#the 1st ones are from like a week or so ago i just blow up | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yelena-bellova · 1 year

Text

Twenty Years Later: Joel Miller x F!Reader - Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Someone’s Something

Plot: Joel, Y/n and Ellie meet Henry and Sam, who try to convince them to team up to find their way out of Kansas City together.

Word Count: 7.1k

Warnings: tlou ep.5 spoilers, languge, implied smut, guns, mention of death, sa and loss of a child (16+)

A/N: Happy Valentines, y’all!! My gift to you is some light heartbreak with some fluff to soften the blow 😉

As always, this series is 16+ and I will not be adding anyone to the taglist unless your age is specified in your bio. Gotta look out for younger eyes 👀

Y’all have blown this lil’ ficlet idea up so much, I’m still shocked it’s this loved. I’m so excited to finish out the second half of the season with you guys. Hang onto your butts 🤍

——————

July 1st, 2002. Austin, Texas.

Y/n had integrated perfectly into the Miller’s life. Sarah adored her, Tommy loved her, and Joel couldn’t get enough of her. He’d never admit it to Sarah, but he was thankful that she’d taken matters into her own hands and snuck down to the hardware store that June day.

In the beginning of July, Sarah went away to a two-week summer camp. Joel and Y/n had seen her off on the bus, Joel fussing over whether or not she had everything she’d need. He didn’t do well when she was gone for more than a day, a combination of missing her dearly and parental worry. Y/n had made it her goal over the course of her trip to distract him as much as she could.

They’d made a dinner date at Joel’s house the day Sarah left, the first of fourteen that Y/n had to keep him busy. His days would be consumed by work, but his nights belonged to them. Y/n knocked on the front door of the house, carrying a six pack she’d picked up on the way.

Joel hurried to the door, swinging it open and enveloping Y/n in a hug. She laughed, clinging to his neck as he literally dragged her into the house. Joel’s lips were on her the second the door shut.

“Missed you,” he mumbled between kisses.

“You saw me, like, six hours ago,” Y/n managed to say.

“Way too long,” Joel smiled against her lips.

Y/n chuckled, “Yeah, well, if I die from lack of oxygen,” she wiggled a hand between their smushed chests, “You’re gonna miss me a whole lot more.”

Joel wrapped an arm around her neck, smiling so big his cheeks hurt. That was the effect Y/n had on him. She’d turned his curmudgeon qualities, plying them like clay until they were soft. He was a new man with her in his life.

“Joel,” she said softly.

“Yeah?” He was barely taking in her words, focused on how her lips were starting to swell from his attention.

“What’s burning?”

It didn’t register at first, then he remembered the food was still in the oven. “Shit,” he muttered, letting her go to run back to the kitchen and save their dinner.

Y/n chuckled, kicking off her shoes and heading in to help him.

Joel’s attempt at a simple roast chicken and potatoes turned out slightly crispy, but good, all in all. They’d eaten it at the table, Joel’s hands stretched across the surface to hold Y/n’s.

After their meal, they retired to the living room. Joel turned on the stereo and fell onto the couch, Y/n laying her legs across his lap.

“Well, day one’s almost over,” she said, “How’re you feeling?”

Joel sighed, “She called earlier when they got there. Sounded real excited.”

“And you could not sound happier about it,” Y/n chortled, “Joel, she’s going to be fine.”

“I know that, it’s just,” Joel strroked his hand over Y/n’s calf, “It’s been me and her for…ever. When she’s off it just…”

Y/n watched her boyfriend with soft eyes, waiting for him to say more.

“I know she’s growin’ up, she’s always been independent, but,” he paused staring down at his hands, “It gets easier and easier for her every year to get on that bus. Makes me think about the day she’ll leave for good.”

“You know that no matter where she goes,” Y/n offered, “She’s always coming back here. She loves you too much.”

Joel gently smiled, his fingers brushing against Y/n’s leg. She always knew the right thing to say.

“And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she kinda loves me too,” Y/n smirked.

“Yeah, well, there’s a lot to work with there,” Joel winked.

Y/n giggled, her eyes drifting over Joel’s shoulder to the corner of the living room. An acoustic guitar sat propped up in a stand.

“Y’know, I still haven’t heard you play,” she said, nodding to the instrument.

For as much as he loved music, he still got a little bashful about his talent. “I sound like everyone else,” he replied.

“Yeah, nice try,” Y/n wasn’t so easily discouraged, “Play me something.”

Much like his daughter, there wasn’t a lot Joel could deny Y/n. If it was going to make her smile, he’d gladly do it. He lifted her legs off of him and went to retrieve the guitar.

“Does the audience have any requests?” Joel asked, settling back down beside her and fiddling with the tuning pegs.

Y/n tucked her legs into her chest, barely containing her grin, “Something sweet.”

Joel finished tuning the guitar and took his position. He hadn’t played for anyone other than Sarah in a very long time.

The first pluck of the strings relaxed them both, Joel settled into the piece quickly. Y/n watched his fingers dance up and down the string, a series of movements only he knew. It sounded like an old folk song, the kind that told the tale of doomed lovers torn apart by tragedy. She had enough musical knowledge to know it was in a minor key. Sweet, it was not, but it was brimming with passion, and the way Joel watched the strings so intensely only added to it. Y/n was taken aback by the simple beauty of him, pouring himself into the music.

When it was over, a few final notes slowing the tempo before stopping entirely, Joel looked over to Y/n, a whisper of a smile playing upon his lips. Their eyes connected, the ever present flame between them stretching the distance between their bodies. In that moment, Joel was thankful they were alone.

In the same set of seconds, Joel blindly set the guitar down to the side and Y/n surged forward, the two of them meeting in a heated kiss. Y/n held both of Joel’s cheeks in her hands while he maneuvered her on top of him, their lips never losing their connection. The sadness of the song had drawn them together, both needing to feel the fullness of each other’s devotion to counter the loss that the notes had grieved. That wasn’t them, they said with each touch, it could never be them.

—————————

September 28th, 2002. Austin, Texas.

Fall had hit Texas, as much as it could affect the south, anyway. Sarah and Y/n were in the backyard of the Milller home. Sarah had her first soccer game of the season that weekend and she wanted to get in some extra practice.

“Okay,” Y/n called from the goal, “Don’t go easy on me.”

“Yeah, right,” Sarah scoffed, she was never afraid to show the full force of her talent on the field. Faking Y/n out, she broke to the left before making a sudden right turn and shooting the ball through the goal.

“Yes,” she exclaimed, pulling her fists down in celebration.

“Alright, alright, alright,” Y/n smirked, coming up beside Sarah as she did a little victory dance, “Don’t get too cocky. Let’s work on your goalkeeping.”

Sarah grooved her way back to the goal, “Okay, but I’m kinda spectacular at that too.”

“Well, we certainly don’t need to work on your confidence,” Y/n remarked. Sarah had the same cockiness, reserved only for things she was truly great at, as her father.

Joel materialized then, coming through the back door and watching his girls from the deck. “How we lookin’?”

“Today, Taft Middle School,” Y/n replied, catching the ball with her heel as Sarah kicked it, “Tomorrow, FIFA.”

Joel smiled proudly, both at Sarah and Y/n. Most women would have kept distance between them and their partner’s child. Y/n had jumped in headfirst, determined to be there for Sarah as much as she wanted her. She was the feminine influence his daughter had been denied all her life.

“Alright,” Y/n announced, “Good?”

Sarah nodded, “Good.”

Joel saw an opportunity and couldn’t pass it up. He carefully made his way down the steps of the deck, sneaking through the grass and up behind Y/n just as she was about to make her shot. As she wound her leg back, Joel wrapped his arms around her middle and lifted her into the air.

Y/n shrieked as she was swung around, “Joel!”

“Sarah, steal it,” he yelled, smiling as Y/n wriggled in his embrace.

Sarah surged forward, avoiding Y/n’s flailing legs as she fought against Joel, and snatched the ball. She moved through the grass effortlessly and landed a perfect kick into the net.

Laughing heartily, Joel finally released Y/n back to the ground. He shared a high-five with his daughter as she bounded back to them.

“You two are awful,” Y/n gave Joel a shove to his chest, her wide grin contradicting her words.

Joel hung an arm around his girlfriend’s neck, pressing a kiss to her temple. “C’mon,” he separated from Y/n and clapped his hands, “Two-on-one, girls vs. boys.”

“We’re gonna destroy you,” Sarah teased, coming to stand beside Y/n.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” he quipped, standing in front of the goal.

The three of them stayed out until sunset, practicing plenty, but laughing more than anything.

—————————

December 25th, 2002. Austin, Texas.

The Millers didn’t do anything spectacular for Christmas. A church service on the 24th, a simple dinner on the 25th, and presents.

It had been decided that both Tommy and Y/n would spend the night, it would make waking up and opening gifts easier than waiting for them to drive over. Tommy had taken the collapsable cot, his body was still used to military accommodations, while Y/n had gone for the couch. Joel and her were still hesitant to spend nights together, sleeping over at the other’s only when Sarah was away at her own sleepovers. Christmas didn’t feel like the time to test any boundaries.

Just past midnight, Y/n was still wide awake, tossing and turning on the sofa. There was a light snowfall happening outside and she hoped if she watched the flakes flutter through the air long enough, she’d drift off to sleep. So far, she’d had no such luck.

She took stock of the living room in its entirety. A fresh pine tree sat in the corner, a modest stack of presents surrounding the trunk. Two stockings were hung on the walls, Sarah and Joel’s names stitched across each. The room still faintly smelled like the batch of cookies her and Sarah had baked earlier in the evening. Even in the dark and completely silent, the house felt warm.

Footsteps down the stairs drew Y/n’s attention away from the decorations. She expected to see Sarah tiptoeing in to sneak a peek at the presents. Instead, Joel’s broad shadow entered the room.

“Can’t sleep?” Y/n asked from the couch.

Joel shook his head, “Nope.”

Y/n gave a small nod, pretending like the silence wasn’t as full of asking as it was. Joel’s posture had purpose in it, he wasn’t leaving until he got what he came for.

He tipped his head back towards the stairs, his eyes never leaving Y/n’s. “C’mon,” he said, his voice raspy with near sleep.

Y/n smiled to herself, throwing off her blanket and crossing the room to take Joel’s hand. The two of them tiptoed back up the stairs, trying not to wake Sarah or Tommy. Y/n knew the walk to Joel’s bedroom like the back of her hand, navigating in the dark made no difference. She certainly didn’t need Joel’s hands on her hips to guide her, but she welcomed them anyway.

Once the door shut, their routine commenced. Joel went to his dresser, blindly reaching into one of his drawers and tossing Y/n one of his flannels. Y/n slipped it on over her t-shirt, the sleeves ending way past the tips of her fingers. They made their way to their dedicated sides of the bed, Joel closest to the door because he felt better being a wall of protection between Y/n and the world.

“We have to get up before Sarah,” Y/n reminded him.

“We’ve got a 50% chance of makin’ it down before her,” Joel said, his hands gliding around her body to pull her into him, “Christmas morning, she’s up at the crack of dawn.”

Y/n drew closer to Joel, resting one hand on his chest and the other gripping the back of his neck. Already, she could feel her body relaxing in a way the couch just couldn’t coax out of her.

All the tension Joel had been carrying in his spine went lax the moment Y/n’s fingers grazed his skin. He was finding it harder and harder to sleep without her.

“Thank you,” she said out of the blue.

“For what?” Joel asked.

Y/n’s fingers danced along the line between the ends of his hair and the base of his skull. “For letting me be a part of all this,” she answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Joel’s heart swelled, he took one of her cheeks into his hand and let their lips drift towards one another. Six months in, and he wasn’t sure if he could fall any harder in love with Y/n. She wasn’t just his, she was theirs. She was a permanent fixture in their home, the house a little less bright when she was absent from it. She had become a confidante to Sarah, a best friend to Tommy and everything to Joel. How could he not want her in every part of their lives?

“‘M afraid you’re stuck with us, Rosebud,” Joel smiled after he pulled back, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone.

“No place I’d rather be,” Y/n returned his grin.

Pressing one final kiss to her forehead, Joel tucked Y/n against his chest, his chin resting atop her head. She let her hand drift around to his back, her fingers spreading across the expanse as she tried to hold as much of him as she could. They fell asleep within minutes, the gentle snowstorm outside creating beauty that would only enhance the magic of Christmas for the Miller family.

—————————

2023. Kansas City, Missouri.

“Eye on me! Eyes on me!”

Joel’s eyes slid to the other side of the room, to the man with the barrel of his gun pointed at Ellie. Her and Y/n both had their hands raised high.

“You don’t have to worry about what to say,” the young man said, “We don’t wanna hurt you. We wanna help you.”

Joel watched him, he was shifting his weight between both feet, no expert marksman was that nervous to threaten someone’s life. Joel felt significantly better about his chances.

“Okay.”

“Okay, um…” the young man paused, “I don’t know what the next step is with something like this, but if I lower my gun…we didn’t hurt you…so you don’t hurt us…right?”

Joel stared him down, “That’s right.”

“That’s a weird fuckin’ tone, man,” their enemy replied.

“That’s just the way he sounds,” Ellie interrupted, first looking to the stranger and then back to Joel, “He has an asshole voice. Joel, tell him he’s okay.”

Joel stared, nearly a hint of a smirk at his lips, “Everything is great.”

“Dude…” Ellie muttered.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Y/n intervened, looking to the man, “Now drop the fucking guns before I second guess myself.”

“That wasn’t any better,” Ellie exclaimed.

“Fuck! Okay, listened,” the stranger started, his voice practically trembling, “I’m gonna trust you.”

He then stopped to signal something to the child, Y/n recognized it as ASL. They communicated something none of them could understand.

“But if any of you guys try anything,” the man kept his gun aimed at Ellie, nodding to Joel and Y/n, “Yeah? Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Ellie whispered, her heart was in her throat.

The child backed away from Joel and Y/n’s mattress, his aim still firmly locked onto them. Y/n was trying to get her heartbeat back down to a normal range.

“Can I sit up?” Joel asked, his voice was still on edge.

“Yeah,” the stranger conceded, “Slow. Get up slow.”

Joel obeyed, rising to a seated position without any rush. He raised his hands, the left one grazing Y/n’s injured right. Shockingly, the fleeting touch made her feel a little less nervous. If Joel was good for nothing else, at least he was a good fighter. They could get out of this easily, if necessary.

“Who are you?” Joel asked.

“My name’s Henry,” the now-named stranger answered, “That’s my brother, Sam. I’m the most wanted man in Kansas City. Although right now,” Henry finally lowered his gun, “My guess is you’re running a close second. Her too.”

Y/n and Joel looked to one another, that ambush was going to come back to bite them in the ass, one way or another.

“Henry,” Y/n spoke up, lowering her hands and laying them palm up in her lap, “We’re gonna need a lot more than that.”

The five of them ended up huddled around a lantern, snacking on their dwindling food supply and waiting for the rest of the story to unfold. Henry had made it clear that he had to get some food in his brother first. It had been Ellie’s idea to share what they had left.

“Where’d you get these?” Henry asked, chewing on a cracker.

“From Bill,” Ellie answered, “He’s dead.”

Y/n and Joel had been watching Sam, digging into what they’d shared with him as if he hadn’t eaten in days. There was a real possibility of it, or something along the lines. They both wordlessly handed what was left of their portions to the boy, who in return, signed something to his brother.

“He says ‘thank you,’” Henry relayed, “I’m guessing you don’t have much so, this means a lot.”

“How old is he?” Ellie asked.

The brothers talked amongst themselves, with Henry answering, “He’s eight.”

Ellie nodded, “Cool. I’m Ellie.”

“Y/n,” Y/n spoke up, wanting to try and make the child feel as comfortable as the circumstances would allow.

Henry spelled out the names for Sam, who responded with a sign that both Y/n and Ellie assumed meant ‘cool.’

Ellie smiled before smacking Joel on the knee and waiting for him to introduce himself.

“I’m Joel,” he swallowed his last bite, “Look, you ate, we didn’t kill each other, let’s call this a win-win and move on.”

Henry dusted off his hands, “Well, I’m betting that y’all came up here to get a view of the city and plan a way out. And when the sun’s up, I’ll show you one.”

Joel and Y/n thought it over separately before glancing over at one another. If Henry hadn’t killed them by now, he wouldn’t. He already knew their supply was low, the only reason he was sticking around was because he needed something from them.

“Okay,” Y/n answered for them, earning a quick turn and glare from Joel, “Sam can take our bed. As soon as morning hits, you show us the route.”

Henry scoffed, “Just like that you’re gonna trust us?”

“I know the eyes of a liar, Henry,” Y/n leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee, “And you don’t have ‘em. You weren’t even going to kill us in the first place, and you certainly weren’t gonna make him do it.”

Joel was ready to jump in at any second, but Y/n spoke with such precision and intention, he couldn’t come up with any reason to stop her.

“So how about we get some sleep,” Y/n continued, “And tackle this tomorrow?”

Henry’s eyes focused in on Y/n, someone as calculated as she was was either the most honest person on the planet or so calcuating and conniving, they could deceive the worst of humanity.

“Okay,” he landed on trust, “First thing.”

Ellie and Sam settled onto their makeshift mattresses, while the adults sat against the walls of the apartment. Henry on one side, Joel and Y/n on the other.

“What happened to equals?” Joel asked, the edge to his words undercutting the softness of their volume.

“Would what you have said been any different?” Y/n countered, watching as Joel tried to come up with an answer that differed from hers, “Exactly.”

The two of them stayed close to one another, without actually touching. Y/n was still slightly rattled from waking up with Joel’s hand over hers.

“Although my fucking neck’s gonna be messed up all day,” Y/n mumbled, trying to find a comfortable position to rest her head against the wall.

While they trusted an already sleeping Henry enough not to kill them, instinct told both Y/n and Joel to not leave themselves in such a vulnerable positon again. Sleeping sitting up was the only option that would allow them a little bit of rest.

And Joel hated what he was about to offer.

“You can…” he pointed to his shoulder, “If you want.”

“I don’t want” Y/n quickly replied.

Joel sighed in exasperation, “Forget I offered.”

He crossed his arms and settled against the wall, shutting his eyes and shutting down his momentary lapse into generosity.

Y/n inhaled, trying to get over herself. She was getting way too much up close and personal time with Joel to feel comfortable. But it was either another dose or a hideous day of lingering discomfort without the blessing of Ibuprofen.

She awkwardly scooted closer to him until their thighs were touching, causing Joel to open one eye. He looked down at their parallel bodies and back to Y/n.

“Just don’t grab my hand,” she grumbled, laying her head down on his shoulder and praying that her stomach stayed unaffected.

Joel’s body stiffened as she rested on him, a quick shot of adrenaline running through his extremities. He wanted to pretend to be unmoved, unbothered by her touch, but it was impossible. He would never fully be without affection for the way she felt against him.

“Go ahead,” Y/n said, sensing his discomfort but mistaking it for simply physical.

Joel hesitated a few seconds before shaking himself out of his doubt and resting his head on top of Y/n’s.

When the weight of Joel’s skull fell on hers, Y/n’s natural instincts took over and she almost, almost, tucked into him more. It was by the grace of God that she caught herself before she did it. No matter how hard her mind loathed him, her body would have accepted him back in a heartbeat.

The two ex-lovers sat against the wall, still trying to convince themselves that they were miles apart.

—————————

Just as the night before, they woke up so much closer than intended.

Y/n had fully curled into Joel, snuggling into his chest at some point during their glorified nap. When she woke up to the rough scratch of his flannel agaisnt her cheek, drowsiness did not immediately remind her she was in the year 2023. In her sleep-adled state, it was winter of 2002.

When consciousness pulled her back to the land of the living, she lightly groaned. Why were their sleeping selves making everything so complicated?

Y/n rolled off of Joel, causing him to sharply inhale. He blinked a few times, rubbed a hand over his face and evaluated the room. Henry was still asleep, but Sam and Ellie were already awake and sitting on the edges of their beds.

Y/n was beside him, at least twelve inches of space between them.

“I do anything in my sleep?” Joel asked.

