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Maintenance Request Chapter 20

Joel Miller x f!reader | new chapter every Friday 18+ | ao3 | main post & chapter list chapter word count: 3.3k

chapter summary: when Joel met Ellie 👀

a/n: thank you as always to @katareyoudrilling for being the best beta 💕

chapter tags/warnings: flirting, banter, fluff, cursing, food and drink mention, pet names (honey, gorgeous, darlin’, baby, sweetheart, pretty girl, good girl, handsome, cowboy), tricky conversations, typical Ellie bluntness

Chapter 20

Saturday, November 16 Twelfth week of the semester

In the week leading up to The Meeting, as Beth had been calling it for days (in a ridiculously deep, dramatic voice), you were nervous. You knew Joel was a good guy, and you wanted Ellie to like him. But you wanted her to like him on her own, not because you pushed her, or because she felt like she had to for you.

Beth joined you and Joel for lunch by the psych building on Friday, even though your schedules only overlapped for 30 minutes. Afterwards she blew up the group chat you had with Ellie with her review (“He’s pathetically into your aunt, like it’s written all over his face. He seems like a good one”). You got the go ahead from your sister (who was working that weekend), which wasn’t actually difficult but you were glad to have it anyway.

By Saturday, you were so nervous you googled breathing exercises on your phone while you waited for Beth and Ellie to come pick you up. Joel was going to meet you at the restaurant, after Tommy picked up Sarah to take her to soccer practice. You tried to tell yourself not to be nervous but it didn’t work. You felt like you actually had plenty to be nervous about, so you couldn’t trick yourself out of it.

You were in the process of breathing in 1-2-3-4 and holding it when your phone buzzed with a text from Ellie saying they were outside. You released your breath and took one more deep one before gathering yourself to leave.

Ellie was in the front seat of Beth’s car and stuck her tongue out at you, so you rolled your eyes and got in the back.

“Morning,” you said as you slid into the seat.

“Morning!” Beth sounded cheery, at least. “Here we go!” You sighed and tried to force the muscles in your back to relax.

The brunch spot wasn’t far from your apartment, and during the ride there you poked at Ellie a little bit to try to gauge her mood. She seemed fine, if wary. That was probably the best you could have hoped for.

Joel was waiting for you outside of the restaurant when you arrived. He was looking pretty nervous himself. He had his hands in his pockets and he was trying to look casual, but his shoulders were tense.

“Hey, darlin,” he murmured as he leaned in to kiss your cheek.

“Morning, Joel.” You smiled and gestured behind you. “You know Beth. And this is Ellie.”

Joel and Ellie looked at each other for a moment in silence. She was squinting at him fiercely and you could tell he was trying not to smile in response.

“Nice to meet you, Ellie.” Joel nodded at her and you were suddenly glad he seemed to intuit that offering a handshake was not a good idea. “Heard a lot about you from your aunt.”

“Hi,” she replied, eyes narrowed. “What did you hear?”

Joel couldn’t hold back the smile anymore. “Heard you made a pretty cool presentation about the Emu War. How’d that go?”

Ellie looked torn between her warring desires to give Joel the third degree or to monologue about the Emu War at any given opportunity. “Um, fine.” She visibly bit back something else and you sighed.

“Let’s go get a table and then maybe she’ll tell you all about it.” You gestured to the restaurant and Beth moved behind you to open the door.

“Bet I can recite your presentation from memory.” Beth grinned as she teased Ellie, who rolled her eyes.

“Bet me what? I bet you can’t.” Ellie crossed her arms as she entered the restaurant and you laughed.

“Hmm,” you heard Beth muse as you stepped up to the host station to get a table. “I’ll buy you another weird little guy of your choice.”

“Deal!” Ellie sounded gleeful. “Get ready to perform.”

You mentally thanked Beth for putting her more at ease in this unfamiliar situation as you all followed the host to a table and sat down. Joel sat next to you on your left, with Beth across from him and Ellie across from you.

Your conversation got stuck on the Emu War for a bit (Beth managed to postpone her performance and bet fulfillment until you weren’t in public) and you tried not to watch Joel and Ellie too closely. You realized you were twisting your hands together under the table when Joel reached over and gently laid his hand on top of yours, pulling them apart to tangle your fingers together and rest them on your thigh. You took a deep breath.

Before you could say anything, though, Ellie beat you to it.

“So, Joel. What are your intentions with my aunt?” She stared him down, eyebrows furrowed, arms crossed on the table in front of her. It sounded like she had rehearsed the question before asking it. Intentions, you mouthed to yourself. You caught Beth’s eye and realized your best friend was grinning.

Joel squeezed your hand before he nodded and replied. “I’m serious about her, about us. I care about her a lot. I want to be good for her.”

Ellie hummed, and was briefly interrupted by your drinks arriving. She took a long sip of her orange juice.

“I have some questions.” She said it like she was throwing out a gauntlet. You resisted the urge to hide your face in your hands.

Joel nodded, face serious. “Ask ‘em.”

And then rapid fire, she did.

“You have a kid, right? What happened to her mom?”

Joel didn’t even flinch. “She left, isn’t coming back. We weren’t together long. You’ll have to talk to Sarah for more details.”

Ellie squinted like maybe she wanted to ask a follow up, but proceeded to her next question. You were starting to suspect she’d made a list and wondered if she had it written down in one of her pockets.

“Have you ever been arrested?” You closed your eyes and took a long sip of your coffee.

“Not really. Got thrown into the drunk tank once and I wasn’t even drunk. My little brother was actin’ up in public, got us both in trouble.” You tried not to laugh at this new information about Tommy, even as you realized Joel had apparently chosen the path of extreme honesty. You didn’t want to interrupt Ellie’s interrogation but you wondered if there was a limit.

“Hmm. Ok. Have you ever done drugs?”

Joel shook his head. “Just smoked weed a few times in high school. Used to smoke cigarettes before Sarah was born. Quit when she came along.”

Ellie leaned back in her chair, hands tense on the edge of the table. “What’s your worst habit?”

Joel smirked. “Probably leavin’ my towel on the floor in the bathroom. And sometimes I’m a grouch.” You met Beth’s eyes and looked away sharply before you both could laugh. Joel pressed your clasped hands into your thigh, like somehow he knew you were struggling to hold it together.

“What’s your daughter’s favorite tv show?”

Joel grimaced. “She likes that dating show, the new one where they don’t see each other at first. I hate it.”

“Do you watch it with her?” Ellie raised her eyebrows.

“Sometimes. She likes watchin’ it with Tommy better, he likes it more’n me. She says I bring down the vibe.” He shrugged.

“When’s the last time you had an argument with her?”

Joel tilted his head, considering. “Maybe last week? Wasn’t really an argument. She made me drink some orange juice in the morning, said I can’t live off coffee alone. Or I guess maybe when she wanted to go to a sleepover but I wouldn’t let her. I haven’t met those parents yet. But you’d have to ask her what she thinks about it.”

You watched Ellie’s face carefully and could see that she was relaxing a bit. You could guess at her reasoning for some of these questions, but not all of them.

“Why do you like my aunt?”

Joel raised his eyebrows in response and Ellie raised hers right back, expression unchanged. “Well. Alright then. She’s the smartest person I’ve ever met, and I love learning how she thinks and how she sees the world. She’s funny, been making me laugh since the first day we talked. She’s got good taste in music.” He glanced at you and smiled the little half smile that you loved. “And she cares about people. You can see it in the way she teaches, in how she talks to her students. She wants to help them. She gives so much of herself to everyone around her. I want to do the same for her.” You bit your lip as you felt a sudden tightness behind your eyes. He winked at you. “And she’s gorgeous.” You laughed.

Ellie squinted at him again, frowning. “I mean, she’s the fucking best, I know that. But you better know that, too.”

He grinned at her. “I do know that. She is the fucking best.” He raised his eyebrows at her again when he echoed her curse. “And for some reason she seems to like me. I’m not arguin’.”

You elbowed him. “Joel, you know–”

He shook his head at you. “I know, darlin’, I swear I’ve been listenin’. But right now I’m tellin’ Ellie all the reasons I like you.”

You sighed, but Beth cut in. “Wait, I have a question.”

Ellie looked at her skeptically. You both did. Joel didn’t, but he hadn’t known her as long.

“What? I do!”

Joel smiled. “Go ahead.”

Beth grinned, and you started to worry. “Alright, we need to know, and you have to be honest. How bad at dancing is she? We’ve seen her dance! We know the truth!”

Ellie burst out laughing and despite your own annoyance, you grinned at the sight. “Yeah!” She agreed through her laughter. “Tell us!”

Joel looked at you and smiled, gently. “Nah, she was great. Didn’t even step on my feet. She followed my lead just fine.” You felt your cheeks heat in response.

“Oh, come on! That's it?” Beth nudged Ellie with her elbow.

“That’s it.” He nodded and squeezed your hand again. “I’d dance with her anytime.”

“Gross.” Ellie rolled her eyes, and you knew she was feeling more comfortable.

Joel straightened in his seat as the food arrived and released your hand. “Can I ask you some questions now?”

Ellie immediately looked suspicious but nodded, grudgingly.

“Alright. I heard you started the art club. What kind of art?” He took a bite of his food after he asked, looking at Ellie expectantly.

She glanced between him and you, clearly unsure. You nodded at her in encouragement.

“You want to hear about that?” She sounded skeptical.

He nodded. “I do. Sounds like maybe it took a lot of work. Are you in charge of the club?”

Ellie continued to squint at him but answered. “No, I’m the vice president. I didn’t want to be the president but they made me pick something.” You snorted and she rolled her eyes at you. “My teacher says I’m not enough of a people person to be president anyway.” She looked like she wanted to swallow those words back after she said them, and glanced at Joel warily. You frowned.

“Sounds like your teacher might need to work on their own people skills, if you ask me.” Joel grumbled and furrowed his brow at his plate and you wondered if he was thinking about Sarah’s mean chemistry teacher. Ellie looked like she wanted to agree and was conflicted about it.

“That’s what I said,” Beth agreed, nodding. “You’d be a great president.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to be president, anyway.” She shrugged.

“Sarah’s thinking about trying out for varsity soccer next year, not just playing outside of school,” Joel offered. “I told her maybe she should start a club of her own, somethin’ to do with reading, since she’s been doing it so much.” He nudged you as he said it and you smiled.

“There might be a book club already,” Ellie offered, voice neutral. “I dunno what they have.” Ellie and Sarah went to different schools, on opposite sides of the town. The schools were almost identical other than Ellie’s having slightly more artsy offerings for students.

