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#strictly movie canon
angelxd-3303 · 1 year
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OH FAMILY DINNER MUST BE A GODDAMN NIGHTMARE FOR BOWSER LMAO, I just imagine Mario+His Uncles and Dad would just straight up Bully the hell out of Bowser or just judge his ass in Italian and Bowser would be so done 😭
Lmao, YESSS! Bowser would never have felt more intimidated than he did sitting at that table.
I feel like their Dad would just glare at him the whole time (that's where Mario gets it, after all!), but their Mama?
The moment she hears that Bowser is dating her baby, I can see it in my mind. Vividly.
She leans forward as if to whisper, so Bowser leans closer to accommodate her smaller size. She grabs hold of his horn, jerking him down with a yelp. Looking into his eyes with the fury of a thousand suns (where do you think Luigi's glare came from?), she says:
"If you ever. Ever. Hurt my baby..." She growls, brandishing a spatula.
"I know a very good recipe for turtle soup, and I will feed you to my family and neighbors."
She then goes back to being all smiles, asking brightly if anyone wants more lasagna.
Meanwhile Bowser is at least thirteen shades paler than normal, and does not, in fact, sleep that night.
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tommyarashikage · 1 year
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I am not a woman, I'm a god // I am not a martyr, I'm a problem // I am not a legend, I'm a fraud // keep your heart cause I already got one (x)
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This is the start of the anti catastrophe movement. We do NOT want Joker 2 as a Gaga musical debut !!!! Lord help me bc I’m tempted to start a god damn petition.
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arttheclown · 2 years
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my controversial black christmas take: fleshing out billy’s character and personality is not an inherently bad thing, nor am i discouraging people from doing it — i’ve seen interpretations of him that i’ve sincerely enjoyed — but i Do get pretty aggravated when i see people exclusively focusing on him rather than the feminist / pro-choice themes of the movie or. you know. the young women, who we spend 95% of the movie with 😗 💨
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apostate-chic · 1 year
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I love the cullen i made up from canon. Complete and utter freak, unhinged and holding it together by a thread, fights his own corruption constantly, actually examines his prejudice and bias, adopts bull's coping mechanism of getting hit with a stick
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bravewolfvesperia · 1 month
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/ Since I mention in my pinned post that this blog has some changes from canon, I'm going to make a rundown post that I'll be linking in my muse info on my blog. My timeline post covers some of this too and has other things canon to my muse that aren't here because they're timeline based and not direct changes based. I'll update this as needed.
Repede had another owner before Yuri got him in the game. I'm combining this with FS. Thus, Repede would have been basically an infant when he and Lambert ended up with the knights. From there he took to Yuri as he did in the FS drama CD so Yuri was primarily in charge of Repede during his stay with the knights, but he and Flynn raised Repede together as is in line with the game. This means they continued raising him together even after Yuri left.
In the JP version of the game, Yuri says he was with the knights for a short time but doesn't specify how long that time was, so I'm completely yeeting the "three months" dub aspect from this blog. I can't reasonably assume he signed up, took the exams, went into training, went from errand boy to battle status, then went on normal missions and left in the span of three months. So as usual, we're following the JP timeline. Generally anything the dub makes up or actively changes from the original context/tone gets yeeted here.
In the FS drama CD, Flynn is extremely repetitive about Yuri quitting the knights and with his nagging. At least with @mistralxsoul and anyone else who prefers it the following way in threads with my muse, we're toning it down because it just feels absolutely batshit to us how bad it is in the drama CD (it's worse than even the movie itself).
Since the timeline for Yuri and Flynn's knighthood conflicts super horrendously between the novel, FS/FS drama CD and the game, I'm mixing all of it together (primarily because I consider the novel more canon than the FS drama CD). Basically (for my muse), they signed their names and didn't take the exams immediately, but when they eventually did it was at least a couple years later, due to Yuri still having his teen appearance when he signed his name to join in the novel. This is because otherwise, if I average my muse's teen age out to be fifteen/sixteen and his age to be about eighteen/nineteen in the knights, it would mean he'd been with the knights (including training, etc) anywhere from 2-4 years if his sign up was immediately after the novel's events. If they were to sign up and join immediately after the novel timeline, it also makes even less sense because Flynn's attitude in FS and his relationship with Yuri (and remember, the FS drama CD comes before the movie's timeline and Flynn was even worse about Yuri's attitude in the CD) would seem like it literally 180'd overnight.
So basically, to avoid all this insanity, a short summarized timeline for my muse would be: they signed up but didn't join right away, Flynn moved away and was gone for a couple years or so after the events of the novel, both of them changed in personality/behavior drastically in that time, they met up at the exams, they went into training, they got sent to Niren's squad, they were more errand boys than actual knights when they were still super fresh newbies and Yuri was extremely annoyed with that, they were actual knights for a while (I'm going to say Yuri was a knight for at least six months or more, especially if I consider the trajectory of Flynn's behavior toward him in the drama CD through the end of FS), the events of FS were not one straight timeline and things happened between the days etc etc, then Yuri left.
Following the game's drama CDs, Yuri hesitated a lot more when Flynn was injured at Zaude. If not for Flynn nudging him to go after Alexei even while wounded, Yuri wouldn't have left him there.
Following the same drama CDs, it's Raven and Repede who find and look after Yuri when he wakes up after Zaude. That is to say, Repede was already with Raven and lunged when he sniffed out Yuri in his room (super doggo powers). Raven followed Repede in a panic, who ran to Yuri's room upon realizing Yuri was there, and Raven finds Yuri awake but right in the middle of passing back out (the sound is basically Raven's voice being distant with some ringing, so it's from Yuri's point of view that Raven is trying to get him to steady himself but he passes back out). Raven takes care of him from there until he's recovered properly enough to go back. In this time, Rita did investigating and eventually, with the others minus Raven, went to Zopheir after deciding they couldn't dawdle and just wait in their grief. While they're there, Yuri and Raven have headed out after them and show up together and reunite with the rest of the group. Raven has already been updated on what Yuri knows from Duke at this point (Duke saved him as usual, but the drama CD changes come in after that), so the two of them update everyone else.
In the game, there's a skit with Yuri, Flynn and Karol where Yuri mentions "playing in a river", but in the novel, they were actually getting water at the river and the other kids were playing in the river when they got attacked by a monster, fell into the river (Yuri also mentions (I thiiiink in another unrelated skit) that just falling into "a river" was enough to panic him), and Flynn grabbed onto a merman. For my muse, I'm just going with Yuri simplifying the situation to Karol while keeping the novel's event as my muse's canon.
#{ muse info + headcanons }#/ a lot of the timeline post itself is also for me and not y'all LOL but like. if you need to know#differences in interaction with me this stuff is good to know at least bc I don't strictly follow the game canon#I follow a mix of official content and obviously some of it overlaps and retcons other things#as for the dub if you've been here long enough y'all know I hold a huge ass grudge against#how much it changes Yuri's behavior/personality and his attitude toward Flynn#but the three months thing just does not feel reasonable to me on top of the dub just making it up#and it helps SO much to have that free time period for writing#even if we assume he wasn't counting the training to officially join the knights in the dub#three months is... way too short imo and then if I combine the FS drama CD with that#it makes even less sense bc the girls tried to get Yuri to stay when he did actually almost quit#on top of the whole not rly doing knightly things for a while at first#and yeahhhh it's just a fucking MESS to try to cram everything with all this content into three months#also like since I LOOOOVE the teen arc of the novel and that's My Fucking Baby Boy#I don't want to actually change anything from it so I'm just mixing everything together to keep it all#it's like... I love all the official Yuri content and so I want to keep as much of it together as possible#but since it's not always the same people working on the content or bc there's such a time gap between content#things aren't always consistent and when it comes to writing a muse I just. NEED timeline consistency#even if I have to make it myself LMAO. I try to keep as much of the game stuff together as possible#since I know most ppl interacting with me only know the game and possibly the movie#and not all the drama CDs and all the various JP exclusive content#but it's hard to keep it together perfectly when there's so much other content I'm using that has formed my muse#like... my muse exists the way he is bc of all this content you know? and only using the game#would change him a fucking lot in hindsight with the way he thinks and reacts and such#like... there's no fucking way he's not traumatized after the events of the novel in the teen arc there's NO fucking way#it was bad enough that it nearly pushed him to murder when he was a teenager#and he might have actually done it if his foster mother didn't stop him (and end up doing it herself)#so yeah I mean... I do my best to keep him within game context with most people I interact with#but the more you interact with this boy the deeper you're gonna get into muse specific lore lol
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jesytr · 4 months
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switched up my bio and verses.
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mcnostril · 1 year
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I've been seing the movie mugshot everywhere and so I wondered how it would work out with the magical peoples.
Plz note this is strictly non-canon because the wzrd would shenanigan long before seeing the inside of a police station.
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nisuna · 6 months
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I NEED HEAD CANONS ON PERVBEST FRIEND GOJO AND GETO, MAYBE WITH SOME TAG TEAMING🫣🫣🫣🫣 gojo sticking his hand in your bra(with consent) cause he’s,oh!so cold, and your just so so warm. Geto taking questionable pictures of you, your Twinkie had to much cream in it and it oozed on your face, before you even had the chance to wipe the cream off, he takes a picture, all in good “fun”, Geto and Gojo sharing a collection of photos of you. Maybe they came over to your apartment, after a bit hanging out, you go to get food for the 3 of you, one of them gets curious and starts snooping in your room only to find your vibrator or panties, and maybe just maybe they take it with them after you guys get done hanging out, sharing it with each other cause that’s what best friends do! I’m so sorry this is so horny, I was thinking with my choochie 😕😕😕😕
Okay so first of all I definitely DID NOT expect so many people to vote on my poll so thanks for that 😭✋🏻 and over ¼ of you voted for Satosugu tag team so I am here to deliver :^) I changed some things but I hope you still enjoy and I sincerely thank your coochie for coming up with this 🫶🏻 I too must admit that I was writing this with all of my pussy
Thank you for your take!!<3
<3masterlist<3
~kind of long(?) drabble~ Strictly 18+ Minors DNI
TW: pervy roommates&bff!satosugu, questionable consent at some parts but it's all good in the end, panty stealing, groping, vaginal double penetration, nipple play, marking, biting, hickeys, noncon picture taking, jerking off, it's just very messy and nasty, they start off very mean but they actually really do like you a lot<3, use of good girl, baby, angel, smut with fluff, aftercare
When your two best friends first suggested moving in together you didn't think much of it. You've known each other for a long time and they've always been very kind and helpful. You hang out together all the time anyway, so of course you said yes! And the first few weeks were fine, but then you noticed panties going missing and when you asked them if they saw them anywhere, they just shrugged blaming the washing machine/dryer. Sus, but you didn't think much of it, you trusted them.