Y/n shook her head, sucking on her bottom lip, “Nope.”

Joel wasn’t buying it, “Then whydya got that look on your face?”

“I know why,” Ellie teased in a sing-song tone.

Y/n let out two loud claps, startling Henry awake, and got to her feet. “Rise and shine, time to work.”

Joel stayed on the ground, watching how fast she moved around the room. Something had happened and it had messed with her. He ran a hand over his right shoulder, noticing that it was warm when the rest of him felt cold. He peered back over at Y/n, rifling through her backpack to find Ellie and Sam breakfast. He watched how she crouched down and handed the kids what was assuredly the lion’s share of her rations. How she held up a questioning thumbs up to Sam, who in return, smiled and copied the gesture. How she cared. She still cared so much.

It was killing him.

But there were bigger things to worry about than the stirring in his heart for the woman who perhaps, hadn’t changed that much at all.

————————————

Once fed and watered, the group of five headed a few floors up to the apartment building’s conference room. Henry had promised it had the best view of the city.

“Welcome to Killa City,” he announced, showcasing the place in daylight through the massive windows.

“No FEDRA,” Joel observed.

“Not as of ten days ago, no,” Henry replied.

“We always heard KC FEDRA was-“

“Monsters? Savages?” Henry finished for Joel, “Yeah, you heard right. Raped and tortured and murdered people for twenty years.”

Y/n looked down at her shoes, “Fucking hell.” It was stories like Kansas City that were one of her reasons for joining the Fireflies.

“And you know what happens when you do that to people?” Henry continued, “The moment they get a chance, they do it right back to you.”

“But you’re not FEDRA,” Joel stated.

Henry paused before answering, “No…worse. I’m a collaborator.”

Joel shook his head, “I don’t work with rats.”

Y/n wasn’t so quick to walk away, Henry had too much of a heart it seemed to be a true collaborator. He had a story.

“Yeah, you fucking do,” Henry said, “Today you do, ‘cause I live here and you two don’t. That’s how I followed you here. I know this city and I’m gonna help you out.”

Joel watched Henry as he spoke, trying to see through him, “Why help us?”

“I saw what you two did,” Henry answered, “The way you killed those men. Now I know where to go, but I don’t know how to make it through alone, not if it’s just Sam and me.”

“You seem capable enough,” Joel replied, “You’re armed.”

“You’re wrong and wrong,” Henry said, “Never killed anyone. And pointing an unloaded gun at you was the closest I’ve ever come to being violent.”

Y/n nodded, no one let their hand shake that much when holding a loaded gun.

“So that’s the deal,” Henry stated, “I show you the way, you clear the way.”

Joel didn’t need anyone else slowing them down or making them more noticeable. And partnering with Henry would only make them bigger targets.

At the table behind them, Ellie and Sam were seated, reading from Ellie’s pun book. The energy was divided down the room; the grown-up side was deathy heavy while the kid’s side was warm and uplifting.

“Haven’t heard that in a long time,” Henry smiled, watching his little brother laugh.

Joel turned back to the window as he tried to put distance between him and the moment. Y/n glanced over at him, watching as the cogs in his mind turned. Her mind was already made up, it would have been wonderful if they could avoid an argument.

“So how’re we getting out?” Joel relented, turning to Henry.

Henry fetched a piece of paper from one of the drawers, office supplies had never been in high demand post-pandemic. He sketched out a square, writing down the names of the roads that cut through the city.

“Highways…” he pointed to one section, “Downtown,” then to the other, “Us. This whole area belongs to Kathleen.”

“And she is…?” Y/n asked, standing between Joel and Henry.

“Leader of the resistance,” Henry answered, “You can see the way we’re bounded by highways. They got people posted all around the inside perimeter. If we get close, we get caught. No question.”

“So how do we get across?” Ellie asked.

Henry banged a fist against the table to get Sam’s attention, signing something to him after. Sam went to drawing on his magnetic erase pad, Joel wasn’t made to feel any better about a kid being involved in the planning of their escape.

Sam held up his pad, having written the word ‘Tunnels’ on it.

Henry snapped his fingers, “Boom.”

“Kansas City has a subway?” Joel asked.

“No,” Henry answered, “But they do have maintenance tunnels. There’s a bunch of buildings all put up by the same developers. And they share these tunnels, including…” he pointed down to a specific section of his sketch, “A bank building here,” he began to draw their route, “So we enter the tunnels here, travel underground, and pop up here. Westside North. Residential. There’s an embankment on the other side of the houses. We head down, pedestrian bridge over the river,” Henry dropped his pencil, “Free as a bird.”

“You’re right,” Joel admitted, “It’s a great plan. So what do you need us for?”

Henry hesitated a moment, “You notice anything strange about this city? I mean, other than the strange shit you’ve already seen?”

“No Infected?” Ellie guessed before Y/n and Joel could.

“Oh, there’s Infected,” Henry replied, “Just not on the surface. FEDRA drove them underground fifteen years ago, and never let them come back up. It’s the only good thing those fascist motherfuckers ever did.’

Joel looked between Y/n and Ellie, “So you want us goin’ into a tunnel?”

“Everyone thinks that it’s full of Infected,” Henry quickly corrected, he sensed Joel’s doubt, “Including Kathleen, which means that we’re not gonna be running into any of her people. But you see, what I know is…it’s empty.”

“You know this?” Y/n questioned, “You’ve seen it? With your own eyes?”

“No,” Henry replied.

Joel took a deep breath, hands on his hips again. Y/n sighed and rested her elbows on the table. Henry was losing them both.

“But the FEDRA guy that I worked with told me that it’s clean,” the young man continued, “Completely clean. They cleared it out. All of it.”

“How long ago?” Y/n asked, shutting her eyes as if it could shut out their problems.

“Like,” Henry shrugged, “Three years ago.”

Joel scoffed, glancing to Ellie as if asking if she was believing this either.

“Okay, maybe there’s one or two,” Henry quickly said, “But you can handle it.”

“You’re making this sound a whole lot simpler than it is,” Y/n responded, looking to Joel, whose eyes were already expectantly waiting on her. “We need a minute.

Y/n pushed open the glass doors, bringing them outside the conference room and giving them a sliver of privacy.

Joel pointed a finger behind them, “You still feel good about this?”

“Not exceptionally, no,” she answered truthfully, “But we don’t exactly have a lot of other options, now do we?”

“If this guy’s gonna endanger our lives more than if we were on our own,” Joel argued, “Then we’re better off-“

“Fighting our way through a city we’ve never been in with targets the size of Texas on our backs?” Y/n finished for him, “Look, I don’t wanna go down there either. But we’re guaranteed a very slow, very painful death if we go it alone. I’d rather have allies and stand a chance, at least.”

Joel wanted to fight tooth and nail, but he knew she was right. She’d always had a talent for being right.

“Plus, it’ll give you plenty to lord over Tommy’s head when we get to Wyoming,” Y/n quipped, her mouth still frowned but her eyes were lit up with humor.

Joel huffed, he’d have laughed if the situation wasn’t so dire. The thought of seeing his brother and his ex together again was a sight he didn’t think he’d ever be ready to see.

Without another word, and a silent concession from Joel, the two of them marched back into the conference room where the debate was still being held.

Henry pointed to Ellie, “She says y’all fought off two Clickers. Is that true?”

Joel and Y/n uncomfortably shifted, the dread sweeping over them.

“And you’re still alive,” Henry stated, “You see? You’re the right people. If it gets bad down there, we turn around, and run right back out the same way we came.”

Joel was about one poorly constructed sentence away from giving the whole idea up, “Oh, that’s your great plan?”

“No, that’s my dicey-as-fuck plan,” Henry fired back, “But as far as I can tell, it’s our only shot.”

Sam signed something to Henry.

“They’re saying,” Henry narrated as he signed back, “They’re going to help us escape,” he turned back to the party, “Right?”

Y/n rolled her eyes, “That was a low fuckin’ blow, man.”

Henry didn’t seem bothered at all by the manipulation.

Joel’s jaw twitched as he thought it all over. Y/n could practically feel his unease. She craned her neck back, muttering more into his body than at him, “Lesser of two evils.”

With every fiber of his being, Joel wanted to fight. But instead, he let his hands fall against his legs, admitting defeat.

—————————

The team got across the city with minimal close calls, every once in a while there’d be a truck or patrol group to avoid. They got to the bank building intact and only slightly out of breath.

“We need to get outta sight,” Joel said, every entrance/exit of the place was structured in a glass wall.

“Uh, I-I-I think it’s this way,” Henry pointed towards one of the halls, the rest of them following.

They trailed through the building till they hit a back door, hopefully leading to the tunnel entrance. Joel and Y/n entered it cautiously with their guns drawn.

“This should be it,” Henry announced, “You ready?”

Joel looked to Ellie, “Get your gun out.”

Rebelling in her own small way, once again, Ellie pulled out the gun from her jacket pocket. At this point, Joel wasn’t surprised in the least that she wasn’t heeding his advice. Him and Y/n marched forward regardless and took the lead. They entered through another door, delivering them into the tunnel system.

“You see?” Henry proved, “It’s empty. The plan is good.”

Joel and Y/n quickly shushed him. “‘The plan is good?’” Joel repeated, “We’ve been down here two seconds. We don’t know anything.”

Henry looked to Ellie, “Your dad’s kind of a pessimist.”

“I’m not her dad.”

“He’s not my dad.”

“He’s not her dad.”

Joel, Y/n and Ellie’s protests overlapped.

“Just point your light forward,” Joel instructed, tightly gripping his own, “And be ready to run.”

Y/n steadied her breathing and began to move beside Joel down the underground maze.

They walked for around an hour, snaking down the sets of tunnels, holding their flashlights and handguns as if they were life itself. Eventually, they turned down a hall with child’s art painted all along it. The door was even painted as castle. All of them examined the walls in quiet confusion.

Sam bounded forward, wanting to go through and explore. Joel threw his hand out to stop him, “No.”

Y/n tucked her flashlight under her chin and gripped her pistol, sharing an affirmative nod with Joel that they were ready. He slowly turned the doorknob and it creaked open, revealing a room that looked…civilized.

The whole place looked like a daycare center. There were toys scattered throughout storage bins, art and books against the walls, small cups, and a faded soccer goal painted across one of the cinderblock walls.

“I heard about places this this,” Joel commented, taking stock of their surroundings, “People went underground after Outbreak Day. Built settlements.”

“What happened to them?” Ellie asked.

“Maybe they didn’t follow the rules and all got infected,” Joel replied.

While Ellie and Sam sat down, playing with a few of the toys, Y/n, Henry and Joel scanned the room. Whoever had been living there, they’d been gone long enough for a layer of dust to settle across everything.

“Hey,” Joel called to Ellie who was being a little too loud, “Keep it down. We’re not out yet.”

“Ah, c’mon,” Ellie groaned, “Can we just rest here for a while? There’s, like, actually shit to do here.”

“Wouldn’t be so bad to wait the light out a bit,” Henry agreed, “Safer in the shadows when we pop back out on the other side.”

Joining Ellie and Henry, Y/n tilted her head in a slight shrug to Joel. It was a smart decision and he was just going to have to get over himself.

Joel shrugged back to the group, raising an eyebrow and going back to checking out the room.

Ellie and Sam occupied themselves by reading comic books and messing around with some of the toys. Henry, Joel and Y/n rested at a table, putting their feet up without actually relaxing at all. At some point, Ellie and Sam switched to kicking a soccer ball around on the makeshift field. Y/n watched carefully as Ellie interacted with the boy, she was so caring and patient. She’d confided that she didn’t have any brothers or sisters, but the glow coming from her radiated big sister energy.

Y/n scooted her chair back and walked across the room. “Can I join?”

Ellie enthusiastically began to switch the ball between her feet, trying to fake Y/n out. Y/n rotated to stand alongside Sam at the goal.

“That’s not fair,” Ellie argued, “There’s two of you.”

“Oh, so you’re saying you can’t do it,” Y/n teased.

Ellie’s determination set in, jumping slightly in place before kicking the ball in between Sam and Y/n’s legs quicker than they could stop it.

“Oh, shit,” she exclaimed, shooting her hands into the air.

Sam and Y/n shared a laugh before Y/n got down on her knees, “Can you teach me something?”

Sam watched her lips and nodded, showing her a sign. To her, it looked like he was pulling something out of his mouth, before bringing his two thumbs up and splitting their directions at his chest.

Y/n mimicked it, “What does this mean?”

“Oh, that’s from Savage Starlight,” Ellie exclaimed, copying the gesture with them, “‘Endure and survive.’”

The three of them continued to sign it over and over. It seemed to make both Ellie and Sam extremely happy, which meant Y/n would do it as many times as they wanted.

Joel and Henry watched from their seats. To say Joel’s heart ached would have been an understatement. His soul was barely holding together, a new piece of it dying off every day. But Y/n and Ellie had somehow kept the last few from withering. It was so subtle, he hadn’t even figured the phenomenon out yet. He was barely self-aware. But seeing Y/n, crouched down on the floor with the kids, still with the innate need to make the world around her better, he came to fully realize his thought from earlier in the day.

She was still his Y/n.

Smiling, laughing, loving, caring, kinder than the world deserved. Underneath all the anger was the woman he had loved with all his heart.

And that fucking terrified him.

As Y/n made her way back to them, Joel pulled himself back to reality, switching gears and channeling his energy into focusing on the kids. Specifically Sam. He was eight years old and in survival mode. No child deserved that. It was making him rethink his stance on the things he’d said earlier.

“If you were collaboratin’ to take care of him,” he said to Henry, “I…I shouldn’t have save what I said. I don’t know your situation. And I’m not sayin’ they should let it go, but all things considered, seems kinda cruel—to send a whole army after you for that.”

Henry waited a few seconds, Ellie’s cheers filling the silence, before speaking. “You know, I wasn’t, uh…exactly telling you the truth before…about me not killing someone.”

Y/n and Joel’s attention turned to him exclusively.

“There was a man,” Henry began, “A great man. You know, he was never afraid…never selfish…and he was always forgiving. Have you ever met someone like that? Kinda man you’d follow anywhere.”

Y/n tensed up, forbidding her eyes from flicking to Joel.

“I mean, I wanted to. Well…I would’ve,” Henry gathered strength for the rest of his story, “Yeah, but, uh…Sam, he, uh, he got sick. Leukemia,” he scanned Joel and Y/n’s somber expressions, “Yeah, anyway, um…there was one drug that worked and, whoa, big shock…there wasn’t much left of it, and it belonged to FEDRA. And if I wanted some, it was gonna take something big. So I gave them something big. That one great man. The leader of the resistance movement in Kansas City. And Kathleen’s brother.”

Understanding washed over Joel and Y/n. All the firepower, the tanks, the trucks, it all made sense.

“Yeah, so, you still think they should take it easy on me?” Henry asked rhetorically, “Or am I the bad guy?”

Y/n stayed silent, weighing morals against necessity. Joel pulled his lips down, barely shaking his head before Henry cut off what he would have said, “I don’t know what you’re waitin’ on, man. The answer’s easy. I am the bad guy because I did a bad guy thing.”

“But you did it to keep him alive,” Y/n spoke up, “You’d go to the ends of the earth for him. That’s not evil, that’s family.”

Henry’s eyes cut through the space between Joel and Y/n, “You two get it,” he nodded toward Joel, ”You may not be her father, but you were someone’s. See, I could tell.”

There it was. The big, dreadful, terrible thing that Joel and Y/n had gotten this far without talking about. It was the unspoken wound, the one deep enough to kill yet shallow enough that it didn’t show. It was a constant phantom pain in both their chests and it broke them all over again to have it brought up.

“You too,” Henry smiled at Y/n, nodding to Ellie, “That is, if she’s not yours.”

Y/n didn’t think the blade could slide any deeper into her heart. She had been something to someone once, and it was as much a part of her still as the air she breathed.

“Uh,” Y/n tearily began, clearing her throat quickly, “No, she’s not mine.”

Joel had had more than he could handle just by Henry’s assumption about him. Referring to Y/n as the word he couldn’t bring himself to utter in that context had sent him over the edge. He picked up his gun from the table and practically jumped to his feet, “We’ve waited long enough.”

Y/n stayed still at the table, holding back her tears took so much strength, it was stealing her ability to move. If she allowed herself to cry in front of Joel, she didn’t think she’d ever recover.

Henry didn’t ask questions, he didn’t bring up the very visible sorrow etched across Y/n’s face. Some hurt was palpable without ever being touched on, and it was painfully clear that Joel hadn’t been the only one to lose a child…

————

TYL Taglist: @bachiracore @stolenxkissess @kayleezra @the-wistful-reader @allthesesonsofbitches @goth-detectives365 @trippovert @rh1nestonecowg1rl @emiliaserpe @khaleesihavilliard @frietiemeloen @gracie7209 @dorck26 @thegirlnextdoorssister @alanis-altair @mariwinns16 @whosscruffylooking @endofthexline @alexiaricciardo @eonnyx @pedrosmexicangf @scarlettequinn @ao-sleepy @toinfinityandbeyonce2 @deanlovescassie @turmoil-ash @sorrowjunky @kpopslur @xxlilyxx90 @midgetpottermills @presidential-facts @scoopsnini @tubble-wubble @jamesdeerest @burninggracesandbridges @star-wars-lover @lucyhotchner @cococola-cocaine @witheringhqarts @fall-writes @alwaysdjarin @xxmoonn @emilia-the-artist @wand-erer5 @boneyarrd @lizard-zombie @itwasallinmyhead1 @cassidylea123 @paleepeaches @mxltifxnd0m @kettlekatie @ultimate-cinephile @gloryekaterina @caramelkatsukis-bitch @whovianayesha @memeorydotcom @deadunicorn159 @get0ut0fmyr00m @siriuslymooned @emmyeed @superbreadsoul @hellu-people1 @ourautumn86 @inas-thing @noraapple05 @givemylovetoall @luvwanda @avengersfan25 @pedr0swh0r3 (tags cont. in comments)

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller imagine #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #the last of us imagine #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fanfic #twenty years later #the last of us spoilers

1K notes · View notes

feelbokkie · 1 year

Text

💛Yellow💛

☀️Feelbokkie M.list ☀️

Yellow: Happiness, Hope, Deceit

genre: angst, little bit of fluff towards the end, hurt/comfort

pov: 1st person

description: Life with Felix is perfect, right?

pairing: felix x reader

warnings: swearing, allusion to an eating disorder

word count: 2,061

🖍️Crayon Box M.list🖍️

I quietly tiptoe out of my bed and make my way to the bathroom, turning back to the sleeping figure to make sure he’s still asleep. Felix had slept over again last night. At this point, it’s also his apartment. He’s slept over every day since he’s gotten back from tour. I love it and the thought of him eventually going back to his dorm makes my heartache.

Luckily, I put together my outfit for today before bed last night and left it in the bathroom. After taking a hot shower and washing my hair, I quickly get dressed. Wet hair in a towel, I remember that I did leave some hair products in bedroom.

“Shit!” I whisper when I open the bathroom door to find Felix standing in front of me, rubbing his eye. His dyed blond hair is pushed in 5 different directions, reminding me of Lewis from Meet the Robinsons. Both of his eyes remain closed. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that he’s sleep walking.

Felix had been up all night playing games on his phone. I woke up a few time in the middle of the night to him sitting in the dark with the screen illuminating his face. I was trying to be quiet so he could finally get some sleep as I got ready to go to breakfast with my friends but it looks like I woke him up anyway.

“Sorry, I rolled over and the bed was empty. I thought you left without saying goodbye.” He mumbles, morning voice thick.

“No, you’re fine. Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you up just yet. I was going to wake you up right before I left.” I was planning on getting breakfast with two of my friends, Hae-Won and Minjun, that I haven’t seen in a while. We were supposed to meet a few weeks ago but we had to reschedule. I invited Felix after we changed the date to one when he would be in town but he politely declined. He insisted that I should go hang out with my friends without him as planned and that we could always plan something with the four of us another day.

“You look nice. You’re not going to be too cold?”

