with desserts. It’s my favorite thing of hers. ”

“Then we are a perfect pair. You can cook and I’ll make dessert.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he kissed the top of her head before settling back in his seat.

He watched her eat for a few minutes, enjoying her facial expressions and small but distinct sounds of delight with every bite. She was clearly in heaven. But tonight had not just been about showing his girl a fun time and cooking for her, it was also about broaching a difficult conversation and putting his friends’ advice into action.

“Hey, Els.”

“What’s up?”

He held out his hand for hers, his thumb going to rub the inside of her wrist. He started doing it more often after their dinner date fiasco, realizing that she seemed to respond well to it. It was a small and gentle touch, but every time he did, her body visibly relaxed and seemed more at ease instinctually.

“What do you need from me to feel more comfortable and safe?”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow in confusion, her spoon gently clattering against the slide of her plate as she sat it down. “What prompted that question, Mr. Jordan?”

“Well, I just know this is your first relationship since everything. There are triggers and shit that are gonna come up. And that’s ok, I know it all takes time. I just… I want to assure you that I ain’t him. And I would never hurt you. And whatever you need me to do to help you believe that and feel you know, more at ease, I’ll do it.”

Charlotte’s heart melted for a moment before her own guilt set in. She tried not to think much about her triggers. They happened far too often. And each time, she would curse herself for it, profusely remind herself that Michael was not her ex, and swear to herself that it wouldn’t happen again. However, it always did and it felt like by the time she saw it coming, it was too late to stop it. However, what she never wanted to do was make him believe she thought he was like Shaun. She knew that was not the case in her heart, mind, and soul. However, she knew, as the famous book and her therapist constantly reminded her, the body kept a different score, kept a laundry list of every beating, every humiliating and degrading moment. She may have pushed the memories out of her mind but every single one was still etched in her bones. And she could not force that out of herself, it would only take time.

She clenched her eyes shut for a moment before sighing. “I’m sorry, Bakari. I-I never want you to feel like I think you’d hurt me or something. I know… I know that isn’t you.”

He shook his head. “Hey. Don’t apologize. I didn’t bring it up to blame you. Your past is part of you and I know it ain’t shit you can just turn on and off when it’s convenient. That’s why I want to know how I can help?”

Charlotte stood up, abandoning her cake to join him across the table, sitting on his lap. Her hand settled against his cheek, her fingers playing with his coarse facial hair.

“There is nothing you need to change, Michael. A-and I’m not just saying that. You’re everything I could hope for. And you treat me better than I could’ve dreamed for myself. I guess…” She paused. “I didn’t realize how hard it would be trying to be in a relationship again. I’m not afraid of you. But when you live in constant fear for so long, it sort of becomes part of you. It guided every decision, every choice, every action… every second of every day. And I think, sometimes, even though I know in my soul you aren’t him, that fear is still there in my bones. And when it hits, I don’t even realize it until it feels like I’m drowning in it. A-and I’m sorry for that because I know it’s not fair to you. I’m trying really, I promise.” She clenched her eyes shut for a moment, afraid of where this conversation might actually be headed. “B-But if it’s too much for you, I u-understand. I c-can’t expect you to stick around forever while I figure o-out my -”

“Love, stop. Breathe. That’s not what this is at all. I’m here until you get sick of me, baby girl.” He peppered her face with pecks causing her to laugh. “And don’t apologize to me cause I don’t need it or want it. I just want you to be ok and happy with me, not worried when some other shoe is gonna drop. If there’s nothing, great. But if there is, I just want to know it. We don’t gotta discuss it tonight. I have a whole surprise waiting for you downstairs. Ain’t tryin’ ruin it. But just promise me, if you ever feel like you do need something from me to feel safer o-or I’m doing something that makes you feel unsafe, promise me you’ll tell me.”

She pressed her lips to his. She appreciated that he was not shying away from her reality, that he was jumping in to address the hard things. She would not have blamed him if he wanted to end things but he was still here, still loving her and wanting to work through the kinks of their relationship. If he was willing to have hard conversations, she had to be willing too. She could not just will all of this away, she had to actively work on it.

“I promise.”

“Aight, good. Now we got the hard stuff outta the way, wanna follow me to the basement?”

“Are you gonna tell me what the surprise is? I thought you cooking for me and the food not killing me was the surprise?”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. And nah, I’m beginning to think you really don’t know what surprise means.”

“I know what it means, I just like to be in the know.”

“Alright, close your eyes.”

“Bakari…” she whined.

“Just do it, Els. Damn, you never listen to a nigga,” he mumbled.

She winked at him before acquiescing to his wishes and closing her eyes.

One hand held onto hers while his free hand settled on her hip as he led her downstairs and around a corner to his movie room.

“Ok, open.”

She opened her eyes to find the room completely different from the last time she came down there. Giant cozy pillows and blankets draped like a tent covered the floor, a whole set up of popcorn and other snacks and two cocktail glasses waiting for them.

“I know you’re kind of a homebody so a more creative spin on dinner and a movie?” He offered with a shrug.

“You did all this??”

“Yea, I remember you mentioned once on set that you and your siblings used to have movie nights and make forts in your basement.”

She giggled as he led her to the perfectly constructed tent in his basement. He essentially turned his downstairs into a campground, with soft lightening and cushy blankets and pillows littering the floor around his flat screen tv.

“This is far better than any fort we made.”

It clearly had taken him and perhaps a team of people time to set it all up. It was beautiful. She leaned over and picked up a pack of gummy bears, her favorite. “You didn’t have to do all this for me,” she whispered. “It’s too much.”

Michael shook his head. “Nothing is ever too much for you. Besides, press tour is in what, two weeks? We’re gonna be busy so we gotta enjoy the time together while we can.”

Michael went to the bar to pull out a pitcher of mojitos before he got situated in their fort next to her.

“Not gonna lie. I’m kinda looking forward to it. It’ll be my first real press tour.”

“I’m about to be all your work firsts, then?”

Charlotte nodded as she took a sip of the cocktail Michael made for her.

“Yea and some personal ones, I’m sure,” she muttered under her breath, thinking back to the conversation with her friends.

“What’s that mean?”

She let out a nervous laugh and shook her head. “Nothing, nothing at all.” She turned the gummy bears toward him, allowing him to take a handful before she snuggled into his side.

The pair snuggled and joked as they watched Bad Boys, a movie that made it onto both of their top five movies lists. Their banter carried them through most of the film, the pair analyzing and offering their two cents as if they were experts on thwarting criminals. The pair made their way through an obscene amount of snacks and a pitcher of mojitos as they watched the first movie and its sequel.

“Those drinks were so good,” she muttered as she examined the now-empty pitcher, a small pout on her features. “If this whole acting thing doesn’t work out, you could be a bartender for sure.”

Michael laughed and rubbed her thigh. “You wanna just crash here? You shouldn’t drive home after all that. And it’s already late as hell,” he remarked, glancing at his watch to find it was almost 1 am.

She shrugged and winked at him. “Jokes on you… that was alllllll part of the plan. Your bed is more comfortable than mine.”

“Damn, you just usin’ a nigga for a comfortable bed??”

“Not just the bed… Comfortable bed, free meals, cuddly oversized sweatshirts,” she listed on her fingers with a sly smile.

“You know I’m good for other things too,” he whispered with a smirk on his face, his fingers drawing featherlike patterns on her exposed thigh that sent chills down her spine. She knew exactly what he was suggesting and she did not know if it was the liquor or just the overall effect he had on her body, but she wanted to know what those things were. She wanted more. More of him, more of his touch, more of his love. And she did not want to wait a single moment longer.

And she did not want the night to end, their last true moment of solitude before life picked up again. They would be traveling and exhausted for a month. Though she was excited to spend her first press run with him, she knew it would not be true alone time. It would be work and since they were not a public couple yet, they would have to exercise some discretion.

She threw caution to the wind and straddled his hips, ignoring his surprised look as she took charge of the moment. She kissed him before nibbling on his ear and whispering, “Why don’t you show me?”

Usually, those words would have had Michael ripping a woman’s clothes off within milliseconds. However, despite the lust coursing through him, he forced himself to pause and confirm her wishes. Once he knew Charlotte wanted to take it slow, he always made sure to pump the brakes before things got too hot and heavy between them. No matter how hard it was - and it was excruciatingly hard - it was one of his many attempts to show Charlotte that he understood and respected her boundaries and subtly remind her she had agency in their relationship. He never wanted her to feel pressured to do something she did not want to do because she was conditioned never to say no. He wanted her to know she was steering the ship and he was fine with whatever speed she chose.

Admittedly, this was the longest he ever waited for a woman to sleep with him. They were well into month three and had not progressed past heated make out sessions. However, Michael, honestly, did not mind. He longed to bury himself inside her, to taste her, to show her pleasure she had never known before. But he knew it would be more enjoyable for both of them if she was truly ready for it.

Michael’s eyes grew wide with surprise as her statement settled in his brain matter. He leaned back over her, his soft hand cupped her cheek and held her eyes to his.

“You sure? We don’t gotta do anything you aren’t ready for, Els. And we been drinkin’ and shit. I’ll wait as long as you want, love.”

Charlotte offered him a soft smile. “I know. And it’s very sweet and it makes me love you even more if that’s even fucking possible,” she let out a nervous laugh. “I trust you a-and I want you. That’s all I need. So I am very ready for you to break my back like you promised.”

Michael chuckled and kissed her on the neck softly.

“You sure?”

Charlotte knew she would not find the words to describe how desperately she needed him. It was no longer a want that could be diminished by her anxieties and fears, it was a need. A need that felt as fundamental to her survival as oxygen to her lungs and sustenance to her body. His willingness to take it slow and respect her boundaries, the ways he went out of his way to make her feel safe and desired daily only increased her lust. So she decided to show him through action.

“Yes…” she reached for the hem of her dress and pulled it over her shoulders, thankful she decided to wear a matching bra and panty set. She had no intention, originally, of their date night taking this specific turn but she was grateful nonetheless. She felt empowered and assured in her decision as she watched his reaction, pure lust and desire taking over his features.

He licked his lips before he captured hers again. She moaned as his hands enjoyed free reign of her body, softly kneading and gripping her ass and thighs. She could feel the desire pooling between her legs, the movie playing on the tv long forgotten. She did not stop him as he flipped her onto her back, his chest pressed against hers as he sucked on the soft skin of her neck.

Michael took his time as he kissed her, paying close attention to every moan and groan, his ears perking up when he hit a sweet spot. He wanted to know every intricacy of what she liked and just how she liked it. His path of kisses and gentle nips down her body was deliberate and slow, he savored how her whimpers became needier as he went. But he did not speed up. He was determined, desired to see her come undone piece by piece, and that was a process he could not rush.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as his lips lingered against one of her scars, knowing they made her insecure about her appearance.

By the time he reached her lower stomach, her whimpers had turned to pants of need. Charlotte had never experienced foreplay like this before. She did not understand how he was already so attentive, the way he seemed to immediately respond to her body, picking up on cues Charlotte would not have been able to articulate herself. If her body was an instrument, Michael seemed to already be a savant, hitting the right notes with every caress and touch. It was a slow march and Charlotte was feigning for the main event, feigning for him to fill her.

Michael finally detached his lips from her body and made quick work of removing her thong.

“All this for me?” He whispered as he licked his lips as he admired the wetness between her thighs.

He spread her legs and licked his lips before kissing her inner thighs. Charlotte almost saw God when he added in a gentle bite, sending sparks of pleasure through her. With every passing second, his lips got closer and closer to the treasure between her thighs, a coveted meal Michael had been waiting months to taste.

However, realizing his intention, Charlotte immediately felt the first wave of anxiety and insecurity hit her, pulling her out of the moment and mind-numbing fog of pleasure.

“W-what are you doing?” She breathed out, stopping his path toward her core.

“About to get a taste,” he muttered as he continued kissing her inner thighs.

Charlotte squirmed for a moment before quietly offering. “Y-You don’t have to do that… if you don’t want to.”

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. There was literally nothing he wanted more in this world at this moment. “I definitely want to. What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing’s wrong. I’ve just never…” She scratched her forehead and kept her eyes trained on the ceiling. It was embarrassing and she did not really want to say it out loud. Similar to her lack of an orgasm, she had also never revealed to anyone that her sexual experience was severely lacking in terms of receiving pleasure. Giving? She was good at it and enjoyed it occasionally. But she had always been the giver and now could not even fathom what receiving felt like. She knew, based on conversations with her girlfriends, that she was missing something spectacular and life changing. But the mental block was there and she found it hard to want it. “Never mind, it’s embarrassing.”

Michael chuckled. “Aint shit to be embarrassed about with me, baby.” He kissed her softly on the lips.

“No one’s ever given me…”

Her words died in her throat but Michael did not need her to finish the sentence. He knew exactly what she was trying to say and shocked was an understatement. He had jerked himself off more times than he would ever admit dreaming of her paradise, what she tasted like, and what sounds she would make when he finally found himself in that promised land. And to think that no one had ever taken the time or care to give her that pleasure angered him more than it should have. He supposed he should be happy he was the first one to give her that experience but he hated that her sex life prior to him had been so lacking.

“You trust me?”

She nodded immediately. “Of course.”

“Ok, then just lay back and relax for me, aight? If you don’t like it, I’ll stop. But I don’t think you’re gonna want me to stop.” He offered her a knowing wink.

Michael was not a man who begrudgingly engaged in foreplay simply because it was required. The build up was his favorite part of the experience, knowing he was giving his partner exactly what they needed and wanted, worshiping her body like the queen she was. He would bask in every moment of proving to her that he wanted to do this task more than anything else.

“Always so cocky,” she muttered with a smile.

“And you love that shit,” he shot back as they traded playful jabs. “Now relax… and let me take care of you.”

Michael’s hands pushed open Charlotte’s legs, her pussy glistening with need.

Not wanting to waste another second, he leaned in and enveloped her clit into his mouth, sucking gently.

Charlotte let out a deep moan, a moan so visceral and carnal, she did not even know she could produce such a sound. But she didn't even know her body could feel pleasure like this and he was only just getting started.

It seemed Michael was right about one thing, she most certainly did not want him to stop.

Michael poured his whole soul into his ministrations, pulling out every trick he knew to send Charlotte over the edge. He licked and sucked, spelling out all his love and adoration with every caress of his tongue. He savored every moan and groan, every plea for him to go faster.

“Fuck… B-Bakari… p-please don’t stop.”

Unnecessary directions, in his opinion, he could do this all night.

Charlotte’s eyes clenched shut as she grabbed one of the plush pillows on the floor and moaned into it, suddenly remembering that Michael’s parents lived with him.

“Put the pillow down,” he emerged from her legs to demand. “Room’s soundproof, I promise. I wanna hear you.”

