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#prints to come this thursday!
miasmatik · 1 year
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gravedirt | links + prints
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slybluehologhost · 2 months
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Throwback Thursday > sweet pool Illustrated Cards [J-List Physical Release, 2018]
It's no longer Valentine's Day, but I still wanted to share the bonus cards that came with the Limited Edition release from J-List since many of them are quite shippy! In the event that tumblr compresses the hell out of them, you can also view them here.
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ratshien · 2 months
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swan
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figofswords · 5 months
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I have had some unexpected vet bills I’m having to deal with so I’m probably going to set up a bigcartel for prints/stickers/charms/etc leftover from my con stock. I’m probably going to run it on a preorder system with a set end date and then ship them out all at once. So stay tuned I guess?
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nitw · 6 months
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why do you gotta tell me the same thing THRICE if it's still not out for delivery!!
#leo.txt#it's EXACTLY 15 kilometers away from my home by car! i checked!!!!!! you are so unserious i swear to god#fedex denmark do you not deliver on thursdays or fridays??? hm???? im pretty sure you do??????????????#like come on im this close to just walking out to your storage facility and pick it up by myself! and i'm a lazy asshole with adhd!!!!#denmark is so teeny tiny you could just like THROW THE THING and ill catch it with my mouth like a dog with a frisbee ITS NOT THAT HARD#this package is essential to my life! not really! but you ARE actively killing and murdering me and kicking me in the nuts by withholding i#and yknow what????? you guys don't even deliver it to my house half the time anyway!!! you just get confused because theres 2 doors#and youre like 'lol whatever not my problem' and send it to the kiosk instead!#BUT you never even send it to the NEAREST KIOSK THAT'S LIKE 2 SECONDS AWAY#you ALWAYS send it to the one that's WAYYYYY FURTHER AWAY FOR SOME REASON#what did the other poor storeowner do to you??? why do you hate and mistreat both of us so? isn't life hard enough as it is?#we literally PRINTED OUT A SIGN and TAPED IT TO THE GLASS OF /BOTH FRONT DOORS/#with INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAILMEN#telling you that if the package is too big to fit in the mailbox to the rightmost entrance#then just CALL THE DOORPHONE and you'll immediately be let inside#so you can leave it in the entrance!!!!#WE MADE YOU A SIGN! IT'S FOR YOU!!!! THAT WAS SO NICE OF US#and yet you still just leave us in the dust (THE DUST???) (the DUST.......)#and whenever one of my packages gets sent to the kiosk anyway IT OFTEN TAKES SEVERAL DAYS FOR MY LETTER OF NOTICE TO ARRIVE#/AS A PHYSICAL PAPER LETTER. IN THE MAIL. BY YOU/#LITERALLY 1984#SEND POST
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orcelito · 2 years
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😐
I have 7 interviews set up & an 8th prospective one I'm waiting for confirmation on
This. Sure is my life.
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tsmerch · 1 year
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Do you know how long it usually takes UMG to ship stuff?
My signed CDs have been “processed” for a week but haven’t left Michigan- I’m upset that they charged me $22 in shipping just for them to sit in a warehouse for a week
Yeah mood about that shipping charge especially since my CDs are coming via media mail which costs like 5 cents. But anyway mine also haven't moved. It usually takes a few days, but it is dragging on for a lot of us. You're not alone. I don't want to make assumptions without knowing how their business works. It could be some issue with getting enough trucks to come as I imagine at least 500k of the pure sales are from the store.
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jade-curtiss · 10 months
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I think the funniest thing I did was to leave my day job for the side (I'm actually a ghost 💀) because some bitch tried to pretend she could do anything on a canvas and think it would print out evenly.
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changguscomet · 1 year
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AHAHAHHAA I thought today was just going to be onboarding stuff at my new job cause no one told me otherwise, but nope, I get there and then like 20 minutes later my supervisor walks into the room and is like "your students will be arriving soon" LIKE SIR- wouldn't it be kind of nice to warn someone that they have a 5 hour class BEFOREHAND ??? so anyway I had to come up with something on my feet I mean I survived, but it was not a fun time
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roosterforme · 11 months
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It's Okay, Daddy's Here | Rooster x Reader
Summary: Even after your honeymoon is over, you find yourself needing your husband all the time. One Saturday, when Bradley is out with the guys, you have an itch you just can't scratch by yourself. When he comes home and finds you a desperate, horny mess, he assures that "It's okay, Daddy's here." 
Warnings: Smut and fluff
Length: 2200 words
Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader
This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series! (But it can be read on its own) Check my masterlist in my profile for the reading order!
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You couldn't understand what had happened to you since you stopped taking your birth control pills, but you'd been insatiable for the last month and a half. The ten day honeymoon you and Bradley had spent in Hawaii had been pure perfection. And now you'd been enjoying your husband as frequently as you could get your hands on him since returning home.
"What do you mean you're going golfing tomorrow morning?" you asked Bradley as you got undressed for bed on Friday night. You paused, naked with his tee shirt in your hands, and gaped at him. "Roo. That'll be hours. And then the guys will want to go out for drinks," you whined. "You won't be here to fuck me."
He groaned and patted his lap before he reached for you. "Tee time at the country club is Javy's Christmas present to all of us, so I agreed to go." You tossed the shirt aside and climbed up onto the bed to straddle his thighs. "But I can cancel, Baby Girl," he grunted, palming your tits as you leaned in closer to kiss him.
"No," you moaned against his mouth. "I don't want Javy to be mad at me. But you better do me so good right now, Roo. Seriously."
"Don't I always?" he growled, flipping you onto your back and running his fingers down along your belly and over your tattoo. "Don't I always take care of you?" 
"I have the best husband," you whispered as his lips connected with your neck. Then his fingers met your clit, and he eased his body weight down on top of you. And it was heavenly. And he fucked you hard into the bed until you came, screeching his name. And then you slept all night long, curled up on his warm chest in a state of satiated bliss. 
But as soon as you woke up to a cold, empty bed late Saturday morning, you flopped onto your back and tried to coax yourself back to sleep once more. But you couldn't. The need was almost immediate as you sat up. The bedding smelled like Bradley, and you knew you needed to go into the other room. 
After you grabbed your glasses and pulled on his soft UVA shirt, you went to make some coffee. But as it brewed, your mind wandered to how good he looked in his white golf pants and polos. You hoped he was wearing that deep blue floral print shirt that hugged his biceps. 
"Good Lord," you gasped, fixing your coffee the way you liked it and walking out onto the back patio with Tramp. But even the chilly December San Diego air couldn't cool you down. Bradley was probably getting all sweaty right now, gripping his nine iron and wearing those soft gloves. 
"Jesus," you whined, pacing around and sipping your hot coffee. "Just chill. You made it through work all week without him." But that wasn't exactly true. On Tuesday, you'd fucked him on your lunch break in the backseat of the Bronco in the parking garage. And on Thursday afternoon, he'd come into your office reeking like jet fuel and fucked you up against your file cabinet.
Tramp looked up at you when you let out a noise close to a whimper. You finished your coffee and went back inside to start packing for the Christmas holidays, but as soon as you opened your underwear drawer, you caught sight of all of your wedding lingerie, and you had to leave the room again. 
A shower. That would help. But you tried hot water and then cold water, and you just ended up with your back pressed against the tile wall, stroking our fingers over your clit. You must be ovulating. That would explain a lot right now. But as you tried to get yourself off, you kept coming up short. 
"No," you whined, dipping your fingers into your own slick before bringing them back up to your clit. When you managed to get the tiniest bit of relief, you finished up in the shower and went to get dressed. 
But you ended up pulling out your vibrators only to glare at them, because they did not look as appealing as Bradley did. "Fuck," you grumbled, tossing them back where they belonged and kicking your drawer closed. 
How much longer could golf possibly take? You'd be fine until you could get the real thing. You could wait.
-----------------------------
Bradley rushed through the eighteenth hole, hoping to get back home to you faster, but the guys weren't having it. 
"Let's hit up the bar," Hangman drawled. "Drinks are on me."
Bradley opened his mouth to protest, but Jake cut him off and said, "And don't even try to use your wife as an excuse, Bradshaw. You and Angel can go a few hours without your hands all over each other. The honeymoon is over."
But it wasn't. It really wasn't. Bradley wanted his hands and mouth on you at the moment so badly, he hoped the honeymoon would never end. 
"Fine," he grumbled. "One drink." But one turned into two, and the jukebox at the Hard Deck was playing Christmas music, and Penny got him to dance with her before he was able to sneak out. He had been gone most of the day.
As he walked back to the Bronco late in the afternoon sunlight, he texted you and let you know he was finally on his way home. Your response was almost instantaneous. 
Baby Girl Bradshaw: Hurry
"Damn," he muttered, starting up the engine and rushing home to get to you. He thought maybe you'd be waiting for him in bed, wearing that little red lingerie set he liked so much, but what he discovered was even better. 
"Holy shit," he muttered as soon as he walked inside the front door. His golf bag clattered to the floor as you turned your head to look over your shoulder at him.
"Roo," you moaned, and it was the neediest, most beautiful thing he had ever heard in his life. And before he knew it, he was palming himself through his white golf pants at the sight of you naked, straddling the arm of the living room couch. Your back was to him as you rubbed your bare pussy up and down the arm, back arched and whining softly. 
He stumbled closer to you, his eyes glued to your ass as you moved in the most appealing way. You were leaving glistening streaks of your slick along the upholstery, and it was so fucking hot. 
"What's going on, Baby Girl?" he managed to ask as you looked back at him again.
"I can't help it," you gasped, your voice bordering on pitiful as you sucked in a deep breath. "I'm so fucking horny, Bradley. I've tried masturbating all day, but nothing feels as good as you do." 
"Oh, Sweetheart," he rasped, unzipping his pants and getting himself ready. "You should have called me."
"Please! I need you. Make it go away."
You were almost in tears now as Bradley put his hands on your hips, helping you rock your soaking wet pussy against the couch. "Shh. Daddy's home now. It's okay, Daddy's here." He stood behind you and kissed your bare shoulder, letting his fingers skim up your belly to stroke the undersides of your breasts. 
"Oh! Your fingers feel so good," you groaned, planting your hands on the back of the couch and rocking your hips a little faster.
"How did you get like this, Baby Girl?" he whispered next to your ear, pressing the front of his body to your back as you rocked your pussy along, trying to find some satisfaction. "You're like a dog in heat," he groaned, squeezing your nipples. 
"I know," you keened, head tossed back to give him access to your neck. "I'm ovulating."
"Oh, hell," he grunted. That was music to Bradley's ears as you bumped his hard cock with your ass every time you rolled your hips. "You need me to fuck you?" he asked softly, licking a stripe up your neck. "You need my cum?"
"Please, Daddy," you begged softly, but he could hear the desperation there. "Fuck me."
Bradley eased away from you and lifted you up a bit by your hips as you whined. "Aww, Sweetheart," he said, stroking his fingers along your ass down to your soaking wet pussy while he admired the wet spot on the couch. "You need me."
You looked back at him and nodded as he palmed your ass up in the air. "I need you, Daddy," you said, your voice breaking with tears in your eyes.
Bradley stroked your soft skin and asked, "Do you know how bad I want you knocked up?"
You nodded again, practically on the verge of tears. "I know it."
Bradley set you down gently on the arm once more, tipping you forward slightly so your clit was rubbing against the wet spot you made. Then he grabbed his cock as you wiggled your ass at him, just begging to have him fill you up. 
"I got you," he promised, rubbing himself through your wetness. "I'll take care of everything."
With one steady thrust, he filled you and bottomed out. A sound of relief escaped you as you moaned, "Daddy." Bradley pulled you snug to him by your hips, and with each fluid thrust, he helped you rock your clit against the couch. 
Bradley kept you going at a steady pace, fucking you nice and slow as he guided you along, praising you for being the perfect wife. "You always look so good for me. With your pretty pussy and that ass on display. You know how much I like coming home to find you ready for me?"
"Tell me," you whispered, starting to clench around him. 
He kissed along your neck as you jerked yourself along a little faster. "I love it when you're waiting for me to fill you up. I love how needy you are."
Bradley knew you were close now, so he let you ride the arm of the couch and bump back along his length while he held himself still for you. And then you were cumming, shaking against his body, reaching back for his hands as you clenched around his cock and sobbed softly. 
"You feel better?" he asked, still fucking you slow and steady. You were like a feral animal that only he was able to tame. 
"So much better," you whispered, turning and licking his bicep. "You're all sweaty, Roo. You smell so good."
"Damn it," Bradley grunted. Now he was starting to feel slightly unhinged over you. His wife needed him so badly around the clock right now. He expected that your body would start to adjust to being off birth control, and this extreme need for him would start to ease up. But for now, he didn't mind one bit. And he wanted to keep you filled up with his cum until it took.  
He slammed into you a little harder as you gazed lovingly at him over your shoulder. "You can do it, Daddy." He reached for your chin, grabbing you and kissing you a little rough. 
"Oh, fuck." Then he was filling you before he collapsed against your back. Bradley ran his hands along your pristine skin, paying extra attention to your tits as he caught his breath. "I can't believe I found you riding the couch like this."
"Nothing would even take the edge off, Bradley. Just you."
He squeezed your tits and ran his nose behind your ear. "I love you. Next time, you call me. I drop everything for you whenever I can. You understand me?"
"Yes." Your voice was soft and calm now, and he could tell you were feeling much better. 
"That's my girl." When he withdrew from your pussy, and his cum leaked out onto the arm of the couch, Bradley whispered, "Don't move."
He dug his phone out of his pocket and took some photos of you turning to look at him with a sweet, fucked out expression on your face and a messy pussy. He knew those images would keep him warm when he was deployed. Then he helped you stand right in front of him, and both of you admired the soiled arm of the couch together.
"Beautiful," Bradley murmured next to your ear, stroking his fingers along your belly and wishing. 
He watched you run your finger through the mess before licking it and turning to kiss him. You traced his lips with your tongue and he tasted himself before you said, "I'll clean up the couch."
"No, you're going to go get in bed like a good girl. And after I clean up out here, I'll be ready to take the edge off for you again. Okay?"
You threw your arms around his neck and hugged him, and then he watched your ass as you headed to bed to wait for him to take care of you again.
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Roo always takes care of his wife! Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls.
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roseykat · 6 months
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TITLE: Table Manners and Bible Studies
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PAIRING: Jeongin x reader
SUMMARY: Jeongin, a churchgoer who is also a very sexual person, likes to immerse both you and himself in the realm of sensory play, among other things as well.
WARNING: minors DNI with this post or my blog. I create NSFW SKZ related content and I know I won't be able to regulate every single interaction with those posts so please do not engage with my work or page whatsoever.
TAGS: themes of BDSM centred around sensory play, soft dom Jeongin, explicit language, use of ice cubes, body-safe hot candle wax, a feather, blindfold, safe and consensual play, nipple stimulated orgasm, mentions of religion (no specific religion is being mentioned here but the concept is that Jeongin is religious for the purposes of this work).
MASTERLIST
He goes to church. That’s all you know about one of the guys in your class who always dresses well, dons cute glasses and seems well put together. He’s an intriguing one among the masses of students that attend and even with the volume of people, he still stood out to you even if he was quiet.
However, it was never in your interest to approach a guy like him. He and his four friends, all from the same church, seemed relatively lovely and all kept to themselves. From your perspective, it appeared as if two of the girls really liked him. If they did, you don’t blame them. Whoever he was seemed to be sweet.
“Still eyeing him up?” Your friend Minho pokes you in the ribs with his finger, lulling you out of your thoughts.
“I’m not eyeing him up,” you snap defensively, averting your stare away from his group to refocus on your lunch with him.
“Just say he’s hot,” he encourages. “If I’m willing to admit it, then you should.”
“You think he’s hot?” 
“And you don’t?” He questions back, almost offended that you didn’t assume otherwise. 
“I suppose that means something coming from a whore such as yourself,” you remember with a sigh. 
Minho nods in agreement with your statement, “and as a whore, I’m telling you he’s hot. So why not go for him?” 
“That’s not who I want though,” you say to him.
A cackle nearly breaks out from his mouth, “that’s right. So how is the hunt for one of those dom boyfriends going anyway? Isn’t that the type you’re looking for?”
“He doesn’t have to be, but it would help significantly,” you answer truthfully. “I just think that would be the best way to get my foot in the door for getting into BDSM.”
“I seriously don’t know where you got that idea from, but you don’t need to go searching for a boyfriend who’s into BDSM to get into it,” Minho truthfully informs you. “There are sites and apps where you can connect to doms and go from there. But if you do, don’t just jump at the first dom that you see. Always do background checks.”
You sometimes forget that Minho himself is in the BDSM scene. He has been for a while and for as long as you’ve known him, you’ve always been interested in what he does. From his stories, they sound exciting and riveting; exactly the kind of thing you want to try out to make your sexual life a little more lively. 
“I know that,” you whine. “If not that, then I don’t really know where to begin.” 
“Well, we all start somewhere,” he says with a hint of optimism. “Since you’re interested still, there’s a BDSM convention at the end of this week. If you want to get your foot in the door with it, I reckon you should go.”