“It’s supposed to be warmer today, but I’m bringing a sweater just in case.” I kiss Felix’s cheek before walking past him to grab some hair supplies from my side of the dresser.

Felix follows me around the room, eyes only slightly more open than they were when I first saw him this morning but still not fully open yet, clutching onto my shirt. We make our way back into the bathroom and I grab the stool that I normally sit on when I’m doing my hair in front of the mirror and position it next to me. Felix takes the cue and sits down next to me, finally releasing my shirt. Instead he snakes his arms around my waist, resting his head on my side. I quietly dry with my blow drying, trying not to move too much so Felix doesn’t fall.

“What time are you coming back?” Felix mumbles again.

“I should be back around lunchtime. Minjun has work later and Hae-Won is meeting with her boyfriend. I’ll pick us up something to eat on the way home. If you think of something specific you want to eat, let me know.” Felix hums in response. I can’t tell if he’s falling asleep again or is just so tired that he can’t think of actual words to respond with. Tonight, I’m confiscating his phone so he can get a decent night’s sleep. He’s been playing games on his phone every night since he’s gotten back. I don’t know what game has got him in a chokehold, but he needs to rest.

After I finally finish my hair, I lead Felix out of the bathroom and drag him back to bed. He spreads himself across the mattress without any argument and slowly falls back to sleep. I make my way to the kitchen and make a quick breakfast for Felix. He’s probably going to sleep until I get back, but this is just in case he wakes up hungry in a few hours. I put it in the fridge with a note before walking back to the bedroom. I gently shake Felix awake. I don’t want to wake him, but I know he’ll be sad if I left while he was still asleep.

“Bye, Lix. I made you some breakfast to eat if you wake up hungry. It’s in the fridge. I love you.” I softly kiss his cheek.

“I love you too. Send Minjun and Hae-Won my love.” Felix leaves an even softer kiss on my cheek before he melted back into the bed.

***

“How’s Yongbokkie, Y/N?” Hae-Won asks, taking a sip of her lemonade. She tucks a loose strand of her long pink hair behind her ear.

We had been hanging out for about half an hour already, barely getting our breakfast in front of us a few minutes ago. Not realizing how much talking and laughing took out of us, we spent the first few minutes just eating before we resumed conversation.

“He’s doing great! He’s been over at my apartment a lot more since he started his break.” I shovel another bite of food into my mouth.

“I don’t know how he does it, man. I would be falling apart if I were him.” Minjun sighs, leaning back into his chair.

“Hey, I’m not that annoying!” I playfully slap Minjun’s arm and give him a warning sign.

“I’m not talking about you, dumbass. I’m talking about all the hate he’s getting.” My smile drops.

“What?” I whisper. I knew that Felix has received hate in the past, it’s a flaw that comes with his job. But I thought it died down over time. I haven’t seen anything being directed at either of us. Honestly, how could anyone hate Felix, he’s a literal ball of sunshine. How could I not have known that things were starting up again and that they were bad? Has he been reading comments late into the night instead of playing games?

“If I were him, I would have offed myself by now.” I know Minjun doesn’t mean it seriously. It’s how the three of us joke, but it’s anything but funny.

“Minjun!” Hae-Won elbows Minjun in his ribcage and points at me.

“I… I have to go.” I scrambled to gather my things and pull some money out for my food, placing it next to my plate.

“Y/N, I didn’t mean anything by that—” Minjun grabs my arm and shoots me an apologetic smile.

“It’s fine. I know you mean no harm. I just… I need to go home. Can we reschedule?”

“Yeah! No, go take care of what you need to take care of.” Hae-Won pulls Minjun’s hand off of me and gently pushes me away.

***

When I get home, the living room and kitchen look just as I left it a few hours ago. Felix must still be in the bedroom. I set all my stuff down on the couch and walk to the kitchen to get myself something to drink before going to confront Felix. When I open the fridge, the breakfast I made Felix sits untouched.

He’s probably still asleep. That’s why he didn’t eat.

On the way back home, I replayed every interaction I’ve have with Felix ever since he came back from tour. There were so many little signs that I didn’t pick up on. So blissfully unaware that he’s been suffering this entire time. I don’t think Felix’s eating a full meal the entire time he’s been here. And if he did, it’s because he put small portions on his plate. We would be so busy talking that I never realized that he shuffled the food around his plate to simulate like he’s eaten more than he had. He’s also been clinging on me more than usual. Lix is big on skinship so I never thought anything about it. He’s usually extra clingy when we’ve been apart for a long time, but looking back at it, it feels different this time.

Am I such a bad partner that I didn’t realize my own boyfriend was suffering this entire time? The second I even think about feeling sad, Felix is right there to cheer me up. Even when we’re apart he always calls or sends a text at the perfect moment. It’s like he’s inside my brain with me. I’m not even allowed to read comments about myself online. After the first few times I read something negative directed towards me, Felix went through all my social media and blocked any and every keyword he could think of to prevent anything from showing up on my feed. He even made sure to block all of that from showing up on my trending pages.

I open the bedroom door quietly, hoping to find Felix still fast asleep. Instead, Felix is sitting hunched over staring at his phone with his back towards me. My eyes start to sting at the sight. No, do not cry. This is not about you.

“Lix,” I climb the bed and crawl to him. Snaking my arms around his waist, I slide his phone out of his hand and press my face on his spine. He jumps at my sudden appearance.

“Fuck,” his hands find mine and he tries to twist around to see me, “what time is it?”

“Around 9:30,” I mumble into his back.

“What are you doing home so early? What happened?” He tries to pull my arms off of his waist so he can turn to me. I tighten my grip. I know he’s been crying. If I look at his face right now, I’ll start crying too and then he’ll try to comfort me. I want to comfort him.

“Can you please not worry about me for once?” I turn my head to the side so I know he can hear me loud and clear.

“What? What’s going on?”

“Why didn’t you come to me and tell me about all the hate you’ve been getting?” He finally manages to wiggle out of my grip and faces me.

“You know?”

“I only just realized. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to notice.” I give him a soft smile. His face is red and splotchy. I don’t know how long he’s been up, but he’s been crying for a while.

“You didn’t notice because I didn’t want you to.” He strokes my hair, leaving his hand to rest on my cheek.

“You may have not wanted me to notice, but maybe I didn’t want to believe that my boyfriend would hide his pain instead of coming to me.” I bring my hand to his and slowly rub my thumb back and forth.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to come to you. It’s just…” Tears start falling down his face. I take my free hand and start wiping them away.

“What is it?” I bite my tongue to keep myself from crying but I feel my eyes and my nose burning at the sight of Felix being in pain.

“I’m trying, all the time, but it’s just too hard. It’s draining me. I can’t be the personification of the sunshine that you and everyone expects me to be. I want to, but I can’t.” He sobs.

“Oh my sweet angel,” I pull Felix into a hug, resting his head in my chest, “you don’t have to be. The sunshine gets blocked by cloudy days sometimes and that’s okay, the world isn’t going to end. You’re allowed to be sad and not okay. You don’t have to be perfect.”

“But you deserve someone who's perfect.” He mumbles against my chest.

“What I deserve is you, as you are. I’ll take the good with the bad. You don’t love me any less when I’m not at my best, right?” I pull his head away from me and cup his face, forcing him to look at me.

“Of course not,” I press a kiss to his tear stained, freckled cheek.

“And I don’t love you any less when you’re not at yours. Rest now, my Bokkie, I’ll take care of you.”

—

Buy me a coffee?

293 notes · View notes

calmlyerratic · 2 months

Text

Encounters of the Future Sort

Chapter 3: The Calm Before the Storm

by @calmlyerratic

────────────────⋆────

Ch Summary: AU time travel. The Marauders run into Harry.

James' eyes began darting back and forth between Remus, Sirius, and Peter, his mouth slightly ajar.

"Prongs? You all right?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

He felt Remus' gentle hand on his shoulder. "Er—Sirius, I don't think that's James…"

ch wc: 2.7k — rating: T — cw: none

Read Chapter 1 | full Summary & Chapter Index

──────⋆──────────────

Remus' POV

Gryffindor Tower

with Sirius and Peter

April 1st, 1996

────────────────⋆────

"I think I have banana in my ear," Sirius complained, trying to dig it out with his finger. "A lot of help Prongs was, slippery git."

Sirius, Remus, and Peter had emerged from the battle against Peeves quite scathed, each supporting the stench of dung and the remains of rotted fruit on their clothing. And lodged in their extremities.

"Probably got caught up begging to sign another autograph," Peter huffed, putting a finger to his nose and blowing a chunk of rotted pear out one nostril.

Remus chuckled somewhat manically. "Good one, Wormtail."

The three boys had reached Gryffindor tower and the portrait of the fat lady gazed down upon them.

"Fortis leo," Sirius sighed, wiping his pulpy wand off on his robes. He ran a hand through his hair that usually fell around his face like elegant, dark curtains, but was currently coated in sticky, slimy muck. "Ucckk—I really need a shower."

"You aren't the first to try those words today," the fat lady replied stoically.

Remus groaned. "It isn't fortis leo? Bollocks, I missed last week's Prefect meeting—what is it then?"

The fat lady looked affronted. "You think I'm going to tell you?"

Remus tapped his shiny badge in obvious authority. "I'm a Prefect."

Although, it was his first year with the title and the ins and outs of it were quite grey. He really just wanted a nice hot bath and a nap.

"Are you?" she raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger were the new Gryffindor House Prefects."

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance.

"Weasley?" Remus racked his brain. "Like…Arthur Weasley?"

"Yes, I believe that is his father," the fat lady answered.

Sirius shook his head, amused. "Arthur Weasley left Hogwarts a few years ago, he can't have a son that's a fifth year. Are you feeling all right, sweet lady?"

When Sirius really wanted something, he put on his devilish charms. How someone could be so positively persuasive covered head to toe in dung and rotten fruit, Remus wasn't sure.

The fat lady analyzed them for a moment. "You know, you three look familiar…"

Sirius smiled a dashing smile. "Of course we do—we live beyond your great protection, fair lady."

Remus glanced sideways at him and ever so slightly cocked an eyebrow that said, you're laying it on a little thick.

However, the fat lady blushed, quite flattered, adjusted her pink silk dress and cleared her throat. "Hmm, yes…you do remind me of someone—"

Before she could finish her thought, the portrait hole creaked open and a group of Gryffindors spilled into the corridor.

"Merlin bless," Remus mumbled as the three boys clambered inside.

Peter scanned the cozy common room. "Hmm, no sign of Prongs…"

"Probably already showered and is off chatting up Evans…" Sirius grumbled, disappearing up the spiral stairs to the boys' dormitories.

Remus shrugged at Peter, really not prioritizing this at the moment, and followed Sirius upstairs.

"Whoa, since when have you been so keen on the Chudley Cannons, Wormy?" Sirius laughed, examining Peter's bedpost.

Remus was tired. And quite hungry. Flaming orange quidditch teams meant nothing to him—he was more of a reader. So, when he approached his bed and all of his current reading material wasn't where he left it on the bedside table, his gut wrenched.

"Where are my books?"

"What's that?" Sirius asked, removing his black wizard robes and leaving them in a dark heap on the floor.

"My books…they're not here."

"I dunno, Moony." Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe the elves have been in to tidy?"

"No," Remus shook his head. "They never move my books."

"I'm really more concerned about the taste of dung in my mouth," Sirius wrinkled his nose unpleasantly. "I heavily advise you not to kiss me right now."

"Duly noted," Remus rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hey, what the hell is this?" Sirius opened his bedside drawer where he kept his toothbrush and it overflowed with chocolate frog cards. "Are these yours, Wormtail?"

"No, I gave all mine to my cousin last year." Peter frowned.

Sirius held a card up and it shimmered in the light spilling in from the window. "Huh."

"Er…I don't remember hanging these." Peter gazed around at his vibrant bedpost flair.

"Moony," Sirius drew his handsome eyebrows together, "something isn't right…"

Remus was exhausted, covered in pulpy fruit, he had missed lunch, the full moon was three days away, and his books were missing. It was a recipe for disaster. Not to mention the lingering uneasiness from the exploding cauldron that morning…

"Moony?" Sirius pried softly, sensing the calm before the storm. "What do you reckon?"

Remus ran a finger up and down the long scar trailing across his nose. "I reckon I need a shower and a snack, before I can reckon."

"Okay, Moony." Sirius nodded calmly, (almost irritatingly so, in Remus' opinion)."You go ahead, Wormy and I will wait."

Remus opened the trunk at the foot of his bed, hoping to find a change of clothes, but quickly realized that it was not actually his trunk at all. He closed it again with a great *SNAP* that made Peter jump and resolved to scorgify his disgusting clothes clean.

However, there was a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach that even a hot shower couldn't wash away.

──────⋆──────────────

Hermione

Hogwarts Corridors

with Ginny and James

──────⋆──────────────

"Isn't she loveee-ly,"

Hermione glanced sideways at Harry, who was moving his head to an imaginary tune. A tune confusingly indicating his romantic interest towards Lily Evans, no less. She hadn't quite made sense of it all yet, but if it was dark magic it probably wasn't logical anyway. The key with dark magic was to catch it quickly, so the sooner they got to Madam Pomfrey, the better.

"Where is Evans again?" Harry asked, tousling his messy raven hair very uncharacteristically.

"Erm, s-she's in the hospital wing."

Hermione glanced nervously around. The last thing they needed today was to run into a member of the inquisitorial squad, or worse...

"Wait—the hospital wing?" Harry stopped short. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine," Ginny reassured, pulling him firmly along the corridor stairs. "I think she, er, needed a calming draught. Pre-exam stress, you know?

Harry nodded, knitting his brow. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense..."

Hermione had been wondering if it would happen—if Harry would give way under the enormous pressure he'd been under. So much had happened in the last few weeks, and she knew he felt responsible for a lot of it. The DA had been caught, Dumbledore had been sacked, and Umbridge was now Headmistress. Not to mention their rapidly approaching O.W.L's. This overwhelming sequence of events had Hermione just as on edge as everyone else, hanging on to a thread of what little peace of mind she had left.

"Isn't she woonderfuul—"

Hermione needed a calming draught too. Or a perhaps a large butterbeer.

──────⋆──────────────

Remus

Boys Dormitories

with Sirius and Peter

──────⋆──────────────

"Moony…you have to see this."

Remus emerged from the loo to Sirius and Peter sitting on what should be James' bed—but was discerningly not—hovering over a leather-bound picture album.

"Do I?" Remus muttered.

A blast of hot air shot out of his wand, which he pointed at his hair like a blow drier. He shuddered from the sudden warmth, feeling quite sleepy.

"Still grumpy, but at least you smell nice," Sirius winked.

"Pushing your luck, Padfoot."

"Look," Peter was wide-eyed. He held up the album and pointed to a photo. "It's us."

Remus crossed the dorm and narrowed his eyes. It was a photo of the four Marauders: they had their arms around each other's shoulders and were laughing.

But, there was something strange...they looked more mature. Sirius was taller than James, wherein now they were the same height. And was that—

"Lily?" Remus knit his brow. "Is she—"

"Snogging Prongs," Sirius shook his head solemnly. "Never thought I'd see the day. Wait 'til you see the one of their wedding…"

Peter flipped through the album. Sure enough, Sirius was right. James was wearing black dress robes and Lily was all in white.

Remus met Sirius' lovely silver eyes in accusation. "You aren't pulling my leg?"

Sirius shook his head sincerely.

"I wish I was. I think we may have unwittingly entered apocalyptic times, Moony." He got to his feet. "Don't spontaneously combust while I'm gone—if the sun goes black, take shelter!"

Remus ignored him as he disappeared into the loo. "Pete, where did you find this?"

"It was here," Peter pointed to James' bed. "Just laying here!"

Peter looked up and around the ceiling like it had fallen from the heavens.

"Do you…d'you think it's really us? It looks just like us."

"I dunno, Pete." Remus breathed out, massaging his eyes. He should be angry, but he was too tired. "Let me think for a moment…"

Remus laid down on his bed. Or was it even his bed? He didn't know anymore. The facts were outweighing the speculation at this point. He really had been looking forward to a quiet Saturday afternoon of reading—not cleaning up after another one of James and Sirius' barmy excursions.

That bloody cauldron…

"So, darling Moony," Sirius flopped onto the bed beside him, jolting him from a nap he must've slipped into. "I know you have some sort of, ah—reasonable revelation? Let's hear it."

Remus rolled onto his back and stared at the celling. He took a deep breath.

Factual, Remus, he told himself. Be factual. Maybe it's not as bad as it seems…

"Well, for one, that kid who called James 'Harry'." Remus held up a finger. "For another, I could have sworn I knew the password—I thought we used it just this morning after breakfast?"

"Yeah we did," Peter nodded anxiously, pulling at a loose thread on the sleeve of his robes.

"The fat lady didn't recognize us…" Remus continued, decidedly not vocalizing that she thought Arthur Weasley's son was the fifth year Prefect and she didn't seem to know who any of them were.

"And the weather also, not to mention I don't like the Cannons—and the photo album?"

"He's getting there, Wormy." Sirius was watching Remus like he was a tornado forming and there was a wind advisory.

Peter held up a photo of himself in a bowler hat with a feather sticking out of it. "I don't wear bloody bowler hats."

Yup, Remus breathed out. This was bad.

Peter looked back and forth between Sirius and Remus. "Is no one else concerned about this? This isn't even our dorm!"

"We're all very concerned, Wormtail." Sirius rolled his eyes, quite downplaying the whole situation in obvious guilt. He was a master blame shifter.

"I think…" Remus chewed on his lip. His stomach grumbled loudly. "I think I need food before I implode on myself like a dying star."

"As you know," Sirius smiled dashingly, like the wind of storm Moony had begun and he was encouraging them all to take shelter. "I'm quite versed in the language of the stars. I concur—to the kitchens! But first, Wormtail, you bloody reek."

Peter put a hand to his mousy hair, caked with rotten fruit pulp, and grimaced. "Right…"

──────⋆──────────────

James

Hospital Wing

with Hermione and Ginny

──────⋆──────────────

Hermione, Ginny, and James approached a large stone unicorn fountain that marked the entrance to the hospital wing.

"Wait here Har—I mean James," Ginny winked, red pony-tail blazing behind her as the two girls left him just inside the Infirmary entrance.

James was nervous. He hoped Lily was here because of exam nerves and not relating to the exploding cauldron from this morning...

"I trust there is a good reason for this intrusion?" he overheard Madam Pomfrey say. She was spooning some disgusting looking green liquid into a glass which she handed to her patient.

"Yes...er, well, it's Harry…" Hermione motioned over to James, who pretended to busy himself tying his shoe. "He's not, erm, feeling himself."

"That's no surprise, poor soul, having to deal with so much..." Madam Pomfrey sighed. "A calming draught should set him straight."

"Well, you see," Ginny began awkwardly. She glanced around and lowered her voice. "He, er, thinks he's his father..."

My father? James thought. What are they on about?

"Hey, I don't see Evans here," James called. This prank was getting a bit odd. "Tell her I'll catch up with her later, yeah? I still need to find Sirius, Remus, and Peter."

Madam Pomfrey clutched her heart. She bustled over, grabbed James's arm and led him to a vacant bed. "Sit, dear boy."

"Oh-okay?" James sat and Hermione and Ginny peered at him anxiously.

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand silently over his face and chest.

"What are you doing?" James knit his brow.

She finished her incantations and lit the tip of her wand, shining it into his eyes.

"Pupils are dilating..." she murmured. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Is this part of the prank too?" He asked Hermione and Ginny. "Persistent, I'll give you that. Bringing Madam Pomfrey in on it, really next level—"

"Answer the question please, dear." Madam Pomfrey prompted firmly.

"Yeah, okay." James shook his head, a bit annoyed at being cornered by the strict matron. "My name—it's James Potter."

Madam Pomfrey stifled a gasp but gathered herself quickly. "A-and what year is it?"

"It's April 1st, 1976."

"Harry..." Hermione sat at the foot of his bed with imploring eyes. "It's April 1st, 1996."