She immediately tossed it to the side as she rode the waves of pure passion and ecstasy his mouth provided. She was not sure where to concentrate as every pleasure sensor in her body felt like it was on fire. She was overwhelmed and yet, she wanted more. She wanted to drown in it, drown in this feeling that seemed to never end. Every time, she felt as if she must be reaching its peak, he pushed her higher and higher.

His eyes never left her face as he devoured what would now be classified as his favorite meal. The moment she came, he wanted to see it. Every sound she made only spurred him on as he inched her closer and closer to her mountain top.

Charlotte felt her world go dark, everything in her snapped as waves of pleasure crashed over her. She felt as if she was in fog, Michael’s voice distant and quiet as she experienced her first orgasm. She felt as if he had just altered the course of her life at that moment. She wondered if this was what rebirth felt like and how she had ever lived without this unfiltered… bliss. She let out a stream of curse words as she rode out her orgasm, Michael offering her praise that she could barely register.

“That’s it, Els. Cum for me.”

He emerged from between her legs and kissed her, allowing her to taste herself.

“You taste so good, baby. So sweet,” he offered as he gave her a few moments to settle down. .

“T-that was…” She struggled to find the words as her already slightly hoarse voice filled the space.

“You liked that, baby?” He asked, his deep voice sending jolts of pleasure down her body. His finger entered her, immediately curling into her g-spot causing her to gasp.

This man… was going to be the death of her, she decided.

“Y-Yes,” she whispered.

“You want more, Els?”

She nodded fervently. Michael pushed himself off the floor and quickly stripped down, his manhood standing at attention for the woman he loved.

Her breath hitched slightly as she took in his length and girth. He settled himself between her legs before starting to push inside her.

She let out a groan of pain that made him pause, his eyes immediately filling with concern. He started to pull out when she wrapped her legs around his hips to stop him.

“N-No, don’t. I-it’s just been a couple years. That’s all. I’m good, promise.”

His forehead fell against hers as he slowly pushed inside her. His eyes did not leave hers, pausing his movements every time he saw an iota of discomfort or pain on her face. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear, professed his love and adoration for her, told her how good she felt around him as he waited for her to adjust.

And once she gave him the ok, he started his slow and steady strokes into her.

“You feel so fucking good, baby” he muttered as the soft slapping sounds of their hips meeting filled his basement.

His dick curved right into her g-spot, forcing words of adoration and love from the depths of her soul at the end of every stroke. Her soft pants morphed into moans and screams of pleasure as she felt jolts of pleasure throughout her body.

“F-fuck, I l-love you,” she panted out. “Harder,” she demanded, Michel more than happy to oblige.

He increased his pace, relentlessly fucking her. She was thankful this portion of the house was soundproof, his basement soaking up the loud symphony of their collective moans. .

She could feel all of the love and adoration he held for her in every stroke, every affirmation he whispered into her ear as he sent her soul to another plane. All she could do was pant and cry out in pleasure as he promised to love her until his last day.

Michael’s physical fitness and stamina meant that they were just getting started. Michael and Charlotte moved around his basement, fucking on any and all surfaces that they saw fit. He transitioned between positions like an experienced dancer and pulled countless orgasms from the depth of her soul.

“Fuck. Just like that baby. Ride this dick,” he moaned. He let out a low growl as she rode him, he was in heaven as he buried his face in her chest, his mouth enveloping her nipple. He was surprised at how much she responded to it, her head falling back in pleasure, her mouth agape. She cried out in pleasure as he gently bit down on the swell of her breasts. He switched between the two, making sure to give each equal attention.

“You look so sexy riding my dick,” he praised her, causing her to increase her pace.

She ignored the burn in her thighs as she continued, her thoughts only focused on giving him the same pleasure he gave her. She loved this position. It made her feel emboldened and in charge. And so she decided to enjoy that feeling and switch it up, giving him another view to enjoy. She slid off of him, both of them groaning lightly at the feeling of emptiness while she repositioned herself in reverse cow girl and slid back onto his dick.

Michael smirked at the satisfied moan that escaped her lips as he filled her again. He grabbed her hips, thrusting into her rapidly as he enjoyed the view of her ass bouncing against his hips. He had let her control the pace before but now? It was his turn again. She yelped lightly as his hand spanked her. It was unexpected but not too rough, clearly to test the waters. She moaned, letting him know that she enjoyed it, the edge of roughness and small jolts of pain mixed in with his gentle touches.

“You like that, baby?” He asked as he spanked her again, his strong arms lifting her body up and down as if she weighed nothing.

“Y-Yes! I love it,” She panted out, breathless and exhausted as he fucked her. “I’m g-gonna cum!”

Her hands pressed against his stomach to hold herself up as she rode the length of her orgasm, her body barely staying up right. When she calmed down, he lifted her off of him and instructed her to get on all fours.

He positioned himself behind her and massaged her ass for a moment, admiring the perfect view.

“Arch your back for me, baby. That’s it, good girl.”

Charlotte could’ve cum right then, hearing him praise her.

Good girl, she wanted to hear that every day for the rest of her life.

She groaned as he entered her again, this position allowing him to get even deeper than before. Charlotte’s screams grew to new heights as he fucked her senseless from behind, taking her directive to break her back extremely serious. She was thankful that the strength of his thrusts naturally buried her face in the pillows of their now destroyed fort; she did not think even a soundproof room could contain her at this point.

In this moment, she realized exactly what Jazz meant: this was life-changing and fun. For the first time, she was not waiting for it to all be over, she was enjoying it, actively meeting his thrusts to increase her pleasure. And when his fingers dug into her hips to hammer into her at his own pace, like a man possessed, she was more than willing to surrender her entire being to him and let him give her exactly what he believed she needed. Because he actually knew, every action was meticulous and measured, attuned to needs she did not even know she had. But he did and she loved him for it. So she surrendered, surrendered to bliss, knew she would forever happily hand over the reins of her pleasure to him because she desperately wanted what he had to give.

“Why you running, baby?” He asked as he fucked her, her body instinctively shying away from the intense pleasure of another orgasm building too fast.

“I-I… I-it’s too much…” she breathed out, unable to form coherent sentences.

“You want me to stop?” He asked as he continued fucking relentlessly.

“N-no,” she whimpered, and it was true. Her body felt as if it may die if he stopped but also that another orgasm might kill her. In a split second decision, dying from pleasure seemed like the better way to go.

“Good girl. You’re taking me so well, love. Cum for me one more time, baby.”

As he felt her pussy snapping around his dick and her screams grew louder, he knew she was close. He reached around and rubbed her clit to give her the extra push she needed.

Charlotte let out a breathless scream, her vision going black as the most powerful orgasm of her life ran through her. She didn't even get to feel him cum inside her as he finally reached his own peak.

When she finally opened her eyes again, Michael was sitting watching her intently.

“Welcome back, almost had me worried for a minute. You ok?”

All she could do was nod, not understanding how he looked completely unruffled while she felt as if she had done a triathlon.

He held out his hand to help her up and slide his robe around her. She was surprised to find him already in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt.

“H-How long was I out?”

He laughed, kissing the top of her head. “Just a couple minutes. Come on, I’ll start a bath upstairs.”

She groaned as she tried to move her legs. “M-My legs don’t work, babe. N-Not gonna make it upstairs.”

He laughed and swooped her up into his arms. “Good thing you have me then.”

Charlotte snuggled into his chest as he carried her to his suite. He made quick work of filling the tub with hot water and helping her into the tub, the smell of eucalyptus, her favorite, filling her nose.

“This is sweet,” she said, her voice raspy from their activities. “T-thank you.” She settled into the bathtub, her head lulling back as her eyes fell closed. The warm water felt like heaven on her aching muscles.

“You feel ok? Was afraid I was too rough at the end?”

She let her head fall lazily in his direction, a content smile on her face. “No, it was great. Though I think you might've thought I was a gymnast at one point, really pushed the limits of my flexibility. And I now feel like I need to go to yoga classes so I don’t need to soak my muscles every time we have sex,” she laughed. “But it was perfect. You’re perfect.”

They shared a sweet kiss before silence fell over them. Charlotte did not stay in the tub long, her desire to be in Michael’s arms again overwhelming. Once she was done, Michael gave her clothes to throw on and they climbed into bed.

Michael’s head rested on her chest, both of them muttering soft I love you’s before they drifted off to sleep.

***

“Charlie!”

Charlotte's eyes gravitated toward a familiar voice, finally landing on Chris who had commandeered a corner booth toward the back and was waving at her.

“How are you??” Her voice took on a sing-songy tone as she hugged him before sitting across from him. “It’s been way too fucking long.”

“I know, I know. It’s tough. I’m rarely out here and you’re never in NYC anymore.” His voice was filled with teasing accusations as he referenced her disappearing act. “But I’m glad you were able to fit me in.”

The pair spent over a half hour catching up, Chris sharing gossip from the NYC theater scene that Charlotte was no longer in touch with. She considered Chris MacDonald to be one of her closest friends. He had been her mentor when she was at a school, he was a recent graduate working on his musical and worked with students in his free time. He was easily the most talented songwriter she had ever heard, his first musical becoming a staple on Broadway within months. Every song he touched turned to gold and money. They transcended the usual mentor-mentee relationship quickly, becoming good friends. Chris always vowed to make her his leading lady in one of his shows one day.

“So what are the next few months looking like for you?”

“We’re starting press for Creed out here next week. Then the premieres here and press and a premiere in Philly. We have a couple of events and things once it hits theaters and then I should get a break right before Christmas. Thankfully, since it is the first one, the press schedule isn’t insane. But it's still a lot.”

“So I gotta know, do you miss the stage at all?”

“All the time,” Charlotte moaned, her shoulders collapsing a bit. Chris was the type of person who knew the answer to his question before he asked it. So she knew there was no use in lying. “All. The. Time.” She emphasized. “Movies are great, don’t get me wrong. Can’t say anything too bad about them, after all, my first major film led me to Michael. Who you have to meet by the way. But it’s just not the same. It doesn’t… make my soul happy the way theater did? Money’s better,” Chris immediately nodded in agreement. “But that’s about it. Just doesn’t really fulfill me the same way.”

“Would you want to go back?”

An antenna in Charlotte’s mind went up as she heard his tone, his voice taking on the tenor of someone who was dipping a toe in to test the waters.

“Ummm yea, I mean I’d love to go back. But… the practicalities of it. Just don’t think it is in the cards for me.” She shook her head gently and picked up her coffee. The mug hid the sad smile she had on her face, a realization that her choices meant her dreams weren’t a possibility anymore. “Besides, there isn’t a theater director who knows my name who’d give me another chance.” She simply shrugged. “It’s cool though. My life’s out here now, new relationship’s out here, friends, family. It’s better this way.”

Chris nodded. “What if you were looking at a writer and producer who wanted you to be in their next show?”

Charlotte laughed, “Very funny, Chris.” She had heard about his next project through the grapevine, which just completed an off-Broadway run in Massachusetts and was picked up to perform on Broadway in the new year. His musical, The Lighthouse, followed the closing shift of a dive bar during a winter’s storm. It was one of those shows where the entire play takes place in a singular room, following four characters, the owner of the bar and his wife, and the main character, Ashley, and her ex, who is a bartender. Charlotte had only read reviews of it but every review praised Chris for his poignant examination of relationships, human connection, and the innate desire to fight for the things and one you love, even when the fight seems foolish and you are outnumbered.

“I’m being dead serious, Charlie. I know you’re about to start promo for the film so you wouldn’t get that break you’re looking forward to. But it premieres on Broadway in March. We are casting new folks since the off broadway cast is transitioning to other roles. And for the lead, I started with your name but didn’t think you’d want to come back. And after scouring my brain for months and chatting with other writers like Lin and all roads lead back to you. You’re perfect for it. Your voice, your skills… you would knock it out of the park.”

Charlotte shook her head, “Oh Chris… thank you but I can’t. It’s just not for me anymore.”

“The stage was made for you, girl. Look, I wasn’t trying to come here and beg you but I will if I have to. I want you, Charlie. Not some random girl no one has ever heard of… You, the woman who made me cry the first time I heard her sing, the woman with perfect pitch, a woman who's been through shit and knows how to bring that pain and vulnerability and channel it into a performance. Look, I could get any recent graduate from Juilliard or Yale and throw them in this show and it would be good. But I don’t want ‘good’. I want excellent and you are excellence. Just give me a year. One year. Not even a year,” he corrected himself as she shook her head. “Six months. Six months and you’ll be nominated for a Tony in 2017, maybe even 2016 depending on when they cut off the season. ”

At the sound of the coveted award Charlotte had dreamed of her entire life, Charlotte perked up. “How do you know it’s Tony worthy?”

“Because I wouldn’t have flown across the country to grovel at the feet of one of the greatest actresses and singers I’ve ever seen for anything less than a Tony-winning role. Six months to a year, max. Give me six months of your life, Charlie and I swear - you’re Grammy and Tony nominated at worst… two steps closer to an EGOT at best. Come on, don’t tell me you forgot? This was on the vision board you showed me when you were a plucky, annoying freshman. This is it, this is the opportunity to make that vision board come true.”

Just as Charlotte opened her mouth to rebut him, he stopped her. “Look, I gotta jet to another meeting. But don’t say no just yet, please? I promised the team I would have my Ashley by the time I got back home on Monday. I’ll send you the tracks, the video of the workshop, talk it over… pray on it, and get back to me in a few days. Just promise me you’ll think about it, Charlie. Please?”

Charlotte nodded weakly. “Fine… I’ll think about it.”

She knew logically there was nothing to think about. The mere idea went beyond playing with fire, it was playing with a raging inferno to move back there. For all she knew, Shaun was a mere powder keg waiting for the right spark to explode and she would be handing it to him on a silver platter. However, her soul and her ambition, well those parts of her were thinking… and they were thinking hard.

She said her goodbyes to Chris and paid for her coffee. And before she could even make it outside to her car, she heard the ding of several emails, all from Chris with the music tracks. She slid into her car and hooked it up as she drove to Michael’s. Since they broke through the physical intimacy barrier, she essentially lived at his place. After spending almost every night there, he cleared out a drawer and gave her space in his closet. Now she rarely went to her own spot.

Since his house was a bit farther out, she made it through Act 1 of the show before she pulled into his driveway. However, she did not immediately turn it off to get out of the car. She was so enthralled that she just sat there in his driveway with her eyes closed, falling deeper in love with the music with every passing chord.

“That fucking bastard,” she muttered to herself as her head thudded back against the seat. “The great Chris MacDonald strikes again.”

It was always a running joke among the Broadway community that no one ever said no to Chris. If he wanted you, he would always find a way to convince you to work for him. Whether it was the strength of the piece itself or his persuasive abilities, no was not a word he heard.