“A convention?” You ask with intruigue. “What do they host there?”
“They’re there to promote safe BDSM to people and have a variety of pop up stores on site that sell anything related to it,” he answers. “I’m supposed to be going but, I’ve got something else on at the same time. In fact you can have my concession.”
“Are you sure?” You ask.
“Yeah, it’s already printed off,” he says. “I’ll give it to you on Thursday.”
It was a good idea at first, but come the day of the event, your nerves were shot. It was your first time being surrounded by anything like this. Particularly by yourself. It was a bit stereotypical to assume that the convention was run something along the lines of seeing naked people tied up, some in cages, or live scenes taking place in front of crowds. 
That wasn’t the case at all. It was almost like a niche grocery store where the locals gather to buy homegrown fruit and veggies. Some part of that concept helped calm a few nerves.
Once you receive your concession band, you start around the front area of the pop-up stores. People were lining up to see demonstrations of shibari methods and most were interested in buying a series of items for the bedroom. 
They were all displayed like sea creatures at a fish market, waiting to be bought. From cattail butt plugs, clover nipple clamps, juicy erotica novels - one of which you picked up - lengths of different coloured ropes, wooden floggers, riding crops, and so much more. 
Away from all the chaos at the stalls was an area called BDSMC; BDSM and coffee. It was a way to set people up with potential doms and or subs. Each individual looking for a buddy would order a coffee or drink with a green cup that had either letter on it; D for dom or S for sub. Red cups were exclusively 'do not approach' because the person either didn’t want to engage or they may already have a partner and are just there for some good coffee. 
It was an awesome set-up and had you thinking about heading over to maybe find someone who would be interested. However, you stored away that thought as you continued to have a look around. 
One thing that was painfully obvious to you was the fact that people weren’t there by themselves. They were either there with a group or their partner, making you feel even more out of place and slightly overwhelmed. But you weren’t going to tap out early. Minho gave you his ticket not only because he couldn’t attend, but also because he wants you to experience what you’re looking for, for yourself.
So you scour out the stores under the guise of your own interest, coming across a few which struck that interest. There was one store tailored specifically to pain play, a heavy aspect of BDSM. Another stall had all to do with sexual health, consent and BDSM - not necessarily selling anything, but just there to answer any questions that people may have. 
One place had caught you attention, a store all to do with sensory play and deprivation - a term in which you’ve came across within the realm of research into BDSM.
In nicely orgasnised lines were individual packets of silk blindfolds in a variety of different colours. There were boxes of body safe candles, most likely for temperature play, noise cancelling headphones, sleek metal handcuffs, and other items that had you wondering how they work. 
“Hello, anything I can help you with or just browsing today?” One of the shop owners approaches you from behind the table. 
“Oh, just browsing thank you,” you reply back to her.
“No worries, let me know if you need anything,” she smiles back at you and walks down to the other end of the long table. 
“Hello, do you have any of these in black?” A person beside you asks to another store keeper. 
Out of sheer interest, you briefly look up at the person just as an unspoken social acknowledgement while the owner tends to their new customer. But to your absolute shock and surprise, the person enquiring happened to be someone very familiar.
The jet black hair, distinct glasses, the trendy casual outfit...
…there was no way.
“We should do. I’ll have a look around in some of our storage containers just behind the back for you,” she says helpfully. 
“Thank you,” the customer responds. 
It was definitely him, and whilst your eyes had been glued to his presence for such a long time, his gaze catches onto it. 
“Hey,” he spoke in a mousey volume.
You stall in your step a bit just as you were about to walk away to remain unknown, but the angelic purity in the tone of his voice lulled you back. You’d feel bad if you didn’t greet him too. 
“Hey,” you say to him awkwardly. “How are you?”
“I’m good thank you, yourself?” He asks back. 
“Yeah, good thanks. I know you, sort of. Aren’t you in my class?” 
It was a useless question to ask considering you’ve spent too many times looking at him to know that it’s definitely him. That distinct soft expression couldn’t pass you by. The only thing different is that he wasn't swarmed by his usual collective of friends.
A small smile spreads on his face, “yeah. I’ve seen you here and there. You usually sit close to the front.” 
“That’s right,” you nod, bewildered that he knows who you are and where you sit during class. “So…what brings you…here of all places?”
Jeongin shrugs with a smile, “interest. You?”
You nod, “also interest.”
The lady pops back from behind the screen with some items, “you might be out of luck. We’ve only got grey and white left but there’s a couples' one for you and your partner here.”
Your mind stutters upon hearing those words come out of the lady’s mouth, “oh he’s not - we’re not-“
“What about any more of these? Preferably in black as well?” Jeongin picks up a baby pink coloured blindfold and presents it to the woman. He seemed to have saved that awkward statement yet wasn’t entirely effected by it as you were.
“I’ll have a look around the back again and see if we’ve got anything,” she says, quickly rushing off.
“Sorry about that,” he says apologetically to her. 
He was as nice as he looked. Almost like a gentle, placid puppy which makes you wonder, how is someone like him at one of these conventions. Specifically, someone who is quite religious. You didn’t want to judge right away, but that was the preface of your observation.
“I take it you’ve never been to one of these before,” he points out as he waits. 
Your shoulders relax defeatedly, someone had finally ripped down your facade, “can you tell?”
“Just a little bit,” he grins. “But props to you for coming here on your own by the looks of it.”
“A friend of mine recommended I go so I thought I should,” you respond, eyeing up some of the other products.
He nods engagingly, “really? Why did they recommend it to you if you don’t mind me asking?” 
“Just…looking to get into BDSM,” you reply honestly, feeling comfortable enough to talk to him about this. Plus there was no point in hiding your intentions given where you are now. “He said I should go to one of these events, check out the stores, and see how some of this stuff works I suppose.” 
The lady returns from the back with exactly what he requested while also picking up a few extra things before paying for the lot. Your attention fixates on those items, wondering who he uses them on; a pyrex glass dildo, one tube of strawberries and cream flavoured lube, and also a ball gag
Whoever his partner is must be lucky. 
The shopkeeper bags all of the items he paid for in a discrete bag before he thanks her.
“That's a good step, but if you’re a beginner, it’d be best for you to start out small,” he advises just an idea suddenly strikes him. He wonders for a second about whether or not it’s appropriate to ask, but he considers your circumstances and why you’re even here. 
“I figured that. No point in me diving right into the deep end when I can’t swim yet,” you agree. 
“You know, because we’re both here, we should get together sometime so we can talk about these kinds of things. I could show you how all of these work too if you want,” he pitches his suggestion to you, holding up the bag of things that he just purchased. 
You stare up at him, utterly bewildered, “wait, are you serious?”
“Only if you are, otherwise-“
“No!” You cut him off. “I mean, yes - yes I am serious. It’s just, I was shocked that you even asked me.”
He stifles a chuckle as a reaction to you being so oddly yet unforceably cute, “alright then. I’ll give you my number. I’m Jeongin by the way.”
“Jeongin, okay. I’m Y/N.”
It was nice to finally put a name to a handsome face. Jeongin, who was as unsuspecting as the come, had exchanged numbers with you before you both departed. He left you wondering so much more about his personality and particularly his interests with BDSM. It even made you forget to text Minho to tell him how well the convention went.
Right before you decided that you were going to ring him, a text came through to you from Jeongin. 
To you from Jeongin: ‘Hey Y/N, it’s Jeongin. It was nice meeting you the other day. I was wondering if you wanted to catch up over coffee to talk and get to know each other more. If so, when are you free?’
You to Jeongin: ‘Hey Jeongin, it was nice meeting you as well. I’m free in the afternoons throughout the week. We could go for coffee on campus after class if it’s not too far?’
Jeongin to You: ‘Nope, that’s perfect. Shall we say Monday straight after? We can head there together.’
You to Jeongin: ‘Sounds good to me. See you then.’
Jeongin to You: ‘Yup! :)’
With those responses from him in mind, it made looking forward to Monday a little more palatable. Usually, it’s hectic with quizzes, tonnes of readings, and a boring two hour lecture. Meeting up with Jeongin meant you had something to look forward to after class. 
Just as the lecture comes to an end, you look back to the middle row of seats in the centre section of the room as you pack up your things and see Jeongin waving out to you. You wave back, acknowledging that you’ve seen him and watch him say bye to his friends before he makes his way down to you. A couple of them seemed rather puzzled that he was leaving them, but nonetheless, they let him be. 
“Hey Y/N,” he says to you, walking down the steps. “What did you think of that?”
“Boring as per,” you groan. “It made me want to sleep.”
Jeongin laughed, “shall we go before you fall asleep then?”
The pair of you exited the theatre together and headed to one of the nearby cafes on campus. Normally teeming with hungry students, the venue wasn’t as packed as it usually is from the help of classes that run through into lunch. It meant that you and Jeongin were able to receive your drinks relatively quickly in order to sit down and start talking.
“How was your weekend?” He asks you.
You finish bringing your drink down from your lips, “not as exciting as I wished it had been. Mainly just catching up on some of the online work that we were meant to do.”
Jeongin is shaking his head but silently agreeing with you, “I don’t know why they bother giving us tasks to do online.”
“I suppose to make us suffer even more,” you guess. 
“I think you might be right, and since it’s worth credit, we have no choice,” he snickers. “But anyway, on a completely different note, what did you think of your first BDSM event?” 
“Not as daunting as I was expecting it to be,” you answer honestly. “It was pretty pleasant, to say the least, and the people I met were really nice.”
“That’s good to know,” Jeongin nods. “Usually I hear of beginners who get too overwhelmed and never come back. It’s a shame really because they only see the tip of the iceberg.”
“Do you normally attend those events?” You ask him, still immensely intrigued that he even went in the first place. 
“Only when I can,” he responds. “Most of the time, classes and other stuff get in the way, but I’ve found a balance now. What made you want to get into BDSM anyway?”
“A friend of mine is well into that space and I always hear him talking about it. Since then it’s always interested me, so I started doing some research about it,” you answer. “It was the same person who told me to go to that event.”
“Smart choice for doing your research, not many people do and just head straight into something they don’t know,” Jeongin mentally applauds you. “It can turn out to be a really good or really terrible experience for beginners.”
“Yeah, he warned me about that,” you chuckle, just thinking of Minho and what he’s said to you in the past. “What about you? How did you get into BDSM? Sounds like you’re already in that space.”
“I am. I’ve been in it for four years, since the start of my degree,” Jeongin confirms adjusting his black glasses. “I got into it just by interest as well - similar to you, except, I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing someone who was already part of this space so some things I had to learn the hard way.” 
“Then I take it that you’re relatively experienced then,” you respond, inferring an assumption already.
Jeongin smiles shyly, almost like he’s somewhat embarrassed by your comment, “you could say that. Is it right to assume that you’re looking for someone to do scenes with?”
You give a nod, “yes. Just…didn’t know who with.”
“That fits then; given that I have some experience and you haven’t yet, then maybe we do a trial, see if we click, those sorts of aspects. What do you think about that?” He asks you. 
An excitement thumps against your chest, “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Yeah?” He replies with optimism. “Then if it’s okay with you, do you maybe want to talk about some of your kinks and things that you don’t like and organise a time and place for our first scene?” 
“I’d love to.” 
Both you and Jeongin brought a lot of ideas to the table, conducting a healthy discussion about what you’re both into and not. Although he openly stated to you that he mainly presents himself as a dom, he was open to switching too. However, for the purpose of getting you into the swing of BDSM, it would be best for him to take the reins.
So with a little more talking, you both came up with a set date and time for the first scene which was to be at Jeongin’s place; not too far from campus. All the information and the logistics leading up to the scene were slightly nerve-wracking but didn’t match your level of excitement. 
Considering your inexperience with BDSM, Jeongin had to factor in what would be the best method of easing you into things. Sensory play was the one thing that came to mind. It’s not too extreme, can involve some restraints, and can act as a good stepping stone for a BDSM beginner. 
“It’s a good way to start off,” Jeongin said to you back at the cafe. “If it’s just sensory play only, people don’t usually climax from it. But if there’s some sort of sexual penetration that’s involved, then most likely. I don’t do the latter.”
“Still sounds like fun,” you replied.
“It is. I can deprive you of one or more of your senses which will only enhance the other.”
His way of describing the basics of sensory play could’ve easily put you to sleep – not because it was boring, but because his voice was so silky smooth that you could listen to it all day. The fact that he has so much knowledge about a subject was strangely erotic.
With your mind cleared in preparation for the scene, Jeongin flicks you a text an hour beforehand to see if you are still keen. He definitely knows that you are, but it’s also to cover his end as a dom to ensure that you know that you can pull out of the scene before it starts. 
To You from Jeongin: Hey Y/N, still on for tonight? 
From you to Jeongin: ‘Hey! Absolutely, I’ll text you when I’m at yours?’
To You from Jeongin: ‘I’ll look forward to it.’
Even if you didn’t want to go through with it tonight, Jeongin would be okay with that. For whatever reason why you would say no, he’s happy that you would feel safe to refuse. But never in your wildest dreams would you ever think of refusing, because as soon as it was time to leave, there was no doubt in your mind that you would turn back.
You had showered and packed a bag with a towel, extra clothes in case, a water bottle, and some snacks. If anyone were to come up to you and look into your duffle, their only thought would be that you’re heading to a gym nearby, not heading to your first BDSM scene. It was a nice little secret to have. 
As you arrive on the street of Jeongin’s apartment, you text him to say that you’re nearly there and knock on the door once you’ve officially made it.
“Hey,” he greets with his smiley usual self. “Come in.”
“Hey,” you respond, looking around as you step in. 
It was rather spacious which is usually not generous with student accommodation. Normally it’s one room cramped with a desk, chair, inadequate storage underneath the single bed and a community bathroom down the hall. By the looks of it, Jeongin had all this space to himself including a small bathroom and mini kitchenette area. 
“Wow, you got lucky with student housing around here.”
“Can’t stress the word ‘lucky’ enough,” Jeongin emphasises, closing the door behind you as you take your shoes off. “Took me about four months last year just to apply for a viewing. But after living in shared accommodation on campus, I needed my own space.”
“Fair enough,” you say. “Some student spaces are lucky enough to have wallpaper. But anyway.”
“Would you like something to eat or drink?” He offers. “I bought food earlier on.”
“No it’s okay thank you, I made sure to have some water and food before the scene,” you politely refuse. 
“Okay, good,” Jeongin nods, impressed even. Those who forget to eat before a scene will often find that their energy depletes faster, rendering them unable to continue or even worse, it could go hand in hand with a sub drop. “Then in that case, shall we get started?”
Your stomach flips excitedly, “sounds good to me.”
Jeongin does the honours of leading you to his bedroom. It’s adorned with a minimalistic aesthetic and beautiful muted tones. There’s a decent queen-sized bed centred back against the wall. Laid on top of its surface is a black cardboard box and a set of black restraints right beside it in contrast with the white fitted duvet. Flickering on the bedside table burned a red candle.
From what you could gather, it was most likely for wax play, but it smelt amazing. Almost a woody with a tinge of floral essence to it that filled his room.
“We can start the scene by taking your clothes off and I’ll get these restraints ready, okay?” Jeongin suggests to you. 
“Okay.” 
He steps over towards the mattress, picking up the long restraints. Only two – one for each of your wrists that he was going to link to the bedposts. He secures the ends of them in place while you strip yourself down to your bra and underwear. You fold them over your arms as Jeongin returns to carefully take them from you and places them on his chair in the corner of the room. 
He comes back once he’s done, eyeing up your body. It’s not that he meant to gawk or observe you per se, but he was in fact silently appreciating your body. He could only just hide the fact that he’s very taken with how you look and the way you pull off a simple black bra and underwear set. 
It wasn’t lingerie, but they were intricated pieces. Jeongin seems to be aware of that when you feel him delicately glide his fingertips down the straps of your bra from behind while you stare into his mirror on the wall. 
“This is is pretty,” he says. 
You swallow quietly, content with his observation, “yeah?” 
“Yes, but unfortunately I need it off for this scene. Is that okay with you?” He asks. 
“That’s okay,” you reply clearly.
“Okay then, what’s your colour?”
“Green.” 
With your given consent in mind, Jeongin works behind your back to unclasp your bra and places it with the rest of your clothes. It’s not an awkward moment for either of you given that it was nothing in comparison to the things he had planned for you. 
“Beautiful,” he comments, his eyes lingering for a few seconds too long in the mirror. Your cheeks instantly become hotter, hoping Jeongin can just hurry up and put the blindfold over your eyes so you don’t have to look at him. “Let’s move to the bed. I’ll get you to lie down so I can put the restraints on your wrists.” 
On his instruction, you make your way over to his bed after he moves the black box to the nightstand. You sit down on the mattress edge and prop your legs up until you’re able to lie down flat with your head on his pillow.
Jeongin slightly manoeuvres each of your arms before strapping your wrists into the restraints and for a couple of seconds there, you’re in your own mind. It still baffles you that you struck gold with Jeongin by absolute chance. Not to mention he’s the same person who attends church and goes to bible studies and is the same person who’s tying you to his bed. 