"Ohh, so not a parallel dimension? Time travel, is it?" James cocked an eyebrow, leaning backwards onto the bed and running a hand through his already tousled hair.

Madam Pomfrey clasped a hand over her mouth as she watched him, like he had suddenly gone spectral. She turned very seriously to Hermione and Ginny.

"There's no sign of injury or traces of dark magic," Madam Pomfrey assured, like James wasn't sitting right there. "There is some quantity of magical residue...but that's not an entirely uncommon substance, especially when emotions are high."

"Magical residue?" James puzzled. She must be referring to what Remus had sensed in the Room of Requirement. "I'm confused—"

Madam Pomfrey gently set her hand on his forearm.

"We know, dear. Let me fix you a calming draught and you'll feel right as rain." She squeezed his arm and disappeared into her office.

James waited until she was out of earshot, then turned to Hermione and Ginny.

"Look, I respect your dedication but this is kind of becoming a drag."

He jumped to his feet and waved a hand in farewell, with a disarming smile.

"Peeves is at large and I'm a deserter, so...nice to meet you both, I appreciate your time, and see you around!"

Hermione and Ginny stared blankly after him, mouths slightly agape, as he jogged through the large wooden infirmary doors and out of their sights.

──────⋆──────────────

Sirius

Corridors

with Remus and Peter

──────⋆──────────────

"D'you think Hermione'll let me copy off the essay Snape set us?"

"Probably not. Worth a go though…"

Remus, Sirius and Peter were in a dim corridor in the dungeons, just outside the kitchens, as they overheard these two unfamiliar voices.

"Hmm wonder who that is? I hardly ever see anyone down here," Sirius mused. Tickling the pear in the painting outside the kitchens was a bit of a coveted secret.

Two boys about the Marauder's age turned the corner. One had red hair and was quite tall and lanky; the other had spectacles and jet-black hair that stuck up in the back—

"Oi! Prongs!" Sirirus shouted.

The two new boys came to a sudden halt and laid very wide eyes upon the three Marauders. The red head, who had a mouthful of sweets, was gaping so widely that crumbs fell to the floor.

"Where the hell did you go off to, then?" Sirius rounded on James. "We had to fend Peeves off by ourselves! Luckily he found some first years to go after…"

James appeared frozen to the spot. He was looking at Sirius like he didn't believe he was real.

"Prongs?" Sirius took a step towards him.

The red haired boy had turned chalk-white. He took a step backwards as Sirius encroached, tugged at James' robes, and swallowed hard.

"Harry…have I gone mad or a-are y-you seeing this too—?"

James' eyes began darting back and forth between Remus, Sirius, and Peter, his mouth slightly ajar.

"Prongs? You all right?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

He felt Remus' gentle hand on his shoulder. "Er—Sirius, I don't think that's James…"

────────────────⋆────

Read chapter 4 here.

──────⋆──────────────

Notes: So sorry to leave you all here! Next chapter starts off quite a bit more seriously with an interesting point of view…then gets lighter with some more banter and shenanigans, don't worry :)

────────────────⋆────

35 notes · View notes

cowgurrrl · 11 months

Note

Going throw out some ideas for one shots for your Look for the Light series: Charlie's 1st birthday, one of their Christmas' (before or after she is born depending on the timeline), first time she rides a pony/horse?

I LOVE THE BIRTHDAY IDEA ps i'm so sunburnt and sleepy so idk if this works but HERE pps I’m gonna start tagging my songs in the titles so here

Sooner

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

Warnings: what is grief if not love persevering [1.1k]

Birthdays are hard in the Miller household. They always remind you that you've lived another year without normalcy or the people you loved. Joel didn't even tell you when his birthday was for the first few months you knew him, that September day looming large over all of you. You always try to do fun stuff during the day for Ellie's birthday, but the night is hers. Every year since you've settled in Jackson, she sits outside and looks up at the stars on the final hours of her birthday. The year she turned seventeen, you finally asked her what she does when she's out there, and she turned red before nervously admitting, "I, uh, talk to my mom." You never asked her about it again. Your birthday has felt unimportant since you were sixteen with a baby. It feels even more unimportant without Jane. But Charlie, Charlie's birthday is the best.

You spend weeks planning her first birthday, and it's a little stupid considering she won't remember it, but Joel doesn't try to stop you. It's in August, never too hot or cold, and all the kids are still out of school. You invite the Other Millers and a few friends you've made on patrol, and Ellie invites Jessie and Dina. On the day of her birthday, you, Ellie, and Joel spread flowers around two picnic tables, framing her little cake in the middle and setting up pitchers of water and homemade lemonade. Tommy and Joel grill while you and Ellie take turns with Charlie, who's wearing an adorable yellow dress and a hat that's only slightly too big for her head. You didn't expect anyone to bring anything, but sure enough, your friends and even Jessie show up with little wrapped gifts and put them on the table next to the cake.

It's a beautiful day. Bees buzz through the air, and a nice breeze rustles the leaves. It's a much better day than a year ago when you were in excruciating pain for several hours. You know you would do it all over again for how Charlie reaches for you or for getting to see her grow. She's started pulling herself up on things recently. It doesn't matter if it's a chair, the couch, or a table; she will grab part of it and stand on her own two legs. Her favorite is to pull herself up on the desk in the corner of the living room and point at the faded pictures of you and Jane and Joel and Sarah. In the pictures, Joel and Sarah pose for a camera at a soccer game, and you and Jane smile from your place on a curb. Charlie will stare at them for as long as she can stand, like she's trying to memorize the two faces that almost look like her.

It hurts that pictures and stories are the closest she'll ever get to knowing Sarah and Jane, but you do your best to tell her about them. You tell her about how Jane lived in your belly just like she did and about how much she liked music. You tell her that Sarah liked soccer and lived with her daddy before you met. You doubt she understands, but talking about them that way makes it a little easier to deal with their constant absence. You think about them as everyone starts singing Happy Birthday to Charlie, a single candle flickering in the breeze as Charlie bops her head to the words. You laugh and fight tears as you encourage her to blow out her candle, and before you can even "help" her blow it out, the wind picks up and extinguishes the flame all on its own. You and Joel make eye contact over Charlie's head and share a secret thought, smiling to yourselves before kissing Charlie's cheeks and cutting the tiny cake.

Then, you open gifts with Charlie on your lap and Joel by your side. Ellie sits across from you two on the picnic table, hands Charlie each present, and helps organize them in true big sister fashion. Jessie got her a hand-me-down book about the moon, a few of your friends knitted her blankets or hats for the winter, and Tommy and Maria got her hand drum which she immediately started banging on the second you unwrapped it. You thank everyone and clap Charlie's hands for her once you're all done, but Ellie slides a wrapped box across the table before you can move.

"Bel, you didn't have to get her anything." You say, and she shrugs.

"I wanted to," she says, and you look at Joel. "Besides, it's not just for her." You smile and reach across the table to grab her hand as you and Joel work together to open the box, Charlie reaching for the shredded paper as it falls. When you open the gift and see what's at the bottom, you gasp and put a hand over your mouth. Joel wraps an arm around your shoulder and sniffles as he pulls the frame out to look at it in the summer sun.

Inside the beautiful yellow frame is a drawing with Ellie's signature on the bottom. It's your family. Jane is tucked safely in front of you, a hand on her shoulder, as you hold Charlie on your left hip. Joel is to your right because he always is, and Ellie and Sarah are on either side of him—all six of you together for the first and last time. "I used the photos on the desk for the drawings, and Tommy helped, too. I hope that's okay," Ellie says as a tear falls down your cheek. You shift Charlie in your arms so you can walk over and hug Ellie tightly. Charlie kicks her legs excitedly at being so close to her sister, and you sniffle. "D'you like it?"

"Honey, I love it. It's so beautiful and thoughtful. Thank you." You say as you look at her. She smiles and wipes your tears away, making you laugh. Charlie wiggles her way into Ellie's arms while Joel comes over to hug Ellie. There, wrapped up in a Williams-Miller sandwich, Joel and Ellie say something you can't hear, but when they break their hug, both of them have tears staining their faces.

That night, you hang the frame in the living room so you can see it every day. Charlie kisses Sarah and Jane's frozen faces before you put it up and every day after that, she pulls herself up onto the couch so she can point at the picture of her complete family. Every once in a while, she'll blow kisses or bang on her drum before looking up at Jane as if she were there to coach her. You like to think that she is. You like to think they're both just in the next room over, whispering secret messages and leaving clues for you to find. You like to think they know and love Charlie in the way that you will always know and love them.

#look for the light #the last of us #joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel tlou #joel and ellie #the last of us x reader #joel miller fic #joel miller the last of us #joel miller fluff #the last of us fluff

137 notes · View notes

i-literally-cant-with-this · 8 months

Text

FULL STORY HAS BEEN POSTED.

*Dr. Feel Good (Full Piece)

Here's a snippet from the Sanemi Therapist wip I promised 16 years ago. I'm gonna tag a couple of ya because you said you were interested. If you don't want to be tagged for notifications, let me know, and I'll stawwwpp it.

@desi-the-blue-eyed-kakushi @gingerspicelattemix and @peachdues I read you're feeling down. I hope my weird take on Dr. Shinazugawa cheers you up a bit ♡.

I'll be doing the final touches on the rest of this smut story today!

⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒

Dr. Feel Good

"Hi, Dr. S. I uh, well, I'm not going to be able to make my appointment tomorrow. I'm sorry this is technically less than 24 hours. Bill me for any time you may have lost. Whatev– thanks. Oh, this is y/n, by the way, and it's about 4 o'clock. Bye. You don't have to call me back. Bye."

You pressed the red button on your cell phone and hung up the call with Dr. Shinazugawa's voice-mail and climbed back into your bed. The rain beat against the windows in rhythm with the tears falling to your face.

It was November 1st. Fall was in full swing. And once again, you were not. Your 24th birthday was coming up soon. And you'd fallen into the same routine as last year. Going through the motions: work, family, the few friends you had. But you're fairly certain they were sick of you. So it was just a matter of time before they stopped calling. It's not like you're blowing up their phones to remind them you're still around.

The phone rang. You didn't even bother to see who was calling before you turned it over to silence the assault on your quiet cocoon. [Beep beep]. One more message you won't respond to. "I don't wanna talk. Go away." It started ringing again.

"Fuck, what, hello?" You sniffed and pulled the down comforter off of your face. You didn't want to sound like you were in bed as you squirmed around to get comfortable.

"Hello! Y/n? I just got your message." Silence on your end. "Are, are you there?" You cleared your throat. What's the point of talking anymore. "Ah, there you are." Dr Shinazugawa said a little too cheerfully.

You're surprised by the inflection of his voice. You often thought he was like you; dark. But he was your therapist. You were not his. So you didn't worry about him like you assumed he worried about you. Like you hoped he did. More wasted energy.

"Y/n, c'mon. Will you say something to me?" Sitting up in bed, "Why." You said flatly. You could hear his breath slow a little, and you sort of wondered why his breathing would ease up when you were on the other end of the line. Probably irritating him, no doubt.

"Because I wa–" He stopped for a moment. "I need to know you're alright." There was a pregnant and overdue pause from him. "Y/n? Are you? Ok?" You sniffed again. Could he hear you crying? "Will you please come in tomorrow and talk with me?" He could hear the hurt in your words.

"I'll see you next week, Dr. S. Have a nice weekend. Bye." You took the phone away from your ear before you'd even started to say you'll see him at your next appointment. You didn't want to give him that crucial second before disconnection to try and change your mind. He was just your therapist. Not Jesus. Though you could easily find yourself at his feet asking for miracles. No matter, you weren't terribly religious anyway.

⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒

THANKS FOR

READING!

/\ Sarah /\

#sanemi x y/n #sanemi x reader #therapist #therapist!sanemi #kny sanemi #demon slayer #kny sanemi shinazugawa #shinazugawa sanemi #sanemi kny #sanemi shinazugawa #sanemi Shinazugawa kny #sanemi therapy #forbidden love #love?#lust

42 notes · View notes

remtan · 2 months

Text

V.W.P 2nd One-Man Live Gensho II

The conclusion of VWP's Sinka live series finally happened! I was so excited for this I was literally counting down the days. Piedpiper and VWP themselves had been hyping up excitement for it all during the last few months of 2023 and what made me look forward to it even more was all the versus battles they had teased.

They started by performing songs from their 1st album and Resonance was first. They ended off with Resonance at the mini live they held a week before Yoyogi Wars, so I had a feeling they'd perform it first! Also, Resonance is just a good song to introduce VWP in general. The girls called out to the audience yelling "Yoyogiii!!!" and i think it was cute how their confidence in interacting with the audience grew the longer the live went on.

Kaf and Rim having fun during Toy. Cute!!

Fire started blowing during Secret and the effect it created was great! While VWP can't be physically on the stage themselves, the fire created a physical way of interacting with the audience.

"We are....VWP!!!!" While introducing themselves they got a little surprised at how the audience cheered back at them and it was cute. The only other time they had an audience of this size was when Kaf held her 3rd one man live at Budokan, but covid restrictions were still being held then, so the audience couldn't cheer. It was cute seeing their reactions to the audience's calls and cheers (they deserve it!). They were giggly all throughout the first MC, I'm guessing they were both excited and nervous (even though Rim denied she was nervous). Right after this they performed Reunion and VWP's harmonies together were so gorgeous, Joucho's high note was godly as well. Then before performing Destiny the audience chanted the VWP! VWP! without being prompted to and you could hear someone in the audience going "sugoi!"

VWP then transformed into red versions of their outfits and sung duets! (and for some reason, all of the duets included Rim) I have to say that out of all their outfits, I liked the red change in Koko's outfit the most. I really hope they release 素的 (Idyllic), the Rim and Koko duet, somewhere on streaming services soon, its so good! This section also included a new duet featuring Rim and Haru and it had a great guitar solo, I hope they release it soon as well.

Around an hour into the live, the versus battles started! First was Koko and Ciel, with a new song!! I was originally expecting them to sing songs they already had but I guess Kamitsubaki wanted to liven the battles up. I've always felt like Koko and Ciel's voices would match up nicely. Unexpectedly, their new song felt very dark and powerful, and it even included a little rap section for Koko. After this was Rim and Guiano's battle, and they performed one of the songs from their collab album. It's always nice to see them sing together.

Joucho's idol persona brought back with Valis! Joucho turned into a fully-fledged idol this time and danced along with them (Joucho didn't dance all the choreo with them, there were some moments of her just swaying and waving her arms but it was still cute lmao). Their new song they sang together was sassy and upbeat, perfectly matching their energies. It also looks like Valis got new colors in their hair? Myu having half-green half-red hair looked great.

The sauna lovers! (Haru and Azusagawa!) They performed their new collab song Friction. I feel like these two are the "cool" members in their respective labels, their voices are both so handsome and they both know how to grate their voices and make them rough at the right moment, Azusagawa's voice was cracking so much yelling out "Yoyogi!!" but it was great! But then they both have moments where their voices whispery and soft too! And even if they both have cool images, they both have cute sides to them (a few weeks ago, Azusagawa was being called Azu-nyan by Haru during a collab livestream??????) They've been such a cool pairing to see since they sang together at Kamitsubaki Fes '23 and I hope they continue to collaborate with each other! And as for Azusagawa, he's definitely someone who deserves to perform in front of a big audience, he's so good at hyping up performances and is so full of confidence!

And then...the performance I was the most excited for! Albemuth and Kaf! The crowd yelled out Asu and Aru's names right before they sang and it warmed up my Albemuth fan heart. The new song they performed sounded very heroic, almost like an anime OP. Albemuth and Kaf sang so theatrically, like heroines! I love how they traded off lines to each other, I'm so glad Albemuth and Kaf were able to sing with each other again. And god, Aru's deep voice throughout this performance was great (really bringing out the Aimer in her), the Zan live chat kept complimenting it too. This was our first glimpse of Albemuth's kuro outfits in a performance and they look great. So does Kaf's new outfit! Kaf had a red flower in her hair, maybe to match Albemuth? (I'm being delusional) I missed these two...even though they already held a cover live last month.... I can't wait to see them perform at their own live in April 🥺.

After Discotheque, they surprised us with VIP and VWP singing together and Valis dancing! They used smoke this time!

And then VWP and VIP performed the most jaw-dropping song of the live, a new song called The Voice of A.I. The title of it already sounds like its full of emotion, but the song itself was just so powerful. Each VWP girl and their respective Cevio AI counterpart traded lines off of each other and it really pulled at everyone's heartstrings. It's been well, a month after the live, but I still think about this song's verse every day. The chorus was great as well! and Kaf's high note! and how all 10 of them harmonized! and also everything about it. Valis were also dancing in the back, and I don't think I've ever seen them dance so dramatically, they showed off a cool side of themselves! And the song was long, probably like 7 minutes long! To me, it was the climax of the live. After the live happened, Kashii Moimi tweeted that she was the one who produced it, and knowing her, the lyrics are probably so devastating and complex, I can't wait to read them! (This song seems like sort of a collaboration project between several Kamitsubaki groups, you have VWP and VIP singing, Valis dancing, Kashii Moimi producing, and several of Kamitsubaki's graphic designers and illustrators working on the MV playing in the background). In a world where AI is growing rapidly and is becoming a looming concern we can't avoid, it's interesting how VWP are incorporating AI voices made from themselves into their careers despite the fact that it's possible the creation of their AI voices could replace them one day. The thought of AI having a voice, of how the root of what AI produces comes from humans themselves is something I didn't think of VWP exploring (at the moment it seems like a controversial subject). As the musical isotope IP expands and as their voicebanks develop and become more lifelike, VWP's relationship with them is rapidly changing. And in our lives as well, we're just going to have to wait until time passes to see how AI grows and becomes more incorporated in humanity's daily lives. (And also, if it overtakes us). Really, what other vtuber or virtual singer group is exploring subjects like this?

Leading up to the transformation of VWP into a new era of their career, each girl sung one of the new songs performed at their own respective Sinka live. Behind them, each girl had a montage of their Sinka live playing in the background and it was nice to have a recap of how VWP have been leading up to this moment throughout 2023. And not only that, it's also a recap of how each girl has evolved and grown. Joucho's transition into an elegant multi-colored and multi-faceted form, Rim's reaffirmation with her ideals and identity after studying abroad, Koko's determination to be her compassionate self despite her vulnerabilities, Haru's rebirth into a more powerful and aggressive form, Kaf's growth into an independent and mature adult. Not only have they grown as people, their music and worldviews have changed with them. And so has the quality of their MVs and lives...Kamitsubaki and the artists themselves evolve more and more every day. Being a fan of anything has never been this fun. And it's emotional too! No matter how virtual they are or how much of themselves they can't share with us, it doesn't change that their art and music is fueled with so much soul and real feelings.

And then...! VWP's new outfits were revealed! The name for it is Yatagarasu. It's the name for a three-legged bird in Chinese mythology apparently? I think they look great. It's nice to see the changes made to their hair and changes in aesthetics while keeping somewhat similar silhouettes. I wasn't expecting the new outfits to look so dark and edgy, but I do like that they look more mature (Koko's new outfit is mature in another aspect though lmao).

Check out them incorporating more choreographed movements into their performances. It's been something each girl has started doing! (It's funny to think they were all really stiff performers in the beginning).

VWP introducing their new outfits and talking about their new hair changes. They asked "kawaii?" and the audience screamed "kawaii!!!" back at them.

Fog!! Them performing a medley of the songs Kanzaki wrote for them was so emotional. We're really saying goodbye to the Kanzaki era, aren't we?

Koko's new center song, Alliance! To open this song, they chanted "Virtual Witch...Phenomenon!! Virtual Witch...Phenomenon Time!!" and you can already tell this song is great at hyping up concerts. They also did some hand movements during the chorus and the audience picked it up pretty quick and copied their hand movements. Every time I watch this song I get excited. I think it's funny they chose Koko to center this song when she was having such a hard time pronouncing the word "phenomenon" some time ago.

