#Yep I sound depressed alright

[theetherealbloom]

UNEVEN ODDS — CH. 4

Chapter Four: An Orchestration of Dissonance And Innocent Surrender

Summary: The Reader is dragged into the Last of Us universe and has no choice but to watch the events unfold or will she be able to change what was already written?

Paring: Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Age-gap Romance, Violence, ANGST, Swearing, Mention of catcalling, men being awful, tiny fluff, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, Crying, Suggestive content, the pandemic, character death, Zombies, eventual SMUT, MY SCIENCE IS WONKY, probable plot holes, rusty writing

Word Count: 11.1k

A/N: HELLO UM! THERE ARE SO MANY OF YOU AGAIN! UM AHHHH T^T I love you guys so much, thank you for all the kind words and comments. The reblogs and then PUTTING ME IN FIC RECS WHAT– O_O Thank you guys again so so so so so much! You deserve the world <3 And as always, I put my little outline and thoughts at the end notes! Mwa ilysm

Song: Bigger Than Love by Oh Wonder

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TLOU WORLD – 2023

OLD ABANDONED TRUCK STOP– DAY

You three are at an abandoned truck stop and fully aged, weathered vehicles surround the area. The sun shone on your skin as you waited for Ellie just outside the restroom door after she demanded privacy for a bit to relieve herself. You didn’t question the kid, it was the least you could do for her. 

You’re secretly admiring Joel from a distance, and you watch Joel prepare the red large gas can, a clear long tube, and a siphon. Promptly, you hear the sound of the restroom door slamming open and you look at Ellie, “You good?” She nods cheerfully at you, “Yep. All good.” And then you both approach Joel, the gravel crunching beneath your feet as you did, and you slowly take notice that the asphalt has lifted from the ground strangely. You stop walking and quizzically stare at the lifted asphalt, your eyebrows knit together and you kneel down to take a better look at it, Ellie looks at you like you’ve gone insane, “Are you alright?” she asks you, and you keep your eyes focused on the ground, “Yeah, just… It’s hopefully nothing.” You say in response and push yourself upright, “Let’s go see what Joel is up to.”

Joel is currently kneeling on one knee and feeding both tubes in the tank, Ellie stands in front of him while you stand to the left of her, “We have to do this every hour?” she asked in a bored tone. Joel glances at her in acknowledgment then continues on with the siphon, “Gas breaks down over time. This stuff’s almost water.” He grabs a rag to create a seal around the tubes, “Back in the day, we’d drive 10, 12 hours on one tank. You could go anywhere.” He says as you and Ellie continue to watch him keenly, “So where’d you go?” she questioned, and he looks up at the both of you, “Pretty much nowhere.” Joel subsequently blows air into the short tube, which forces air through the short tube and increases the pressure of the air above the gas in the tank, causing it to flow through the longer tube and into the gas can. You lean your weight on one of the rusted cars and fold your arms in front of you. 

“Nice! How does that work?” Ellie asks Joel and you tilt your head to the side to listen to his response, “It’s a siphon. It’s when liquid… travels against gravity because pressure…” Ellie’s lips are pressed together as she says, “You don’t know.” He stares at her before asserting, “I know it works.” She chuckles and you smirk at him, “Want me to explain it or…” He only mumbles, “Smartass,” and you roll your eyes, something truly possessed you to be bold for a moment, because you teasingly reply, “But you secretly like it.”

It earns you a look from him that causes your heartbeat to accelerate and it suddenly becomes a little harder to breathe, he only pulls away because he spots Ellie turning around to wander off, “No wanderin’.” He tells her seriously, she stops short and sighs, before saying, “Okay. This is your fault then.” She places her bag atop one of the abandoned, rusty cars, and pulls out a book with the title ‘No Pun Intended Volume Too by Will Livingston’, Joel watches her bewildered and perplexed as she reads out one of the puns from the book, “It doesn’t matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationary.” She gives a little laugh and you smile at her merriment as she shows Joel the book cover, “‘No Pun Intended Volume Too by Will Livingston.’ Volume Too. Look. You get it? ‘Too’ Like, T-O-O.” And Joel huffs and begins to stand up with a peeved look, “Oh Jesus.” But Ellie pushes on and says, “What did the mermaid wear to her math class?” You and Joel look at each other, then at Ellie, waiting for her to say the punch line, and you watch her as she slowly leans forward slowly before saying, “‘An algae bra.’ Like, algae bra.” She laughs out loud before speaking again, “I stayed up all night wondering–” To which Joel shakes his head at her, “No,” but this doesn’t deter her at all and goes on, “ where the sun went and then it dawned on me.” 

Seemingly annoyed he gruffly says to her, “Feel free to wait in the truck,” and she exhales, “Okay, but just know, you can’t escape Will Livingston. He’ll be back.” Ellie puts her book in her pack and before leaving you both she says, “There’s nothing you can do to stop him.” Joel says nothing as he also leans on the old rusting car with his arms crossed, and Ellie goes to wait in the truck. You let the silence settle and give him a little bit of peace before calling out to him, “Joel.” He says nothing but he does bring his eyes to look at you. “You know it’s okay to like her. Right?” You said with the softest eyes and kind smile, and he just shakes his head, “I can’t.” You deeply exhale and push yourself off the hood of the car to stand in front of him, “You can’t or you won’t?” And he looks down at his boots, “Can’t.”

You didn’t want to put any more discomfort and decided to simply nod instead, “Okay.” He slowly brings his head up to give you a suspicious look, “Okay?” You nod, “Mhm, okay.” His eyes narrow, “That’s it? No tryin’ to change my mind?” You shrug in response, “I have a feeling you’ll do that on your own. Anyways, the gas can is full.” You raise your eyebrows, “Need any help carrying that thing?” He grumpily bends down to pick up the heavy gas can and his voice timber and low says, “I could carry you and this back to the truck if I wanted to.” You feel your brain short-circuits for a second, the warmth spreads throughout your whole body and your eyes widened in embarrassment, “Um, I’m just gonna… mhm.” And you turn to run to the truck. Joel lets out a breathy chuckle, smirking the whole time as he watches your figure run.

ON THE ROAD - NOON

The blue Chevy pulls out of the gas station and Joel has one hand on the steering wheel and his right rest on the console, while you are sitting next to him in the passenger seat, looking out at the window studying the environment, and Ellie is content in the backseat. You feel an unease settle in and create a home in your bones, not knowing what could happen terrifies you. Every possibility in your mind pops in and out, and you ponder which part of the video game did they keep or change. 

“Must’ve been some truck.” Ellie says as she peers through the window glass at the back of the vehicle, Joel grunts in agreement and explains why the highways are so clear, “Yeah, they used to stick big ass plows on the back and clear the road for their tanks and such.” Ellie finds all of this very exciting and exclaims, “I wanna see a tank!” Joel looks at her from the rearview mirror and simply says, “You will.” Your eyes shift to look at Joel as he keeps talking with a wearied cynicism, “Tanks, choppers, all that stuff, but they’ll fight the wrong enemy. Just scattered around now.” 

Ellie digs through the utility pocket behind the passenger seat to find another cassette tape, she raises up enthusiastic and eager, “I got something. Here. This make you all nostalgic?” She says as she pushes up to show Joel, he takes it and you peer over to look at the title cover, ‘Hank Williams, The Original Singles Collection’, Joel replies, “This is actually before my time.” And Ellie goes to sit back properly in the backseat, “Great.” 

He hums appreciatively, “It’s a winner, though.” When he places the cassette tape in the player, the rattling sound of plastic can be heard before the music begins and he cranks up the volume. Joel miraculously smiles as he listens to the song, “Oh, man.” And you raise an eyebrow at him, “Of course, you’d like this, it’s cowboy music.” You said and he lets out a small but beautiful chuckle, which causes your body to heat up. The young girl continues to explore the back of the truck, digging through the other utility pocket, you hear a quiet rustling of paper as she whips out a magazine, “Got something else.” 

Joel looks at the rearview mirror again to look at Ellie, while you turn to look at what she has and your eyes nearly fall out of their sockets, and so does hers. “It’s light on the reading, but it has some interesting pictures.” Your shoulders begin to shake as you try and hold in your laugh as Joel seemingly panics, “No. No, no, no. Put that back, that’s not for kids.” Ellie doesn’t listen and continues to flip through the pages, “How would he even walk around with that thing?” God, you tried to hold it in but couldn’t anymore, you’re now full-on grinning and laughing so loud and carefree, while Joel is trying his best to get Ellie to cooperate, “Please get rid of it.” 

“Hold your horses. I wanna see what all the fuss is about.” Ellie says as she analyzes the magazine, while you’re practically wheezing and happy that they incorporated this part of the video game. Joel practically gives up but Ellie decides to innocently say, “Why are all these pages stuck together?” Joel has a baffled look on his face as he lets out an, “Uh… The…” Your mouth hangs wide open for a moment and you curl your hand into a fist, bringing it to your mouth to bite back from cackling again. Ellie puts him out of his misery and slaps him on the shoulder, “I’m just fucking with you.” And throws the adult magazine out the window, it flutters out into the wind and onto the side of the road, yelling out, “Bye-bye, dude!”

You smile and think to yourself, joy itself always seems to end before we want it to. Brief and ephemeral. So, this time, you decide to let go and in this moment you can breathe. It lives in your periphery. In the corner of your eyes. Suddenly, it shows up and the surprise adds to its beauty. A gratitude for all that follows

ON THE ROAD AND TO THE FOREST - CIVIL TWILIGHT

Time moves quickly as Joel continues to drive and Ellie silently watches the view from the window. You take note of the cows grazing on grass, the cars that were left to rot, and the familiar landmarks crumbling down as mother intended to take back what was hers. They must have cried themselves a hurricane because there was an earthquake and an avalanche of change. The echo, as vast as the equator, spreads across a world of bottled-up anger, and it's too late to prevent it now.

As the hours pass by and the sun slowly begins to set, you check on Ellie from the rearview, she looks fatigued from all the driving and so do you, it’s been a while since your last road trip, and you barely had time for yourself since you were stuck in the lab all day and night. Joel sees your weary eyes and frown, he also sees a similar look to Ellie, and he decides to tell you both, “All right. That’s enough for today.” He places both of his hands to turn the wheel to the right, driving off the road and into the field, straight into a thick forest filled with tall evergreen trees. 

The truck comes to a stop and you all prepare to camp out for the night. You help Joel cook and prepare dinner and Ellie keeps herself occupied as she pokes around the dirt with a stick. The smell of canned ravioli fills your lungs and your mouth begins to water. Joel taps the edge of the pot, indicating that it’s cooked and you call for Ellie to sit down for dinner. The three of you sit down in a semi-circle, with you in the middle, and Joel and Ellie on each side. You gently blow on the hot ravioli before bringing the food into your mouth, chewing quietly, and amusingly watch Ellie scarf down her food quickly. Joel looks at her kind of bothered by her manners, “Slow down.” He said, and she replies with a mouthful of food, “This is slow. What am I even eating?” Joel cuts hit food using his fork and knife and answers, “That is 20-year-old Chef Boyardee ravioli.” Ellie brings another piece of pasta and answers while chewing, “That guy was good.” Joel hums in agreement, “I actually agree.” And you nod appreciatively as you finish your food. 

“How long are we staying out here?” Ellie asks Joel and you look to him for his response, “I figure I’d sleep tonight and drive tomorrow all day, all night get us to Wyoming by next morning.” Ellie plays with her food as she asks, “So can we start a fire? I’m freezing.” Joel gives a pointed stare, “Now why am I gonna tell you no?” She shrugs and guesses, “Because the infected will see the smoke.” He shakes his head at her, “No. Fungus isn’t that smart. This is too remote for infected, anyway.” The answer dawns on Ellie and asks, “People?” And Joel nods, his answer to her question. She continues to press for more information, “So what are they gonna do? Rob us?” And you frown, knowing exactly what people do during war or a crisis, morals are thrown out the window and everyone can do as they please. Every crime, assault, and misdemeanor is seen as means to an end, which is to take and survive. Your knuckles turn white as you grip your fork, angry at the world and the people who choose to do all forms of wrong. Joel warns her, “Well, they’ll have way more in mind than that.” Ellie nods while pouting, “Okay.”

LOCATION UNKNOWN, A FOREST – NIGHT

Your eyes are well-versed in the dark and the mind was then created to illumine the heart. And when every constellation suddenly emerged, the remote was drawn so close by telescopes and computations. You inhale, exhale, and reset. Realizing, every living creature is in a continual state of uncertainty. Even with all of your past, you’ve just scratched the surface of what it all implies. Ellie prepares her sleeping bag and so do you, placing yours in between hers and Joel’s. “Actually smells kinda good.” Ellie said as she continues to unfold the sleeping bag, you hear Joel comment, “Well, that would be Frank’s then.” She tucks herself in and you help her as you do, lightly patting the blanket as she settles comfortably. You do the same and now you’re flat on your back as you gaze at the stars illuminating the darkness and listen to the quiet rustling of the branches and leaves of the trees, the melodies sung by the chirping of crickets. Joel checks the chamber of the rifle and ensures that it’s loaded and ready just in case of an ambush, then he places it next to him. You hear Ellie take something out of her backpack and you had a sneaking suspicion it was the No Pun Intended book. The light of the lantern slowly fades away and the shadows follow the rules and the darkness expands around all of you.

Joel is facing away from the both of you and Ellie whips out her flashlight and quickly glances at her favorite book, clicks off the light, and aloud she calls out both of your names, you look at her but Joel doesn’t respond at first, you slide out a little to lean a bit forward to his side and tap him on the shoulder, “What?” he asks, and Ellie responds, “Can I ask you a serious question?” And without hesitation, he says, “Yeah.” You smile knowingly at what was about to happen as she questions, “Why did the scarecrow get an award?” A beat passes between the three of you, and you and Joel whisper simultaneously, “Because he was outstanding in his field.” Ellie rises from her sleeping bag and exclaims, “You dicks!”

A large grin spreads across your face and Joel turns around to face the other direction, Ellie begins to interrogate the two of you, “Did both of you read this?” You hear the smile in Joel’s voice as he answers, “No.” And you give an airy chuckle, “Nope.” He sighs and then tells you both, “Now go to sleep.” Ellie makes a noise of suspicion but says nothing as she tucks the book into her sleeping pouch, the hoot of an owl can be heard from above, and the howls of coyotes from a distance. 

Ellie is also gazing up at the stars with you now and begins to appreciate the way they glow and shimmer. You move your head to look at Ellie and whisper, “Psst. Ellie…” She turns her head to your side, “Yeah?” And in a hushed tone, you ask, “Do you wanna learn something about constellations?” She nods enthusiastically, “Yeah!” And you begin to whisper the explanation and details, you point and trace your fingers at the stars, your rickety astrology determined to give her hope, “Orion's belt is right above the equator of the Earth. Everyone, and everywhere can see just stars in that area. A star placed above one of the poles, such as the North Star, and concealed from us in the opposing hemisphere, obstructed by Earth itself.” 

She is looking at you with her eyes as big as summer tomatoes, full of admiration and awe at your intelligence like you have all the answers, and wonders if she will ever be a woman like you. She seeks an answer to her next question, “Is Orion like a place?” You smile and in a soft voice you say, “No, he’s someone from greek mythology. In the stores, he was a giant and very handsome hunter, who had many affairs and lovers. Either his assault on or admiration for a goddess named Artemis, another god named Zeus placed him amongst the stars as punishment. Stories and text sometimes get lost in translation.”

This is when she learned to wish on stars, content she hums an appreciative thank you and you give a small smile in return. After another beat passes, Ellie poses a new question, this time aimed at Joel, who had been listening to the two of you the whole time but stayed quiet, “Those people you said… there’s no way anyone knows we’re here, right? No one’s gonna find us.” 

Her words hang in the air briefly, “No one’s gonna find us.” Joel reassures her and Ellie responds with a quiet, “Okay.” She turns in for the night and begins to fall asleep. There is a sudden weight on your chest when she asked her query, and you suddenly feel nauseous at the thought of anything happening to Ellie and Joel. You close your eyes and swallow away the urge to vomit, and with the darkness, you’ve seen, your tired eyes rest and allow yourself to sleep for a while. But if you had stayed up just a little longer, you would have heard Joel leave his sleeping bag and reach for his rifle, and his footsteps walking a distance away from you and Ellie, ensuring your safety as he watches and anticipates any sign of danger, his guilt for scaring the girl keeps him up all night and the thought of you getting hurt. He holds his rifle ready, protecting the two of you who quietly snore into the night.

LOCATION UNKNOWN, A FOREST – DAWN

The sound of chirping birds wakes you and you groggily sit up. You look to your left to see Ellie who was still sound asleep, and then you see Joel standing watch with his rifle, you have a suspicion he didn’t actually sleep and Ellie’s concern kept him up. You sigh and quietly leave your sleeping bag, down your arms, a thousand satellites discover the cool breeze in the air, causing you to shiver and wrap your arms around yourself to salvage some warmth. You stretch your arms up to the sky, trying to wake your body to begin the day, then you hear the lime-green grass rustle and shake, creating whispers of sound beneath Joel’s boots as he walks toward you, glancing over your shoulder before turning to face him.

You feel his confident presence and your heart skips a beat, he greets you with his voice thick and smooth, “Mornin’.” You warmly say good morning to him in a hushed voice, you take a good look at him to see his deep eyebags, completely exhausted, and you ask, “Did you even sleep at all?” He doesn’t deny it as he shook his head, “No, I couldn’t.” You hum in response, already confirming what you thought, next, you inquire, “Do we have any coffee that I could brew? I have a feeling we’re going to need it.” 

“Did you not sleep well last night? Could hear you snorin’ from where I was standing.” Joel said with his tone straightforward and deep, you shrug, “Sometimes I wake up tired, and besides, I enjoy a good cup of coffee to start my day, it’s my morning ritual back home.” You make your way to the pouch of coffee grounds, open it, and inhale the aroma, and Joel observes you as you do.

You begin to brew both of your coffee, making enough to fit two insulated tumblers. You make your way into the forest, already telling Joel you needed to pee, and him reminding you in his thick Texan accent, “If you don’t get your ass back here in five minutes, I’m comin' to look for you.” After finding a bush and relieving yourself, you stand by one of the tall thick trees, leaning your weight against the trunk of the tree and crossing your arms as you watch Ellie and Joel from a distance.

You close your eyes for a moment to steady yourself and your breathing, trying to recall parts of the game you’ve seen, a little peek at what could be adapted. Unfortunately, you knew the ending of the first and second games, and you knew there was nothing you could do for the first, but the second one however…

Joel yells your name, telling you to come back already and you jog your way back, not wanting to make them wait. No one says anything as you pack up camp and hop in the truck, this time letting Ellie sit in the passenger seat while you sit in the back. The engine of the truck revs to life and Joel drives you out of the woods and back onto the highway.

Joel takes a loud sip of his coffee while you are still blowing away the steam, Ellie doesn’t seem to be impressed with the drink as she comments, “Is that seriously what those Starbucks in the QZ used to sell?” With one hand on the steering wheel, he lowers his thermos and retorts, “Well, theirs was a lot fresher than Bill saved up but, yeah, this is what they sold.” The young girl looks at it in disgust, “Smells like… burnt shit.” Joel wanting to be slightly petty, takes a long, loud, pointed sip of his coffee, before turning to Ellie saying, “Eyes on the map, or else I’m askin’ you to switch seats with Birdie.”

Your heart flutters at the nickname but you hide your smile by sipping your own coffee, looking out the window as you do. Ellie smirks knowingly at Joel but doesn’t push any further, she begins to give directions, “76 West, and then… 70 West for, like, ever. Where in Wyoming did you say your brother was?” And to your surprise, Joel indulges her, “Last contact came through a radio tower close to Cody.” Ellie straightens the map to find the tower, “Cody. Cody… Cody. Man. That is deep up in there.” Joel glances then reply, “Yeah.” The young curious kid asks him, “And if he’s not there?” He thoughtfully sighs, “Then odds are he’ll be near a settlement probably close to another city out there. Ain’t too many of them in Wyoming.”

“Chee-Yen.” Ellie tries to pronounce it, and Joel corrects her, “Cheyenne.” She looks at him in disbelief, “Che… Really?” He nods as she goes on to trace her finger along the map, “Cheyenne, Laramie… Casper? What’s his name?” Joel then asks, “Whose name?” She throws back, “Your brother.” He grunts out, “Tommy.” You smile to yourself, knowing that tone of voice is him trying to build invisible walls around himself to protect whatever he has left of his family. “Younger or older?” Ellie persists, and he answers immediately, “Younger.”

“Why isn’t he with you?” She asked and you watch Joel try to evade her inquiry, “Long story.” Ellie never knowing when to give up, persists, “Is it longer than twenty-five hours? Because I think that’s what we got.” Joel looks at Ellie with a pointed stare, mouth slightly open ready to scold her but realizes she has a point. He glances at the rearview to see you looking back at him, waiting for his choice.

His eyes go back to the road as he speaks, “Tommy’s what we used to call a joiner. Dreams of becoming a hero. So he enlisted in the Army right out of high school. A few months later, they ship him off to Desert Storm.”

Ellie turns to him quizzically but stays silent as he carries on, “It’s what they called that war. It doesn’t matter. Point is, being in the Army didn’t make him feel much of a hero. Cut to twelve years later, outbreak happens. He convinces me to join a group making their way up to Boston which I did, mostly to keep an eye on him, keep him alive.” He glances at the rearview mirror again and this time you aren’t staring back, you’re resting your head on the window, listening intently, “It’s where we met Tess.”

He takes a swig of his coffee before continuing, “And that whole crew, we… Well, for what it was, it worked. And then Tommy meets Marlene. She talks him into joining the Fireflies. Same mistake he made when he was eighteen.” Joel shakes his head in disapproval and his tone shifts into cynicism, “Wants to save the world. Pipe dream. Him, Fireflies, all of them… delusional.”