“Not too tight?” He checks in with you. 
“Nope, that’s fine,” you reply. 
Jeongin takes the lid off of the box on the side and takes out the silk black blindfold he purchased from the convention the other day, “okay, I’m going to place the blindfold over your eyes now.”
You nod as total darkness shields you from the predictable. Now you can’t see what’s coming next. The excitement and anticipation hinder all nervousness you’ve been feeling while Jeongin takes a moment to appreciate the state that you’re in. It’s not often for him to be so taken with a person to the point where he just about forgets what he’s doing.
Only then does he realise that he’s in a scene and needs to refocus. 
Once he’s content with everything, he decides to move on, “now we can start.” 
He goes back to the box, careful not to make too much sound so that you can’t grasp a hint of what might be inside. The first item he picks up is a long, spindly black feather. It’s simple yet very effective, responsible for creating that ticklish sensation when he dances it lightly and softly along your skin. On its first contact, your nerves try to anticipate where Jeongin will take the feather next, but their guesses come up short when he uses it somewhere else. 
The feather glides from the base of your throat, downwards and in between your tits. Jeongin then uses it to delicately lick over your nipple, making you keen slightly to one side. You can’t help but suppress a moan by biting down on your lip. It shouldn’t feel this good too early, but you can’t help your body’s natural reaction to the feather that leaves tingles in your muscles throughout its wake. 
The smile on Jeongin’s face indicates that he’s enjoying watching you squirm and quietly whimper, still teasing you with the black plume. He drags it from the tips of your toes, up your shin, and right over your clothed pussy, making you press your head back into the pillow. 
Jeongin makes a mental note of that reaction and smirks. To him, those small effects of what he’s doing to your body with only a feather, make him wonder how sensitive you really are. But it’s not his whole desire to spend too much time with it and proceeds to move on to something else; the hot wax. 
After placing the previous item in the box, Jeongin swaps it for the candle. The catcher has collected a substantial amount of wax at the bottom which will allow him to pour the majority of it out before it starts to solidify. But Jeongin stalls for a moment as he tries to make up his mind on where to pour first. 
In his opinion, he wants to cover all the sensitive parts that you’ll let him. Your tits, collarbone, throat, tummy, wherever. Eventually, however, he knows he’ll get to those places. So he starts with your tummy, watching the hot wax drip and dribble onto your skin, hardening as it makes contact. 
A gasp is forced out of your mouth, “s-shit-“
“Too hot?” Jeongin asks you, pulling back the candle before he goes to pour again. 
“N-No,” you shake your head fervently. “J-Just wasn’t expecting-"
Jeongin pours a steady line of wax in between your tits, prying your mouth open for slightly quiet yet strained moans to roll from the base of your throat.
He expects you to have some sort of reaction to the hot wax, but not like this. Usually, people try to escape from the head, some swear like sailors, and others might scream or yelp. You on the other hand…it makes him wonder if you’re a masochist with the way you’re moaning from the slight pain. 
Nonetheless, he drips more wax, this time down your abdomen, forcing you to purse your lips to suppress any sound.
Despite the temperature of the thick content, your brain, for whatever reason, deduces it as a good sensation rather than a bad one. It does burn a bit, but not to the point where you feel like you need to call for a break. That feeling when it settles into the skin where it’s magnificent and warm is too good to pass up, allowing you to keep going.
With the session barely in full swing, you’re trying to keep it together for Jeongin so that hopefully he’d invite you back for another. Yet, within the second you even start thinking about that, Jeongin pours some of the wax, just about the line of your underwear, making you tug hard on the restraints. 
“Fuck – oh my god,” you groan, feeling the heat emulsify within your lower half. It spreads beautifully, just where you want it. “That feels…” 
“Good?” Jeongin asks, making your back arch slightly when he drips more wax from your sternum to just above your belly button. There are some areas that he won’t cover with the wax since he wants enough sensitive space for the next part of the scene. 
“Y-Yes.” 
Since Jeongin has some verbal confirmation from you that the heat feels good, his indication of pinning you for being a masochist grows stronger. It’s not abnormal, but it’s rare. Not everyone is a fan of pain and some even find it confusing when it’s applied in the bedroom.
That’s not Jeongin though. He appreciates pain and pleasure in a controlled environment. In saying that, he cannot make a full observation of whether or not you’re a full-blown masochist. He’d need to actually ask you first and run other ‘tests’ to achieve a result. 
In light of the pain, Jeongin makes use of the little wax he has left, steadily pouring it onto the underside of your tits – close to where you want it. When there’s no content left at the bottom of the catcher, he moves on once more. This time, to a completely opposite temperature. 
He sets the candle back down on the nightstand, leaving it to continue burning so that the aroma fills the room rather than smoke if he were to blow it out. You then hear his footsteps shuffling around to the other side of the bed, making you wonder what it is that he’s doing. But despite tuning your ears into his every movement, Jeongin makes sure to be as careful as he can to ensure that you don’t know what’s coming next. 
The one thing that you hadn’t noticed in his room the second you walked in was a mini tin bucket of ice cubes on the other side of his bed. He gave away zero hints towards his next move, so when he quietly picked up one of the cubes and immediately placed it just above your tits, you suck in a huge gasp. 
“Geez, I wasn’t ready,” you sigh out some of the anticipation that’s building inside of you. 
Jeongin smiles, “good.” 
The areas of your body that are free from the hardened wax allow him to glide the ice cube gently over your skin. The temperature in comparison to the wax is electrifying, more so than what you ever would have anticipated – had you known it was coming. 
Jeongin watches the ice cubes melt from your body heat, seeing the droplets of water pool for a second and run down your sides. When the first cube has melted down completely, Jeongin picks up another. This time, he drags it slowly above the band of your underwear again. 
“Mm! Fuck…” you exclaim loudly, trying to conduct the sensation when it only just builds. “S-Sorry.” 
“You’re okay,” Jeongin reassures you. 
He then brings the ice cube up to one of your nipples, causing you to arch your back and tug on the restraints simultaneously as a sharp gasp leaves your mouth. The corners of Jeongin’s mouth perk up at your reaction. He doesn’t want to be too predictable and switch to your other nipple. Instead, he manages to pick up another ice cube and uses it on your other nipple, dancing it around your sensitive buds that have begun to stiffen and perk up.
Your poor brain is confused by the stimulation. It’s not happening between your legs but you can feel it from your chest. It feels weird not to be contracting around anything, which only makes you wish you were. Nonetheless, it’s still valid stimulation that you feel building and at first, you’re not sure if it’s an orgasm that’s forming or if it just feels good. 
Regardless of the matter, you can’t help it. It’s patterning the pleasure for you to experience without you having any say in it whatsoever. Your mind is muddled with what to say – how to express how you feel or what’s happening to your body. 
Jeongin has some idea of it now that he’s been listening to you panting and watching you writhe on his bed just from a couple of ice cubes. However, he wants to see how this plays out. 
“J-Jeongin,” you mumble, sucking in small breaths of air. “I’m…”
His ears spring up at the sound of his name, but he refrains from saying anything at all. Instead, he picks up another ice cube, allowing the one in his left hand to melt away before applying the fresh one. The chilly sensation replenishes but it doesn’t stop that sensation that you can feel in your tits all the way through to your pussy. Even though it feels similar to an orgasm, it triggers zero verbal response when it decides to hit you out of nowhere. 
Jeongin sees your mouth part, your legs bracketing together like they’re trying to find something to clamp around. All the while, he doesn’t stop stimulating your nipples with the cubes until your back is flat on his bed again. He had to see it through to the end. 
Breathless and slightly dazed as you were, the first thing that came to mind was that you did in fact cum. Following that came anxiously wondering what Jeongin’s reaction was.
At that, an invisible weight of embarrassment starts tugging you down. You wanted the blindfold to remain over your eyes, terrified of meeting whatever expression was laden on Jeongin’s face. There was no point in trying to gauge how he reacted when you orgasmed, but there was one thing for sure and that was he didn’t stop you from doing it. 
A few lingering moments later, Jeongin becomes satisfied with the tail end of the scene. He got through the aspects of sensory play that you both wanted to cover from the conversation you had at the beginning of the week.
He gently removes the silk blindfold from your eyes, fixing some of your hair in the process to get it out of your eyes. Even though your eyes shy away from his face, Jeongin can easily see the deep red burning through your cheeks. 
“I’ll get these off for you,” Jeongin murmurs, already freeing one of your wrists from the restraint before moving on to the other.
Once you’re completely unrestricted, you sit up straight away and start blabbing out an explanation to him. 
“Just so you know, I didn’t have other intentions going into this,” you speak quickly. “I just wasn’t expecting to…to-“
Slightly taken aback, Jeongin had to step in to reassure you that there’s nothing wrong, “Y/N, it’s okay, seriously. It’s not your fault that your body couldn’t help but do what it needed to. But you’ve just come out of a scene and I want to make sure that you’re ok-“
“Yes but, you said the other day that people don’t usually climax from sensory play only,” you interrupt him. 
He softens a bit, a small grin forming on his face, “I said ‘usually’ not ‘never’. I didn’t rule out that possibility.” 
You suddenly click onto his words, “so there is a possibility that they still can.” 
“Yes, but you don’t have anything to be embarrassed about or sorry for. Some people can orgasm through nipple stimulation. It’s not always easy, but you managed to do it, with ice too, and relatively fast. Plus, I thought it was cute,” he responds. 
‘Cute?’ If melting from embarrassment was a thing, you’d be a puddle all over his floor. Your face comes to fall into your hands, almost making him giggle. 
Jeongin then continues, “now, if you’ll let me help you, I’ll show you to the shower to get some of the wax off. Then we can have some of that food I was talking about earlier.” 
-
A/N: again, this was meant for Kinktober but my dumb ass didn’t upload it. I’m turning this into a bit of a slow burn series, but not just yet because I’m working on other things atm as listed down below:
1. Noxious Compulsions
Minsung x reader (you can find the snippet here)
2. Foul Play
Part 2 to Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
3. Venom Eater
Part 2 to Venom Biter
4. Some things are better left known
Part 2 to ‘Some things are better left unknown’
These are the main pieces that I’m working on at the moment bc they will be quite dense, and I try to add as much detail in as I can. However, there are 100% other things that I have still sitting in my Doc’s folder that I’ll release too!
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The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is coming out of the screen and into your hands! Crows Crows Crows have partnered with iam8bit to bring you The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe in physical format. That’s right, we’ve printed out the whole game, photocopied it a bunch of times, and stuffed it into disks, just for you.
Pre-orders will be limited, so make sure you get yours when they go live on THURSDAY 28TH MARCH: 9AM PST.
There are two versions available for preorder: the Retail Edition comes with four art cards of your favourite Stanley Parable locations. The Collector's Edition comes with a Reassurance Bucket creation manual, sticker set and a 5" PVC Stanley figurine as well as exclusive box cover art by Faith Oztürk, and a soundtrack download code.
You’ll also be able to pick up additional items like the 2 disk 12” Soundtrack on vinyl, the CopyConductor 980 TX Instructional Audio Tape, and The Button That Says The Name Of The Player Playing The Game.
20% of net profits will be donated to the non-profit 350.org to help fight climate change.
And here's the link one last time:
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fuckyeahgoodomens · 26 days
Text
Good Omens graphic novel update: March 2024
Happy March. We bumped into the one and only Maggie Service at an event earlier this month, and here she is with some enamel friends of ours:
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It turns out, her words, not ours, that they’re not only good for the aesthetic, but handy for covering accidental food stains. Here she is showing off the gorgeous Aziraphale and Crowley pins to the crowd.
Anyway, we have a bumper one for you this month, and an important update on timings. Let’s get to it.
PledgeManager
First of all, we were due to launch the PledgeManager with this month’s update, but there’s a few last minute hurdles we need to get through and so we’re pushing it back a few final weeks just to ensure all the is are dotted, and ts are crossed. We’ll now be launching this on Thursday 18th of April, in the late afternoon UK-time, to ensure that all team hands are on deck for the move into this next phase. 
We’ve got a bunch of FAQs ready for the launch, and we’ll have a PledgeManager-specific update to coincide with it going live where we’ll lay out everything as clearly as possible. We appreciate your patience on this.
Rather than hold back the PledgeManager-adjacent information to the new launch date, however, we’ll still share with you some of the new things that will be available!
In terms of new additions: you wanted more  ̶d̶u̶c̶k̶s̶ items? You’ve got them! We’ve got two new notebooks: one featuring lots of ineffable artwork from the graphic novel, and one featuring the much-loved ducks.
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We’ve also got two new mugs: one for Tadfield visitors, and another for… duck lovers.
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We’ve got a big sticker set bringing together lots of the art from this campaign. And, we’ve got a new enamel pin pair: these gorgeous Crowley and Aziraphale wings that together make a little love heart. You can either wear them both, or split them with your own best angel.
These will be available to purchase like the Aziraphale and Crowley pin pairs - not tied to the mystery packs.  
Tier updates
While some elements of the campaign are facing delays, other elements are hurtling forward at full velocity. Fans of the very cute, brace yourselves: here is Sarah Graley’s print for the loot box:
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We’ve got some more map previews from Julien Labit, capturing Tadfield, heaven, hell, and many, many places in between:
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And, we’re excited to unveil Alice Oseman’s Crowley illustrations for Loot Box #1, completing the pair alongside her Aziraphale sketches from when she watched Good Omens years ago:
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On the add on front, here’s our Good Omens slipcase that can be added to pledges, to keep your graphic novels nice and  ̶a̶c̶c̶u̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ cosy:
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We are quite into pins, you may have noticed. Here’s some more that will be available in the mystery packs:
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Moving up to the Obsidian levels, here are some of the sample art pieces from William the Antichrist, illustrated by fantasy artist Mike Nash featuring Crawleigh, and the Citroen 2CV. We’re excited to see these new editions come to life:
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Evolution of Eden
We thought it would be interesting to show the evolution of the graphic novel itself. We’ve found it glorious watching Colleen’s artwork arrive in each new stage, and so here’s a sample of the stages of Colleen’s first image, in the Garden of Eden, from pencil sketch, through ink, to the finished page:
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And another, from its initial concept sketch, through to this celestial delight:
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Lots happening, the lay of the year changing a little, but still full to the brim with Good Omens.
Until next time.
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hellfirenacht · 4 days
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This Machine...
Summary: Your birthday is coming up, and Eddie makes you a present. 
Tags: sfw, friends to lovers, slightly possessive Eddie and Reader if you squint, Eddie Munson x Reader
Word Count: 3.3k words
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Master List
There were certain perks to being the school’s resident dealer. For one, Eddie had made very good friends with the old janitor that kept to himself, flying under everyone’s radar, including Higgins’. The nice perk that came with being friends with ol’ Mr. Greg was the fact that he had the keys to every single room in the school, which meant that Eddie’s lock-picking days were lowered considerably. 
These were good perks to have, especially since your birthday was coming up. Eddie had convinced the art teached at the beginning of every year to allow himself and his club to use the art room to make their Hellfire shirts. The art department had managed to get funding four years ago for a screen printing kit, convincing the board that having the ability to make shirts would create unity within the school. 
Frankly, Eddie thought that was a load of bullshit. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to use it to his advantage when he could. So every September, Eddie would gather his little sheepies for an afternoon of arts and crafts, creating the shirts and ruining the ones they were wearing in the mess. Eddie would always try and make a few extra, just in case there were stragglers that needed saving from the conformity of Hawkins High school. Not once did he consider the irony of having his sheep in uniform.
In most cases, the art teacher was willing to work with him and let him in without much fuss. Of course, that was when Eddie was still a student. He had now been a proud high school graduate for seven months and the shock of not being in school had him spiraling for the first month before he found himself working at the Hideout again. Work, rehearsal, work, rehearsal, a thirty minute set at the Hideout if he was lucky, work, rehearsal. 
God, he missed Hellfire. That was the only part of school that he missed; a consistent Dungeons and Dragons schedule. 
Still, it wasn’t all bad and monotonous. Turns out that if you aren’t stuck at school 8 hours a day, 5 days a week you can go other places when children are at school. And when you go to places where kids aren’t, you tend to meet adults. 
Enter you. 
You had been working at the record store on morning shift, and had been for a few months now. Although you had more often than not worked weekends, somehow you and Eddie had eluded each other in the two years of you sorting through the various artists and ringing up customers. 
It had been a Thursday when Eddie met you, a fact he only remembered because the previous night had been the day that Bev allowed him to go on two nights in a row at the Hideout, which had been unheard of for Corroded Coffin. 
“Ain’t no one barely here anyways, Eddie.” she’d said, having long since stopped calling him Junior. 
He had been flying high, and an old drunk had even left him a tip on the bar, enough to drop by the record store and pick up an album he’d been eyeing for a while. You had been standing at the boxes, resetting them and reorganizing them for the hundredth time that week. It had been so slow that day that it was all you could do to keep yourself busy. 