Rim's new center song, Confidence! The verse starts off just as eerie and edgy as her own songs, but then the heroic VWP-like chorus hits and it turns into a compelling and song that combines Rim's and VWP's worldviews. For me, Joucho was the 2nd center of this song, her gentle whisper-like lines were great. Koko's bridge was great at well, her vibrato is always so heart-wrenching.... The song ended off with a big burst of fire too!

Haru's new center song, Emotion! The audience cheered immediately when they recognized it. It was great seeing the girls jam out while rapping, but then immediately switching to their emotional singing afterwards. Joucho's high note rap was great, definitely one of my favorite parts of the song.

Joucho's new center song, Trump Card! This song was used as the OP for the anime Cardfight Vanguard Divinez which premiered a few hours before the concert. It's a song that truly feels like suits a heroic battle. VWP introduced the band members during this song, and it's always nice to see them rock out on their instruments and show off how talented they are in their own solos. (They're an integral part of Kamitsubaki's lives!) VWP also posed dramatically to end off the song.

Joucho gave the audience a heart!

During the MC afterwards, they posed to introduce their new songs. Cute! Koko kept stumbling on her words during the MC and of course she did. (She tried playing it off and everyone laughed at her, oh Koko.) They then spoke in long speeches about their feelings surrounding this live, and everyone grew quiet and listened immediately. Talking about their feelings provoked them to get teary eyed, and the audience started screaming "ganbatte!"

After Joucho started crying they gathered around each other and it was so heartwarming.... They weren't only thanking the audience they were also expressing their gratitude for each other and it was cute how Rim and Koko bowed to Joucho when she said she loved the members.

They were all crying a lot, well, except for Kaf, who apparently cries the least out of the VWP members. Koko stumbling on her words while crying was cute. Rim also coughed quite a lot, I remember worrying about how she would sing afterwards.

The last song they performed was The Witches (true), and this was the song they allowed the audience to film on their phones. They also had the Zan-live chat projected onto the screens, and I remember the chat was full of people spamming "V.W.P! V.W.P!" throughout the whole song. I was even compelled to spam the chat as well. During the last chorus, they shot confetti into the air! After the live, apparently the audience were collecting the confetti and I even saw a few people selling them on Mecari.

They ended the live by saying their parting words, thank yous and goodbyes. Some fans yelled out "daisuki!!!" and rim yelled it back. Koko even cried again 😭. I'm really surprised with how much they said "thank you" and "i love you" during this live.

The keys have all been gathered! They came together to create a tree/portal that VWP walked into? Who knows what it means.

After the credits rolled, they unveiled that VWP's Sinka live series was just the beginning. Sinka lives 7 through 9 are planned for 2024. And included in this is...VWP's anime!!!!! And the crowd goes wild. I remember thinking an anime was so out of Kamitsubaki's scope and that VWP shouldn't be forced to do voice-acting work if they didn't want to anyway. But I'm so glad! I hope it goes well, there's a chance it could extend VWP's IP far, even internationally, with how anime has become so popular across the globe. I can't help but wonder which studio is behind it.... (Flat studio? maybe?) Also announced...VWP's 2nd album..collaboration music with Project Cold..our first look at Kamitsubaki City Ensemble (the musical isotope rhythm game)..Shamanism 3 (Haru's 3rd one-man live)..Piedpiper's mysterious new Kamitsubaki Verse project..and auditions for Sinsekai.

Originally I had thought that the purpose of the Sinka live series was Kamitsubaki taking a step further to make Kamitsubaki City feel more real (or a step towards making Piedpiper's metaverse dreams feel more real lmao) After watching the Sinka live series progress throughout 2023, it's not just about getting a first look at Kamitsubaki City's various avenues in 3D. At the root of the Sinka lives is VWP themselves, who they were before they became virtual singers, how they have progressed throughout their careers, and how they have changed into who they are now. It's nice to know that as Kamitsubaki are working at a rapid pace trying to expand VWP's lore and IP, VWP and their music are still at the heart of it all. Each of them individually releasing some of their most heartfelt songs during the Sinka live series confirms it even more. After reading some of Piedpiper's tweets, I feel as though the Sinka live series affirms VWP's relationships with their virtual singer selves. (I'm sure they each have their own feelings about their virtual identities, however Piedpiper has been highlighting the constrictions and benefits of being virtual artists recently.) And it seems as though their relationships with being virtual artists are going to continue to evolve as they constantly innovate what virtual artists can do. As we saw throughout the various Sinka lives, VWP and their alter 3 selves (Piedpiper's term for their fictional selves created for the VWP lore) became one. It's obvious with all the new projects they've announced that VWP are going to take on more narrative-based projects, which means VWP are going to be voice-acting and challenging themselves more and more. Which is great for those that have been waiting for VWP's lore to be developed! I'm glad it feels like VWP and Kamitsubaki are diving headfirst into developing the VWP lore. With Gensho II starting off 2024, the future is going to contain so much for Kamitsubaki!

#i meant to post this a month ago im sorry #they put idyllic on spotify and albemuth announced their disbandment while this was in the drafts but im not editing it lmao #really really hope the vvp anime turns out good #vwp's future is full of opportunities! happy for them #no but it was a really good live being a kamitsubaki fan isnt like anything else #kamitsubaki #vtuber #vsinger #kamitsubaki studio #vwp #harusaruhi #kaf #isekaijoucho #rim #koko

9 notes · View notes

isadora-greenhall · 1 month

Note

hi sorry to bother you I just saw your reblog of the kim possible post and your tags and I CANNOT for the life of me remember where that photo with the woman with mug is from and you seem to know so if you could enlighten me that would be FAB!!!!!

Absolutely no worries at all! It’s a screenshot from probably the best tiktok of all time (or, at least, it is imo 😂❤️)

youtube

The way she says “MWAH! Sobbin’!” lives rent free in my brain 😂

(Video transcript under cut)

[TRANSCRIPT: a woman wearing a headset is typing. a second woman comes in and prepares a cup of tea

2nd woman (cheery voice): Morning Jill!

1st woman, Jill (equally cheery voice): Morning Tracey! (takes off headset)

Tracey: What you get up to this weekend?

Jill (still cheery): Oooh, I had a lovely little breakdown!

Tracey (excited): Did you?

Jill: I did, yeah. Really treated myself. I felt on the brink all week, so I decided to stalk my ex just to push myself over the edge

Tracey: Jonathan?

Jill: That's the one

Tracey: Oh, he's got a gorgeous new girlfriend

Jill: I know!

Tracey: Niiice

Jill: And he's just landed himself his dream job

Tracey (awkward tone): Oh…and you're here…(upbeat) Ideal!

Jill: But that only had me tearing up, so I pushed it a little bit further. Tried on a dress from five years ago

Tracey: You bugger!

Jill: Then I grabbed a bottle of wine, box of McVities, whacked on the news, accidentally opened up my phone on selfie mode! And MWAH! (Kisses fingers) Sobbing

Tracey (satisfied tone): Oh! That sounds good!

Jill: Felt amazing. There's nothing like a good cry

Tracey: You must have felt really born

Jill: Oh, certainly felt like I was being birthed by that dress afterwards Both: Mmm…

Tracey blows on her tea

Jill: How about you?

Tracey: Oh, I just saw some family

Jill: Aww. (realisation) Oh, so MASSIVE breakdown?

Tracey: HUGE.

end.]

#I’m gonna add a transcript in a little while after I’ve finished waking up fully 🫡#asks #lets-dissect #had to do a bit of brainstorming with a friend (shout out Travis!) to remember enough of the details to be able to google this tiktok and #it’s 100% worth it I laugh every time I see it like it’s the first time #gonna tag this as #jill #Tracy #mwah sobbing #so I can find it in future :3

6 notes · View notes

cariantha · 2 years

Text

Preliminary Observations (Intern Year Series)

Book: Open Heart, Book 1, Chapter 2 Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Sawyer Brooks) Rating: General Category: Ethan’s POV Word Count: 1.8K Summary: Harper asks Ethan to share his impressions of the new interns after their first day on the job.

Ethan was in the diagnostics office finalizing some paperwork before calling it a day and heading to Donahue’s to decompress. He frequented the pub a few nights a week, usually to grab a beer and some dinner before heading home. Sometimes he would treat himself to a nice glass of scotch, a reward after a long and stressful day. It was most definitely going to be one of those nights. It was July 1st. The most dreaded day of the year. The day that a new cohort of interns showed up to wreak havoc in the hospital. And as anticipated, it had been an exhausting day of babysitting and putting obnoxious ass-kissers in their place.

Donahue’s was down the street from Edenbrook and a popular hangout for hospital staff. For Ethan, it was an airlock between work and home. A place to grieve losses or celebrate victories and leave the stresses of the workday behind.

Ethan wasn’t a social person, but he liked to watch people. He was exceptionally observant. It was fascinating to him what you could learn about a person when observing them in “the real world.” And over the years he had learned quite a bit about his colleagues, watching from his barstool in the corner.

He knew some of the interns would likely find their way to the local watering hole tonight. No doubt receiving an invitation from the friendliest of residents, Dr. De La Rosa. His curiosity about this new batch outweighed the desire to go directly home and avoid any further annoyance. If he was being honest with himself, there was one intern in particular that intrigued him. When he passed through the atrium a little while ago, he overheard a new friend group discussing their plans for the evening, and she confirmed that she would be there tonight.

“Knock, knock,” Harper said as she rapped on the frame of the open door. “Got a minute?”

“I was just getting ready to leave for the night,” Ethan said as he signed off on the last of his paperwork.

“I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to check in. I know how much you look forward to this day each year,” she teased him. “So, what do you think of the new crop?” she asked moving to take the seat next to him at the table.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, squeezed his eyes shut, and took a deep breath. “They’re interns, Harper. They are annoying as all hell.” He started to rub the tension from his neck.

“Here, let me help you with that,” she said seductively, brushing his hand aside to replace it with her own.

“Harper, please,” he said sternly. Gently he grabbed her wrist and moved her hand back to her lap.

Ethan had been warding off her advances for a few weeks now. He recognized the pattern and knew she wanted to be “on” again. And truth be told, he was tired of the on/off situation. He respected her immensely, but was bored with her as a romantic partner. The last time they were officially together, conversations rarely strayed away from work. Sex was satisfying, but nothing mind-blowing. The investment in whatever kind of relationship they attempted, no longer worth the return. Her becoming Chief was a convenient excuse to end things for good.

Seemingly unphased by yet another polite rejection, she continued. “I heard the Internal Medicine floor had several emergencies, and that the code team was spread pretty thin this afternoon.”

“Yes, it was a busy day. We had simultaneous code blues called this afternoon,” Ethan stated. “Unfortunately, the patient that the code team was called to first didn’t make it. The doctors for the other patient were thankfully able to pull her through.”

“Wow, it sounds like the interns on this floor got to see quite a bit of action today!”

“I suppose so.”

“So… did any of those interns stand out to you today?” she said, secretly hoping that her niece was one of them. “I also need to know if you scared any of them shitless and made them quit already. We do have candidates on a waitlist praying for that to happen,” she laughed.

Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew all she really cared about was Aurora’s performance today. “Harper, I was just trying to make sure no one unnecessarily died today. I wasn’t really giving any one of them too much thought,” he lied. He had been giving one a lot of thought actually. His recommendation for the intern program. He had seen a lot of potential in her application and she hadn’t disappointed on her first day in action.

“Come on, Ethan,” Harper nudged, “I know you well enough to know you were paying closer attention than that. You're the reason we all stopped placing bets on interns. You called it every time. You have an uncanny ability to see those with the most, and least, potential. I don’t know if it’s your keen diagnostic skills or a Spidey-sense…” she said, shaking her head with a laugh, “but obviously my strategy of counting how many times an intern is caught crying in the supply closet is flawed.”

Ethan gave her a polite laugh.

“So, go on and tell me, who are you betting on this year?”

“Fine,” he said exasperated, not wanting to play this game with her. “Based on my preliminary observations today, I would bet on Varma and Brooks. From what I observed today, Dr. Varma has the ambition and drive to be successful here. She's aggressive and has a tactless attitude, but she’s quite intelligent. And she won’t be scared easily.”

“And Brooks…” he thought for a moment, “she has tremendous potential-”

“Are you just saying that because she was the intern candidate you recommended for the program?” Harper quickly retorted.

“Are you just asking that because I didn’t say Aurora?” he snapped back letting her know he was on to her. “And no,” he said firmly, “if you’ll allow me to explain. It’s because she'll always do what she thinks is right-”

“That's not always a good thing, Ethan,” she interrupted again.

“It will be for her patients.”

Before she could debate him further, Naveen strolled into the room. “Hello, you two!” he said, walking up behind them and placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

“Hi, Naveen. How have you been?” she asked as he took the seat on the other side of Ethan. She noticed his labored breathing. “Hey, are you okay? You seem to be quite out of breath.”

“I’m fine, dear. Just winded from taking the stairs. I’m not as young as I used to be,” Naveen chuckled, glancing over to Ethan. The two men shared a knowing look. Steering the attention away from himself, he asked, “So, what were you two chatting about when I so rudely interrupted?”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that. I was just asking Ethan if any of the new interns made a good first impression today?”

“And I shared with Harper that I believe an intern by the name of Brooks has a bright future here at Edenbook. She has incredible instinct. She pays attention, listens, is teachable…” Ethan trailed off thinking back to his interactions with Dr. Brooks throughout the day. He slid his hand into the pocket of his lab coat and felt the chocolate candy bar she tossed at him earlier in the day.

Naveen caught an unusual gleam in his mentee’s eye. “Ah, yes, Dr. Brooks. She appears to have earned quite the reputation already, if you believe what you hear at the nurses’ station,” Naveen shared conspiratorially. “The intern who performed an emergency thoracotomy on her first day, but what’s more, the intern who called Dr. Ramsey an asshole and lived to tell the tale,” he laughed. “She must be very pretty to boot. Some of the nurses are already throwing shade, because rumor has it Dr. Brooks already has several admirers.”

“Throwing shade, Naveen?” Harper snorted. While she teased Naveen about how often he referred to the Urban Dictionary, Ethan was momentarily distracted. He acknowledged to himself that, yes, Sawyer was indeed a very attractive woman. He thought about how she had the most captivating and beautiful verdant green eyes.

“Wait, people are saying she called me an asshole?!” Ethan interrupted as Naveen’s previous words settled in. He felt a sudden pang of disappointment in his chest and started to wonder why he suddenly cared what an intern thought of him. “For Christ’s sake, who comes up with this stuff?” Ethan shook his head in disbelief. He remembered the events of the day perfectly and did not recall any name-calling. Even if she had called him an asshole, to his face or behind his back, it would have been justified. He was intentionally critical of her throughout the day. Regardless of the fact that she performed exceptionally well under the circumstances, he needed to push her to see the full extent of her potential. “Naveen, I swear to God, you are just as bad as the nurses spreading these ridiculous rumors.”

“Be that as it may, Ethan, word on the street is there’s an intern who’s not afraid of you,” he chuckled. “You’re either getting soft, or it appears this young lady found a crack in that hard exterior of yours,” he winked.

“You really are insufferable, you know that? You are a respected and world-renowned physician. Don’t you have better things to do than get caught up in this bullshit?”

Harper sensed his frustration building and shifted the conversation. “What about Aurora? How’d she do today?” she asked, finally getting to the point of their conversation.

“I really wouldn’t know. She had been assigned with Dr. Brooks to the patient who coded but-”

“The patient who died?” Harper asked with a worrisome tone.

“No, the patient who Dr. Brooks and Dr. Varma kept alive without the support of a code team,” Ethan explained. “Brooks called the code. Varma heard the call for help and jumped in to assist.” Ethan arched his eyebrow and gave Harper a knowing look. “Apparently, Aurora had more important things to do than work with Dr. Brooks on this case.”

“Oh… oh, well… I’ll have a talk with her about that,” she stammered, knowing full well she was responsible for pulling Aurora away from this particular case in lieu of more interesting ones. Suddenly wanting to get home to discuss damage control with Aurora, Harper stood up. “Ethan, I know you were trying to get out of here and I don’t want to keep you any longer. Thanks for the feedback. Naveen, it was a pleasure as always,” she smiled politely.

Naveen smiled back, “Good night, Harper. Have a pleasant evening.”

“You too,” she nodded. “Good night, Ethan.”

“Good night,” he said as she turned to walk away. “Oh, and Harper? My prediction for who won’t be here by the end of the year… It's the Doogie Howser-looking kid. The scrawny one with the curly blonde hair. I can’t remember his name, and if he continues to cower behind the others, I honestly won’t be bothered to learn it.”

Intern Year Series: < Previous / Next >

Tag List: @potionsprefect @choicesficwriterscreations

#open heart #open heart choices #open heart fanfic #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc #ethan x sawyer #choices stories you play #choices open heart #playchoices #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week

62 notes · View notes

steele-soulmate · 7 months

Text

Tattooed Wings, CHAPTER 452, Peter Steele & OFC, Soulmate AU

SUMMARY: Mary Claire Bradley meets her soulmate- literally- the famous Peter Steele of metal group Type O Negative. But will obstacles including trauma, stalkers, and toxic family members get in the way of their life?

WARNING: mentions of child rape (nothing graphic) PTSD, milk kink, soft smut, grinding, assault, fingering, hand jobs, blow jobs, 69, P in V sex, blood, noncon rape, blood, violence, death, vandalism, graffiti, attempted kidnapping, break-ins, wild animal attacks, terrorist attack (sabotage) consensual impregnation, bareback, impregnation kink, creampies, terrorist attacks (shootings) neonatal death

WORDS: 1104

“Hello, Ratajczyk family!” Dr. Ildessa greeted us all as she sailed into the examination room to conduct the sixteen week ultrasound. “Are you ready to find out if mommy is having a little boy or a little girl?”

“Yay yay!” cheered Baby Tommy, in his father’s arm with little girl next to him as everyone watched as the doctor talked about what she was doing and why.

“This may be cold,” she warned me before squirting on a thick dallop of gel, making me scream at the sudden chill.

PUNCH PUNCH KICK when the little baby, as though saying be careful with my mommy!

“Do you have names picked out?” Dr. Ildessa asked with a knowing smile.

“Brandon Edward if it’s a little man,” I told her with a giggle.

“And Violet Marie if it’s a little lady,” Peter rumbled.

“Well before I tell you what your mommy’s having, do we have any guesses?” she asked.

“A girl!” announced Elizabeth, Katie and Baby Tommy agreeing.

“Bwoddo!” little girl pouted.

“Well, say hello to your little sister!” she laughed.

The room simply exploded. Peter was sobbing as he hugged the babies tightly to his chest, Elizabeth, Elle, Katie and Jing were doing a sort of war dance all around the room and Dr. Ildessa was laughing as she printed out plenty of pictures to go around.

“Hello Baby Violet Marie,” I murmured, tears brimming in my eyes as the doctor wiped the gel off from my tummy using a damp cloth. “I’m your mommy.”

KICK PUNCH KICK PUNCH KICK KICK

Forty minutes later, Peter was driving the family to get celebratory ice cream and I was readying a gender reveal post for my Instagram account. I had taken pictures a few days ago, using appropriate color combinations- hunter green and royal blue for Baby Bradnon Edward and soft violet and pale pink for Baby Violet Marie.

@Mary_Claire_Ratajczyk_Official, IT’S A GIRL! Violet Marie Ratajczyk is coming November 1st 2025 with@therealpetersteeleofficial #itsagirl #Ratajczykbaby #babyvioletmarie

Almost at once the comments began to roll in.

@kellykent, such exciting news! A new member of the family! I wonder who she will look more like- her mommy or her daddy? either way, Baby Violet Marie is be an adorable baby!

@Peter_Steele===========8) welcome to the TON family, Baby Violet Marie!

@jaqueszewhipperofficial, YAY ANOTHER BABY FOR ME TO WHIP SONGS TOO

@kylecamp, I’m literally squealing right now like SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE it’s a wittle baby! And not just any baby- but a RATAJCZYK BABY!!!

@lzziegreen, post pictures!

As we all dug into our ice cream in different flavors of chocolate, vanilla, cookies and cream, peanut butter fudge and brownie chocolate chunk, I felt a peace overcoming me as I settled my hand over Baby Violet Marie.