You blink blankly and frown, not agreeing with his view but understanding where he’s coming from. His world ended when Sarah died, and since she’s gone he has no reason to go back to the way things were. 

“‘Course, last I heard, he quit the Fireflies too. So now he’s on his own out there and… I gotta go get him.” He states and takes a long sip of the rest of his coffee, while Ellie tries to make sense of his story, another question pops into her mind as she quietly asks him, “If you don’t think there’s hope for the world why bother going on? I mean, you gotta try, right?” A beat passes, and then he answers grimly, “You haven’t seen the world, so you don’t know. You keep going for family. That’s about it.”

Ellie moves her eyes to look at him, “I’m not family?” And he shakes his head, “No. You’re cargo.” Your form shrinks a little bit and think to yourself, and you secretly figure that Joel doesn’t mean that, but doesn’t want her treating him like a father yet.

You quietly exhale and will yourself to stop bouncing your leg up and down, grounding yourself. “And I made a promise to Tess. And she was like family.” Ellie nods before bringing up more possibilities,  “What if you don’t find him?” It doesn’t take him long to reply, “I will.” She shoots back, “How do you know?” With a voice so sure and confident, he says, “I’m persistent.”

And you swore you saw him glance at you from the rearview mirror for a millisecond, but you weren’t so sure, you chalked it up to your wishful thinking. It was quiet for a bit before Joel speaks to Ellie, “You got up pretty early. If you wanna grab more sleep…” Ellie immediately replies, “Pfft. I’m not even tired.”

Ellie was in fact tired, after ten minutes of saying that, she fell into a deep sleep, and her snores echoed in the car. After two or three hours Joel pulls over at the side of the road, telling you to switch seats with Ellie since he needs help reading the map. You decided not to question it and got out of the truck as he did the same. You watched him quietly open the door, and carry Ellie from the passenger side to the back seat where he gently set her. 

You climb into the passenger seat and wait for Joel to sit in the driver’s seat. The map was now on your lap and you gently traced the piece of paper, lines stretching out, with too many miles to count. Dots reminds you of where you’ve been, sometimes it feels like your inner compass breaks, and your steady true north fades. You try and reassure yourself it’ll be just fine, that whatever comes next, you’ll handle it together.

Joel quietly speaks your name so as to not disturb Ellie, you look up at him  from the map, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the armrest console, “Tell me somethin’ good about your world.” He grumbles, and you stagger a bit before saying, “You actually believe what I said back then? You believe me?”

He shrugs with one shoulder and taps on the steering wheel, “There’s a fuckin’ apocalypse. My guess is that anythin’ could be possible now.” You lightly chuckle, “Yeah, I guess so.”

You stayed silent for a moment, trying to come up with an answer, any kind of answer, and you settle for the truth, “I don’t know. Besides the fact, we have no infected and our technology is more advanced, everything is still the same. Same landmarks, problems, the people hate the government but still need it, choosing the lesser of two evils and everyday people trying their damn best.”

He gruffly says to you, “Would prefer that over this shit.” You let out a huff, “Yeah, that’s valid.”

“Tell me about your home.” He says, and you raise an eyebrow, “Are you asking or demanding? Also, why are you suddenly so curious about me?” He’s unsure for a moment but he answers, “You already know stuff about me. It’s only fair.” Your lips form a line as you press them against each other, and your eyes shift to look at the map instead of him, “I thought you didn’t want to hear about any of our histories?”

“I think we broke that rule the moment Ellie kept askin’ about my life.” Your eyes wrinkle as you smile, “There isn’t much to say, and also I don’t really like talking about myself.” He harrumphs, “Why? You’re a scientist and incredibly smart.” You bring your eyes back to him and give him a look of disbelief, “Did you just say something nice?” His face sours and grumpily murmurs, “Don’t tell anyone.” 

“Oh, I’m definitely telling Ellie later,” You smile teasingly at him, and he shakes his head, “So, what did you research, discover, or whatever?” And that question causes you to inhale through your nose deeply, “Um, in 2022 three scientists were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science. Basically, they got awarded for their research and I took an interest in what they found. I had a theory with what they discovered with quantum teleportation.”

Joel didn’t really understand the science jargon that was spitting out of your mouth so fast like lightning, but he was intrigued, “What was your theory?” You nervously removed the dirt from your fingernails as you replied, “It’s a little complicated.” He retorts, “I’m beginning to think that’s your favorite line.” You bite the inner walls of your cheek and exhale loudly through your nose. Joel senses you didn’t want to discuss it any further and the quiet returns. Only the muffled rumbling of the engine and the sound of the tires rolling on the pavement. The only occasional noise from the two of you was asking for directions from Joel and you giving him a prompt reply.

The hours go by quickly and the sun is beginning to set, the orange glow illuminating both of your faces. The truck begins to pull up to the outskirts of Kansas City and you silently pray that this will all go smoothly.

TLOU WORLD – 2023

KANSAS CITY - SUNSET

Ellie awakens shortly after you pull up to the tunnel and Joel slowly presses on the brakes to put the truck to stop. Joel turns off the engine and turns to you both before opening the door, “Stay put.” He grabs the rifle from the back and proceeds to scout the area. Ellie kindly asks to switch with you again and for a moment you almost decline, your gut feeling telling you something is wrong, but couldn’t resist the kid and again move to the back while she moves upfront.

Joel sees the tunnel to Kansas City is blocked by a SaraLee bread truck and you watch him make his way back to the truck. He opens the back door and places the rifle beside you and goes back to the driver's seat. “Where are we?” Ellie asks and he quickly replies, “Kansas City.” Ellie gives him the map and you lean over Joel’s shoulder to analyze the map, “How far back do we have to go to get around this?” The young girl questions and you watch Joel trace his finger along the many red lines. He shakes his head and sighs in frustration before deciding, “Screw it.” And he turns the key to start the truck up again. “What are you doing?” Ellie asks and Joel answers as he performs a three-point turn, “We can jog right around this tunnel take the next ramp and we’re back on the road, minute tops.” You look out the window and see the rusting cars and burned corpses of people, shuddering, you try and remember a portion of the game for some clue of what was about to happen. You weren’t in Pittsburgh, but the way this was adapted would still have the very important elements of the original intellectual property. Fuck.

Joel enters the city and it’s eerily quiet, you take note of the empty streets and zero signs of runners. “Where the fuck is the highway?” Joel states frustrated and Ellie retorts, “I can’t tell from this. I’m all turned around.” You hear him get irritated, “Don’t look at the state map. Look at the inset.” 

“I don’t know where we are in that either! It’s my second day in a fucking car, man. I mean, I think we’re heading north?” Joel continues to drive and you keenly observe your surroundings and see something unusual, you spot a pile of ash and remains of people as he drives by. “It’s gotta be right. What the fuck?” He says and you try and voice your concerns, “Joel, there’s um,” but he quickly fires back, “Not now Birdie.” And you deflate a little but keep trying, “Joel, something is–” But Ellie yells out, “Stop!” The tires shriek as he steps on the breaks, and Ellie stares at something wide-eyed and you do too, “Is that the QZ?” The gates were wide open without a single FEDRA officer in sight and completely vacated, your mouth hangs open, “Shit.” Ellie presses on, “Where the fuck is FEDRA?” As if on queue, you hear someone yell, “Hey!” All three of your heads whip to the sound of the man’s voice, he’s clutching his lower abdomen and yelling out, “Please help!”

“Put your seatbelt on,” Joel demands and you and Ellie follow, you clutch on the assist grips above the car, knowing this isn’t gonna go well. “Aren’t we gonna help him?” Ellie asks innocently, “No.” You and Joel answer quickly, he floors it and the man moves out of the way screaming, “Fuck! Go… go!”

Ellie looks above and shrieks, “Joel!” And a cylinder brick falls from the sky, crashing atop the windshield glass, cracks, and fractures are created and you hear the tires pop, and you assume they’ve laid down spikes. You gritted your teeth as Joel tries to get control of the truck, and another man tries to shoot you all down, “Fuck!” Having no other options, he crashes the truck into an old laundromat, and the impact causes you to jerk forward, hitting your head slightly in the seat in front of you.

“Are you okay?” Joel worriedly questions, “Yeah.” Ellie replies and he turns to see you slightly bleeding from your head, “Hummin’ bird, you okay?” And you quickly compose yourself, “Yes, I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.” He then asks Ellie, “You’re not hurt? Nothing?” She shakes her head, “I don’t think so.”

The sound of gunfire cause the three of you to flinch and duck down for cover, Joel yells and commands, “Belts off. Fast!” And what he says goes, immediately you grab your pack and rifle from the backseat, the loud popping sounds of gunfire continue as you get out, and duck behind the truck. You toss Joel his rifle and you pull out your gun, you hear the taunts on the other side, “Let’s see you, motherfucker! Give us your shit, you’ll make it through this! We promise!”

Joel pulls off his safety and makes sure his rifle is loaded, he spots a hole in the walls of the laundromat and asks Ellie, “Hey, you see that hole? Can you squeeze through?” The gunfire doesn’t let up and she shakily nods, Joel realizes that time is running out before the enemy decides to push forward, he instructs Ellie while looking at her directly, “When I say go, you both crawl to that wall and you two squeeze through and you don’t come out until I say, okay?” You try and protest but the sound of another bullet swiftly breaks the class of the truck and all three of you flinch. 

Your breathing quickens and you feel the adrenaline coursing through you, while Joel’s chest bounces up and down as he pants, “And they’re not gonna hit you.” But Ellie isn’t listening, too scared and afraid of all the chaos ensuing, Joel growls, “Look at me!” She twists her head and her wide doe eyes look at him, frightened and unsure, he reassures her, “They’re not gonna hit you. You stay down, you stay low, you stay quiet.” Ellie nods reluctantly, “Mhm.” A pause during the gunfire, and you realize they’re reloading. “Okay.” He says and Ellie parrots to him, “Okay.” Joel takes that as his signal and yells to you both, “Go!” Ellie stays low and crawls through the wall, safe and secure for now. You however help Joel and shoot at the enemies. He yells your name, “What the fuck are you doing? I can handle this now go!” You shake your head and exclaim, “No! I can help you.”

He pulls you down, both of you crouching on the ground and cups one hand to hold your face, “Right now that kid is scared shitless and shouldn’t be alone.” You try again to object, but he stops you, “No, listen to me. Go through that hole and be with Ellie, she needs you.” You feel your eyes water and give him a sincere look, your voice breathy as you reply, “We both do.” His mouth parts and his eyes dart to your soft lips for just a second, so fast you almost missed it if your faces weren’t so close to each other, and at that moment your heartbeats were synchronized, and both of your breathing unsteady. Warmth fills you both and causes both of your eyes to dilate, similar to an eclipse.

Another gunshot rings out and it hits the cement on the ground, causing you to jump, Joel wipes away some of the dust on your cheek and intently says to you, “I’ve got this. I promise, now go.”

You blink back your tears and whisper, “Give 'em hell.” He stands up again to cover you while you crawl into the hole, to be with Ellie. Both of you have your back against the wall, and you try and steady your racing heartbeat.

“What about Joel?” She asks you, full of worry and concern. Instead of answering, you hug her close to you, and she buries her face on your stomach, as you try and shield her away from the noise and gunfire. Then there is a sudden silence, and you and Ellie take a peek from the hole in the wall, the sound of footsteps stepping over broke glass fills the space and you have your gun ready in one hand just in case and shield Ellie with your body.

He steps a bit closer to your hiding place and instantly there was a gunshot, you and Ellie turn away as you also held back a scream. Stillness fills the room and you try your best to listen for Joel to tell you to come out, only hearing him try and unjam his rifle. Then, the sudden slam of a door opening, and another loud pop could be heard. You hear grunts, groans, and yelling from the intruder and Joel, and Ellie urgently whispers, “We need to help him!”

You nod, and Ellie swiftly sidesteps you and climbs out of the hiding space and you go after her. You and her quietly step out and to your surprise, she’s holding her gun out, aiming directly at the unidentified man’s head, before you could even utter a word or try and stop her, she shoots him in the spine. Joel rolls over to the side coughing and wheezing as he tries to catch his breath. You gently approach Joel as he side-eyes Ellie but continues to cough, you begin first aid, loosen any tight clothing, remove the top button of his outer shirt and place your hand on his back to try and feel his lungs, and hear Ellie step a little closer to the man, her gun still aimed at him.

The man begins to plead, “No, no, no! It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s over, we’re not fighting anymore.” Ellie doesn’t say anything and still has the gun pointed at him, “I’m gonna go home. I’ll tell everyone you’re good.” His face scrunches up and he begins to cry, “I don’t know what to do. My legs don’t work. My mom isn’t far if you can get me to her.”

Joel’s breathing returns to normal and you whisper, “You good?” And he only nods, angry and upset that he got caught off guard so easily. You help him up and hear the man still begging for his life, “We could trade with you guys. We could be friends. I didn’t know. I’m Bryan. I’m Bryan. What’s your name?” He continues to sob. 

Joel looks at Ellie angrily, and she sniffs. He doesn’t say anything but holds out his hand and she hands him her gun which he places in his back pocket. Joel pulls out his revolver, slowly turns around, and Bryan continues to beg, “Wait… wait.” He pulls out a knife and says, “You can have it. It’s a good knife.” You stand next to Ellie and watch Joel lean down and pick up the knife. His eyes are dark with rage as he looks at you and Ellie, his voice deep and dominant that fills a warmth in your belly, “Get back behind the wall.” 

Bryan instantly sobs, “No, no, no. I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, we could just talk. I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” You slowly grab Ellie to gently coax her away, and she follows, Bryan screams for his life as you step back inside the hole. Ellie hugs your middle as she lets a single tear roll down her cheek, and you hug her right back, covering her ears from his yelling and pleading. You hear the slashing of a knife and the sound of blood splattering.

You try and calm Ellie and stroke her hair as you murmur reassuringly, “We’ll be just fine.”  It was quiet for a second before you hear Joel’s booming voice calling you and Ellie, “I gotta get in there, I can’t fit through.” You wipe away her tears and gently pat her cheek, “We got this, yeah?” Ellie nods, “Mhm.”

You and her take a look around the room and Ellie yells out, “There’s some stuff against the door.” Joel is quick to reply, “Can you both move it?” You and Ellie nod at each other and work together to pull the table aside while Joel uses his arm to push the door open. He manages to get in and slams the door shut, “Let’s go. Fast.” He states and all three of you push the table back in its place. Joel looks at the both of you with concern, but Ellie quickly gets her bag and says, “I’m okay. I’m good.” You say nothing and also reach for your bag, quickly grabbing a bandaid from your first aid kit and then throwing it over your shoulder. Ellie approaches Joel and opens her pack, “I got some food in here still, and I got your light still.” He grabs it from her while you are on the side quietly and swiftly, placing a bandaid on your head, no time to disinfect it yet.

“What now?” Ellie asks, trying to be brave, and Joel observes her for a moment before saying, “We go up.” And she throws her back over her shoulders, “To get a better look?” You follow them both to a door and Joel responds, “Hopefully, we spot a clear route out.” He pushes the door open and clicks on the flashlight to check if it's safe, the only sound you could hear was the dripping of water from a leaky pipe, he turns to you both and says, “Stay close.” Ellie nods, “Got it.” Joel moves forward and Ellie and you follow him to a narrow alleyway. He has his revolver in one hand and you also have your gun out. 

You three duck behind a rusted car, and you hear and spot multiple vehicles driving by. They were all armed, carrying various weapons and knives. Joel signals you two to wait and walks across to open a black door, he flicks on the flashlight and with one look, signals both of you to run across the street and into the next building.

You take cover and hide in a neglected bar, with newspapers covering the large windows. Joel peeks through the uncovered patches and watches the hunters pass by, searching different buildings. “They’re not FEDRA, and they’re not Fireflies. So who are they?” Ellie asks and Joel plainly states, “People.” You and Ellie are also looking through the small patches, she quietly asks, “Are we okay in here?”

“For a little bit, maybe. Looks like they’re checking apartment buildings first. But they’ll be coming through these places soon enough.” Joel says and walks away to stand away from the windows. And you decide to sit, choosing the floor by the door of the old bar, and tend to the wound on your head. Ellie is still looking through the small patches of glass, “There’s a really tall building, like, four blocks away.” Joel’s voice is rough as he replies, “Yeah, saw it.”

“So that’s the one?” Ellie questions him, and he immediately answers, “As soon as we don’t hear a truck, we move. Fast as we can.” Joel slowly sits down on the cushion and eyes you as you busy yourself disinfecting and cleaning up the blood on your head. Ellie sits down next to you, her knees close to her chest, and by now you’re done cleaning your wound and placing a new bandage on your head. Joel has his hand on his head, his face was expressionless and exhausted. Ellie asks you and him the same question, “Are you okay?” You nod and Joel replies with, “I’m all right.” He struggles with the debrief but he gets the question out to Ellie, “Are you all right?” And she simply replies with, “Yeah.”

You watch Joel struggle to find the words to express his emotions and feelings, his reserved nature is slowly crumbling, brick by brick. He shakes his head, “Thing is, is I didn’t hear that guy coming, and… You shouldn’t have to… You know.” Ellie brings her eyes to look at him, “Well, you’re glad I did, right?” She said. His voice falters, “You’re just a kid. You shouldn’t know what it means to… It’s not like you killed him. But… shooting or… I know what it’s like the first time that you hurt someone like that.” The young girl says nothing and simply stares at him in silence. He tries again, “If you… I’m not good at this.”

“Yeah, you really aren’t.” Ellie says, and if it wasn’t so somber, if you were safely at home watching this, you would have laughed. You wonder if you should say something, but eventually figured that you needed to let them both bond and understand each other, it’s important to their story. While you believed your presence here was an accident. You push aside your feelings and stress to let them talk it out. 

“I mean it was my fault. You shouldn’t have had to… and I’m sorry.” Joel sighs and looks away at Ellie, and begins to cry silently with her face turning red,  you let her lean her head on your shoulder and it’s quiet. She goes to speak but her throat closes up, “It wasn’t my first time.” Joel looks at her after that to see her pure raw honesty.

Joel plays the idea in his head for a moment before coming to a decision, he reaches into his back pocket for the handgun he took from Ellie earlier, unloads the magazine, and removes the shell of the previous bullet from the chamber. The girl's head lifts from your shoulder as Joel kneels down on one knee in front of her, handing her the gun back, “Show me your grip.” Ellie does as she’s told and you watch Joel teach her the proper way to hold a firearm, “Finger off the trigger.” She holds it with one hand and Joel is unimpressed, “Now, who taught you that?” She mumbles in reply, “FEDRA school.” He nods his head, “Figures.”

Joel teaches her how to hold the gun with two hands, “Your thumb over your thumb. Left hand, squeezes down on the right. You got it?” She nods, her thumbs interlocked, which makes it harder to drop the gun when it recoils or if someone were to try and grab it. Joel holds both of her tiny hands in his calloused rough ones, “There you go. Look it.” He shakes it and the gun doesn’t budge, completely steady. She giggles as he tries again and you smile, Joel then says, “Okay?” While Ellie nods, seemingly happy, he gestures to her to give him the gun and he loads the magazine back in the gun and then hands it back to her.

Ellie takes it and as she is about to place it in her back pocket, Joel stops her, “Nuh-uh. You put it in your pack. You’ll shoot your damn ass off.” He groans a little as he stands up again and you give Ellie a high-five and she laughs again. Joel walks to your side and this time it’s your turn, he kneels in front of you and you’re wide-eyed. He gently brushes away some of your hair and checks on your wound, you feel his fingertips graze along the plaster of your band-aid. Lightly, you touch his wrist and say, “I’m fine. Promise.”

None of you move for a bit, but then he slowly pulls away and stands to remove the wooden planks boarded up on the door, you also get up to help him. He holds on to the door handle and sighs, “We’ll get through this.” Ellie blinks once and then nods, “I know.” A beat passes and he pulls open the door, you and Ellie following him out into the setting sun of the city.

OFFICE BUILDING, KANSAS CITY – NIGHT

The midnight blue covers the sky, the stars shine above you, and see the moon glimmer. You three find the side of the building but find the service door to be locked. You look above and point out a vent, Joel nods and turns to Ellie. Taking notice that Joel is this close to passing out on the ground after all the events that have happened, staying up all night to protect the both of you, driving for almost thirteen hours to get to Kansas City, and shooting a bunch of hunters. You offer to boost Ellie up to reach the vent, “Here, put your foot on my hand and then… One, two…” 

“Oh shit.” She curses and you reassure her, “It’s okay, I got you.” And she manages to push open the vent and climb inside, “Okay I’m in.” And Joel decides to give out instructions, “Take a look around first. Ellie.” But she doesn’t reply, he harshly whispers, “Goddamn it.” And you say to Joel, “Just give her a second.” And a moment later, Ellie swings the door wide open, “Where would you be without me, huh?” Joel frowns, “By now, Wyoming.” You smack his shoulder, which does absolutely nothing. He glances at you and you stare back, he then walks forward into the building as Ellie takes it in stride. “Oh, yeah. Walked into that one.” The door slams closed behind you three and you take out your own flashlight to click it open.

All three of your footsteps echo around the building, while lights from your flashlights moved about the space. A minute later you see the door to a staircase that leads to the rooftop, you all walk over to it and Joel says, “All right, we’ll make our way up, and come morning, I’ll take a look at the city and find our way out.” He pushes the door open, and it squeaks as he does, shining the light in one hand and his revolver in the other, checking the dark area to make sure there’s no threat.