Joel nodded. “Maybe. I’ll tell her to check.” He took a sip of his coffee and glanced from you to Ellie and back again. “Got any more questions for me?”

Ellie furrowed her brows and frowned at her waffle. You watched as she straightened her shoulders and started to wonder how many questions she might have left on her list.

“How many people have you dated?” Your heart rate picked up at her words and you opened your mouth to interrupt, but Ellie shot you a stubborn look.

Joel answered just as honestly as he had been so far. “Well, I think your aunt and I will keep some of those details between ourselves. But I haven’t dated much, haven’t been in a relationship in a while, not since Sarah’s mom.”

Ellie eyed him and crossed her arms. “That’s it? How do I know you won’t hurt her?” Her face was fixed in a scowl and you didn’t know if you should say something or let Joel answer. He did before you could decide.

“Well, I won’t pretend I’ve always been perfect,” Joel’s voice was even and you could tell he was treading carefully. “But I would never hurt her on purpose. And I would try real hard not to do it accidentally either.”

Ellie narrowed her eyes, clearly not satisfied with this response. “I was there, you know. After Matt. I know what he was like.” You felt a tightness in your chest as you remembered how much of a mess you were when Ellie came to live with you, freshly free of your relationship with Matt and still figuring yourself out. She’d only been 9 at the time and you’d hoped you’d shielded her from most of it. You blinked against the emotion building behind your eyes. Beth sent you a supportive look from across the table.

“I believe you.” Joel nodded. “But there are parts of our relationship that are just for us, and I’d rather your aunt decide what to tell you about them. I will tell you that I already promised her I’d never treat her that way. She’ll decide if I’m good enough for her. And you should know Sarah would take care of me long before you could get to me, if I ever did anything like that.”

Ellie continued to scowl for a minute, looking first at Joel and then down at her plate. “Ok. I–” she trailed off, looking unsure. “Ok. One more question.”

Joel nodded and you took a deep breath, bracing yourself.

“Can you cook? Because she’s not great at it.”

Beth cracked up laughing and you gasped. “Ellie!”

She grinned at you, unrepentant. “It’s true, and you know it!”

“Well, I don’t know about that.” Joel turned to you with the half smile that sent shivers down your spine. “Dinner was pretty good the other night.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “She can make, like, 5 things. Do not let her make soup.”

He raised his eyebrows and darted his eyes from her to Beth and back to you. “What happened? Soup’s easy, darlin’, what could go wrong?”

Ellie cackled and launched into the story of the Soup Geyser with infuriating glee. As she did, you looked up and met Beth’s eyes. She grinned at you and nodded, and you felt your shoulders relax in relief. She was right, even though she hadn’t said the words out loud.

Ellie was teasing you. In front of Joel. Something had gone right, after all.

…

After brunch, Joel offered you a ride, so that Beth and Ellie could go check out some more “weird little guys” before Beth dropped her off at Riley’s. You hugged them both (squeezing Ellie a bit longer than usual) and she promised to text you later. You took a deep breath, knowing that would probably be her final verdict. But she smiled and waved at you, so you hoped it would all be fine.

You found yourself standing next to Joel by the passenger door of his truck and realized you’d been silent for your whole walk from the restaurant. You looked over to find him looking at you, a smile playing around his lips. You smiled back, sheepish.

“Sorry, Joel, I was just thinking.”

He reached out to tangle your fingers together as he crowded you against the passenger door. “I could tell, sweetheart. So? How do you think it went?” He looked a little worried, which was sweet.

“Honestly, Joel, I think it went really well. Sorry about the interrogation.” You sighed as you leaned against the truck.

He shook his head. “No, I expected it, or something like. I’m happy to answer her questions. You know, to a point.”

You laughed. “She respects honesty. So you probably won some points, with all that.”

He smiled at you and leaned in to press a soft kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Good. I want her to like me. I want her to meet Sarah, too.”

For a moment the two of you just smiled at each other. You were shaky, like you were coming down from a huge adrenaline rush, and you supposed that wasn’t far off of what happened. You heaved a deep breath, shaking off your nerves. “Do you have some time, Joel? Want to come over for a bit?”

He grinned, a bit wicked. “Tommy’s taking Sarah to a movie after soccer practice. I’m all yours until dinner time, baby.”

You pulled him into a kiss. “Good,” you mumbled against his lips. “Take me home, cowboy.”

…

Ellie (3:02 PM): ok, he’s maybe a little bit cool. he’s alright (3:03 PM): I want to meet Sarah (3:03 PM): but I think he checks out

you (3:05 PM): thanks, Ellie. I’m glad you got along. even if you had to embarrass me to do it

Ellie (3:06 PM): it’s not my fault you can’t make soup (3:07 PM): do you think he meant it when he offered to teach me to play guitar or was he just doing that adult thing where you say nice things to kids 🙄

you(3:08 PM): he meant it. but I’d be there too. if you’re interested

Ellie (3:10 PM): I’ll think about it (3:14 PM): Beth was right though. he’s pathetically into you (3:15 PM): like I thought you were bad (3:15 PM): but he’s on a whole other level

you (3:16 PM): I thought you’d be happy about that

Ellie (3:17 PM): don’t make me admit to having feelings

you(3:18 PM): 😇

…

sis 👯 (4:12 PM): finally, my break! How did it go?

you (4:15 PM): yay! I think it went ok? You should ask Ellie but her official verdict is that he’s “alright” and maybe “a little bit cool”

sis 👯 (4:16 PM): well damn. High praise

you (4:16 PM): I know!

sis 👯 (4:18 PM): I’m heading back in but now I want to meet him, too

you(4:19 PM): of course! He’d love that. Also he offered to teach Ellie to play guitar and I could tell she was interested, but I promised I’d be there if she does want to take lessons. To make her comfortable

sis 👯 (4:20 PM): she’d probably love that, if she does actually think he’s alright. But yeah I’d want you there. And not until after I meet him.

you (4:21 PM): of course 👍

...

a/n: they met! it happened! what do we think?

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burntheedges · 20 hours

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Same!! 🧡🧡🧡

Passing Notes: Flat

Frankie Morales x f!reader | 1.5k words | Passing Notes masterlist

summary: You get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere (ugh) but a handsome man comes to rescue you (yay).

a/n: happy gift exchange, Jo! @undercoverpena I hope you enjoy this little Frankie fic. He’s inspired by your fic the book of love, maybe just a couple universes over from that one. @swiftiscruff

tags/warnings: flat tire, reader is briefly worried about being alone with a stranger in the middle of nowhere, cows, flirting, pet names (hermosa, baby), reader walks around but is otherwise not described

...

“UGH!” you yelled, kicking your tire in frustration. You yelled again when it actually hurt. You groaned as you sank down onto the little grassy area by the side of the road and dropped your head into your hands.

You’d decided to take the slow and scenic way home, for some godforsaken reason. You were still new in town, you’d told yourself. You needed to explore, to get a feel for the place. And what was your reward? A flat tire on the side of a two-lane highway, with no one around for miles.

You stared at your flat tire.

It stared back.

You’d known it was bad, the second you drove over that bump. You’d felt it, somehow, and when you pulled over and saw the flat, it hadn’t been a surprise at all. Even if it was unwelcome.

You sat up a little and looked back down the road the way you’d come – nothing. Just fields. And some trees. Well, there were a few cows. You’d named the big brown one that was watching you Bessie at first glance. Not that they were much help.

You sighed and stood up. You shielded your eyes with your hand as you turned in a slow circle, looking for signs of anything like people anywhere around.

No luck. Just fields, trees, and more cows.

You reached into your pocket, already knowing what you’d find as you looked at your phone again.

No signal.

So here you were, flat tire, no cell service, nothing around but you and Bessie and her friends. As you stood there, frozen, one of the cows let out a low moooo that made you sigh. Relatable.

You pictured the inside of your trunk in your mind, the empty space inside that meant you were stuck here.

No spare tire.

You’d used it, just a few months ago, and hadn’t replaced it yet. And so you were stranded.

You could feel the hysteria creeping up on the outside of your mind and you shook your head, willing it away. No. What was that going to get you, anyway? You’re stuck. Figure it out.

You sighed and moved back towards your car, hopping up to sit on your trunk so you could look back the way you came. Maybe someone would drive by soon? At least you still had daylight for a few more hours.

Please, universe, you whispered in your mind. Please, I promise I’ll replace the stupid spare this time. I swear. You leaned back against your rear window and closed your eyes.

Just as you’d resigned yourself to actually having to get up and walk, you heard it.

It started as a low rumble you mentally attributed to the cows. But then it got louder, loud enough for you to recognize the sound of a truck engine coming up the road in the distance.

You shot up, hand back over your eyes, squinting in the sun. It was real. A dark red truck, kind of old, kicking up dust as it rattled down the highway towards you. You grinned as you jumped off your car, landing in the grass and starting to wave your arms.

It occurred to you as you did so that maybe you didn’t want to talk to this stranger – you were alone, after all. Well, with Bessie, but what was she going to do? Moo at them? But it wasn’t like you could hide anywhere. The driver had probably seen you well before you’d seen them.

As the truck got closer your trepidation grew, and you tried to will yourself into being calm. You took a deep breath.

But thankfully your worry was short lived, because then the truck got close enough for you to recognize it. Hard not to, when you’d seen it just a few hours ago, parked outside your bookshop. You’d shared a lingering glance with its owner and traced the outline of his shy smile, watched his hands as they’d removed his cap and smoothed down his unruly curls. Bit your lip as your gaze dropped when he walked away.

You would have known that truck anywhere.

Frankie Morales pulled up next to you and rolled down his window. You grinned, so fucking relieved to see him. He smiled back, slow as sin and smooth as molasses. He slipped his sunglasses off and met your gaze.

“Car trouble, hermosa?” He winked. “Or were you making some new friends?”

You laughed. He’d teased you earlier that same day about being new in town and needing to get out more. You’d hoped he was going to ask you on a date, but he’d left shortly after. “Who, Bessie?” You gestured in her direction and she obliged you with a low moooo. “No, we go way back.”

Frankie snorted and shook his head before pulling his truck off the road in front of your car. You heard it turn off before he slipped out and came to meet you by your troublesome tire.

“Well, I’m glad I found you. Not much service out here, you know.”

You nodded and waved your phone at him. “I’d noticed. Me too, I’m so happy to see you. I was just about to the point where I was going to try to walk back to town.”