You did notice them getting more touchy with you though. Their hands straying to your boobs and ass when they hugged you around the house. The first time Satoru put his hand in your bra you told him off but he just whined that his hands were so cold and you were so warm. Sus. They made you sit on their laps, especially when you were eating something cream filled, bouncing their leg and catching you off guard smearing the cream all over your face. As you went so wipe it off they stopped you, only to stick their fingers in your mouth and snap a quick pic.
And if you dared to speak up they shushed you and said that it's just friends having fun with each other. "Relax, it's not that serious." You thought it was quite serious, but you kept that to yourself for the sake of your friendship. They surely cared about you a lot, right?
Oh boy you had no idea just how much they cared about you. They were highkey obsessed. They obviously always liked you a lot, that's why you were friends afterall. But after moving in with you they realized that they liked you way more than they were anticipating. Of course it was them who stole your panties, breathing in your scent and using the fabric to jerk their throbbing cocks off. And the just for fun pictures they took, oh they had a whole album of them. You didn't even notice most of them being taken. And they made sure to always exchange them with each other if they got some new material.
During movie nights they had you squished between their bodies, one of them softly caressing and squeezing the fat of your thighs, while the other was playing with the hem of your tiny shorts. They liked to think that you wore them especially for them, exchanging knowing grins while your eyes were focused on the tv screen in front of you.
You were just too cute not to tease. Especially when your breath hitched as their fingers got dangerously close to your core. Or when you were clutching onto their shirts when their hot breath and lips hit your neck making you squirm. And after the first time they made you cum, they knew they were hooked. And when they finally had sex with you for the first time, they swore they fell in love. You were so cute and obedient and just so so soft. They loved watching you squirm as you tried to take them like a good girl. To your surprise, most of the time they were really gentle with you while praising you throughout their thrusts.
They both fucked you on their own the first time, but slowly tried to get you used to them both being there. The first few times it was one of them fucking you while the other just watched, dick throbbing in their hand and finishing with cumming on your face or tits. They were also very big on aftercare, spoiling you with anything you needed and praising you for taking them like a champ.
But one day they just couldn't help themselves and thought of a pretty little surprise for you. Suguru told you that he had to leave to run some errands, leaving you alone with Satoru, which ended with you on your side while Satoru was pounding into you from behind on your shared bed.
"'Toruuu~ feel so good you're so deep- ah"
"Yeah? Feels good right, look I'm in your fucking tummy, baby. You're so tiny. 'Can feel myself all the way in there", he whispered as he splayed his hand out over your lower stomach, kissing along the expanse of your neck.
You were too caught up in the moment to even pay attention that Suguru had not left at all and was listening to both of you through the closed door, already undressed waiting for his cue.
"Baby?"
"Hmm?", you mewled arching your back as he played with one of your hardened nipples.
"Can you keep your eyes closed for me for a bit? I want to try something out. Oh, and lift your leg a bit. Thats it, good girl", he praised while holding your leg up by the knee. The new angle making you feel light headed.
You were too fucked out to notice the door opening and closing as a certain someone slipped inside the room. He had to hold back a gasp when he saw you splayed out like this. Completely bare, looking insanely soft and spread wide open just for them. Satoru and him exchanged a look and he slowly made his way over to where the two of you were laying. When the bed dipped under his weight next to you, your eyes opened.
"Hi pretty," he pecked your lips.
"Nnngh Suguru are you back already? I thought you were- ah", you gasped as Satoru rolled his hips into you expertly.
"I never left, angel. We wanted to surprise you."
"Surprise me how?" you questioned mouth slightly hanging open and pupils blown wide open.
"We think you're ready to take us both. Would you like to try that, hm? If it hurts too bad we can stop."
You hesitated. Take them both? How? Your questions were answered as you felt Suguru's member prod at your etrance.
"I don't think I can-"
"Oh sure you can, you're so wet. Don't worry, we'll make it fit. You're such a big girl, I'm sure you can take two cocks in your pussy. It's gonna feel so good, I promise."
You were skeptical, but the thought did make you gush around Satoru. He kissed your neck for reassurance as Suguru went to cup your breast, fondling it softly. You felt so nervous, but safe at the same time. You trusted them, so you nodded your head letting out a breathless, "Okay, I'm ready."
"We'll take this slow, we got you."
The first stretch almost make you scream as you slung your arm around Suguru, scratching his back in the process while hiding in the crook of his neck
As soon as they both bottomed out he whispered against your hair, "Shhh it's fine, you're fine. Tell us when you're ready for us to move."
You took a couple of deep breaths trying to adjust to the extreme stretch. After a while you finally nodded and they slowly picked up their pace.
Suguru tried to kiss your pain away swallowing all of your whines in a deep kiss.
"You're doing so well for us, such a good girl.", Satoru whispered against the nape of your neck. And as you felt tears swelling, Suguru made sure to wipe them away smiling at you gently.
After a while it did start feeling incredible you were huffing and puffing as they both moved in sync stuffing you to the brim.
"Feels good", you moaned against Suguru's lips, "more, want more!" And it made you squirm as you felt Satoru suck a deep hickey into the side of your neck.
"Such a greedy girl. But see, I promised we'd make you feel good."
"Yeah, you're so tight and wet for us, good girl. Such a good girl for taking two big cocks so well."
"Want you to fill me up.. please and 'want to cum! Want to cum on your perfect cocks, please make me cum."
Your moans really got to their heads as they picked up the pace fucking into you harder than before.
"Yeah? Wanna cum? Of course we're gonna make you cum, how could we not if you beg so nicely."
"And we're gonna fill you up to the brim, make you nice and plump." with that Satoru moved his hand from your leg to your clit, rubbing thick circles into it, which made you see stars. They were hitting all of the right spots and you felt yourself getting close.
"'m gonna cum, gonna cum, gonna-!!"
And you swore you saw hearts in Suguru's eyes as soon as you clamped down on their cock, creaming all over them and letting out the lewdest moan they have ever heard you make.
"Ah, holy shit. So good, you're so good for us. Oh my god." Suguru praised as they both continued to fuck you through your high, Satoru's fingers not leaving your clit. You felt yourself get overstimulated as you grabbed onto Suguru's arms digging your nails into them.
"'S too much I can't, I can't-"
"Shh you're almost there, you got it, just a little more."
You bit down on your lip, moaning in the rhythm of their thrusts. But you definitely didn't expect another orgasm to come your way.
"Shit! I think I'm gonna cum again, please don't stop 'Toru.. please dont!!"
"Like hell I would!", he slurred. His arm was starting to burn from the tension, but his rhythm didn't falter, rubbing you through your second high.
And at the feeling if your your tight cunt convulsing around their cocks they lost themselves, filling you up to the brim with their warm cum.
"Oh god I'm so full, it's all the way in my womb, gooood" you cried against Suguru's shoulder as he pulled you close and kissed the top of your head.
Satoru kissed the back of your head as the three of you stayed like this for a while, basking in each other's warmth.
You were the first to break the silence, trying to peel yourself from their grasps, "Okay enough.. ah I feel so sticky and uncomfy", you whined. They only chuckled at you being so adorable. Eventually, Satoru was the first to pull out and get up from the bed.
"I'll go make a bath ready and get you a glass of water."
You nodded with a weak smile, feeling Suguru pull out of you as well, but still keeping your body close while stroking your hair.
"Were you comfortable? Did it hurt a lot?"
"At first yes, it hurt quite a bit..", you sighed. "But then it felt really good, I liked it a lot. Thank you for the surprise."
Suguru chuckled against your head, "You're welcome, glad you liked it. I'm very proud of you by the way. You did such a good job."
You felt your cheeks heat up at his praise, but you let out a groan at his next words.
"Sooo.. any positions you'd like to try next?"
And with perfect timing Satoru walked right in on your conversation. "Are you plotting a round two without me??!, he fake gasped, which only earned him a pillow right in his face, almost spilling the glass of water he brought for you.
"Definitely not right now!!"
But it also made you smile at how well you all got along, you were definitely looking forward to your future with them.
-----
Feel free to send me your Hot Takes as well ^^
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souldagger · 1 year
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literally cannot stop thinking abt all the layers on which spiderverse works.
it's a love letter to comics - not just to comics as a visual medium, but also to the madness and absurdity particular to superhero comics, especially big comic events. it's abt how insisting on only one strictly correct Canon™️ when it comes to something like comics is not only limiting, but missing the point, the potential. it's a critique of stories that declare the suffering of their heroes as necessary to their character even when it's redundant, pointless, repetitive. its abt challenging the the systems&institutions that demand you struggle and suffer for their sake because well, that's how it's always been and make their acceptance of you conditional on your compliance. it's abt being doomed by the narrative and knowing it, abt fighting for your right to write your own story. it's takes the racist backlash and vitriol Miles received from Spiderman fans on his introduction in the comics and makes the movie an ardent defence of miles' very right to exist, a thorough defiance of the idea that miles isn't "supposed" to be spiderman. augh. film of all time
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flwrstqr · 3 months
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` ⠀ ONE TWO CONNECT! ★ BOOKSHELF
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─────── ﹙FLWRSTQR'S BOOKSHELF 🐇 ! please be aware that plagiarism is strictly prohibited. do not repost, alter, or translate any of my content without my consent. do not spam like. furthermore, it is crucial to note that all idols depicted in my work are distinct characters and do not illustrate their real-life identities. they are fictional personas created for the purpose of entertainment and should not be seen as an accurate reflection of reality.