And she hated that it was working on her. This was award worthy. It was more than that, it was a game changer. It would take more than a year to pick up steam but when it did, it would become a household name. She could feel it in her bones. And the main character, Ashley, was perfect for her. Her ballad, which closed out Act I, was giving Defying Gravity levels of emotion. It was climatic and she could just picture herself singing it on stage. And while the show was filled with drama and emotion, it struck the perfect balance of being funny and relatable. It was the type of show you left and talked about for hours with your friends, examining each character and their decisions with a fine tooth comb.

She sat in her car and typed out notes on her phone as she worked her way through Act II, noting things she picked up on and wanted to discuss further with Chris. She did not even realize how long she sat out there until she heard a knock on her car window.

“Shit!” She jumped almost clean out of her skin as she turned to find Michael staring at her with a quizzical look on his face. She took a deep breath before opening the door. “You scared me.”

“My bad. I saw you pull up 30 minutes ago. Wanted to make sure you were good. You on the phone or somethin’?”

“30 minutes?? Sorry, baby. I was just listening to these songs Chris sent me.”

She pulled herself and her bag out of the car and followed Michael into the house. The house smelled delicious, Michael immediately returning to the oven to check on his Bolognese sauce.

“How was coffee?”

“Um… intriguing, that’s for sure.” Charlotte threw her bag down on one of the bar stools and immediately grabbed the loaf of bread and other materials that were sitting out to help Michael finish dinner.

“Ok, elaborate.”

Charlotte sighed. “Well, it wasn’t a friendly catch up like I thought. He has a role for me… in his new show.”

“Ok… and?”

“It’s really fuckin’ good, Bakari. Like game changing good. Like household name good. He said he just wanted six months out of me, which is more than enough to be nominated this year or next.”

Michael nodded. “Ok… I’m hearing all the good things… sounds like good shit. But you’re hesitating. What’s stopping you?”

She turned to face him, leaning against the counter. “Well first, my life is here with you. Not in New York. We’ve only been dating for three months. I don’t want to lose what we have.” Michael glanced at her, waiting for her to say more. “A-and I left New York in such a weird way. I don’t even know how people feel about me now. A-and 8 shows a week??” She ranted, taking her frustration out on the helpless loaf of Italian bread in front of her. “Don’t even know if I can physically do that shit anymore. I’m not that good of a dancer… I mean when would we have time to see each other if I’m doing 8 shows a week? I could kiss my current career goodbye. I feel like I started down this road, don’t know if I should backtrack?”

Michael turned her away from the cutting board and took the knife out of her hands. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her closer and closer to him.

“What’s really wrong, Els? Cause it ain’t any of the dumb shit you just mentioned.”

Charlotte immediately felt offended, her body attempting and failing to twist out of his firm but still gentle grip. “Excuse me?? Those are legit concerns, thank you very much.”

“No they aren’t. You’re never gonna lose me cause you’re pursuing a dream. New York is a plane ride away, I’ll come to you when I’m not filming. Long distance relationships work and thrive every day, Els.” He started to list off, dismissing her concerns one by one. “You left to save your life. Fuck anyone who doesn’t understand that or sympathize with that shit. Besides, who even gives a fuck what they think? You got Chris in your corner and more people than you think, that’s enough. You can dance just fine. And you run like 6 miles every single day so physically, you can do anything including sing and dance for 2 hrs 8 times a week. And it’s not backtracking. You started in the theater, took a break and are going back. People do that shit literally all the time. I think you’re scared. And if you want to say no for all those practical reasons to Chris, fine. But at least be honest with me. Why are you really hesitating?”

She picked at her nails, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip. She hated that she had to consider him, this dark cloud that hung over her head and still indirectly affected her decisions. She hated that he still had this much power

“I left New York for a reason, Bakari. A-and that reason is still walking and talking and… I don’t think I can ignore that just because Chris dangles a shiny Tony in front of my face.”

“Do you really think he’d try something?”

“I… I dunno. But I also don’t know if I want to test that theory. I gave it all up then because I couldn’t stay alive and keep it. I tried that and it didn’t work. All I got was a break in and three days in the ER. How’s this time gonna be any different? Seems dumb to walk right back into the lion’s den.”

“Are you walking back into the lion’s den or following your dreams? Was he a Broadway enthusiast or somethin?”

Charlotte let out a humorless laugh. “Hell no. He hated musicals… and joy… and laughter… and me,” she added under her breath with a humorless chuckle. “What does it matter?”

“It matters because who's to say he will even know you’re there? Even in the most popular shows, the everyday person doesn’t follow news about it. And this is a new show, not like that rap one everyone I know keeps going to see about the dead white people?”

“Hamilton?” Her judgment of his lack of theater knowledge showed in her laughter.. “‘That musical with the dead white people’” she chuckled. “It’s the hottest ticket of the year, babe.”

“See,” he emphasized, ignoring the tone of shade in her voice. “I’m an actor and still don’t know this shit.”

“Bakari… be serious, please.”

“I am!” He laughed. “Look, all I’m sayin’ is even the most popular shows, the non-broadway goer doesn’t know whose in them. You’re a rising star and the benefit of a rising star is that you can still keep a low profile when you want. For all that nigga knows, you’re still in LA. Talk to Chris about promo and maybe keeping a lower profile for the first couple months and all that and secure your dream, babe.”

“But I already proved I can’t have both, Bakari,” she repeated.

He shook his head. “No, you couldn’t have both then. It’s been a couple years, you’re different. And who knows, that nigga could’ve moved to another state or be in a new relationship or anything. A lot can change in two years, right?”

She scratched her head. The things Michael said made total sense but there was still this wall standing in her way.

“Els, baby. Look at me.” His finger lifted her chin to look him in the eye. “I think you should do it. It’s six months until you come back here. Ever since I’ve known you, being the lead of a show has been your dream. And you miss it. And now someone is handing you the opportunity on a silver platter. Why miss it a second time? And if it makes you feel safer, I’ll move with you.”

Charlotte shook her head. “Baby, I can’t ask you to move across the country for me. Your family, your friends… your life is here.”

He shrugged. “And in six months, my life will still be here. My future is wherever you are. And I told you a couple weeks ago that I’d do whatever you needed to make you feel safe.”

“Yes, with you. Not out in the world. I can’t ask you to upend your entire life for me. We haven’t been together that long.”

“Semantics. I told you I’d do whatever you needed. This counts in my book. Don’t think about the length of time we’ve been together or where it is or any of that shit. Would it help and make you feel more comfortable if I went with you? At least for a couple months?”

Charlotte studied him for a moment, realizing he was truly being sincere. She found it hard to ask for such a thing but she could not deny that it would help her. Even just knowing that she could come home to someone each night and be safe in their arms felt like it would change everything.

“Y-Yea, it would help a lot. But you really don’t have to, babe.”

“Ok then it’s settled. If you take it, I’ll go with you. I know we’re jumping ahead and skipping some steps but I’m in if you are.”

“You don’t want to think about it?”

He shrugged as he moved to put the garlic bread in the oven. “What’s there to think about? It’s like moving for a role. It doesn’t really change much. When would you have to be there?”

“Top of January, the show is supposed to premiere on March 1.”

He nodded. “Ok so if you decide to do it, we can move right after Christmas to make sure you’re there in time.”

Charlotte chuckled. “Yea while you’re planning our move, I actually need to decide whether to do it.”

Michael leaned down and kissed her on the lips. “I’m removing obstacles so you can make the best decision for you. Not for me or because of that nigga. For you. If you want this, we’ll do whatever we gotta do to make sure you’re safe while you do it, ok?”

Her arms went around his shoulders, their bodies flush against each other. “How’d I get so lucky to find you?”

“I’m the lucky one, honeybee.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, “Honeybee? That’s a new one. Where’d that come from?”

“Cause you taste sweet, like honey.”

“‘I taste sweet, what do- ohhhhh,” the memory of him saying that during the first time he gave her head came back to her mind causing her to laugh a bit. “Thought I’d try it out. It has a cute ring to it. You don’t like it?”

“I like any nickname you give me, love. But… let’s make this the only one inspired by our sex life, ok?”

“Deal.”

The pair ate dinner before retreating to his bedroom. They did not talk about Chris’s offer again until they were settled in bed, Charlotte laying on Michael’s chest.

“I think… I think I want to do it. You’re right, it’s my dream and I might not get another shot like this again,” she offered in the quiet and darkness. She knew he was not asleep yet.

Michael did not even take a beat before he responded, “I guess we’re moving to New York then.”

Charlotte sat up, leaning on his chest. “You knew I was gonna take it the whole evening didn’t you?”

He shrugged, before shifting so she was laying back down. He placed a kiss on the top of her forehead and merely smiled. “Yea… when are you gonna learn? I’m always right, baby,” he joked. "You gonna call Chris?

She bit down the joke that bubbled to the surface and merely settled back into his arms with a smile.

“Yes you are, baby. And in the morning, it's after midnight."

"Yea and you said he flew all the way out here for you. That man is probably waiting by the phone for you. Call him, if he's asleep, you can try again in the morning. Besides, knowing you, you'll find some way to talk yourself out of it by morning." He reached over to her side and grabbed her phone. "Call him, babe."

"Touché." She slid out of his bed and paced, one hand fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt she had on while her feet dragged across his soft plush carpet.

She waited for a few moments with bated breath until she heard his voice fill her ears.

"Hey, Chris! Sorry if this is too late to call? Hope I didn't wake you."

"Oh no, I was just up working and praying your name would cross my phone sometime before the night was over. Please tell me you called me this late with bad news."

Charlotte chuckled and glanced at Michael who gave her an encouraging smile and thumbs up.

"No, no. Just calling to tell you that you can tell the team you found your new Ashley."

She had to hold the phone away from her ear as his screams of delight threatened to bust her ear drums.

"God, I fucking love you, Charlotte Bennett. I could literally kiss you."

"I think my boyfriend would have something to say about that," she chuckled. "But yea I'm in."

"Amazing. I'll send over details to you and your team tomorrow and we can talk more then. Seriously, Charlie, you won't regret it. I promise."

"I know, thank you, Chris. Seriously. Ok, talk tomorrow. Bye."

She hung up the phone and turned to Michael, the realization hitting her.

"I'm gonna be leading a show on Broadway." She ran back to the bed and jumped on it, her previous exhaustion long forgotten as her excitement took over.

Michael enveloped her in a tight hug before they both settled back into bed.

"This is gonna be good, Els. I can feel it."

She placed a quick kiss on his bare chest. "I feel it too. Thank you. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this without you."

"I gotchu, Els. Always."

Tags: @certifiedlesbianbaddie @bangtanxmegan @reelwriter19 @prettyisasprettydoes1306 @hi888888sworld @msniaimani @destinio1 @lynaye1993 @chaoticevilbakugo @blackerthings

A/N: As always, thanks for reading! We finally got some smut (woohoo). Tbh smut is like really hard for me to write lol so I hope y'all liked it? I really wanted it to be intimate and showcase how close they've gotten in a short time. They could be sexy and honest and vulnerable and playful with each other and it not ruin the moment, it only enhances it for them. Next chapter, we'll get some fluff with their first public outing as a couple and press tour cuteness (think Tom/Zendaya and Corey/India from Queen Charlotte level cuteness). I'm gonna try to get a one-shot out this week too before I'm off on vacation. We'll see if I can actually get it done :)

Leave a comment on what you thought of the chapter and let me know if you want to be tagged!

#black writers #michael b jordan #michael b jordan x oc #mbjordanedit #michael b jordan x reader #creed 3 #black panther #adonis creed #michael b jordan fanfic #creed iii #michael b jordan smut

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skoulsons · 1 year

Text

“Ah! The newbies! Tommy said his brother was in town! What’s the name?”

Joel’s mouth turned into half a smirk at the elation in the voice of the man welcoming them to the Tipsy Bison. “Joel.” He said, motioning his hand that was not occupied with Ellie’s in her direction, “this is Ellie.”

“Joel and Ellie Miller. Nice to meet you folks!”

Ellie’s eyes grew wide. Ellie Miller.

Williams? Miller. Miller? Ellie Williams… Ellie Miller.

The voices of the conversing men were drowned out now, Ellie taken completely captive by her thoughts. Joel’s last name. My last name. Our last name. But… we’re not family. We can’t, can we? It’s his name, it’s not mine. I shouldn’t be called that. I shouldn’t be but I… want to be? Do I? Fuck, of course I do. Official shit? I’d get to be a Miller? Joel’s…

“-lie?”

She was back, her thoughts pushed somewhat back. “Hm?”

He faced her, her hand still in his. “Hey, you okay? You were out of it there for a minute,” he asked, voice unmistakably soft.

“Yup, perfect,” she said, trying to brush it off. It’s a name. Chill.

“Alright,” he said, not pushing it.

The chefs cooked up burgers for them that night and Joel nearly died and went to Heaven having a burger again. Ellie wasn’t as impressed, but seeing Joel eat with the biggest grin on his face and spew some pre-outbreak junk about how delicious a good homemade burger on the grill was made it worth it to her.

But even through dinner, the thoughts in Ellie’s head didn’t leave. They weren’t bad… just curious. Miller. Ellie Miller. It’s just a simple hope. It would never happen; stop making a big deal out of it.

Even after dinner and their walk home, Joel could feel a difference. Silent communication to feeling a difference in them through… the others scent? The way they walk? How their head hung? He couldn’t tell. But there was… something there that was different about her.

They both kicked off their shoes, Ellie moving to the couch immediately to plop into the weary leather.

He asked again. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

He stood by the door, eyebrows raised and hands alarmingly close to sitting on his hips.

She sighed, throwing her head against the back of the couch. “Nothing bad, I swear. Just… some thoughts.”

“Baby, from what I’ve seen, majority of your thoughts are bad.”

“Wow, helpful,” she said, letting out an exasperated sigh. “But you’re right. But I swear, they’re not bad. Just dumb.”

Joel sat on the other end of the couch to face her. He didn’t speak, but he did want to hear from her. Poking and prodding about her dumb thoughts would shut her down. Her dumb thoughts would still overtake her in a number of ways and he wanted her to talk about them, no matter how dumb she said or thought they were.

He sat and waited patiently for her to start.

“What the guy said earlier at dinner.”

“What, specifically?”

She half groaned, annoyed with how such dumb thoughts were making her feel. “When we first got there. You introduced us and he said Joel and Ellie Miller…”

Joel turned his head to the side, a few lightbulbs going off.

“I just… didn’t know how to feel about it, I guess. But, it’s dumb. I’m sure sleeping on it will be fine.”