W.A.S.P had been playing at a near whisper quiet volume, and when Eddie asked you about it you had just smiled, shrugged, and said that the owner only allowed you to play them on Thursdays when it was dead, or Sunday morning when anyone who’d get offended by the lyrics would be at church. 
The two of you had been friends ever since. 
A half hour of idle chat about music had turned into five months of late night talks on the phone, hanging out in Eddie’s van, swapping music back and forth, visiting each other during your shifts, and a tentative bi-monthly D&D session with you, and Corroded Coffin. 
Eddie would never know how badly he messed up your sleep schedule, going on late at night with Corroded Coffin when you had a morning shift, but it was always worth it to give him a sober audience member. 
The best nights though, were the times where you’d come over and just... hang out with him. You’d come over to Wayne’s trailer after your shift, or he’d pick you up from your place, and the two of you would just sit and talk. 
You never bat an eye at how messy his room was, and he made sure there was no food left out and would at least make an effort to clean out all of the beer cans in his room. Mostly you’d just sit on his bed and watch him play guitar, or spend hours talking about everything and nothing. 
As much as you enjoyed hearing him practice the same riff on his electric guitar over and over again, you had admitted to him that you always had a soft spot for the acoustic guitar that collected a little more dust in the corner that he’d pull out on rare occasions. 
THIS MACHINE SLAYS DRAGONS
You’d voiced your fondness for the instrument several times, enjoying the combination of Woody Gunthrie’s iconic guitar adjusted for your friends’ eccentric taste. 
Five months of friendship. Five months of hanging out with no pressure, no needing to look after each other, five months of feeling like a fucking human in this damn town. 
And one month of having the most embarrassing and awkward crush on you. 
Eddie had dated before, and he’d been interested in girls and some girls had even shown some interest in him until they realized that Eddie wasn’t someone to be fixed or saved. Eddie had even had sex before, but not to the extreme lengths that he’d found had been circulating in high school. 
Seriously, who had the time to come up with half the shit that this town thought he’d allegedly done? 
You found great joy in hearing about his spin in the rumor mill. Whenever one of you heard a rumor about the Freak, you’d compare notes and laugh about how stupid it was. Of course, Eddie put little effort into actually stopping the rumors, and now that he was no longer in high school it didn’t seem to matter as much anymore. He’d still get dirty looks from people in town but he found that more often than not people would just leave him alone now. Jocks, nerds, freaks, cheerleaders; outside the halls of Hawkins High those words didn’t hold half the weight they used to. 
“So they’re saying that now you spiked the punch at homecoming?” you asked, laughing. “I must have missed that dance.”
“Yeah, so did I. I only went to homecoming once in school and that was Sophomore year.” Eddie replied, his fingers tabbing out a melody that he had been working on for a new song. “And there was no way I was able to get my hands on any alcohol that night.”
“Why would you waste perfectly good alcohol on a high school dance, anyway?” you laughed.
Eddie could listen to you laugh for hours. 
And it was because of this, that Eddie was now back at Hawkins High, while Ol’ Greg unlocked the art room on this fine weekend. It didn’t take much convincing, Ol’ Greg didn’t give a shit about Eddie’s reputation and never had, and for that Eddie had slipped the janitor an extra joint for his trouble as payment for letting him in. 
The room looked about the same as it had the last few weeks of school, aside from some new art projects. Other than that, everything was in about the same place. Eddie wasted a little time wandering around the room, looking at the different projects and taking in the scent of old clay and dried paint. Aside from the old drama room, the art room was the only other place in the school where he felt okay in this hellhole. 
It didn’t take much to get your shirt size. You always had a bad habit of leaving your sweaters in his van, so going to grab a blank hoodie in your size was the easy part. The design he was using was easy as well, and after so many years of making Hellfire Club shirts he could probably make this in his sleep. 
But he wouldn’t, because he wanted this to be perfect. So for the next few hours he carefully pulled out the equipment, found the right shade of red he wanted to use and painstakingly created the stencil, adding his own personal flair to it. The finished product was probably nicer than any Hellfire Club shirt he’d ever made. 
By the end of it, your new hoodie was done and he was sure that you’d love it so much that you’d never forget it in his van. 
With the finished product in hand he was able to lock up, thank Ol’ Greg, and make his way home. 
Now all Eddie had to do was give it to you for your birthday. The two of you had made plans to hang out that morning together at Benny’s for some birthday waffles or pancakes or french toast or whatever you wanted. He’d treat you, he’d been saving for this. 
Then he’d give you the gift, and you’d love it and then he’d suck it up and ask you out. He could do this. Jeff swore to Eddie up and down that you clearly had feelings for him. Eddie wasn’t stupid, he’d noticed your flirting and had flirted back so many times. This dance between the two of you had been going on for weeks now, but it didn’t make it any less terrifying. With any luck, the note he had tucked into the pocket would also help him out. 
You were already at your usual booth when he arrived that Sunday morning. It was supposed to be a very quiet morning, Benny’s was never busy first thing on Sunday. So when Eddie walked into the diner to meet you, his stomach dropped as he saw the rest of his band already sitting with you. 
A chorus of his friends called him over, and Eddie, dejected, slid in the booth on the opposite side of you. You were on the end of one booth, seated next to Jeff and Zack, while Eddie took the spot next to Gareth. 
Eddie wanted to be pissed at the guys for ruining his plan, but then he saw the look on your face. You were thrilled to be around everyone and were excitedly talking to Jeff about the new song that he was learning. It was your birthday, your day, and if you were having fun, that was the important part. He did make sure to put your food on his tab though, he wasn’t going to let anyone else have that satisfaction. 
As the morning went on, Eddie had completely forgotten about the hoodie currently sitting in the small bag by his leg. He was only reminded of it when Gareth got up to go pee and Eddie was forced out of the booth, as his foot kicked the bag and you noticed it. 
Your eyes immediately lit up when you noticed the red gift bag and your smile widened. 
“Eddie, is that for me?” you asked, batting your eyelashes. “Did you get me a present?”
He didn’t want to give it to you in front of everyone, that hadn’t been part of the plan. But he sucked it up and pulled the hoodie out and tossed it to you. Eddie could worry about asking you out later when the rest of his friends weren’t around. He’d never want to put that pressure on you anyway. 
“Yessss!” you grabbed it eagerly in your hands and unfolded the hoodie, noticing the design. 
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This Machine Slays Dragons was splashed across the front, and on the front pocket was a small colony of bats, just like the ones on Eddie’s arm. He watched as your eyes widened, in surprise and delight, and felt a wave of relief wash over him as you eagerly put it on. 
“Holy shit, Eddie, I love it!” you said, and got out of the booth to throw your arms around him. Your lips pressed against his cheek, and for a moment Eddie felt like he was on cloud nine as he hugged you back, giving you a slight squeeze before you pulled away. 
“You always said you liked my guitar.” He said, shooting a look to his bandmates who were making kissy faces behind your back. The glare only egged them on. 
“It’s got your bats on it.” you said, looking down at the design, smoothing it out. “This is so fuckin’ cool!”
As you ran your hands down the design, you heard a faint crinkle in the pocket. When you reached inside, alarm bells went off in Eddie’s head and he quickly muttered something about needing a cigarette before turning on his heel and walking straight outside to his van. 
He’d completely forgotten the note that he had slipped into the pocket. You absolutely were not supposed to open that in front of everyone. Eddie leaned against the back of his van, lightly smacking his head against the door, the barely touched cigarette in his hand. 
“Eddie...?” Your voice made him go stiff, his head still against the fan. He took one long drag of the cigarette and exhaled the smoke before standing up straight to look at you. You were holding the note in your hand with a sheepish grin on your face. 
“Hey.” He said, not sure how to proceed. He couldn’t read your smile. Was it a sad smile? Were you going to awkwardly tell him that you didn’t feel the same but you could be friends? He could live with that, but it would really sting. 
“So....” you looked at the note and read the two words printed there in his handwriting. “‘Date me’, huh? I’ve heard you come up with the wildest descriptions for things when we play D&D, but the most you could jot down was... ‘Date me’?”
It was. Eddie had racked his brain for hours on what to say to you, but he couldn’t find the words he wanted to. Everything felt either too cheesy, or too stiff, or not him, or too casual. He was really banking on the hoodie to be more of a selling point than the note. 
“I thought it’d be cuter if it had just been the two of us this morning.” Eddie admitted. “Look, I get it if you’re here to respectfully decline. We can just be friends, I swear I won’t make it weird-”
“I’ll date you.” The words were firm and steadfast. There wasn’t a single waiver in your voice as you said those three words. You took a step closer to him and shoved the note back in the hoodie pocket. “Eddie I... I want to date you. I’ve wanted to date you for about 10 minutes after we met.” 
Eddie’s head lowered slightly and his eyes widened as he stared at you. “Are you serious?”
“Well, yeah.” you said. “A cute guy walks into a record store, knows about good music, invites me to play D&D and then becomes one of my best friends? Yes, Eddie, I want to date you.” 
Eddie snuffed out the barely touched cigarette and leaned in towards you. God, he was fucking clueless sometimes.
“You know... that hoodie looks good on you.” He said, trying to sound smooth. “It’ll look better in the back of my van.” 
You stared blankly at him for a second and then burst out laughing, your head thrown back. “No, no, nevermind.” you cackled. “I changed my mind. I’m done. We’re done.” 
Had Eddie not known you as well as he did, he might have taken that as a real rejection. But he knew that laugh, he’d heard it a hundred times over the past few months. 
He reached out and grabbed your hand and pulled you closer to him, you were still smiling wide when you looked up at him. “Seriously, Eddie? I agree to date you and you pull out that line?”
“Don’t get mad at me, Sweetheart.” He said. “You’re the one constantly leaving your clothes in my van. I don’t know why you’re laughing at my perfectly innocent statement.”
“Oh fuck off, Eddie.” You laughed. “You know exactly what you said and how you meant it. And maybe I wouldn’t have had to leave my clothes in your van all the time if you had asked me out earlier.” 
“And would you care to share that logic with me?” Eddie raised an eyebrow. Had you really been leaving things in his van on purpose?
“I had to mark my territory.” you said with a smile. “Can’t let anyone in your van think that you’re seeing someone else.”
It was Eddie’s turn to laugh and you wrapped your arms around his neck. “Ah yes, the most popular freak in all of Hawkins definitely has a line out the door of people wanting to date him.” he said, his hands finding your hips. 
“You’re laughing. I’ve seen you flirting with Ms. Robin’s at The Hideout and you're laughing at me?” you tried to pout, but you were holding back your own giggles. 
“Ms. Robins is a 75 year old woman who can drink everyone under the table.” Eddie pointed out. 
“See? How am I supposed to compete with that! I had to sacrifice my jackets to make sure no one would be asking you out.” you protested. “What else could I-”
Eddie had originally planned on asking if it was okay for him to kiss you first, but he knew that if he didn’t do something now you’d keep cracking jokes and this conversation wouldn’t go anywhere. You tasted faintly like your birthday breakfast, but Eddie quickly decided that it wasn’t a bad thing. He felt the faint push of your lips back against his, and he mentally kicked himself for not doing this the first time you two hung out.
“Happy birthday.” Eddie said, as he finally pulled back. 
“Guess I got my wish, and I didn’t even have to blow out any candles.” you replied, just a little bashful at the admission.
“You aren’t allowed to leave this hoodie in my van.” Eddie said. “You can leave any other jacket or sweater in there but not this one.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.” you said, “But why this one specifically?” 
Eddie touched the pocket that had the bats that matched his tattoo. “Because how else will other people know that you’re seeing someone?” 
“Oh, you little shit!” you laughed. “Really? You think I’m weird for what I did when you basically put your logo on a hoodie that you know I’m going to wear every day?”
“Guess that makes us both freaks now.” He replied, with a satisfied grin. 
“There are worse things to be in a small town.” you decided, taking his hand. “So I guess this means you’re my boyfriend now. No take backs.” 
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Sweetheart.” Eddie crossed his heart.
You leaned in and gave him another quick kiss. “Come on. The sooner we go back in there, the sooner you all can sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me, and the sooner that’s done, then the sooner we can leave. And if you play your cards right, Eddie, you might get lucky and see this hoodie on the floor of your van anyway.” 
“So, the line worked?” He smirked. 
“Come on, Zack is hiding a box of cupcakes.” you laced your fingers with his. “Dessert first and then second dessert.”
“And then elevensies dessert?” Eddie teased. 
“It’s my birthday and I will change my mind, I swear.” you cackled, walking back into the diner with him. 
And because he knew your laugh so well, he had a very good feeling about how he’d help celebrate your birthday when the two of you would finally be alone. 
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Thank you @hellfiredarling for the hoodie! They made it for me for my birthday last year 💜
Divider by @strangergraphics
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yelena-bellova · 1 year
Text
Twenty Years Later: Joel Miller x F!Reader - Chapter Nine
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Chapter Nine: Dry Your Tears
Plot: Joel, Y/n, Henry, Sam and Ellie make their way out of the tunnel system, but Kansas City refuses to let them leave.
Word Count: 9.4k
Warnings: tlou ep.5 spoilers, implied s*ut, language, canon-typical violence, knives, blood, death, loss of a child, s*icide, (16+)
A/N: Oh, we’re really in it, y’all. This is the last chapter in which you get any sense of happiness, so hold it close to your heart. It all really goes to shit after this…
As always, and I really need people to read this, this series is 16+ and I will not be adding anyone to the taglist unless their age is listed in their bio. Gotta look out for younger eyes 👀
Good night, and good luck, my loves ❤️
———————
May 27th, 2003. Austin, Texas.
The referee’s whistle rang through the air, signaling the play was starting. Sarah had the ball, her team was one goal away from winning the season. If she nailed the shot, she’d bring them to victory.
Now, on his own, Joel was one of the loudest and proudest parents at the games. Adding in Tommy and Y/n had made them their own cheer section.
“Go, Sarah!” Y/n yelled.
“C’mon, babygirl,” Joel clapped, “C’mon.”
“Fuckin’ nail it,” Tommy cheered, earning a light knock to the chest from Y/n, “Frickin’ nail it!”
Sarah wasn’t listening to any of them, she was in the zone. She wound her leg back and kicked the ball, it flew through the air and straight through the goalie’s arms.
Y/n screamed and leapt into Joel’s arms, the whole crowd cheered wildly. Joel spun her around, this felt like a victory for all of them considering how much time they’d spent practicing with Sarah.
After celebrating with her team and taking their yearly photo, Sarah bounded over to her family.
Joel picked his daughter up, not caring if he was embarassing her. Sarah hugged him back.
“You were amazing,” he said, setting her back on the grass.
“You’re so freakin’ good, it hurts,” Y/n grinned, wrapping Sarah in her arms.
“Thanks,” the girl smiled up at Y/n.
Tommy high fived his niece, “Calls for a celebration.”
The four of them drove downtown to the ice cream shop. They parked themselves outside at a table in the shade. In celebration of Sarah’s impending graduation, her recent birthday and Y/n and Joel’s one year anniversary, they were driving down to the beach for a weekend.
“Okay,” Joel said in between bites, “I’ve got the confirmation for the hotel printed out.”
“I’m going to the store tomorrow to pick up the food,” Y/n raised her spoon.
Sarah hummed enthusiastically, swallowing her dessert quickly. “Can you pick me up when you do?”
“Yes,” Y/n nodded, “But you can’t run me into debt.”
“Can I come?” Tommy asked through a mouthful of ice cream.
“You will run me into debt,” Y/n replied with a smile.
Tommy reached into his wallet, theatrically handing Y/n a twenty dollar bill. “Beer money,” he clarified.
“Thank you,” Y/n replied, stuffing the money into her jean pocket, “What time are we leaving on Thursday?”
“I figure 9,” Joel answered, “Try and beat the traffic.”
Practical as he was, Joel was also plain excited. This was the first family vacation Y/n was joining them for.
“We’re leavin’ on a Thursday mornin’,” Tommy interjected, “There’s not gonna be any traffic.”
Joel peeked across the table to Y/n, who met his eyes with an equal level of contained enthusiasm. Celebrating one year of her in his life didn’t warrant waiting a single minute longer than necessary.
“Won’t hurt anybody,” Joel responded, shooting his girlfriend a wink.
————————
Come Thursday, the Millers and guest loaded their bags and coolers into Joel’s truck.
“Sarah?” Y/n called from the bottom of the stairs, they were nearly ready to leave and she was still upstairs, “We gotta go, babe.”
“Coming,” she yelled down, skipping out of her room and down the stairs, carrying something in her hand.
“Whatcha got?” Y/n pointed to the small package.
Sarah waved it nonchalantly in the air, “It’s an anniversary present. For you and Dad.”
Y/n’s heart swelled, “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Well, I did,” she gave a small smile, before scrunching up her face, “Just please don’t make out the entire trip.”
Snorting, Y/n wrapped her arms around Sarah’s neck and walked the two of them out of the house.
Joel and Tommy had just finished their thirty minute game of Tetris with the luggage. There were so many bags for only four days and four people.
“No,” Tommy called out, spotting Sarah’s present, “Not one more fuckin’ thing comes into this truck.”