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OT7 (ALL MEMBERS)
enhypen having a crush on you (imagines) here *TOP PICK
enhypen and their love tropes (imagines) here
enhypen reaction when you cry during movies (imagines) here *TOP PICK
enhypen moments with idol!yn (imagines) here
HYUNG LINE (HEESEUNG, JAY, JAKE, SUNGHOON)
enhypen reaction when you start distancing them (imagines) here *TOP PICK
enhypen when you guys are enemies but they see you with another boy (imagines) here
LEE HEESEUNG (이희승)
necessary love (one shot) here
under the rain (comfort) here
taste of your lips (drabble) here
i think i fell in love (smau) here
one thing before you leave (one shot) here *TOP PICK
call me yours (long au) here *HIGHEST PICK
painting day (one shot) here
is this attraction (one shot) here
missed the target (one shot) here
buy your love (smau) here
falling in love accidentally (med fic) here *TOP PICK
kisses all over your face (drabble) here
golden moments (fluff) here
10 days to lose a guy (medium fic) here
PARK JONGSEONG (박종성)
loving mornings (one shot) here
kissing your tears away (comfort) here
covering your warmth (drabble) here
someone's jealous (jealousy) here
drying your hair (one shot) here
2:02 am (one shot) here
stealing your boyfriend (one shot) here
SIM JAEYUN (심재윤)
if you don't kiss me, i'll do it (fluff) here *TOP PICK
look away (one shot) here
scent change (one shot) here
8:08 am (timestamp) here
soft kisses on your pain (drabble) here
PARK SUNGHOON (박성훈)
hybe games with sunghoon (head canons) here *TOP PICK
failed proposal (one shot) here
sickness days together (fluff) here
twenty one twenty five (long fic) here
one glimpse (one shot) here
who knew babysitting was this hard? (one shot ) here
9:37 (time stamp) here
KIM SUNOO (김선우)
is this falling in love (thoughts) here
YANG JUNGWON (양정원)
all my fears falling for you (one shot) here
its okay i got you (comfort) here
10:45 (timestamp) here
there's something there (drabble) here
how to kiss a girl (one shot) here
NISHIMURA RIKI (西村 力)
meant to be (smau) here
hybe games with ni-ki (head canons) here *TOP PICK
soulmates in the second universe (fluff) here *TOP PICK
stealing your kisses or gum (fluff) here *TOP PICK
don't let it drop (one shot) here
you can love me or not (one shot) here
focused in your eyes (fluff) here
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© 2024 — all rights reserved to user flwrstqr, please do not steal, plagiarise or translate any of my work without prior permission from me
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livingemkayde · 11 months
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ch ii. wild things
joel miller x f!reader x unrequited!tommy miller
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chapter two of chaser
warnings: 18+ minors please dni. kissing. mentions of sexual situations. bit of a love triangle forming. age gap, reader is 23 and joel is 35. Tommy is 30. (ages of all characters and plot do not follow canon strictly for the story’s sake). no use of y/n!
a/n: wowza!! after careful consideration i am definitely making this into a series due to all the requests and comments in my inbox!! thanks for all the love on chaser and on my dbf!joel series which you can find all the parts to here. i love u all so much. i had a bit of an idea to write joel x reader mixed with one sided tommy x reader so this will evolve into that. who knows what will happen!! haha….
if you would like to read more of mine: masterlist!
You watch his hands on the steering wheel. His thick fingers flicker on the settings for the radio, or tap on the top of the wheel when you stop at a red light.  It’s intoxicating. He’s intoxicating.  But you already knew that.  “You can’t be starin’ at me like that in the house.”  You blush, snapping out of your dream-like haze. 
For a split second, it does cross your mind to turn around and run away. 
But you’re already here. Joel is looking at you, mouth agape — you’re sure you look the same, if not worse. The little girl standing next to Joel giggles at you, smiling. 
Fuck. 
“Hi,” you say, breathless. You aren’t sure if you’re talking to her or Joel.
 But she squeaks a small hi, reaches for your hand, and pulls you into the house. 
You look up at him as you pass, he sucks in a breath and for a haste second, his eyes glance down towards your chest. Your movements feel slowed as you pass him. Like a scene from a movie — not unlike the feeling you had when you first bumped into him. You look up at him, a worried look fretted on your brow as he closes the door behind you. 
She drops your hand and sits on the couch, Joel sits next to her, you on a love chair across from them. 
It's quiet. 
Way too quiet for what’s supposed to be an interview. 
Joel keeps sending fleeting glances at you like he’s scared of what will happen if he meets your eye for more than two seconds. 
“So…You’re — uh —” he starts, but doesn’t really know how to finish.
“Yeah,” you say for him. He looks back at you, his mouth slightly agape. Joel shakes his head like he’s trying to snap himself out of it. 
“This is Sarah. She’s seven,” he looks down towards her, she looks at you with big brown eyes. Not unlike the one’s attached to the man sitting on the couch beside her. 
“Hi there,” you smile at her. 
“Hi,” she says, her dangling feet swinging off the couch. “You’re really pretty,” she says, shy. 
“Why thank you,” you say, acting flushed. “You’re gorgeous yourself.” 
Sarah blushes. You look at Joel and he stares back. A couple beats of silence and your hands start sweating. 
“Yeah, so I guess I’m your nine a.m,” you say with a breathy chuckle, talking to Joel now — referring to the interview appointment. 
“Guess so,” he says, his southern drawl overtaking his voice. He looks at you with eyes that show a curious emotion. You wonder what he’s thinking. But most of all, you wonder how long this — now ridiculous — interview is gonna take before he tells you to leave. 
So much for a good fuck buddy. 
“I—” he shakes his head again. “Sorry, how old are you?” 
“I’m twenty-three.” 
You are almost certain he swears under his breath. 
“Right,” he says when Sarah gives him a funny look. You had put that on your resume that you submitted a week ago. 
“College grad, or somethin’,” he says, pulling in a sharp breath at the words — and the realization. 
“Yeah — uh — english.” 
“Do you like books?” Sarah cuts into the tension, but she’s oblivious to the heat rising off your cheeks. 
“Love them,” you smile at her, looking around, seeing a children's book on the coffee table separating you. 
Where the Wild Things Are
You smile to yourself. 
“Do you like reading, Sarah?” 
She nods with a grin. 
“I would love to take you down to the library. They’ve got all the books you can imagine,” you say, smiling. 
She giggles and looks up to her dad with pleading eyes. 
You’re not sure why you’re trying so hard to get this kid to like you but after last night, you aren’t really sure about anything anymore. 
You can hear Sarah mumble into Joel’s ear. 
Please, dad? I like her. The lady from yesterday was old.
His eyes cut to yours, and back down to the little girl whispering in his ear. You look around the house nervously. The Carhartt jacket that you distinctly remember from last night is draped on a chair in the kitchen. 
Joel clears his throat, and to everyone in the room’s surprise, extends his hand. He looks a bit scared, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t terrified. But he utters those words in that drawl and you know you’re done for. Like all those hours before in the bar, then in the bathroom, and after that too when he slipped his name and number into your phone. 
“You’re hired.”
You try to reason with yourself in the split second before you extend your hand to meet him. 
Good pay. Sweet kid. Dad who you already fucked. 
It might not be the worst thing — but it certainly doesn’t reign best in your mind. You take his hand after a beat. Your sweaty palm connects with his sturdy one. He gives you one shake and then drops your fingers. Sarah smiles up at you, you anxiously smile back. Joel gives you a gruff look that makes your pulse race.
“When can you start?” He asks after a few seconds. 
“Tomorrow,” you say, maybe a bit too hastily, calming yourself down you reutter, “Tomorrow.” 
“Alright, well… come ‘round eight. I gotta get to work tomorrow,” he stands, you follow him to the door, he mumbles to Sarah to play with some toys while you talk. 
The cool morning air hits your face when he closes the door behind you. You stand face to face, shy eyes bending through the silence from both of you. 
“I—” you stifle an awkward laugh, “I didn’t know. I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t have come if I’d known, obviously.” 
“Right,” he agrees, looking down at his feet. 
“We can…this can be —” another awkward laugh, “like this okay? Right?” 
“Right,” Joel echoes while sending you a curt nod.  
God, it's like pulling teeth. 
“Look, I’m sorry — we can forget about it, if this is like —” 
“No,” he shakes his head, looking up at you, his brown eyes reflecting sunlight. You didn’t remember his eyes looking like that. But it was dark and you were drunk. 
“It’ll be fine…‘s’alright,” Joel assures, but you’re not sure if he’s talking to you or himself. 
 “Are you sure? I don’t wanna —” 
“I’m sure,” he chuckles. You catch a glint of the guy from last night — who managed to charm his way into your pants in under ten minutes. He surprised you then, and doesn’t fail to surprise you now. 
“Sarah likes you, so…” you raise your brows at his words, he continues. 
“Been havin’ a tough time findin’ someone she likes, and I have t’work,” he breathes out through stiff lips. 
“I understand.” 
You find yourself asking more, even though it might not be the best idea. But like you thought last night — this guy is intriguing — and getting a glimpse into his life even if you both weren’t ready for it might not be the worst thing. 
“What do you do?” you ask, shy. 
“I — uh — I’m a contractor.” 
You don’t really know much about contracting so you fall short with a reply. 
But he fills the silence. 
“I work with my brother. He’s… he lives not too far away. You’ll probably meet him tomorrow,” he says, arms crossing over his chest. 
“Sounds good,” you say, crossing your own arms, your thin sweater not doing much to protect you from the morning dew.
Joel looks towards the street and furrows his brow. 
“Where do you live?” he asks, blunt. 
Your eyes widen in shock. 
“Jesus — I —” he shakes his head, his fingers pinching his nose bridge. “I just — you don’t have a car, m’sorry,” he looks out towards the empty street. 
“Just…wonderin’ if you needed a ride.” 
And so, the gentleman from last night appears just when you thought this might be hopeless. 
“Oh car’s back at the house — I walked — I actually live like four blocks over on Anderson,” you jut with your thumb in the direction of your childhood home — your parents are letting you stay there while they’re on vacation for the summer. 
“Didn’t know we lived so close,” you note to no one in particular, just speaking aloud. 
“You’re in between me ‘n Tommy,” he says, his voice hoarse. 
Jesus. 
“What?” 
“My brother,” 
This small talk is getting awkward. 
“Oh…right, well — cool. All close together,” you say, pulling a smile even though you feel immensely uncomfortable right now. 
“Yeah,” he echoes. “Cool.” 
“So I’m gonna…” you nod your head to the direction of your house. It looks like that shakes him out of this trance of tension you both were put in together. 