“Ellie,” he started, cautiously approaching the question, “what was your reaction to it? Did you hate it or was there…”

“Interest,” Ellie continued for him. “Interest, I think? I don’t know, it’s not like I go by Ellie Williams everywhere I go. But… Miller is your name. It’s Tommy’s, it’s Maria’s. It’s not… mine. But…” she trailed off slightly, pulling at her fingers as she glanced up at him. “I kept saying it as my last name in my head and it felt… good, almost. But I’m not a part of the family and using it as my last name seems really official and we’re not official and I’m not related to you guys so it feels wrong to want something when-“

“Hey,” he interrupted, grabbing her hand from across the couch. “My last name does not define whether you’re in the family or not, got it?”

Ellie sniffed and swallowed, forcing the lump in her throat down. “Still… it feels weird.”

“Tell you what,” he grabbed her hand with his other, holding it tight. “We try it on for size for a little while? If you want. There’s a lot of families we haven’t met. Plenty of kids your age, adults my age. They know I’m Tommy’s brother, so they’re going to assume you’re related, too. If you want, when introducing yourself, you can use Miller to see how it sounds.” He smiled at her. Ellie Miller. Fuck, he’d love it. “If you end up hatin’ it, you don’t have to use it. Okay?”

She nodded in agreement, “Okay.” She looked up at him again, noting those familiar creases at the corners of his eyes. “Do you… like how it sounds?”

His smile grew as he brought her enveloped hand up to his lips, adjusting his grip on her so he could kiss her knuckles briefly, the feel of his stubble causing her to reflexively flex her fingers at the feeling. “Course I do,” he said, grabbing hold of her hand again. “But I’m not gonna ask you to use it if you end up hating it.”

She smiled, nodding in understanding. She wouldn’t hate it. It’s his last name. If this is as official as they can get, she wants it.

They stayed on the couch, Ellie eventually changing positions to laying her head on his thigh as he told her Miller Family Stories, per her request. The majority of them were embarrassing stories of Tommy in his youth, stories Joel supposedly was made to swear would never leave the immediate family.

But Ellie was a part of the immediate family now, and she’s definitely going to use her newfound knowledge against her uncle.

#Jess this is for you you talk about Ellie miller all the time #ever since that fic of him kissing her knuckles #it seriously hasn’t left my brain #and while yes #it was not my plan to include it in this #it happened anyway #hand holding !#knuckle kissing ! apparently because flfjfpfgj my new love #proximity !#Ellie being a miller #my beloved. all of those. beloved little things.#the last of us hbo #the last of us #joel miller #ellie williams #ellie miller #l writes

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cookiesupplier · 5 months

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Every Rose Has It's Thorns - Part Fifteen

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking,

summary: In a world where soulmates inexplicably receive a tattoo that will match that of their soulmate the moment they turn eighteen years old, being famous and covered in very visible tattoos can make finding your true soulmate a questionable fate. For everyone involved.

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram

Ricky didn’t drive straight home, no, he just drove, it was probably stupid but he did, he just drove, half freaking out. Thankfully, breathing deeply, he was calm, he was fine, he wasn’t having another attack, no. But did he sit there thinking about the way that Ava had talked to him last time, did he sit there and think of her talking him through grounding himself with his senses, five, four, three, two, one... He didn’t have coffee or tea for one this time... He had gum... So that worked well enough.

Did Ava’s voice suspiciously sound like Talia’s? No comment on that. If it did, it was because of her reasoning that Talia was the one who taught her, he’d blame that, easily done.

Finally, it was when he remembered that he had groceries in his car, food that he needed to get home, some of it needing to go in the fridge, and he soon turned around and drove home. He was being an idiot. At least now he was a calmer idiot.

Shit.

None of this made him feel good, none of this made sense. He didn’t even want to go home.

Finally pulling into his drive though, he swallowed heavily when he saw the other car that was waiting for him there, the person that was waiting for him on the stoop. Double shit. He was screwing up so badly, and now he was probably about to get his ass handed to him by Chris. He didn’t even want to imagine why he was there, but he could guess, the fact he was right now was too coincidental. Sighing, he killed the engine before he got out of his car and moved to start getting his cold groceries out of the trunk. The bags had been waiting long enough, and the sooner he put them away, the less likely anything inside would spoil.

He was lifting bags from his car when Chris was coming up beside him, wordlessly grabbing a couple to help him carry inside as well, of course, he was doing it without being asked, Ricky sighed, damn it, he couldn’t even be annoyed at him when he did that. Couldn’t today he just be a little bit selfish and tell him he was a fucking idiot and walk away and let him deal with his stupidity as he should? Like he really should! No. Course not. It had been a week since the party, and Chris had been waiting for him to do something, and he hadn’t... Well, he had, he’d just fucked it up, at the party.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Between them, he got his groceries inside, and everything was put away, and hopefully, everything that was cold was away before anything had been out of the cool long enough to be affected. Considering it wasn’t too hot out, he thought he might have gotten away with it.

Once it was all done. Rick made himself a coffee, considering he hadn’t gone into the café earlier, offering to make Chris one despite seeing him inside the café.. Met with an eye roll as if Chris didn’t know that Ricky had seen him there, drinking his own coffee already.

“You know I’ve just had coffee with Talia, Rick, don’t play games.. What the fuck, man.. I saw the look on your face.”

Ricky shifted uncomfortably, lifting his mug to busy himself with a scalding mouthful of the beverage, swallowing with a grimace,

“I don’t know what to tell you, I just, I reacted. I freaked, and when I realised what was happening, I got the hell out of there. I don’t know what's happening to me.”

Chris frowned, rolling his shoulder, that didn’t sound like like Rick at all, and it worried him, he wanted to be angry because Ricky was just completely disregarding everything everyone was trying to do to help him, every little bit of advice he was being given. Not to mention talking to Talia, spending time with Talia, she was wonderful, and Ricky, was hiding away like some fucking little goblin, for what?

“Rick, I’ll say again, what, the fuck.”

Ricky looked at Chris, he can’t do it, he can’t keep it in, he can’t lie..

“Something happened, at the party, and I, I fucked up Chris, I fucked up bad, and she, we-”

He sighed, heavily, leaning back against the breakfast bar that separated his kitchen and his living room he set his coffee down while

“We had sex.”

“Wait, at the party, at my parent's house... When? Where? You know what, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.”

Chris’ confusion was obvious by his rapid words, and the questions, looking at Ricky, Chris could probably figure it out, he’d spent enough time in that house, he’d grown up in that house. He’d hooked up with enough of his partners growing up in that house himself, so honestly, yeah, he could figure it out, didn’t mean he wanted to. The real confusion came with the fact that he’d been having coffee with Talia for the last few days, and she hadn’t said anything about talking to Ricky, about having anything to do with him, which made him think that that interaction and it was not sitting well with him as the reality was sinking in what had happened.

“Let me guess, it didn’t end well. You two fucked, and then you what, ran, or blew her off, or something.”

Rick looked away, his stomach in knots with how easily Chris hit the nail on the head, his voice taking that tone he knew well, and the look in his eyes though, it burned there, as much as Chris was an easygoing guy, there was anger in him when it came to respecting women, and Rick could tell that he was pissed, pissed on behalf of Talia and Rick knew it, and he didn’t blame him. He’d been a fucking asshole just walking away from her like that, no matter what had happened between them. Seeing the two together, it was so clear they’d struck up a friendship, and Rick tried desperately not to think about the sting of how easy it had looked for the two of them together. How happy they had been. The pain in his neck however wasn’t as bad as when he saw it right in front of him.

“Something like that, yeah, I just, I told her it would never happen again, and left her there.”

No, he wasn’t going to say anything about how his soulmate tattoo had been affecting him ever since, how seeing her with Chris had made it flare up when he’d gotten angry, that he just, no, he didn’t tell him that. It sounded insane, more insane than hooking up with her randomly in the guest bathroom of one of his best friend's parents' houses.

Chris looked at him, his face was stone and yeah, he was pissed at Rick, he was his best friend, and dammit, he was completely fucking up with an amazing woman, and if she wasn’t Ricky’s soulmate, he might for the first time in a long time, actually consider dating again. He let out an aggravated sigh, standing straighter, he just left her there. For the love of… that explained why Ava had been so disheartened when Talia had gone home early, feeling sick. Feeling sick, his ass. Made more sense now. Looking at the way Rick was sitting at the dining table, Chris nodded, standing from the table himself,

“Stand up, now.”

“What?”

“Fucking hell Ricky, you either stand up and take me punching you like the fucking asshole you're acting like, or I get Ava on the phone and she-”

Ricky had his mug of coffee down on the counter and standing straight waiting for the punch even before Chris pointed out that the younger man would probably end up castrated before the end of the day. They both knew it, neither of them even wanted to think about it, mess with Talia, and Ava would fuck you over, and Chris, hearing some of the things Talia said, he knew it went both ways.

He flinched when Chris picked up his fist, which just made the crunch when the punch connected to his cheek hurt even more.

“Fuck, Chris! Shit, man.”

The taller man just shrugged, shaking out his hand and stretching his fingers, it was better than hitting out of anger, getting into a fight out of anger, and it could get bad, he was well aware. Chris didn’t want to go down that path, least of all with Ricky, as much of a shit he was acting like, he cared about him too much, he loved him, he was just so fucking out of his head right now.

“You deserved it. Now. Richard Olson, you’re going to listen to me this time, I don’t care if it's in person, or over the damn phone, but you are going to have a civil conversation with that woman. Talk to her. A real conversation, Rick, not just fucking, no matter the temptation.”

This time he didn’t care if Ricky liked him telling him this, he hadn’t liked his suggestions before, but this time, this time he was pushing it, it was getting ridiculous, sex in his parent's house, during the barbecue, really Rick? Not that Talia was bad-looking, if she wasn’t Rick’s- no, no he wasn’t going there, it wasn’t his place, he knew it wasn’t his place. Of course, talking to Talia wasn’t going to fix everything, but he’d figure some other things out. As it was, he kept going with Ricky,

“You never know, you might like her, she’s an amazing woman, Rick, we’ve been having coffee for a few days now. I think you’d like her if you gave her a chance.”

Rick’s whole body went tense hearing how fondly Chris spoke of Talia, the smile he got on his face when he said she was an amazing woman. There was no way he could admit to the way his soulmate tattoo burned something awful with the irrational anger that ripped through him as he picked up his coffee to drink, distraction, he needed a distraction so he didn’t hit his friend for talking about her like that. It was bad enough that he could barely see Vinny lately without risking running into Talia while she was staying at his house, but now this? He missed hanging out with Chris too, and she wasn’t just worming her way everywhere in his life, but now under his skin, how the fuck did he dig her out?

Talia didn’t bother with an Uber today, having found her way around town enough, she enjoyed walking. She did a lot back home too, and today she felt comfortable enough that she had decided to walk back to Vinny’s on her own two feet. Walking gave her time to clear her head every day, and while today had felt like a good day, something felt off, she couldn’t quite place why. Chris had seemed a bit preoccupied before he left, not to mention, through their time having coffee, a part of her wondered if she was being stupid going for coffee with him at all.

He was one of Rick’s friends, but at the same time, he was one of Vinny’s friends too, and it could affect Ava’s situation. It was complicated. Chris was an attractive man. Any other situation, maybe these afternoons having coffee, and she might be working up asking him out on a date. He was funny, smart, great taste in music, and yet, being around him would draw her even closer to Rick, and that thought was even more painful and treacherous for her heart. Not that being friends with Chris was horrible, considering she had no intention of abandoning Ava here alone. They could be friends, she wanted to be friends.

As she was walking, she was about halfway down Vinny’s street, well aware of his address now, since the party she committed the address to memory, and saved it permanently in her phone. She was not going to be caught without it, no chance. Not that it mattered now she was learning her way around, which was good if she planned to come back here, and considering Vinny was now such a big part of Ava’s life, she would, she could promise you that. It wasn’t that far from Vinny’s house when she felt a surge of heat through her soulmate tattoo again, her neck just suddenly burning up out of nowhere. She’d felt it a little at the café, just for a moment, but it had calmed down quickly, but not this bad though, this time made her cry out, her hand moving to her neck, fingers curving around it.

This wasn’t the first time it had happened this week, the tattoo flaring up, not that it was always painful sometimes, it felt good sometimes too. Oh, oh, it felt wonderful, the kind of good like it had felt in the bathroom when she was Rick. Something was happening, and she didn’t know what was going on, and it was making her head completely spin around. Whether she was thinking about him, or feeling her mark react… it certainly made her think about him… something, something was happening. What was she supposed to do?

Who was she supposed to talk to? Was this normal? She’d never heard of a soulmate tattoo doing this. She had a feeling if Jordan and Kyle’s tattoo had done this, they’d have said something, right? Or if Ava and Vinny’s tattoos were reacting the same way.. Right, right?

Dammit.

Maybe she was finally going insane. All these years, all the years of her family thinking she was a little bit off her rocker thinking she was soulmates with a famous musician and fighting to just be accepted… and maybe after everything that had happened with Ricky now, she’d finally just, broken.

Made sense.

This all started happening when she finally met him. Maybe she’d just finally snapped.

“Congrats, Talia, you made it. Welcome to around the bend.”

Rubbing her neck, the pain seemed to have calmed down, but that didn’t change the reality of what was happening, of what her soulmate tattoo was telling her, whatever it was that it was telling her. She was feeling phantom pain, and yes, phantom arousing moments… the latter was not so bad, but the fact that it came out of nowhere, well…

Sighing, maybe when she went home she’d see about finding one of those therapists that specialised in soulmate bonds, broken ones. She’d talk to Ava, but it felt like it would just be something that could drag her down with Vinny. Sure she was here for support, but with her not soulmate connection with Ricky, she just felt like it was more pressure, and it was such a horrible feeling like she was nothing but a dead weight to her best friend’s relationship.

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

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heavyhitterheaux · 2 years

Text

Dirty Little Secret Part 2

First Lady of Private Garden Fic

AN: I’m backkkkkkkk 😘💖

Synopsis: You and Curse have become closer and Urban couldn't be happier. But when a "secret" is revealed that she wasn't aware of, she reveals a secret of yours that she knows would hurt you right back

(Same synopsis as part 1 because some of this is told from her point of view)

Pairing: Urban Wyatt x @softtcurse , Husband!Jack Harlow x Wife!Reader

Thank you to my sister wives for all of their help with this 😘

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

After spending the entire day with you, the two of you were currently helping each other get ready to go out to dinner with the rest of PG. Curse was currently doing Y/N’s make-up when she looked up at her and gave her a small smile.

"I don't think I've mentioned it before, but I'm happy that there is now another girl around. The testosterone was starting to be a bit much for me." Y/N said as Curse began applying the perfect shade of eyeshadow that would match her dress. She had already seen it beforehand since they had found the perfect one in a small boutique not too far from the hotel.