“It’s a carry-on,” Y/n shouted back with a smile, patting Sarah’s arm after, “Be there in a minute.”
Sarah skipped off to the backseat, passing her dad as she did. Joel ruffled her hair before locking eyes with Y/n across the driveway. She looked so natural, standing on his porch with his daughter in her arms, locking up the front door with her spare key. She’d settled into the family so well.
“See somethin’ you like?” Y/n smiled, sticking her nose up in the air and letting the sun hit her.
“Somethin’ I love,” Joel replied, walking slowly towards her. He encircled her waist with one arm, his other hand holding her hip.
Y/n let her hands slide up Joel’s chest, “Your daughter has requested a vow of celibacy from us this weekend.”
Joel chortled, “That’s ‘cause one day she woke up and decided us lookin’ at each other was disgusting.”
“Well, then,” Y/n got on he tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the tip of Joel’s nose, “Save it for the evenings.”
Joel nuzzled his nose against her cheek, savoring the warmth of her skin and the promise of her words.
“What happened to beatin’ traffic?” Tommy teased from the passenger seat.
Rolling his eyes, Joel turned around to his brother and glared at him. Tommy just smirked and tapped his foot against the dashboard.
“Come on,” Y/n intertwined her fingers with Joel’s, pulling him behind her and marching them both to the truck.
“Seatbelts,” Joel ordered as he got in the front seat.
Y/n settled herself in the backseat next to Sarah, who absentmindedly grabbed her hand and started playing with it. Of all the milestones her and Joel had hit in the past year, Sarah’s casual comfort with her was Y/n’s proudest.
“Alright, gang,” Joel started up the car and backed it out of the driveway, “6 hour drive, settle in.”
Y/n and Sarah cheered from the backseat and Joel swore he could feel a physical warmth spread across his chest.
—————————
It took them all day to get to South Padre Island, having stopped for bathroom breaks and lunch on the way, but they made it in one piece.
Their hotel was modest and one of many on the strip that backed straight up to the beach. The view from the balcony was unmatched, nothing but sand and ocean as far as the eye could see.
Their first full day there, they spent all day on the beach. It was early enough in the year that the full force of summer’s heat hadn’t hit yet. Joel stayed with their cooler, messing around on the guitar he’d brought in a beach chair. Tommy switched between relaxing in the shade with a beer and flirting with whatever lucky woman was in their vicinity. Sarah and Y/n walked the shore, searching for seashells.
Leaving Sarah to keep hunting, Y/n walked back to their spot, admiring the sight before her. Joel looked more at ease than she’d ever seen him, strumming away in the cool shade.
“You’re ogling me’,” he said, trying to sound put off.
“You look happy,” Y/n smiled, pushing past the humor.
Joel peeked up over his sunglasses, taking in the wind blowing through her hair and how the sun shone off her skin. “I am happy,” he replied.
Y/n walked around the back of his chair, bending over to encircle his neck. Joel kept on playing, trying to stay focused as she pressed a loving kiss to his cheek.
Looking out on the beach, Y/n’s eyes found Tommy, buying some girl an ice cream at a vendor’s cart. She watched Sarah, crouched down in the sand and hot on the trail of a particular shell. With Joel in her arms, and her chosen family happy, she felt like everything in her world was just as it should be.
Y/n rested her chin on Joel’s shoulder, “Me too.”
—————————
They’d celebrated both Sarah’s graduation and Y/n’s anniversary on Saturday night with dinner on the beach. There’d been good food and good laughter, especially when Sarah tried oysters for the first time, managing to swallow the bite with a grimace.
When gifts were exchanged, Y/n, Joel and Tommy had compiled their money to get Sarah tickets to see her favorite band. She’d leapt out of her chair and bear hugged all three of them. For Joel and Y/n’s anniversary, she handed them a CD she’d burned a playlist to. Songs she’d heard them listen to or that the three of them had sung together in the car or while Joel played guitar.
Deep into the evening, when Tommy and Sarah had retired to their room across the hall, Joel and Y/n celebrated their anniversary privately.
Joel’s body weight Y/n’s down, pinning her hands above her head and pressing soft kisses across her face. At some point in the night, she’d slipped on his t-shirt. He was convinced that if there was a heaven on earth, he was in it.
“Promise me something,” Y/n breathed, her lips brushing Joel’s cheekbone.
Joel rubbed his nose against Y/n’s, “Anything.”
Pressed into the bed, completely consumed by the man she loved, with a soft ocean breeze flooding through their balcony window, Y/n was in utter bliss. There was nothing that could have made the moment more perfect.
“Promise me it’ll always be like this,” Y/n whispered, her urging eyes boring into Joel’s, “Even when it isn’t.”
Joel’s grip on Y/n’s hands loosened, letting her slip out of his hold with a need to feel her arms around him. Neither of them were under any illusion that life was without its problems, they’d run into them eventually. But through it all, Joel knew that the one thing that would never fade was their complete and utter devotion to one another. That was forever.
Joel brushed away a strand of hair stuck to Y/n’s face from the ocean’s humidity. He ran the tips of his fingers along her cheek, down her neck, tracing the path his lips had traveled moments ago.
“Always,” he promised, his voice soft, but determined.
The room’s energy was emotionally charged, bringing tears to Y/n’s eyes as she gazed up at Joel. He looked so beautiful hanging over her, it nearly broke her heart. She was so overcome with love for this man, she truly didn’t know if she could handle any more. Joel overwhelmed her in the sweetest way possible.
The moonlight reflected off a single teardrop that slipped down Y/n’s cheek. Joel adjusted himself in concern, taking her face into his hand, “What’s wrong?”
Y/n smiled, she’d never known one could be moved to tears by the simple act of adoring someone. “I just love you,” she pushed past the lump in her throat.
Joel’s breath caught in his chest. Even though he’d heard her say those words a hundred times, something about this utterance felt new.
He stroked his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the tear’s streak. They lay intwined, coming alive in one another’s eyes. They’d known for months, really since their first kiss, that they’d be together a long, long time…but there, in a beachside hotel, wrapped in lily white sheets and each other, they knew they could never leave one another.
Joel dove back into Y/n’s lips, his hands slipping under his shirt she wore to hold her hips. He prayed that when the day came for him to die, he’d do so in her arms, her kiss stealing his final breath.
—————————
2023. Kansas City, Missouri.
While the tensions were high the whole way, the five survivors made it through the tunnel system with no issues.
“Do you know where we are?” Joel asked Henry as they made their way through a door. He was still suspicious, nothing was ever as simple as a few tunnels and some luck.
“Yeah,” he answered, “The other side.”
Henry shone his flashlight on a dirty sign stating that it was, indeed, the parking lot to the Bank of America building. They’d made it out. Y/n huffed a sigh of relief, it was a much needed win.
The group headed for the street of the residential area, it was dark and empty allowing them the perfect cover. Joel had still insisted on no flashlights, just to be safe.
Joel led the group, with Ellie, Sam and Henry at the rear, and Y/n sandwiched between. She didn’t particularly feel like being near Joel after the conversation with Henry. She was still trying to shake the memories from her brain, twenty years of wasted energy and not a single one had faded.
Joel didn’t quite know what to do either. He felt at war with himself, a poorly docked ship being drawn out to the open waters against its will. It was getting harder to deny the increasing intensity of his pull to her. Not that it mattered, he still considered her a liar and she hated him with a passion that would never die. But seeing her with the kids, showing the humanity still left in her, had left him unsettled. It was like seeing a home he could never go back to.
“No,” Henry said, having just been signing with Sam, “No one is here. No one’s gonna be here because…my plan worked.
“So much damn talkin’,” Joel remarked from the front of the group.
“I’m just saying,” Henry continued, “I delivered. Make this right, go down the street, embankment behind the last house…and we’re out.”
Y/n and Joel wanted to believe that they were home free, but they’d seen more of the current world than anyone else in the party. Things that seemed too good to be true, almost always were.
“So we cross the river and then what?” Ellie asked, “Where ya gonna go?”
“Don’t know yet,” Henry shrugged.
“Well, we’re goin’ to Wyoming,” Ellie announced.
Joel glared back at her, earning a light hit to the arm from Y/n, who glared right back at him.
“What?” Ellie replied, “It’s a huge state, it can fit two more people.”
“Yeah,” Henry stretched the syllable, not any more keen on the idea than Joel, “Maybe we just call this one a success and say our fond farewells.”
Y/n drifted to walk alongside Joel, his stubbornness breathing a little bit of life back into her. “If you’ve got any happy pills left in your pocket,” she muttered low enough for only them to hear, “I suggest you take them.”
Joel shook his head, glancing out the side of his eyes at her. He couldn’t decide if her silence or her snark was preferable.
“No, he’ll change his mind,” Ellie said to Henry, “Trust me. This is how it goes, he’s like,” she dropped her voice and added a twinge of an accent, “‘No, Ellie. Never, ever, ever happening.”
Y/n couldn’t stop the snort before it escaped her, it physically jerked her body forward. When she looked up, Joel’s hardened stare was resting on her.
“That supposed to be funny?”
“It’s hilarious,” Y/n smiled, still trying to contain her laughter, “And you know it.”
“And then I’m like,” Ellie continued, “‘I’m gonna ask you a million more times.’ And he’s like-“
A gunshot flew past them, killing only the levity.
Joel and Y/n ran for Ellie at the same time, colliding with one another in a heap of arms.
“Move! Move!” Joel ordered, shoving both of them forward, “Go!”
The five of them dove for cover behind an abandoned car, crouching on the asphalt.
“Where the fuck is that coming from?” Henry asked, shielding Sam with his body.
“Shut up,” Joel ordered, peeking his head above the trunk of the car to scan the area. As soon as he was semi-visible, another gunshot hit one of the nearby vehicles.
Henry tried to get a look at the house where the fire seemed to be coming from, earning another close call.
“Fuck,” he muttered, grabbing Sam’s hand, “Let’s move. Let’s go.”
“Henry!” Y/n shouted through her teeth.
“What are you doin’?” Joel yelled, not budging.
“Getting the fuck outta here,” Henry called back, barely making it to the other side of the road before another shot blew past them. He rushed him and Sam back to the first car, “What do we do?”
Y/n and Joel’s brains were working overtime, trying to figure out the best possible course of action. Joel, closest to the house he guessed the gunman was inside, peeked out once more and got another near fatal shot. He was right.
“All right,” Joel breathed, “Stay here.”
“What?” Y/n and Ellie exclaimed in unison.
Joel turned to them, addressing Ellie but drifting his eyes to Y/n at the end of each sentence. “If you don’t move, he’s not gonna hit you. I’m gonna go around, try to get in the house through the back, and then I’ll take him out.”
“No,” Y/n blurted out, “No fucking way.”
“Yeah, if you go out there, he’s gonna kill you,” Ellie agreed.
“It’s dark and he has shit aim,” Joel countered, “Nobody’s gonna kill me.”
“Then he’s gonna kill us,” Ellie replied.
Joel’s eyes flicked between the kid and the woman behind her. He addressed Ellie first, “Do you trust me?”
Hesitating, but eventually rolling her eyes and nodding, Ellie answered.
Joel looked up to Y/n, silently begging her to listen to him. He’d trusted her when Ellie had revealed her immunity, now he needed her to do the same.
Y/n wanted to be unreasonable and illogical, to stew in her anger a little longer. But Joel hadn’t failed them yet on their journey, this wasn’t the place to start.
“You go around the left,” Y/n countered, “I’ll create a diversion so he won’t see you coming.”
“You stay here,” Joel replied, his voice turning to steel.
It was the first time that Y/n didn’t want to argue. She withdrew her pistol from her holster, “I wasn’t asking.”
Joel was busting his ass trying to make sure she was safe and she was throwing herself into open fire to protect him. He felt sick to his stomach.
Y/n took Joel’s reluctant nod and mirrored it, hoping she looked more confidant than she felt. They both brushed a hand against Ellie’s arm, who was terrified to let the only two people she cared about run headfirst into danger.
Joel and Y/n crossed past one another, he grabbed her arm to stop her. The pain-stricken worry in both their eyes communicated all that they couldn’t out loud.
They took up their positions on either end of the car, cocking their guns and drawing a deep breath. Joel nodded to Y/n, signaling for her to move.
Y/n jumped out from the car and ran for the one directly across from her. A gunshot kissed the air behind her, she slid into the asphalt behind the vehicle like it was third base. She could feel the fear creeping up her spine, threatening to break her, but breaking wasn’t an option. Tess’ last wish rang in her ears; keep Joel safe.
Spotting the next car, in the row, she made a beeline for it, dodging two shots on each side of her. She kneeled behind the trunk, peeking out just enough to fire a distracting shot towards the house.
“C’mon, Joel,” she whispered.
Joel was making his way down the street, Y/n serving as the most perfect and unwelcome distraction. Every shot sent a cold shot of panic through him, terrified that the gunman was going to be too quick for her. Just before making it behind the house, he snuck a look over his shoulder and caught her racing across the street, dodging more fire. It urged him to move faster.
Y/n was getting closer and closer to the house, praying that Joel had made it. When she made a clean run to the next car, she assumed that he’d put a stop to the fight. A final shot rang out, but it had come from a different gun. Joel’s gun.
Y/n slumped against the car and exhaled, he was safe.
Joel felt grief pass over him, a drop of it trickling down his throat, as he grabbed the old man’s rifle. He was about to stick his head out the window and signal to Y/n that they were clear, until a sound caught his ear.
“Anthony…Anthony…” a staticky voice called, Joel tracked it beside the old man’s body and found a walkie-talkie, “Anthony, hold them where they are.”
“Fuck,” he muttered, rushing to the window, “Run!”
Y/n stood up, Joel’s voice reassuring her they were in the clear before she registered his words.
“Run!”
Y/n bolted back toward Ellie, Sam and Henry. In the near distance, she could hear the sound of a truck. The same one they’d been dodging for the past day.
“Run!” Joel urged, watching Y/n’s shadow run straight towards the threat.
The truck’s headlights shone down the street, shining right on Y/n. She collided with Ellie, wrenching the girl ahead of her and racing back towards the house. Behind them, the fleet of trucks were beginning to plow through the rows of cars.
Determined, Joel started to fire at the truck’s windows, trying to take out the driver.
Blindly, Ellie and Y/n began to fire their pistols at the main truck after them. Without being able to take proper aim, their attempts failed, but they kept trying.
Ellie’s gun ran out of bullets as the truck began to gain on her. Y/n wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pushing her to go faster. Ellie tripped, bringing Y/n down with her. Y/n enveloped the girl in her arms, putting her body between the truck and Ellie.
At that exact moment, Joel had fired a perfect shot, taking out the driver and causing the truck to crash through the front of a nearby house. He’d bought them mere seconds, a whole fleet of cars were behind them and their passengers were about to surround Ellie and Y/n.
“Come on,” Y/n urged, pulling Ellie to her feet, “Move.”
They’d barely made it two steps before they were thrown to the ground again by a blast. The crash had somehow started a fire and both the vehicle and the house surrounding it were set ablaze.
The smoke filled Y/n’s lungs, restricting her airways and letting dizziness to set in. The only clear thought ringing through her head was Ellie, save Ellie.
Joel watched helplessly as Ellie and Y/n lay on the ground. He could feel his heartbeat in his throat, waiting for them to get up. Henry, a godsend in that moment, darted out from behind a car and pulled them both to their feet.
Y/n stumbled back to the car Henry had sought as protection, blindly reaching for Ellie and making herself a barricade once again.
“You okay?” Henry asked them both.
“Yeah,” Ellie muttered, Y/n gave a breathless nod.
Up above the flames, Joel watched a group of rebels walk through the smoke with guns drawn on his window, calling out orders to raid the house. They’d found him.
“Fuck,” he breathed, hiding behind the wall. Unlucky for them, Joel wasn’t so easy to throw in the towel and lose his life.
Below, Kathleen surveyed the damage, strolling casually amongst the flames. “Dead end, Henry,” she called, “Gonna step on out? Save us some time?”
“Is that her?” Y/n whispered, Henry nodded in response.
“No?” Kathleen asked, her tone was eerily even, “That’s all right. Doesn’t matter.”
Henry looked to Sam, who Y/n had an arm around, and knew what he had to do. “I’ll come out,” he replied, “Just let the kids go!”
“No,” Kathleen responded, “Sorry. The girl is with the two who killed Bryan, don’t think I don’t know that the woman’s back there with you too.”
Y/n shut her eyes, the back of her head digging into the car. She knew she’d die eventually, she woke every day faced with the possibility of death. But she wasn’t about to die before she could get Ellie out west.
Joel’s blood ran cold at Kathleen’s words, his hands squeezing the rifle tighter. He had to fight every instinct to fire a bullet straight through her head.
“And Sam” Kathleen continued, “Well, Sam’s with you.”
“You don’t understand,” Henry yelled.
“But I do,” she said calmly, “I know why you did what you did. But did you ever stop to think that maybe he was supposed to die?”
“He’s just a fucking kid!” Henry called back.
“Well, kids die, Henry. They die all the time.”
Y/n’s fear turned to shock and that shock turned to rage. Deep, bitter, twenty year old rage.