He walks straight while you and Ellie trail along, “We’re going up forty-two flights?” She groans, and Joel adds, “Forty-five.” The door behind you closes and you shine your flashlight to the ceiling, looking at the seemingly never-ending staircase. “But no. Not all the way.” He says, and Ellie asks, “How far?” Joel takes a breath, “As far as I can make it.” You and Ellie giggle at him and follow right behind the grump, footsteps sounding on the concrete steps of the building as you make your way up each floor. 

After twenty flights of stairs, Joel is gripping the hand railing, slightly winded already, you are trying to manage your breathing with all the cardio, while Ellie is only lightly panting, she takes an opportunity to ask a question, “Hey, you know that guy who said he was hurt? How did you know it was an ambush?” Joel stops before the next landing and catches his breath, “I’ve been on both sides. It was a long time ago. We did what we needed to survive.”

“You and Tess?” She asked, and he nods, “And the people we were with. My brother too.” He looks up to check how many more to go, while Ellie can’t help herself, “Did you kill innocent people?” He turns to look at her with an unreadable expression, but doesn’t answer her question, “Come on.” But already you both already knew the answer, and still followed him anyways.

It’s a few minutes later and Joel pushes the fire exit door open and holds it out for you and Ellie to walk through. “Holy shit.” Ellie curses and Joel leans on the wall, “Yeah.” And slides down the wall completely exhausted. You are soaked with sweat and trying to catch your breath, using one hand to lean on the door as it closes by itself. “Thirty-three floors. That’s good.” The young girl comments, and you hear Joel wheeze, “It’s gonna have to be.”

Ellie makes her way over to him and kicks his boot, “Come on.” And holds out her small hand, Joel groans, “Give me a minute.” But Ellie doesn’t agree, “Get up, you lazy ass.” That does it, he grips his hand with hers and helps him up, while you finally got enough oxygen back into your system. Joel grits his teeth, “Lazy ass. Fifty-six years old, you little shit.” Ellie giggles and you smile wide and continue to trail after him.

Joel grabs a fire extinguisher to break through the glass of one of the office doors, the sharp sound of glass shattering rings throughout the room, and Joel reaches in to shake the handle open.

You and Ellie prepare to sleep, and you realize that there aren’t enough cushions for the three of you. Joel scatters glass on the ground as Ellie sits on her makeshift bed, and calls out his name as you sit cross-legged on the carpet, silently contemplating sleeping on the floor. He doesn’t hear Ellie the second time, too busy dumping out the glass.

But the third time she yells out his name he finally turned, “What?” He grudgingly says, and she asks him pointedly, “What are you doing?” And replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “I don’t want someone sneaking up on us while we’re sleeping.”

He puts the bucket down and Ellie realizes what he meant, “Oh, I get it. Crunch, crunch, crunch…” He walks over to the couch cushions on the floor and Ellie questions him, “Are you sure you’re gonna hear it?” Joel takes offense to her asking him that, “Of course, I’ll hear it. That’s the damn point.” Ellie leans back, “Okay. Well, good night.” And he gives a small, “Yeah, goodnight.”

You prepare to sleep on top of your backpack and Joel says your name, “What are you doing?” You turn your head to him and swallow, “Um, there’s not enough cushions. It’s okay though, I’ve slept on the floor before.” His eyebrows furrow and he huffs, “You sleep on mine then.” You shake your head, “Joel, you stayed up late, floored it all the way to Kansas City, fought three hunters, and then walked up thirty-three flights of stairs. You’re literally fifty-six and wheezing. You’re exhausted, so it’s okay, you can have it.”

Joel places his hands on his hips as he stares down at your figure, “That isn’t right though, you’re equally as tired and you got injured earlier. So take the damn bed.” He argues, this was slowly going to become a full-on debate that could have lasted till the morning, but Ellie butts in, “Why don’t you guys just share?” Immediately, your eyes go wide, and feel your face grow warm. You begin to stutter as you try and explain to her why that would be inappropriate, “Um, Ellie… I don’t think that’s—”

“Fine.” You hear him say and your head quickly turns to look at Joel, almost giving you a whiplash as you did. You blink wildly at him and shakily say, “You don’t need to–” He gives you no chance to finish your sentence, “I said fine. Do you want to share or not?” Jesus fucking Christ. What the hell is happening? He didn’t just offer that, did he? Your mouth gapes open like a fish out of water, not knowing how to act or find the right words for this. You take a deep inhale and try not to stumble over your words as you stared into his dark chocolate-brown eyes, “Are you… sure?”

He nods and gestures to you to lay down, you pinch your lips and swallow away your nerves and climb atop the cushions, using your own jacket as a pillow. Joel quietly does the same and faces the opposite of you. You bring your hands to your mouth, they’re slightly trembling as you try and calm your racing heart. Ellie is looking at you with a smirk, that cheeky little shit, she’s playing matchmaker. You mouth out the words, “Fuck you.” Which causes her to grin wider, happy with what she’s accomplished.

“Hey.” Joel's voice is deep and low from behind you, and you raise your eyebrows at Ellie, she replies, “Yeah?” He proceeds to ask, “When we were talking about hurtin’ people, what did you mean it wasn’t your first time?” You give Ellie a sad smile knowingly, the places may have changed, but at its core, the story stayed the same. She changes her position to lay flat on her back and stares at the ceiling, “I don’t want to talk about it.” He doesn’t push her and settles, “All right.” After a second he rolls over to his left and lifts his head up, to look at Ellie, you are now inches apart from him brushing his hand on your waist, he tells the kid, “You don’t have to. I’m just saying… it isn’t fair, your age having to deal with all of this.”

Ellie looks to the both of you, “So it gets easier when you get older?” You snort, “God, no.” And Joel shakes his head, “No. Not really. But still.” Ellie doesn’t say anything back to him for a bit, and he sighs, you feel his breath along the back of your neck, causing your spine to shiver at the sensation. “The reason I asked whether you’d hear the glass or not, is because Miss Birdie and I have noticed you don’t hear too well from your right side. Is it ‘cause you were shot there?”

“Probably more from shootin’. So if you wanna keep your hearing, you stick to that knife.” He says and lays back down again, rolling back over to his right side and closing his eyes, Ellie says both of your names and you look at her, waiting, “Did you know diarrhea is hereditary?” He glances over his shoulder, “What?” And Ellie continues, “Yeah. It runs in your jeans.”

You didn’t know if your humor was broken, or if you were traumatized, or just exhausted, but you giggled with her and hear Joel whisper, “Jesus.”

He shakes his head, and you and Ellie continue to giggle, “That is so goddamn stupid.” But Ellie points out, “You laughed, motherfucker.” You hear the smile in his voice, “I didn’t laugh.” The kid throws back at him, “Yes, you did.” And you agree with her, “Yeah, you most certainly did, cowboy.”

He mumbles, “Jesus, I’m losin’ it,” and you loudly agree, “Yep, you are and so am I.” 

And then his invisible walls came down and allowed himself to be vulnerable, to laugh at Ellie’s stupid joke. Finally, letting his baggage down, if he was being honest, he was so tired of being afraid, and this feeling of weightlessness felt like euphoria. Your cheeks rise to meet your eyes and lines appear as you smile, listening to both of their laughter. Though the storms will push and pull, you three are slowly beginning to form a home. The years, while they were here, haven’t been so kind, but the melody of laughter reminds you to keep your heart open wide. Slowly finding the strength and the nerve it takes to keep going because you know what lies beneath is the greatest thing you have. To trust that there will be light always waiting behind even in the darkest of nights. Somehow you will all be okay.

OFFICE BUILDING, KANSAS CITY – A FEW HOURS INTO THE NIGHT 

You feel something heavy and warm draped over your waist, and your head resting on something firm beneath your head. You hear Ellie yell out both of your names in urgency and blink your eyes open to find yourself wrapped up in arms, with your head on his chest. You take a deep inhale, turn your head slightly, and tap Joel awake, his eyes open, alert and confused, to see Ellie kneeling on the cushions with her hands up and Henry pointing a gun at her head. Shit.

And you both turn to look in front of you, a little boy, Sam, with orange paint on his face resembling a superhero mask, pointing a gun at you both, he brings his pointer finger to his lips, indicating for you to be quiet. Joel tries to shield you from the boy, covering your figure with his large frame, gripping your waist so tight, and breathing through his nose heavily. You feel a little paralyzed, as you can’t help but watch the train wreck about to happen right in front of you.

Previous Chapter -> Next Chapter

END NOTES:

This was probably one of the most difficult chapters to write because of all the technicalities and this episode was definitely more centered around Ellie and Joel’s relationship so I didn’t want the reader to completely overshadow that HHEHEHEHE ONE BED TROPE The moment I watched that episode, I immediately thought, I’m writing a one-bed trope (idk if i got it right tho lol I tried to make it realistic??) I had to cut a huge ass important memory from the reader but decided again it's TOO SOON also it wouldn’t add anything to the plot so I’ll add that in later My bad for taking too long to finish this chapter, it was the most intimidating episode for me to write, the loss of innocence is also the main theme of this part of the show, and my experiences with losing innocence are WAY DIFFERENT so it proved it harder to write about You can see Joel slowly giving in and opening up to both you and Ellie Tbh, to me, this is one of the more mediocre chapters I’ve written thus far but I can’t seem to edit it anymore T^T Ellie absolutely adores you and 100% looks up to you hehe (Also she definitely wants you to get with her father figure) cAN SOMEONE UPDATE ME IF THEY WERE AT A TRUCK STOP OR GAS STATION BCS I’ve read sO MANY DAMN ARTICLES trying to figure out what it was and I just settled for a truck stop T^T Thank you, guys, so much for all your kind questions, comments, and feedback aHHH IT TRULY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME Lastly, this is the last call for the taglist before I close it! OKAY BYE OFF TO EPISODE 5 I GO WRITE HNGGGG   - Grace

TAGLIST:

@memento-mora @elijahssuit @tartiflvtte @lillylilly2 @kyuupidwrites @amethystwonder11 @syd-vixious @kidkrow666 @soulofapatrick @ponyboys-sunsets @superflymaterial @chaotic-imposter @vainbimbo @eva-stark @loki-an-idiot @littleshadow17 @undermoonlightwalk @afternoon-evening @notmysunnydale  @slurmp69 @gyllord @aerangi @mac5323 @friskynotebook @earth-to-lottie @chaotic-imposter @kodzuvk @hawkins-2000 @reallysparklychaos @trust-dreamcatcher @darkened-writer @memeorydotcom @welcomebackfelicia @rainbowpitofdoom @omg-its-typical-aesthetics-fan @marvelsimpcz @dorck26 @evienorville @munsons-queen @little-miss-bi @mxltifxnd0m @ohjoelmiller @coalix @taestrwbrry @avengersheart @gyllord @valentine-babe

Edit: Sorry for the notif twice! The taglist completely bonked itself :,)

#uneven odds joel miller #unevenoddstaglist #uneven odds #unevenodds #joel miller x reader series #joel miller x poc!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller x y/n #joel miller x modern reader #joel miller x reader au #joel miller x reader tlou #tlou rewrite #tlou remake #tlou series #joel miller x reader masterlist #joel miller x reader series masterlist #ethereal writes

[holdmytesseract]

The Price of Love

☆ The Baby Fever AU ☆

Loki x Y/N

Summary: You convince Loki to take you with him on a charity event, together with some other Avengers. What starts as a nice and exciting little trip to Canada, ends in a nightmare...

Warnings: pregnancy things/symptomps, overprotective Loki, almost nudity? thirst, suggestive smut?, swear words, Loki being the best hubby and dad possible, angst - quite a lot of angst, guns, bad people, violence, fighting, injury, blood, Loki going FERAL and being a bit... brutal, death, fluff

Word Count: 7,9k

a/n: Here it is, guys! The (almost) 8k words Baby Fever rollercoaster ride. 🫡 Yep... I went absolute bananas with this one. 😂 I love every bit, though. 😁 The story behind this fic? Well... @iamlokisgloriouspurpose made a post about a story she was looking for (some of you might remember) a few weeks ago. It was something about Loki x pregnant!reader, where she accidentally gets hit or something and Loki is overprotective, etc. She couldn't find the fic and I was like: Hey, would you want me to write something along that? And @iamlokisgloriouspurpose was like: Heck yeah! Well, here we are. You know how much of a sucker I am for such things... I couldn't resist. 🤷🏼‍♀️👀 Anyways... I hope y'all like it! 😁

Baby Fever Crew: Tagging y'all again in the comments! 😊💚

Baby Fever Masterlist °☆• Masterlist

"No, love, absolutely not," Loki stated; shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. "I won't allow that. Not in your condition. You rather stay here with Ella."

You raised an eyebrow, and put your hands on your hips. "In my condition? Babe, I'm pregnant! That's not a condition. I thought you knew that?" Loki snorted. "Well, to me it is." You sighed. "Okay, look, I understand your worry - but geez... Ease up a bit. I didn't even pass the first trimester. And besides, this is just a charity event. Not in the slightest dangerous." Your husband's jaw clenched, as his brain searched for the right words.

"I know, Y/N. I am more than aware of that, but..." He paused; unlocking his arms to tenderly cup your tiny, almost still invisible baby bump. "We fought so long for this, darling. Against heartbreak, sadness - Norns, even depression, and now that we are finally blessed with this little wonder growing in there, I'm not letting it go again. It was so hard for us to get pregnant. I'm not going to risk it."

You swallowed; raised your hands to cup both his cheeks. "I know, babe, I know..." You whispered; on the verge of giving in - but then you remembered a very important thing. "But you'll be there, too. You can always have an eye on me and protect us. I promise, that I'll never leave your side. And that I'll be careful. Plus, you wouldn't need to worry about our princess as well, 'cause she's more than safe with her grandparents on Asgard. She's already so excited to go there."

You could practically see the gears turning in his head. "How does that sound? What do you say?" A low grumble of disliking rumbled through Loki's chest, but in the end, he gave in with a sigh. A decision he was going to regret later. "Alright, fine."

Only a few days later, you and Loki were on your way to Canada - Calgary, to be precisely; together with Bruce, Peter and Tony. It wasn't a very big charity event, but an important one nevertheless.

Once the Quinjet landed, Tony immediately made sure to get everyone to the hotel you were staying in. After checking everyone in, the billionaire was quick to get to his room. "Alright, team... We'll meet at exactly eight p.m. tonight. No minute later. We have to be on time." He pointed at everyone - the longest at you and Loki. "Especially you two lovebirds. Understood?" Everybody nodded well-behaved. "Sure thing, Mr. Stark." Except Loki. The god just rolled his eyes. Tony ignored him and instead turned on his heels to leave the lobby. "Now if you'd excuse me... I've got a terrible headache, caused by all the sweet talk coming from Laufeyson's mouth. Ta-ta." From the corner of your eyes, you could see Bruce shaking his head. "He's such a diva sometimes." "Sometimes?" Asked Loki in return, causing you - and even Peter to giggle.

Loki stopped mid-sentence, to ask you this question in an almost offended voice, once he had turned to face you. You put the t-shirt in your hands down and looked at him confused; blinking. "Umm... Unpacking our stuff?" He immediately shook his head and walked over to you. "No, you're not." Loki said in a firm tone, taking the suitcase away. "You are going to lay down and rest. We can unpack later or even tomorrow. The flight was very stressful and exhausting - and the next few days are going to be packed and eventful as well. I don't want you to overdo it." "But, babe, I-" "No." He shushed you, placing both hands on your hips. "No excuses. You promised me, remember?" You sighed, knowing that he was right. You did promise him. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll go, lay down."

Loki took your hand and guided you to the hotel room you shared - and it was absolutely beautiful. Modern, luxurious, cosy - perfect for a few days. Tony had planned to take everyone to a few fan events and Comic Con's around Calgary after the charity event. Something you were definitely looking forward to.

"Tony definitely has a nice taste in hotels... Can't deny that. Don't you think, babe?" You looked over at Loki, who had just pulled the t-shirt he wore over his head. "It's more than likely the only thing Stark has a good taste in." You couldn't help yourself but to laugh. That laugh quickly died in your throat, though, when Loki slipped the jeans – which covered his lower body, over his hips and down his thighs; leaving him only in his black underwear - and socks. You bit your lip; tried not to stare or give into your raging pregnancy hormones. It was difficult. So, you decided to stop watching your husband strip and rather start unpacking your luggage. "I'm going to take a shower now, love. It was way too hot in the Quinjet. Stark always pretends he doesn't know that I am half a Frost Giant… And after that, I'm taking you out for dinner. You have to- What are you doing?"

Loki smiled and placed a tender kiss on your forehead. "Thank you." You wrapped both your arms around his torso, in order to hug him. But then another idea crossed your mind, and you let your hands wander down to the waistband of his briefs. "I could join you in the shower, you know..." A dark chuckle rumbled through his chest. You really thought you had him for a minute, "As tempting as this sounds, my queen..." but then he stepped out of your embrace. "But no. Not now. Not today. Please rest. It'll be good for you and the baby." Once again you sighed. It couldn't be helped. Loki stood his ground. "Okay, okay, I give up." Loki smiled and pressed a quick kiss on your lips, "Good girl." before he left for the bathroom.

Later that day, after having eaten dinner, you and Loki got ready for the charity event. While your husband got dressed, you decided to pay the shower a visit as well - for which you took your time. Getting ready for such a big event wasn't just done in a few minutes. Funnily, you had absolutely no idea what Loki was going to wear, so you chose to wear a black, elegant dress, which wasn't too sexy and overdressed, but also not completely innocent. It reached to your ankles and had a slit on the left side of your leg; stopping at your thighs. It was also tight around your waist, but not too tight - since you decided to not show the world (and teammates) yet that you were pregnant again. Okay, admittedly it could be easily mistaken by weight gaining, but you didn't want to risk the rumours to spread. After fixing your hair and applying some decent makeup, you were ready to go. You hoped Loki was ready as well, because a look on your phone told you, that it was almost time - and you didn't want to face Tony's diva wrath.

"Babe, are you rea-" Your words died in your throat, when you closed the bathroom door behind yourself; eyes landing on the god. He sat on the big, king-sized hotel bed; legs spread wide and phone in hands - which wasn't an unusual thing. It was the outfit he chose to wear, that took your breath away...

A black shirt, which hugged his arms and torso snugly; causing his biceps to bulge. The sleeves were rolled up, leaving his forearms deliciously bare. He had left the first few buttons of the shirt undone, exposing his chest in an almost sluttish way. With that not enough... Black, tight suit trousers covered his muscular thighs and legs; held together by an equally black leather belt. All this was paired with shiny, black dress shoes.

"Sweet Lord have mercy... Have you planned to get me pregnant all over again, looking like that, or... Perhaps to kill me?" Loki just chuckled, shaking his head, "Absolutely not, my queen." and stood up, "As much as I'd love to do that, though..."  straightening his shirt. "I can't, because I already did." He practically growled; winking at you. "I just wanted to give you something to look at. Besides, it's for charity - and you should look adequate on such a big event, right?" You were speechless. Entranced by his look and the words leaving his mouth.

And if this wouldn't have been erotic enough, he overcame it...

Those wild raven locks of his, were bound together, styled into a high manbun, with only a few loose curls being loose; neatly tucked behind his ears. On his fingers twinkled beside his wedding band a few other rings in black and emerald green; completing his outfit. Loki looked drop dead sexy. You could've jumped him. Right then and there - and he knew. Oh, he knew. The mischievous smile and cheeky look he was giving you said it all.

"You are a naughty, cheeky little shit sometimes, do you know that?" Your husband just chuckled once again and stepped over to you, in order to place his big hands on your waist. "I am aware of that, yes - and I know how much you love it." You smiled; trailing your fingertips over his exposed chest. "Hell yes, I do." He smirked mischievously and leaned down to kiss you passionately.

His oceanic blue eyes roamed over your body then; wetting his lips. "You look absolutely stunning as well, my love. Beautiful as ever. I especially appreciate..." His hand found the slit in your dress; cool palm gliding over the hot skin of your thigh. "...this little feature." You giggled like a schoolgirl - high on love and pregnancy hormones. "Thanks, Lokes - but I don't look quite as sexy as you do. You are going to break so many hearts tonight, babe." Loki shook his head. "That may be true, love, but I'd never break yours. Never." "I know."

About twenty minutes later, the whole team - including Pepper, who joined the party a bit later, 'cause she had a meeting this morning - arrived at the charity event, where already a lot of fans and paparazzi waited... At the red carpet. "Are you ready, my love?" Loki asked; taking your hand into his and helping you out of the limousine Tony had rented. "More than ready."

Together, with the other Avengers you set foot on the red carpet; cameras flashing around you like lightning. Loki kept on holding your hand tightly, not letting you go. He still wasn't convinced of your idea in joining all this - him. You noticed it; felt it. Recognized it in the way he acted around you. "Loki! Loki! Loki!" From everywhere around you, fans (mostly girls, of course) and paparazzi screamed his name; literally praising him like the god he was. But Loki only had eyes for you. He didn't give the people that much attention; his number one priority being you - his pregnant wife and mother of his little princess.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help himself but to throw one of his smouldering looks at the crowd, causing several women to faint - you were sure of it. After that, he redirected his attention back to you. "Everything alright, my love?" You nodded, squeezing his hand. "Of course. We're good." Loki gave you a smile, then turned to lean closer to your ear. "Stay close to me, please. I know this is just a charity event. And I am also very aware that you can defend yourself, but I told you once and I'm telling you again... I don't want to risk anything. I hope you understand." There was so much love, adoration and worry in his eyes; it almost caused your legs to give in.

Once more you nodded. "I promise. I promised you already." He smiled the softest of smiles and lifted your hand to his lips, earning a lot of coos and 'Aww's' from the hundreds of people at the display of affection. "Thank you. Somehow, I have a very bad feeling about all this. I don't know why, but... It's present." And Loki was proven right with his gut feeling. He watched you like a hawk during the whole evening, but he couldn't prevent it from happening...