“Yeah, right.”
A goodbye is braced on your lips but you hesitate. 
Mr. Miller? 
Joel? 
Maybe you were better off not calling him anything. 
Especially since the last time you were saying the name ‘Joel’ he was asking you to beg for his cock. 
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” you settle for, stepping off his porch, while looking back at him. 
“Yup,” Joel replies, bluntly, “See you tomorrow.” 
_
On your walk over the next morning, you settle into a quiet stroll. 
It’s early, the birds are chirping and the dew from the young morning seeps into your skin, making your hair a bit damp and frizzy, but you don’t mind. 
You didn’t have much time to look around when you were walking to your interview yesterday. 
Honestly, you’ve never taken a good look at your neighborhood, especially this area. Your whole life you’d been driven around by your parents, never stopping to take in the scenery. 
Austin is amazing in the summer. You don’t mind the heat, you welcome it — the sun feels good on your back when you walk over. 
You see a black pick-up truck pull into Joel’s driveway as you round the corner and make your way down the street. 
A man steps out, he’s young — younger than Joel — but you can see the resemblance. You suspect this is the ‘Tommy’ Joel had mentioned yesterday. 
You break into a soft jog to greet him before he walks into the house. 
“Hey,” you say, somewhat breathless. He stares back at you with a confused look on his face. 
“I — uh — I’m Sarah’s new babysitter,” you say while extending your hand. 
He takes it, the recognition of your title sinking in — a smile is brought to his face — it lights up the entire area. 
“Oh — right. Joel said somethin’ ‘bout the babysitter coming this mornin’,” he shakes your hand, its soft grip squeezes yours once and then lets you go. “I’m Tommy, Sarah’s uncle.” 
“Yes — Joel said you guys work together.” 
“Yeah, that’s right,” he says, chuckling. You smile back at him. 
He looks down and sees your bag slung over your shoulder. 
“Let me get that for you,” he says, reaching down to grab the strap of your bag and slipping it off your arm. 
“Oh — thanks,” you try to hide your blush as you follow Tommy to the front door. 
“No problem,” he mumbles, stepping onto the porch, in a light jog, you follow after. 
The door opens before you reach it, a sleepy Joel miller peaks his head out at the noise. 
When he sees it's you and Tommy, he straightens out a bit, a questioning look on his brows. 
“What’s up man,” Tommy brushes past him into the house, you can see him set your bag down on the couch. “Found your new hire,” he teases from inside, already rushing to the kitchen before you’re able to cross the threshold.
You don’t want to squeeze past like Tommy, so you wait for Joel to invite you in. 
“Good morning,” you smile up at him, he towers over you, leaning against the doorframe. 
“Mornin’,” he replies. 
“I just — ran into him outside the house,” you say shyly. 
What are you trying to prove? 
He smiles at you, maybe even matching the smile he had on at the bar. The smile you fell for instantly. A puddle at his feet — this time? No exception. 
“Just come in,” he chuckles, walking away from the doorframe to let you in. 
Sarah squeals from near the couches, running up to you and giving you a big hug. You chuckle while looking at the men in the kitchen. 
“Hi.” 
“Hey, kiddo,” you smile down at her. 
“Can you take me to the library today?” 
“Woah, woah slow your roll. I got a lot to show you before we hit the library,” her smile gets bigger if that’s possible. “I even have some special toys I brought just for you in my bag,” you whisper. 
She laughs, hanging off your arm, and then trots into the kitchen. You follow her. 
“So this is my number,” Joel says when you arrive, putting a piece of paper up on the fridge. 
“Oh, I already—” 
“Call ‘f you need anythin’.” 
Your eyes snap to him when he cuts you off, giving you a knowing look. You blush in favor of arguing, understanding why. 
This might be harder than you initially thought. Especially when you’re in his house, and everything smells like him — like that night. And his brother won’t stop looking at you out of the corner of his eye. 
You catch Tommy in his staring, he quickly looks back down to his cereal. 
“We’ll be back ‘round five,” Joel says, looking over at the calendar hanging on the wall. 
“Tuesday, dad,” Sarah chimes in when he squints at the calendar. 
“Right. Tuesday,” he sighs, his eyes briefly meeting yours across the kitchen. “Tuesday is Chinese. We’ll pick it up on the way home,” he says, nodding at the information. 
“You’re more than welcome to stay for dinner,” Tommy cuts through the tension, smiling at you. Your eyes dart to Joel’s — he has an indifferent look on his face. 
You’re not really sure what to say but the entire Miller family looks back at you with the same set of big brown eyes, a couple sets are pleading, one set is scared. 
“Oh, okay. Yeah, thanks,” you smile back at Tommy. You hope things will be better by tonight because this is getting weird and you only have olives and a carton of eggs in the fridge back home. 
“I’m gonna go load the truck,” Tommy mumbles, still chewing the rest of his breakfast while standing. 
“It was very nice to meet you,” he smiles at you, placing a hand on your shoulder. “If you need anything you can always call me, left my number under Joel’s.” 
You smile, but gruff words pull you away from Tommy. 
“If you need anythin’, call me,” Joel says, emphasizing me. 
You wonder if Tommy touched a nerve. 
Tommy smiles with a teasing lilt, you thank him as he exits. 
“Hang on a sec, Sarah, I’m gonna walk your dad out and then I’ll make you breakfast,” you say, following Joel out. 
Tommy’s head is in the backseat of the truck, rummaging through things. You stand in front of Joel on the porch. 
“Listen this is like…” you aren’t sure what you think this is, but it’s kinda unbearable. 
“Yeah, I know,” he replies gruffly. “It’s — it’s done. Right? We can be professional.” 
“Yeah,” you reply, your voice small. “Professional,” you laugh. His bright eyes mirror yours. 
“Guess I should call you Mr. Miller, then.” 
He sucks in a sharp breath. 
“Don’t call me that,” he says, a chaste chuckle braced on his lips. 
“Joel,” he whispers. “Just Joel.” 
“Okay,” you smile back at him. You can’t help but feel the spark like the night at the bar, when his hands were all over you, and you couldn’t see anyone but him. 
“Just Joel.” 
He nods and steps down from the porch. 
He waves goodbye with two lazy fingers lifting from the wheel as he backs out. 
_
“She’s pretty.” 
Tommy’s voice cuts through the tense silence in the truck. An old country song rings through the worn interior. The A/C is blasting, the sun beating down on them through the sunroof. 
Joel grunts in response. 
“You don’t think so?” 
“Think she’s my kid’s babysitter,” Joel mutters while Tommy stifles a laugh. Joel turns down a street, heading towards the onramp for the interstate. They’re meeting with a new client today, big work on the line. Joel can’t be thinking of you.  
“So you’re not into her?” 
Joel takes a while to respond. Tommy shifts a bit nervously in his seat. But finally — finally — Joel lets out a long sigh and responds. The single word sent Tommy’s way, making him grin— 
“Nope.” 
“Alright,” Tommy says, content. 
It rubs Joel the wrong way. 
“‘Alright’ what?” 
“I think I’m gonna ask her out.” 
When Joel doesn’t respond, Tommy speaks again. 
“Do you think she’ll say yes?” 
“I don’t know. Known her two seconds” Joel bites back a bit too harshly. 
A few tense seconds pass. 
Tommy starts again but Joel cuts him off. 
“Jesus, can we just —” Joel reaches down to turn the radio up. The music drowns out any conversation on the tip of his tongue — kills anything he might regret saying. He tries to let it go. 
Tommy lets it go too. 
_
“Sarah!” you shout from the kitchen.
You look down to the kitchen counter. The sandwich stares back at you. You slather one side with blackberry jam you picked up from the farmers market. The other side with some peanut butter. Crust off, Sarah had pleaded with you yesterday when you picked her up from soccer camp. 
You move to cut the crust off. 
The front door opens from behind you, you don’t bother turning around, knowing who it is before he greets you—
“Hey, baby,” Tommy rounds the corner and gives you a small hug. You hear the front door shut in his wake. You look down to your fingers, the peanut butter getting a bit messy from the heat in the kitchen. 
“Hey,” you reply softly. 
It's been a couple weeks since you started taking care of Sarah. You fell into the Miller’s daily routines with ease, eating dinner with them most nights. Tommy and you have grown close. He’s a friend, a confidant. Someone who you can count on no matter what.  
He’s good conversation, but an even better listener. You find yourself talking to him most nights on the drive home, and even sometimes after that when you invite him in for coffee and a drink. You can talk about anything and he’ll listen, giving his two cents when necessary, becoming a better friend than you could’ve anticipated. 
Anything he had said the first night you invited him in.
You can talk to me about anything. 
You had smiled at him. You wanted to talk to him about anything. And you talked to him about most things — but never all. 
Because there was always Joel.  
“Sarah!” you shout again, checking the clock and seeing it was almost eight. “Get your bag kiddo, I gotta drop you off at soccer by 8:15.” 
You hear her small voice let out a muffled coming as you finish packing up her lunch. 
“Need a ride?” Tommy asks from behind you. 
“I thought you and Joel had to meet with that electrician guy today,” you throw over your shoulder. 
“I always got time for you,” he says in a teasing upswing. You just laugh in response, trying to brush it off. 
You know Tommy is a flirt. You can see it when you go out with him, girls fawn at his feet because he’s charming. The woman bagging your groceries, the waitress at the diner, the neighborhood mom’s coming over to talk when he washes the truck outside Joel’s house. 
You see it all — and you don’t mind when it spills over onto you. It’s just how he is. 
“Brought my car today, thanks though,” you nod at him as you pass the kitchen table, putting Sarah’s lunch bag on the counter.
You hear footsteps rounding the corner, hoping it’s Sarah, but as you look up, Joel’s eyes catch yours. 
“Dammit,” you mumble.  
“G’mornin’ to you too,” Joel says back, sending you a look. 
“No — sorry, just —” you brush him off, he joins Tommy at the table. “Sarah!” 
“We’re gonna be late,” you mumble to him, he sips on his coffee. 
“I’ll give you a ride,” Joel says from his seat, motioning to the truck. 
Tommy’s brows raise, waiting for your response.
“Thanks but I brought my car today,” you brush him off. 
“Surprised that thing still drives,” Joel grumbles under his breath. 