He smirked. “Long walk.”

You groaned again and let your head fall back. “I know. So you really are rescuing me.” When you looked up again you found that he was blushing and you smiled, charmed.

Frankie cleared his throat. “Well, what’s the problem? I could help you put the spare on, but I remember you told me about changing your tire the other week. So that must not be it.”

You shivered. He remembered. That had been one of your first conversations, weeks ago at this point. It made you feel warm to know he’d been paying attention.

“You’re right. The problem is there isn’t a spare. I haven’t replaced the old one.” You tried not to look embarrassed, but you felt it.

He just smiled at you. “Well, then we probably can’t fix it now, but I can give you a ride home, at least. And bring you back with a new spare. Or to meet a tow truck. They probably won’t be able to meet you until tomorrow, at this point.”

“Oh, you can just take me home, that's ok–”

“Hey,” he reached out and put his hand on your upper arm. He squeezed, gently, and your breath caught. “I’m happy to help, hermosa. I want to help.” He looked at you so intently you couldn’t look away.

“Ok, Frankie.” He smiled at you. “If you insist.”

“I do.” He squeezed your arm again and then slid his hand down and held yours lightly. “Grab your stuff.”

You did, and soon enough you were sitting next to Frankie in his truck as he turned it back onto the highway.

“Do you drive this way a lot?” You were marveling at your luck, in having Frankie come along. Of all people.

“Most days,” he agreed. “You know I live over by the river. It’s a little bit longer of a drive, but nicer to look at.”

You nodded. “I remember you told me that. It’s why I went this way.”

“Oh, no,” he glanced at you and reached out to hold your hand again. “It’s my fault? Shit, hermosa, you got stranded because of my idea?”

You laughed. “It’s not your fault, Frankie.”

He smiled a little and shook his head. “Still. Sorry my idea didn’t turn out so great for you.”

You turned towards him a little, looking over his face and his shoulders, watching the muscles move in his arm as he turned the truck at the next road.

“I don’t know,” you mused, squeezing his hand. “Think it might have turned out pretty great after all.”

You watched as a grin took over his face and felt a matching one on your own.

“Yeah?” he breathed the question in a low voice, turning to look at you as he arrived at a stop sign. There was no one around and he didn’t immediately move to continue driving. “Why’s that?”

You swallowed hard and straightened in your seat. “Well, Frankie, I promised myself I was going to say this the next time I saw you, and here you are.” He watched your mouth as you spoke and it was all the encouragement you needed. “Do you want to have dinner? Together. Maybe tonight? Or soon.” You were rambling now. “It’s ok if you’re busy. I mean–”

“Hey, shh,” he hushed you gently. “Not um… Not as just a thank you, right?”

“No!” you hurried to reassure him. “No, Frankie. I was sort of hoping you’d ask me out earlier, when you came by the shop.”

He smiled and lifted your hands to press a gentle kiss to your knuckles. “I almost did. Chickened out at the last second.” He pressed another kiss to the back of your hand and you bit your lip. “Hermosa, I would love to get dinner with you. Tonight.”

With that, he put the car in drive, and turned left. “Now let’s get you home, baby. And then I’ll pick you up at 7.”

You laughed. “Perfect.”

And it was.

#comment reblog #passing notes fic

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burntheedges · 22 hours

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Maintenance Request Chapter 20

Joel Miller x f!reader | new chapter every Friday 18+ | ao3 | main post & chapter list chapter word count: 3.3k

chapter summary: when Joel met Ellie 👀

a/n: thank you as always to @katareyoudrilling for being the best beta 💕

Chapter 20

Saturday, November 16 Twelfth week of the semester

Ellie was in the front seat of Beth’s car and stuck her tongue out at you, so you rolled your eyes and got in the back.

“Morning,” you said as you slid into the seat.

“Morning!” Beth sounded cheery, at least. “Here we go!” You sighed and tried to force the muscles in your back to relax.

“Hey, darlin,” he murmured as he leaned in to kiss your cheek.

“Morning, Joel.” You smiled and gestured behind you. “You know Beth. And this is Ellie.”

Joel and Ellie looked at each other for a moment in silence. She was squinting at him fiercely and you could tell he was trying not to smile in response.

“Nice to meet you, Ellie.” Joel nodded at her and you were suddenly glad he seemed to intuit that offering a handshake was not a good idea. “Heard a lot about you from your aunt.”

“Hi,” she replied, eyes narrowed. “What did you hear?”

Joel couldn’t hold back the smile anymore. “Heard you made a pretty cool presentation about the Emu War. How’d that go?”

“Let’s go get a table and then maybe she’ll tell you all about it.” You gestured to the restaurant and Beth moved behind you to open the door.

“Bet I can recite your presentation from memory.” Beth grinned as she teased Ellie, who rolled her eyes.

“Bet me what? I bet you can’t.” Ellie crossed her arms as she entered the restaurant and you laughed.

“Hmm,” you heard Beth muse as you stepped up to the host station to get a table. “I’ll buy you another weird little guy of your choice.”

“Deal!” Ellie sounded gleeful. “Get ready to perform.”

Before you could say anything, though, Ellie beat you to it.

Joel squeezed your hand before he nodded and replied. “I’m serious about her, about us. I care about her a lot. I want to be good for her.”

Ellie hummed, and was briefly interrupted by your drinks arriving. She took a long sip of her orange juice.

“I have some questions.” She said it like she was throwing out a gauntlet. You resisted the urge to hide your face in your hands.

Joel nodded, face serious. “Ask ‘em.”

And then rapid fire, she did.

“You have a kid, right? What happened to her mom?”

Joel didn’t even flinch. “She left, isn’t coming back. We weren’t together long. You’ll have to talk to Sarah for more details.”

“Have you ever been arrested?” You closed your eyes and took a long sip of your coffee.

“Hmm. Ok. Have you ever done drugs?”

Joel shook his head. “Just smoked weed a few times in high school. Used to smoke cigarettes before Sarah was born. Quit when she came along.”

Ellie leaned back in her chair, hands tense on the edge of the table. “What’s your worst habit?”

“What’s your daughter’s favorite tv show?”

Joel grimaced. “She likes that dating show, the new one where they don’t see each other at first. I hate it.”

“Do you watch it with her?” Ellie raised her eyebrows.

“Sometimes. She likes watchin’ it with Tommy better, he likes it more’n me. She says I bring down the vibe.” He shrugged.

“When’s the last time you had an argument with her?”

You watched Ellie’s face carefully and could see that she was relaxing a bit. You could guess at her reasoning for some of these questions, but not all of them.

“Why do you like my aunt?”

Ellie squinted at him again, frowning. “I mean, she’s the fucking best, I know that. But you better know that, too.”

He grinned at her. “I do know that. She is the fucking best.” He raised his eyebrows at her again when he echoed her curse. “And for some reason she seems to like me. I’m not arguin’.”

You elbowed him. “Joel, you know–”

He shook his head at you. “I know, darlin’, I swear I’ve been listenin’. But right now I’m tellin’ Ellie all the reasons I like you.”

You sighed, but Beth cut in. “Wait, I have a question.”

Ellie looked at her skeptically. You both did. Joel didn’t, but he hadn’t known her as long.

“What? I do!”

Joel smiled. “Go ahead.”

Beth grinned, and you started to worry. “Alright, we need to know, and you have to be honest. How bad at dancing is she? We’ve seen her dance! We know the truth!”

Ellie burst out laughing and despite your own annoyance, you grinned at the sight. “Yeah!” She agreed through her laughter. “Tell us!”

Joel looked at you and smiled, gently. “Nah, she was great. Didn’t even step on my feet. She followed my lead just fine.” You felt your cheeks heat in response.

“Oh, come on! That's it?” Beth nudged Ellie with her elbow.

“That’s it.” He nodded and squeezed your hand again. “I’d dance with her anytime.”

“Gross.” Ellie rolled her eyes, and you knew she was feeling more comfortable.

Joel straightened in his seat as the food arrived and released your hand. “Can I ask you some questions now?”

Ellie immediately looked suspicious but nodded, grudgingly.

“Alright. I heard you started the art club. What kind of art?” He took a bite of his food after he asked, looking at Ellie expectantly.

She glanced between him and you, clearly unsure. You nodded at her in encouragement.

“You want to hear about that?” She sounded skeptical.

He nodded. “I do. Sounds like maybe it took a lot of work. Are you in charge of the club?”

“That’s what I said,” Beth agreed, nodding. “You’d be a great president.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to be president, anyway.” She shrugged.

Joel nodded. “Maybe. I’ll tell her to check.” He took a sip of his coffee and glanced from you to Ellie and back again. “Got any more questions for me?”

Ellie furrowed her brows and frowned at her waffle. You watched as she straightened her shoulders and started to wonder how many questions she might have left on her list.

“How many people have you dated?” Your heart rate picked up at her words and you opened your mouth to interrupt, but Ellie shot you a stubborn look.

Ellie continued to scowl for a minute, looking first at Joel and then down at her plate. “Ok. I–” she trailed off, looking unsure. “Ok. One more question.”

Joel nodded and you took a deep breath, bracing yourself.

“Can you cook? Because she’s not great at it.”

Beth cracked up laughing and you gasped. “Ellie!”

She grinned at you, unrepentant. “It’s true, and you know it!”

“Well, I don’t know about that.” Joel turned to you with the half smile that sent shivers down your spine. “Dinner was pretty good the other night.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “She can make, like, 5 things. Do not let her make soup.”

He raised his eyebrows and darted his eyes from her to Beth and back to you. “What happened? Soup’s easy, darlin’, what could go wrong?”

Ellie was teasing you. In front of Joel. Something had gone right, after all.

…

“Sorry, Joel, I was just thinking.”

He reached out to tangle your fingers together as he crowded you against the passenger door. “I could tell, sweetheart. So? How do you think it went?” He looked a little worried, which was sweet.

“Honestly, Joel, I think it went really well. Sorry about the interrogation.” You sighed as you leaned against the truck.

He shook his head. “No, I expected it, or something like. I’m happy to answer her questions. You know, to a point.”

You laughed. “She respects honesty. So you probably won some points, with all that.”

He smiled at you and leaned in to press a soft kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Good. I want her to like me. I want her to meet Sarah, too.”

He grinned, a bit wicked. “Tommy’s taking Sarah to a movie after soccer practice. I’m all yours until dinner time, baby.”

You pulled him into a kiss. “Good,” you mumbled against his lips. “Take me home, cowboy.”