The god was talking together with Bruce to a few of the important people who organized this event, when you were approaching the group of men, after getting yourself something to drink with Pepper. "Apologies to interrupt, but… Babe, do you have a second?" Loki immediately turned to face you, "Sure, darling." and placed a hand on the small of your back. "Please excuse me for a moment, gentlemen, but my lady is in need of me." He gave the men one of his charming gentlemen-like smiles and guided you a bit off sides from all the people.

"What's the matter, my love? Are you alright?" "Actually, I feel a bit woozy and..." You grimaced and placed both your hands on your lower abdomen; Loki's hands following suit. "Uh... Nauseous." Your husband frowned. Sure, this wasn't uncommon and it happened when you were pregnant with Ella as well, but that didn't stop him from being worried and protective. "Do you wish to leave?" "No. It's not that bad. I think I'm just going to pay the bathroom a visit; freshen up a bit and take a breath." Loki nodded, "Alright. I'll accompany you." and was more than ready to walk ahead, when you stopped him. "I think I can do that alone. It's just a visit to the bathroom. I won't be gone for long." The god bit his lip; clearly not convinced by your suggestion. "I don't know, I-" "Hey..." You gently grabbed both his hands squeezing them. "I'll be just fine. I don't want to drag you all across the building just for this. Besides, it's the ladies bathroom and you're a man, so..." Loki sighed, but once again, gave in. "Fine. Be careful, yes? And if it gets worse, we'll leave immediately." "Yes, Sir," you promised and pressed a quick kiss on his lips, before you let go of his hands and left for the bathroom.

Both, Loki's and Bruce's eyes widened immediately. They exchanged one look - and started to run, into the direction from where the woman came from. It led both men into the big, fancy stairwell of the building. Scanning the area, they searched for the said men - and found them quickly. They had barged through the doors on the bottom floor and were now standing in the entrance area, looking up. The Hydra logo shone bright on their black battle suits. "Hydra," stated Bruce, recognising the danger as well. "Stark, get your billionaire ass over here. We have a problem." Loki spoke through his little communication device. Not a second later, Tony flew over their heads, dressed in his suit, of course. "Already on it, Reindeer Games." "We have to get all the people out of here." The god nodded; green seidr washing over his body and changing his suit into his armour. "You do that, Banner. I'll go find Y/N." "No. She'll be alright, Loki. She can look after herself. I firstly need your help. I can't get all those innocent people out of here alone. Tony can distract those guys, but not for long."

That was the last time he had seen you for quite a while. At first, Loki was all cool with it, giving you the time to freshen up and calm your pregnancy symptoms - but after fifteen minutes, he got suspicious and an uneasy feeling started to grow within his stomach. So, he started to look around for you; asking his colleagues on the way, if they had seen you. Unfortunately, they didn't...

"Banner... Have you seen Y/N?" The doctor shook his head. "No, sorry. I haven't seen her in a while to be hon-" Bruce's words got interrupted by a loud noise - causing everyone inside the big hall to freeze. "What was that?" Loki's question didn't need to be answered by Bruce. A woman in black high heels and a sparkling pink dress literally ran inside the hall, screaming. "Guns! Gun! There are men with guns!"

Loki didn't like this. Not at all, but he knew that Bruce was right. If he wouldn't help him, a lot of innocent people would get more than likely hurt or killed. "Fine. Let's go." Bruce nodded and started to run off; Loki following him. "There's an emergency stairway, right down that hall. We'll get them out there."

That's what the two Avengers did then. Evacuating all the people. Loki was unable to stay focused, though. His thoughts were constantly travelling to you. He had a bad feeling about this from the beginning - and he had been right. He just hoped that you were alright...

After emptying your stomach one last time, you walked on slightly wobbly feet out of the cabin and to the sink. Looking in the mirror, you noticed that you were quite a bit pale. Well, no wonder. After throwing up that much... Once more you sighed and turned on the tap to splash yourself with some cold water and to rinse out your mouth to get rid of the foul taste. Then you took some more deep breaths and when you felt slightly better, you decided to find your husband and leave. So, you stepped over to the door and opened it - only to walk into an absolute chaos. It was loud. Gunshots sounded from everywhere. Rubble was laying around; the insides of the building was quite a bit damaged. Then you saw Tony in his suit flying around and shooting at something. You blinked. Whatever it was what happened and what was going on... How could you not notice?! Still in some kind of shock, you walked to the still intact railing of the open hallway, in order to find out what the fuck was happening. A mistake. A wrong decision. A decision your still woozy and foggy brain didn't think through. With horror in your eyes, you witnessed the literal army of what seemed to be Hydra men fighting against Tony and Pepper. Help..., you thought. They needed help. You were about to switch into your fighting mode, when you suddenly heard Loki's voice from far away. "Y/N! Watch out!" The warning came too late. Before you could even make out the sniper from across you, the bullet had hit you already. The force of it threw you to the ground. The last thing you heard before everything got dark, was the heart wrenching scream, which left your husband's lips.

While Loki, Bruce, Tony and even Pepper fought the army of Hydra supporter, you were still in the ladies bathroom; not having a clue what was going on. Yes, you had heard a loud noise, but were too occupied with not missing the toilet bowl while throwing up. On the way to the bathroom, your condition had suddenly switched very fast from 'not that bad' to 'I'm going to throw up any minute now'.

Well, that's where you were now... Hanging over the toilet; literally puking your guts out - all the while trying to not ruin your dress and hair. "Oh gods..." You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You felt awful. Perhaps it was for the best to accept Loki's offer and return to the hotel. But... What to tell the others? The only people who knew of your second pregnancy were Loki, Ella and Natasha. Nobody else. After all, you told your best friend to not tell it a single soul - and you knew you could trust her, so... Bruce wouldn't know. Just like Tony and Pepper. And you had no intention in telling them. At least not now. You wanted to wait until you passed the 'critical' first trimester. Although, the little Frost Giant inside you was growing fast and soon you wouldn't be able to hide it for much longer anyway. Ugh, you thought. Decisions, decisions...

Loki was powerless. He couldn't do anything about it; was too far away from the sniper to stop him. With wide, teary eyes, he saw your body hitting the ground. For a moment, time seemed to stand still for him. He didn't even notice how he screamed. But then the harsh realisation hit him, and he started to run, getting as fast as somehow possible to you.

His heart was beating fast against his ribcage when he saw your limp, seemingly lifeless body - and the tears started to fall rapidly. "No, no, no, no, no!" Loki didn't care that there was a battle going on. All he had on his mind now was you - and his unborn child. He ran over to you and fell to his knees beside you, gently turning your body around. There was blood and a big, gushing wound on your shoulder. Luckily your shoulder. Loki's shaking hand quickly went to check your pulse. It was there. You were alive. Utter relief flooded his body. "Oh thank the Norns, thank the Norns." He praised; voice breaking. But then he noticed how much blood you were losing and that your bullet wound needed medical attention - unless you were going to die. So, he switched on his communication device. "Banner, get over here. Quick. Third floor. Ladies bathroom." The answer came prompt. "On my way." "Bring every medical supply you can find on your way. And hurry up! It's urgent!"

While Bruce was on his way, Loki sat down beside you. He took one hand of yours into his and placed his other hand on the wound. He wouldn't be able to heal you, but he could slow the blood loss. He closed his eyes for a moment; green seidr starting to flow from his palm. "Hold on, my love. Norns, please hold on. I'm here." Loki squeezed your hand, before he gently let go again to cup your lower stomach. Seidr started to pour out of his other hand as well. He tried to feel the baby; knowing well that it was too early for him to feel him or her. And he was right. He couldn't feel them. He couldn't tell if they were alright or not. With a frustrated groan, he stopped his attempt - just as worried as before. Anyways, he had to try, didn't he?

Only a few minutes later, Bruce came running down the hall. The doctor's eyes widened, when he came to witness the scene in front of him. "What happened?!" It was, of course, as clear as a day what had happened, but the question bubbled out of him nevertheless. "Sniper," Loki answered dryly; then quickly removed his hand, so Bruce could take a look. He nodded; examining your shoulder. "There's an exit wound. That's good. Means the bullet went through. Nevertheless, we have to patch this up. Unless she's going to bleed out. We have to get her out of here." Loki clenched his jaw. "I am very aware of that, Dr. Banner," he hissed. "Just do something. I can't lose her." His teary, frightful and worried eyes met Bruce's brown ones. "Please," Loki added, desperately. The doctor nodded and reached for the medical supplies he found on his way... Plasters, bandages, disinfection, gloves and other things. "I'll try my best to stop the bleeding as good as possible, but- Loki, what are you doing?" Bruce witnessed how the god stood up; eyes focused on something across the grand stairwell. "You got her, Banner?" The doctor frowned, "I-I think so, y-yes, what-" and followed Loki's eyes - and realised. There was a Hydra agent - and Bruce had a guess. He could count one and one together. "Loki, no. Leave him be; I-" The god turned around; the fury and anger in his eyes causing Bruce to clap his mouth immediately shut. "You got her, Banner?" He repeated his question, more firmly this time. Bruce nodded; swallowing hard. "Good." His eyes wandered shortly to the man with bright pink hair again - the one who shot you. Loki recognised him, of course. And when he saw him standing there, he lost it. Completely. Rage was taking over his system like venom. "Guard her with your life," he said and started to walk away; adding in a threatening, dark and intimidating voice: "Or you'll be the next."

Led by his untamed wrath, Loki made his way quickly to that one Hydra soldier; killing every other on his way - without even blinking. He was like in a trance; blinded by his anger. That man had almost taken one of his most precious things in his life away from him - and he couldn't just let that pass. That man was going to pay - right now.

The man with pink hair was about to escape through one of the ventilation shafts, when green seidr hit him; causing him to get thrown to the ground. He tried to reach for his rifle, but the god was quick to kick it away and out of reach for him. Before the man could even stand up and defend himself, Loki had picked him up off the hard ground and literally slammed him against the nearest wall; big hand wrapped around his neck. The man's eyes met the god's furious ones - and he just laughed. "What are you waiting for, huh? Kill me." Loki practically growled, squeezing his neck tighter. "Do you even know with whom exactly you are dealing with and what monster you just unleashed by doing what you did?" Again, the man just laughed - not even trying to fight Loki. "For such a smartass god, you are incredibly stupid, Laufeyson." The god's jaw clenched. He was losing his nerves. "What I did was the only reason I came for. Killing Agent Y/L/N was my job; knowing very well that I'd die here tonight doing it - because of you. So, what are you waiting for. Do it." Those words caused Loki to laugh dangerously - almost hysterically. This man really thought he had killed you. "Possibly. But you are the fool - not me. Being so stupid and trying to take my wife away from me… You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into, little mortal," Loki whispered in a threatening voice and started to shapeshift into his Jotun form.

The man's eyes widened in shock. He didn't know. He didn't know. Loki was towering over him now; ruby eyes glowing dangerously red. "Not so brave and impudent now, are we?" The man just swallowed; still gazing at Loki shocked. "I told you. You have no idea what monster you unleashed..." He stated once more, tightened his grip a bit. "Tell me, mortal... You've got a family?" The man nodded, unable to form any words, due to Loki's strong grip. "A wife? Children?" Another nod. "So you are a father, just like me and nevertheless you agree to take the life of an innocent child's mother? That is pathetic. Weak. Cowardly. You disgust me." Loki spat. "And with that not enough... You almost took two lifes." The man's eyes widened to the size of plates; connecting the dots. "That's right. She's with child. I don't know yet if your headless, rash assassination hurt them, but… You better pray it didn't." And again, Loki tightened his grip, before conjuring a dagger - made out of ice, "But... Actually, if I think this through, you don't have to pray, because you won't get to know. It's time to pay." and rammed the dagger into his stomach, causing the man's jaw to drop and a breathless scream to leave his lips. Loki twisted the dagger and let go of him. The man fell to the ground, gasping and gurgling. The god rounded the man – like a predator its prey, before he squatted down beside him, shifting back into his Æsir form. "Next time you try to take my family away from me, do it right - or better... Don't even try it. Although, I highly doubt there will be a next time." With a clasp on the dying man's shoulder, Loki sauntered away. He had to do it. He just had to.

After Bruce had turned the Quinjet on autopilot; giving it the coordinations of the next hospital, which was fifteen minutes away, he returned to you and Loki. He checked on your wound - which was oozing a bit of blood again, but not as much. Loki's seidr and Bruce's pressure bandage had helped, but so slowly the fabric of the bandage turned from white to red as well... "I already informed the hospital. They'll be ready when we arrive," he informed the god, who stared at your unconscious body. "Good." His eyes were focused on your stomach. Loki was utterly afraid and worried, that the blood loss this bullet wound caused, could've harmed the baby. He just couldn't shake off that thought. It drove him crazy not to know - up to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. So, he had no other option but to tell Bruce...

As soon as he had quenched his thirst for revenge, his mind wandered - of course, back to you. So, without further ado, he made his way back to you.

Bruce was luckily still sitting by your side; two lifeless Hydra men laying a few meters away from them. "How is she?" Loki asked immediately. The doctor turned at the god's voice; facing him. "For the moment, stable. I stopped the bleeding, but the point still stands... She needs medical attention." Then Banner looked Loki up and down, swallowing. "Did you...?" He knew what Bruce meant, and nodded. "I had to." Loki stepped closer to you and knelt down, "Let's get her out of here and to the Quinjet." and gently took you in his arms; carrying you bridal style. "Back me up?" Bruce nodded, and turned quickly to Hulk; watching out for any enemies to come your way.

The three of you made it out of the building and to the Quinjet without any further incident. While Bruce started the engines, Loki laid you slowly down on the stretcher. "Stark. Banner and I are on the Quinjet now, bringing Y/N into a hospital and-" "Yes, yes, I know. Bruce told me. Make sure she's alright." "Are you able to make this without us?" "What kind of question is that, Reindeer Games? Pepper and I are almost done here. The civilians are safe and sound and the Hydra men reduced to a group of ten." Loki rolled his eyes at Tony's comment. "Fine."

"Banner, would you check her stomach and lower abdomen, please?" The doctor frowned. "Why? She's been shot in the shoulder, not in the stomach and-" "Just do it!" Loki cut him off; almost screaming at the man. "Alright, alright, I'll do it. Calm down, man." He went to grab a little device and held it over your stomach. Looking down at the miniature display, and not expecting to find something, Bruce's eyes suddenly widened. He lifted his head, gazing with surprise and a little shocked at the god. "Loki, that... There's... Y/N, she... She's-" "Pregnant, yes." Loki finished his sentence. "That's why I asked you to check. Is the baby alright?" Bruce blinked, and nodded. "Y-Yes, I... As far as I can tell, y-yes." "Oh thank the Norns," the god breathed out relieved. He took your hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, all the while he leaned down to pepper your stomach with little kisses. "Our baby is okay, my love... They are alright - and you'll be too, I promise," Loki sobbed into the fabric of your dress; holding on to you.

As for Bruce, he clearly needed a moment to grasp this. "How far along is she? How... How long do you know?" Loki turned his head to Bruce and smiled through his tears. "About ten weeks. She told me a month ago, right after she found out. Well, Ella told me, but yes..." Bruce couldn't help but smile as well. He was, of course, happy for you and Loki. "Well, in that case... Congratulations." "Thank you. I'm honestly a bit surprised that Romanoff didn't tell you anything." The doctor's eyes widened. "Natasha knew?!" Loki nodded. "She was the only one who knew. She was with Y/N when she found out." Banner nodded, "Makes sense." before he went to land the Quinjet. "Let's get her help - as fast as possible."

"Mr. Laufeyson, Sir." A doctor ripped him out of his thoughts. Loki literally jumped to his feet, looking at the young man with anticipation and hope. "How is she?" "She's alright according to the circumstances." The god let out a deep, relieved breath he didn't know he was holding. "Oh Norns… Thank you." "She was lucky that the bullet went through and we didn't have to operate." "Is the baby alright?" Not that Loki didn't trust Bruce, but he'd rather have it checked twice - and besides, Loki had to tell the doctors that you were pregnant anyways. "Yes. The baby is safe and sound." He took a deep breath, nodding. "Can I go to her?" "Of course."

While the doctors looked after you and patched the wound up, Loki sat on a chair in front of the wooden door in the white, empty hallway, waiting. Bruce had returned to Tony and Pepper.

Fear and worry were still very present in the god's head, but also guilt. He felt utterly guilty. Guilty of taking you with him on this damn event. Guilty of not accompanying you to the toilets - as stupid as it might sound. Guilty of not having been able to protect you - and his baby. It weighed him down. And nevertheless... He couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't change the past. It happened; and the most important thing now was that you were going to be alright.

No ten minutes later, Loki was sitting by your bedside; your hand in his and patiently waiting for you to wake up. To his sheer relief, he didn't have to wait long. Your eyes fluttered open; blinking; needing to adjust to the bright light. "L-" Loki was it you wanted to say, but your throat felt dry, causing you to not even get his name out. Your husband reacted immediately, of course and reached for the glass of water on your bedside table; gently helping you to drink. "T-Thank you." "Of course, my love." Then you looked around. "Loki, where... Where am I?" "In the hospital." You blinked, before you started to smile. "I survived this?" Loki couldn't help but chuckle softly. "For sure! Do you think I'd let the most important being in my life die?" You smiled even wider, shaking your head. "See?" Loki smiled as well, squeezing your hand. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?" You shook your head. "No, but... I feel utterly tired." Apparently were the pain killers working just fine yet. "Good, that's good. But you should rest then. Give yourself and our child time to overcome this accident." Your eyes widened on an instant at Loki's words; free hand flying to clutch your stomach (It was luckily not your hurt arm). "Oh my g-gosh, the baby! Are they alright?!" You panicked for a moment, but Loki was quick to reassure you. He placed his free hand on yours. "Don't worry, darling. They are completely fine." "T-Thank god."

Loki's expression changed suddenly; the guilty feeling returning. "My love, I am so sorry. This all is my fault. I promised to protect you... And I failed. I-I wasn't there when you needed me and-" You shook your head, interrupting him. "Let me stop you right there, babe." Intertwining your hand with his, you looked him deeply in his stunning blue eyes. "This is absolutely not your fault. I am the one to blame for this. Not you. I chose to accompany you. I chose to go alone to the bathroom. It was me, not you. You did your absolute best and protected me the best you could." Loki blinked. "But-" "Ah.Ah. No but's. Please... Don't blame yourself."

Your husband took a deep breath; running a hand through his luscious curls. "I... I could've lost you, Y/N. And our child. Ella could've lost her mother." "I know... But you didn't. Ella didn't. I'm here. I'm alive. The baby is alive. We are both okay - and we will make this. My shoulder's going to heal." Despite your words, there was still hesitation in his eyes. So, you tugged gently at his hand, "C'mere." encouraging him to lean down. He did what you asked him to, and leaned down. You didn't hesitate; pulled him instantly in a kiss. It was so loving and intense; almost taking Loki's breath away. "Stop. Blaming. Yourself," you mumbled in between kisses. Loki couldn't help but smirk; brushing your nose with his. "Only if you keep on kissing me." "Pfft," you laughed and shook your head, but kept on kissing him.

Once Loki assured himself, that you were, indeed alright - according to the circumstances, he decided to take a trip home and tell Ella and his parents what had happened. He had to. So, he stayed with you the whole day, night and even the next day, before he left on the following morning; travelling to Asgard.

"My, my, what do we have here? Is this a tea party? And I am not invited?" Loki asked; approaching them. Ella's head snapped, of course, immediately into his direction after hearing her father's voice. "Daddy!" She squeaked out excitedly and scrambled to stand up. Loki knew what was about to come, so he squatted down and opened his arms. Ella came running and threw herself into Loki's awaiting embrace. He swiped her off her feet and lifted the girl up; hugging her tightly. Ella giggled; both her little arms tangling around his neck. "Ah, my little princess... I missed you." "I missed you too, daddy." Loki kissed her cheek, before letting her down again.

"Welcome back, prince Loki." Heimdall greeted him with a bow of his head. Loki gave him a nod. "Heimdall." "Bear my best recovery wishes for her - and congratulations." The prince smiled. "Thank you. I shall do that."

On a horse, the god made his way to the palace. "Greetings, my prince." The guards welcomed him and let him inside, of course, where he asked for his daughter and parents. Loki got told, that Ella was with his mother in the royal gardens and the Allfather caught up in a court meeting with the royal advisors of the king from Svartalfheim. So, Loki went to the gardens. He could already see his princess and mother from afar. They were sitting on a soft blanket, which laid underneath a cherry tree, in order to shield them from the sun. Both of them had tea cups in their hands and he could swear that he also saw two big slices of cake. Loki couldn't help the smile, which spread over his lips at the scene in front of him - and when he heard Ella's sweet laughter, it only widened.

Frigga just watched with a smile on her face. She loved seeing her son being a father. "Mother," Loki greeted her; kissing her cheek as well. "Hello, son. You're back early." At her words, the god got taken back in time; remembering what had happened. "I know. I'll explain. But first..." He turned back to Ella, tickling her. Again, she bursted into fits of giggles. "I'd like to have a biiiig slice of cake. It looks so very delicious. Princess, would you go to the kitchen and ask Bjørn, if he would be so nice and give me a slice?" "O-Okay, daddy," Ella panted; still giggling and trying to recover from her dad's tickle attack. "You're a treasure, thank you." Ella smiled, then hopped away. The skirts of her pink summer dress billowing in the wind; raven curls, which just reached her shoulders, bobbing.

"I have the feeling you want to tell me something without my grandchild listening..." Frigga noted. She wasn't stupid. Loki nodded, "I do, mother." and swallowed. "I... Have good news and bad news." Loki pondered about with which news to start, but then decided on the good news. His parents didn't know yet that they were going to be grandparents - again. Perhaps this was the time to tell them. Well, at least Frigga. He'd come around the next few days to tell his father as well. Actually, Loki wanted to do this with you, but... The current circumstances didn't allow it. Hopefully you wouldn't be mad at him...