“I appreciate how all of you have embraced me because I was definitely nervous. Especially since I know how close all of you are and have known each other for years.”

“Urban definitely found something special when it comes to you and I’m happy that my best friend is happy.”

“I’ll be honest, I was intimidated as shit when he first brought me around you.” Curse said while looking down at you and you sighed.

“Girl, why? People have this idea in their head that I’m like so mean when it’s the complete opposite. I guess it just stems from me being overprotective about them and vice versa. But I am such a caring and loving person that will do anything for people, especially them.”

“Since I was around everyone else first, they always spoke so highly of you, I guess because I knew it was a big deal to Urban to get your approval. I didn’t want to be a disappointment.”

“That I can understand seeing how things have happened in the past. But, I’m really trying to be better. I never want it to get to a point like that again where he feels as if he has to hide something from me. I’ll love him regardless and I thought he knew that. I tell him and Jack all the time, whatever it is we’ll work through it.”

“He does and that really was a difficult time. You know I actually threatened him to call you one day.”

“He kind of told me about it that day that we kinda made up, but didn’t really go into any details.”

“I said that this needed to end and Jack should have kicked his ass with how disrespectful he was being towards you.”

“He was hurt, Curse. And I admit that I do have to be better about getting out of my own head. I guess it’s because I just… they know that I will do anything for them and I do want them to be happy.”

“And that’s fine, and I know that they will do the same for you, but, you have focused on them long enough and it’s your turn for your career to blossom into what you want it to be. They’ll always be there for you but don’t you think it’s time to pay more attention to you? I know Jack wants you to, but keep in mind you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Wait, what?”

“I kinda overheard him and Urban yesterday and he mentioned that he is so proud of you, but just wants you to focus on yourself more. He was like ‘I don’t want her to look at it as if I don’t need her anymore, because I always will. I just want her to have all that I have too.”

“That’s such a Jack thing to say. I love that man and can’t put into words how much I do.”

“And it’s the same way for him. I admire what you two have. Despite everything that might be going on around you and the fact that people have tried your marriage, been disrespectful, tried to break yall up, yall never faltered.”

“Thank you and stop because I’m about to cry. Like he’s it for me and neither of us would let someone ruin what we have.”

“And everyone can see that.” Curse said putting the final touches on Y/N’s makeup.

“Okay, all done! Let’s get dressed because you know that they’re probably all screaming that we’re taking too long.”

And just then the two of them heard Jack’s voice.

“BABYYYYYYYY!!!! YOU AND YASMIN ARE GOING TO MAKE US LATE…..AGAIN!”

“WE’RE COMING SMUSH! BE PATIENT!”

Once Curse had gotten to her shared room with Urban, she took out her phone to scroll through instagram while the water was heating up for her shower. That’s when she saw a picture of Y/N that she hadn’t come across before on her explore page and quickly clicked it.

However, when she went to the comment section to leave one, she got a lot more than she bargained for.

Curse then did a double-take with not believing what she had just saw.

(This is under the Someone Very Important instagram au)

So, Y/N and her current boyfriend who is also Y/N’s best friend has had sex before? And apparently no one was going to tell her?

Looking at the time she saw that she needed to stop scrolling on her phone and continue to get ready to be downstairs in a decent amount of time.

She would deal with them later,

Both of them.

Curse had been quiet ever since she made her way downstairs to the lobby of the hotel with Urban and could see that Y/N kept eyeing her and she looked genuinely concerned. Meanwhile, Curse’s blood was boiling every time she glanced up at her and they made eye contact.

Curse thought to herself that she was so fucking full of it.

Sitting there smiling in her face when deep down she knew what she did, and truth be told she was probably still doing it ever since she and Urban got together. She should have known better to not put anything past Y/N considering her track record with Urban and his relationships. It seemed as if Y/N wanted her husband and her best friend too all to herself and it looked as if Urban was gladly going along for the ride. If he was doing anything behind her back, what was she even there for? He should have just stayed single if he wanted to continue to fuck his best friend who also happened to be married to his other best friend.

She honestly wouldn’t put it past you to cheat on Jack at this point.

“Curse, are you okay? You just seem a little quiet all of a sudden.” Y/N asked as everyone was now all gathered around the table with Curse sitting directly across from her. Everyone had started to notice that something was off.

“You really do have some nerve. Smiling all in my face and acting like you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Y/N replied back to Curse clearly confused.

“Yasmin, what are you even talking about?” Jack also asked, confused as he stole a bite of food off Y/N’s plate.

“Seriously? Okay um, let’s see. Y/N, when was I going to find out that you fucked my man?”

“Oh shit.”

“Wait, Urban never told you?” Y/N quietly asked. Even though there weren't a lot of people at the surrounding tables, Curse didn’t even care at this point if they heard the conversation. She planned on airing all of this shit out.

Now Urban was looking like a deer caught in headlights and all eyes were now on him.

“Obviously not, but it doesn’t surprise me. You have to have everything for your fucking self.”

“Now, let me stop you right there. It happened before he even met you and I was always there.” Jack said while jumping in to defend his wife..

“You sure about that Jack?” Curse threw back while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Are you accusing my wife of cheating on me?”

“Well, she’ll do anything to get what she wants right?”

“Are you serious? I would never cheat on my husband and he obviously had to approve for it to happen anyway.”

“Okay this is a little awkward now.” Neelam said while looking between the both of them.

“And it’s the fact that all of you knew and didn’t say anything.”

“First of all, it wasn’t our place to say anything. It’s a running joke between us, however, that was your boyfriend’s responsibility. You aren’t going to sit up here and come for Jack and Y/N because of something that happened before you were even in the picture.” 2fo piped up not wanting to hear the slander against his best friends any longer.

“Wait, how did you find out anyway if Urban didn’t tell you?” Quiiso inquired because everyone was confused about that part.

“It doesn’t matter how I found out, it matters that the situation is something that should have been shared with me.”

“All this heat needs to be directed at the person sitting next to you who hasn’t said a damn thing this entire time.”

“So, what you so quiet for? Did you want to continue to fuck her?”

“YASMIN!”

“Nah, answer me. Because right now it looks like you do.”

“No, I’m with you so….?”

“And that’s supposed to mean something? Well I guess since secrets are being revealed, how about Y/N shares that since she had a miscarriage that she’s scared that she won't be able to have any kids and that her husband won't want to be with her anymore."

"Oh shit."

"Yasmin!" Y/N exclaimed while everyone was sharing nervous glances at the table.

Jack was trying to come to terms with believing that she would say that out loud and looked up at her in disbelief..

"Doesn't feel too good does it huh? You know what you were probably only being nice to me to get back on Urban's good side. People have told me that you really are a bitch and can never see anyone happy but yourself with your no talent having ass."

"Now wait a minute!" Urban said, trying to interrupt her, but she wasn’t backing down.

"Nah, Yasmin that was outta pocket and uncalled for." Ace piped up and looked over at her.

"I thought he had told you! How is he not telling you my fault? And why the fuck would you say that!? I only told you and no one else knew besides Jack. I trusted you!" Y/N said as her eyes began to water. But the tears weren’t going to get her any sympathy from her.

"Well you fucked Urban so I figured you would have wanted that to continue and that's why you didn't say anything! And how do we know it wasn’t Urban’s kid anyway?"

"WHAT?! I would never do that! He's with you!"

"Nah, you know what. He was right. You do ruin every single relationship that he's been in and you might as well add this one to your list."

She knew that would break her and she succeeded when she saw the look on her face.

“This stops right now, we’re done with this. You aren’t going to sit up here and disrespect not only my wife, but me too.”

Y/N immediately got up from the table with Jack right behind her leaving everyone to think about what had just happened in front of them.

“Yasmin, that was low.” Neelam quietly said while looking over at her.

“What’s low is me having to find out on social media that my boyfriend fucked his best friend.”

“So, you can sit up here and yell at her and reveal secrets that she only told you but you need to have that same energy for your boyfriend.”

Urban was still sitting there quietly not knowing what to do.

“And Urb? You didn’t even defend your best friend so what the hell is wrong with you? She would go to fucking war for you and you’re just going to let Yasmin bash her? Someone you’ve known for ten years?” Now Shloob was annoyed and looked over at Urban in disbelief.

“I-... I should have told you and I’m sorry for that. But…. fuck…I didn’t think it mattered! It hadn’t happened since we first started talking!”

“Didn’t think it mattered?! The three of you fucking deserve each other.”

—

Curse and Urban were now back in their shared hotel room with her shooting daggers at him. After the blow-up at dinner, everything had just been awkward. No one knew what to say or do regarding her basically airing out all of Y/N’s business and apparently not caring.

“Yasmin, can we please talk about this?” Urban asked, pleading with her as she began to slip off her shoes.

“What is there to talk about? You fucked her and didn’t tell me.”

“I apologize for that and I admit that I should have. But it hasn’t happened since I asked you to be my girlfriend. I would never do that to you or put you in that type of situation.”

“You should have just been honest from the beginning.”

“Honestly, would that have made a difference?”

“I think it would have. I want a relationship built on trust, Urban. This was not a good example of that.”

“I don’t. But I can promise you that it happened before I even met you. I’ve literally told you about everything else and have been honest.”

“It seems like she has to have everything and that no one else can win around her. You should have told me if you were going to bring me around her all the damn time!”

“I get that, I really do and I take full responsibility for it. Now let me stop you right there. You’re my girlfriend, but she’s been my best friend for ten years and I can’t even begin to tell you how much she does for me and all of PG. She has to be the most unselfish person that I know and always makes sure that everyone else around her is good before herself. So the fact that you now called her untalented, said she does ruin every relationship I’ve been in after we were now kind of getting back to how we were before and revealed she had a miscarriage that literally none of us knew about? You want to know what she texted me last night?”

“Her nudes?”

“Cut the shit, Yasmin. She sent me a text saying she saw how much happier I was ever since being with you since she’s known about it and she can see it. She really was taking the time to get to know you not just because of me because she genuinely wanted to. She likes having you around. Why didn’t you just come and ask me instead of basically attacking her off-guard in front of everyone? So, how would you feel if someone did that to you? Like, that’s a big ass secret that you just aired out. And the fact that she told you before she even told me? That says something because she literally tells me everything. She trusts you or now trusted you, I guess and she obviously doesn't do that with a lot of people.”

“Think about how it looks from my point of view. Obviously if I see something like that, I’m going to assume the absolute worst and that you would rather have me and whoever else on the side. Thinking about it now, I probably shouldn’t have said that outloud or accused her of cheating on Jack, but that hurt me, you weren’t honest with me and it makes me think what else that you could possibly be hiding.”

“I’m not hiding anything!”

Curse was quiet and just stared at Urban.

“Now, both of my best friends are probably mad as shit with me on top of you being mad at me too.”

“I legit should leave your ass over this.” Curse quietly muttered while breaking eye contact with Urban.

“Are you serious right now?!”

“Obviously I am because why else would I say it?!”

“I just want for the two of you to get along because you’re both important to me. And you know how I was during the time that we weren’t talking.”

“Yeah, I guess she is important since you were her little fuck toy.”

“Look… I… what can I do to make this better?”

“The damage is done and there is no coming back from it. I should kick you in your fucking throat for saying that you didn’t think it mattered. She’s your best friend AND the two of you have had sex multiple times. You brought me around her and didn’t think to disclose that information?!”

“There has to be something that I can do, Yasmin, please.”

“Is there anything else that has happened between the two of you that I should know about? A relationship maybe?”

Urban sighed before sitting down next to her and figured that it was now or never.

“There’s a sex tape with all three of us on it and then there’s one where it was just the two of them and I recorded it. Jack wanted a video of her since he was about to go on tour and she wouldn’t be able to stay the entire time. That’s when she thought of the idea and of course before she even asked me, she had to ask him. No relationship ever took place. I was serious when I meant she’s my best friend. Y/N and Jack have been together since we were all 15 and she doesn’t glance anyone else’s way. He is it for her. Jack was always there when it happened. There’s no way in the world I would do that to him and break his trust.”

Damn.

Urban looked over at her to see that she had suddenly gone quiet and was now taking everything in and trying to process it. A few minutes had passed before he heard her voice again.

“But it was okay to break mine?” She barely said above a whisper.

“No, it wasn’t. And I admit my fault in all of that. Can we just start over? I know that was a lot to take in and I really have no excuse as to why I didn’t tell you before.”

Yasmin sighed and was quiet for a few minutes before giving Urban a definite answer.

“If I say yes and something else gets revealed that I didn’t know about, then it’s literally over between us and don’t even bother asking for me to take you back.”

“That’s fair. I can imagine all that I told you was hard to hear so I’ll delete the sex tape that has the three of us in it and ask for them to delete it too.”

Once Yasmin and Urban had finished talking, he decided to send a message in the group chat to Jack and Y/N to see if they would bother to give him the time of day.

Urban- First, I need to apologize to the both of you. I admit that I was wrong and I should have told her from the beginning

A few seconds had passed and it showed where Jack had read it and was typing his response, but it went on for so long that it seemed like he would start writing something and would then erase it.

Urban- You can yell at me all you want, I know that I deserve it at this point

That was when Jack had sent him a text separately so that Y/N wouldn’t see it.

Jack- I should kick your ass for what you did or should I say didn’t do. This entire time I thought that you told her what had happened.

Urban- I know I should have

Jack- Y/N hasn’t stopped crying since that shit happened and I legit don’t even know what to do at this point. Like, why the fuck would she say something like that?

Urban- The only explanation is her being hurt by everything that happened

Jack- And that shit should have been directed at you and not Y/N or me who was fucking blindsided by it. She mentioned to me how she told her because she felt as if she could trust her and you two still weren’t on the best of terms so she didn’t want to go to you about it

That definitely hurt Urban seeing that Y/N felt that she couldn’t come to him about something as important as that.

Urban- Just let me talk to Y/N so I can fix this

Jack- Nah, you can fuck all the way off with that shit. Just leave her alone and let her be. She’ll talk to you when she wants to. You’ve done enough for tonight.

The next day was extremely awkward to say the least. No one wanted to acknowledge the elephant in the room and small talk between Jack and PG seemed like it was forced. Jack had been quiet the entire day and would only speak when someone asked him a question about something. It wasn’t until 2fo cornered him when they were away from anyone else to see how he was feeling.

“I… I don’t even know how to begin to ask about this because I know both you and Y/N are far from okay.”

All Jack could do was sigh as he looked over at him.

“What they did was fucked up and… look we’re here for the both of you and I know that you know that. Anything that we can do to help just tell us.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Where is she anyway?”