“Shut up, will you?” you say, half teasing, sending him a playful scowl. 
“It ain’t safe is all ‘m sayin’, you sh—” he cuts himself off at the look you give him. 
Tommy whistles from across the table. 
It might look okay. And it might feel okay too. But when you're alone at night and you can’t sleep — you think about Joel. The fleeting glances from the day. The way his hand touched yours when you guys cleaned up dinner. 
It wasn’t torture — but it sure felt like something similar. 
You don’t miss how Joel scowls a bit when Tommy flirts with you playfully. But things seem to be cordial between them — as cordial as brothers can be. 
Sarah skips down the steps, her hair falling out of the pony tail she tried to put up herself. 
“C’mere, kiddo, we gotta fix your hair,” you say when she reaches the bottom step, pointing to a chair beside her dad and uncle. 
Sarah sits, you brush through her hair with a comb, securing it with an elastic. You can feel both men’s eyes on you. 
“All set,” you pat her shoulders, she finishes breakfast, racing to put her shoes on as you grab your keys. 
Tommy stands at your exit. 
“I’ll walk you out,” he says, taking one last sip of his coffee before putting the dishes in the sink. He meets you in the foyer, you scramble to get your sandals on, Sarah slipping into her cleats as you bend down to tie her laces. Tommy grabs your keys and goes to start your car. 
“Bye, Joel,” you yell from the entryway, something deep and gruff rings back from the kitchen.
When you open the door, the soft sunlight hits you. Sarah skips out towards Tommy, he picks her up, throws her up in the air, she laughs and giggles. He lets her settle into the backseat of your car. He opens the door for you, giving you a small hug as you check the time on your phone. 
8:10 am. 
“See you later, baby.” 
“Bye Tommy,” you chuckle at his words, shaking your head as you climb into the driver’s seat. 
_
Honestly, Joel is right. 
You’re confused on how this car still drives. It was your mom’s from when she was in college. It sat in your garage, collecting dust until you pleaded with your parents to fix it up for you. Maybe it’s sentimental value or maybe you just can’t afford another car, but you’ve driven it ever since. 
It’s never been a problem for you. Not until this moment when you found yourself on the side of the road, two blocks away from where you dropped off Sarah.  
Your phone rings in your hand as you hold it up to your ear, leaning against the hood of the car while you look down at the very obviously flat tire. 
“Tommy?” you bite quickly when he picks up. 
What’s up? 
“My tire’s fucked. I need a tow,” you grovel. 
Oh shit. Uh — I can’t leave right now, the electrician needs me. 
“Fuck,” you huff into the hot air. “Okay, I’ll call Triple A, thanks.” 
You’re about to hang up, but a deep voice cuts through the line, Tommy answers it with a tone that you can’t read.
Joel’s comin’.
Your breath hitches. 
Text him where you are.
You find yourself nodding even though he can’t see you. 
“O-okay. Tell him I said thanks,” 
He just left. Listen I gotta —
“Oh – no yeah, sorry. See you later. Thanks.” 
Yeah. Bye.
You shoot Joel a quick text, your fingers shaking unexpectedly. 
You only wait for about ten minutes before you see the black pick up roll around the corner. He pulls up in front of you, and backs up so the hitch is in line with your car. 
Joel gets out, moving to hook everything up. 
“Joel, I’m so sorry, I—” 
“Hey,” he looks at you, you stare back with wide eyes. You were half expecting him to be mad or annoyed. But you forgot how he is. A gentleman. 
“‘S’alright, sweetheart.” 
Sweetheart? 
From Joel Miller? 
But he gives you a pat on the shoulder, motioning for you to help him, unaware he just made you weak at the knees. 
You get everything hooked up, he opens the door for you like always. 
You get in the truck and are met with a tense silence as he rolls into the middle of the road. 
“Don’t say it,” you say, looking over at him, teasingly, waiting for the inevitable, I told you so.
“Wasn’t gonna say anythin’,” he smirks. 
“I know you’re thinking it though.” 
“I know you are, too.” 
“You jinxed me,” you huff, crossing your arms over your chest. 
“I ain’t jinx nothin’.” 
“You so did. This morning, at breakfast,” you say, pointing an accusing finger at him. 
“I just said I was surprised it still runs.” 
“Yeah and now look what happened.” 
He laughs, you both do.
You’re met with silence for a long time. He turns down a couple streets, heading back to his house. 
“You called Tommy.” 
You suddenly feel like it’s harder to breathe. 
“Yeah.” 
“I’m always here if you need anythin’...” he says, but trails off, shaking his head. 
“I know. I just didn’t want to bother you,” you whisper. 
“You’re never a bother,” he says in that drawl. He takes a glance over at you then back to the road. 
You gulp. 
You watch his hands on the steering wheel. His thick fingers flicker on the settings for the radio, or tap on the top of the wheel when you stop at a red light. 
It’s intoxicating.
He’s intoxicating. 
But you already knew that. 
“You can’t be starin’ at me like that in the house.” 
You blush, snapping out of your dream-like haze. 
“I — I’m sorry.” 
He grunts. 
You want to ask him. To talk to him. You want to know if he’s been thinking about you like you’ve been thinking about him. If you crawl into his sleepless nights, his daydreams, his every waking moment like he does to you. 
You’re talking before you know any better. 
“Can I ask you something?” 
His reply is hesitant, but he motions for you to continue. When you find your voice, you manage to squeak out your question before you shut down and die from embarrassment. 
“Is this hard for you?” 
“‘S what hard? Drivin’?” he teases, you give him a shove but he doesn’t react to your touches. 
“You know what I mean.” 
“Not sure I do.” 
Damn. 
Maybe this is all in your head. Maybe when he told you that whatever this might be is over like he did all those weeks ago, he really meant it. 
You shut up after that. Not really noticing your new found silence. 
But Joel does. 
He pulls up to the house, putting the car in park. He hops out first, opening your door, you walk by his side towards the front door. 
When you step onto the porch you expect him to unlock the door, but he turns to you, surprisingly breaking the silence.
“Yes,” he says in a gruff voice. 
You wait with bated breath for him to continue, until he doesn’t. 
“What?” 
“It’s hard for me,” he continues, you look at him.
He looks at you — almost with pleading eyes. It looks like he’s pained to say it. 
“To see you everyday and not…” he trails off, but you know what he means. The thought sends a tell tale stickiness down in between your thighs. 
You nod. 
“It was kinda a fucked up coincidence,” you huff a laugh. He hums in agreement. 
You stand there with him, the tension building to an all time high. 
“Yeah,” he says after a while. “Fucked up.”
“It was —” you bite your tongue. Not sure whether or not to dig up the incident at the bar you both fought so hard to bury. To conceal your relationship from everyone, including yourselves. 
“I know,” he agrees. 
You look at Joel through your lashes. 
He looks handsome. 
He’s always handsome, but when he looks at you with a glint in his eyes and the sunlight makes his brown eyes caramel, it's something entirely different. 
You take a tentative step forward. He doesn’t move back. 
“I’ve missed you,” you say in a hushed whisper.
It’s true. You missed his presence. Most of your time being taken up by Sarah or Tommy. If this whole babysitting thing didn’t happen between you and Joel, you would probably be seeing him at least once a week. 
At least. 
He huffs out a sigh, taking a half step towards you. He looks at you almost sympathetically. And when his hand comes to angle your chin up towards him, his look becomes more painful. 
 Maybe this is the part where he kisses you, and everything melts away. 
He dips his head down slowly. You keep looking back up to his eyes and down to his approaching lips to gauge whether or not this is a mistake. 
Even though you both know it is. 
His lips brush yours, you tremble, but his phone ringing in his pocket snaps you out of it. 
He looks down, at the screen lighting up with Tommy’s name sprawled across it. 
“Hello?” Joel answers. 
Joel? Where the hell are you? The electrician — 
You stop listening after that, stepping back. Joel mumbles some words on the phone while unlocking the front door and opening it for you, like always. 
You give him a small smile and nod for him to go back to his truck. 
He gives you a look — later? 
You nod your head yes while shutting the door. 
Letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, you slump onto the couch. 
Later he had said with his eyes. 
_
chapter iii. diced
taglist! comment or message me if you want to be added. (for this series, i took the liberty of adding you to the taglist if you commented that you wanted more parts on chaser. you can let me know if you want to be taken off) kisses!
@sofiparallel @jasminedragoon @rainbowcosmicchaos @akah565
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tossawary · 5 months
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Regarding "The Hobbit" film trilogy, even if I ended up personally disliking and resenting how much time and focus the elf characters (and others) ended up taking away from the dwarves whom I think deserved more focus as rich internal characters (I know that studio pressures are a factor in that terrible love triangle and so on), I still... vaguely appreciate the effort to create and include named female characters like Tauriel, when the book is sadly lacking in them. I think she's fine, actually. Comparatively, there are many other elements in these adaptations that I think are much, MUCH worse.
But still, if you want to add female characters to this story, the obvious answer to me seems to be to just make half the Company into dwarf women? (With similarly fancy beards and other facial hair! Because I think that's fun.) It's just... so much easier?
Do NOT come at me with that "dwarf women are rare" bullshit. Unreliable narration. Logistically unlikely. Also, if you believe that "men are the warriors and craftsmen, the women stay at home" is how dwarf society strictly functions (boring, honestly, on top of being incredibly sexist), I could argue that the Battle of Azanulbizar and other struggles probably left a significant dent in this dwarf group's male population, leaving behind many widows and mothers without children to pick up the work. The battlefields have come to and TAKEN both Erebor and Moria from the dwarves. I see no good reason why dwarf women would not have equal investment in reclaiming their home and the gold. Many of the Company are not presented to be formally trained warriors, anyway.
Now, ideally, we could do way queerer stuff in terms of both romance and gender here, but we know cowards with veto powers would not let this happen. Still, I feel like basic genderbending would have been a very doable move and is, actually, a very reasonable ask of an adaptation that would have added some depth to the story even if you didn't acknowledge the change at all.
Like, preferably, this would be an adaptational change that would be directly addressed. Maybe all of the Company appear male at first due to traveling that way (and assumptions made by humans and hobbits), then Bilbo might learn that some of the Company are dwarf women when he becomes closer to all of them. We could have a brief scene acknowledging that dwarf women are fighting these battles for their pasts and their futures too. It doesn't have to be a big thing! They can just be there. Existing. Participating.