"The good news is; Y/N is... Well, she's pregnant again."

For the second time, Frigga's eyes widened - but this time out of shock. "Oh by the Norns! How is she?! Did it affect your child?" "She's alright - according to the circumstances. The bullet went through, so they didn't need to operate. She lost a lot of blood, but we made it in time to the hospital. Luckily, it didn't affect the child. They are safe and sound, steadily growing in their mother's womb." A relieved breath left the Allmother's lips. "Indeed... That's why I am back earlier. I'll take Ella with me now and tell her. Y/N's dying to see her baby again," he stated with a small chuckle. Frigga nodded. "Of course, my son." Just in that moment, they noticed Ella returning - carrying a plate with a big slice of cake on top. "Please greet her and wish her all the best. And tell us if she's getting better!" Loki took his mother's hand and squeezed it. "I will do that, for sure."

Frigga's eyes widened. "Pregnant?" The god nodded with a smile; almost unable to hold back the tears. "Yes, mother. We're having another baby." The queen gasped; hand flying to cover her mouth. She tried to hold back the tears again. "Oh Loki..." She more or less sobbed, before lunching forwards to hug him. "That's wonderful, son. I'm so delighted and happy for you and Y/N." Loki hugged her even tighter. "Me too. I'm honestly a little surprised that Ella didn't tell you. Well, we told her to not do it, but... You know how excited, small children are... We wouldn't have been mad at her if it had slipped past her lips, but well..." Frigga just giggled. "It would've been a great way to find out as well." "Oh definitely!" Loki chuckled; pausing. "I, uh, wish to tell father as well. I'm coming back in the next few days as soon as he has got more time." His mother smiled, "My lips shall be sealed then." but it dropped quite quickly again. "I'm a little afraid of the bad news now..."

"Well..." Loki started; thoughts returning to the accident once more. "We, um, we were on that charity event and... And there was an attack." He fumbled with his fingers. "I swore to protect Y/N and couldn't in that very moment. She's... She's been shot in the shoulder and is in the hospital now."

After Loki had eaten the delicious cake and spent a bit of quality time with his mother and daughter; he decided to return to you, taking Ella with him. They both bid their goodbyes and off they went through the Bifrost; only to land in a hospital - much to Ella's confusion...

"Uhh, daddy? Why are we in a hospital?" The little girl looked around; seemed quite a bit frightened. "Where's... Where's mommy?" Loki's heart felt already heavy; having to tell his child what had happened. He took a deep breath and squatted down in front of Ella, to be on eye-level with her, and took her smaller hands in his. "You know we were away to attend an Avengers thingy?" She nodded; getting visibly more nervous and angsty. "Unfortunately, we've got attacked by some really bad guys and... Mommy got hurt - but she's okay, sweetheart! She has a wound that needs to heal, but she will be perfectly fine!" Loki immediately went to calm her down, since her eyes started to get watery; tears running down her cheeks promptly. "M-Mommy's hurt? What happened?" The god swallowed. "A man tried to shoot mommy and hit her shoulder," Loki explained; gently wiping the little girl's tears away with his thumbs.

"Can… Can I see mommy?" "Of course, princess. That's why we're here." He smiled softly; looking down at his daughter, who resembled him so much. "Come here." Loki then just scooped her up in his arms; hugging her and carrying her to the room you were in. He didn't care that Ella got heavier so slowly; being not a toddler anymore. She held onto her dad, burying her face in his neck and hair. It had been clearly a shook for the little girl to learn that her mother was hurt in a hospital...

Loki gently knocked on your door and waited patiently for an answer. "Come in!" You were awake. Loki freed one hand and opened the door; stepping inside. Your eyes immediately lit up, when you saw your husband and daughter. You were so happy to see Ella. You had missed her - a lot. When you saw that Loki was carrying her, you knew exactly what was going on...

"Princess, hey," you greeted Ella softly, after your husband had carried her over to your bed. She was still clinging to her dad, but when she felt your touch on her back and especially heard your voice, her head snapped to face you. Her cheeks were reddened - just like her eyes, in which were still tears glistening. It definitely teared at your heartstrings. "Oh no, sweetie... Come here." You opened your arm (the one which wasn't hurt) for her. Loki immediately let her down and she didn't hesitate even a second; ran into your arm as quickly as possible. Sure, Ella had to overcome the obstacle which was the hospital bed; but that didn't stop her.

"Mommy," she sobbed; clinging now to you. She may have been already a big girl, but in moments like this, she was still just a child - which was more than alright. "Don't cry, baby. I'm ok." You stroked her hair in a reassuring manner and pressed soft, little kisses to the crown of her head. Exchanging a look with your husband, you could tell that it hurt him as well; seeing his daughter sad and crying. It always did.

Once you managed to calm her down, you were in for a long round of cuddles. Ella laid in your arm, cuddled against your side. At some point she had just slept in. Perhaps from the exciting vacation she's been on. Perhaps from the shock. Anyways, you were just glad she had calmed down - and so was Loki, who sat beside your bed on a chair. His oceanic blue eyes watching over you and his princess. He still had to tell you that his mother knew now about the little wonder growing within you, but that was a story for another time.

#the baby fever au #loki x reader #loki laufeyson #loki x female reader #loki x you #tom hiddleston x reader #loki x y/n #loki fanfiction #loki fluff #loki #loki laufeyson x reader #loki angst

[justcallmecj]

Humans Are Confusing

Alright. First time posting an actual anything on Tumblr, so let's see how this goes. Ran into a post on here recently and haven't been able to get it out of my mind since, so I kinda wanna ramble.

I like to think that in the Obey Me universe, humans and demons are just Built Different when compared to each other. I also like to think that demons don't truly know a lot about humans. They think they do, or that humans are easy to predict/understand. But there are wrong and having Solomon and Mc around just proves it to them.

Again. Humans and demons are built different. I like to think about the possibility of the human body/mind being able to do things a demons body/mind could never and that absolutely snaps the brothers' minds. So I have thought of a few things I could make funny scenarios out of.

Cracking Bones:

Humans crack all sorts of bones and joints all the time. I know I sure do, mainly my back, fingers and neck. Well, so do Solomon and Mc. They both do it all the time, especially Solomon, and neither thought anything of it when they first started staying in the Devildom. Neither knew that demons can't crack their bones.

The first time Mc cracked their back when stretching, every brothers head whipped towards them. Upon seeing that that sound came from Mc, horror settled in. And even more shock occurred when Solomon, who was nearby, said "Nice. Sounded like that felt good." and Mc, who they all expected to suddenly fall to the floor or something, simply straightened themself and said "Yep. Been needing to do that for a while now." and walked out of the room completely fine. No one knew what the hell just happened.

Demons can't do that. That sounded like a bone fucking breaking so how in the Devildom is Mc okay?!?!

Still in a shock, Mc came back in and noticed the brothers' state. They asked Solomon what was up and he had no clue. So they asked. Only Lucifer was able to shake himself our of his stupor enough to ask the question.

And this left Mc and Solomon both very confused. "Can you guys not do that?" and all the brothers frantically shook there heads. With a chuckle, Solomon explained that humans could simply move their bones and joints in a way that resulted in a cracking sound. It was something that actually resulted in relief, in pressure being taken off those points.

Then he promptly stood up and swung his torso, multiple cracking sounds filling the room from his back and then he bent his fingers one by one, each motion resulting in another crack. Then he walked up to Mc and they both left the room, completely fine. Asmo almost passed out that day.

And now all the demons and angels have a short panic whenever Mc or Solomon crack something until they remember that it's apparently normal for them.

The need for socialization:

Demons can and have gone centuries alone. Whether it was self-induced or a punishment, they will be fine in the long run. Hell, even some of the brothers can go a couple months without socializing (Levi and Belphie) and have no problems. Isolation is no life threatening thing for them. But it is for humans.

The brothers never knew what could happen to a human left isolated for too long until Mc and Solomon started talking about is to each other. It was a long conversation about the effects and risks of it.

Humans can develop physical and mental disease and illness from isolation. Heart problems, depression, mental decline, hallucinations, extreme anxiety, increased blood pressure, even insanity.

Why? Could humans not just...be okay? Why would they get all these problems if they isolated for so long? That doesn't happen to demons, or even angels. So, they started asking questions, all of which made Mc and Solomon realize how these topics, which are sort of common knowledge among humans, are very much unknown to the people of the other realms

And so they explained. Explained how humans were built to be social, to depend on each other physically and mentally. While they are capable of surviving alone for a while, or even a whole lifetime, they will still develop problems. Isolation can literally alter the brain chemistry of a human. They brought up the fact that Mc doesn't like to be alone for too long, getting lonely and too far into their own head when they get ignored. The fact that Solomon, who has gone dangerously long without contact, finds the subtle ways to latch himself onto people or goes somewhere with lot of people and lets himself be with them, to feed off their energy and be human again.

Let's just say that, after this conversation, everyone made an effort to no longer ignore Mc or Solomon for too long.

(I may find more of these ideas so stay tuned?)

#justcallmecj writes #justcallmecj headcanons #obey me #“Humans are weird” -the demons #The human exchange students confusing the crap out of the demons #solomon obey me #mc obey me #Human Things #first post #I'll figure out how to Tumblr better at some point

[thought--bubble]

It's ok to hurt me, I'm not worth much (one-shot)

Billy Washington X (Store Clerk Reader)

Warnings after the Break

Full Master list

Billy W. Master list

Banners By: @arcielee

A/N: this is by far the smuttiest thing I've ever written so please don't judge me too harshly 🤣🤣 I was inspired by the video someone posted of Billy whining and I couldn't help myself.🤣

Warnings: depression, self-loathing, oral sex (M receiving)

When you met Billy Washington, he seemed like a moderately happy guy. He must have had a flat nearby because he was in your cornerstore quite often. He would come alone, or sometimes he would be in the company of a pretty woman hands intertwined they seemed like a happy couple.

When he would come to the counter with his items for purchase, he would always have a friendly smile and ask how you have been doing. You loved it when he came into the store. Mostly because you could stare at him when he did. He was handsome. He had a tall, slender figure. A sharp jawline with piercing blue eyes and shaggy hair.

You didn't flirt with him because you were aware he had a girlfriend. A girlfriend who you surmised was one of the luckiest women you had ever met. She was as beautiful as he was. Light features and a soft laugh.

You always looked forward to his visits, though. You paid such close attention that you picked up on subtle changes. It started with the pretty girl. You noticed that for weeks on end, she had not accompanied him. Then, it was his smile. It seemed each time you saw him that beautiful smile of his got smaller and smaller until there was no smile at all. Then the fluffy hair on his head hung down in what looked like oily globs. His previously clean shaven face now littered with patches of mismatched hairs that looked like a young boy trying to grow a beard for the first time.

You couldn't help but wonder, what had happened to this cheeky adorable man?

You were getting ready to close down the shop. It was a Friday night and you planned on going to the pub with a few friends to unwind. You were counting the till when the little bell over the door interrupted your thoughts. You had thought you locked the door.

"I'm sorry were closing up" you said not looking up.

"Possible just to get a quick pack o smokes?"

You lift your head quickly at the recognition of his voice. Although it no longer sounded cheeky instead shakey and unsure you would still recognize it anywhere.

"Oh, sure. Can't deny you now can I?" You joke while grabbing his brand of smokes from behind the counter and placing them in front of you.

He looks an utter mess. Eyes glossy, hair disheveled, clothes unkempt.

He gives you a half smile that doesn't make it to his eyes. You put your hand over the pack and bite your bottom lip.

"I'll give you these.... IF you answer some questions" You feel a small burst of adrenaline you have never been this forward.

He looks at you confused "questions?" He scratches at his temple. You notice his hand is injured and wrapped in gauze.

"Yep. We have a deal?" You pick up the pack and wiggle it back and fourth in front of him.

"Yeah, alright, I'm not too interesting though"

"I'll be the judge of that." You move from behind the counter and flip the open sign to closed and lock the door. You pull down the blinds over the windows and the last one over the door.

"No interruptions." You go back behind the counter and pull out two stools, bringing them to where Billy is standing. He is shifting his weight from foot to foot. Running the flat of his palms down the front of his pants, no doubt, trying to wipe off the sweat that has started to accumulate there.

You move the two stools so they are facing each other.

"Sit" you motion to one of the stools.

He hesitates, looking between you and the stools with confusion.

"You're fidgety, sit"

He lets out a shakey light laugh and sits down on the stool and you sit down on the stool you had set up across from him.

"Ok.... first question" you look into his eyes he looks so nervous. It endearing.

"What happened to the pretty girl that was always in here with you?"

"Becky.... oh yeah that..... didn't work out" he looks down at his feet nervously tapping them together.

You fight the smirk that wants to crawl across your face. "Is that the reason for all of this?" You wave your hands towards him.

"All of what?" He looks at you confused.

"The dirty hair? Unkempt clothes? No longer shaving?"

"W-what? N-no. " he pats down his hair and brushes off his clothes self-consciously. "I've got a lot of different things going on at the moment"

"Explain it to me" you say gently.

He looks away, not wanting to make eye contact. "You don't want to hear any of this." he nervously runs his fingers through his hair.

"But I do" you scoot your stool forward so your knees are near touching as you reach down and squeeze his with your hand. "Tell me"

His eyes go wide as he stares at your hand on his knee and clears his throat. "U-umm... got rejected from the army"

"That's not a big deal loads of people do" you run your hand up his thigh and back down to his knee in a comforting gesture.

He keeps his head down watching your hand "no not my family. Not just once but a lot of times."

"So..... choose a different career path, " you say now using your thumb to rub circles on his knee.

"Can't keep a job." He lets out a huff mixed with a laugh

"Then you haven't found the right one"

He finally lifts his head and looks at you. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because that happy funny man I always loved to see has disappeared. I would like to find him and bring him back. " You get off the stool and stand in front of him.

"Trust me, I'm not worth it," he says, dejected.

"Hey," you put your hands on his cheeks and lift his face to look at you. His blue eyes are so sad that you feel yourself melt a little. You rub your thumbs along his cheekbones. "What has you saying a terrible thing like that?"

He allows you to keep his head in your hands and keeps looking up at you. "They all tell me. They ain't wrong."

You think he looks like a little puppy that needs to be rescued in this moment. "They hurt you, huh?" You continued caressing his cheekbones. He raises his arms as if he is going to rest them on your hips but instead lets them fall back into his lap.

"It's ok to hurt me, I'm not worth much," your heart breaks as he finally looks away from you, putting his hands over yours and lowering them off of his face.

You kneel down in front of him and place your hands on his knees. He looks at you completely confused.

"Umm.... ermmm.... what are you doing?" He runs the palms of his hands against his pants.

"I want to show you that you are important." He stays silent, eyes wide just staring at you.

You run your hands from his knees up his thighs and back down while you both maintain eye contact.

"H-how would you do that?" He gulps loudly.

"I have a few ideas." You scoot in closer, spreading his legs apart, settling yourself in between them.

"What makes you feel good" you say to him in your best sultry voice.

He's just looking at you, jaw slack. After a few minutes, he finally half responds. "Huh?"

"Well, you have been feeling bad. So -" You run both hands from his knees all the way up to his hips, lingering for a moment before running them back down."I would like to know what makes you feel good"

He makes a small whimpering sound as his eyes quickly scan your face. "If you won't tell me, I guess I will just have to figure it out. If what I'm doing makes you feel bad, you just tell me, yeah?"

He barely squeaks out an "Uh hu"

You run your hands up and down his thighs a few more times and click your tongue. "Tsk tsk so tense, Billy."

He makes another small whimpering noise lighting a fire in your belly. You bring your hands back up to his hips and then slide them under his shirt.

He holds his breath but doesn't pull away. Your hands slowly slide out of his shirt and over his waistband and down into his lap.

When your hands brush lightly over his manhood under his joggers, he lets out a slightly louder whine and his hips jolt forward. You start to caress him through his joggers as he is involuntarily bucking his hips lightly.

"So responsive, sweet boy," he whimpers again as you bring your hands back up to his waistband and start to shimmy them down just enough to free his throbbing member.

"Well, that's impressive" you say while looking and his fully erect cock thats already wet with precum.

Billy is breathing heavily but doesn't say anything he stares at your hand as you wrap it around him.

"Oh shit" he says in a whimper as you start moving your hand up and down in precise motions along his cock not fully gripping.

"It's so pretty" you say and fully grip him as he lets out a gasp. His hands gripping the sides of the stool.

You lean in as if you're inspecting it, making sure your breath can be felt on the tip.

Billy whimpers again, his hips slightly shifting. You give the tip a kitten lick and then look up at billy. His eyes are wide and his mouth open completely entranced.

You take his right hand and place it on the back of your neck before leaning completely forward and taking the head of his cock in your mouth. You feel the hand on your neck start to squeeze, and you hear him starting to pant above you.

You take as much into your mouth as you can and grip the rest with your hand as you start bobbing your head up and down, hollowing your cheeks. Billy slides his hand up from your neck into your hair.

"P-p-please don't stop," he says in between whimpers. You start to move your head more vigorously. Feeling his cock battering the back of your throat. His whimpering is getting steadily louder, and his hips start to buck up off the stool. His hand gripping your hair as if he is hanging on for dear life.

You lower your head as far down as you can until it causes you to gag. Billy moves to pull your hair back with both his hands, watching your every move intently.

"Oh, I'm gonna, oh no, I'm gonna." He doesn't finish his sentence before you feel his cock pulse I'm your mouth as his seed shoots down your throat.

You make sure to swallow everything he gives you and then rise to your feet. He sits on the stool face flushed with beads of sweat on his forehead.

"I bet you really need that pack a smokes now, huh?" You say cheekily as you walk back around to the back of the counter.

Billy is still speechless sitting on the stool, and he hasn't moved an inch yet. Only his eyes are following you around the room.

You go back over to him, sitting in the stool and handing the pack of cigarettes to him. He stares at the pack blankly, not moving.

You giggle, taking his hand and placing the cigarettes in them. This contact seems to wake him up, and he looks at you.

"T-thank you"

You smile sweetly at him. "I have to finish closing this place up now.

"Oh yeah, sure i should....." he looks down and gets himself back into his joggers.

"I should probably get out of your way then," he stands up. He looks over at you like he wants to say something else but can't bring himself to do so. He walks to the door and opens it to step out.

"Billy?" He stops and looks at you.

"I expect to see that happy smiling man back in here. I have a surprise. I can't wait to give him"

Billy dawns a giant cheeky grin that lights up his face.

"I think he will be coming to this store often"

To be added to taglist click here

#billy washington fanfiction #billy washington x reader #billy washington smut #billy washington #ewan mitchell verse #ewan mitchell fanfic #billy washington oneshot #ewan mitchell #ewanverse #trigger point #ewan nation #jess fics #my sad puppy bf

[fairykazu]

TRACK 5: KNOCK KNOCK! WHOS THERE?

"name? are you there?" kazuha asked, his voice was muffled. you laughed nervously,

"yes, i am! don't worry. i'll be there in a bit, just let me do somethiiiing real quick." you answered. you wondered what was off about your apartment until you realized it's a bit messy. by a bit, you mean, it's terrible. it's like every world storm disaster decided to visit your home. you quickly tidied up your place until it was decently cleaned. you opened the door, "hi, kazuha! i hope you didn't wait too long." his nose was dusted with a bit of pink since the cold, he slowly moved his limbs to your apartment.

"no... not at all." he spoke. you noticed you forgot to put away your undergarment on the floor, quickly, you slid it behind the closet next to the door, hoping your highschool crush didn't notice. unknownst to you, he had, he chuckled a bit before he changed the subject, "what kind of song would you want to write?"

leading kazuha to the living room, you fluffed a pillow as he sat down. putting the pillow down and sitting near him, you laughed a little, "didn't you ask me? what genre do you think fits me the best?" well, you had already done enough pop. maybe it would be time for you to do some indie? he shrugged, "what are you most comfortable with?"

"i think, pop, it's a bit mainstreamed though."

"ok, what if you go for pop again but experiment with sounds that sounds like a dream?"

"what do you mean?"

pulling out his phone, kazuha quickly searched something up and played a song by barbara, the idol known as shinin' miracles. "like a dream pop?"

“i love barbara’s music but would it be like copy cat? i dont want to be all controversial.”

he scooted closer to you. you noticed every feature of his face and especially his maple-colored eyes. shit, has he ever changed from high school? he feels the same but is he prettier than before? you tried to ignore it as he continues, “when your albums out, you could release this after and say its inspired by barbara. i'm sure she would be flattered.”

“ohh! okay, i think i have to ask the kamisatos about this but i could work with this."

you yawned as kazuha brought over the third round of canned drinks, "do you think the lyrics are good enough?" kazuha asked you as you half-hazardly glanced at the various sheets of paper. some of them was sprawled all over your star-shaped coffee table and the rest were scrunched up and littered your complex's floor. "hmmm, i think so?"

cracking opens the can, you heard the familiar crisp crrk of the can, he handed it to you. his hand lightly brushed over yours and you tried to ignore the feelings it gave to your heart. "did you even read them? or did you do 'the thing' because you're too tired to look?" he jested as you laughed.

"haha, of course not! who do you think i am?" you replied, obviously lying through your teeth. as obvious as you were, kazuha was fighting back the urge to laugh, he tried to hide it with a smile. kazuha smiled warmly, "name. you are a person who does not lie at all."