“She cried herself to sleep after I don’t know how many hours so I just let her rest. I know that Urban is the last person that she wants to see right now. I just told him to give her space and that she’ll talk to him once she’s ready to.I just checked on her and she said she was watching Netflix on her iPad.”

“Did you have any names picked out yet?” Shloob quietly asked as he came up beside 2fo.

“Not yet, but we knew it was a girl. Y/N was so excited when she found out and just to have it taken away from you just like that? She tried to drown herself by going to the studio and working, but I wouldn’t let her. I was like the most important thing and the best thing that she could do for herself at this point was to rest. That was hard for her to hear because she didn’t want to deal with it. She didn’t want to deal with it because if she did, then she knew that it was real.”

“It seems like everything is coming at her all at once.” Ace added finally joining the conversation.

“It is and I’m at a loss and don’t know what to do.” Jack honestly answered. He was frustrated because the last thing he wanted to see was his wife hurting.

“Best thing that you can do right now is support her and be there for her. And we’re going to do the same for the both of you.”

Y/N heard a quiet knock on the door and pulled the comforter away from her body. The most she did today was take a shower and get right back in the bed. She didn’t know how long she spent the night before crying with Jack trying to comfort her, but she knew that she needed to have a day to herself. She didn’t even hear Jack leave in order to go to soundcheck.

She stood on her tiptoes to see that it was Quiiso who also had a cup in his hand which she assumed was a milkshake. Any time she had a bad day, he would immediately bring her one or he would make sure if he wasn’t around her that one got to her before the day was over. There have been times when she was overseas and he would order it to have it delivered to her hotel room. Milkshakes were their thing.

She opened the door and Quiiso gave her a small smile.

“I figured that you could definitely use this today.”

All Y/N could do was eagerly nod her head as tears began to form in her eyes and fall down her cheeks.

Without a second thought, Quiiso embraced her and she tightly hugged him back. She moved to the side to let him in and so he could hand her the milkshake. It was quiet for a few minutes as they sat next to each other before Quiiso decided to break the silence.

“So Neelam and PG got this for you and Jack.” Quiiso handed her a card which had a message along the lines of ‘sorry for the loss of your baby.’

“I looked up how people actually want for it to be acknowledged when it happens and we thought that this was the best way to go about it. We’re always going to be here for the both of you and we wanted for you both to know that.”

“I appreciate all of you so much. This means a lot to me. Whenever I do get pregnant again, I know for a fact that they are going to have the best possible tribe surrounding them.”

“We’ve been doing this thing for ten years and we’re not stopping any time soon. So any time you need to talk, vent, cry, scream. You know where to find us.”

“I just…. I can’t even put into words how mad I am at Urban. Well not mad, that’s not the right word. Maybe disappointed?”

“Trust and believe that we are too and he had some choice words from us last night in the group chat. I think to the point where he silenced his notifications.”

“I need to give it some time. I can’t deal with that right now and I want to talk to him when I have a clear head and I’m not running high off my emotions.”

“And that’s fair.”

“I just still can’t believe she would say that out loud even if she was mad at me. When people tell me secrets, even if we end up falling out, I’m never going to repeat them.”

Jack had about three hours to go until he hit the stage and was simply watching Netflix with you when he got a text.

Curse- Hey, Jack. I know that you’re mad at me and you have reason to be. I just want to talk so that I can apologize to you and Y/N.

Read at 6:23 PM

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#jack harlow #jack harlow x black reader #jack harlow x reader #jack harlow fic #jack harlow fanfic #jack harlow angst #jack harlow fluff #jack harlow imagine #urban wyatt #urban wyatt x reader #urban wyatt fic #urban wyatt fanfic #urban wyatt angst #urban wyatt fluff #urban wyatt imagine

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heyclickadee · 1 year

Text

Some Tipping Point Thoughts about Crosshair (mostly):

1. There is a small part of me that is a little suspicious that Crosshair was allowed to partially escape on purpose, buuuuuut Emerie wasn’t the one who put that blaster within Crosshair’s reach, and she looked genuinely frightened when she realized that Crosshair really was going to stun her. It was one of the stormtroopers who put that blaster there, and, yes, it was a stupid move, but no one ever accused stormtroopers of being smart.

2. “Pushed to the limits of his extreme in the most heartbreaking way,” didn’t just apply to “The Outpost,” I see.

3. Speaking of blasters, these early stormtrooper blasters are the cheapest looking blasters I’ve ever seen in a star war—and I mean that as a compliment to the show. Those things look and feel like something that would be mass produced without much concern for quality or durability, which is exactly the Empire’s approach to the stormtroopers themselves.

4. Sooooo…this might sound counterintuitive, but this episode really put the final kibosh in any lingering worries I had that they’re killing Crosshair this season. You don’t do something like this (gestures broadly at Crosshair’s whole thing) and then kill them off. Especially not in some kind of redemptive self-sacrificial death. Especially when what we watched him do in this episode is so pointedly self-sacrificial. Crosshair might try to die for his family in the next two episodes, but there’s no way the narrative is going to let that happen. There’s no way to kill him off right now that isn’t empty, no way to have him die for anyone that doesn’t make the other person look careless by comparison (if only because viewers react to stories emotionally as much as they do otherwise), and no way to end his story in a way that isn’t just an ocean of untouched possibilities. The writers are sitting on a narrative gold mine with this character and I think they know that, otherwise they could have just let him die on that platform. And I’m stoked, because this means that we’re going to get to watch these characters deal with the difficult mess that’s going to be rebuilding their relationships.

5. Crosshair loves his family SO DAMN MUCH.

6. Evil thought: What if the batch gets to him, and he doesn’t realize they’re really there at first? I mean…he’s going to live, and he’s not getting brainwashed, but he is almost definitely going to be in a lot of pain and potentially pretty disoriented. I could see him taking a few minutes to realize that they’re really there and they finally came for him (but OH NO they weren’t supposed to come for him this time WHAT ARE THEY DOING THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO HIDE).

7. Eviler thought: Man, I really hope Dr. Hemlock doesn’t clock the fact that Crosshair will take any and all abuse that’s thrown at him without complaint but will absolutely lose his shit if that same abuse is thrown at another clone.

8. The look on Crosshair’s face when Omega says, “You’re still their brother, Crosshair. You’re my brother too,” back in Kamino Lost is going to kill me ten times over after this episode.

9. I’m looking forward to the absolute murder we’ll get to see in Echo’s eyes once he sees what Hemlock’s been doing.

10. You know…I’m not sure Crosshair couldn’t have made it outside if he hadn’t stopped to send that warning—if sending the warning wasn’t his only goal in the first place. He could barely stand up straight and he still went through about eight people like they were tissue paper.

11. I don’t know what is up with Emerie besides definitely something, but I sort of like the idea that Crosshair stunned her instead of killing her because he maybe got the sense that she’s a prisoner, too.

12. You know, there sure are a lot of clones in Mount Tantiss. In the cells, being commandos. Sure would be a shame for Hemlock if they all revolted at the same time somehow (I feel like this is wishful thinking, but I can dream).

#the bad batch #tbb spoilers #tbbspoilers #the bad batch spoilers #crosshair bad batch #I have more thoughts but these are the only coherent ones

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joels6string · 11 months

Text

More Than My Father's Son

Joel Miller x f!OC

Chapter 12 - My Brother Joel

Summary: Tommy and Joel head on the road for a doomed mission to find you in the Utah wilderness, dead, alive, or infected.

Rating: E

Word Count: 3.6k

Content: NSFW, high levels of violence normal to the TLOU world, angst, fluff, miscommunication trope (it’s Joel Miller…), slow burn, Joel’s traumatic childhood, getting together, smut, canon divergence after SLC, fix it fic

“Maybe you should have told her! Maybe if you didn’t fuckin’ lie to her she never woulda left! You ever imagine that, Joel? What your life could be like if you were honest for once? You’d be wakin’ up to her in your damn bed instead of being out here in mourning!”

Chapter 11 || Series Masterlist

My brother is many things.

He’s played as many roles as there is, taking each one onto a pair of shoulders that should have buckled from the pressure years ago. I’ve seen him through the hardest days of his life. The high school graduation pop couldn’t be bothered to attend. The day he found out he was gonna be a daddy before he could legally drink a beer. He called me when Rebecca left him with nothing but a note, Sarah still tucked up in a crib alone in that shit-hole apartment he scrounged over three jobs to keep. He was crying that day, not for the loss of the woman he’d made his wife outta nothing but obligation, but for the little blonde-haired girl nestled fast asleep against his chest. See, he didn’t think he could raise her. Said he wasn’t fit for it. But I knew better. He raised me, and I think I turned out all right.

And raise her he did. That girl lived the best life he could give her, he didn’t care what it cost. He built a business, bought a house, nurtured a daughter that he swore could save the world one day, and I bet she would have. He never complained. Sure, about not having money sometimes, or losing jobs to the bigger guys, but he never wanted anything different, he didn’t wish for something else.

When Sarah died, so did he. Who could blame him? I carried the guilt of leaving him in Boston from the moment I stepped outta that apartment. I just couldn’t watch him waste away. It was selfish, I know that. But seeing my brother–my goddamn hero–turn into everything he stood against wasn’t something I could do. I tried to pull him back, but the man’s more stubborn than a mule. So I just prayed he’d find his way back, not for me, but for himself. For Sarah. For the man I always knew he was and the one he deserved to be.

Then he shows up some decade and a half later, gray hair, wrinkles around his eyes, scarred like you wouldn’t believe. And damn if he didn’t feel like he’d taken some of himself back. He had Ellie, who I owe my life for what she did for him. I don’t think she knows the extent of that gratitude and I don’t plan to tell her, she don’t need that burden. He loves that girl like his own and so do I. That’s all that matters.

But then there’s her. Millie. All fire and sheer will, if she wasn’t on our side I’d be terrified of her. And god damn does he love that woman. He thinks I can’t tell, but I’ve been watching him practically my whole life, hell, tryin’ to be him, I know. Joel’s a man that would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, but he aint’ one to share what goes on his head. That’s for him to deal with and no one else. He’s a locked box, walled up behind heavily guarded gates, always has been, but with her? It’s all right there on his sleeve for the world to see. Something tells me she knows more about him than most, and I don’t think he needed to speak a damn word for her to figure it out neither.

I don’t know what happened that night of the storm. At this point, I don’t know if I ever will. But something changed.

I knew about Millie, what happened to her. Maria and I...we’d made the call to keep it from him as long as we could. He’d have run off, never to be seen again, I ain’t stupid. I didn’t know what to do. How do you tell someone who's been through hell enough times it shoulda killed him that his one good thing was gone? I couldn’t do it. Not after I’d seen him for the first time in over 20 years. He was smiling again. Strumming on a guitar. Writing songs. Hell, I had him sketching blueprints; he was Joel again. Maybe it was selfish. I wanted to prolong it, keep him around for as long as I could before the inevitable.

And here we are. At the inevitable.

I might as well be riding through these trails alone. He’s silent, it’s like a god damn funeral march. But in reality I guess it is. I’ve contemplated turnin’ around, forcing him back to the life he’s gonna have to face living here eventually. But I can’t. See, the thing is that through all he’s lost, he’s never once gotten the chance to mourn. There was always something else. I think maybe he needs these quiet weeks on the road, and I’ll keep him alive while he’s out here, going through whatever it is he needs to go through.

There’s no way we find her. It’s too much land, too many possibilities, it’s been too long; seven weeks by the time we get to the last place she was seen. For her sake I hope it was quick, and for his I hope it ain’t like Eugene said. If he’s gotta put a bullet in her head, even like that, I don’t see a path back.

We’ve come across a few straggler infected, and his face breaks my heart every time. The fear he’ll see her snarling and deformed, I can’t take it anymore. The way his eyes beg for recognition to end the ache in his chest and for the chance to keep hope alive all the same.

The way he kills them is damn near barbaric. Every swing of that blade an attempt to collect the debt he feels he’s owed. He’s still swinging long after they’re dead and gone, thankfully he’s smart enough to not waste our ammo. I pray we don’t come across any hunters on this trip. The runners I can watch be torn to shreds, I ain’t so sure I can watch him do that to a man again. I’ve had more than my share of that.

Everyday he’s closer to the god damn edge and I’m just waiting for him to fall. It’s bound to happen. Every night he sits by the fire sharpening that damn machete, sometimes gone dull from whatever poor unfortunate soul we encountered, other times he takes it out on a tree, an old rundown house, whatever he can find. I let him have at it, keeping an eye that the desperate crying he does when he thinks he’s alone doesn’t attract anyone or anything. It did once, shot it right between the eyes. I was proud of that one.

We’re set to reach the last place she was seen today, I’m mentally gearing up. Reckon it won’t be pretty. I don’t know where it goes from there. I don’t know if I want to either.

********

“I’m goin’ to look around,” Joel announced before his boots even hit the cement of the old garage, the first words he’d spoken since a grunt of acknowledgement that morning.

“Joel,” Tommy called quickly, “I should come with you.”

“Stay with the horses.”

“Joel!”

But he was already gone. It was a calm, February night, the sky clear as the setting sun cast a hazy, gray light over the untouched snow. Untouched. Not a print in sight, not even a damn rabbit. He should have checked the houses, but something had told him it was useless. You weren’t here. You hadn’t been here in months. Months. The time that had lapsed between you vanishing without a trace and his arrival made him sick to his stomach. He should have been here. He should have stopped you from leaving. He should have fought.

The sound of the rushing river marked the spot where your tracks had stopped. This was the last place you were known to have been. It felt like a fucking burial site. He couldn’t do anything in the dark, so he stood and watched the water run by, the force of it surprising for its lack of depth. Jagged rocks jut out of the white capping current, the barren skeletons of the trees reaching up to the heavens he could no longer believe in.

As the sound lulled him into whatever semblance of tranquility he could find, he wondered how you made it across. It was too wide to jump and too fast to bridge with something as simple as a log, but the rocks could provide a path if traveled carefully. But you were sick. Coughing, a fever seizing up your already ice-cold body, you wouldn’t have the dexterity…

He took off in a sprint back to the house, slamming open the front door hard enough it had Tommy reaching for his gun from where he sat on the floor.

“Jesus Christ. Joel!” Tommy scolded, throwing the shotgun back down with a heavy thud, “I coulda shot you.”

“Down the river,” Joel panted, lungs and throat burning, “Tracks stopped at the bank. It’s too fast. Down the river…”

With numb fingers, Tommy pulled out the map, tracing north until the river opened to a lake. It was miles away, but not more than a day's travel.

“Tell me what you wanna do,” Tommy offered, “Straight shot to where it dumps off?”

“Yeah…” Joel muttered, his mind racing against the light of optimism threatening to banish the darkness of reality.

“Alright then, first light. Sit and eat.”