I even think it would be fun if two of the dwarves were actually an older married couple traveling together, instead of brothers or cousins, because loving married bickering and battle couples are fun. You can have running jokes in the background about how Smaug's invasion ruined their wedding day, and going back and forth with "you never take me anywhere nice" @ each other whenever they're stuck in Goblintown or the Mirkwood dungeons. (I like seeing good marriages & partnerships in fiction and established couples going on fantasy quests together. I just think it's neat.)
But another (sillier) direction is that you could just cast some actresses in beards to play some of the dwarves, then leave the fact that some of these characters are probably dwarf women (traveling as men) as a fun detail for the audience. Bilbo is either too oblivious to notice or much too polite to bring it up at all. It's canonically compliant to the text this way!
Now, obviously some few people would have complained that Tolkien's work was being ruined by "political correctness", but they complained anyway about Tauriel (when there are MANY other bad choices in these movies), and what worthwhile arguments could they have possibly made against genderbending some of the THIRTEEN dwarves? Like, most casual fans I know cannot NAME the entire Company, who get so little character development in the book that the films had to come up with unique designs and backgrounds for most of them anyway. Bro (directed towards someone objecting to the idea of including female dwarves), be real, there's no way that you honestly cared this much about "Nori the Dwarf" before right now.
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t-lostinworlds · 6 months
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Treasure Be Damned | Nathan Drake
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》 PAIRING: movie!nathan drake x female!reader
》 TROPE/GENRE: childhood best friends to lovers; angst; fluff
》 SUMMARY: Nathan wished it didn't take something drastic to happen for him to finally realize what he felt for you. And no matter how much that gold was worth, you will always be his greatest treasure.
》 WARNINGS: both are orphans (mentioned), tech genius!reader, protective!nathan, switch pov halfway thru, kinda canon divergent (a.k.a. i made slight changes to some scenes from the movie), pining, jealousy jealousy, idiots in love, some angst, kidnapping, canon level violence, injuries, love confessions and a cute fluffy ending.
》 WORD COUNT: 5.4k+
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A/N: hello! me again with another fic. this may seem super random but this was commissioned by the lovely @theslayerofthevampires ! thank u so so much hun <3 my first ever commission btw. trying to stick to a certain word count was actually quite interesting to me alskalsk but this was fun to write and i hope i did it justice!
+ also i couldn't think of a better title and the summary is kinda cheesy but we love cheese in this house so alksalkslaks
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⊱ ─────.⋅♚ *。・゚.★. *。・゚✫*.
You and Nathan had been best friends for as long as you could remember.
When he punched a guy twice his size all because they made you cry on your first day at the orphanage, he quickly gained your trust and loyalty. It was reciprocated when you dumped all your lunch on a kid when they poked fun about why his brother left him.
You two had been inseparable ever since.
Nathan was protective of you, and you were protective of him.
As years passed, that protectiveness only grew tenfold. With it came the care and affection that went from strictly platonic to something warmer, sweeter.
For you, at least.
You couldn't pinpoint when it started, all you knew was that everything Nathan did for you suddenly felt special—like it was solely for you.
The change wasn't outright. It was a slow realization, when the little things he did made your heart grow warmer and beat faster all the same.
At first, you thought it was a simple crush—a silly phase, that with time, it would fade.
But no.
As months moved to years, it went from something that lingered to something you couldn't escape from.
The moment you truly figured that what you felt about him wasn't as simple as an adoration for your best friend was on your eighteenth birthday.
Nathan had spent all the money he saved from working odd—and honest, he made sure to make that known—jobs on a silver necklace.
Maybe you watched way too many romcoms, maybe it was all in your rose-tinted head, but there was an underlying romance in the way he stood behind you, so close and warm, as he put the necklace on for you.
With bated breath, you let him, trying your best not to melt over his simple touch. His fingertips brushed against your skin so delicately but felt electric in all the right ways.
You only regained your breathing when he finally stepped back. Yet he took it away a moment later when he gently tapped the charm—shaped like a compass—sitting between your collarbone, a fond smile on his lips when he said,
"So you'll always find your way back to me."
How could you not fall in love?
What a cliché.
Falling in love with your childhood best friend.
It would've been cute if it was reciprocated.
But whatever he saw you as was strictly platonic.
You were constantly reminded of how unrequited your love was with the hook-ups he brought back to the apartment.
You had agreed to be his roommate to help lessen the expenses. Even though you had only recently moved in together, you were starting to doubt if it was a good idea—for your heart's sake, anyway.
It didn't even stop there.
Because here you were once again, sporting an ache in your chest as you watched him flirt with a blonde girl at the bar.
As much as you enjoyed visiting him at work, seeing him flirt with the pretty customers regularly will always leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Jealousy.
A feeling you shouldn't be entertaining in the first place. You were just a best friend. You had no right to go all green-eyed whenever you saw him with another girl.
Nathan Drake wasn't yours.
You didn't even realize that you were too deep into your thoughts until a familiar voice brought you out of it.
"You okay?"
You blinked, looking up to see Nathan regarding you with brows furrowed in concern.
"Huh?"
"You've been glaring at that thing for a good minute now," he explained, nodding at the personalized cocktail he made for you.
He always did that whenever you stopped by, experimenting with new mixes he thought you'd enjoy solely based on how well he knew you. You give him your honest feedback in return. It was your own little game.
"Is it bad?"
"No, no, no," you said, taking a sip before smiling. "I liked it."
"Just 'like', damn. I need to step up my game," he sighed in feigned disappointment. When you didn't react as much, he added, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Nathan looked at you for a moment, lips pursed as he shook his head.
"You're such a bad liar."
"I'm not," you scoffed, playfully rolling your eyes. "You just know me so well."
"I do," he hummed, grin turning proud. "I also know when something's bothering you so, what's up?"
"Girl things." You shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. You could tell it confused him, because he was never uncomfortable to talk about those topics with you. But before he could even question it, you quickly added, "I think I'm going to head home first. You didn't forget your keys, right?"
"That was one time," he grumbled, eyeing you for a moment because he obviously didn't buy your excuse. A second later, he sighed, "Yeah, I got my keys."
"Okay, See you later," you said, gathering up your things before walking towards the door.
"Let me know if you get home safe," he called out.
You only threw him a salute in response.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
It was the harsh light from the huge window in the living room that woke you up.
You must have fallen asleep on the couch in the middle of watching your comfort movie—a poor attempt at trying to distract yourself from your lovelorn predicament.
Who knew dealing with feelings could be so exhausting?
It was the smell of bacon that coaxed you out of your cocoon, though. 
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Nathan greeted as soon as you stepped into the kitchen. He threw you a warm smile over his shoulder before he continued making breakfast—shirtless, might you add. "There are painkillers beside your water in case your neck is killing you. I would've carried you back to your bed but you kick in your sleep and I've learned my lesson so…"
It did happen once.
He was trying to coax you off the couch and back into the comfort of your bed. But as he got closer, your leg having a mind of its own when you were deeply asleep, you kicked him straight in his jewels—his words, not yours.
The loud thud of him falling on the floor didn't even shake you awake, not even when he was groaning in pain. 
You couldn't even remember any of it.
"How many times do I have to apologize for you to let that go?" you chuckled, settling at your usual seat at the small dining table you had.
"Not enough," he snorted. "I still feel the phantom of the kick, you know."
"You're so dramatic." You rolled your eyes, glancing around only to catch a glimpse of that old yet familiar green trunk. It was then you noticed some of his old stuff littered around, trinkets and memorabilia he hadn't looked at in a while. Just as you were about to question him about it, you saw the excited look on his face. You narrowed your eyes, asking, "Did I miss something?"
"Quite a lot, actually," he chuckled, sauntering over to you with your breakfast for the day. Putting the full plate in front of you, Nathan leaned down and quickly kissed your forehead. "Eat. I'll tell you all about it."
You ignored the phantom of his lips on your skin.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
A treasure hunt.
Nathan dragged you into a treasure hunt.
You didn't trust this Victor Sullivan guy, but Nate seemed to be adamant about finding this gold in hopes of finding Sam too. And you trust your best friend's judgment so that made Sully a friend of your best friend, much to your dismay.
"Do I look okay?" you asked, straightening out your long, black evening gown as you emerged out of the makeshift changing room.
When you didn't hear an answer, you looked up to see Nathan staring at you with a certain look in his eyes.
Your face warmed. "What?"
"Okay?" he scoffed, shaking his head as if he was offended by the word you used. With a gentle smile, he gestured at you with both hands. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks. You don't look bad yourself," you responded with a shy smile, unable to hold his gaze for much longer. You fixed your entangled necklace, instead.
"Here, let me," he said, quickly walking over to you to straighten it out, his touch featherlight against your skin. "It's a gorgeous necklace. The guy who gave this to you has good taste."
"If good taste means licking his own ass, then, it's a bit questionable."
"Okay, gross," he playfully grimaced. "All I'm saying is that I picked the right one for you."
"You did." You smiled fondly. 
"Perfect," he hummed with a smile, his gaze slowly trailing from your necklace up to your eyes, his next words barely even a whisper. "You're perfect."
You didn't know if it was even meant for your ears but you could only stand there, staring into his brown eyes that seemed to shift from one emotion to another.
Nathan was about to say something when Sully came out of nowhere with that grumpy look on his face.
"Why are we bringing her again?" he asked as if you weren't standing in front of him.
"She's a genius with computers," Nathan said, a bite in his tone. "She's going to help us get through any security tech easy breezy."
Sully narrowed his eyes between you two before shrugging.
"Fine," he grumbled, looking you up and down before walking away. "We leave in ten minutes."
"I don't think he likes me very much," you sighed once the door shut.
"I don't think he likes anyone," Nathan said, smiling at you reassuringly. "Don't take it personally."
And you didn't. Truly.
But when you got to the auction house, it definitely felt more personal when the old man wouldn't tell you anything.
No communication. No updates. No information. Nothing.
Only when you ask Nathan directly were you able to get a grasp of what was going on or when to proceed to the next step—if he wasn't distracted.
With the countless pretty ladies dressed to the nines, you best believe he wasn't anywhere near focused.
You were angry because this was a dire situation. One wrong move could get you guys caught. You were too goddamn young for prison.