"yep! yep! haha, thats me." he chuckled at your useless attempt to lie. an awkward silence filled the air as it started to kill you, you gave in.

name: 0 | kazuha: 1

"...okay, hand it over to me."

he took the can out of your hands, and you raised a brow, "you usually spill your drinks when you're busy with something. remember in highschool-"

"oh god no! don't ever bring that up." you winced at the pain, remembering that memory. it was too depressing to remember. kazuha made a face at you as you begrudingly agreed with him, "alright. take my beautiful dr. pepper away."

you traded your soda for to read the lyrics of the devil!!! just kidding... woah!

wait.

these lyrics weirdly sound romantic....

are the high school feelings coming back? man, why could lumine be right of all people? stupid star twins. y

"anything weird?" kazuha asked, worried. oh, he's doing that face when he's too worried and may or may not have a stomachache of overthinking a problem. you nodded your head no, "nah, it's fine."

"you sure?"

"really."

celeste

masterlist | prev nxt

a new and upcoming soloist was coming into the world of tevyat. but wait… isn't that one of the triple stars?! y/n was apart of the trio band called "triple stars" with aether and lumine. but due to mysterious reasons, they left the group with no explanation. however, they have come back with a new name: celeste

notes: - song used in this chapter is called ive always had a thing for you baby by between friends - dc (divider credit): @\bunnysrph

taglist: @pyrrhicgaze @d4y-dr3am3r @murderisokayforme @aeongiies @florakis @luvnoya @mellowknightcolorfarm @elikyeet @4leyn3 @imkaaayy @xiaosonlybeloved @kavxikitty @jayxncya @sakiimeo @theblueblub @whipped-for-fictionals @ynverse @eunchaeluvr @rifran @meowmeowmau @sweetstrawberrybabe

#astronetwrk #gender neutral reader #genshin impact fanfics #celeste ☆★ chapters #celeste — vidia’s smau #genshin impact imagines #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche #scaramouche genshin impact #gi smau #genshin smau #kaedahara kazuha #kazuha x you #genshin impact kazuha #kazuha smau #kazuha kaedehara smau #genshin impact smau #idol au #celebrity au #wanderer x reader #genshin fluff #genshin impact x reader #genshin angst #wanderer #gi wanderer #genshin impact #fairykazu #scaramouche scenarios #genshin impact scaramouche #kazuha genshin impact

[senditcolton]

Kiss in the Kitchen

Your lover being a disaster in the kitchen but still trying to help you with cooking dinner, cutting the ingredients and always making sure they’re doing it the way you want it. You just smiling and reassuring your lover that they’re doing a great job.

part of my Valentine's Day prompts requested by @tkachvkmatthew | word count: 0.9k | warnings: none!

“Hey, babe, can I ask for your help?”

You look away from the television, the movie you had seen a million times quickly forgotten. You turn towards the sound of your boyfriend’s voice, spying Matthew in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Of course. What’s up?” you ask, turning your body fully towards him, your legs tucking underneath you on the couch.

“I know that you’re like, really good at making desserts,” he begins, his hand lifting to awkwardly scratch at the back of his neck. “I was wondering if you could teach me?”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” you tease. The memory of Matthew helping you with holiday cookies flashes through your mind, the first batch having to go immediately in the trash because he misread the measurement of milk, adding too much into the batter.

“Maybe not,” he chuckles, the same memory clearly appearing in his mind. “But it’s Taryn’s birthday coming up soon and I wanted to make her a cake or something.”  

Your heart softens at his words. There was the Matthew you fell in love with; sweet, loving, and oh so generous to those he loved. You lift yourself off the cushions and walk over to him, looping your arms around his waist.

“I would be honored to teach you the ways of cake,” you say, grinning up at him. Matthew returns your smile, pulling you into a quick hug and pressing a kiss to the top of your head. When the two of you separate, you take a hold of his hand and pull him into the kitchen. “Come on, let’s do this.”

“Wait. Now?”

“No time like the present, baby,” you quip. “Besides, this can be a trial run. Don’t want to show up to your sister’s party with a disaster.”

“Fair point.”

You grab the thick three ringed binder that you had filled with all the recipes you enjoyed over the years. Flipping through the pages, you land on a vintage recipe for ‘Wacky Cake.’ You smile as you read through the ingredients and instructions. This would be perfect for Matthew; simple, easy, and a lot of fun.

Matthew just stands back and watches you as you get out the cake pan, measuring cups, and ingredients, laying them out on the island. After everything was gathered, you step back, hopping up to sit on the opposite counter as your eyes jump to Matthew.

“Alright Matty, there you go,” you say, gesturing to the filled countertop. You watch as the confusion washes over Matthew’s face which causes a laugh to fall from your mouth. “I’m not going to do it for you. This is hands-on-learning babe.”

Matthew chuckles as he steps up to the counter. You watch his eyebrows furrow as he reads through the instructions.

“Really? That’s how you make it?” he asks, eyes darting back up to you.

“Yep. Trust me, I’ve made it before,” you say, leaning your head against the cabinets.

Your eyes follow Matthew’s movements as he dumps the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt directly into the cake pan before grabbing a fork to mix them together. With a glance back at the recipe, he grabs a spoon and digs three divots into the dry ingredients. You notice that he takes care to double check the measurements for the oil, vinegar, and vanilla, the holiday mishap no doubt fresh in his mind. He walks towards your perch by the sink with a one cup measuring cup in his hand.

“This has got to be the strangest way of making cake I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, it is called Wacky Cake for a reason. Recipe is from the Great Depression babe so they didn’t have easy access to milk and eggs and such.”

“Well, I’m a professional hockey player, I think I can splurge,” he quips, filling up the measuring cup.

“Oh, I’m sorry Mr. Hotshot Hockey Player,” you tease as he carefully walks back towards the cake pan. “I chose it because it’s easy. Plus, I’m sure Taryn will not be looking up the ingredient list when she takes a bite. She’ll probably be impressed that you brought something that isn’t store-bought.”

“Hey! But you’re right,” Matthew replies, dumping the water into the cake pan before mixing all the ingredients together.

You slide off the counter, looking to make sure that the batter was smooth and free of clumps before you take it from Matthew and slide it into the pre-heated oven. You close the door and press the timer.

“Now, we wait,” you declare.  

While the cake bakes, you and Matthew put away the ingredients and wash the dishes in the sink. The timer buzzes and you teach Matthew the toothpick trick – place a toothpick in the center of the cake and it comes out clean, your cake is fully cooked. His passes the test and you remove it from the oven.

After letting it cool, you grab some leftover frosting and help him spread it onto the cake. He insists on adding sprinkles which you let him do before you are each taking a plate and cutting out a small slice.

You watch as Matthew brings the chocolate cake up to his mouth, taking a bite. You watch his face morph from trepidation to absolute elation at the taste, a smile appearing on yours in response.

“Wow!” he exclaims, quickly taking another bite. “This is delicious!”

“Congrats, baby,” you laugh. “You are now a cake master.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” he says, leaning down to press your lips against his. You smile into the kiss, deepening it immediately, loving the taste of the lingering chocolate on his tongue.

#nicole writes #matthew tkachuk blurb #matthew tkachuk fluff #florida panthers blurb #nhl blurb #hockey blurb #valentine blurbs 2k24

[whumper-whimsy]

Rewrote this <3 this time with caretaker pov

Conditioning, self harm, hurt/comfort, flashbacks, object whumpee, past nsfw/noncon [implied], blackmail, creepy whumper, whumpee x caretaker

they/them pronouns only- masc terms used

Caretaker grabbed the spoon and stirred the meat sauce again, inhaling the garlicy aromas. Spaghetti was whumpee's favorite, and they'd been depressed again lately. They couldn't stand to see Whumpee so sad.

Their heart stopped as they heard a muffled sob. "Whumpee," they called. "Are you alright?"

No response.

Caretaker set the spoon on the counter and rushed to the living room. Whumpee was curled up on the couch, trembling.

"Whumpee?" They tried again softly, crouching to be below Whumpee.

"Master..?" Whumpee rasped, looking up at them with red eyes. "Master, do- do you need anything?"

"Oh, heavens, no... I'm not master." Caretaker reached forward and cupped their cheeks. Whumpee's teary doe-eyes could've broken Caretaker's heart. Whumpee sniffled once more.

"S-sir?" Whumpee's voice was small and fearful.

"No, baby," Caretaker whispered, brushing a tear of whumpee's cheek with their thumb.

Whumpee sobbed once more, closing their eyes. "Da-"

"Whumpee," Caretaker interrupted, getting goosebumps. They never asked details of Whumpee's torture, but their stomach dropped as they guessed what Whumpee was trying to say. "Just- just Caretaker, okay?"

Whumpee nodded, and for a second Caretaker thought they saw releif in their eyes.

This wasn't the first time that Whumpee had been like this. They had been thrown into episodes before. It made Caretaker want to break Whumper's neck.

"C-caretaker," Whumpee spoke slowly, "do you need anything?"

Caretaker hesitated, analyzing the sad, hopeful look on Whumpee's face. They knew that Whumpee had been used as a servant - no, object- for Whumper. The last time they were like this, the only thing that had pulled them out of it was being given a task.

"Would you like to help with dinner?"

Whumpee frowned. "Would I like to?"

Caretaker sighed, holding one of Whumpee's hands firmly. They hated doing this, but knew it was the only way to get Whumpee back to normal.

"Whumpee." They forced themself to be stern. "Come make dinner with me." Please.

Whumpee nodded instantly, wiping their tears. "Yes, si- Caretaker."

Caretaker was trying not to cry as they helped Whumpee up. They led them to the kitchen, squeezing their hand occasionally.

"Were having spaghetti, your favorite." Caretaker walked them over to the stove.

For a split second, they saw excitement spark in Whumpee's eyes before they melted back into their neutral expression. Caretaker's had to take a deep breath, looking up so they didn't cry.

"I have a job for you, alright?" Caretaker rested their hand on whumpee's back, urging them forward. "Il'l stir the meat and you stir the noodles. How's that sound?"

Whumpee nodded eagerly. "Yes, I can."

Caretaker felt their phone buzz in their pocket. "Oh- I'm getting a call. Stir those for me, kay?"

"Yep!" Whumpee called as Caretaker headed out the back door.

They grabbed their phone, checking the name at the top-

Whumper

Caretaker felt rage burn in their chest, answering the call with shaking hands.

"Hello, Caretaker? How's my pet doing?" Whumper's voice purred smoothly through the speaker.

"What the fuck do you want? Don't you think you've done enough?" Caretaker couldn't help the waver in their voice.

"Watch it, dear," Whumper hummed. "You haven't made your payment this month."

"Like hell I haven't," Caretaker hissed. "I paid you the two thousand, as we agreed."

"Price has gone up. Doubled, actually." Caretaker could practically see Whumper's grin.

"I can't afford double," Caretaker cried, tensing up. "You can't do this!"

"Oh, but I can. Unless you'd like my friends to come pay Whumpee a visit?"

Caretaker paused. They thought they heard something inside the house, but chose to ignore it for the moment. "I'll have your money in two weeks. Don't hurt them."

"Next week." Whumper said firmly. "Got it?"

"I can't, I don't have the money-"

"Its settled, then. Ill have my dear little pet back tomorrow. Ooh, Ill get their cage and their shock collar out tonight! Maybe some cuffs for the bed, eh?"

"Don't- you can't-" Caretaker's heart raced. They couldn't let this sick freak get their hands on Whumpee. Not again. "Fine. I'll get the money."

"What a shame," Whumper sighed, "I suppose... Tell Whumpee I said hi!"

Caretaker hung up, resting their head in their hands. How can I afford this?

They got up, opening the door. "Hey, Whumpe, I-"

They walked in on Whumpee, who had their hand submerged in the boiling water. Their free hand was over their mouth, muffling their sobs and screams.

"Whumpee!" They cried, grabbing them by their non-submerged wrist and dragging them back.

"No!" Whumpee screeched, pulling the pot off the stove with them. It crashed to the ground, sending boiling water and noodles all over the tiles.

"Whumpee, your hand!" Caretaker gasped, pulling whumpee tight to their chest. They held whumpee's wrist out in the air, wincing at the sight.

Their skin was all bright red, and large white blisters were already forming.

"Whumpee, Whumpee," Caretaker held them tight, trying to keep the horror from their voice. Whumpee was still screaming- in pain, in fear, in shock- Caretaker couldn't tell. "Listen to me- are you there? Stop fighting, ill make you better."

Whumpee cried more, thrashing so violently that Caretaker couldn't keep a good hold on them. Whumpee pulled away, backing into the corner and curling up.

"Dont hurt me please- Im sorry, I didnt mean to ruin dinner..." They shielded themself, trembling.

"No, whumpee! You aren't in trouble... you're okay, I promise." Caretaker spoke softly, reaching out slowly. "Whumper isn't here, this is Caretaker."

Whumpee looked up, then finally leaned forward towards Caretaker. They picked Whumpee up and brought them to the sink, holding them by the wrist. Whumpee still shook, but stopped thrashing around in Caretaker's arms. Carefully, Caretaker held their hand under some lukewarm water.

"Mm- it hurts-" they whispered, tucking their head against Caretaker's neck.

"Its okay... shhh, love." They murmured into Whumpee's ear. They brought Whumpee's hand away from the water and carried them to the bathroom.

"Lets get this bandaged up, alright? You're gonna be okay."

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Whumpee was curled up against Caretaker, their bandaged hand held close to their chest. Caretaker played with their hair absentmindedly while they used their other hand to spoonfeed them spaghetti-o's.

Whumpee opened their mouth as the spoon hit their lips, taking the noodles gratefully.

Caretaker sighed. "You look so calm... i know spaghetti-o's aren't as good as regular spaghetti, but its the best we got, eh?"

Whumpee giggled quietly, licking their lips. "They taste delicious, don't worry. Thank you for pulling me out of that..."

"Of course... I'm sure your hand will heal up soon." Caretaker looked down at the bandages nervously. "Ill get them changed twice a day for you, alright?"

Whumpee smiled, stretching their neck up. "Can i have more spaghet- hmph-" they cut off as Caretaker fed them another spoonfull. "Mmm- thank you."

"Anything for you."

#whump #whump blog #whump community #whump scenario #traumatized whumpee #caretaker x whumpee #whumpee x caretaker #implied noncon

[inzsanewrites]

Halloween Special 🎃

Sung Jin Woo

You brought the handheld mirror closer to your face as Jin-Ah finished the last of the of the light red paint on your face.

“Andddd… done! What do you think, Y/n?”

You admired the makeup Jin-Ah had painstakingly painted on for the celebration of Halloween. The white cracks… “glowing” effect… it was all perfect.

“Amazing as always, Jin-Ah.”

You stroked her hair as she beamed. Jin-Ah scampered off to go put on her costume, you felt grateful for the fact that she had put so much time and effort into your look and sent a quick Jin-Ho to treat her extra nicely.

Just as you sent the text off there was a knock on the door, startling you.

“Sarang? Are you ready yet?”

You looked down at your costume, ensuring that your dark cloak was in place. Once you confirmed it was, you made your way to open the door.

“Tada!”

You said cheerfully opening the door to Jin-Woo’s now confused face.

“What are you supposed to be, Y/n-ah?” He questioned, wrapping his arms around you to bring you closer.

You pouted jokingly, “Can’t you tell? I’m Tusk.”

At the sound of your voice, the wandering shadow who was one of the three designated bodyguard for the night looked at you.

“Oh, then what am I supposed to be?” Jin-Woo pointed to himself.

“Yourself.” You replied frankly. “Your costume is nothing more than your average day drip.”

The look of confusion return but he asked nothing about your vocabulary.

You gently took yourself out of Jin-Woo’s arms and round up pillow cases handing them out to Beru, Bellion, and Tusk, who was quite happy to see your costume.

“Alrighty, shall we head out then?”

Jaehwan

“There’s nothing to celebrate Halloween though?” Jaehwan looked at you perplexed when you brought up the idea.

“C’mon you’re the new Castellan. Surely the cook is willing spare some sweet and the servants can spookify the place a bit.”

“They would even know what if would be for and it would take a lot of time explaining it to them.” He said and around began walking off into another direction, sensing a new challenger.

“But if we did, it would be worth it.” You said slightly jogging to keep up with his fast strides. “And it would make me happy.” You added which abruptly stopped him in his tracks.

“It would?”

Your eyes twinkled. “Yep, extremely.”

Jaehwan let out a drawn out sigh.

“Then I guess we coul-”

Before he could finish his sentence, you were already running in the opposite direction, shouting “Happy Halloween!” at everyone you passed by making them wonder what was wrong with the Castellan’s significant other.

Yohan Seo

Yohan felt the awkwardness in the room increase as your fixation on his mouth did too.

For the past half an hour you had been staring into his mouth, comparing his fangs to the ones you had bought at an extremely high price.

“Unbelievable. Unforgivable.” He heard you say as you backed out of his mouth.

“My heart, what is it?” Yohan worriedly questioned as he snapped his jaw shut.

“The universe is unfair so just bite me already and take my melancholy as a mortal away.” You said, grief taking over your features.

This really had him worried he quickly carried you over to the velvet lovesick in the corner of the room.

“Although I would be happy to under normal circumstances, are you alright, love? Are you hurt? Sick?”

You slumped back. “None of those but a fool. So much money… gone and wasted… for something that looks no more real than a kid’s toy.”

He inspected the fake fangs in your hand. Sure they weren’t incredibly detailed but they weren’t that bad either, but he figured that your constant exposure to real ones influenced your thoughts to this situation. Secondly, he wasn’t quite sure as to why money was a problem when he had made it clear many times what was his was yours.

Yohan would have reinstated this had he not practically see you soul leaving your depressed form.

He scrambled to pick you up. “Don’t be like that, dear. I’m sure Levi can do something to help.”

The light of life faintly returned to your eyes.

“Really?” Your tone was hopeful.

Yohan felt a weight remove itself from his still heart.

“Yes, I’ll have her fix up something better for our Halloween outing tonight.”

The light had fully bloomed into a firework.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou.” You exclaimed burying yourself into his figure.

A light blush appeared on his features as he returned the affection.

“It’s no problem at all. Happy Halloween, my darling.”

A/N: Happy Halloween! Remember be safe, be in groups, don’t follow strangers, carefully inspect candy before eating, don’t trust strangers, have some know your whereabouts at all times, don’t enter anyone’s house (unless it’s a party, then avoid leaving last and by yourself), and keep aware of your surrounding and other people around you at all times! Enjoy your Halloween. Also Yohan is not with Levi when I write for him ( ◕‿‿◕ )

#solo leveling #solo leveling x reader #sung jin woo #sung jinwoo #sung jin woo x reader #sung jinwoo x reader #sung jin woo imagines #the world after the fall x reader #the world after the fall #webtoon x reader #webtoon #yohan seo x reader #yohan x reader #unholy blood x reader #white blood x reader #jaehwan x reader #jaehwan imagine #happy halloweeeeeeen #happy halloween #yohan seo imagines

[bl4cktourmaline]

Styling Dates 🎀

↳ Makeup and Styling their hair

♬ X is typing...

↻Improved version of ModNene/X's work on this blog

ModRui, I revamped my work. Please let my family go/j

𝅘𝅥𝅮 If you would like to request click here and read the noticeboard

■ Contents: Fluff/Comfort/Angst [Drabble]

► ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Mizuki Akiyama and Ena Shinonome

(Y/N) had called over Mizuki to their place for a makeover. Upon hearing the request, Mizuki got really excited to come over as she had never tried styling anyone from out of her circle. Though the question now bugs is, did (Y/N) asked to do makeup for fun?

Nightcord at 22:00

(Y/N): Hey Mizuki? Are you there?

Amia: What's up?

(Y/N): Are you free tomorrow?

Amia: Yeah, I don't have any work.

(Y/N): Could you come over to my place tomorrow at 08:00?

----------------------------------------------------------

Ding Dong!

"Yahoo! Is anyone home?"

(Y/N) quickly rushed down to the door of their apartment. Stood behind it, was their friend, Akiyama Mizuki, who (Y/N) had called over yesterday on Nighcord, to invite them to their place for help

"Ah there you are! Geez, you really surprised me with this one. Asking me out of nowhere to do your makeup and at this time of the day too." Mizuki states as (Y/N) invited them into their abode. "Ahah sorry about that! Hopefully you got sufficient rest at least since you did mention that you stay up late to work on music videos." (Y/N) replied with a sorry expression on their face for interrupting Mizuki's sleep.

"Don't worry about it, I'm already getting energized thinking of how I'll be styling you. Anyways do you have all your beauty products ready? I also brought some of my things to make you extra cute 𝅘𝅥𝅮" Mizuki then held up a mini tote bag, showing various clothing's and accessories sticking out of it. (Y/N) immediately went to see the tote's bag contents in it and were surprised to find at least 10 different outfits which led (Y/N) turning their head to see Mizuki smirking at them.

Now (Y/N) was in front of a mirror while Mizuki was coming their hair. (Y/N) learnt a lot about makeup during the time you spent with Mizuki and was really glad Mizuki was available for the day. "Oh (Y/N)? I didn't manage to ask this since I was too excited to style you. However, why do you need this makeover for? I mean.. You already look so cute 𝅘𝅥𝅮" Mizuki questioned (Y/N) while they moved onto trying to braid (Y/N)'s hair.

"Hehe thanks for the compliment. As what I need it for.. I guess you could say I'm meeting up with my crush today." (Y/N) replied. "YOU HAVE A CRUSH?!" Mizuki accidentally blurted their thoughts out due to the shocking news, and realised they stopped moving their hands. "Ah, sorry about that accidental burst. I'm.. just surprised.." Mizuki apologised before going back to brushing (Y/N)'s hair. "Are you alright Mizuki? You sounded a bit.. I don't know, upset?" (Y/N) replied, feeling concerned of Mizuki's feelings due to their friends' sudden outburst.

"Me being depressed? Hah, never! I'm fine really!" Mizuki stated, however they felt their heartstrings tearing apart. '(Y/N)? Having a crush? Why can't I be happy for them but I'm not.. I know they deserve better.. But.. It would be nice to be selfish for once..' Mizuki thought to themselves, before Mizuki knew it, they finished styling (Y/N)'s hair.