It would be a miracle if you survived that trip, but it wasn’t impossible. He’d done it, sort of, and that was the catch. He’d had Henry to pull him out, you were alone. But maybe you’d maneuvered well enough to avoid crashing into a rock head first. Or maybe this was all just fucking delusion.

There was no chance of sleep, he just paced, muttering incoherently under his breath about the chance this worked. It was low, and he hated how hard it was to convince himself of that. Back in Jackson as he and Tommy had readied to leave, he saddled up your horse. At the time he’d said in case they found you, you’d be thrilled, you loved that damn animal. But in reality it was just one of the few pieces of you he had left. Bill would be his from now on, maybe he’d even try and replicate those ridiculous biscuits you insisted on making for him.

“You sleep at all?” Tommy asked, still groggy as he lifted himself onto his elbows with a groan.

“A bit,” Joel lied, the barrel of his shotgun shining after two hours of polishing.

“When’d you become so shit at lyin’?”

Probably when he lost it all because of it.

“Let’s go,” Joel snapped, leaping to his feet and grabbing his pack already ready by the door, “Eat on the way.”

Hours turned into days, and on day three of ice cold conditions, searching through trees and caves, and too many close calls with frostbite, Tommy stepped in. An arm across Joel’s chest kept him upright as Tommy pinned him against an oak, his head shaking in denial and defiance as he deflected the reality staring him in the face. You were gone. There was no finding you, there was no closure, no last chance to count the freckles on your face or memorize the warm shade of your hair. There was nothing. Just snow and haunting silence beneath his brother’s sympathetic gaze.

“I know you loved her,” Tommy finally found the opening to say it, “And maybe if you admitted that it would help you…move on.”

“Move on!?” Joel roared, finding the strength to shove his brother off of him, “Move on from what? What the hell do I have to move on from? Huh? I got nothin’! Cause you sent her away!”

“I ain’t doin’ this again…”

“You let your wife send her away–”

The snow softened Tommy’s landing as Joel’s shoulder slammed into his stomach and sent him flying to the ground, a lucky knee to Joel’s stomach giving Tommy enough time to scramble back and right himself with enough distance to avoid another attack.

“You think about Ellie waitin’ for you to come home,” Tommy cautioned, “Before you do something stupid. You got amends to make with her before this happens all over again.”

“Shut your fuckin’ mouth.” This was not the time for principled speeches.

“Have you learned nothin’?!”

“I said shut your god damn mouth, boy!”

“Go take a walk! You need one. Then we’re fuckin’ leaving, and goin’ home.”

Once he was out of Tommy’s line of sight, he collapsed. The sun was going down, the distorted orb reflecting on the surface like flames, no doubt Tommy would be bringing them back to that house tonight for rest indoors before the long journey home. Maybe the ghost of you walked inbetween the walls, or were you out wandering this barren wasteland always trying to find your way home. He’d done this. The knowledge of that fact had been there all along, but it had taken Tommy screaming it at him for it to batter against the forefront of his mind. He did this. If he hadn’t lied to you it was unlikely you’d have volunteered. After you’d confronted him he should have fought, he should have been slamming his fist against your door begging for you to forgive him, unleashing every single one of his ugly truths when you let him inside to beg for one last chance. But he hadn’t. And now you were gone.

“Hey there, stranger,” a strange voice greeted that had the hair prickling on the back of Joel’s neck, “Haven’t seen you around here before.”

Joel remained silent, wracking his brain for a way to pull the revolver from the waist of jeans without being seen.

“What brings you out this way?” the voice continued, it was too friendly, too decent…

“Sightseein’,” Joel finally lied, keeping his eyes straight forward.

“Don’t see many people doing that these days.”

He didn’t need to see it to know it was there, the rifle pointed right at the back of his head. This wasn’t a bad view if were the last thing he would see.

“Why don’t you just get on with it?” Joel finally asked, resigning to his fate with almost a sense of relief.

“Hey!” Tommy was yelling, Joel could see him sprinting over, shotgun raised. It was like he didn’t know that thing was shit at a distance and his brain would be sprayed across the snow faster than Tommy could load another set of shells, “Put the fuckin’ gun down!”

“You boys from Texas?” the stranger asked, Joel sighing in frustration at the game this man was playing, remaining silent as he gnashed his teeth together.

“Way back when,” Tommy answered, earning a stony look from his brother. He never knew when to keep his mouth shut.

“So, which one of you is Joel?”

“Who the hell are you?”

Ice ran through Joel’s veins at the sound of his name. He wasn’t unaware of where he was; at the present he was closer to Salt Lake City than home, a city that had his stomach churning. For as many as he’d slaughtered, he knew some got away with full knowledge of who he was and what he’d smuggled out of that hospital. One wrong move and Ellie’s location was no longer safe, one slip of the tongue, one wrong look.

He’d destroyed the Fireflies, singlehandedly. There were a few small factions scattered about, but their cause was all but destroyed thanks to him. Without a cure on the horizon, they had nothing left to hope for, nothing to work towards. They could join the rest of what was left of society, hopeless and dejected.

“You let my brother go,” Joel finally bargained, “And I’ll go with you.”

“Joel what the hell is goin’ on?” Tommy was panicking now, “You ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

“Let him go.”

Now he was turning, finding a man in his 70s holding the rifle he’d already known was there. Suddenly this became less urgent, he could see the man’s hands trembling and a flicker of fear in his eye. At least Joel’s reputation was still intact. With one quick lunge he could have him round the knees, the rifle loosening enough from those gnarled fingers that Joel could add it to his own arsenal.

“I don’t want any trouble,” the man finally surrendered, “Just heard a lot about you.”

“From?” Joel growled, uncaring now of what might happen as he snuck his hand to the small of his back, finding the trusty weapon its usual spot.

“People passing through. I wasn’t expecting you, but my wife has a way of knowing things. She thought you’d turn up. And here you are.”

Tommy and Joel shared a look, had this man encountered Eugene and Paulie at some point? It was far off their course, there was no way they’d stumbled into him. There was something else he knew, something that had Joel’s heart thudding in his chest.

“Why don’t you come back with me, get a hot meal and good night’s sleep,” the man offered, “We don’t have much in the way of beds, but it’s warm and you look like you haven’t felt a fire in days.”

“You got a name?” Joel inquired, still wary, but the sirens in his head had stopped blaring.

“Oh. Where are my manners? Corbin. Nice to meet you Joel and…” he dragged out, looking over at Tommy.

“Tommy,” the younger Miller introduced, holding his hand out first for a shake, a silent promise that all that was said was true, both men nodding at the implications as they gripped the other.

It was a short ride, about an hour, back to Corbin’s, the property evident from a distance as the smoke from the chimney plumed up into the dusk sky. Joel’s despair had returned, the knowledge that in the morning he and Tommy would be on their way back to Wyoming alone and without closure. Where did he go from here?

“Joel,” Tommy sounded from beside him, “I didn’t mean what I said. This ain’t your fault. None of it. I shoulda fought harder–”

“It is my fault.” Saying it hurt. Saying it opened up the mouth of the beast waiting to swallow him.

“It’s just up ahead,” Corbin interrupted, the small farmhouse coming into view, heavily fenced and secure.

“Quite the place you got here,” Joel admired, a fond smile settling on his face as he recalled a man with similar barriers, and for a second he wondered just how old Bill was doing. It had crossed his mind to head back out East and get him, bring him to the safe haven of Jackson, but something told him Bill liked the fight and would prefer to go down swinging anyway.

“Horses can go in the barn,” their host instructed as he hopped down to open the gate, “I’m sure some dinner is already going.”

“Appreciate it.”

The house was warm, a fire roaring in the hearth as the three men stepped inside, Corbin calling for his wife, Lee, who rounded into the room in an apron. It felt almost dystopian.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, the sitcom feel of this moment had Joel’s eyebrows furrowing, “More stragglers, Cor?”

“Yeah,” Corbin replied, smiling, “We got Tommy, and that one there, is Joel.”

“Oh… Joel.”

“Mhmm.”

“Why do you all act like you know me?” Joel snapped, now it was grating, now he was panicking, this felt off. He knew what kind of people lurked about, cannibals and religious zealots, he cursed himself for leaving his weapons with the horse.

“Easy now,” Tommy warned, ticking his head down for Joel to see that Tommy hadn’t been as foolish as he had, his pistol still tucked into the holster at his hip, “Ma’am, it’s nice to meet you. Thank you for…your hospitality.”

“Well, I’m just glad you’re here,” Lee replied, “I’ll go throw a little bit more into the stew. Take a seat.”

Neither man obliged, even as Corbin rounded the old blue couch and collapsed. The house was like a relic of the 80s, gaudy florals in bold colors, angels and religious statues on the shelves surrounded by bibles and books. Even an old box TV still sat in the corner despite the lack of electricity. As Joel looked around, he saw the a medical degree hanging in a frame, Corbin’s, and family photos of who he assumed were their two hosts and their children. He hated how much of it reminded him of the house he and Tommy had grown up in, even down to the wood paneling on the walls.

Muffled talking could be heard in the kitchen, a door to what must have been a basement slamming shut. A third? Now Joel wanted that gun, it was just out of reach but Corbin was already half asleep on the couch. The footsteps grew closer, he could see the shadow against the floor approaching, his senses blaring as he took a small step in front of Tommy, his arm lifting slightly to shield him from whoever it was about to make face.

“Corbin, did you–”

“Well I’ll be damned,” Tommy whispered under his breath as the unidentified person rounded into the room.

“Joel?”

Chapter 13 (There's a tag list now if you prefer that!)

Art as always by @natendo-art 😭🩵

#joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #the last of us fic #the last of us fanfiction #tlou fic #tlou fanfiction #more than my father’s son

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jeweledstone · 11 months

Text

Last few night’s dreams were like an entire fucking anime arc man: a recounting

DATE: JULY 14/15, 2023

Ok, so I’ve been having some weird and intense ass dreams lately that have been kinda-sorta connected in a weird way. Mostly because they all have this fucker as a main antagonist/villain in some way:

Yep

It’s gonna only get more cringe from here folks

Basically, his motivations/schemes were pretty similar to Elias’s shenanigans from back in the day (I haven’t seen him or “Dream” in my dreams for a while now and have assumed they were either captured or killed by the multiverse’s higher ups for their meddling, thank god amirite?).

The whole story behind him and why he’s after me in a nutshell is that he apparently has this one sided crush/obsession with the Peppino from his timeline, but was heartbroken after finding out Pep actually hates his guts the hard way (ie, getting the shit beat outta him in the game’s ending). So instead of, y’know, getting over it and moving on like a normal person, our old “pal” Tontino decided to kidnap someone, use some kinda weird black magic to transform them into Peppino, and basically just hold them hostage for the rest of their days. And UNFORTUNATELY for me, I just so happened to be the “someone” he (seemingly randomly) chose for this plan B of sorts. (Note: I’ve managed to escape his imprisonment several times, but the persistent bastard KEEPS. COMING. BACK. I HATE IT.)

I remember the context for how he got his hands on the weird black magic/curse stuff was that he made this pact of sorts with these ghost/demon creatures from another, fantasy-style verse known as The Dark Ones, who ended up appearing in the second or third dream I had featuring him along with their rivals/good counterparts, The Spirits.

Now, the actual anime arc-type shit started in the 4th PH dream where he was made by the Dark Ones to find some kinda ancient relic called the InfraStone which was supposed to have immense magical power as part of their deal/pact…only for the stone to possess him once he found it.

This incident led to him going mad from the stone’s power and betraying and absorbing the Dark Ones, which only added to his newfound power. The rest of the dream was me kinda-sorta teaming up with The Spirits and some other magic users to stop his rampage and free the Dark Ones from his control.

Now, as if this saga couldn’t get complicated enough, there was a part 2 to this 4th dream.

Part 2 took place several months after the possession incident, since part 1 The Dark Ones and The Spirits have seemingly made peace with each other and I (or at least the self I had control of in that dream) ended up living with the magic people that assisted me and the Spirits in a sorta found family of sorts. At this point, it’s been quite a bit since anyone in the fantasy verse had seen or heard of PH’s shenanigans and he was assumed to have fled from there back to the PT verse.

Nope, not in the slightest. Shit was just getting started.

Turns out PH was busy making what I can only describe as Pizza Tower 2: Electric Boogaloo in order to have his “revenge” against me and maybe try to capture me again. I remember that since the old bosses from the game were still in the PT fictoverse completely unaware of PH’s current whereabouts, the “bosses” in the second Pizza Tower were basically innocent people from the fantasy verse PH kidnapped and transformed/mutated into horrifying amalgamations that had slight resemblances to the original bosses. (I have no fucking idea how he did this since the Dark Ones have revoked there pact with him since the possession incident, for good reasons ngl) When he finally revealed the whole shebang, I remember my first instinct was to nope outta there as fast as I could (something I’m quite good at in my dreams, but could never do irl cause I’m out of shape af) only for him to catch up to me a LOT faster than humanly possible if I’m being honest. Upon being caught, he did the whole turning me into Peppino thing again, saying I wouldn’t be able to be turned back until I faced him in the tower. (Which I was probably gonna have to do anyway to save the other people he cursed and get his ass outta that verse for good.) I think there was also this catch where if I took too long to complete the Tower, the Peppino TF curse would start affecting my mind as well, mentally turning me into him as well as physically, leaving nothing left of me (or at least that version of me) behind, but my brain might’ve just made that up after the fact for the sake of drama/angst.

The dream basically ended there so idk if I succeeded in conquering the tower and freeing everyone trapped in it, but considering PH has barely showed up in my dreams since then, I think I was able to make it.

So yeah, another dream recounted. Hope you enjoyed, might make more drawing stuff of this dream in the future if I feel like it :)

#jewel's dream journal #pseudo tower #neo shut the fuck up #me irl #self insert #pizza tower #pizzahead #peppino spaghetti #my art #body horror #slowly getting used to drawing the pt characters #they honestly look pretty good in my art style :)

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frogsareallgay · 2 months

Text

Some days he feels like dying, She gets so sick of crying pt 1/3

- Hey this is my first time posting a fic. I hope y’all like it. it’s a Robby centric Hurt/Comfort because i cannot write anything else atm. Pt 2 will get released tmr because i’m too tired to keep writing lol -

⚠️ ATTENTION!!! MASSIVE TWs FOR SH & SUICIDE ATTEMPT ALSO BL00D AND GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF SH. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK⚠️

fic title: Extraordinary Girl by Green Day <3

Johnny

Johnny had been out all day. He was overtired and sore from teaching all day. He eased his car into the driveway of the apartment block. He reached across the seat to lift the 6 pack of Coor’s off the passenger seat and fumbled for his key.