…

Ellie (3:02 PM): ok, he’s maybe a little bit cool. he’s alright (3:03 PM): I want to meet Sarah (3:03 PM): but I think he checks out

you (3:05 PM): thanks, Ellie. I’m glad you got along. even if you had to embarrass me to do it

you(3:08 PM): he meant it. but I’d be there too. if you’re interested

Ellie (3:10 PM): I’ll think about it (3:14 PM): Beth was right though. he’s pathetically into you (3:15 PM): like I thought you were bad (3:15 PM): but he’s on a whole other level

you (3:16 PM): I thought you’d be happy about that

Ellie (3:17 PM): don’t make me admit to having feelings

you(3:18 PM): 😇

…

sis 👯 (4:12 PM): finally, my break! How did it go?

you (4:15 PM): yay! I think it went ok? You should ask Ellie but her official verdict is that he’s “alright” and maybe “a little bit cool”

sis 👯 (4:16 PM): well damn. High praise

you (4:16 PM): I know!

sis 👯 (4:18 PM): I’m heading back in but now I want to meet him, too

sis 👯 (4:20 PM): she’d probably love that, if she does actually think he’s alright. But yeah I’d want you there. And not until after I meet him.

you (4:21 PM): of course 👍

...

a/n: they met! it happened! what do we think?

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#evening reblog

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burntheedges · 22 hours

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I'm so glad you liked it!! 🥰

Only for you

Marcus Pike x f!reader | 1.9k words | ao3 | 18+ this is all smut

summary: a little fic answering this request – Marcus Pike finding reader has nipple and clit hood piercings in the ~heat of the moment~ and is totally thrown (in a good way).

a/n: this was pretty fun to write, I'm not going to lie. Thank you as always to @katareyoudrilling for being the best beta. I hope you like it, @fluffygoffpanda!

tags/warnings: smut, banter, kissing, groping, mention of breasts and nipples, reader has her nipples and clit hood pierced (vertical), playing with piercings durings sex, fondling, oral (f!receiving), reader has no description other than having breasts and a vagina, reader is wearing jeans and a shirt (this is basically just smut, but I imagined Marcus and reader just started dating and are having sex for the first time -- feel free to imagine whatever you'd like), no use of y/n, pet names (baby, sweetheart)

...

Your keys slipped from your fingers and fell to the floor as he pressed you back into your door. His hands slipped down your side and squeezed your hips in a firm grip and you gasped. He pressed soft kisses down your neck that made you shiver and your hands tangled in his hair before you realized you’d moved them.

“Fuck,” you breathed. His teeth worried a mark into your neck and you tugged at his hair in response. “Marcus!”

The way you said his name caught his attention and he lifted his head to meet your gaze.

“Yeah, baby?” He kissed you softly but quickly and moved away again before you could react. “You sound so good when you say my name like that.”

You tugged him forward to kiss you again and he chuckled lowly as he allowed it, tilting his head to seal his lips over yours. You sank into the kiss, unable to think of anything but the feel of Marcus’ lips on yours and the weight of his body as he pressed you back into your door.

“You feel so good, baby,” he murmured against your lips. “Been wanting this. For so long.”

His hands slid under your shirt and you hummed into the kiss, pleased. You felt him smile as his fingertips played along the bottom edge of your bra. He pulled away briefly to press his forehead against yours.

“Can I–” he started to ask, but you interrupted.

“Yes.” Your voice was fervent and insistent. “Please, Marcus.”

He pressed his smile to yours again as his hands continued upwards, fingers skimming softly over your skin. You were relaxing back into the kiss when he suddenly froze against you – his whole body tensed and he turned his head with a gasp.

“What–” you started, confused and a little worried. But then you felt it.

His fingers teased tentatively at your nipples and you understood.

“Fuck,” he whispered, voice choked with lust. “Baby, are those–” he cut himself off on a moan as his thumbs pressed down on the metal he’d found waiting for him, hidden under your shirt. His forehead dropped to rest against your shoulder and he sucked in a deep, shuddering breath.

You grinned, though he couldn’t see you. “Yeah, they are.” Your breath caught as he pinched, suddenly, framing one of your piercings between his fingertips, but he released it just as quickly.

“Shit, sorry, was that ok? Not too rough? I don’t–” he sighed. “Is it ok to–”

“Yes," you interrupted him and smoothed a hand down his back. “Please.”

He shivered. “Fuck.” His voice deepened as he returned to teasing your piercings. “Baby, I had no idea. Fuck.”

You turned your head to press kisses in his hair. “Do you like them?”

He pulled his head back to look at you again, and he looked wrecked. His pupils were blown wide and his mouth was open and red from where you’d kissed him moments before.

“Do I like them?” He sounded incredulous, and you bit your lip. He smoothed his thumbs over both of your piercings beneath your shirt and you sighed. When he saw the effect it had on you his gaze darkened. He did it again with a little half grin on his face that made you squirm. “Well, maybe I need to see them, hmm? Before I can say for sure.” He teased you with a wink. He started to move his hands upwards to remove your shirt and you smiled as you raised your arms to help.

You tossed your shirt to the floor by your keys, but when you could see him again, he wasn’t looking at you. His eyes were locked on your chest and it seemed like he was barely breathing.

“Marcus?” you asked, a bit tentative. But you needn’t have worried.

“Baby,” he whispered as he dropped to his knees. He reached up and traced around your nipples lightly with each thumb, watching your nipples move as he tugged lightly at your piercings. You gasped and his eyes darted up to watch your face. “You are so fucking hot.”

You gasped out a laugh, and smiled. “So you like them?”

“Fuck, I love them. Had no idea you were hiding these under there.” He stood to lead you to your couch and gently pushed you down to sit before he fell to his knees in front of you again. “Can I?” he asked, leaning forward. You nodded.

He pressed a gentle kiss to your left breast before teasing around the piercing with his tongue. You tangled your hands in his hair again. “Yes, please,” you breathed.

He closed his lips over your piercing and you thrust your hips forward without meaning to. He released it gently and looked up at you again. “I don’t know how I’m going to survive, knowing you have these. Knowing they’re hiding under all of your shirts and dresses and fuck.” he darted in to press a kiss to the other one. “Fucking gorgeous.”

You bit your lip, wondering if now was a good time to tell him about your other piercing. You started to grin, imagining how he might react.

“You know, those aren’t my only piercings.” His head shot up and his gaze darted from your nipples to your ears, brow furrowed. “No, I don’t mean those. You can’t see the other one right now.”

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. You watched as a flush took over his cheeks and traveled swiftly down his neck. His gaze dropped to the front of your jeans and he stared, eyes glazed and unseeing. “You mean–”

You grasped his chin in your hand and tugged until his eyes returned to meet yours. “Yes, Marcus.” You watched him take that in. He looked completely overwhelmed by the idea. “Why don’t you take off my pants and see?”

The speed with which he scrambled to do so was extremely gratifying.

Marcus unbuttoned your jeans and tugged them forward with your underwear. You lifted your hips to make it easier, and soon enough your jeans were flung elsewhere in your living room. He never took his eyes off of your pussy. His hands were trembling as he raised them to your thighs and gently pushed your legs apart.

When he caught sight of what was waiting for him, he moaned. “Baby,” his voice was deep and dark and it sent shivers down your spine. “Baby, this is the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.” He used his fingers to part your lips as he took you in. You knew what he was seeing – the two round ends of the curved barbell, nestled just above and below your hood, with the bottom one nestled against your clit. You suddenly realized your chest was heaving as you breathed, you were so affected by Marcus’ unwavering stare.

“You can touch–” you were cut off as you sucked in a breath when he leaned forward. “Please, Marcus.”

He pressed a soft kiss to your piercing, right over the end of the barbell next to your clit, and you gasped.

“Is there–” he swallowed and tore his eyes away, finally meeting your gaze again. “Is there anything I shouldn’t–”

You smiled and tangled your hand in his hair again. He was so good. “You can touch. With your fingers and your mouth.” He huffed a laugh and nodded. “It’s long healed. Just be gentle – it feels good against my clit but it doesn’t do a lot on its own.”

He shook his head a little. “Well, baby, let me tell you, it’s doing plenty on its own – for me.” You grinned as he ducked his head down again.

You gasped as he closed his mouth around your clit and teased lightly at your piercing and your clit with his tongue. “Yes,” you breathed, “like that, Marcus.” He pressed a little more firmly with his tongue and you let your legs drop open completely as you tilted your hips forward into his mouth.

Marcus moved his tongue expertly against you, teasing at your clit and moving your piercing against it in a way that felt amazing. He slipped his hand forward and you felt his fingers teasing at your entrance. He circled one of his fingertips around in a circle before pushing forward gently, just pressing the tip inside as he flattened his tongue over your clit. You moaned.

He pressed his finger forward as he circled your clit and piercing in little figure-8s and you lost yourself completely in the sensations. Before you could catch your breath he slipped a second finger next to the first and thrust them both forward to find that perfect spot inside of you. You started to squirm against his mouth.

“Yeah, baby,” he pulled back just enough to murmur to you. “Fuck my face, sweetheart.”

You tangled both of your hands in his hair and did as he asked.

Overwhelmed, you thrust your hips forward to meet his fingers. His lips and tongue were steady and devastating on your clit. It was like he couldn’t, he refused to pull himself away. You could feel it building at the bottom of your spine, climbing and clawing its way upwards as he tongued relentlessly at your clit. You thrust forward again and pulled his face forward, almost grinding against his mouth. He hummed into your pussy as you pressed his face into you, mouth open to meet you, and your next breath came out like a sob.

“Marcus–” your breath caught. “Marcus, I’m close–”

On your next thrust, he pressed his fingers right onto the spot that felt amazing, and at the same time twisted the tip of his tongue around your clit. He looked up and locked his eyes on yours, mouth open against your pussy. All you could see were his eyes, dark and intent.

“Come, sweetheart.” His lips moved over your clit as he said it.

You did. His lips closed over your clit and piercing again and you fell over the edge. You sighed out his name as your legs shook and your back arched. He didn’t move away, guiding you through it with his tongue and his fingers until your whole body was shaking.

You blinked and found yourself staring up at your ceiling, legs, thrown wide, with Marcus between them pressing gentle kisses around your pussy.

“Holy shit, Marcus.” He chuckled as he moved upwards to hover over you.

“Me? No, baby, that was all you.” He smiled as he brushed his thumb over your cheek. “How am I supposed to go about my day, knowing what you’ve got hiding away, just for me?”