“You are already so loved and wanted little Baby Violet Marie,” I hummed, thinking back to the first three months of constant morning sickness. The kids had really stepped up; Katie and Elizabeth trailing right after me whenever I would race to the bathroom, one holding my curls away from my face and the other filling up a cup with water from the sink. Little girl and Baby Tommy both really enjoyed curling up next to their unborn sister and talking to her in a baby’s babble, only understandable by other babies.

“Mommy, I don’t think I want kids,” Katie frowned into her half eaten chocolate and vanilla swirled ice cream. “I don’t want to be sick all the time.”

“Well Katie, my morning sickness with Baby Tommy was all but nonexistent,” I told her bluntly. “For some women, it’s rougher to go through.”

“I also don’t want to push a baby though my belly button,” she grumbled, pulling her shirt up to poke at her outie. “I like it just the way it is!”

Peter had been taking a bite of his treat but started choking at hearing Katie’s pregnancy fears. He pounded his chest before clearing his throat, chuckling at her words.

“I’m sorry Katie, but WHAT?” he laughed at her reasoning while Elizabeth looked rather nonplussed. “Where do you think babies come from?”

“Babies form in the mommy’s tummy out of love between her and the daddy,” she explained. “The baby bakes for nine months before being born through the mommy’s belly button!”

“Oh my goodness…” I giggled, getting my phone out. “Katie, can you please repeat that?”

@Mary_Claire_ Ratajczyk _Official, please don’t grow up so quickly, Katie Ratajczyk!

#katiekisses #astoldbykatie #katieknowsbest #pleasedontgrowupsofast #livelaughlove

@kellykent, well, she’s TECHNICALLY not wrong…

@petesteele4ever, who’s going to tell her the truth?

@Peter_Steele===========8) her teenaged years will be interesting… for sure!

@elizabethharp, you know nothing, Katie Ratajczyk

@lzziegreen, she’s cute and can get away with having this ideology

I chuckled as the comments started rolling in, retucking my phone back into my bra for safekeeping as I returned back to my cookie and cream ice cream.

Oh Baby Violet Marie, I thought, ducking my face as a blushing smile overtook my cheeks. Welcome to the mayhem- and now you aren’t allowed to ever leave us.

“Hey sweetheart?” I caught my husband’s smoldering green eyes and smiled at him, telling him that I was listening. “The band is set to play at a bar in New Jersey tomorrow night. It’s to be an adults only affair, so we will need to leave the kids with Isabelle, okay?”

“Okay, that does sound like fun!” I agreed in a merry chirp as Baby Violet Marie continued moving around.

KICK KICK KICK PUNCH PUNCH KICK PUNCH KICK

TAGLISTS ARE OPEN/ ASK BOX IS OPEN/ REQUESTS ARE OPEN/ PLOT BUNNIES ARE WELCOMED

If you liked this, then please consider buying me a coffee HERE It only costs $3!!!

PETER STEELE TAGLIST

@starchild0985

#Real person fiction (RPF)#Tattooed Wings #Peter Thomas Ratajczyk #Type O Negative #Vanessa Rose Pickings/ little girl #Special needs baby #Aria Bradley #Evie Bradley #Deaf #American Sign Language (ASL)#Elizabeth Ratajczyk #Alopecia #Thomas Joseph Ratajczyk/ Baby Tommy #Autism #Katie Ratajczyk #Down’s Syndrome #Baby Violet Marie #Neonatal death #Matching tattoos soulmate AU

0 notes

wyrdo01 · 10 months

Text

[Play video file]

(Seems like this video dates back a week ago it seems, in it shows Roya and wyrdo talking about something, which devolved into arguing...)

Bitch all I'm saying is that the Leos in wing are more decent than the show showed off! I mean fuck sake the Leos are fighting fucking Gundams that can outright tank actual missiles and hi powered beam fire!

"Ok then bucket buckaroo, explain why the hell they constantly like to just blow up by even one FUCKING BULLET!"

1st its due to stormstrooper syndrome, which is the fact that despite having more than adequate armor, they still get killed due to the show making look like THEY WERE MADE OF FOCKING PAPER AND GUNPOWDER!!! The fucking wanted to move up the plot and battle scenes as much as they can!

(Wyrdo raises their arms up in frustration)

2nd! The design is more versatile than what its given credit for its made for almost any kind of mission role it needs to be filled. And its simplicity allowed for even more ease of access of repairs and part replacements! The GMs and zaku have a much harder time to be refitted properly do so and are more expensive due to the fact they have have to make a new Variant FOR EVERY SITUATION the damn things come across! Not that the GMs were any good anyways especially the GM sniper II!

"Bullshit on that last part! The GM sniper II was roughly equal to grandpa Rx-78-2, with the specs it has it was the perfect ace Mobile suit for the Feds!"

That was until scarlet team got wiped by a zeon prototype like a bitch. Oh and let's not forget the fucking 'cold district type' that was pathetic to all distortion world.

"OK fucker in its defense it was a more powerful and agile GM that was supposed to be a response to the Rick Doms, it just so happens that the plot demanded them to get jobbed hard like a flare grunt!"

(Wyrdo's eyes rolled upon hearing this)

Hypocrite that you are as of now I say miss I have a Crush on the GM line...

"WHY YOU PIECE OF FUCKIN-"

(Before she finished the video gets cut off suddenly from there)

[Video file end]

#ic #pokeblogging #rotomblr #unreality #irl pokemon #off rotumblr rp #pkmn rp #roya the ex rainbow rocket

1 note · View note

captainsy-cookiemonster · 4 years

Text

Tease

(Gif not mine; found on pinterest!)

Anon requested: Geralt and Reader are teasing each other until Geralt snaps and fucks her until she passes out.

Thank you anon for that request ❤️

Summary: You accompany your brother Jaskier and the famous White Wolf on their travels through the Continent. Over the time, you start to catch feelings for the lonesome Witcher, and you decide to act on them – your parents didn’t raise a coward after all. So you keep teasing and teasing, waiting for his strong patience to snap. And when it does, it’s far more than you bargained for.

Pairing: Geralt x 1st person reader; Jaskier x sister!reader

Warnings: +18 minors dni, SMUT (obviously); teasing (badly written, I suck at flirting); rough sex; multiple orgasms (a total of seven); dom/sub; male!dom/fem!sub; mentions of body fluids; overstimulation; begging; marking; size!kink; mature language; took a slightly darker twist towards the end of the, uhm, session; little fluff at the end; friends to lovers (?)

If you're uncomfortable with any of this, do not read!

A/N: Dear anon, I’m sorry i took so long for this. I started this weeks ago and then got stuck... I hope it turned out like you expected.💕

Word count: 6.7k (yup, I can’t keep it short)

Title: Tease

Tagging @littlefreya, @princess-of-riviaa, @cherry-acid, @ohjules and @achaoticaugust. Figured you might like it ☺️💕

Enjoy ❤️ feedback and reblog are always welcome and appreciated 💕

“Is that the best you can do?” I pant as I raise my blade, pointing it at my opponent, who, with a deep growl, does the same. He swings his sword at me and I dodge it expertly, swinging my own sword at him in return. He delivers blow after blow, and I either block or dodge every single one of them. The dance lasts for a while. We let out teasing remarks, echoed by the clashing of our swords. All the while, my brother sits on a log by the campfire, strumming his lute, composing his next song.

Yeah, being the daughter of the Viscount of Lettenhove has its perks. Father lets us do whatever we want. He was the one who allowed Jaskier to travel the Continent before going to Oxenfurt for some education fitting his status. He was the one who trained me in swordfight and fencing when I asked. And when Jaskier showed up at home two months ago, accompanied by none other than the famous Geralt of Rivia, father allowed me to go with them.

“You fight like an angry kitten, girl!”

About half an hour passes and the sword in my hands begins to feel heavy, but if there is one thing father has taught me, it’s to never let your opponent know they have the upper hand.

“What?” I challenge, “Don’t you have more?”

“Oh, my lady, I could go on for hours,” the White Wolf grins at me tauntingly, bearing his fangs, “but I doubt you can.”

I clench my jaw, frustrated with how easily he read me. With a weak battlecry, I charge at him, but my grip isn’t as strong as it had been an hour ago, and sweaty palms made the handle slippery.

Geralt knocks the sword from my hands in a matter of seconds, spins me around and pulls me against his chest, his blade resting against my throat with just enough pressure to let me know I’ve been defeated.

“It seems, my lady,” he growls into my ear, “That you’re not as strong as you think you are.”

I blame it on the exhaustion that I let my body fall slack against his incredibly broad one, letting out a long breath in an attempt to slow my racing heartbeat. I’m lost in the moment, feeling the flex of Geralt’s strong chest against my back. My mind is racing straight to the gutter with the thoughts of his body against mine. He’s large, handsome and seems to have quite the stamina. In short, I want him. I wanted him ever since the stepped a foot onto my father’s court.

So now I stand there, pressed against him, my head barely reaching his shoulder, his sword against my neck and his growled remark still ringing through my ears. Well, until –

“Hey, listen to this!” Jaskier calls and Geralt quickly lets go of me, marching over to slump down on a log and tears the leg off the rabbit that’s been roasting over the fire. With a little blush tinting my cheeks, I saunter over to where my brother is seated, intentionally passing the Witcher. I sway my hips more than necessary. I know he’s staring.

***

“Sit still, for crying out loud!” I hiss for what feels like the tenth time in just a few minutes. My hands are bloody, the needle slippery and the Witcher’s constant flinching isn’t helping. A bruxa had almost gotten the better of him and it was on me to stitch up the long gash bitch had left along his ribs.

“And they call me a butcher,” Geralt grumbles and then supresses a hiss of pain as I make another stitch.

“It would hurt less if you would stay still,” I mutter, “Or do you want me to kiss it better?”

“As much as I would like that, my lady, I doubt that would work.”

“Then stop whining and let me do what I need to do.”

An hour later, he lies in his bed, ribcage bandaged, and high on herbs that should soothe his pain. I sit at his side watching him, while my brother is out earning some extra coin downstairs in the tavern. Absentmindedly, I run my fingers through the Witcher’s tangled and dirty mane, caress his strong jaw. Luckily, he’s out as a light, so he doesn’t notice.

He looks peaceful now, handsome features relaxed for once. He’s gorgeous, and there is no denying that he makes me feel a certain way. Lost in thought, I keep caressing his cheek and jaw, thread my fingers through his hair. There is a thin sheen of sweat lining his brow, rebuilding within a few minutes every time I wipe it away.

I quickly pull my hand back when I see him stir. Geralt groans in pain, attempting to sit up. In a flash, my hands are on his shoulders, pushing him back down gently but determined.

“No, no, Witcher. Stay down. I’m not stitching you up again,” I scold, dabbing a little sweat off his brow, – again – lingering for just a second longer than necessary.

“You wouldn’t have to in the first place, if you had just followed my orders,” he grunts, then groans again, another attempt to sit up failing.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I exclaim, throwing my hands in the air in frustration, “But I guess you can be happy someone was willing to play the bait. What would you have done if I hadn’t been there?”

Geralt remains quiet while I turn my back and march over to the table, mixing a new dose of herbs.

“Thought so,” I mutter.

***

Weeks later, Jaskier had convinced Geralt to play bodyguard at some royal banquet – not for the first time, I gathered.

“Well, don’t you clean up nicely,” I grin as I barge into the Witcher’s room, finding him with combed hair for once, while Jaskier tugs the dark blue doublet in place over the light grey shirt, “Why no armour, though?”

“Ask your brother,” Geralt just grumbles, definitely uncomfortable in those new clothes.

I simply shrug and step closer to the broad man, the heavy skirts of my gown rustling as I go.

Bold hands move to touch his medallion, turning the pendant around, so the engraved side is facing outward again. Featherlight, I run my fingertips along the outlines of the snarling wolf, before I let my fingers linger on his chest.

Peering up at him, innocently through my lashes, I catch him staring down at me, not at my face but lower, at the soft swell of my breasts, peeking out from my tightly laced bodice I’ve grown used to over the years.

Once he realizes he’s staring, he clears his throat loudly and takes a step back.

“We should get going,” he mutters, before stepping out of the room.

I’m left behind to stare at Jaskier, dumbfounded. My brother just shrugs, linking his arm with mine to lead me down to the great hall.

The large room is swarming with nobility, the fewest of them I had met before. We find Geralt leaning against the wall, a pint of ale in hand, and not long after, I stand next to him, dumped by Jaskier so he could perform. There is a tense silence between us while I search for something to talk about.

“This isn’t the first time you watch over my brother at a royal party?” I ask clumsily.

“No,” is all Geralt grumbles in return and for a moment, the silence between us continues. Then, “The first time was in Cintra. Didn’t end well.”

I turn to him, surprised that he’s taking. “What happened?” I ask, wide-eyed and curious.

“That’s none of your business, my lady.”

“Jaskier told me you claimed the Law of Surprise? Where is that child it got you?” The question slips out before I can stop it. Anxiously, I bite my tongue while waiting for his answer.

“Where should it be? It’s in Cintra, where it belongs,” comes his grunted reply after a moment.

“You didn’t claim it?”

“No.”

And the silence resumes, weighing heavier than ever. A few young nobles approach over the time, asking me for a dance, but I politely decline every single one of them. There’s only one man here tonight I’d want to dance with, and he’s not even talking to me. Still, I feel him tense up every time the words “My lady, would you honour me with a dance?” are said.

Dinner is served soon enough, and passes rather quickly. All the while, I can feel the Witcher’s glances, but I don’t pay much attention to him, catching up with a friend I haven’t seen in a long time. When he asks me for a dance, I don’t deny him, letting him lead me to the dancefloor. Geralt’s eyes don’t leave me for even one second, until, finally, I see him get up from his seat and come over, determination in his step, making the ground shake – or am I the only one who feels that way?

“Mind if I take over?” his deep, smooth voice sounds honey-sweet as he steps up to us.

“Of course, Sir,” the young knight bows and lets go of my hand and waist. He bows low as we part and I curtsy quickly, straightening back up to meet the Witcher’s amber gaze, a hint of anger dancing in his eyes like a little flame. Within a blink, his right hand is splayed out over the expanse of my lower back, his other one swallowing my own whole, making me feel small and trapped against his large form – an addicting feeling that I’ve craved since the moment I met him.

Geralt starts to sway to the slow music and I follow as he leads me across the dancefloor with surprising ease. Every single step is precise, sheer dominance radiating off him. I wouldn’t have expected a ‘savage’ Witcher, how many people called them still, to be talented in ballroom dancing.

“I didn’t know you could dance,” I smirk up at him, not letting this new discovery intimidate me – his size compared to mine, so close, does that already, but I won’t let it show.

“I get around,” is all he mutters in reply.

“So I’ve noticed.” There’s a moment of silence between us and I use it to trail my hand from his shoulder down his bulging biceps and back up to rest against his chest. I notice him staring at my cleavage again and I bite the inside of my lip not to laugh.

“You think you can do that, hm?” he growls after a while and pulls me closer, chests touching lightly.

“Do what?” I ask innocently, blinking up at him.

“Don’t play coy now; you know exactly what I mean.”

“I am afraid I do not, Witcher.”

“So you want me to spell it you for you, do you?” Geralt hisses.

On the outside, I keep my innocent mask, giving Geralt a questioning look. But inwardly, I’m squealing and grinning. I had finally gotten to him, after months of hinting and teasing, all it had taken was a little bit of jealousy.

“You think you can tease me for months and then take the first chance you get to flirt with another man?” he almost spits.

I bite my lip and peer at him through my lashes. “Well, yes?”

“Oh no, you cannot.” With these words, he pulls me flush against his body and smashes his lips on mine in an urgent kiss. I kiss back just as needy, letting him pry my lips apart without resistance, welcoming his slippery, talented tongue in my hot cavern. The dance long forgotten, we stand on the dancefloor, tightly entwined in each other, letting our tongues do the dancing now.

“Fuck,” I whisper against his lips once Geralt pulls back to let me breathe. Without another word, he takes my hand and leads me out of the hall. If I had glanced over my shoulder, I would have seen Jaskier grinning and nodding at us, but I didn’t, too caught up in the Witcher leading me away.

I stumble after him, struggling to match his fast and urgent pace. Some people give us weird looks, but neither of us cares. Once in an empty hallway, Geralt slams my back against the stone wall, cornering me with his large body. He stares down at my heaving chest.

“My eyes are up here,” I giggle breathlessly, cupping the back of his neck with both hands and pulling him in for another deep kiss. He growls against my lips, the deep rumble shooting straight to my core, slickening my waiting cove.

“How many of these nobles do you know?” he murmurs against my skin as he moves to nip on my neck.

“Too many for you to fuck me here in the hall,” I pant, before biting back a moan threatening to escape.

“Pity. I could take you right against this wall,” he growls.

“As much as I would love that, Geralt, my father would disown me if he was to ever find out,” I mumble, trying to catch my breath.

“That you fucked a Witcher?”

I shake my head, laughing a lightly, “That I fucked in public; not to mention at a royal court. My father does not hold grudges against you Witchers. If he did, he would have never allowed me to come with you,” I point out, playing with the collar of his shirt. “You look very nice, by the way.” I smile up at him, suddenly shy.

“I would have preferred my armour, bu-” I cock my eyebrow at him and he stops his grumbling, smiling down at me softly, “Thank you. You do too, my lady.”

I grin and pull him in for another short kiss, before saying, “But I believe we’d both look better without all these constricting layers. Am I not right?”

Geralt doesn’t say anything, just lets go of a deep growl that makes me shudder before pulling me along the long hallways of the castle towards his assigned chamber. Once inside, he backs me up against the locked door with a predatory look in his eyes.

“You’re really asking for this, aren’t you?” he growls as he grips my hips tightly and pins me to the door.

“Oh fuck, yes,” I breathe in response, fumbling to push the doublet over his broad shoulders. He shrugs it off, the fabric rustling quietly as it falls to the ground. With my fingers tangled in his hair, the Witcher dives forward to claim my lips again, the kiss more urgent than minutes ago.

“How important is that dress to you?” he mutters against my mouth, nipping at my bottom lip, the day-old stubble on his jaw scratching my tender skin as he speaks.

“W-what?”

“I said, how important is that dress to you, my lady. Because I am tempted to tear it off you.”

I swat his hand away playfully as he starts tugging at the bottom of my bodice. “Don’t you dare, Witcher!” Geralt pulls his hands away and allowing me to turn around, my chest pressing against the chill wood as he slowly leans in to start unlacing, lips caressing every inch of skin that’s revealed to his eyes. The bodice falls to the ground with a quiet thud, followed by the rustling of my heavy skirt.

“Too many fucking layers,” Geralt grumbles, tugging at my slip and corset until both join the heaps of fabric on the floor, “But I can still smell how wet you are for me, girl.”

I gasp at his words, turning abruptly to throw my arms around his neck. I pull him in deep, and let him kiss me even deeper. Geralt’s hands wander from my waist down to the back of my thighs, but not before giving the cheeks of my behind a firm, long squeeze. A moan slips escapes my throat, spurring him on as he hikes my legs up to wrap around his waist.

Within seconds, my back is flush against the wall, hips grinding desperately against the hard planes of the Witcher’s body, seeking for some kind of friction. A deep growl erupts from the large animal as he devours my mouth, and suddenly, the constant pressure against my beck is gone, but soon replaced by the sweet softness of the castle’s expensive bedsheets.

Geralt lays me down on the bed, kneeling up for a moment, letting his eyes hungrily rake over my trembling form.

“You’re beautiful, little kitten,” he rasps, before diving back in to claim my lips, but he doesn’t remain there for long.

Slowly, he kisses his way from my lips to my jaw and down my neck, leaving little marks as he goes. He nips and licks at my collarbone, the dark purple marks a stark contrast to my skin. Geralt pulls back a little, admiring his work with lust-blown pupils. My body shakes in anticipation under his hot stare, the gold in his eyes glowing like ember, their heat seeping right into my core.

“I’d say the same about you, but I can’t really see you,” I try to purr, but it comes out as clumsy whisper instead, my brain hazed by the large, handsome Witcher above me and what he’s done so far.