Joel watched carefully from his spot, feeling the anger swell in him.
“You think the whole world revolves around him?” Kathleen continued her monologue, “That he’s worth everything? Well, this is what happens when you fuck with fate.”
Henry turned to Y/n and Ellie, bracing himself for his own fate. “Get ready to take him, and run,” he instructed.
“No,” Y/n argued, “I’m not-“
“Yes,” he said, his voice like steel, “Do it.”
Y/n gave in, nodding and taking Sam’s hands with Ellie. “You stay in front of me at all time,” she instructed, reaching out for the girl, “If I go down, you don’t turn back.”
Ellie’s eyes widened, “But-“
“You don’t turn back,” Y/n repeated, forcing her voice to sound strong.
“It’s time, Henry,” Kathleen gritted, her soft voice suddenly dripping with venom, “Enough!”
Henry took a few shuddering breaths before getting to his feet, hands raised in the air. Sam anxiously started to go after his brother, but Ellie and Y/n pulled him back to the ground. The three of them sat there, Y/n and Ellie’s pulses racing as they waited for the inevitable sound, their signal to move.
“It ends the way it ends,” Kathleen said, her calm demeanor returning.
Y/n froze as she listened to Kathleen cock her pistol, squeezing Sam’s hand a little tighter.
But the bullet never came.
Instead, there was a terrible creak from the totaled truck. Ellie scrambled to get a peek while staying hidden, Y/n held up a hand to her and poked the tip of her head out. Just enough to see the car sink into the wreckage of the burning house.
Joel aimed his rifle and came to the window, watching it all happen from above.
Three ominous seconds of silence.
And then they came.
Hordes of Infected came sprinting out of the sinkhole.
Henry rushed back to their spot, Y/n and him shoved the kids in between them and sinking against the car as far as they could. One of the Infected leapt on the hood, a well-timed bullet sinking into its skull.
Joel reloaded the gun, waiting for the next shot.
“Come on,” Henry called, the four of them got to their feet and took off in the direction of the embankment.
Ellie obeyed and stayed ahead of Y/n, who was frantically cocking her handgun. One Infected was chasing after them and she couldn’t get her weapon ready in time.
Joel aimed at the creature trailing Y/n and fired. The body lurched forward, falling on Y/n and causing both her and Ellie to topple to the ground.
Somewhere in their fall, Y/n and Ellie had lost sight of Henry and Sam. Y/n kicked the dead body off of them and glanced up towards the house, she knew who was acting as their guardian angel. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have a job to do as well.
“Car,” Ellie yelled, having quickly crafted a plan in her head.
“Stay low,” Y/n responded.
The two of them army crawled their way through the chaos, screams of both the living and Infected filling the air.
Joel tracked their movements, shooting down any Infected that even looked in their direction.
Ellie and Y/n ran the final distance and dove into the abandoned car through an open window. As Infected began to crawl across the behicle, banging against the windows, one of Joel’s bullets took each one out.
“Get to the back,” Y/n instructed.
The two of them crawled over the seats, taking shelter in the very rear of the vehicle. Ellie’s eyes were wide with terror as she watched the scene play through the dirty glass.
Joel saw them make it in, but his relief didn’t last long. He watched as one of the Infected snaked through the window and into their car. His breath trembled, taking aim and realizing he couldn’t do a damn thing to help them.
Y/n and Ellie heard the dreadful snarling together, their heads turning to watch the Clicker flip through the front seat of the car. Y/n raised her gun and took aim.
Click.
She was out of bullets.
Joel’s brain switched off, his primal instinct to protect taking over as he fired relentless shot after relentless shot, trying to take the Infected out.
The Clicker acrobatically made its way through the car. Ellie blindly reached for the door handle, whimpering in fear as she couldn’t open it. Y/n kicked it with her boot and it swung out, she shoved Ellie roughly out of the car. Y/n slid out, slamming the door behind them and feeling the slam of the Clicker throwing itself against the window.
Joel had lost visual on them briefly, but saw the swing of the car door and how it was still rocking. They’d trapped it.
Somewhere in the noise, a child’s cry could be heard. Y/n’s eyes darted around them, finally spotting Henry and Sam trying to fend off a group of Infected underneath a car.
“Help! Get the fuck away!“ Henry screamed, kicking at one of the creatures, “Get the fuck off me!”
Ellie looked first to Y/n, who was already pulling out her knife from where she hid it in her boot, before they both looked up to where Joel was. Y/n could barely make out his face with the distance.
Joel looked down, knowing that they couldn’t possibly be making eye contact from so far away, but knowing that they were on the same wavelength.
They had to work as a team.
“Go!” Y/n yelled, and they were off.
Joel shot with more precision than he ever had, this was the most he’d ever had at stake. As Y/n and Ellie moved through the crowd, he took out every Infected that were heading for them. He worked as a machine, but the terror he felt was the most human sensation he’d experienced in years.
Y/n shed her humanity, becoming more beast than woman, mercilessly ripping through the throats of any Infected that came near Ellie. She swung onto one’s back, stabbing her knife into its head, and let the collapse of its body land her back on the ground.
Joel and Y/n worked seamlessly together, ground and aerial coming together to protect the one thing that couldn’t be lost. Or in Joel’s case, two somethings.
Ellie and Y/n finally made it to Sam and Henry, there were two clickers still clawing at them. One dragged Henry out from underneath the car, Ellie got behind it and stabbed it. Y/n wrenched the Clicker attacking Sam backwards, staring into where its eyes would have been as she sliced through its heart.
A bullet whizzed past her head, landing in the monster’s skull. Joel needed to be sure.
“Come on, come on,” Ellie helped their friends to their feet, “Go! Go!”
Y/n shoved Ellie in front of her again and they fled the chaos, climbing into the lawn of the house Joel was in.
“Stop!”
The four of them turned to see Kathleen with her gun aimed at Henry, but her eyes flicking between him and Y/n. They didn’t have time to fear for their lives, they clocked the same Clicker who’d almost gotten her and Ellie creeping up an old piece of furniture behind Kathleen.
Kathleen heard the sound, turning around just as the Clicker shot through the air and latched onto her. They watched in terror as the creature claimed the resistance leader’s life.
Joel hurried out of the house, running faster once he saw Y/n and Ellie. He stopped a second, watching as Kathleen lost everything she’d fought so hard for, but didn’t care so long as his people were safe.
“This way now,” Joel yelled, grabbing Y/n’s arm to urge her forward, “Move!”
The group took off, leaving those who had sought to kill them to their fates. Joel and Y/n ran together, keeping one hand on each other the whole time. Their grudge was suffocating, choking under the weight of their undeniable devotion to one another.
————————————
The motel the group landed was a haven to their weary eyes. They broke into one of the rooms and tried to get it through their heads that they were safe. Joel had made sure that no one followed them, they were miles away from any Infected. They could breathe.
Once Ellie and Sam had been squared away with food, they went into the bedroom and began reading Ellie’s collection of comic books. They were either bouncing back spectacularly fast or burying their fear.
Henry, Joel and Y/n sat out in the main room, trying to come down from what they’d just been through. Since fleeing the hellish nightmare, Joel and Y/n hadn’t left each other’s side. She hadn’t even bothered with putting space between them when she sunk down onto the floor. They were pressed against one another and neither of them minded.
“You think they’ll be okay?” Henry asked, picking at a bit of his food and watching his brother from the next room.
Y/n’s eyes drifted to Ellie, she was growing more and more worried about the girl’s psyche. She’d seen so much in such a short span of time.
“Yeah, I think,” Joel answered, “It’s easier when you’re a kid, anyway,” he met Henry’s stare with intention, “You don’t have anybody else relying on you. That’s the hard part.”
“Well,” Henry looked down at his food, “I guess we’re doin’ a good job then.”
Y/n and Joel both looked to the kids, Ellie was helping Sam to read one of the pages.
“What’s that comic book say?” Joel asked, “‘Endure and survive?’”
“Endure and survive,” Y/n repeated.
Henry chuckled, “That shit’s redundant.”
Joel shook his head, this was as close as he’d come to laughing with another person. “Yeah, it’s-it’s not great.”
Y/n gave a small smile, not quite to the point of being able to laugh about any part of the day.
Joel turned to look at her, drawing her gaze to him and focusing on the two quirked corners of her lips. It used to be his favorite game, making them rise until she’d complain her cheeks hurt. Tonight was the first night that he’d been able to make her smile again, and the little bit of his old self that was on life support took a breath.
Y/n let her eyes drift across Joel’s face, resting in the way he returned it. It was a dangerous fucking place to be, but after what they’d just gone through, she was too tired to fight her way out.
A loud laugh from Ellie snapped them out of whatever moment they were having.
“Look,” Joel turned to Henry, “I don’t know exactly how we’re gettin’ to Wyoming, we’re probably walkin’. But,” he stopped, still uncomfortable with the full spectrum of his emotions, “You know, if you want to.”
“Yeah,” Henry answered instantly, “Yeah. Um…yeah, I think it’d be nice for Sam to have a friend.”
“Oh, trust me,” Y/n smiled, looking on to Ellie, “You won’t find anyone friendlier than her,” she glanced at Joel, “Then again, we don’t set the bar very high, now do we?”
Henry laughed under his breath, even Joel couldn’t stop himself from smirking. “No, you don’t,” Henry replied, “I’ll tell him in the morning. New day, new start.”
“We’re not getting anywhere if we’re carrying them on our backs,” Y/n remarked, dusting the crumbs off her jeans and getting to her feet.
Henry got up with Y/n and heading into Sam and Ellie’s room. He knocked on the door and began to sign to Sam.
“Whatever he’s saying,” Y/n pointed to Ellie, “Same goes for you. Real adventure starts tomorrow.”
Ellie rolled her eyes lightly as Y/n approached, letting her take the comic out of her hand and place it on the nightstand. “Hey,” she said, “Is Joel’s brother like him? All grumpy and constipated?
“He is,” Y/n started, a flood of pleasant memories hitting her, “Way more fun. Not a stick to be found up his ass.”
Ellie snorted, Y/n knew she’d fall in love with Tommy in a minute. Everyone did.
Y/n ran a hand over Ellie’s head, they weren’t close enough for a hug but she wanted the girl to know that she had someone that cared about her. If Joel was her protecter, Y/n wanted to be her comfort. The oasis she could run to in the desert.
“Get some rest,” she ordered.
“Why?” Ellie cocked an eyebrow, “So you and Joel can have more time to cuddle?”
Y/n knew she’d be paying for her unconscious choices as long as Ellie was around to witness them. She lightly pushed her forehead, sending Ellie back on the bed in a fit of giggles.
“Will Livingston dies a slow and painful death if you ever bring that up again,” Y/n retorted, giving Ellie a pat on the leg after, “Goodnight.”
“Night,” Ellie called in a teasing tone.
Y/n stopped by Sam’s bed, tapping his hip to get his attention. She signed ‘endure and survive’ back to him, Sam nodded with a smile.
“Practicing,” Y/n beamed, earning herself a thumbs up, “Goodnight.”
She left the room before Henry, Joel hadn’t moved from their spot against the radiator. The door had been open the whole time.
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “‘Stick up my ass?’”
Y/n leaned up against the wall and crossed her arms, almost relaxed. “I said what I said,” she smirked, “She called you constipated.”
Joel shook his head at her, fond memories of her and Tommy ganging up on him filing his head.
He wouldn’t tell her that he’d heard the whole conversation.
Henry exited the room, shutting the door behind him. “I don’t know about y’all, but I’m exhausted,” he said, staking out the far right corner of the room for himself.
“Yeah,” Y/n sighed.
Joel rose up from the ground, already dreading trying to do another bed time shuffle with Y/n. He glanced over at her, first spotting the blood seeping through her bandages.
“Your hand,” he said, crossing the space between them.
“Huh?” Y/n furrowed her brows, holding it up to examine it, “Oh, shit. I didn’t even feel that.”
Joel was hesitant to grab it, but was itching to fix it up. “Adrenaline,” he settled for.
“So much for sleep,” Y/n grumbled, bending down and picking up her backpack.
Joel followed, setting the corner table back on its feet along with the two nearby chairs. Henry was already asleep in his corner. Joel sat down across from Y/n and watched as she pulled out the first aid kit. As she unpacked the supplies, his fingers began to twitch with nervous energy.
Y/n picked up on his fidgety state, stopping what she was doing to look at him. “Are you really that much of a control freak that you need to do this?”
Joel didn’t know what he was, just that he needed assurance that she was going to be alright. The only satisfactory way to do that was to do it himself.
“Fine,” Y/n scoffed, sliding the kit across the table to him, “Have at it.”
Joel unpacked the same supplies they’d used yesterday as Y/n unwrapped her hand. He was glad she’d taken extra gauze from his stash back in Massachusetts, they were running low.
“How long do you think it’ll take to get to Wyoming on foot?” Y/n asked as Joel grabbed an alcohol wipe. She’d already clotted, but the sites still needed to be cleaned.
He bristled, “A long fuckin’ while.”
“And are we measuring that in miles or kilometers?” Y/n asked, her tone deadpan.
Joel nearly smiled, gently rubbing the wipe over the bloody surface. Y/n hissed as it made contact with her skin, digging into her chair and drawing a deep breath after.
“Killed, like, four Clickers,” Joel decided to joke, never looking up from his ministrations, “Can’t handle a little wipe.”
“Says the man who can navigate his way across the country, but couldn’t explain a siphon to a fourteen year old,” Y/n remarked, matching his wit.
Joel peered up, a small smirk playing on his lips, mimicking the one on Y/n’s. This was the longest they’d gone without fighting during a conversation. One shift could turn the almost peaceful moment to a shipwreck.
“What happened out there tonight?” Joel asked, his mind still spinning from anxiety.
“Ran out of ammo,” Y/n answered, she know immediately what he was referring to, “Perfect timing, huh?”
Joel scoffed and ran a second alcohol wipe over her wounds. “Yeah,” he muttered, unsure of what else to say.
“But there was this weird guy hiding out in an abandoned house who took care of things,” Y/n remarked, her eyes traveling from her and Joel’s hands to his face.
Joel paused and met her stare, surprised that she was acknowledging his effort at all.
“Thank you,” Y/n continued.
Joel shook his head, returning to his work, “You don’t need to thank me.”
“Would you rather me say ‘Fuck off, you dick. I can take care of myself?’”
“That would fall in line with what you usually have to say,” Joel replied, reaching for the gauze pads.
Y/n nodded in reply, a smile pulling at her cheeks. She didn’t know what the hell she was doing, only that she was traumatized, tired, and in need of someone to talk to. If that someone came in the form of Joel, then so be it.
Joel tried to focus on Y/n’s wound, breaking it down into steps. Sterilize, gauze, wrap. He couldn’t get caught up on the fact that they were getting along. As benign as the it sounded, it was leaps and bounds ahead of where they’d come from.
Y/n, on the other hand, had nothing to do but sit and wait for him to be done. She watched how precisely he placed the gauze pads, as if one inch off their assigned spots would cost her her life. It reminded her of how precise he’d been with his lips, his hands. Every touch had carried purpose, the ultimate goal to make her know how much he loved her.
This touch, so warm and gentle, felt the same to Y/n.
Much like the day before, it took a lot of effort on Joel’s part not to get caught up in the feel of Y/n’s hand against his. He wrapped a fresh strip of bandage around it, weaving the roll between her thumb and under her palm. Back at the house, watching her narrowly avoid Infected had choked him. Every five seconds, she’d been brought to the edge of death, only for one of them to strike back at the very last moment. It had drained any and all energy left in Joel’s body, and had brought on a whole new set of questions.
If he were to lose her or Ellie at this point, what would it do to him?
He anchored the bandage down, sealing Y/n’s wound, and tried to escape the scenarios his mind was creating. They were alive, they were safe, and they would make it to Wyoming. If that was what he needed to keep repeating to himself the whole way west, he would.
“At the risk of inflating your ego,” Y/n examined his work, “Well done.”
Joel didn’t respond, he simply handed her the supplies to pack up. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, or rather, what he wanted and what he knew he couldn’t have.
Y/n threw the kit back in her backpack and came back to where they’d been. Joel was already kneeling down on the ground, removing and balling up his jacket. She didn’t want to land herself in another situation where cuddling up to Joel was a possibility, she also didn’t want to infringe on Henry’s personal space.
“You mind keepin’ an ear peeled?,” Joel asked, it was like he could read her mind, “In case I roll over on the wrong side again.”
“Yeah,” Y/n replied, coming to sit beside Joel with just enough space between them. Close enough to protect, far enough away for clear minds.
Joel stretched out one arm just above Y/n’s head. It wasn’t the closest they’d been in the past day, but it was certainly the most intimate. Y/n was facing him, the top of her hair nearly grazing his forearm. Every signal in his brain told him to roll over, put another wall between them, but there was a stronger thought that cancelled the noise.
He simply didn’t want to.