Once inside he placed the beers in the fridge, taking one out to drink now. He opened it, enjoying the satisfying ‘pshhhh’ sound it made, he lifted the can to his mouth but just as he was about to take a sip he heard a noise.

It was a weird noise and it took him a second to process what it could be. The sound was half way between a whine of pain and a sob. Miguel. Miguel’s hurt. His mind started racing as he stumbled through the house towards his son’s room.

He burst open the door, ready for whatever mess he was about to see but to his horror, Miguel’s room was empty.

Johnny heard another sound. One that made his stomach drop.

“Dad?”

The word was only barely audible. It sounded tiny and far away. “Shit” he mumbled, walking towards his other son’s room. How could he forget? Miguel was out with Carmen and Yaya. The only other person home was-

“Robby? You good man?”

Johnny found himself standing over his son, who was noticeably disheveled and sitting in the corner of his room, curled in on himself which made him look a lot smaller than he really was.

“I’m sorry dad”

“Sorry for what?”

“I…”

Johnny took a suspicious step forward.

“Sorry for what Robby?”

Instead of answering Robby just sobbed. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and staining his pale face. Johnny was taken aback for a moment before kneeling down next to Robby, what had Robby been doing while he was home alone? and was it going to cause him trouble?

He could see Robby closer now. The cuffs of his flannel were sticky and damp with blood and his entire body was shaking so bad he couldn’t keep still.

“Kid……”

“It’s fine. Im sorry for being dramatic. I can deal with it myself. I’ve done it before. Just go.”

Unconsciously the kid had started digging his nails into his palms. He was feigning calmness but his eyes were wide with panic, even if Johnny hadn’t known him (which he didn’t, really) he could have seen through the façade. Without saying anything he took his son’s hands in his own. He gently pushed the sleeves off his wrists revealing the mess underneath.

Johnny tried not to gag. Robby’s skin was barely visible under the amount of blood that was covering them. There were jagged cuts all the way up his arms, most of them fresh and bloody.

“You’ve….. Youve done this before? Robby when did this start?”

“I dunno. When I was 10 or something? I’d tell you to ask Mom but she won’t remember.”

The teen pulled his arms away from Johnny’s hands. He dragged his sleeves back down and leant away from his dad.

“Just go. I’m fine dad.”

“No Robby you’re not.” Johnny said firmly.

He was starting to get frustrated.

“God, you’ve been doing this since you were 10?! Honestly Robby are you stupid? Why wouldn’t you say anything? Shannon used to see a shrink who would tell her all that wishy washy find your inner voice bullshit. Isn’t that supposed to help with all this mental health crap? I swear if I had been there-“

“But you weren’t”

“Excuse me?”

“You weren’t there. And even if you had been I doubt you or Mom would have been sober enough to notice”

“Watch your tone. I’m the one who has to help you right now. I don’t have to be doing this Robby.”

Robby laughed

“Damn right you don’t”

Before Johnny could say anything else Robby stood and pushed past the taller man towards the door.

Johnny grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?” “Out.”

Robby stomped through the apartment. His dr martens echoing through the hallway with every step. He threw the front door open to a worried Carmen and a confused Miguel.

“Robby! Hi Mijo, I’m making your favourite tonight. I-“

“Bye Carmen.”

Robby pushed past Miguel and walked down the driveway. Once he reached the street he broke into a sprint.

#cobra kai #ck #robby keene #johnny lawrence #cobra kai fanfiction #robby keene angst <3 #hurt/comfort #PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ TWS ITS KINDA GRAPHIC #robby keene deserves better #jack’s fanfics :D #< new tag for my fics !!!

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nought-shall-go-ill · 7 months

Note

Was thinking about TOHOTS in the car today 🥰 wanted to drop by and share some love for the world you’ve created there!

This was sent so very long ago, and I’m so so sorry for that — but guess what world I was looking back on last night?

Technically, TOHOTS is still very much on hiatus as I get my life together a little, but because of that — and because I love it still so very much — I thought I’d share a rather large and unedited snippet from Chapter 6.

Anyway, thank you always for your kindness and support, @kay-elle-cee . Please take this as a token of my gratitude.

December 1975

“Where’d you even find this place anyway, Mare?” asked Lily.

She, Mary and Marlene were tightly tucked — feet pressed against the wall, knees near faces — into a small nook by the Transfiguration office, each with a neatly rolled cigarette in their hand. It was past 1 o’clock in the morning

“Potter,” replied Mary on an exhale. “I caught him coming here after Potions the other day.”

“I thought Potter didn’t smoke?” said Marlene. She was fiddling nervously with the Zippo lighter the girls had just used.

“Probs goes for a bit of a chug between classes,” answered Mary, making a lewd gesture towards Lily. She had in recent months developed on a strange sort of whim the belief that James Potter fancied her.

Lily answered in kind by raising her middle finger. Mary blew her a kiss.

“Shit. Someone’s coming,” muttered Marlene, just moments after Lily had heard the footsteps herself.

The girls put their fags out on the wall and watched in silence as McGonagall entered their frame of vision. A tall boy with his head drooping down to his shoulders followed behind her. It took Lily a moment to realise it was Sirius Black.

“You will wait here,” ordered McGonagall with a snap of venom rare even for her.

Sirius simply looked up and stared at her, his grey eyes sharp and cold.

The three girls shared a look.

“I need to organise your punishment,” she continued. “You heard the headmaster. We will do our best to deal with this discreetly but it will be a year of detentions at least.”

Sirius nodded, but his jaw was still tight, his expression like ice.

“Do not move from this spot.”

McGonagall turned on her heel and stormed into the office, leaving Sirius behind to slump against the adjacent wall.

“What do you think he did?” whispered Mary.

“Dark magic?” suggested Marlene. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen McGonagall that angry.”

“Naw,” replied Mary, moving forward slightly to get a closer look. She had always been the bravest of the three. “The Gryffindor boys don’t practice dark magic.”

Lily couldn’t help but think that comment was more than just a little pointed, so she bit her tongue, turning to face Sirius once more.

She wanted to believe Mary — and she would, just days later, when the first of the attacks occurred — but right then all she could think about was just just how terrifying Sirius looked.

Leant against that wall, he was somehow rigidly still — like a bloodhound that had sniffed out its prey — his features straight and emotionless, his eyes as wicked as the prisoners of The Prophet’s pages.

But then something caught his attention — the lingering smell of cigarette smoke, most likely — and he raised his head, inhaling deeply through his tall, aristocratic nose.

And he laughed.

It was a deep, echoing, dark bark of a laugh.

Whatever he’d done, Lily thought to herself, he certainly didn’t seem to feel guilty about it.

***

December 1980

“I have business to attend to this morning, Lily,” said Dumbledore as he and Lily reached the entryway where James was standing. “But I will return in a few hours to let you know the exact details of your new role.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lily replied, though the old man had already made it halfway back to the barn.

“Right,” said James, rocking back and forth on his heels. “Shall we get started?”

“Not before she’s had breakfast,” came another voice from behind the door, and out popped Emmeline’s head following it.

Before Lily could explain she had already eaten, the older woman had firmly guided her to the kitchen where she found Nicolas sitting next to a large pile of pastries. He had a mirror in his hand that he was staring at intently.

“Lily!” he exclaimed looking up at her with a bright smile. He had healed a lot since she had last seen him, yet some of the scars were still stubbornly scabbed across his wizened face. “Wonderful to see you here, my dear! Please help me finish some of these off. Emmeline here likes to feed the five thousand.”

Emmeline laughed, but nonetheless, brought another teeming pile of pastries to the kitchen island. James picked up a croissant off the top, smirking knowingly at the whole scenario.

“Well, I want you both to feel at home,” said Emmeline, settling a plate down in front of Lily.

“Emmie, darling,” came — to Lily’s astonishment — a voice from the mirror, “I’ve told you, he has a grapefruit at home and that’s it.”

Nearly a decade in the Wizarding world, and it was still surprising Lily — it wasn’t every day that Perenelle Flamel’s voice came out of a household object after all.

James seemed to have picked up on this shock though, as he smiled gently and added:

“This is a little invention of Sirius’. We thought it would be a good way for Nic and Perry to stay in touch.”

“Ah,” she replied, uncertain of his informality. Even she was hesitant to call the Flamels by their nicknames, and she had known them for nearly three years.

“You know Perry,” said Nicolas. “Always so keen to be back with her hydrangeas.”

“Je te l'ai dit plein de fois, c'est pas la saison des hydrangea!” replied an irritated Perenelle.

James and Lily chuckled.

“You’ve got to be nicer to Herbologists, Nicolas,” said James, taking the seat next to Lily and another pastry she didn’t recognise. “They could kill us all with just a few seeds.”

“That’s the sort of common sense I need in a husband,” said Perenelle, though turning her head Lily could see that the handsome face of the 600-year-old woman was bright and smiling in the small mirror.

“Now, Lily,” interrupted Emmeline from the cupboard. “As you’ll be spending quite some time with us, you must choose your own mug.”

Emmeline levitated about 30 mugs at Lily’s eye height. She couldn’t help but notice about half of them had a lion emblem on them in some manner or another.

“There’s a lot of Gryffindor here,” Lily remarked, giggling just slightly and taking one that had just a subtle Gryffindor crest on the base. James grinned widely as she did so.

“Mmm,” grimaced Emmeline, transporting the rest of the mugs back with an elegant swish. “Fleamont — may he rest in peace — was a wonderful man, but, Merlin, his enthusiasm for Gryffindor was a touch… much.”

James laughed — a warm, welcoming, gentle hug of a laugh — tipping his chair back with his head.

“Much is subjective, Em, don’t you think?”

“Hmmm.”

“What house were you in Emmeline?” enquired Lily. Nicolas and Perenelle had picked up a quiet conversation in French next to her.

Emmeline raised her eyebrow, a daring look.

“Slytherin, dear.”

Lily blinked. Of all the Slytherins she knew, Emmeline certainly didn’t seem like one of them.

“Oh,” was all she could reply.

James laughed again, though this time Lily didn’t find it quite so welcoming.

“Oh?” continued Emmeline, her eyebrow still raised. “Didn’t expect that? And they told me you have a Slytherin best friend, dear. I thought maybe you’d be a little different.”

“Of course, there’s nothing wrong with Slytherin,” Lily added quickly, feeling the flush rise in her cheeks.

“Well…” remarked James with a chuckle, and Emmeline simply rolled her eyes at him.

“I’m just teasing, sweetheart. Though I do wish some people,” Emmeline gave a pointed look at James, “would be a little nicer about the rival school houses. I’m hoping you might be able to help there.”

“Me? Why?” replied Lily, taking a pastry for want of something to do with her hands.

“I hear you were quite a force to be reckoned with back in the day. Standing up for all that needed it, regardless of their house, and even if they were Slytherin. Quite an anomaly unfortunately, even in my day…”

James nodded along encouragingly, and it made Lily feel quite sick.

It was true. Lily had done that. She had taken pride in doing that, in fact, for years during her schooldays. She had been blessed with a confidence that many teenagers lacked, and well, it was horrible to just sit there and watch people be teased, people be bullied, Gryffindor or not. What else was she supposed to do? It wasn’t just Sev and Mary who dealt with the cruelty of bullies.

But somewhere along the line that had all stopped. She had stopped.

She wondered when she had stopped.

“I hear this one was one of the worst offenders,” added Emmeline with the sort of sternness of a mother or beloved teacher.

Lily nodded, uncomfortable with where this was going.

Because that was true too, wasn’t it? She wondered also when James had stopped being so cruel.

Had he?

The silence of the English speakers in the room hung stagnant for just a moment before James spoke.

“She really used to rip into me, Em,” He tried to smile at Lily, but she looked away with a dash. “But I deserved it.”

Something about this comment awoke a sprinkle of untapped bravery.

“Well, yes, you did,” said Lily, and not only Emmeline, but Nicolas and Perenelle laughed at the comment. As did James, who caught her eye on the pause, though she could not read what he was trying to say.

“Ok. Fair.” He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I deserve that. But how about we start that tour before my head swells up so big that I can’t fit through the doorways?”

It was Lily’s turn to smile now. That had been one of her most commonly used insults for him in fourth year.

****

Linfred Farm was even more beautiful (and magical) than Lily had realised.

There were more than a dozen rooms on the property, each one decorated in the sort of cosy Englishness that she was sure had only ever truly existed in mind rather than manner: William Morris prints, paintings of rolling hills, piles and piles of mismatched toys and books and other signs of a comfortable life in the country. It was the sort of place that James could show her around with pride — and indeed he did.

She mostly just listened intently — only adding the small, insignificant comment here and there — still unsure of how their relationship was now defined after the events of the previous month.

“Emmeline has set up your room in the nursery again,” he told her, stopping by the yellow-filled child’s room where she’d stayed before. “But please feel free to change. There’s a number of rooms available.”

“Oh no. It’s fine, thank you. Here will do quite well.”

How strangely formal they were being. If only Mary could see her now…

“Right, well, eerrr. That’s it.” He pulled a hand through his thick, dark hair. “I suppose I should get you back to Nicolas. He usually enjoys some television at this time of morning.”

She had watched an episode of Play Your Cards Right with Nicolas last time she was there, but the idea of the very old man tucked up before a television set was still a strange idea to her.

“I never had Nicolas down for such a telly fan,” she remarked.

“You’re not?” enquired James. He beckoned for her to go down the stairs before him.

“Oh, um, I guess not. I don’t own one.”

She didn’t imagine it would go down well with Severus if they did. Not that she blamed him. Muggle items were a contentious point for very understandable reasons.

Still, her mother had loved her films so much when she was a child.

“I love it!” said James, with the enthusiasm of a small infant. “Well, I love cinema. Dorcas has really got me into it. Those moving pictures — what a feat of transfiguration. Of course, it’s not transfiguration but— well, it’s fantastic, isn’t it?“

“You’ve been to the pictures?”

Lily had a hard time seeing a pure blood like James Potter in such a Muggle place.

“Well— no. But I would like to some day.”

It was almost endearing the way he spoke so passionately of something that Lily had known her whole life. She wondered if it explained her mother’s similar affection for the art form.

“My favourites are,” he opened the door to the kitchen for her, “Mädchen in Uniform” (Lily blinked) “and… The Sound of Music.”

“How are you watching these without going to the cinema?” she asked. British terrestrial television would take a few decades to get to that level just yet.

“Magic,” he winked, and she tried her hardest not to blush, turning instead to Nicolas who was still sitting in the centre of the kitchen.

“Finished?” he enquired, moving very slowly — and with an obvious amount of pain — to get to his feet. “Let’s start your work then, shall we young lady?”

#tohots #chapter 6 preview #i promise you I’ll post this some day guys i promise #but in the meantime…#kay elle cee #the loveliest asker in all the land

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