"I looks so amazing and cute! Thank you so much Mizuki!" (Y/N) immediately inspected their hair through the mirror in their house. "N-no problem! I'm really glad that you like it" Mizuki replied. 'No.. I can't show them I'm sad. They do deserve better, I should just be happy I could be able to give them a makeover for the day. But at the same time.. Why does it hurt so much? ...'

"Oh would you look at the time! I-I just remembered I got work today! I'm so sorry (Y/N)!" Mizuki spoke.

[Angst Ending] - Optional to read

"Eh? I thought you got nothing going on today?" (Y/N) responded to them. Although looking kind of sad for some reason. "Ah yep! I totally forgot about it since we all had new schedules. See you next time (Y/N)!" As Mizuki rushed out of the house, knowing themselves they don't have any work that day. Nontheless, all they wanted to do is cry when they reach their home.

"Oh.. They left quite fast.. Did I mess up..?" (Y/N) questioned themselves. "It's my fault. I probably should've been more direct that they were my crush.."

[Fluff Ending] - Optional to read

As Mizuki was about to leave the room.

"Wait Mizuki!" As (Y/N) rushed over to grabbed their hand. "Is there a way you could probably call to reschedule?" (Y/N) asked. "Don't you have a date to get to? Plus I already took up so much of your time today aha. Don't worry about me, I'm fine really!" Mizuki responded, mustering up all their courage to smile at (Y/N).

"..In that case we do have some time before you work right? From what I know you work fairly close around here." (Y/N) spoke, in hopes that Mizuki had a bit of time left. "Huh? Oh yeah, I guess I do have a little bit of time.." Mizuki responded "Great! In that case how about we go on that small date? Even if it is just a little." (Y/N) asked leaving a really puzzled Mizuki.

"Oh come on! Don't just give me the silent treatment. After all the work I put into preparing myself too" (Y/N) joked sarcastically. "..Eh?" 'Did I hear it right? Man I'm being so desperate my brain is playing mindtricks on me' "But that would mean.."

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Geez, you aren't that dense Mizuki. You are my crush" (Y/N) tried to look away to hide the subtle blush on their face due to admitting it and hoped Mizuki was actually confused instead of trying to tease them.

The moment Mizuki heard those words. They immediately felt warm and went back to their normal self. "Ha ha ha! Got ya to admit it, I knew acting could come in handy one day~ 𝅘𝅥𝅮" helding their head high, though it wasn't acting.

"Why yo-" Before (Y/N) could finish their sentence, Mizuki cut in "Well let's just spend the whole day giving each other a makeover 𝅘𝅥𝅮"

Ena would always include you whenever she is taking selfies as she wanted to show off your looks to her socials. However one day, you decided you wanted to try in her makeup as you found it really interesting. However, is that the only reason?

"Look at this (Y/N)! Our selfie got over 1000 likes!" As your friend, Shinonome Ena, placed her phone in front of your face. "We should take pictures with each other more often. We look super pretty and adorable together!" As Ena boasted while scrolling through the comments of the selfie post.

"I don't mind taking selfies with you, however in exchange for taking selfies with me, could you teach me how to put on makeup?" Ena immediately halted in her tracks after hearing what (Y/N)'s favour. "Huh?! You don't need makeup! You're already so pretty. Who said you weren't?!" Ena replied angrily. "No one, I just want to learn how since I've seen you put it on several times and I've got interested." (Y/N) tried to clarify, although Ena did not fully believe her. However, she accepted the request.

'Whoever told (Y/N) that they're ugly. I'll make them have regrets by making them the prettiest they could be! I'll show them!" As Ena worked really precisely on (Y/N)'s makeup and ensured every foundation, blush, beauty products is applied with most cautious and care on her beloved (Y/N)'s face.

Ena then continued on to do (Y/N)'s hair. Which she found was really soft and smooth and was easy to comb through. '(Y/N)'s hair is really pretty.. Wait why am I helping them again. Is this the right thing to do? If (Y/N) really did get insulted then aren't I making it worse to show that they need makeup?'

Ena, who was focus began to drift away in her own thoughts, debating if this was the 'right' way to help. After all she did learn that she should've helped Honami embrace her own style instead of changing it.

"Ena? Are you alright? You sort of paused a little." (Y/N) spoke up, looking worried for Ena, since she paused her work. "Ah.. I can't help but notice if this was the right thing to do. I know you said it was for interest but I really still think someone is insulting you. Could you please tell me the truth?"

[Fluff Ending] - Optional to read

"Alright alright, you caught me. The real reason is.." (Y/N) suddenly paused which cause Ena to be more anxious. "Oi! Don't leave me hanging, is there's actually a person insulting or harassing you.. I'll.. I'll scream at them up for you!" Ena jumped in, hoping that whatever she said would cause (Y/N) to open up. Though what Ena said had shocked (Y/N) a bit.

"You would? Thanks but actually my reason for this is simple." (Y/N) quickly spoke to ease Ena's worries.

"I actually just want your attention." (Y/N) put it bluntly. "..Eh..?" "You being on your phone 24/7 and leaving me attention-less! You know how sad that makes me?" (Y/N) scoffs sarcastically. After hearing this, Ena grew a little red. Feeling a little glad she is behind (Y/N) so they couldn't see her flushed face. She then sighed.

"I'm really glad you're okay then.. Also if you want wanted attention you could've asked me!" As Ena slowly became back to her normal self.

"Really? You would've probably argued saying you're not on the phone all the time, Tsundere." (Y/N) instantly regretted calling her a Tsundere as Ena stroked their hair roughly once because of that.

[Comfort Ending] - Optional to read

"..Was it that obvious?" (Y/N) asked. "So there IS someone out there insulting you?! Jeez, people these days." Ena scoffs. "Aha.. Sorry.." (Y/N) apologised as they knew they made their friend worried for them. "They're jerks, don't listen to them (Y/N). You're already so pretty, you shouldn't need to change for others." Ena retorts trying to cheer (Y/N) up a little bit. Though feeling quite a bit of regret doing (Y/N)'s makeup now as it would be changing her for others. "I'm going to stop doing your makeup now if that's fine. I don't think it's right for me to hide your beauty with it. Plus it'll also be proving those jerks right." Ena responded. "If there's someone bothering you please let me know next time." As Ena hugged you from behind.

#mizuki pjsk #pjsk #pjsk x reader #fanfic #fluff #ena pjsk #shinonome ena x reader #ena project sekai #shinonome ena #ena shinonome x reader #ena shinonome #akiyama mizuki x reader #mizuki project sekai #akiyama mizuki #mizuki akiyama x reader #mizuki akiyama #project sekai x reader #project sekai x you

[weemsfreak]

The Board

Pt 7: The Fourth Day

Larissa Weems x Anura Ricci

Fluffff

Warnings: mention of depression, smoking cigarettes, angst but not really ~ 2900 words

Pt 6

Saturday

You awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the sun beaming in your window. You had to take a minute to remember where you were. Oh right, Nevermore Academy. You got up and opened the window as you stepped out onto the balcony. There was so much potential for the day. It was warm, quiet, and you had time to yourself. You frowned, all you wanted was to go back to bed. You didn't know why you got like this, some days were just bad. Some days you woke up fine, and then all of a sudden, you weren't fine. Crawling back into bed, you mourned the loss of the day that you knew you were losing to your own dismay.

Waking again, your room was oi longer bright, the sun was setting. It wasn't totally dark, but it was getting there. You looked to your phone, 6pm. You literally slept the day away. Groaning, you pulled yourself out of bed and got a shower. You unpacked your suitcase, you figured you could be here for a bit. Looking at your cream colored pants and white corset draped over a chair, you wanted to cry. How were you going to get the red out of that? You weren't. Whoever pulled that prank owes this school a lot of money. You stepped out onto your balcony once again, it was as quiet as it was earlier this morning.

Lighting up a cigarette, you hoped no students would see you. You didn’t want to be a bad influence, no wonder you couldn't be a teacher. You heard a distant knock on a door, you froze. Was that your door? Larissa was the only one who knew you were here. You further opened the window to outside so that it would be visible to her, and you backed up into the corner of your balcony. You figured if it was her, she would let herself in. After a couple minutes, you heard the door open and close. You heard  a few steps and then nothing. Flat shoes today? "Anura, are you in here?" you heard her call, her voice so soft and unsure. You held in a giggle and took a drag of your cigarette. Hearing her steps again, you could tell she was getting closer to the balcony. Slapping your hand over your mouth, you saw her crouch and emerge through the window. She was only a few feet away from you. You were planning on jumping out and scaring her, that's what a normal person would do, but you were frozen in place, you didn’t want to move. You stared at her as she looked up at the night sky. She was wearing a three piece satin night set, the green color contrasting against her skin so beautifully. Her hair and makeup were still done up though, was she turning in already? You smiled watching her, she was so ethereal. You wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, you wanted her to know that she was. Not thinking, you took another drag of your cigarette. She quickly turned in your direction at the sound and caught you lurking in the shadows. Your eyes widened as you realized you were caught. "Anura Ricci what are you doing hiding in the corner? You scared the shit out of me!" You laughed, stepping over to her to lean over the rail. "Me? You’re the one on my balcony" you said with the cigarette between your lips. Larissa walked over to you and smiled, "I haven't seen you all day, I didn’t know what you were up to." Slowly she reached up and took what was left of the cigarette out of your mouth. You looked at her annoyed, you knew what she was going to do. She threw it on the concrete and stepped on it. Yep. You turned away from her, gaze dropping to the ground, "I slept all day, I don't know why. I just do that sometimes." Larissa frowned, she knew that feeling. "That's quite alright, it was a beautiful day though" she said with a sigh. You were silent for a minute, then you looked her up and down. You couldn’t keep the grin from coming to your face as you turned away to hide it. "What now" she said with a laugh. "I may have missed the beautiful day, but it doesn't compare to the beauty in front of me now.. and I'm not talking about the night." You were flirty, bold sometimes. You figured she'd either get annoyed and hate you for it, but whatever, you didn’t work here anyway, or she would appreciate it. You prayed for the ladder, but you really didn't know which it was. She brought her hands up to cover the blush on her face as she turned to go back inside.

You followed her and watched as she sat on your bed and pat the spot beside her. You sat looking at her, there was a serious expression on her face. "Why are you here, Anura?" Valid question, you thought, but you really didn't know how to answer it. You did, obviously. You remembered exactly why you were here, word by word, you just didn’t want to deal with this. You didn't want to get anyone in trouble, but you also didn't want to lie. "Larissa, I'm here because the board knows of the murders. They know the Sheriff suspects Nevermore, and they know about the statue in Jericho. Mr. Martell is absolutely pissed about that. The only reason I'm here and not him is because I acted mad about it too, and said that I would get some answers." She looked to the floor, concern overwhelming her. Wednesday has been in the middle of some shit since she got here, and she had only been here for a month and a half. How and why was Larissa going to keep covering up her shit. Remembering that these were principal duties, Larissa straightened up and stood. "I understand that they want answers. Tell the board that our students safety is our biggest concern. Tell them that one of our students was expelled due to using his telekinetic abilities to attempt to harm another student. This student is rather willful and is in the middle of everything, which is why she was responsible for burning down the statue in the square. She is new here and just testing the waters, but I will get her under control. Tell them that I apologize for using their funds, but I will support normie-outcast relations for as long as I live." You admired her confidence, the way she had a plan for everything. She was so sure and on top of everything, she acted like it anyway. You didn't know if it was true, but it was as though she had rehearsed her lines over and over again. Maybe she had. Standing before her you smiled. "Is that the truth, the holy truth, and nothing but the truth?" you asked, holding your right hand up to god. She looked at you with a frown, clearing her throat and mumbling a "Yes". Ah, so it wasn't. Nevertheless, it was believable. "Are you going to write that down in your report?" she said, unsure if you believed her. "I have it all stored safely, word by word" you stated as you pointed to your brain. She half smiled now and looked to her feet. You wanted her to tell you the truth, as a friend, not a board member. You didn't know if she trusted you though, it would make sense if she didn't. "Larissa?" you spoke softly and lifted her chin up with your finger. She looked at you through her eyelashes, nervous about what you were going to say. "Did you eat recently? Because I didn't eat all day, and I am soooo hungry."

 On the balcony, you and Larissa opened some burgers you had delivered. "I can't believe you got a veggie burger, weirdo" she said in all seriousness. "Oh shush it Larissa, I can't believe you eat cute cows" you say shaking your head in somewhat fake disgust. After eating, you looked at her with a sly grin on your face. Her brows furrowed as she stared at you questioningly, and you slowly pulled out another cigarette. You still didn’t know why, but getting reactions out of Larissa was so very amusing to you. Keeping eye contact with her, you slowly put it in your mouth and lit it. "I don't know what's going to kill you first, those, or me" she said rolling her eyes and looking away. After a minute, you spoke. "Larissa, I know I work for the board, and I honestly wish I could be as professional as you, but for some reason I don't care about conveying the truth to them." She looked in your eyes, trying to figure out if you were sincere. "I know you probably don't trust me and I don't blame you, but I don't want you to get in trouble, or for Nevermore to get shut down. I can only help you if you tell me the whole truth." You said your last sentence softly and with all seriousness, hoping she would believe that you cared. She sighed and stood tall once again, reaching for your hands. You took hers and stood with her, looking into her eyes. She stared into your soul for what felt like an eternity, but you gladly let her. You didn't know what she was looking for, maybe something to tell her that you wanted only to betray her. You knew that wasn't what you wanted. For whatever reason, you just wanted to help. "How did you know I was lying?" she said in the saddest tone you've heard from her. "Oh, don't beat yourself up, it's a good lie, and you told it so confidently. The board won't like it, but they'll believe it." She raised her hand as if to cup your face, but swindled you and took the cigarette right out of your mouth. You grabbed at her when you realized what she did, but she turned toward the railing and leaned over it, taking a drag. "Ah, ah, missy, just because they're going to kill me doesn't mean they have to kill you too" you said in a serious tone, but the irony. She ignored your eyes on her as she finished it off, then she threw it to the ground. "I sure hope no students saw you do that" you said as you watched her mouth drop open. Laughing, you stroked her cheek with your hand and guided her back to sit.

She told you about the harvest festival events, and how Wednesday was making things worse with the sheriff. She told you in shame how she shapeshifted into Rowan, and that she felt bad about his death. She told you about Wednesday and Joseph Crackstone, and how she admired Wednesday for her bravery and ability to do what she believes is right. You realized that this Wednesday person was draining all the fight that Larissa had, and that the board was only making it worse. You fell into a silence, taking in everything she said. "So, you're a shapeshifter huh" you questioned, already knowing that she was but trying to lighten the mood. She expected you to say something about shapeshifters not being trustworthy, so she kept her gaze on the concrete and nodded at your question. "Isn’t it cool how some shifters can shift between human forms, and some can shift human and animals? And that when you shift, your internal organs stay the same. Oh my god, when you shift to a man do you get man parts? Only on the outside though right? Does it feel weird when you change form, like does it hurt? I remember reading about how shifting works through changes in elemental composition of the-" you got cut off when she put a hand over your mouth. She looked at you chuckling, she had been laughing at you for the last minute. You knew she had been, but you continued, wanting to cheer her up. You did believe shifting was super cool, but you knew others didn't trust it. "What, why are you laughing at me?" you mumbled into her hand. She took her hand away and leaned in, wrapping her arms around you. She was overjoyed with your interest in her, and her hugging you caught you off guard. She paused and dropped her arms to pull away, but when you realized she just wanted a hug you embraced her and gave her a light squeeze. She laid her head on your shoulder and you rested on her. You both let silence surround you for a minute, just basking in each others embrace. "You" you whispered into her hair, not caring if she heard you or not. Lifting her head to look at you she quietly spoke, "what about me?" "Earlier you asked what would kill me first, the cigarettes, or you. I'm betting on you" you said with a wink, pulling her back into you and burying your face in her hair.

The next day you had to call your boss to give him an update. You told him exactly what Larissa had told you the day before. He was reluctant, but believed your reasoning. Well, her reasoning, her lies. Your boss wasn't hard to deal with, thank god. You were to hold a staff meeting Monday to tell all Nevermore staff about the board's concerns, as well as to discuss some solutions and safety measures.

Monday

You were the first one in the staff room, setting up your short presentation for the staff of Nevermore. You hadn't seen Larissa yesterday, you figured she was busy dealing with or sorting something out. She was the first one in the room. She set her things down on the table and made her way over to you. "Anura, I wanted to talk to you. I don't know why you seem to care about me or Nevermore, but I-" she was cut off by an influx of staff. Smiling and nodding at her, you knew this was probably a private conversation. She went and sat down, not saying anything further. When everyone was seated, you started with all the events that Wednesday Addams had been involved in, and discussed everything that went wrong. You discussed ways that they could help keep an eye on her, watch out for her safety, and prevent her from running away or causing harm to other students. "I totally understand that this is a pain as well as extra time for you all, but we want all outcasts to have a fair shot with their education. She deserves the same as every other student here." Some staff didn’t agree with this, but you understood why. You only had to partially deal with Wednesday Addams' shenanigans. If you had to teach her, that would be another story. One of the older teachers spoke up. "I'm tired of seeing and hearing about her messing things up. It's been nothing but chaos since she got here, and it's only been a couple months." You wanted to reassure them that the board would only allow so much, but that wasn't really something they had a say in. Not to your surprise, Larissa spoke up. "I understand how this has affected us all, and I appreciate you all doing what's necessary. I do, however, believe Mx. Ricci is right. Wednesday deserves an outcast education just as much as others. She deserves to feel included, no matter how hard she is to deal with." You were proud of Larissa for being so brave and standing up for what she believed in, even if she had to fight or go against others opinions. "Alright Larissa, I get that you want to normalize normie-outcast relationships, but can we be honest here. You're making our lives hell. The only reason you accepted Wednesday is because of Morticia. Old roommates, am I right?" the teacher chuckled as she nudged a teacher beside her. You didn’t know who Morticia was or why this was a joke, but you didn’t like them prodding at Larissa. You looked to her, she was quiet now, sadness evident on her face. She looked like she had lost all her fight. Like she was tired of trying, tired of sticking up for people, tired of things not going her way. You couldn't let her go down without a proper fight. "Listen everyone, don't go after Principal Weems with your immature assumptions. The board agreed to allow Wednesday Addams admission to Nevermore, and Principal Weems is only doing her job, very well, might I add." The older teacher scoffed, but you ignored her and continued on with the rest of your discussion. As you were talking, you looked at Larissa once again and saw that she was not paying attention. She was looking down at the table, lost in her own world. You knew this wasn't like her, even if you hadn't known her for that long. You looked around the room, nobody else had noticed that she was acting out of sorts or was feeling down in the dumps. Damn staff, you thought they would care about their boss when she needed support. Ending the meeting early for the sake of Larissa, you watched her as she rushed out of the room. You didn't dare go after her, she probably just needed some space.

Pt 8

#larissa weems #principal larissa weems #wednesday netflix #gwendolineuniverse #larissa weems fanfic #principal weems #lesbian #larissa x reader

[thumperdaetime]

the sons from Dndads, except its phrases and audible habits i can trace back to my personal trauma.

Grant: using timid language when confirming plans. because despite your best efforts Maybe something catastrophic will happen to keep you from doing what i plan to, and you don't want to lie.

"Great! it sound like we're all going to try to meet up Tomorrow!" - "I'll do everything I can to make it happen!" - x: your going to the city tomorrow, right? G: hopefully!

---

Niko: slipping up and saying "we/our" when discussing things you've been thinking about too long, because the thing about trauma is that it's emotionally exhausting to explain enough of what you went threw to have a deep conversation about it, so you find yourself talking to yourself about it. and then once you and you understand each other Then you can tell it to people outside your head. "see, I'm just not sure we're up for all that today..." - "we don't want to overstep, but if you need a hand I'm here." - "it's a Yes from us."

---

Terry Jr: a heavy sigh with no observable cause. when loved ones try to ask what's wrong, you barely remember that you have sighed. the leading theory is that your anxiety keeps you too physically tense, and the sighs are a way to cue yourself to relax. tj: [sigh] x: you alright tj: yep! x: no really what's wrong? tj: ... nothing... why? x: you sighed! tj: did i?

---

Lark: under describing things to keep yourself from getting too hopeful, or depressed.

"[standing in -3F weather] it's a bit brisk out" - "a billion dollars a decent amount of money to work with" - "[overwhelmed by a deep seance of love as someone shows him something beautiful] ...nice."

---

Sparrow: trying to avoid an argument amongst loved-ones by remembering their per-ambles to hot button topics and changing the subject before they get to the inflammatory part. x: so the thing about tables is that their flat just like like the eart- S: this LOVELY Pizza! wow Mom you really did wonders with this; is that a new cauliflower crust recipe.

#dndads #dndaddies #dont talk to me about season 2 all my homies hate season 2

[blueisquitetired]

ABANDONED WIP WEDNESDAY

Context: This was the original plan for chapter 4 of Finding Family (Here, There, and Then). The chapter itself was fine, it was just going in a direction I wasn't interested in continuing.

Set post reunion.