Y/n adjusted herself on her jacket and was left with nothing left to do but stare at Joel. The lines on his face were deeper, his features had grown sharper, yet somewhere underneath it all…she could still see the man she’d fallen in love with in the heat of an Austin summer. Perhaps that was what was playing with her mind the most; how she got glimpses of Joel as he was before morphing into the new version. She used to wonder what age would do to them and she knew that if Cordyceps had never mutated, Joel’s frown lines would be smiles lines. The skin underneath his eyes would wrinkle from deep laughter. And in the times where his brow would crease with concern, a single kiss from her would have relaxed the muscles.
It was enough to bring her to tears.
“What’s wrong?” Joel asked, his voice gruff but his words filled with concern.
It was all wrong. All of it. Everything that had happened to them. Everything the world had become. Risking their lives every day for a future that wasn’t guaranteed.
It was all so horribly wrong.
“I’m just tired,” Y/n spoke past the lump in her throat, “Really fucking tired.”
Joel wanted to reach out, place a finger underneath her lashes to catch her tears before they fell. In another life, he’d have taken her in his arms and grazed his lips across her ear. He’d have called her Rosebud and told her to sleep, that he wouldn’t let anything hurt her.
But he’d lost the right to act on such feelings a lifetime ago.
“Get some sleep,” he replied, it was the only part of the urge he could listen to.
Y/n shook her head, smiling with sadness, “It’s not that kind of tired.”
Nothing else needed to be said. Joel understood those six words better than any other. His exhaustion went so far past his backaches or cracking knees. His soul was seeking rest that it would never find.
It wasn’t lost on either of them that it took nearly dying for them to start drifting back to one another. The hate faded into background noise, or ceased to exist at all. They picked up their anger when they were safe, because it took effort. It took effort to stay mad, a fire requiring constant attention. But protecting one another was natural. At the end of the day, all that had transpired between Joel and Y/n would never come in the way of saving one another. Hate was a choice, care was an instinct.
Joel’s soft gaze traveled across Y/n’s face. “Try,” he encouraged, his voice barely above a whisper.
Y/n nodded, her eyes still resting on Joel. She knew if she stared at him a minute longer, she’d no longer be able to choose hate.
Though she’d never know it, Joel felt the exact same way. He was becoming weaker and weaker for her with each moment they spent together.
They didn’t bid each other goodnight, they didn’t even fall asleep at the same time, despite sharing the same exhaustion. Joel stayed awake a few extra minutes after Y/n drifted off. He watched her frown relax, her brows unclench and her chest rise and fall, keeping the same steady beat that used to lull him to sleep.
—————————
Y/n had scooted closer in her sleep, her and Joel’s bodies still not touching but their breaths mingling together.
Had they awoken with the sunlight peeking through the blinds, strips of the warm glow across their eyes, urging them awake, they wouldn’t have backed away. It would have been the first time in twenty years they’d have woken up to one another. They wouldn’t have been mad.
Instead, they startled awake to the sounds of screams.
Joel and Y/n sat up in time to see Ellie fall out of the door, a snarling Sam jumping on her and pinning her down. Henry woke not two seconds after them, barely able to register the sight.
Sam was infected.
Joel was the first to reach for his handgun, but Henry was quicker and yanked it away. He had it aimed at Y/n and Joel before they were even on their feet.
“Nope, nope, nope,” he warned.
“Joel!” Ellie’s heartbreaking scream filled the room, “Y/n!”
Joel and Y/n took one step in Ellie’s direction and Henry fired a shot at their feet. Joel shoved Y/n behind him, she clung to his arm.
“Joel!” Ellie shrieked again, begging for help from either adult, “Y/n!”
Before they could have a coherent thought, it was all over.
Henry turned his gun on Sam.
He fired a single bullet.
Sam collapsed to the floor.
Ellie sat up with tears in her eyes.
Joel lowered his hands, but Y/n still kept a firm grip on him.
“Ellie,” he breathed, his heart was racing, “Are you okay?”
The girl looked to her guardians, shocked and heartbroken.
They took a cautious step towards her, but Henry put a stop to it as he trained his pistol back on them. Joel threw his arm back out in front of Y/n, not knowing what the man might do.
Distraught seemed too small a word to describe the expression on Henry’s face. He was gutted.
Joel ensured Y/n was still fastened to him before he cautiously held out his hands to Henry, “Easy, easy, easy,” his voice was barely audible, “Henry, gimme the gun. Henry, gimme the gun.”
“What did I do?” Henry choked out.
Joel shushed him, as one would a wild animal on the verge of attacking.
“What did I do?” Henry asked again, “What-what-what did I do?”
“Henry,” Y/n nearly whimpered, her breath trembling as she did, “Henry, stop, please.”
Henry stared through his tears at his little brother’s body, blood spreading across the floor, “Sam?”
Joel urged with a new desperation as the realization deepened, “Henry, gimme the gun.”
“Henry, please,” Y/n let go of Joel, taking a calculated step forward, “I know. I know.”
“Gimme the gun, Henry,” Joel continued.
Henry’s eyes, still focused on his brother, glazed over as he raised the gun to his temple.
“HENRY, NO!” Joel cried out.
Y/n rushed past Joel, “HENRY, I KN-“
It was too late.
As it happened, Joel jumped forward, wrapping his arms around Y/n and pulling her into him.
“No!” Y/n screamed, she lurched forward as if she could still save him.
Y/n’s eyes were flooded with tears, her sobs tearing her apart so hard that they came out silent. When the noise finally came, it was a guttural cry that might come from a wounded animal. Y/n’s knees gave out on her, Joel caught her and helped lower her to the ground. He kept his arms tight around her as she wailed.
When Y/n came to, and she realized Joel was holding her, the rage reignited. “Get off me,” she yelled, clawing her way out of his embrace.
Joel let her go, shrinking back slightly at the sudden reaction. Ellie watched, consumed by terror as her rock crumbled under the weight of the trauma.
Y/n crawled towards Henry, avoiding the blood, and clung to his shirt. She wept into his still warm body, wishing that he’d have let her finish her sentence. It could have changed everything.
The three of them sat there, waiting for their grief to come to a managable level.
“We gotta go,” Joel said eventually, the words feeling heavy in his mouth.
“We can’t leave them here,” Ellie muttered, wiping her sleeve across her eyes.
Y/n was sitting beside Henry’s body by then, waiting for him to breathe air that would never reach his lungs.
“Gimme a minute,” Joel said, getting to his feet and moving mechanically out the motel room door.
Time moved slow and all at once to the three of them. Joel went into the maintenance closet and found two shovels, bringing them back to the room where nothing and no one had moved. Him and Y/n, trying to spare Ellie what little trauma they could, carried Sam and Henry’s bodies across the road and to a patch of grass. The two of them began to shovel shallow graves, burying their friends.
The job was nearly done, they were just patting the soil back down when Ellie returned. She’d retrieved the few posessions they still had, dropping Y/n and Joel’s coats and Y/n and Henry’s backpack at their feet. She came to kneel at Sam’s grave, taking it in before setting his magnetic pad atop the dirt.
Standing back up with a weight no child deserved to carry, she turned to Joel, “Which way’s west?”
Joel looked off to his left and nodded, Ellie set off in the direction.
Y/n could feel herself slipping into a heavy numbness, a grief filling her that few could understand. She felt like she had one nostril, barely taking in oxygen, above the waters that slammed into her. But as soon as she saw Ellie’s handwriting, the words ‘I’m sorry’ written across the magnetic pad, she lost the fight.
She understood Henry’s fight.
She understood his decision.
And she understood his guilt.
She dropped her shovel where it was, picked up her jacket and slung her backpack over her shoulder, following Ellie and leaving Joel by himself. He was the last person she could stand to look at right now.
Joel watched her leave, any softness that had existed between the two of them a few hours ago had disappeared.
He leaned against his shovel, staring down at the dirt and Ellie’s makeshift headstone. Having done what they’d just done, having known Henry and Sam, watching them interact….it gave Joel the answer to the question he’d pondered the night before.
If anything happened to Y/n or Ellie, he wouldn’t know how to carry on.
And that was the most terrifying feeling he could have had, because he’d had it before.
Ellie had snarked, sassed and snuck her way into his heart. Y/n had always been there, his affection never fading over time despite her perceived betrayal. But he’d buried her, another name in the long list of people he’d lost over twenty years. To have her come crashing back into his life had been unexpected and unwanted. He couldn’t stop himself from letting her consume his mind, just as she had the first time.
Now here he was, a child and the woman he’d loved relying on him, killing for him, and he wanted to run.
“Let’s go,” Ellie called out, she was even beginning to sound like him.
Joel startled, looking on to see Ellie and Y/n waiting for him. Y/n refused to look at him. They were right back to where they’d begun their journey. Perhaps even further, she’d met his gaze even after the ambush that had brought them back together. Something had shifted in her that Joel couldn’t figure out, nor did he think it was best to look too deep.
He put on Henry’s backpack, feeling the weight of it, and slipped his jacket through the strap. He gave a parting glance to the brother’s graves and headed off to join the women.
Despite their failure to keep their pasts hidden, the three of them had scars the others didn’t know about. Intricate pieces of them that had made them who they were in the Cordyceps dominated world. But past the secrets, there was a loyalty too real to deny. They were too deep in to quit on each other. Trudging westward, with grief still fresh and fragile in their palms, they were all each other had.
If one of them died, they all would.
———————
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tigertales9 · 22 days
Text
Hard Reset XIII
Pairing: Joe Burrow x Reader
Warnings: 18+ / Smut / Fluff
Description: This is the conclusion to the LSU Valentine's Day flashback fic. First part is here -- Hard Reset XII
Time/Place: Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 (Valentine's Day) / Baton Rouge, Louisiana
A/N: This is the thirteenth fic in the Hard Reset series.
I've tweaked this thing to pieces, and I'm still not super happy with it. It is what it is, as Joe would say. 😋
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 (Valentine's Day) - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
5:00 pm
You pull into a parking space just outside Joe's apartment, grabbing two reusable grocery bags and a small duffle bag from your trunk before opening your passenger door; you lean in and unclasp the seatbelt that's holding your vase of roses upright, briefly wondering if you should make two trips as you nudge the car door closed with your foot. "Nah," you mumble, quickly making your way up the sidewalk and a flight of stairs before coming to a stop in front of Joe's door.
You set the vase down on the ground and dig your keys out of your pocket, unlocking the door and grabbing the vase before making your way into the cool, air-conditioned apartment. "He's got the damn a/c cranked," you grumble, depositing the grocery bags and roses on the kitchen island before walking down the hallway to the bedroom.
You set your duffle bag on the bed and unzip it, pulling out a wrap dress (a slinky, blush-pink short-sleeve mini dress) and a pair of nude, peep-toe stiletto heels. You quickly hang the dress in Joe's closet before heading back to the kitchen to pop the groceries in the fridge, stopping to turn the a/c off on the way.
Several minutes later, you step back and assess the simple tablescape you put together with a few items from the craft store -- two pink placemats printed with conversation hearts along with several clear candle holders with bows tied on them that you cut from a large spool of pink satin ribbon.
"Cute," you grin, grabbing the lavish bouquet of pink roses Joe sent you and setting it on the table before adding the simple place settings -- white plates plus silverware wrapped in "fancy" white disposable napkins tied with more pink bows. "Even cuter."
You tilt your head as you look at the table, chewing on your bottom lip while thinking out loud. "Love it, but it needs something else," you mutter, grabbing the spool of pink ribbon and unwinding the rest, grinning when you end up with about four feet of it; you wind it down the center of the table, weaving in between the candle holders and around the vase until you're satisfied with the result. "What else?" you mutter, giggling when a thought hits you.
You hurry to the hall closet and pull out the Scrabble box, rooting around to grab the letters you need to spell a few phrases to mimic the conversation heart placemats. "Thank goodness for pinterest," you mutter, giving a nod to where you got the idea.
You're just finishing the tablescape when you hear the front door open; you walk toward the entryway, smiling when Joe rounds the corner, your heart skipping a beat when his face lights up when he sees you.
"Hey babe," he greets you, wrapping you in a hug as he leans down to press his lips against your ear. "Can you believe it's 70 degrees in mid-fucking-February?" he grumbles, pulling back to look at you when you cackle.
"I knew you were gonna bitch about it," you grin.
"I'm not bitching," he argues. "Just stating a fact."
"Mmm-hmm," you hum, yelping when he playfully swats your ass. "Come here, grumpy cat," you order, walking back toward the dining table while beckoning him to follow. "Look at these gorgeous roses some hot stud sent me," you tease, waving a hand at the roses and laughing at his cocky smirk.
"Hot stud, huh?" He holds eye contact with you while leaning down to sniff the fragrant flowers.
"The hottest," you wink. "Do you like the tablescape?"
He finally breaks eye contact and takes in the table. "I love it," he states. "It's pretty cool that everything matches the roses."
"Yep, pink, pink and more pink," you giggle. "And I bought all of that before you sent me the roses, so we were on the same wavelength, as usual."
"Of course we were," he murmurs, capturing your gaze for a few heartbeats before returning his attention to the table. "The Scrabble tiles are a nice touch," he grins, reading them out loud as he walks around the table. "Be mine … love you … hot stuff … yes sir … zaddy." He flicks his gaze back up to yours. "Nice Z word," he purrs.
"Thanks," you grin. "Do I get triple word score on that one?"
"Oh, you're def gonna get triple something later."
"Can't wait," you sigh, rolling your eyes playfully when he spots the cupcakes sitting pretty on the kitchen island and instantly heads that way.
"Damn," he breathes, "these look delicious." He leans down and takes a hearty sniff as you walk up behind him. "Smell delicious, too," he continues, hitting you with puppy-dog eyes. "Can I have one before dinner?"
"Has anyone ever told you no?" you ask.
"Yep," he nods. "This gorgeous goddess told me no several times. She even used a jigsaw puzzle as an excuse to curve me."
"And how did that turn out?" you ask, picking up one of the plump cupcakes and peeling off the wrapper before handing it to him.
"Amazing," he grins, taking a huge bite of the confection, eyes rolling back in his head as he chews and swallows. "Ridiculously good," he mutters before taking another big bite.
"Ridiculously good, huh?" you tease. "You talking about the cupcake or the relationship?"
"Both," he mumbles around a mouthful, leaning down to press a chocolate + raspberry flavored kiss on your lips.
"Spoiled ass," you grumble playfully, spinning around and walking toward the bedroom, grinning when you hear him following close behind. "I'm wearing this tonight," you continue, pulling the short, slinky dress out of his closet.
"Damn," he mutters. "You're gonna look hot as hell in that. I mean … you always look hot as hell, but …"
"Babe?" you interrupt.
"Yeah?"
"Focus."
"Yes, ma'am."
You grin at him as you pull a pair of slinky black shorts and a pale pink tee out of his dresser. "Wear this," you order, laying the clothes out on his bed.
"Yes, ma'am," he repeats, slowly licking the frosting off of his fingers as you watch. "I'm gonna get a quick shower," he continues.
"I'm gonna change then start dinner," you state, your pulse picking up at the sight of his tongue sliding against his long fingers.
~ ~ ~
A little while later, you pull the oven door open and pop the garlic bread in before giving the boiling pasta a quick check, noting that it still needs a few minutes before going into the sauce; a blur of movement catches your peripheral vision, and you turn your head toward it, your eyes going wide when you see Joe leaning against the wall a few feet away, his gaze slowly sliding down to your bare feet before reversing course.
"You look amazing," he murmurs, pushing away from the wall and walking toward you.
"Thanks, you too," you mutter, stepping into your high heels as he closes the distance between you.
"You don't need those," he states, dropping to his knees to pull your shoes off, his big hands gripping your ankles as he eases the heels off.
"Okay," you breathe. "I was just trying to be sexy for you."
"You don't need to try to be sexy," he states, standing back up to his full height and looking down into your upturned face. "You are sexy."
"Okay," you repeat, licking your lips before giving him a grin. "We've got a few minutes before dinner is ready, so I want to give you something." You hurry to the hall closet and grab the jigsaw puzzle that you hid there earlier, smiling when you return to the kitchen and hand it to him.
"Nice," he grins. "Pillars of Creation. Is it a shot from Hubble?"
"Yeah, with a super hot heat signature."
"Super hot," he agrees. "You gonna help me put it together?"
"Of course," you answer, watching as he sets the puzzle box aside before returning his attention to you.
He gives you a quick kiss before pulling back. "Thank you," he murmurs.
"You're welcome," you whisper, grimacing as a thought hits you.
"What is it?" he asks.
"I just … I wonder …" you trail off.
"Wonder what?" he asks.
"What if we hadn't seen each other at the outdoor food court? It's crazy that we came so close to not ever getting together after I gave you the jigsaw brush off."
He gives you a knowing smile. "I would've come back into the bookstore eventually. I'm a stubborn asshole. No way was I gonna give up on you that easy."
"I'm glad you're a stubborn asshole."
"And I'm glad you decided to give me a chance," he grins.
"Me too," you return his grin. "Even though it means I've been to more LSU football games in the last few months than I'd been to in my entire life."
"And not one drunk asshole harassed you, right?"
"Well, yeah. Prob because you very publicly threatened to "deal with" anyone who bothered me."