You smiled back. “Only for you.” You watched as he shivered at the thought. “C’mere, handsome.” You tugged him down into a soft kiss and felt him smile against your lips as you wrapped your legs around his hips. His cock, hard inside his jeans, pressed against your spread open pussy and he moaned.

“C’mon, sweetheart,” he murmured against your lips. “Let’s finish this in bed.” You laughed as he tugged you up and off the couch. Something about him leading you down the hallway, fully clothed while you were completely naked, was turning you on even more. When he reached your door, he turned around and captured your hands as he walked backwards into your bedroom. “Got any more surprises waiting for me?”

You winked. “Guess you’ll find out.” He laughed and tugged you forward into another kiss.

...

a/n: let me know what you think? 💕

tag list: @katareyoudrilling @jeewrites @dancingtotuyo (since we talked about it)

If you're on the tag list for Maintenance Request and want to be on all my tag lists, let me know!

#comment reblog #only for you fic

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burntheedges · 24 hours

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🧡🧡🧡 it would be so melty 😂 thank you!!

Passing Notes: Cake

Joel Miller x gn!reader | 1.2k words | Passing Notes masterlist

summary: It’s May and you’re on the hunt for a cookie cake for your niece.

a/n: @trulybetty happy @swiftiscruff gift exchange! Listen — I have no idea where this came from, I was aiming for a meet-cute. Then I thought about how I had to get a cookie cake for a friend’s kid’s dance recital and I couldn’t find one anywhere – where did they go? are we out on cookie cakes, now? – and then this happened. (I did find one in the end but we didn’t even eat it.)

tags/warnings: flirting, cursing, pet names (beautiful, darlin’, handsome), food mention, reader walks and pushes a shopping cart but is otherwise not described

...

You turned the corner towards the bakery section, saying a quick prayer to whoever might be listening that you’d find the thing you needed without having to visit another grocery store. You needed a cookie cake for your niece’s elementary school graduation party – your sister had forgotten to order one, since there was already going to be an actual cake. But your niece and all of the other 11 year olds loved cookie cake, and so here you were, three hours before the party, on the hunt.

You tried to take a deep breath as you pushed your cart past the bakery displays. If you didn’t find it here, you’d probably have to get something else. Could you make a cookie cake in three hours? How hard could it be? You hoped you wouldn’t have to find out.

As you approached the last display before you reached the dairy case, you saw them – a display with only five cookie cakes left. You locked your eyes on them, quickly checking the selection for the one you needed. Your heart rate picked up when you saw it – there, at the far end of the row, one cookie cake with sprinkles and icing balloons decorating half of it. It was perfect. You started to smile as you reached for it – finally, you thought – but your hand never made it. You made contact with something else instead.

You found your fingers suddenly tangled with larger, tanned fingers that accidentally slotted between your own as you both reached for the same cookie cake. You startled and whipped your head to the right, accidentally curling your fingers around the stranger’s and, in your surprise, locking your hands together.

The man was looking at you, too. He had broad shoulders, dark curly hair, a scruffy beard, and soft brown eyes. You blinked. Shit, he’s hot. You felt his arm pressed up against your own and realized he was strong, too.

He cleared his throat and tugged on his fingers where they were tangled with your own. “Ah, sorry, darlin’. Didn’t mean to bump you.”

Darlin’. You blinked again.

“Oh! Er, sorry.” You realized you were still holding his fingers and released them suddenly. “I didn’t even see you, I was just trying to grab that cookie cake.” You reached forward again and stopped.

You both had a hand on the plastic box of the cookie cake. You’d reached forward at the exact same time. You looked at your hands, holding onto opposite sides of the circular box, and then looked back at the (extremely handsome) man.

“Um,” you started, not sure what to say. “Sorry, I’m just getting a cookie cake for my niece.” You tugged the box a little bit towards you, hoping he’d give in.

He sighed and shook his head. “Sorry, darlin’, but I’m gettin’ one for my daughter.” He tugged lightly on the box, too.

“It’s for her graduation party,” you argued, tugging again.

“My daughter’s graduatin’ too,” he returned, tugging back.

“She’s obsessed with cookie cakes,” you tried.

“She said it’s not a real party if she doesn’t have one of these,” he replied, eyebrows raised.

“This one is perfect, though,” you complained.

“This is the third store I’ve been to today,” he said.

You stared at each other, unmoving. Against your will, you felt the corner of your mouth start to lift into a smile. This is ridiculous, you thought, a bit hysterical. The perfect cookie cake was within your grasp, and apparently you now had to face off with the most attractive man you’d ever seen in order to keep it.

As your smile grew you watched him start to smile back at you, eyes crinkling.

“Well, darlin’, it seems that we are at an impasse.” He was outright grinning now, and you tried not to be dazzled by the effect of it.

“It seems we are, stranger.” You bit your lip and his eyes dropped to your mouth. “Any chance your daughter would be happy with one of these other cookie cakes? My niece gave me strict instructions to get one with balloons on it, because balloons are for parties.”

He laughed and nodded. “Same problem. Sarah requests one of these for every birthday and holiday, and she has strong opinions about the right kind of cookie cake, with just the right amount of icing.”

You snorted, charmed. “Well, shit. What are we going to do?”

Joel eyed you, still smiling. You realized your arms were still touching all the way from shoulder to wrist as you stood next to each other, hands on the cookie cake box. It probably looked absurd to any shoppers passing by but you didn’t want to move away. You leaned against him a little bit and his smile grew wider.

“Well, let me introduce myself, first. Joel Miller, darlin’. I am very pleased to meet you.” He nudged your shoulder with his own and winked. “Even if we are in a bit of a tussle, here.”

You laughed and introduced yourself. “Pleased to meet you too, Joel. Even under the circumstances.”

He tilted his head and seemed to make some sort of decision. “I have a proposal for you.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “I’d love to hear it.”

Joel turned his body towards you as much as he could without moving his arm or releasing his grip on the box. “I’ll let you have this cookie cake if you’ll give me your number.”

Your eyebrows raised. You were surprised he’d give up that easily, even if you were interested. “Oh yeah? But what about Sarah?”

He shook his head, smiling. “I can get one of the other ones and bust out my cake decoratin’ skills. I did it last time, was just hopin’ not to get made fun of by my daughter for my wonky balloons again. But I’m happy to take the teasin’ if it means I might get to see you again, beautiful.”

You smiled at the line. “Well, Joel Miller, I do not have any cake decorating skills to speak of, and so I am desperate to buy this cookie cake. I’ll take your deal, as long as it doesn’t mean I’m depriving your daughter of the perfect icing-to-cookie ratio.”

He laughed and released his grip on the box. You slid it towards you on the shelf. “If you ask me, she likes way too much icing,” he said. “Not a lot of cookie under there.” Joel seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then said, “you know, you don’t have to give me your number, if you’re not interested – don’t give it to me just because you need this cookie cake.”

You tucked the box safely in your cart, and then turned back to Joel and grinned. “Let me say that again. I’ll take your deal, as long as it doesn’t mean I’m depriving your daughter of the perfect amount of icing, and because I think I’d like to see you again too, handsome.”

He grinned back at you and leaned against the display table, arms crossed. “Well, darlin’, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

You nodded, agreeing. You had a good feeling about this one.

...

a/n: this is sort of what I was picturing for the cookie cake, only the ones they sell without the message so you can pipe it in yourself. And more balloons. 🤷🏻‍♀️ please consider this a thank you for sequins which I love with my whole heart

#comment reblog #passing notes fic

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burntheedges · 1 day

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Maintenance Request Chapter 20

Joel Miller x f!reader | new chapter every Friday 18+ | ao3 | main post & chapter list chapter word count: 3.3k

chapter summary: when Joel met Ellie 👀

a/n: thank you as always to @katareyoudrilling for being the best beta 💕

Chapter 20

Saturday, November 16 Twelfth week of the semester

Ellie was in the front seat of Beth’s car and stuck her tongue out at you, so you rolled your eyes and got in the back.

“Morning,” you said as you slid into the seat.

“Morning!” Beth sounded cheery, at least. “Here we go!” You sighed and tried to force the muscles in your back to relax.

“Hey, darlin,” he murmured as he leaned in to kiss your cheek.

“Morning, Joel.” You smiled and gestured behind you. “You know Beth. And this is Ellie.”

Joel and Ellie looked at each other for a moment in silence. She was squinting at him fiercely and you could tell he was trying not to smile in response.

“Nice to meet you, Ellie.” Joel nodded at her and you were suddenly glad he seemed to intuit that offering a handshake was not a good idea. “Heard a lot about you from your aunt.”

“Hi,” she replied, eyes narrowed. “What did you hear?”

Joel couldn’t hold back the smile anymore. “Heard you made a pretty cool presentation about the Emu War. How’d that go?”

“Let’s go get a table and then maybe she’ll tell you all about it.” You gestured to the restaurant and Beth moved behind you to open the door.

“Bet I can recite your presentation from memory.” Beth grinned as she teased Ellie, who rolled her eyes.

“Bet me what? I bet you can’t.” Ellie crossed her arms as she entered the restaurant and you laughed.

“Hmm,” you heard Beth muse as you stepped up to the host station to get a table. “I’ll buy you another weird little guy of your choice.”

“Deal!” Ellie sounded gleeful. “Get ready to perform.”

Before you could say anything, though, Ellie beat you to it.

Joel squeezed your hand before he nodded and replied. “I’m serious about her, about us. I care about her a lot. I want to be good for her.”

Ellie hummed, and was briefly interrupted by your drinks arriving. She took a long sip of her orange juice.

“I have some questions.” She said it like she was throwing out a gauntlet. You resisted the urge to hide your face in your hands.

Joel nodded, face serious. “Ask ‘em.”

And then rapid fire, she did.

“You have a kid, right? What happened to her mom?”

Joel didn’t even flinch. “She left, isn’t coming back. We weren’t together long. You’ll have to talk to Sarah for more details.”

“Have you ever been arrested?” You closed your eyes and took a long sip of your coffee.

“Hmm. Ok. Have you ever done drugs?”

Joel shook his head. “Just smoked weed a few times in high school. Used to smoke cigarettes before Sarah was born. Quit when she came along.”

Ellie leaned back in her chair, hands tense on the edge of the table. “What’s your worst habit?”

“What’s your daughter’s favorite tv show?”

Joel grimaced. “She likes that dating show, the new one where they don’t see each other at first. I hate it.”

“Do you watch it with her?” Ellie raised her eyebrows.