You definitely weren't bitter over something else.
"Do you always feel the need to flirt with anything that walks?" you spat when he finally reached the door you'd been trying so hard to keep open without getting caught. It took him three minutes more since he was busy chatting up some random trust fund girl.
"I wasn't—Jesus," he grunted, the door hitting him on the way as you walked past it.
You couldn't be bothered to wait anymore. You didn't look back and simply sped walk towards the power switch.
"You're upset," Nathan said once he caught up with you.
"I'm not upset," you grumbled. "I'm annoyed."
"It's the same thing."
"It's fucking not."
"Okay, geez," he conceded, pouting, "What'd I do?"
"What aren't you doing?" you asked sarcastically, harshly tapping on your phone as you tried to decode the security lock on the main switch. "Oh right, focusing on your job!"
"Christ, do you two always bicker like an old married couple?"
"Shut up!" you and Nathan barked synchronously.
Shaking your head, you calmed yourself, punching in the security code.
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I was just trying to scope potential—"
You glared at him.
"I'm shutting up."
"Just do your thing. I want this over and done with," you grumbled, stepping aside once the circuit box finally opened.
"You're a genius," he praised with a smile, placing a quick kiss on your forehead. "Thank you."
"Whatever."
You wished you could say everything went smooth sailing from there, but when did it ever?
Everything happened so fast.
One minute you two were walking out of the control room, the next you were being chased down but huge men.
Running in heels was not fun.
And then it was a blur, someone grabbing your arm in a way that made you scream in pain to Nathan tackling the guy to the ground, landing blow after blow to his face until blood started to splatter on the suit he was wearing.
"Touch her again and I'll kill you."
You'd never seen him so angry before.
But that anger quickly disappeared when he fussed over you, hands soft against your cheeks yet the panic and worry were evident in his eyes.
It took several 'I'm fine's and a couple more reassurances that you weren't badly hurt to get him to fully calm down and help you up so you could get out of this place.
Unbeknownst to you, there were curious eyes watching everything closely with a knowing yet wicked smile on her lips.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
You thought the feeling of being outcasted was only a small blip at the auction house.
But you were so wrong.
"What happened to you?" you asked when he finally met up with you at the church in Barcelona, soaking wet from head to toe.
"Long story."
"So you brought your girlfriend with you" A girl—Chloe, you later learned—suddenly appeared.
"She's not my girlfriend," Nathan quickly corrected.
Yes, it was true.
But the way he shut it down so quickly as if the thought made him hurl made the sting harsher.
It didn't take long for you to notice how Nathan seemed to be following Chloe around a lot.
So much so that you were becoming more of an afterthought.
They were always conspiring amongst themselves. It was in their line of expertise, you supposed, and you were just the tech girl. But it wasn't like you were clueless about it. Nate has told you enough stories for you to get the gist of what was going on.
It was getting pathetic, trailing behind them like some puppy, wanting to feel included.
When Nathan argued with Sully that you were not leaving his side when it was time to split up, you could only laugh at it now.
What was the point when you were immediately alone when you got into the tunnels?
Even more as you stood by yourself at the club, watching him dance with Chloe, so close, in the guise of blending in.
Maybe if you weren't distracted you would've noticed the man sneaking up behind you. You would've been able to run before he could grab you from behind, hand over your mouth as he started dragging you backward. And maybe you were quite good at kicking someone's jewels when you hit the jackpot the first time, enabling you to escape and scream for help.
You were yelling Nathan's name, but it was the loud gunshot that caught his attention.
It was heartbreaking to think that it took you getting shot in the leg for him to fully acknowledge you.
You were overwhelmed with too many emotions that you became numb, simply letting them take you back to the safe house in silence.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he sat by your temporary bed, carefully wrapping the bandage on your thigh after he cleaned it. Thankfully, the bullet was only meant to slow you down, not kill. "I'm supposed to be looking out for you."
"It's fine," you sighed. You knew he was being sincere. He looked thoroughly distraught when he saw you drop to the ground. You knew it wasn't his fault, and you knew he was already blaming himself enough. But with the pain and bitterness—both physically and emotionally—you couldn't stop it. "You were busy. I get it."
He frowned. "What's with that tone?" 
"There's no tone," you grumbled, avoiding his gaze.
"You're annoyed."
You shook your head. "I'm not annoyed.'
"So…you're upset," he hummed, reaching for your hands. You pulled away, carefully getting comfortable on the bed.
"I'm going to sleep," you sighed, pulling the covers over you.
Nathan got the hint, standing from his seat with a sigh, "Okay, goodnight, just…call me if you need anything."
So when you woke up in the middle of the night when a sudden sting went up your leg, you quickly yet carefully got out of bed to look for him.
You wish you hadn't bothered.
The last thing you wanted to see was him and Chloe getting cozy on the balcony, a bottle of wine between them.
You figured you weren't important enough to interrupt their moment. Besides, the ache in your leg couldn't compare to the absolute pain in your heart. It only intensified when they started leaning toward each other.
So you quickly went back to bed, tainting the pillowcase with salted tears.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
"Here." Nathan kneeled in front of the foot of the bed, tying your shoelaces for you. "So, I've been thinking…"
"Uh oh," you joked.
"Maybe you should sit this one out."
Your smile quickly got wiped off your face.
"What?"
Nathan glanced at the door. You followed his gaze, catching a glimpse of Chloe before she hurriedly walked away.
You pressed your lips, nodding in understanding.
"It's not what you think it is," Nathan placated.
"Sure it's not," you scoffed.
"Look, you're injured and—"
You stood up, abruptly cutting him off. You grabbed your bag, limping around the room as you gathered your stuff.
"Woah careful, your wound is still fresh," Nathan followed you around, arms out in case you stumbled. "What are you doing?"
"Leaving. That's what you wanted, right?"
"What? No!" he rushed, hands on your shoulder, stopping you. "What I meant was, you need to recover first."
"Right," you scoffed, shrugging him off before you continued packing. "Because  it's going to be dangerous and you're looking out for me, trying to protect me and all that bullshit."
"It's not bullshit!"
"You know, after all we've been through, I thought I could count on you to at least be honest with me," you said bitterly.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," you pressed, harshly zipping up your bag. "If you wanted me out of the picture, you could've just said so."
Shaking his head, he argued, "That's not it."
"Maybe," you said, looking him straight in the eyes. "But fewer people, more gold to go around, right?"
That rendered him silent.
"You've known me your whole life," he started, hurt flickering in his irises. "You really think I'd do that to you?"
"I don't know anymore, Nate." You threw your hands up exasperatedly. "Because ever since you met them, I barely recognize you anymore. You've been wanting their approval so bad you're getting desperate for it. 
"And I always thought that when we get the chance to find this treasure, we'll do it together, side by side like we always do. But all I've done this whole time is be a third wheel to whatever this is." You gestured at him and the door, laughing sarcastically. "Fourth, if you include Sully."
"That's not true," he argued weakly, realization dawning on his face.
"You whisper among yourselves, nobody tells me a fucking thing, you don't even tell me anything anymore! I'm always left chasing after you because you couldn't be bothered waiting for me to catch up. Fine, I might not know everything about this treasure but it'd be nice to get filled in every once in a while instead of leaving me clueless! Hell, you're starting to forget you brought your best friend with you—"
"I didn't forget about you—"
"You didn't even notice I was getting dragged away until I was shot!"
Nathan looked away.
"All of you are always excluding me and it sucks," your voice cracked, blinking away unshed tears. "And don't think I didn't see you conspiring with Chloe last night."
He looked confused. "Last night?"
"When I came looking for my best friend for help because my leg was hurting like a bitch but I didn't want to be a cockblock so, you're welcome."
"You're not—" Nathan cleared his throat, shoulders slumping, looking at you apologetically. "Y/N…"
You shook your head, harshly wiping at your eyes, putting your jacket on. "The more it goes on, the more I think that you just brought me along because it was convenient for you. Now that I'm considered a liability, gotta leave the extra baggage right?"
"That's not fucking true!" he gritted, pulling his hair frustratedly. "You're part of this as much as I am!"
"Right. Where are we going next?"
Nathan blubbered like a fish out of water.
"That's what I thought," you scoffed, slipping your backpack on.
"Wait, dammit," he cursed when you walked past him, chasing after you into the living room. Frustrated, he called out, "All I'm asking is for you to sit this part out because you're hurt."
You stopped, slowly facing him.
"I never thought that the loneliest I'd ever feel is when I'm supporting you to chase this dream you'd been wanting ever since you were a kid," you admitted, chest tightening as you stared into his troubled brown eyes. "So, I'm not sitting this one out, Nate, I'm done." 
You shoved the cross right on his chest.
"Have fun on your honeymoon," you said, bumping his shoulder as you walked out the door.
"Y/N!"
You never looked back.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Nathan was smart in a lot of different aspects. But emotions and feelings?
Oh he was stupid as fuck.
He wished it didn't take something drastic to happen for him to accept what he truly felt for you.
Part of him was relieved because at least you weren't there when the plane fiasco happened, especially with your injury. He was appeasing his guilt by telling himself that you were safer this way.
Nathan wouldn't know what to do with himself if something worse happened to you.
But as he was decoding the postcards Sam sent—a difficult task to focus on when he couldn't stop worrying about you so much—Chloe suddenly came in with a package.
"It has your name on it."
He opened it confused, but nothing could prepare him for what was inside.
The dread and fear started to creep up his spine when he held the silver necklace he gave you.
You never took this off.
As he emptied the box in a rush, photos upon photos of you tied up and gagged, beaten and bruised with blood tainting your delicate skin, Nathan felt like his entire heart was taken from him.
'The map or her. Choose wisely.'
It came in flashes, moments where you'd been there for each other, the joy and heartbreak, success and failures—you were always there, his one constant.
Then came the moments where he dreamed about you and him, doing things best friends shouldn't be doing.
He always knew what he felt about you but he shoved it down in fear of ruining the friendship you'd built over the years. But now? Denying it seemed insignificant. Now there was a chance he wouldn't be able to tell you at all.
Nathan was losing the love of his life.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
"That didn't take long," Braddock laughed sardonically, standing up from a large rock nestled on the beach somewhere in the Philippines.
"Where is she," Nathan growled, the tube map holder slung on his back.