"Anyone who messes with my woman messes with me."
"That sounded super caveman, but I ain't even mad."
"Because you know I didn't mean it in a bad way; I'm just as much yours as you are mine."
"You're getting laid tonight, babe," you grin. "No need to work for it." The timer on the oven goes off before he can respond, and you quickly drain the pasta before adding it to the sauce, giving it a thorough stir before pulling the garlic bread out of the oven.
~ ~ ~
Ten minutes later, most of the overhead lights are cut off, and y'all are eating dinner by candlelight, Joe making num-num noises as he tucks into the spicy pasta.
"This is so good," he groans, winding a generous portion of linguine around his fork before popping it in his mouth, grabbing his glass of blush wine and holding it up as he chews and swallows. "Happy V Day," he murmurs, smiling as you clink your glass against his.
"Happy V Day," you echo, taking a hearty gulp of your wine and giggling as he continues to tell you a story of something silly that happened earlier at the gym.
Y'all continue to trade small talk as you eat, his gaze devouring you in a way that sets off a steady throb between your thighs. You open your mouth a few times to let him feed you a succulent bite, the sexual tension between you so strong that the simple act of eating dinner together feels like foreplay.
"Sooo, I've got something else to give you," he eventually says, polishing off his pasta and draining the last of his wine before leveling a no-nonsense look at you.
"I know," you purr. "I've been waiting all day for it."
His deep laugh sends a sizzle of heat down your spine; he gives you a wink as he stands up. "I wasn't talking about that, horndog. I've got something else to give you first."
"Okay," you pout," grinning against his lips when he leans down and gives you a lingering kiss. "Patience, beautiful," he teases. "I promise to make it worth the wait."
"You always do," you admit, watching as he walks to the bedroom and quickly comes back out holding a slim black case; he pops it open, grinning as you gasp at the sight of the dainty, white-gold bracelet with two intertwined pavé diamond hearts.
"Oh my gosh, it's gorgeous," you whisper, shaking your head as you continue, "but it's too much."
"It's not enough, in my opinion," he states, lifting the bracelet from its velvet nest. "These are real diamonds, but they're small, and it's not like it's Cartier or something. One of these days, I'm gonna get you something truly outrageous."
You lift an arm up so he can fasten the bracelet on your wrist. "I don't need outrageous, and I don't need Cartier," you mutter, watching closely as his long, agile fingers easily work the delicate clasp. "It's really beautiful and sparkly," you sigh. "I love it, and I love you."
"I love you, too," he murmurs, leaning down to capture your lips in a lingering kiss for several heartbeats before pulling back and locking eyes with you. "I want you to think about me when you wear it."
"I already think about you all the time," you admit. "I don't need a reminder."
"You're getting laid tonight, babe," he echoes your earlier words while giving you a naughty wink. "No need to work for it."
You giggle as he stacks your dinner dishes and heads to the kitchen, quickly rinsing them off and popping them in the dishwasher before returning to the table with the bottle of wine; he pours the rest of it into your glass and gently pulls your chair -- with you still sitting in it -- out from under the table before dropping to his knees at your feet.
You take a sip of the wine, your pulse reacting as he spreads your legs, his sensual lips teasing your inner thighs as he pushes the hem of your dress up, nibbling and sucking, moving back and forth as you sink a hand into his hair. He makes eye contact with you as he unties your wrap dress and spreads it open, baring your body to his hot gaze.
"So gorgeous," he murmurs, licking his lips as he flicks his eyes from your bare breasts down to your naughty panties. "Fuck," he groans, running a thumb up the length of the center seam a few times before replacing his thumb with his mouth, sliding his tongue up the seam, over and over, pushing the thin, see-through pink fabric into your slit.
"Yeah," you breathe, draining the rest of your wine before setting the glass on the table and sinking both hands in his hair; you roll your hips into him as he continues to tease you, grinding against him for several heartbeats before he pulls back and locks eyes with you.
"We need to slow this down," he states," hopping up and walking behind you. "Lean forward and put your hands behind your back," he orders, waiting for you to do his bidding before snatching the long, pink ribbon off the table and using it to bind your hands behind your back. "Good girl," he murmurs, watching closely as you lean back in your chair, wiggling a bit to get comfy as he strips his shirt off before dropping to his knees between your spread thighs. "I wanna take my time," he explains, "and I can't do that if you're pulling my hair and grinding against me."
"I thought you liked that," you pout.
"I love it, but it gets both of us off super fast, and I wanna take my time tonight, okay?"
"Okay," you whisper, gasping as he hooks a finger in the crotch of your panties and pulls it to the side, burying his tongue inside you.
Over the next several minutes, he gives a master class in edging, bringing you to the brink over and over as you whimper and moan, your pulse pounding and every inch of your body begging for release.
"I'm so close!" you whine for what seems like the 20th time, groaning in frustration when he pulls off of your clit and makes eye contact with you, his lips and chin glistening wet with your arousal.
"I know," he soothes, rising up on his knees as you pant for breath; he leans forward and presses his slick lips against yours, nipping and sucking your plump bottom lip before sliding his tongue inside when you open up for him. You moan into his mouth as he deepens the kiss, relishing the taste of your arousal on his hot, velvety tongue as it tangles with yours.
He continues the sensual kiss while sliding his hands up your thighs and over your hips and waist, barely ghosting his fingertips over your skin, leaving chill bumps everywhere he touches. Your already-hard nipples harden even more in anticipation as his big hands approach your breasts, making you squirm as his fingers inch oh-so-close but stop just before reaching the sensitive peaks.
"Please," you beg against his lips, your breath catching in your throat when he brushes his fingertips over the aching nubs, teasing you with gentle, barely-there caresses before pinching with the perfect amount of pressure to make you whimper. He smiles against your lips as he repeats the action, and you're more than a little lightheaded at the feel of his tongue in your mouth and his talented fingers teasing your sensitive nipples. All you can think about is wanting more.
He reads your body language and lowers his head, replacing his fingers with his mouth and moving back and forth between your breasts as you watch him pleasure you; he licks and sucks your nipples so good you can feel it between your thighs.
"I'm so turned on it actually hurts," you whine, chewing on your bottom lip as he captures your gaze.
"You want me to finish you?" he asks, the carnal promise in his deep voice causing your core to contract.
"Yes, sir," you plead. "It won't take much," you continue, your pulse pounding as he reaches a hand behind your back and unties the ribbon holding your wrists, making a sound low in his throat when you immediately bury both hands in his hair.
You briefly admire the glittery sparkle of your new bracelet as the candlelight hits it, all coherent thought leaving your brain a few heartbeats later when he tugs the soaking wet crotch of your panties to the side and slides two fingers into your slick heat.
"Don't stop!" you urge, grinding against him as he crooks his fingers inside you, bulls-eyeing your sweet spot while he latches his lips onto your clit, his cheeks hollowing out as he gives the aching bud a thorough suck.
The tension that's been building inside you for what seems like ages finally erupts, the powerful climax washing over you in waves, literally taking your breath away for several seconds before you manage to draw in a ragged gasp of air. "Fuck," you whisper, a little dizzy at the feel of your core clenching and rippling around his long fingers as he continues to stroke you through the orgasm.
After waiting a few minutes for you to catch your breath, he slides his fingers out of you and immediately slides them in his mouth, licking and sucking them the same way he did the cupcake frosting earlier.
"Taste good?" you ask, your breathless voice bringing a naughty smile to his face.
"Better than good," he answers. "It's my fav flavor."
"I need you inside me," you whisper, watching as he grabs the pink ribbon and wraps it around your neck before quickly picking you up; he heads for the bedroom as you wrap your legs around his waist and bury your face in his fragrant neck.
A few heartbeats later, you're on your back on the king-sized bed with him on top of you, both of you now fully naked. He leans his weight onto his left forearm and hovers over you, his chest barely touching your nipples as he reaches down and grasps his erection, teasing the lips of your sex with his plump tip while staring into your eyes.
"I need you inside me," you repeat, squirming underneath him as he drags his tip up and down your slit several times to gather moisture before pushing inside. You wrap your legs around him and arch up, wanting all of him at once, craving the feel of his thick shaft filling you up.
"I'm not gonna last long," he grits out once he's fully seated, a hiss escaping his lips when your core clenches him, your body reacting to the hot, hard intrusion. "Fuck me, please," you beg, your eyes fluttering closed as he starts to move.
Almost immediately you feel the tension building again as your body continues to react to the feel of him inside you, to the delicious thrust and drag of his thick cock stretching you to your limit. "I'm gonna cum again," you mutter, opening your eyes and giving him a slightly desperate look as he picks up his pace. "I got you," he promises as he leans down and latches his lips onto your neck, sucking the sensitive skin as he pounds into you, gracing you with a low-throated groan when you rake your nails up the long, muscular expanse of his back.
"Don't stop," you plead, lightheaded with desire as your entire body strains toward another release. "I got you, baby," he repeats, reaching down between your sweat-slick bodies to press his thumb against your clit, adding the perfect amount of pressure to set you off.
You let out a yell, and Joe gives a groan of pure male satisfaction when your second climax hits, filthy praise spilling from his pretty lips as the waves of pleasure roll through you; your slick heat clenches his shaft over and over while you pull his hair and whimper his name, your entire body trembling as fireworks burst behind your closed eyelids.
Once you somewhat catch your breath, you flutter your eyes open, a blush rising in your cheeks when you realize he's gone completely still and is watching you closely. "I love to make you lose control," he purrs, his husky voice caressing you like a physical touch; it only takes you a second to realize he's still hard inside you, tension radiating from his big body at the effort to hold still while the aftershocks of your climax continue to fire, giving his thick cock intimate squeezes as his hot gaze stays locked on yours.
"Your turn," you whisper, digging your heels into his back and arching up to take him deeper, the primal noise he makes as he starts to thrust -- part groan/part growl -- encouraging you to be more vocal, begging him to fuck you harder and deeper as he chases his pleasure. You eventually slide the pink ribbon out from under your neck and wrap it behind his neck, using it to pull him down for a kiss, swallowing his groans as he buries himself inside you and comes apart.
He eventually pulls out of you, both of you gasping at the friction before he plops down beside you on his back, a satisfied smile on his face as he turns his head and gives you a wink. "That was intense," he murmurs.
"For real," you agree, returning his smile as your entire body continues to hum with pleasure.
"I'm almost too wrung out to eat another cupcake," he grumbles playfully.
"Give it a few minutes, and you'll be good to go," you giggle, heaving a happy sigh as he reaches over and grabs your hand, lacing his long fingers with your shorter ones and giving a gentle squeeze. You study his face for several heartbeats before breaking the silence. "What are you thinking?"
"Just about how lucky we are that we found each other," he answers. "Feels like fate."
You try to blink back tears as he rolls up onto a forearm and looks down at you. "I didn't mean to make you cry," he whispers, leaning down to kiss a tear as it slides down your cheek.
"They're happy tears," you sniff, poking your bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout before continuing. "But a cupcake would def make me feel better."
His deep laugh brings a smile to your face; he leans down and drops a kiss on your lips before sliding out of bed. "You want me to open the other bottle of wine?" he asks.
"I think I'll just have water."
"Me too," he agrees, quickly walking into the bathroom before coming back out with a damp washcloth; he gently cleans you up before tossing the cloth back in the bathroom and giving you a big grin. "Water and cupcakes coming right up," he states, his long strides quickly taking him out the bedroom door.
You push up into a sitting position and try to tame your hair a bit, smiling as you catch sight of your new bracelet. "So pretty," you sigh, rocking your wrist back and forth to let the diamonds catch the light from the bedside lamp. You roll your shoulders a few times and stretch your arms overhead, your eyes coming to rest on the pink ribbon laying on the bed beside you. "Oh," you mutter, your eyes going wide as a naughty thought hits you. "Ohhhh," you whisper, quickly snatching the ribbon and winding it around the bottom slat of the headboard, looping it into a tight, center knot that leaves two long strands free.
You grab a pillow and hide your handiwork just as Joe breezes back in carrying two bottles of water and a plate with three cupcakes. He sets everything on the bedside table before peeling one of the cupcakes and handing it to you.
"Thanks," you grin, taking a bite as he peels his own cupcake and plops down beside you.
"These are so good," he mumbles around a huge bite, holding a hand in front of his mouth so you won't see his partially-chewed food.
"Thanks," you repeat, both of you falling into a comfortable silence as you each polish off your cupcake.
He eventually licks his fingertips before grabbing a bottle of water and handing it to you. "Oops," he grimaces. "Was it gross to lick my fingers and then touch your water bottle?"
You take a swig of water before smiling at him. "I'm literally covered in our combined body fluids. Def not worried about a bit of spit on my water bottle."
He laughs along with you before taking several gulps of water, his prominent Adam's apple drawing your gaze as it bobs in his throat. So fucking sexy, you think to yourself, admiring the view for a few more seconds before raising your eyes back up to his face; his hot look causes a shiver of desire to run through you.
"Are you cold?" he asks.
"No," you admit, scooting over and patting the bed. "Why don't you lay down and let me massage you a bit."
"Face down or face up?" he asks.
"Face up," you answer, trying to suppress a naughty grin as he does your bidding, stretching out and resting his head on the pillow that's concealing the ribbon.
You straddle his waist and dig your fingers into his shoulders, giving him an innocent smile when he flicks his gaze down to your bare crotch nestled against him.
"You know where this is headed, right?" he asks, voice husky with arousal.
"Yes, but I wanna take my time," you state, repeating his earlier words as you grab his wrists and slowly press his arms over his head. "Relax," you soothe, quickly pulling the satin ribbon strands out from under the pillow and wrapping them around his wrists, tying a knot before he even figures out what you're doing.
He pulls against the restraint, one eyebrow climbing toward his hairline. "Payback, huh?"
"Maybe a little," you concede, leaning over and grabbing the remaining cupcake off the bedside table. You swipe a finger through the fluffy frosting, smearing it on his Adam's apple before leaning down to lick it off. "Oh fuck," he groans, instinctively knowing where you're headed with this. "Oh fuck, indeed," you giggle, dotting a dollop of frosting on each of his nipples before licking them clean, grinning as he squirms underneath you. "I think I'll do that again," you purr, adding more of the sweet pink fluff to his hard nubs, making obscene noises as you slowly lick and suck it off.
"I'm hard," he announces.
"I know," you grin, giving him a filthy wink. "But I wanna take my time."
"You're going to hell for this," he chuckles.
"Save you a seat," you tease, sliding farther down until you're sitting on his thick thighs, strategically ignoring his impressive erection as you paint a few stripes of frosting on his abs; you lean down and make a show out of licking the frosting as he watches you with hooded eyes.
"I need to be balls deep in you right now," he rasps.
"Still taking my time," you whisper, swiping some frosting around his belly button before rimming it with your tongue.
"Untie me so I can fuck you," he orders, groaning when you slide a finger through the precum pooling under the tip of his cock, bringing your finger to your mouth and sucking on it while giving him a loaded look. "You better stop playin'," he warns, bucking his hips up when you lower your head and lightly suck his tip into your mouth, swirling your tongue around a few times before pulling off.
"Just relax," you soothe, scooting farther down, smiling when he spreads his thighs for you; you crawl between his thick thighs and run your fingers through the last of the frosting before smearing it on his balls, a flood of liquid heat rushing into your core at the noises he makes as you slowly lick it off.
"Untie me or I'm gonna break something," he grits out, the headboard giving an ominous creak as he pulls against it.
"Don't hurt yourself," you warn.
"I'm not gonna hurt myself, but I'm gonna wreck this fucking headboard if you don't untie me."
"Okay, Mr. Impatient," you chuckle, tossing the cupcake on the bedside table as you crawl out from between his thighs and quickly scoot up to untie him. "You made this knot way tighter by pulling against it," you mutter, finally working a finger inside the knot and giving a sigh of relief when it gives way.
Your sigh is quickly followed by a squeal as he flips you onto your stomach, pulling you up onto your knees and sinking his cock inside you in one smooth motion. You press your forehead against the mattress and arch your back, digging your fingers into the sheets for leverage as you fuck back against him, a steady stream of whimpers spilling from your lips as he rides you hard.
Several minutes later, you feel the tension building inside you again; you draw in a breath to tell him you're close, but he's already reaching down to play with your clit. You grind your face against the mattress as the pressure continues to build, his fingers and cock pushing you toward the edge, his husky voice coaxing you to let go and cum for him. You take in a gulp of air and moan his name as your climax hits, a thrill shooting through you when he moans your name before following you over the edge.
~ ~ ~
You flutter your eyes open, briefly wondering what woke you up as you turn your head to check the clock on the bedside table -- 4:33 am.
You push up into a sitting position and grab your water bottle, chugging about half of it before setting it back down, your gaze drawn to the tall, gorgeous man in bed beside you as he stirs in his sleep.
I'm living a dream, you think to yourself as you give a quick glance at your new bracelet before stretching back out beside your man, your heart overflowing with love as he instinctively reaches for you even though he's sound asleep. You snuggle against him, your back to his chest, a smile of pure contentment gracing your lips as you drift off to sleep wrapped in his arms.
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