“Sometimes. She likes watchin’ it with Tommy better, he likes it more’n me. She says I bring down the vibe.” He shrugged.

“When’s the last time you had an argument with her?”

You watched Ellie’s face carefully and could see that she was relaxing a bit. You could guess at her reasoning for some of these questions, but not all of them.

“Why do you like my aunt?”

Ellie squinted at him again, frowning. “I mean, she’s the fucking best, I know that. But you better know that, too.”

He grinned at her. “I do know that. She is the fucking best.” He raised his eyebrows at her again when he echoed her curse. “And for some reason she seems to like me. I’m not arguin’.”

You elbowed him. “Joel, you know–”

He shook his head at you. “I know, darlin’, I swear I’ve been listenin’. But right now I’m tellin’ Ellie all the reasons I like you.”

You sighed, but Beth cut in. “Wait, I have a question.”

Ellie looked at her skeptically. You both did. Joel didn’t, but he hadn’t known her as long.

“What? I do!”

Joel smiled. “Go ahead.”

Beth grinned, and you started to worry. “Alright, we need to know, and you have to be honest. How bad at dancing is she? We’ve seen her dance! We know the truth!”

Ellie burst out laughing and despite your own annoyance, you grinned at the sight. “Yeah!” She agreed through her laughter. “Tell us!”

Joel looked at you and smiled, gently. “Nah, she was great. Didn’t even step on my feet. She followed my lead just fine.” You felt your cheeks heat in response.

“Oh, come on! That's it?” Beth nudged Ellie with her elbow.

“That’s it.” He nodded and squeezed your hand again. “I’d dance with her anytime.”

“Gross.” Ellie rolled her eyes, and you knew she was feeling more comfortable.

Joel straightened in his seat as the food arrived and released your hand. “Can I ask you some questions now?”

Ellie immediately looked suspicious but nodded, grudgingly.

“Alright. I heard you started the art club. What kind of art?” He took a bite of his food after he asked, looking at Ellie expectantly.

She glanced between him and you, clearly unsure. You nodded at her in encouragement.

“You want to hear about that?” She sounded skeptical.

He nodded. “I do. Sounds like maybe it took a lot of work. Are you in charge of the club?”

“That’s what I said,” Beth agreed, nodding. “You’d be a great president.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to be president, anyway.” She shrugged.

Joel nodded. “Maybe. I’ll tell her to check.” He took a sip of his coffee and glanced from you to Ellie and back again. “Got any more questions for me?”

Ellie furrowed her brows and frowned at her waffle. You watched as she straightened her shoulders and started to wonder how many questions she might have left on her list.

“How many people have you dated?” Your heart rate picked up at her words and you opened your mouth to interrupt, but Ellie shot you a stubborn look.

Ellie continued to scowl for a minute, looking first at Joel and then down at her plate. “Ok. I–” she trailed off, looking unsure. “Ok. One more question.”

Joel nodded and you took a deep breath, bracing yourself.

“Can you cook? Because she’s not great at it.”

Beth cracked up laughing and you gasped. “Ellie!”

She grinned at you, unrepentant. “It’s true, and you know it!”

“Well, I don’t know about that.” Joel turned to you with the half smile that sent shivers down your spine. “Dinner was pretty good the other night.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “She can make, like, 5 things. Do not let her make soup.”

He raised his eyebrows and darted his eyes from her to Beth and back to you. “What happened? Soup’s easy, darlin’, what could go wrong?”

Ellie was teasing you. In front of Joel. Something had gone right, after all.

…

“Sorry, Joel, I was just thinking.”

He reached out to tangle your fingers together as he crowded you against the passenger door. “I could tell, sweetheart. So? How do you think it went?” He looked a little worried, which was sweet.

“Honestly, Joel, I think it went really well. Sorry about the interrogation.” You sighed as you leaned against the truck.

He shook his head. “No, I expected it, or something like. I’m happy to answer her questions. You know, to a point.”

You laughed. “She respects honesty. So you probably won some points, with all that.”

He smiled at you and leaned in to press a soft kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Good. I want her to like me. I want her to meet Sarah, too.”

He grinned, a bit wicked. “Tommy’s taking Sarah to a movie after soccer practice. I’m all yours until dinner time, baby.”

You pulled him into a kiss. “Good,” you mumbled against his lips. “Take me home, cowboy.”

…

Ellie (3:02 PM): ok, he’s maybe a little bit cool. he’s alright (3:03 PM): I want to meet Sarah (3:03 PM): but I think he checks out

you (3:05 PM): thanks, Ellie. I’m glad you got along. even if you had to embarrass me to do it

you(3:08 PM): he meant it. but I’d be there too. if you’re interested

Ellie (3:10 PM): I’ll think about it (3:14 PM): Beth was right though. he’s pathetically into you (3:15 PM): like I thought you were bad (3:15 PM): but he’s on a whole other level

you (3:16 PM): I thought you’d be happy about that

Ellie (3:17 PM): don’t make me admit to having feelings

you(3:18 PM): 😇

…

sis 👯 (4:12 PM): finally, my break! How did it go?

you (4:15 PM): yay! I think it went ok? You should ask Ellie but her official verdict is that he’s “alright” and maybe “a little bit cool”

sis 👯 (4:16 PM): well damn. High praise

you (4:16 PM): I know!

sis 👯 (4:18 PM): I’m heading back in but now I want to meet him, too

sis 👯 (4:20 PM): she’d probably love that, if she does actually think he’s alright. But yeah I’d want you there. And not until after I meet him.

you (4:21 PM): of course 👍

...

a/n: they met! it happened! what do we think?

prev | next

tag list: @harriedandharassed @jupiter-soups @ilovepedro @auteurdelabre @anoverwhelmingdin

@myloveistoolittle @iknowisoundcrazy @beezusvreeland @screechingphantommaker @bigboiseason123

@joelalorian @untamedheart81 @ashleyfilm @jessthebaker @jeewrites

@fluffygoffpanda @paleidiot @mithicakurogo @theclairvoyage @lizzie-cakes

@islacharlotte @syd-djarin @copperhalfcent @vabeachazn @spacedoutdaydreamer

@littlevenicebitch69 @secretelephanttattoo @pigeonmama @vickie5446

@glizzymcguirex @verymiraclemiracle @friskispunk

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #tlou fic #maintenance request fic #JHCGBDM #ellie williams

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burntheedges · 1 day

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🥰 yay! He’s so chaotic and such a flirt 😂

Passing Notes: Park

Dieter Bravo x gn!reader | 1.5k words | Passing Notes masterlist

summary: You come upon a strange man while spending your day at the park.

a/n: as I said in the masterlist for these, to all of my followers and mutuals – I love you! Thank you for being here. I wish I could have written one for each of you individually. (I am just one person who needs to sleep.) So I wrote this one for all of you, based on this poll — surprise! The secret is out. 🧡

tags/warnings: flirting, drink mention, reader walks and sits at a park but is otherwise not described

...

It was a beautiful day – warm but not too hot, nice breeze, enough clouds to provide some shade when you needed. You’d taken one look out of your window that morning and knew you needed to get outside.

You finally found time later that morning. You slipped into comfortable walking clothes and sneakers and headed to your favorite park with a book and a blanket. It was one of the larger parks in the city, with lots of places to sit and relax. You knew it would probably be crowded, but that was ok – the people watching might be more entertaining than your book.

The park drew all kinds – families, couples on dates, packs of teenagers, college students working off a hangover, runners, frisbee enthusiasts. It always made for truly excellent people watching, especially when you wore sunglasses.

When you arrived you found that it was crowded, but not too crowded, and you set off down one of the paths that led to a meadow you particularly liked. You enjoyed the short walk to get there, looking around at the people you passed and letting your surroundings start to relax you.

You turned the corner into your meadow, already thinking about setting up your blanket under the large maple tree, when you were brought up short by the unexpected sight in front of you.

There was a man in the meadow.

That wasn’t remarkable, on its own. He wasn’t even the only one. But he was the only person lying on his back, limbs out like he was making a snow angel, snoring in the sunlight. You trailed your eyes over him, taking in the details of his mismatched outfit. He was wearing a lurid green robe, plaid pajama pants, and a ripped t-shirt. His shirt and pants were absolutely covered in paint splatters. He had on sunglasses and his hair looked like he’d stuck his finger in an electrical socket. He was wearing one sock and the ugliest pair of crocs you’d ever seen. And he was extremely handsome.

As you observed him, he let out a truly impressive snore, started, and relaxed back into sleep, arms and legs still flung out at different angles. He looked like he’d wandered out of his house and decided to take a nap in the sun.

You blinked. You glanced around and noticed that people were giving him the side-eye but leaving him alone. There were a couple of teenagers whispering and pointing at him, but you shrugged it off as typical teenager behavior. You decided you’d set up nearby, glad you’d brought an extra bottle of water and sunscreen, just in case. You had a feeling he might need it.

You set up under your maple tree, only about 15 feet away from the mysterious sleeping man. You cracked open your book and managed to read for about half an hour before he drew your attention again.

With a sudden start, he snorted and flew to a sitting position, arms windmilling around him. You watched, concerned, as he started patting at his clothes before groaning and running his hands down his face under his sunglasses. His shoulders slumped and he threw his head back, mumbling something under his breath.

You kept an eye on him and were surprised to see him look around and then turn towards you.

He scooted forward on his knees a few feet, and then twisted his hands together nervously. “Um, excuse me,” he started, shoulders curling inward. “What time is it?”

You turned towards him and read him the time from your phone. He groaned again.

“Shit. Um, thank you, I mean. Ugh,” he flopped back onto his back dramatically. “Can’t believe I did it again…” he trailed off, throwing his arms over his face. You decided he seemed pretty harmless (and a little pathetic).

“Um, are you alright?” You marked your place in your book and set it down.

He moaned. “No, I’m not alright. I just accidentally fell asleep outside. Again.”

You blinked. How does someone fall asleep outside by accident?

“You…” you started, unsure of how to ask. “Do you regularly fall asleep outside? In public?” You tried not to sound judgemental, but what?

He sighed and fell back into his starfish pose that he’d been sleeping in. “I try not to. I swear, I was doing so well! But sometimes I need inspiration and I come out to look at the night sky and then whoops, it’s morning.” He moaned again. “And I don’t even have my keys.”

You studied him as you took in this new information. “Do you want some water?”

He perked up suddenly, lifting his head to look at you. “You have water? I would die for some water right now. I’ve never been so thirsty in my entire life.” He really put the drama into it, and you started to smile.