Braddock nodded at one of her men, Nathan's heart sinking to his stomach when they dragged you in, your yelp piercing his chest when they shoved you on the sand.
Nathan instinctively tried to run for you.
"Not so fast," Braddock hummed, clicking her gun before pressing it on the back of your head. "How do I know this isn't a trick?"
"I think you already figured out I don't play games when it comes to her."
"Well, let's see," she challenged. "On your knees, Drake."
"N-Nate," you whimpered, adamantly shaking your head. Even in your state, you were still trying to protect him.
"It's okay," he reassured with a smile, hands up as he did as told.
Braddock grabbed a fistful of your hair and pulled you closer to where he was.
He stifled his anger. But best believe he'd already plotted so many ways to make Braddock suffer for what she did to you.
But one wrong move could cost your life.
"Hand it over."
"Untie her."
Braddock rolled her eyes but did so anyway.
"Hey, hey, look at me," Nathan whispered, your tear-filled eyes meeting his. He lifted his chin once, gaze flickering behind you. "I got you, okay? You're going to be okay."
"Enough with this sappy bullshit. Hand over the map or she dies."
Nathan slowly grabbed the map, only to throw it away as far as possible.
On cue, a huge explosion distracted Braddock enough for you to abruptly stand on your feet, hitting her under the chin with your head.
"You bitch!" she yelled, dropping the gun.
Nathan quickly pulled you aside and grabbed the weapon. With no remorse, he shot Braddock on both thighs, once more on the arm to be petty.
He'd do much worse if you weren't on borrowed time.
Nathan grabbed your hand and made a run for it.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
The silence was tense.
But Nathan was focused on taking care of you first.
He was busy enough trying not to cry whenever he'd discover a new cut and bruise on you that he couldn't even dwell on the fact that you were showering together. You were both in your underwear, but still.
It was when he had you sitting on the counter as he patched you up when you spoke.
"You didn't have to do all that for me."
"You know, it hurts me so much that you think I wouldn't take a bullet for you," he sighed, finishing up a bandage before meeting your glossy eyes. "You're more important to me than you think you are."
"No, I know it's just—" You bit your bruised lip. Nathan quickly pulled it away with his thumb, not wanting you to worsen your injury. You leaned into his touch as you continued, "You've been dreaming of this since you were a kid and I feel like I've ruined it for you."
"You didn't ruin anything."
"But you should be out there looking for the gold," you said. "Instead you're stuck here with me."
"Listen to me, if I had to choose between that gold and—" He took a breath, holding your face in both hands as he stared at you longingly. "The woman I'm hopelessly in love with then…"
Nathan breathed out with a smile, "Fuck that gold."
You stared at him in a way that made him believe that he'd done it.
He'd finally ruined your friendship to a point of no return.
That until you broke out into the sweetest, brightest smile that made his heart grow and his knees weak all the same.
"It's not as hopeless as you think it is."
Nathan felt like his heart was about to burst.
"Yeah?" He grinned, giddy and warm, gently parting your legs and stepping a little closer.
You let him into your space. But suddenly your brows furrowed, frowning. "What about you and Chloe?"
"So you were jealous."
"Nate."
"There's no me and Chloe," he reassured, gently taking your hands, kissing the insides of your wrists before placing them on his shoulders. "Maybe I got the incredibly stupid idea to make you jealous—I know, baby, I'm an idiot—but she shot that down real quick."
"But—"
"Those times you've seen me with her, all I kept talking about was you," he admitted, blushing. "I'm sure she'd grown sick of me being lovesick."
Nathan probably talked her ear out about how hopelessly in love he was with you, seeking advice on what to do because it was the one thing he couldn't go to you about.
She had been really helpful, pushing him to confess because it was better you know before it's too late, and that in this line of work, you'd never know when that would be.
If only he hadn't let his cowardness win.
"She argued with me that leaving you behind was a bad idea, and if I listened to her I—" He pressed his forehead against yours with a shaky breath. "I'm sorry."
"I know you like to take all the blame but this isn't your fault," you hummed, fingers combing the straggles of hair on the nape of his neck.
"It kind of is," he pressed, eyes watering as he thought about what he dragged you into.
He couldn't stop thinking about the pain you'd gone through all because he was being reckless. For as long as he could remember, he made a vow to himself to always keep you safe no matter what. Yet here he was, failing at that—failing you.
"I'm sorry for being such a shitty best friend this past week," he said, caressing the apples of your cheeks.
"You were pretty shitty," you teased, though he could see the way your body relaxed a little. He could tell that you appreciated hearing his apology. It must've been weighing on you since you left.
It made his heart ache.
"I was and I'm sorry," he said regretfully. "I guess I just got so caught up in this whole treasure-hunting thing that I lost sight of what's truly important to me. But still, it's no excuse. I was the one who dragged you into this, I should've been attentive enough."
You turned your head and kissed his palm, a silent way of saying it was okay. He felt like he was about to melt.
"And I'm sorry for taking so goddamn long to tell you how I feel," Nathan admitted.
"Yeah well," you hummed, smiling at him sweetly. "We're both at fault on that one,"
"Still, I'm sorry," he whispered, brushing the tip of his nose against yours. "For everything."
You nodded, a smile on your lips. "I can't say I forgive yet—"
"Understandable."
"But hey," you hummed, leaning closer. "You have plenty of time to grovel and make up for it."
Nathan chuckled, brushing his lips against yours with a whisper, "Can I start with a kiss?"
You nodded with that cute giggle of yours, one that still echoed as he finally closed the distance.
So many things filled him up at once—soft, sweet, warm. So many emotions rattling his heart as your lips molded into one—relief, passion, love.
It was gratifying, a kiss he'd been dreaming of for as long as he could remember. But, with your fingers in his hair and his hands on your waist, your warm body flushed to his with no space in between, nothing could ever compare to the real thing.
And yes, it was going to take some time to repair the cracks that were made in your relationship. But he was willing to wait and do whatever it takes to gain your full trust back.
Nathan didn't care how long or how much work it would take, as long as at the end of every day, you came back home to him—it was more than worth it.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
"Kid, are you even listening to me?"
"Sorry, Sully," Nathan said unapologetically. "But whatever the wife says, goes and her plan is usually better than yours."
"I'm technically not your wife yet," you giggled, your engagement ring glinting as you continued bypassing the security cameras using your phone.
"Technically, yes," he agreed, shrugging. "But in my head, you've been my wife ever since you put that ring on."
"Always thinking ahead, huh?" You finished up the job, slipping your phone into your pocket before turning to him with a raised brow.
"Oh yeah," he hummed, pulling you closer by the waist. "And once we get married, in my head, we already have three kids."
"Three?" you choked out a laugh.
"Five?"
"Let's start with one and see where that goes."
"We should definitely practice later."
"Do I always have to remind you two that this is an open line?"
"Oh we know," Nathan hummed, kissing you with a loud smack which earned an annoyed groan. He then gestured at the door with a bow. "After you, Mrs. Drake."
"Still up for debate."
"I'd take your last name any day."
"I was thinking hyphenated."
"Not a bad shout."
"Get moving you two!"
"Sully, you're getting so close to getting your wedding invite revoked."
You laughed at that.
Nathan couldn't resist kissing you once more.
"Let's go," you giggled against his lips. "We still have treasure to find."
"I'm in no rush," he shrugged, brushing his nose against yours. He was sure his eyes were glowing with pure adoration. "Already got the best one right here."
You groaned and called him cheesy but you still kissed him anyway.
Treasure be damned, with you by his side, Nathan was the richest man alive.
✫*゚・゚。.★.*。・゚♛ *.
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palmettoshenanigans · 20 days
Text
To a few of you it may be clear that I read more AFTG fanfics than strictly necessary given how often I post about my favorite tropes and such.
Well this time I'm talking about my favorite Andreil fic period. The Andreil fic that managed to brand itself into my psyche in a way that only AFTG canon has managed. Imagine this,
Andrew sees a picture of this boy covered in scars, the muse for some photography showcase. Andrew has his quiet gay panic and visits the exhibit every day, enamored despite himself.
Except, the Muse is also there every day. Being pretty and saying things.
The exhibit ends, as it was meant to. But the pretty boy muse with the scars and smart mouth doesn't, offers to show him the photos that didn't make the cut. And Andrew follows, despite himself.
This fic made me feel like I was drowning in one of those labor of love indie movies that didn't go mainstream but became a cult classic because it was a comfort movie for generations of queer kids and I just,,,
AO3. "Smokescreen". bazookajo94.
Y'all should read it.
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third-arch · 2 months
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Single Dad Law and his ADHD Daughter, Taiga
HC’s below!!
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The only person Law doesn’t struggle to tell “I love you”
He’ll read his boring medical textbooks to her.
He lets her read his comic books.
Reading a bedtime story to Taiga and changing the pitch of his voice for characters, or making certain parts funny just because her laughter sounds like her mom.
Her ripping the arm to her snow leopard plushie and Law sewing it back together
“He takes her out for ice cream on Sunday nights.
Taiga doing a Father’s Day presentation for Law, and holding up a stick figure crayon drawing of Law.
Law doing check ups on Taiga, and not wanting to use his powers to avoid scaring her, and Taiga being like “DADDY SHOW ME COME ON x00000”
Noticing how Taiga is picking up some of his mannerisms, like Tch, (nickname)-ya, smirking, etc.
Taiga wandering off and Law having to get a monkey backpack to keep a leash on her.
Taiga being small and Law being alittle over 6 feet tall.
Law hearing her tiny footsteps whenever she’s approaching his office.
Law not talking about her to many people just to keep her safe.
Law trying to have a strictly enforced set of house rules and meal plans, but just caving in and spoiling her. (This is actually dubiously canon according to OP Gakuen)
Law just finding her taking naps all over the ship thanks to Zoro and her mother’s sleeping habits.
“Pumpkin-ya!!”
“Taiga-ya!!”
“DADDY-YA!!!”
“DAD-YA!!”
Law letting Taiga chomp all over his hairy dad arm and being completely unfazed.
“Pleh! I got a dad hair in my mouth!!”
Law letting Taiga color his tattoos on some days with a marker.
Law watching a movie with Taiga, and her laughing more and always falling asleep before Law.
Law being a doctor means he just is able to catch her ADHD very very early on and knowing how to manage it and help her.
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