With a sound between chuckle and growl, Geralt dives back in, lips, tongue and teeth caressing and teasing down the valley of my chest, strong hands coming up to firmly knead my tender breast. A whimper slips from my lips as my nipples harden against his rough, warm palms almost instantly, so sensitive, his ministrations send sparks all over my body.

Geralt turns his head and bites into my soft flesh, where it wouldn’t be hidden by any clothes I owned. I gasp as his teeth sink into my breast, gentle, yet hard enough to bruise. He licks and kisses at the stinging skin, humming at my taste as I let out small, breathy moans. The need within my core is burning, I’m trembling and desperate to have him inside me.

“Fuck, Geralt, please,” I whimper weakly between moans and shaky breaths.

He looks at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he grins. “Patience, my lady.” With these words, he moves to my other breast, marking it up just like the one before.

“No, please. He’ll see,” I whine, but my words are empty. Deep inside, I love being marked up by the famous Witcher. Deep inside, I don’t care that my brother will see what we did – he knows anyway.

It doesn’t matter anyway; my words fall to deaf ears. I guess he could smell how wet it was making me, so he keeps going, ignoring my pleas. He travels further down my body, marking my stomach, leaving wet, open-mouthed kisses along my ribs and down my torso. Goose bumps rise on my skin as he blows on the wet patches, making me tremble.

Again, he pulls back, admiring his work: a tiny, trembling girl, marked by his lips, teeth and spit. There is a sense of pride in his eyes, like a predator that is about to devour its prey. Oh and devour me he does.

Within seconds, my undergarments are ripped from my body and my legs thrown over the Witcher’s shoulders, before I can even comprehend what happened. Wide-eyed, I stare down at Geralt, propped up on his elbows between my legs, grinning up at me teasingly.

“Please,” I pant, not knowing what exactly I’m asking for. The Witcher ticks his tongue.

“Patience.”

I let out a whimper, the need within my core growing unbearable, but Geralt just grins and starts nipping at the inside of my thigh, up to where I need him the most, but skips my keening folds, repeating the action on my other thigh.

My mind is swimming with just one thought: I need him. With my head thrown back into the soft pillows, I am panting, pleading for him to do something. But his cruel torture continues. He peppers soft kisses all over my mound, inching closer to my heat oh so slowly.

Unable to take it anymore, my hands find themselves tangled in his long, silky mane, trying to tug him to where I need him.

Geralt chuckles against my skin. “So desperate,” he muses in a rough whisper, but he groans when I tug a little harder than before, then inhales deeply. “Fuck, you smell so sweet, kitten.”

I let out a whine at his words, way beyond the point of forming ones of my own. Another chuckle. Another tug on his hair. And then, finally, he lays a small kiss on my lower lips, making me jolt.

“No one’s ever done that to you, hm?” he observes and I shake my head, “But you’re no virgin either.” Again, I shake my head, then gasp as he licks a broad stripe through my folds, from my slit right to my clit. But he spots just before he can touch my little pearl of pleasure. I can feel it throb and let out a whine of protest, wordlessly begging him. For what I’m begging, I’m not sure, all I know it that there is a pit forming in my gut, burning with hellfire, and only one thing can put it out.

Obeying to my pleading, Geralt repeats his action, this time flicking my little bundle of nerves with just the tip of his tongue. But the sensation is enough for me to cry out and clench around nothing. He hums lowly, dragging his teeth along my lips.

“You taste so much sweeter than I first thought, kitten. Fuck, you taste amazing!”

The vibration of his rough voice registers deep in my core, giving him a new wave of wetness to feast upon. With his eyes set on mine, he licks his lips before sinking into my folds, groaning at the taste.

“Fuck!” I cry out, followed by a string of broken moans as he devours me like a starving man. His tongue laps at my insides, discovering new spots that make me buck, just to hold down my hips in his iron grip.

Everything I feel is so strong and new, that it doesn’t take long for my walls to tremble, the pit in my belly threatening to explode. Desperately, I tug on Geralt's strands, but I don’t know if I want him to go deeper or to stop. My legs shake on his shoulders and threaten to clench around his head, but he keeps them open, grunting like a beast as he fucks me with his tongue.

And then, suddenly, I see white, my whole body tenses and twitches. A faint cry of the Witcher’s name rings in my ears and it takes me a moment to realize that it’s me screaming. Wave after wave of euphoria washes through my body, and I’m panting heavily, feeling boneless and limp as my vision clears.

Heavy-lidded, my eyes settle on the man between my legs. Throughout my climax, he kept licking and sucking, and he isn’t stopping. No. Instead, he picks up the pace, tongue plunging in between my petals, drinking in the honey of my pleasure.

Without warning, a finger joins his tongue, and shortly after, I see white again. When I come down, he still isn’t stopping. Fingers crooking in my core, Geralt latches his lips to my sensitive and throbbing pearl. It’s all too much and within a minute, I cum again, convulsing, trembling, spine lifting off the bed. And still, he keeps his ministrations steady, stroking and caressing my insides with two long and thick fingers, crooking them up, fingertips touching just the right spots, while his tongue keeps tracing patterns my poor, throbbing clit.

“Please, Geralt. No more. I can’t. Please,” I beg, not tugging, but pulling on his hair, trying to get him off me. It’s too much.

My pleading is answered with a growl. Like a dog when you try to steal its bone. Low and threatening. A tiny rush of fear flows through my body. He is not going to stop. Not until he has punished me for teasing him and then flirting with other men. The fear washes a new wave of wetness through my core, which he feasts upon, grunting wildly.

“Please,” I whine, one last time. My voice is meek, hoarse from screaming for him before.

“One more, kitten,” Geralt coos then, “I know you can do it. One more time. Cum for me, kitten.”

My body follows his demand before I can even process what’s happening. I cum around his fingers with a strangled cry, my whole body twitching and trembling. Tears fall from my eyes from the intensity of my orgasm, and when I come down, I’m a shaking and sobbing mess.

This is when Geralt finally pulls his fingers from me. I jolt and whimper weakly when he accidentally makes contact with my clit, only briefly, but it’s enough to send painful sparks of overstimulation throughout my whole body.

Geralt comes crawling up to lie beside me, his face glistening with my juices in the candlelight just like my skin is shining with my sweat.

“You did so good, little kitten,” he coos, pulling me into his arms. I cling onto his shirt, balling the fabric in my fist as I bury my face into his chest. Rubbing gentle circles on my back, Geralt whispers soothingly into my ear, calming me down effectively. Once my sob cease, he pushes me back a little to look straight into my eyes. His face is serious, yet his pupils remain lust-blown. It scares me a little. I dread what’s coming, but it excites me nonetheless.

“You know I’m not done with you yet, right?” he asks, but it’s far from a question. It’s a fact. He’s not done with me. Period.

I bite my lip and nod at him, eyes wide and innocent, as if I hadn’t just let him eat me like it was his last meal on earth.

“Are you ready?” his voice is a tad more gentle, now. I shake my head.

“A few more minutes?” I ask timidly.

“Okay.” Still, Geralt gets off the bed and starts stripping of his clothes.

I can’t help but stare at the glory that is revealed to me. Broad chest is littered with scars in all shapes and sizes, and even if I had seen them before, in this setting they make my breath hitch instead of heart clench. He is beautiful, gorgeous even. Dark curls dusting his pecs and lower abdomen, the line of hair disappearing beneath the waistband of his trousers, but lead no doubt to his treasure.

He sheds of his constricting breeches, the outline of his manhood becoming clearer as he stands in front of me in his pants. My mouth water at the sight of him, more so when with one final push, he stands there, completely bared to my eyes. I can’t help but gape at the glorious sight, the famous White Wolf in all his beauty.

“You’re drooling, my lady,” Geralt chuckles as he climbs back into bed, “Ready?”

Again, I shake my head. The spot between my thighs is still pulsing, still sensitive with every move I make. Yet there is no denying that I want him to be inside me. “Just a little bit,” I whisper.

With a low hum, the Witcher wraps me up in his arms, holding me close in his tight embrace. The way we’re laying, it’s almost impossible not to feel his hardness pressing to my side. He’s throbbing already, wet with precum and just as huge as the rest of Geralt.

“Just ignore it,” he mumbles, noticing the slight shift in my breathing, “Wait until you’re ready.”

I simply nod and nuzzle in deeper to his chest, the iron rod wrapped in velvet he calls his cock now pressing into my hip. As worn out as I am, I want him.

So, I slowly start grinding against him, craning my neck to claim his lips. Willingly, Geralt kisses back, probably relieved that I’m ready. He lets me assume control, holding onto my hips as he rolls to lie on his back, our lips not parting. Geralt lets me go at my pace, patiently caressing up and down my sides. I know, by now he’s so hard it must hurt, but still he isn’t rushing me.

After a few minutes of lazy kisses, I slowly pull back, my hands on his chest for support. Geralt looks up at me questioningly, and I nod. He puts his hand on my hips and guides me to kneel up. My eyes grow wide as I see his length, all hard and heavy against his abdomen.

“You can take it,” he encourages, “We’ll take it slow.”

I nod, biting my lip, and reach for his shaft. But he beats me to it, holding his member in one hand, guiding my hips above the tip with the other. Cautiously, I sway my hips back and forth, feeling the head of his cock just between my petals. I slick him up with my juices, watching as Geralt's face twists with the first bits of pleasure he received that night. I feel a little guilty and start to sink down on him, wincing after just a few inches, my taut canal too sore to take him at once. I lift myself up again and then slowly sink back down, taking him a little deeper than before. I continue until there’s only one third to go. There, I stop myself and take a few calming breaths, bracing myself for what I’m about to do.

“Good, so good,” Geralt coos, not catching on to my plan, “You’re doing amazing, little kitte- Ohh.”

With once swift movement, I sink all the way down on him, crying loudly out when his tip meets my cervix.

“Shit,” I hiss, feeling him stretch me out, farther than any other man before, but begin rocking on him anyway, without giving myself much time to adjust, the pain welcome.

“Fuck,” Geralt mutters as I start to bounce on top of him, speeding up relatively fast. Soon, I’m riding him like a wild horse. The pit in my belly starts to grow just as fast, only making me pick up the pace once again. Bouncing up and down on him, supported by his hands on my hips, I can feel every vein and every ridge of his cock inside me, stroking against my walls just perfectly. The way his tip rams into my cervix with every time I sink down on him hurts deliciously. The room is filled with Geralt's deep groans and grunts, and my loud and high-pitched moans of pleasurable pain. Flames lick at my insides and I clench tightly around him, my pace beginning to falter.

Not long before the coil snaps within, throwing me into the abyss of white-hot euphoria. Again, my vision goes white as I twitch and tense throughout my high. Geralt keeps guiding my hips while my head is thrown back, mouth hanging open with inaudible chants of his name. He catches me when I collapse on his chest and carefully turns us around. He kisses me sweetly while riding me through my bliss, prolonging it.

With a sigh, I come back down and cradle his skull, keeping his lips pressed on mine while he rolls his hips against mine, deep and slow. I wince slightly at the overstimulation, but with him inside me, I’m still not sated, even after five orgasms.

“Can you take it?” Geralt asks, propping himself up on his elbows. I nod, hesitantly, still sensitive, but eager for more. “Good.”

With that, he starts to pick up his pace, the rolling of his hips becomes hard, deep thrusts, that gradually become faster. I cling onto his shoulders, dig my nails into his muscle. He is wild from having to hold back for so long. Animalistic grunts leave his throat, rumbling through my body straight to my core. He’s not gentle. No, he’s rough and demanding, now chasing his own high. But it feels good, somehow, to be nothing but an instrument for his pleasure. It’s only fair that he uses me now, after he had given me not one, but five orgasms. It hurts, the way he is rutting into my cervix. I’m sure it’s bruised by now, but the pain feels so good. So good that I catch myself clenching around him once again.

Tears escape from my eyes, but Geralt kisses them away, thrusts becoming faster, deeper and harder once again.

And then my world goes white for the sixth time tonight. I go limp, twitching and trembling beneath him. I cum, sobbing and crying, convulsing around him, but he keeps going.

“Please, I can’t,” I beg weakly, barely at the brink of consciousness, “N-no more. Geralt, I can’t. Please.”

“You can,” he pants, “Just… one more, kitten. You asked for this. You can do it. I know you can. One more time. For me.”

And so, I hang on as he rams into me, hard and fast. Everything is so intense, borderline painful, but the pain only feeds to the bliss. Apart from hurt and pleasure, my mind is blank. All I can do is cling on to the beast above me; how his muscles flex beneath my fingers. He’s large, and I realize that I couldn’t fight him off, even if I wanted to. I am completely and entirely at his mercy. This thought feeds to my arousal like nothing else.

Soon enough I feel him swell and twitch between my velvet walls, and both his thrusts and groans become even more animalistic. In a brief moment of clarity, I wrap my fingers around the chain around his neck and pull him in for a deep kiss, grunts and cries muffled by our lips on each other. His pace is faltering, hips stuttering, and then he spills himself into my core, hot seed splattering my battered walls. He lets go of a deep moan and keeps rutting into me, making sure I get everything he has. The sensation of his essence shooting inside me send me over the edge. I cry out, curses mingling with his name, my mind in a daze as I fall slack against the bed.

I barely feel how Geralt pulls out carefully and cleans me up, whispering gentle words while I just lie there. I don’t understand the words he’s saying, my mind too far gone, but I feel safe in his presence. My world goes black the moment he pulls me into his protective embrace.

Hours later, I wake up, still trembling and aching. Geralt must have not slept at all, because as soon as I begin to stir, he peppers my face with soft butterfly kisses.

“Shh, you’re safe, little kitten. I got you. Shh,” he coos as I whimper, gently rubbing my arms and back. “Are you okay?” His question is gentle, but when I turn my head to look at him, his face is as serious as it could get.

“Yeah,” I nod weakly, “It just… it hurts a little.” A lie. It hurts a lot. But I want it to hurt. This was the only night I was able to spend with him, I’m certain, so I want to remember it; I want to feel him for weeks.

“I’m sorry. I was too rough. I couldn’t stop myself,” Geralt rambles and I shake my head, cupping his jaw and kiss his stubbled chin.

“It was a lot, but it was amazing,” I giggle, “You were amazing. I don’t think I ever felt this good, and I doubt I will ever feel that way again. Witcher, you’ve ruined me.”

His low, rumbling laugh is music to my ears. “Good, because I intend on keeping you, my lady.”

“I… what. I thought-”

“Shh, sleep now, little kitten. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

With a hum of agreement, I nuzzle up closer to him. Chuckling, Geralt turns to lie on his back and pulls me with him, sprawled out on his chest. There, he hold me close while I press small kisses to the hollow of his throat until I fall back asleep.

The morning comes way too soon, bright rays of sunlight breaking through the gaps in the heavy curtains, shining rudely right into our faces. I groan, nuzzling my face further into Geralt's neck, inhaling his intoxicating musk. He rubs my back, laughing quietly to himself and pulls the blanket higher. But as hard as I try, I can’t seem to fall asleep. I let out a frustrated huff as I lift my head, finding Geralt relaxed, with his eyes closed, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“Morning,” I grumble tiredly, making him chuckle as he opens his eyes, peering down at me.

“Good morning, little kitten. Slept well?” His raspy morning voice makes me melt.

“Mhmhh,” I hum, “Just too short.” I’m silent for a moment, contemplating whether I should say it or not. Fuck it. “But I’ve never slept better.”

“Hmm.”

“You said you’re planning to keep me?” I ask timidly, after another moment of silence.

“Only if you want to, my lady.” He turns to his side, holding me so we can properly look at each other. Though his face remains soft and gentle, I can see something in his eyes that makes my heart hurt. He’s afraid I might reject him, scared to be alone. Carefully, I cup his cheek and capture his lips softly.

“Of course I want to, silly,” I smile as I pull back, “I wasn’t just after you because you seemed like a good fuck, Witcher.”

Geralt dips his head down and kisses me again, full of relief. The kiss slowly but surely becomes deeper. Geralt tugs on my bottom lip with his teeth, making me open my mouth to his tongue. Carefully, he rolls on top of me, caging me with his large body. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him in deeper as our tongues dance.

A knock on the door makes us jump. The door swings open just a second after, giving us no time to, uhm, change our position.

“Good morni- Wow!” Jaskier barges in without much care.

Quickly, I scramble to pull the blankets up to my chin, glaring at my brother, while Geralt flops down next to me.

“My sister and my best friend,” Jaskier gapes jokingly, “About time. I was getting tired of your constant pining. But next time, keep it down a little, will you. I’m sure the whole castle heard you.”

My face heats up and I quickly hide it against Geralt's chest.

“Is there more you wanted to say, Jaskier?” the Witcher grumbles, wrapping me up in his arms.

“No, just that.”

I don’t see it, but I feel the glare that Geralt sends my brother. Shortly after, the door closes with a bang and we’re left alone. Chuckling, Geralt pries my face from the crook of his neck and hold it gently between his large palms.

“Now, where were we?” he smiles before capturing my lips again, sweetly and full of hope.

Needless to say, we spend the whole day in bed, cuddling, kissing and recovering from the night before. Luckily, my brother arranged for food and drinks to be brought to our room – I’m sure I couldn’t walk, I didn’t even bother to try.

“Geralt?” I mumble as we lie in bed, watching the sunset.

“Hm?” he hums, wanting me to continue.

“I’ll follow you, wherever you go,” I whisper, “You do know that, right?”

“I know. But then we have a lot of training to do.” He grins at me, teasingly.

“Oh, so you’re calling me weak?”

“No. You’re definitely not weak. You’ve proven that last night. But there’s still room for improvement.”

“Mhh. Guess you’ll have to protect me, then.” I turn to him, smiling.

“I’ll make sure I’ll do.”

He kisses me sweetly and I sigh against his lips, pulling him close.