“Well, you can just have it, no need to do anything like die for it.” You tossed him the water bottle and he watched it fly towards him. He let it land in the grass next to him without moving to try to catch it before grabbing it and starting to drink from it like he hadn’t had a drink in days.

“You’re an angel,” he gasped when he came up for air. “Are you an angel? For real? Usually when I wake up in the park there are strangers taking pictures of me and laughing.”

You felt a pang of anger that people would do that rather than offer help. “That sounds shitty, I’m sorry–”

He waved off your words. “It’s fine, I’m used to it.” He took another long drink of water.

Used to it? You shrugged. He must really do this a lot. “Still shitty.”

He shook his head and turned his body towards you, about 5 feet away on the grass. “Yeah, probably. I barely notice.” He shrugged again, and you frowned.

You decided to let it go, since he was apparently unbothered. “Inspiration for what?”

“Huh?” he replied, mouth open. You smiled a bit at how much he let whatever he was thinking show all over his face.

“You said you come out here for inspiration. Inspiration for what?” You tilted your head, curious.

“Oh!” he wrapped his arms around his knees and curled into a little ball. “Painting. I paint. And I usually can’t sleep, so I paint at night. And then,” he gestured around him with one hand before returning it to its place around his calves, “this happens.”

You snorted. “You need to, like, tell someone where you’re going, next time. Or bring someone with you.”

He smiled, wistfully, and rested his cheek against his knee. “No one to tell, I guess. And my agent is sick of me.” His smile twisted into a frown. “And I think it would make her worry. But I’ve never run into an angel doing this before. Or anyone nearly as nice.”

You felt a pang for him, this mystery man who didn’t have a close enough friend to keep him from sleeping outside semi-regularly. But you didn’t really know him and weren’t sure what to say.

“You could always tie yourself to the bed.” You tried for a joking tone, but as soon as you said it, you regretted it. You could feel your cheeks start to burn, but then you realized he looked delighted.

“Well, angel, I’d much rather have a partner for that kind of thing.” He grinned and raised his sunglasses up to wink at you. It was silly, but it also gave you the chance to realize he had beautiful eyes. And that you recognized him.

“Oh!” You said, startled. “You’re Dieter Bravo!”

His delighted expression immediately shifted into a grimace. “Err, yes–” he hesitated. “I am.”

You suddenly understood why people would take pictures of him sleeping outside, and it made you angrier than before. “Don’t worry,” you hurried to reassure him. “I’m not going to tell anyone I found Dieter Bravo sleeping in a public park.”

He looked like he maybe wanted to smile again, but wasn’t sure. “No? People usually do. The paps are bored with it now, though, just so you know.”

You shook your head and smiled. “No, I promise. It’s not their business.” You introduced yourself and he let himself smile again.

“Well, angel, this is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me in this park.” You laughed. “Any chance I could use your phone to call a ride?”

You nodded and handed it over. He scooted closer on the grass until he was half on your blanket. You started to gather your stuff as he made his call – it was probably time to head home.

“Oh, are you leaving?” He looked put out.

“Aren’t you leaving, too?” you asked, confused.

“Well, yeah, but not for about 20 minutes. Could we–” he swallowed and twisted his hands in your blanket. “Do you want to, um. Talk?”

You smiled. “I’d love to.”

Dieter grinned. “Amazing.” He lifted his sunglasses to rest in his wild hair and winked at you again. “And, um. I might have put my number in your phone. If you wanted to hang out again.” He winked. “Or maybe revisit the idea of figuring out how to keep me in bed at night. If, um. If you want.”

You laughed, charmed, and leaned closer. “Alright. Let’s talk.” You let your hand creep towards his on the blanket. “And we’ll see.”

...

tagging because you're amazing and this is for you:

@joelsgreys @msjarvis @jennaispunk @schnarfer @thesluttylittleknee

@harriedandharassed @ilovepedro @auteurdelabre @anoverwhelmingdin @silenceindminor

@myloveistoolittle @iknowisoundcrazy @beezusvreeland @screechingphantommaker @bigboiseason123

@joelalorian @untamedheart81 @ashleyfilm @jessthebaker @jeewrites

@fluffygoffpanda @paleidiot @mithicakurogo @theclairvoyage @lizzie-cakes

@islacharlotte @syd-djarin @copperhalfcent @vabeachazn @spacedoutdaydreamer

@littlevenicebitch69 @pigeonmama @ravensmadreads @sheepdogchick3 @sixhours

@nedgooel @dancingtotuyo @vickie5446 @ezrasbirdie

(sorry tumblr is fighting tags right now)

#comment reblog #passing notes fic

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burntheedges · 1 day

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hey hey! hope you’re gucci gucci. for the writer asks thingy, 6 and 36 por favor! muah xoxo

hi abby! ooh good ones! thanks 🧡

6. Single or multiple POV?

probably multiple. I don't think I've successfully limited myself to a single POV in anything longer than a oneshot (and within some of those, too). I like thinking about what they're both thinking 😂

but you know, in the current wip, I think we might stay in reader's head the whole time 👀 we'll see!

36. Last sentence you wrote

speaking of that wip, here you go:

You thanked him and continued towards the studio in a daze, with Djarin’s – no, Din’s – voice running through your head. You dance it well.

writer's ask game

#ask me anything #ask game #writer asks

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burntheedges · 1 day

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purge of 2002? of 2012? what ARE those?

Oh, how quickly the past is forgotten.

They are part of the reason A03 is a thing now. Not the whole reason, but part of it.

The Great Purges of 2002 and 2012 are when ff.net got a wild hair up their ass about THINK OF THE CHILDREN and nuked any fic posted on there that was explicit. Thousands upon thousands of nc-17 smutfics were lost.

It’s what led to the creation of alternate hosting sites for smutty fic…AdultFanfiction was the one I went to…but thousands of fics would never be recovered.

#I was there for both purges #and for the loss of two other archives #ao3 forever

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burntheedges · 1 day

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17 and 32 for writer's asks please!

hi!! thanks! these are fun. also I did not forget your other ask, I'm just going to work on it tonight! I have so many ideas 👀

17. What writing habits or rituals do you have?

this is an interesting question. I don't know if I have any rituals. but habit-wise I do like to do a big thought dump before I start anything. I actually do that with any idea -- I have a doc that's just ideas. if I don't get it out of my head I'll completely forget it exists, so I have to write it down somewhere even if it's vague. and then once I have even a little bit of a draft I want someone to read it. lol

I like to write on my laptop so usually on my couch or at a coffee shop. I also stop when I get too tired 😂 or it starts to not make sense. (and my fingers will just keep typing -- one time in high school I fell a little bit asleep during a history exam and my hand just kept writing about Voldemort and like, the US civil war. I think there were also ghosts. it did not make sense.)

32. Most difficult character to write

Ellie. maybe she's not that difficult and I just build her up a lot in my head? I don't want to get her wrong.

writer ask game

#ask me anything #ask game #writer asks

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burntheedges · 1 day

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hi kate! 2, 12 and 14 for the writing asks? 🤍

hi vee!! thanks these are fun 🧡

2. Are you a pantser or plotter?

I'm a plotter for sure. I tend to get all of my thoughts out about an idea (just, type everything and copy in images and links) and then turn that into an outline. and then I write from the outline and the notes. my current main wip has like 4 or 5 pages of notes and outline at the top of the doc. I don't include all of the tiny details but there is definitely at least an idea for the main beats and sometimes little dialogue snippets. I was a bit more of a pantser for the passing notes series, but even then I had ideas for each one before I started.

12. Describe your perfect writing space

a coffee shop with chill music and comfy chairs. 🧡 my favorite local one here has uncomfortable chairs lol but I suffer them for the vibe!

14. How do you deal with self-doubts?

honestly I usually talk to someone about it. not to get too real with you for a minute but I've spent a lot of time in therapy talking about feeling my feelings and it always helps me to take them out of my head. so I just try to talk to someone and that pretty much always helps. and I do have them, like everyone else. (thank you @katareyoudrilling for listening to so much of my self-doubt haha 🧡)

writer ask game

#ask me anything #ask game #writer asks

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burntheedges · 1 day

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#cutie #art

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burntheedges · 1 day

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A Writer’s Ask Game

Send me an ask with the number(s) you’d like me to answer!

The Basics 1. Do you listen to music when you write? 2. Are you a pantser or plotter? 3. Computer or pen and paper? 4. Have you ever been published, or do you want to be published? 5. How much writing do you get done on an average day? 6. Single or multiple POV? 7. Standalone or series? 8. Oldest WIP 9. Current WIP 10. Do you set yourself deadlines?

The Specifics 11. Books and/or authors who influenced you the most 12. Describe your perfect writing space 13. Describe your writing process from idea to polished 14. How do you deal with self-doubts? 15. How do you deal with writer’s block? 16. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied with a project? 17. What writing habits or rituals do you have? 18. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and what would you write about? 19. How do you keep yourself motivated? 20. How many WIPs and story ideas do you have?

The Favourites 21. Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write? 22. Who is/are your favourite pairing(s) to write? 23. Favourite author 24. Favourite genre to write and read 25. Favourite part of writing 26. Favourite writing program 27. Favourite line/scene 28. Favourite side character 29. Favourite villain 30. Favourite idea you haven’t started on yet

The Dark 31. Least favourite part of writing 32. Most difficult character to write 33. Have you ever killed a main character? 34. What was the hardest scene you ever had to write? 35. What scene/story are you least looking forward to writing?

The Fun 36. Last sentence you wrote 37. First sentence or your current WIP 38. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had 39. Weirdest character concept you’ve ever had 40. Share some backstory for one of your characters

The Rest of It 41. Any advice for new/beginning/young writers? 42. How do you feel about love triangles? 43. What do you do if/when characters don’t follow the outline? 44. How much research do you do? 45. How much world building do you do? 46. Do you reread your own stories? 47. Best way to procrastinate 48. What’s the most self-insert character/scene you’ve ever written? 49. Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real? 50. [Other question—ask me anything]

#ask game #ask games #ask me anything #writing asks

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burntheedges · 1 day

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Bingo!!! 🎉🎉🎉 congrats!! I love the way you filled in your squares! 😍 and what a great list of fic!

I haven’t gotten bingo yet 😂 I also need to drop into some inboxes.

Here’s your prize!

Pedro Pascal Fandom Bingo

Earlier this month @burntheedges put out this awesome Pedro Pascal Fandom Bingo Game. I organized myself a bit, got some reading done, and I got a bingo! I’m not the most competitive person in the world, but I’m motivated now to fill out the rest of my board - which means I’ll have to be brave and start popping into some inboxes (you’ve been warned 😆).