#the witcher #the witcher fanfiction #the witcher fanfic #the witcher smut #geralt of rivia #geralt of rivia fanfiction #geralt of rivia fanfic #geralt of rivia smut #geralt smut #geralt of rivia x reader #geralt of rivia x you #geralt of rivia x reader smut #geralt x reader #geralt x you #geralt x reader smut #Jaskier #julian alfred pankratz

5K notes · View notes

helnjk · 3 years

Text

weasley twins birthday headcanons

a/n: happy birthday to literally the best boys. i love them so much pls. here are some headcanons because writing a full fic in time for their birthday just took too much brain power.

the twins are so big on their birthday, like they’re absolutely obsessed

it started when they were young and molly tried to make their celebrations as big as they could because she felt bad that they always shared things, and they had to share something as big as a birthday too

so if they could afford it, there would be 1 celebration for Fred and another celebration for George

this translated over to when they got older too

in hogwarts they would host two parties, one the night before their actual birthday to wait until midnight, and one on the night of their birthday itself

also, i firmly believe they were like trina vega from victorious where they celebrated their birthday for a week instead of just one day

which was why no one would go to bed early on march 31st, not even the professors

no one was going to miss whatever they did to start their birth week

because they always knew the twins had something up their sleeves the second it turned midnight

it was almost always fireworks, but they would never be the same design or kind two years in a row

they also liked making it a week everyone celebrated, so there was usually some sort of game or contest for their friends (or anyone else) to join

one year they had a whole scavenger hunt and the winner was the first person to find one of dumbledore’s old pointed hats

professor mcgonagall won that one

the twins were so surprised she even participated that they were the best students they could be for as long as they could

it lasted a day

in relation to that, their response to anything they didn’t particularly like or agree with on their birth week was always “you can’t do that, it’s my birthday!” or “sorry professor, can’t get a detention on my birthday, it’s just how it is”

“mr. weasley your birthday was three days ago”

“my birthday lasts a week professor”

literally i can see mcgonagall (or any other professor) really just pinching her nose and shaking her head at that

i wouldn’t call it superstition, but they also loved to do things the same way each birthday

fred loves to eat waffles for breakfast on their birthday and george loves to eat pancakes you can’t fight me on this

likewise, fred’s birthday cake was always some sort of cheesecake (his favorite was strawberry though) and george’s cake was always a kind of sponge cake

once, hermione tried to prank them by putting those candles that relight after you blow them, but instead of getting annoyed they thought it was the best thing ever

she gave them a great idea for the wheezes too

they launched their own birthday line with these muggle relighting candles as their fore product

“no magic at all! the muggles love it”

but ofc they had to put their own spin to it so not only did they relight after they were blown away they were also very very hard to blow away in the first place

once they left hogwarts and started www, they would also gift arthur and molly something for their birthday

just as a thank you for everything they did for them growing up

molly teared up the first year they did that when they handed her a charmed knitting basket on the morning of april 1st

“boys if this ends up being a silly prank of yours, i will have hexed you to the next town over before you could say ‘birthday’”

• — • — • — •

General taglist: @expectoevans @george-fabian-weasley @prettywhitedoves @slytherinscribbles @harpyloon @nuttytani @mesmerisedangel @amourtentiaa @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @lumos-barnes @cherryweasleys @writingsomewrongs @the-unmanaged-mischief @mrzweasley @inglourious-imagines @pr3ttysw33t @amrtxntias @miraclesoflove @thatlonelyalto @vogueweasley @slytherinsunrise @thisismynerdyself

Weasley twins taglist: @pineapplesandpinas @papapapadumb @a-castle-of--glass @hey-there-angels @pinkypurplemagic @werewolfslut @surprizeshawtyy @oldschoolkiddo @gcdricreads @turtletaylor98 @secret-obsessions @weaslxyss @serendiipty @nojamsonmytoast @famdomhideout @georgeweasley19 @asuperconfusedgirl @loonylovegood13 @lumielikesbooks @nanahachikyuu @le-weasley-simp @xmalfoyweasleyx @freds-slut @theweasleytwinsgirl @littlemisswitt @astoria-malfcy @weasleysprofessionalhoe @freddie-weaselbee @daydreamgirl8 @jubilee-the-flying-dragon-pirate

#weasley twins headcanon #george weasley headcanon #fred weasley headcanon #fred weasley #george weasley #weasley twins

210 notes · View notes

earthchica · 3 years

Text

ungodly hour ➝ part nine

Chris Evans x Reader OFC! (Zariyah Hawthorne)

Summary: in which Chris and Zariyah have to work alongside each other despite being exes.

Warning: Fluff, Dad! Chris, Baby Evans

Word Count: 2k

Note: like, comment and reblog! 💙

WATTPAD LINK click here

May 4th, 2020 ➝ Boston, Massachusetts

Yesterday was my due date and of course, little one wanted to come a day late and make her arrival different.

My water broke in the middle of the night, Chris rushed me to the hospital as I called our families to tell them that I was in labor.

After hours of contractions, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Chris cried...a lot..especially when the doctor put her in his arms.

I cried when I held her, she was the most precious thing I have seen. She was my daughter and I was her mother.

I touched her hand and she grabbed my finger, cooed into my arms. I couldn't believe that we created something so pure and beautiful.

It was an emotional, exciting moment that Chris and I will cherish for the rest of our lives. When we finally got to bring the baby home.

Chris's family came over to visit her first then my mom and sister came around at noon.

They cried, congratulating and complimenting us on our beautiful bundle of joy.

"Did you two name her yet?" My mom asked, grabbing some tissue from her purse to wipe away her tears.

"Yeah...her name is Nalia Rose Evans," I said softly, looking down at my daughter as she cooed in my arms.

"I love that name," She says, placing a hand over her chest. Nalia began to cry and I immediately knew it was time to feed her.

"I think that's our time to go," Zoey says with a giggle. I walked my mom and sister to the front door while Chris went to get one of Nalia's bottles from the fridge.

I hugged my mom and sister and told them I'll see them later. I closed the front door and went to check on Nalia and Chris.

I smiled sweetly, watching Chris feed Nalia while humming a little song to her. I knew right then and there she was gonna be daddy's girl.

My heart swelled at the two, they were my whole world now, and I wouldn't want to change that for anything in this world.

Chris was happy, he has always wanted to start a family with Zariyah, and become a dad, and now that he has.

He wanted to be there for his wife and daughter, so he decided that he was going to take a break from acting.

"Chris, are you sure this is what you want? I don't want you thinking you have to do this" I asked, bouncing Nalia in my arms.

"Yes, sweetheart. I've been thinking about this a lot and I want to be here with you and our daughter." He explains.

"And I'm not giving up acting completely, just taking a year or two off. What about you?" He asks, taking a sip of his water.

"I think you should know the answer to that," I said with a giggle, playfully hitting him on his chest.

"I do," He says with a smile, leaning down to place a soft kiss on lips before taking our daughter in his arms.

Five Months Old

Nalia has everyone wrapped around her finger, especially her daddy. She is five months old now, and we've gotten into a good routine with her.

Working as a team, taking turns in making dinner, doing chores and errands, taking Dodger on his daily walks.

The last five months have been challenging but Chris and I are getting through it and getting better each day.

Ten Months Old

The more Nalia grew into her personality, the more I realized she reminded me of my dad. So sweet and quiet but stubborn and adventurous.

Nalia loves to put random things in her mouth, I had to watch her every second to make sure she didn't put anything harmful.

She also loves to crawl around everywhere. For weeks Chris and I have been trying to get her to walk on her own.

There's been progress here and there but it probably takes some more time before she gets it.

Twelve Months Old

I couldn't believe our baby girl was born a year ago today. One year ago, we were blessed with the most precious gift of all, where our lives changed forever.

It's been a great challenge especially being first-time parents, but we've made it through and I think that's an absolute blessing.

I woke up bright and early to make my handsome hubby and precious daughter breakfast.

Ever since Nalia's been teething and starting to eat normal foods.

One of her favorite breakfast meals was my famous blueberry pancakes. I jolted when I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist.

"You should've woke me up, I would've made breakfast," Chris says, kissing my shoulder while watching me flip a pancake.

"Chris, you've been making breakfast for the past two weeks, it's my turn. Maybe later you can help with decorating" I said, tilting my head to kiss his lips.

"Sure, I guess while you do that. I'll go get the birthday girl!" Chris says, kissing my shoulder again before walking away.

CHRIS

I walked into Nalia nursery and she was babbling, standing up in her crib. Her curly hair was scattered all over her face while giving me the cutest smile I have ever seen.

"How's my girl? Do you sleep okay?" I asked, walking over to the crib and picking her up, holding her close to my chest.

"Do you know what today is?" I asked, looking at her with a smile, she just looked at me with her big brown eyes.

"It's your birthday, Nalia and mommy is making your favorite," I said, walking out of her nursery and making my way back down the stairs

Zariyah was setting the table up when I came into the kitchen. "Mama," Nalia says, reaching out for her.

"Hi, baby girl." Zariyah cooed softly, taking Nalia out of my arms before making a face. "What??"

"Did you change her?" She asked, with her brow scrunched and I shook my head. "Uh...No why?

"I think she poo-poo, I'll go check and see," Zariyah says, motioning me to sit at the table before going back upstairs.

ZARIYAH

"Oh yeah, I was right," I said with a sigh, grabbing some baby wipes and Nalia began to fuss, kicking her legs.

"Nalia stops all that fussing," I said, removing the dirty diaper. I lifted her legs gently and wiped her from the front to back.

I put a little bit of my homemade baby powder on her before putting a fresh diaper on and tossing the other one.

"See, was that so hard?" I asked, buttoning her onesie up and picking her up. She babbles with a pout which made me laugh.

"Come on, little one. Let's get some food in you" Finally breakfast, Chris set her down on her high chair while I grabbed her breakfast, and placed it down.

I cut the pancake into pieces and was about to feed her but Chris told me to eat, taking the fork out of my hand.

"What about you?" I asked him.

"I'll eat when you're done then we can switch places" He explained.

"Is it yummy?" Chris asks with a smile. Naila babbles, opening her mouth for some more. I finished my food and switched places with Chris.

After eating breakfast, we took Dodger on a walk around the block, came back home, and put Nalia down for a little nap.

A few hours later.

Chris began decorating the house with the help of Scott, Sebastian, and Anthony who were in Boston as well as my family and friends.

The party theme was Minnie Mouse since Nalia loves Disney. My mom and I were making the food for the party.

"Mama," Naila says on the baby monitor. "Zoey, can you continue this for me," I asked, removing the apron from my waist.

"Sure!" She says, and I thanked her, rushing up upstairs to Nalia's nursery. I opened the door and she was standing up in her crib, cooing.

"You excited baby girl? Everyone is here to see you and celebrate your 1st birthday." I said, picking her up and taking her to the changing table.

I changed Nalia out of her onesie, and into her birthday dress, I then brushed her hair up into two puff buns.

I came back downstairs with her, and everyone was awed by her cute little outfit. I knew I did well with dressing her.

"There's the birthday girl, looking precious as always," Zoey says with a smile and Naila babbling happily.

She was loving all the attention she was getting from everyone. She reached out with her hands babbling adorably.

Naila turns her head and sees her daddy walking in front of her, reaching out with her tiny little arms.

Chris took her out of my arms and playfully lifted her into the air before bringing her back down and attacking her cheek with kisses.

"Dada," She says with a giggle, trying to move away. I smiled and shook my head at the two and went to check everything off the list.

The decorations, the food, the cake, the games, everything was done, and now it was time to have some fun.

The party went on for hours. We ate, played games, opened a few presents and now it was time to sing happy birthday to Nalia.

We all gathered around the table where the beautiful Minnie Mouse cake was lit with one candle.

"Alright....everyone one, two, three"

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear Nalia

Happy birthday to you!

"Okay...baby girl, blow out the candles?" I cooed at her. She gave it a try but it didn't do anything which made her pout.

"You can do it, Naila. You got it, baby" Chris says, encouraging her. She tries again and Chris secretly blows it for her.

Everyone cheered, which made her smile and clapped her hands. I grabbed a butter knife and began cutting slices for everyone.

Of course, Nalia got the first slices, she sat in her high chair and waited for Chris to feed her some cake.

"Okay, open wide here comes the plane," Chris says, making the engine sounds of the plane as Nalia opened her mouth and ate the piece of cake.

"Is it good, Nalia?" I asked with a smile and she clapped her hands together making everyone laugh.

After eating cake and enjoying everyone's company.

It was time to call it a night. Nalia was truly loved and spoiled, she got a lot of clothes, toys, and books from everyone.

We walked everyone out, hugged, and waved goodbye. Chris took Nalia back inside and got her ready for bed.

I straighten up the kitchen a little bit before going upstairs.

Chris was reading Nalia, one of the new books Scott got her while rocking her in the rocking chair.

I watched the whole thing with happy tears, soon enough Nalia fell asleep on her daddy's chest with her thumb in her mouth.

"Goodnight, little one," Chris whispers, placing her in her crib and bringing her blanket up before kissing her forehead.

"You're such a good dad. " I spoke as he came into our shared bedroom. He smiles and gets into the bed, pulling me into his arms.

"And you're a great mom," He says, kissing my forehead. A few minutes of silence went by as he began rubbing my back.

"I don't think I'm prepared to see her get bigger and older. It seems like only yesterday she came into this world." I said softly.

"I know, me neither but we're not there yet, let's just enjoy having her as our little one, for now okay," Chris says.

I nodded, knowing he was right as much as I feared that her life would fly by in a blink of an eye.

It's only best to think of now and enjoy while she's little...

―――――――――――――――――――――――――

tagged @chvntelle-99 @ultracevans @fentyblinders @spndarling @madisondelstan

IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED LEAVE A COMMENT OR HIT ME UP IN MY INBOX!!!!

141 notes · View notes

potteresque-ire · 3 years

Note

Hiya! I've only just started watching Chinese dramas and the drama behind the drama is already blowing my Western mind. Thanks for your meta btw! I was thinking about what you said about Chinese government not explicitly banning anything, rather people had BETTER catch on to what they mean 😨 Is it possible that delaying OOL is their way of warning future productions to think twice before involving Xiao Zhan, because they want to undermine his popularity? As he is 'too entertaining' 💀

Hiya Anon!! The decision to air a c-drama lies in both the government and the platforms. Once the drama gets the distribution permit from the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), it's up to the platforms to schedule the airing date.

The distribution permit for OOL was issued in May 2020, and so the government cleared it for airing a while ago. And so, it is the platforms that are holding the airing date back.

Multiple considerations go into the decision of when to air any drama. Here are some financial considerations I can think of: are there fierce competitors in the same period? It's usual for multiple c-dramas to begin airing on similar dates. The week between 2019/06/23 and 2019/06/30, for example, 9 series began airing—including The Untamed on 2019/06/27. And on that very same date, another prominent, very well-made drama also began its airing—The Longest Day in Chang'An 長安十二時辰).

And then, has a popular drama of a similar genre been aired right before? If so, it may be wise to push back the airing date a little. Is it exam period or is it summer, with students being on vacation and having more free time to watch TV, chase after their favourite idols and buy merchandises? That’s the golden season for idol dramas! Are the production studios, platforms under pressure to produce a solid profit report to their investors? Better move a series with very bankable stars then ...

Afterwards, there are, of course, political considerations. For those who may be worried about c-ent’s current upheaval, I’d like to emphasise this: the government swooping in and say, or hint, that this and that popular thing displeases its Socialist sensibilities isn’t new. Dangai isn’t the first genre to be soft-banned, for example; before that, there was the ... Imperial Harem infighting genre 宮鬥劇 (sorry for the silly translation, I don’t know what’s the proper name for it!), which was extremely popular at the time of the ban with recent hits such as The Legend of Zhen Huan 後宮甄嬛傳 and Story of Yanxi Palace 延禧攻略. There was the time travel genre 穿越劇 (For example, Scarlet Heart 步步驚心). The state criticism against “sissy” 娘炮 idols also made its former round in 2018.

And so, while there may not have been precedences where the government targets c-ent’s obsession with “traffic” 流量—a relatively new term that describes the heavy flow of social media posts, of buzz and cash surrounding a beloved something or someone, c-ent has a long history of, and ample experiences with, dealing with their government’s displeasure at something that its audience loves, that is financially lucrative for the industry and most importantly, along that line, something the industry wishes to keep.

The last point may be worth emphasising: the production studios, the platforms (streaming, social media etc), the marketing companies, the yxh, the companies who employ celebrities as their spokespeople etc etc, all of them desperately want to keep stars like Gg and Dd around. This is especially true with c-ent being in its “bitter cold winter” financially since 2018, with the tightening censorship that means hit dramas, and "top traffic” 頂流 stars, are increasingly more difficult to make or come by. “Top traffic” stars, in particular, are very attractive to the industry because their fans are (far) more willing to spend money, generate the needed buzz on social media to bring in more “passer-by” audience and in turn, more revenue, and more investment, and more endorsements and sponsorships (see: the number of Dd commercials in SDOC4).

Therefore, as fans and audience, I think it’s safe to assume this: at least on the front of wishing to protect Gg and Dd’s star status, to protect potentially popular dramas and genres such as OOL, these financial interests stand with us. Does this “saving” go against what is safe for these companies? One can say so. It would be safer for the platforms, for example, to air ... um, say, The Best Speeches by President Xi in place of dramas like OOL. The act would likely please the government very much; signal, perhaps, that the platforms have caught on its ultimate dream, with Xi being the One Idol of China. But this decision would also go against the very nature of these companies as for-profit entities, these Capitalist Existence that are traded in stock markets and are driven to make as much money and as quickly as they can.

What, then, is the easiest way to protect traffic stars like Gg and Dd, like Yang Zi 楊紫, the lead actress of OOL who is also very popular and who, reportedly, also has her own rather ... rambunctious corner of fandom? What’s the easiest way to “save” a potentially popular drama like OOL? Saying what is *the* easiest way may be difficult, but I believe I can name one easy way: to simply keep these popular people, these (potentially) popular things out of attention for a while, especially with October 1st (Communist China’s birthday) drawing near and in 2021, the year of the Chinese Communist Party’s Centennial.

After all, regulations from the Chinese government tend to come in bursts—axes falling left, right and centre for a while and in quick succession, followed by an extended period of silence (and neglect). The wait, therefore, doesn’t have to be long at all. As short as after a few month’s time, certain parts of c-ent may return to what it was like before and these c-ent companies, having had so much experience in working around situations like this, would know when that time comes, when the coast is clear.

Meanwhile, as fans, we wait. Being in i-fandom means our words and actions have relatively little effect, but if we were in China, our best action would, too, likely be similar to the platforms that delay the airing of OOL, except we cross out the the word “popular” and replace it with “beloved”: we keep our beloved people, our beloved things out of attention. We refrain from going around and complaining, no matter how much we wish to watch the show. We refrain from starting fights. We stay out of hot searches. The Chinese government is bureaucratic and corruption is rampant, which means often times, the higher-ups in charge of dropping the axes have little knowledge about who or what their axes are supposed to fall on, and little care if they get it wrong. In such circumstances, the key to survival is to not stick one’s head out; to make sure we don’t offer our neck, and more importantly, our favourite stars’ neck, for the axes to fall on.

It may be difficult sometimes. We’ll hear hisses, from antis, from doubters, from those who simply aren’t familiar with the situation, that will tempt us to put ourselves and our favourite stars out in the open where the axes are raining. Patience and independent thinking are important in times like this, qualities that allows us to stop, excuse ourselves from the virtual crowd and think ~ wait, is what is being said true?

The government’s attack on “traffic”, for example, together with the soft-ban on Dangai, have led to soft hisses that Gg and Dd are the targets.

I invite everyone to step back and think a little—are they?

Here’s one small, but important point that may be lost in translation (and lost, too, even in some Chinese discussions where netizens have scrolled through their feeds too quickly): in the state opinion pieces, the term used against “traffic” stars has consistently been “唯流量”, with 流量 = traffic, and 唯 = only. The presence of the character 唯 is crucial: 唯流量 are not simply “traffic”, or popular stars; they are stars with only traffic, with nothing but traffic. No acting skills, no singing or dancing skills, no other demonstrated capabilities beyond getting their fans to vote and comment and buy things for them.

Are Gg and Dd 唯流量?

Here’s Gg:

youtube

(For those who may not know: A Dream Like A Dream 如夢之夢 is not just a Chinese language play. A Chinese adjective that has been used to describe it is 殿堂級 ~ “palace hall grade”, ie, it’s a royalty. Trivia: the version in China ends with a cappella with Patient #5 singing about himself, which means Patient #5 can ruin the finale of the 8 hour show if he fails to sing well, and beautifully.)

And here’s Dd:

youtube

I think I can rest my case. My fellow turtles, what do you think?

Such rumours—that so and so, this and that are the alleged targets—are currently running rampant on Chinese social media, with almost every noteworthy celebrity and media projects etc being named by a few who dislike them. However—or rather, ironically, one may say?—because everyone and everything under the sun has been named, the net effect is not that different from if nothing has been named at all.

If a similar rumour, if more of such rumours creep onto the shores of i-fandom, therefore, please do not be afraid and remember—these speculations, these noises will most likely fade into obscurity unless the populous Gg+Dd fandom amplify it with their voices, even if theses voices are words of defence.

Silence can be a defence. Silence can be the best defence.

For the time being, with the greater sociopolitical environment being what it is, with “Capital” being reportedly targeted by the state (previously discussed here), platforms and TV stations that are part of Capital may be extra careful and temporarily keep all traffic stars out of their productions, out of sight.

But I remind myself this ~ this isn’t about Gg and Dd. This probably isn’t about 99.9% of the stars who may be temporarily kept out of these productions in the coming weeks, some of whom may have starred in Dangai. As a corollary, I find it important to remind myself that too, to think twice before wondering aloud who may be the targets, to make sure I do not, even accidentally, put any non Gg Dd star and their fans under the axes—not because my words can influence the Chinese government, but rather, because of a simple, almost cliché reason: Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you.

After all, one step outside fandom, people cannot tell one idol from another, cannot tell one drama from another, cannot tell cpfs from solos ...

As fans of c-ent, we’re in this together. ❤️💛💚

#pie metas

47 notes · View notes