I wanted to shout out the fics and writers I've read so far this month. I’ve gotten a chance to read some characters I don’t normally read which has been really fun (and of course I still have my old standbys well represented 😉)! This goes without saying, but be sure to read the warnings - just because I liked something doesn't mean you will. xoxo

Dave York - Strangers by @wildemaven

Lucien Flores - Apartment by @suzdin // What I Want From You & What Do I Tell You by @nerdieforpedro

Max Phillips - Screwed Up and Brilliant by @psychedelic-ink

Marcus Moreno - Afterword by @secretelephanttattoo

Marcus Pike - Netflix & Chill by @mountainsandmayhem // Caught in the Rain by @burntheedges

Joel Miller - Muscle Memory by @frenchiereading

Oberyn Martell - Delicate by @janaispunk

Frankie Morales - Do Me Yourself and Up Sky, Low High by @undercoverpena // Adrift With You by @morallyinept // Date Night by @artsy-girl-76 // Frankie’s Version by @julesonrecord // Fix You by @astoryisaloveaffair

Din Djarin - You Done? by @beskarandblasters

Zach Wellison - Movie Night by @munsonownsmyass

Javier Peña - Sun to Me by @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin Dieter Bravo - Closed Position by @mysterious-moonstruck-musings // Late Night Talking by @all-the-things-2020 // I Carry Your Heart With Me by @morallyinept // Secret Sparkler by @yxtkiwiyxt

#pedropascalfandombingo #pedro pascal fandom bingo #pp bingo cards

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burntheedges · 1 day

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🥰🥰🥰 Javi is just such a flirt 🧡

Passing Notes: New

Javier Peña x f!reader | 1.8k words | Passing Notes masterlist

summary: Fed up with unpacking, you decide to get out and explore your new town a little bit. There’s a handsome surprise awaiting you at lunch.

a/n: happy @swiftiscruff gift exchange, Megan! @goodwithcheese I hope you like this little meet cute with Javi. There’s texting so I sort of vaguely shifted him forward in time a bit.

tags/warnings: flirting, food and drink mention, meet cute, pet name (hermosa), reader walks and drives, otherwise not described

...

On your third day in your new town, you decided it was time to venture out.

You’d barely gotten started on unpacking and the pile of still-sealed boxes in your living room taunted you as you breezed past them, keys in hand. You knew you should probably stay and at least try to get everything put away before you started your new job the next week. But after two full days of organizing and breaking down boxes you couldn’t face another minute of staring at your new walls.

You had to go somewhere. Anywhere. You hopped in your car and remembered that restaurant you’d seen on the way into town. It was only a mile or so away, and it was probably a good idea to get a feel for the neighborhood by checking out the local spots. See if their lunch was any good. Right?

As you pulled into the parking lot, though, you felt your shoulders hunch up by your ears. You wanted to get out, sure, but suddenly you realized you were going to have to show your face in front of a bunch of strangers, in a relatively small town, where you were obviously new.

You shook your head and took a deep breath. There was nothing for it. You had to get out sometime, they’d all see you sooner or later. Might as well be now. You twisted your hands around the steering wheel as you parked and took it in.

It was cute, at least. Very ‘50s, with a silver facade. You could see slightly run-down red cushions on the booths inside and a bartop by the kitchen service window with round silver stools arranged in front of it.

You nodded to yourself and got out of your car, shaking your arms out. As you walked up to the door you decided you’d sit at the bar. That’s what people eating alone did, right? In the movies they did, anyway.

“Welcome!” The server behind the bar greeted you and you noticed there wasn’t a host stand. “Come on in,” she said, waving you forward. “You want a booth or you just gonna sit up here?” She gestured at the empty bar and you nodded. “Great. Coffee?”

You nodded again, even though drinking coffee at this time of day might come back to haunt you later. She was already pouring it as you sat in front of her on a cushioned stool. She slid the mug in front of you and you read her name tag – Janice.

“New in town?” She asked as she slid a menu towards you.

You smiled, hesitant. “Is it obvious?”

Janice laughed good-naturedly. “No, honey, it’s just that I’ve lived here my whole life and know everybody already. Welcome! I’ll be back to take your order in a minute.”

You nodded and thanked her. The menu was bigger than you’d expected and it took you a minute to figure out what to order. By the time you were done and looked up again you realized more people had come in and it was starting to fill up with the lunch rush.

There were a couple of new families and groups in booths, but the bar seating especially was getting more crowded and somehow you’d been too engrossed in the menu to notice. Three old men who’d obviously come together and had the air of regulars were laughing together down at one end of the bar. Other than a couple of women down at the opposite end, everyone else was on their own.

The one who immediately caught your eye seemed to be alone, anyway.

He was two stools away, to your left. You had no idea how you’d missed his entrance because you were certainly looking now. You let your gaze dance over him out of the corner of your eye, trying to keep your face forward so he wouldn’t notice. He was looking away from you, talking to Janice, so you took the opportunity to look a little more closely.

He was wearing worn-in cowboy boots, tight jeans, and a blue button up short-sleeve shirt that your eyes lingered on, taking in the way the sleeves clung to his biceps. His hair was neat and thick, with a bit of curl to the ends. He had a well-trimmed mustache and a jawline that made something inside of you start to squirm.

And he was looking at you. Shit.

You realized as soon as your eyes returned to his face that his were already waiting for you. He had a little smirk playing at the corner of his mouth that you only barely glimpsed before turning away, embarrassed. You kept your eyes forward, cheeks burning, but you could feel him looking at you. You wondered if he was checking you out the same way you’d just done to him. You resisted the urge to straighten your clothes.

“Here’s your coffee, Javi.” Janice returned and turned to you. “Did you decide, honey?” You nodded and managed to give her your order with a mostly steady voice. “And I’ll bring you your regular.” She waved your menu at Javi as she said it. “Have you met our new arrival, Javi?” As she walked away she told him your name and you bit your lip.

Suddenly alone again, you were afraid to look at him. Was he still looking at you?

You let your eyes slip to your left and found his warm dark ones waiting for you again. He was smiling. You sucked in a small breath, but he was already moving. He turned towards you and propped his right boot up on the footrest of the stool between you.

“New in town, huh?”

The question made you huff out a laugh. “Yep. Janice clocked me immediately.”

He smiled at you and tilted his head. “Well, we all just know each other already. Town’s too small. I’m Javier. Call me Javi.” He reached out a hand for you to shake and you did, tentatively. His thumb brushed lightly over your wrist as he pulled away and you shivered. “Here for work?”

You nodded, and told him a little about your job that you’d be starting the following week. He knew the place, and some of the people there, and told you so.

“I’m a rancher, just outside of town.” He gestured towards the west of town and you nodded. “Had to come in town this morning to pick up some supplies.”

Janice appeared with your food and informed you that Javier, aka Agent Peña, apparently used to work for the DEA as well.

You raised your eyebrows at him. “Well, sounds fancy, Agent Peña.” He shook his head, furrowing his brow.

“Nah, nothing special.” You could tell the answer might be more complicated than that, but didn’t push.

He cleared his throat. “You know anyone in town?” You shook your head and he ran his thumb along his bottom lip as he considered you. “Well, I’m happy to give you a tour. Show you all the good spots.” He winked.

You smiled at him and let your gaze drop and linger on the open neck of his collared shirt again. When you met his eyes he was smirking at you. “Is that right?” He nodded. “Well, I think I might enjoy that.”

He slid his plate and coffee mug towards you and then followed, settling himself onto the stool immediately to your left. “Hermosa, I know I’ll enjoy it.”

Javi spent the next 15 minutes or so giving you an overview of the town’s highlights (and not a little of the recent gossip, too).

Around the time he was finishing off his coffee, he reached over to brush his fingers lightly against the back of your left hand. “Can I get your number? So we can schedule that tour.” He winked.

You smiled, charmed. “You put the moves on every new arrival, Javier Peña?”

He kept his eyes locked on yours as he shook his head. “No, and you can ask anyone. They’ll tell you the same. I’m the town grump.”

You breathed a laugh, a little incredulous. Him, a grump? He’d done nothing but flirt in the 20 minutes you’d known him so far. “Sure you are.” You knew you sounded skeptical, but come on.

He nodded, grinning wider. “I am.”

You shrugged. “Don’t seem much like a grump to me.”

Javi leaned in, closer than he had so far, and whispered in your ear. “Got no reason to be grumpy with you, hermosa. You brightened my day the moment I walked in here and saw you.”

You eyed him, unconvinced. “What makes me so special?”

He ran the back of his fingers down your arm and you felt goosebumps form in his wake as he replied, “hard to be a grump when a beautiful woman checks me out the way you did.”

Your mouth dropped open and you made an indignant sound. He grinned, unrepentant.

“Alright, Javier Peña. I’ll let you show me around.” You grabbed a napkin and wrote your number on it, then folded it and tucked it in the breast pocket of his shirt.

He perked up and winked. “I’ve got to get back out to the ranch, but are you busy this weekend?” You shook your head. He smiled and placed a hand on your shoulder as he stood. He squeezed gently. “Good. See you soon, hermosa.”

You watched him walk out of the diner, a bit breathless from the whole interaction – it was a nice view.

Janice cleared her throat behind you, shocking you out of your stare. You spun around to find her eyes were serious. “Careful with that one, honey.”

“Why’s that?” You were worried, suddenly, but hoped you weren’t about to find out he had a reputation for hitting on the new girl in town, despite what he’d said.

She shook her head. “I don’t mean for you. I mean for him. He’s had a rough time. He likes to act all tough, but that boy’s soft as a marshmallow inside.” She clicked her tongue. “Don’t let him fool you.”

She moved away and you looked thoughtfully down at your breakfast. You’d gotten way more than you bargained for, with this spur-of-the-moment escape from your house. But the mystery of town-grump-slash-marshmallow Javier Peña had captured your attention and you didn’t think you’d be looking away any time soon.

As you were standing up to leave a while later, your phone buzzed in your pocket and you grinned at the message you found waiting for you.

[unknown number]: hey there. You free on Saturday? The Town Grump Tour Company opens at 8am.

You saved his number and typed out your reply.

you: maybe you’re grumpy because you’re getting up so early on the weekend

Javi TG: that’s the life of a rancher, hermosa.

You smiled, already looking forward to Saturday.

#comment reblog #passing notes fic

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