Ingo and Emmet build a Bed

Length: 1,033

Rating: G

No archive warnings apply

“Are you sure you guys can handle this?” Elesa leaned on the entryway, twirling her hair around her fingers as she waited for Akari. Emmet scoffed. “Yes. Obviously. I am Emmet and I have a degree in mechanical engineering. I can handle putting together a bed” “Emmie sweetie, I know you are perfectly capable. I’m more worried about-“ she gestured vaguely towards the house “-everything else” As if to prove her point, a small crash could be heard from the kitchen, followed by several worried Pokémon cries. “You worry too much. We are grown adults. We will be fine.” Pounding footsteps interrupted the conversation as Akari came barreling down the stairs, bag and pokeballs bouncing as she ran. “I’m all ready!!” Akari cried as she ran at her aunt, barreling into her in a flurry. Laughing, Elesa hugged her niece back, planting loud kisses on the top of her head. “Are you sure you don’t require our assistance kit? The city is quite loud and busy, I worry it might be too much.” A worried Ingo trailed down the stairs behind Akari, concern etched into his perpetual frown. “I’ll be fine Dad! Auntie Elesa will be with me the whole time right? And- and we have those-“ she gestured at Elesa’s X-Trans “-talking thingies. So if we need something we can like, call you right?” Ingo sighed, pulling his daughter away from Elesa and into his own arms. “Yes, yes, alright. I am simply… worried.” He gave Akari a big squeeze before letting her go, giving her his best crooked smile “I need not be of course, Elesa is a wonderful conductor and I’m sure she will lead you down these tracks safely.” “Ingo we’re going furniture shopping. I’m happy you bayleef in me-“ a groan from Emmet, “but there’s really nothing to worry about. Right sweetheart?” Nodding energetically, Akari gave two thumbs up, “Ready for departure!!!” Emmet laughed. “Safe driving! Follow the schedule! Check safety! Everything’s ready!”

“ALL ABOARD!!!”

oOo

Emmet emptied the boxes contents on the floor, wood beams and metal screws tumbling out onto the carpet. Ingo reached for the instructions, opening it to the first page. “Emmet?” “Yes I am Emmet.” “Our instructions seem to be missing… instructions.” Ingo held up the paper for Emmet to see. The page was filled with little cartoon people as well as diagrams of the bed they were building. There were no words though. “That is on purpose! No translation needed if there are no words! Yep! Verrrrrry clever. Good for selling to different regions.” Ingo turned the page back to himself, giving the paper a closer look. “Ah! Bravo! Quite clever indeed!“ he nodded to himself before spreading the instructions on the floor so Emmet could see as well. “I will confess though, I still cannot make out the tracks ahead. If I could receive some assistance?” Looking over, Emmet perused the diagrams. The first half was simply a list of required parts while the latter half was directions on where those parts went. The first page was a bit different though, it was the odd one with the cartoon people. It warned the consumer not to build the project alone, and to call the store if they were confused. And one more thing. “We need a screwdriver.” Emmet declared as he stood, making his way to the door. Ingo quickly followed. “Yes? What’s a… that sounds familiar but I cannot recall it’s purpose.” “A screwdriver is a tool.” Emmet explained as he entered the living room. “The instructions asked for it. We should have one in our toolbox…. Where ever that is.”

The house was a mess, as all new houses were. Empty rooms filled with nothing but boxes, stacked up against the walls in depressing clusters. The living room was slightly better then the bedrooms, the couch and TV were out already (although said TV was still covered in a protective covering), and it made the room feel a little less like a storage facility. That being said, it was quite crowded. Any Pokémon that could help unpack was. The bipedal Pokémon carried objects to their correct station while the more psychicly inclined floated them to where they needed to go. Sediment (their crustle) carted open boxes around on the back of its shell, while Fang the gliscore carried smaller objects in its pincers as it rocketed around the house. Weaving among the boxes Emmet attempted to locate where the toolbox may be, finding himself genuinely stumped on where the rarely used tool could have ended up. “Hmm. The toolbox goes in the coat closet. So it should be- Somewhere! Around here! Yep!” He crouched down, trying to read the labels on each box. There were a lot though, and it was quickly becoming overwhelming. Besides, even if he found the box there was no guarantee the screwdriver would even be in there. For all Emmet knew, the screwdriver had been hanging around the bathroom when they packed their apartment. It’s not like Emmet had been very tidy over the last few years. “Emmet? Do you require assistance? I can aid in your search if I know what I’m looking for.” Emmet shook his head, getting up from the floor. “Nope! This is a lost cause. We will need to run to the store.” Brushing past Ingo, Emmet grabbed his keys and casual wear jacket from the box he had thrown them over the day before. “Tiny! Tiny come here we are going to the drugstore!” “May I come?” Ingo’s voice was quiet as he asked, hesitant in a way that tore out Emmet’s heart. “Of course! Would you like to bring Freight? I’m sure she would be thrilled to get out of the house.” There was a shriek in agreement as chandlure phased through the wall, floating her pokeball and Ingo’s hoodie into his hands. He laughed and thanked her, slipping the ball into his pocket and cradling her glass dome gently. Tiny finally came downstairs, the elektross sleepily head butting the wall in his stupor. He must have been taking a nap. “Ready for departure Ingo?” “Of course Emmet! All aboard!”

#blue’s writing #submas #WIP #subway boss ingo #subway boss emmet

[duckapus]

Dead, Inside and Out

"Grah! Stupid, useless-!"

Kamek walks up to the doctor, "I take it there's a problem?"

Eggman huffs and shows him his tablet, "It's this blasted Zone. All the spectral energy is interfering with the Seed Detector. I have no idea where the next seed is."

"Of course. I suppose we'll just have to do this the old fashioned way. Bomberto! Bring us down near the center!"

As the ship descends, everyone gets ready to begin the search.

"Okay guys, from what Kamek's told us this Zone's conversion trigger is depression. Now, I know things have been pretty rough so far and none of us are feeling too great, but I'm sure that as long as we all support each other and stay focused on the plan, we'll make it though without...any...losses," 4 sees that most of the group looking at something behind him and gets a deadpan expression, "Toad's already a ghost, isn't he?"

"Yep."

Bob shrugs, "Well, at least it wasn't anyone important."

"BOB!"

"What? We were all thinking it."

4 sighs, "Anyway, since the scanner isn't working, we're going to have to find the seed ourselves. If the other Zones are any indication, it should be with whoever triggered the Wonder Flower, and it's pretty obvious who it was here."

Cubot scratches his head, "It is?"

"Well, let's see," Root makes a show of contemplating, "who do we know who's dead, depressed, and literally sucks the color out of anything she touches?"

"Ohhh...I don't get it."

Ignoring him, Meggy chimes in "Okay, but how are we going to find her? Either she's drifting around and we'll have to scour the whole Zone or she's holed up in her house, and the only guy who can actually find that place is currently a Muppet."

"Well, Floyd's house usually shows up pretty close to mine and Luigi's, so we could start there."

"Sounds good to me. Alright guys, let's move out!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

It takes a few minutes to get from the landing site to the Mario Bros' house, and when they do they make a rather unusual discovery.

"How does it still have its color?"

Indeed, Somehow this one building was exempt from the Wonder Effect. The group approaches cautiously, not sure what to make of this. Mario slowly, carefully opens the front door, revealing that the inside looks pretty much the same as when they left, a startling reminder that this whole ordeal only started a few days ago. There's a bit of light and sound coming from the living room, and Mario leads the way as they sneak over to peek around the corner...

And find an oddly familiar young woman with an ornate dress and sharp, curling horns slumped unceremoniously in Luigi's favorite chair, staring blankly at the TV, which currently displays only static.

(ignore the sword, that's not important 'till later)

"Floyd? Is that you?"

A disinterested hum is the only indication she even heard him.

Bob looks her over, "Well, somebody had a growth spurt. Isn't she supposed to be twelve?"

"I, ah, I think it made her the age she would've been if she was still alive."

"...Oh. Yikes."

Mario moves up in front of her, "Hey, Floyd, you hearing me kiddo?"

Her eyes, though still unfocused, shift over to him.

"Great. I'll let you get back to...whatever this is soon, but we really need your help right now." he pulls out a picture of a Wonder Seed, "have you seen something around here that looks like this?"

To most people it would just look like she's still staring, but anyone who really knows her can tell she's trying to remember, "...maybe? 's hard t' think."

"If it helps, they come in different colors, so it might not look just like this one."

"..." after a little while, she somehow slumps even more than she already had been, " 'm sorry. can't...remember."

He sighs and slumps a little himself, "that's alright. We can figure something else out."

As he turns to rejoin the rest of the group, he lingers at a hanging picture of him and Luigi, running his hand along the frame with a sad smile. Floyd...actually visibly reacts to this, sitting up and leaning forward a bit, her eyes just a little brighter.

"Luigi...he was with you guys, right? On that trip?"

"...Yeah."

"What happened?"

"...Kermit. I couldn't...he didn't jump in time."

"..." Her eyes turn sharp, returning to their usual resting glare, and she stands up and starts floating about an inch or so off the floor, "Follow me."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

She leads them on a winding path through the forest, which looks particularly spooky when painted in shades of grey. Marcy, as usual, looks around suspiciously as they go.

"Give it a rest, sis. I'm pretty sure nothing around here cares enough to attack us."

"There's nothing wrong with staying vigilant. If nothing else it keeps me in practice. You could stand to be more cautious yourself, you know. I've heard about what you're like when you gamble."

"Hey, I'm getting better."

As the two of them are bickering, the group arrives at Floyd's house, which looks pretty much the same as it always does. She phases through the gate and opens it for everyone else, then brings them to the front door.

"Okay, I'm pretty sure I left the Seed in my bedroom. You guys wait in the parlor while I grab it."

She's gone for a few moments, then comes back with a red Wonder Seed in hand and tosses it to 4, "here ya go."

"Thanks." he turns to the group, "Alright, that's three down and four to go! And with only one loss so fa-"

"Two."

"What?"

She points at Bob, "You lost two."

"Oh, goddamnit!"

"Huh, I didn't even notice." he checks himself out in a nearby mirror, "Hey, sweet! I look like some kinda Grim Reaper!"

"Yes, and it only cost you your legs and your freedom."

"Shut up Mar."

"Um," Tari raises her hand like this is school, "How are you still acting like yourself?"

"Eh, I've been living with bouts of depression for centuries. This artificial numbness isn't even the worst I've felt this decade."

(...Not sure how to end this so yeah, they head back to the ship and have to leave Bob behind, but he'll be fine and will probably be able to help Floyd with her brain fog issue. Next up is the mushroom forest Zone.)

(also older Floyd comes from this picrew, because she's one of those characters I've never been able to draw properly myself despite being my own goddamn oc)

#smg4 #smg4 ocs #what a wonderful game au #the wonder arc #eggman #kamek #toad #lil coding #bob bobowski #cubot #root #meggy spletzer #mario #floyd floyener #marcy bobowski #smg4 tari #well. that's two losses already #but they were both played for laughs so it's not THAT big a deal yet #toad has contributed nothing to this arc but two jokes and bob already had his Big Moment last episode so they were the easy picks #now the real fun begins #go on luigi you Haunt that narrative you beautiful felt bastard #hey remember how i mentioned that the mushroom forest was one of the two places where you could get converted by force? :)

[feyre-darling92]

Alive and in Love

Cassian Andor x reader Modern AU

A/N: Alright, this might sound weird but I thought why not?? Might be a series, (yeah I say this every time but I promise I will complete this)

Synopsis: You live a peaceful life working for the spy agency until you’re assigned on a mission that is about to change your life

Tropes used: Modern AU, Brother’s best friend (you’ll see), Enemies to lovers, Fake marriage, Angst, Fluff

Warnings: Swearing, that’s all for now, bad writing

Taglist: @stanny-uwu​ , @hollymac79​  (If you want to stop getting tag for this particular story just let me know!). Join my taglist

Beep Beep Beep the alarm hit, waking you up from a so-needed sleep. You sat up and sighed, your eyelids still heavy and the morning sun peeking through the window and lighting slightly the room.

Another morning, another regular day. Perfect

“At least I’m still alive” you murmured to yourself while you made coffee.

Sometimes these four words, “I am still alive”, sounded like a miracle. Sometimes they sounded like a curse.

You see, working for the spy agency and being alive was an unusual combination, how you managed to succeed in both is still a question. But you knew and had already accepted that this was a part of the job. Unlike your family.

The feeling of a liquid in your hand put you out of your thoughts. You were so absorbed in them that you didn’t even realize that not only your cup was filled but the hot coffee leaked from the counter as well.

Cursing under your breath you grabbed a cloth and cleaned the mess. Yep, this was a regular occurrence, starting your day on the wrong foot. Weird but usual.

You got dressed and made your hair, grabbed your bag and threw the necessary things, and left the house. You were already late, though it was still 8 a.m. The city streets were empty, only a few people walking or driving, going to their jobs, you imagined.

Greeting a couple of neighbors who happened to pass by felt strange to you. The only thing you knew about each other was just a name, maybe a few personality traits but that’s it. You didn’t know their families, what they were doing for a living, or how was life for them. And they didn’t know about you either. Well, no one except your close family knew but still.

About five minutes later you could make out your friend’s figure waiting for you.

“Good morning, Jyn” you smiled at your best friend

“’ Morning. How are you?” you both started walking towards the facility you both worked in, not too far from where you were.

“You know, the usual”

“Depressed and single?” she said in amusement and you laughed, “Hell yeah. Life is so hard for me,” you said dramatically and she burst to laugh. “Drama queen”

Your ringtone interrupted your laughs, the name appearing on the screen ruining your mood. “Did I mention my awful family? I say it now”

You picked up the phone, “Goodmorning, mum. I am afraid I can’t speak now, we’ll talk later ok?” you said and put down your phone. “You shouldn’t be so harsh to her, you know. She is your mother after all” Jyn said after a few seconds.

“I am old enough to know what’s good and bad for me, Jyn. I chose this profession for some reasons and they have to respect that, not keep telling me every fucking time to change my career” you explained, feeling a little guilty.

“I wish I had a family like yours. They’re good people”

“Alright. First of all, you say that because you’ve only been with them for a couple of days. Second of all, you have me. I am the sister you don’t know how to get rid off”

“Both are true” she chuckled and we heard a voice behind us, “Goodmorning ladies”

“Morning Chirrut. Blaze” you both greeted your friends.

“Why are you so distressed?” Chirrut asked you but Blaze answered before you could, “You can’t see her. But yeah, what’s wrong with you?”

“I am fine” the answer sounded more defensive than you’d like it. The truth was that you had a bad feeling about this. You brushed off this thought and entered the building ready for another day of work.

-------

Time passed more slowly than ever, the dull task of filling out the paperwork for the last mission assigned to you. One hour on this task and you were writing almost automatically.

“Y/N” you heard someone call out your name and lifted your head only to face Jyn.

“What happened? Felt sorry for me and came to save me?”

“I doubt if what I’m going to tell you will bring any joy to your miserable life but they need you”

Curiosity took over you as you got up and followed her to the chief’s office. “Do you know what is this about? Bet it’s another mission” you asked as you walked through the corridor.

“I don’t know. But I was sent to call him too”

“Call who?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know” she gave you a side glance and you immediately realized what she meant.

“Oh, you mean him,” you said not enthusiastic at all, the opposite actually.

When you reached your destination she opened the door for you, “Good luck” she whispered as you walked past her and when the door closed behind you felt more alone than ever.

“Chief” you nodded in greeting ignoring the man sitting on a chair next to you, “you asked for me?”

“Yes, L/N, please sit down” she gestured to the empty chair next to his. You sat and turned your attention to her.

“Let’s get straight to the point, you two are my best agents. And we, I need your help” she started and you straightened your back, ready to hear your assignment.

“As you know, for the last couple of months we are after an organization responsible for terroristic acts and crimes against humanity. The last agents we sent managed to find out that they are planning something big, but we still don’t know what ”

“What did they see?” he asked.

“They never returned to tell us and they’re not the only victims. They count over 65 assassinations” she looked at both of us and got up, “Cassian Andor and Y/N L/N, you are assigned on this mission together because you’re the best hope we have. Your goal is to find as much as you can and try to stop them. Blaze and Bodhi will inform you about what we know so far”

“We won’t let you down, ma’am,” you said and got up. Cassian opened the door for you and you muttered thanks. “Agents?” you both turned, “Be careful”

Alright, this was serious. The chief had never told you to be careful, before a mission.

 No, she wasn’t heartless, but she knew that all of you would be careful regardless of the seriousness of the mission.

“So, another mission together, huh?” you broke the awkward silence as you walked together to your mutual friends’ lab.

“Guess we make a good team”

“Don’t take it upon yourself, Andor”

“You flatter yourself, L/N,” He said and pushed the door to the lab open.

“We were expecting you” Bodhi turned his chair so he faced us. “You know that’s creepy, right?” Cassian chuckled and leaned against the wall. “What do you have for us?”

“Always into business and no fun. That’s why I like Y/N more than your ass”

Blaze teased him and you raised your eyebrows in amusement.“I love you, Blaze” you tapped his shoulder and took a seat next to Bodhi. “What do you have for us, Q?”

“You know James Bond is my favorite movie. But let me say that this organization is like Spectre”

“Great” you sighed

“What the hell are you talking about?” Cassian asked, not understanding a word of what you said.

“Oh, I forget you’re not a normal person”

“You say that because I haven’t watched James Bond?”

“Yep”

He just rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Bodhi. Before he could speak the door opened for one more time and Jyn and Chirrut entered.

“I see we’re all here” Chirrut joked and Blaze restrained himself from replying that he couldn’t see.

“So,” Bodhi pressed a button and six images appeared in front of us, “These four are the suspects” he gestured to the first four images. “And these two” he gestured to the last two “These are the agents we sent”

“Holly crap” you swore and leaned forward to have a better look at them. They both were a bloody mess, parts detached from their bodies, face fully distorted from the wounds and cuts.

“How terrible are they?” Chirrut asked and Jyn who was terribly disgusted replied silently, “I can’t even describe them”

The truth was that in the seven years you worked there you’d never seen anything like that before.

“We are doomed” you felt a tie in your throat as you spoke. This was definitely not what you expected to see. Cassian who surprisingly hadn’t said a word looked at you, “We’ll make it. We always do”

You hated that the only reassurance you had were his words and that they came from him, but in the end, you might die together.

“Now, the important part” Bodhi gave a file with the suspects to both of you, “These are the suspects”. You opened it and examined their profiles, they were all from the same town, but- “Blaze?”

“Yes?”

“Please tell me that you’ve mistaken the name of the main suspect” you closed your eyes begging for it to not be true.

“No, they’re all right. Why?”

“Because she knows him” Bodhi replied from behind you. “I would come to that, though I know you won’t like it. You need to live there for a couple of weeks. Actually, the main suspect-”

“Is someone I used to know” you completed his sentence shocked. “Tell me this is a joke. Please”

“I am sorry, Y/N, but this is all true”

“You’re saying to me that I am assigned with him” you pointed towards Cassian, “to the town I grew up” you sat down, “and the main suspect is him?”

“Seems that someone has bad luck,” Chirrut said.

“And who are you even supposed to be?” you turned to Cassian who shrugged, “Who am I supposed to be?”

“Her fiance”

“Excuse me?” You both got up from where you were standing defending yourselves, “Absolutely not” “There’s no chance”

“I see you already know how to play your roles” Jyn chuckled but immediately regretted it when you both shot her a death glare. “I mean” she cleared her throat, “People usually assume that you’re married”

“It’s because we’re working together that long” Cassian said.

“But we still fight as a couple”

“It’s inevitable” he muttered under his breath.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing”

“Gods you’re insufferable”

“You think so”

“They are capable of killing each other before they complete the mission”

“We’re not!” you exclaimed.

“Yes we are,” Cassian said. “In order to succeed we need to work together. So, what do you say, L/N? Truce?” he extended his hand.

“Truce” you rolled your eyes and exchanged a handshake.

“Someone take a picture. We won’t see this happen again”

“Oh, shut up, Jyn!” You and he said in unison.

“Anyways, you’re dismissed,” Blaze said and turned to his computer, “unlike us”

“I did the paperwork while you sat here chatting with Bodhi. It’s more than fair”

“Talking about paperwork, I have to return to my office. See you later” Jyn greeted us and left and so you did.

You were about to reach the exit when you heard a voice, his voice calling you. “What happened? Missed me already?” you teased him as you both walked outside, “No, but I forgot to tell you that we’re leaving tomorrow morning”

“What time exactly?” you asked even though you knew that you wouldn’t like the answer.

“Early. Very early”

“Dare to wake me up before seven and I swear I’ll kill you myself”

“Funny, we’re leaving at 6.30 a.m.”

“What?”

He shrugged and stopped, “The drawbacks of the profession. Don’t get too excited”

“Good afternoon to you too, Andor”

“Whatever you say” he teased and you watched him walk away. 

Insecurities immediately hit you. What would happen now? And most importantly would you survive this?

I am still alive. That’s all that matters you thought and headed home.

Part 2 , Part 3

#cassian x reader #cassian andor x reader #cassian andor x you #star wars x reader #star wars modern au #star wars fanfiction #rogue one x reader #rogue one modern au #feyre-darling92 #feyre darling92

[moonyshifter]

more zipper/negan father/child things i guess

Zipper: Hostage or not, sometimes it’s nice being held. Negan: Are you okay.

Negan, to Zipper: Well, one of us has to be wrong and it’s not going to be me.

Negan: At first I thought you were foolish and incompetent. Zipper: My apologies for whatever misstep I may have taken to dispel that impression. It was an honest mistake, I swear.

Zipper: Met a dumbass today. Awful. Negan: You looked in a mirror? Zipper: Someday you will have to answer for your actions and god may not be so merciful.

Negan: Zipper, what is the ONE thing I asked you NOT to do tonight? Zipper: Raise the dead. Negan: And what did you do? Zipper: Raise the dead.

Negan: Why are you drinking? Zipper: I drink when I'm depressed. Negan: But you're always drinking? Zipper: *smug grin*

Negan: I'm going the fight the next person who insults Zipper. Zipper: I hate myself. Negan: Alright, square up.

Zipper: I'm going to get myself some soup. Negan: Be careful not to burn yourself, it's hot. Zipper: Pfft, I won't burn myself. *30 seconds later* Zipper, entering the room: I burned myself.

Negan: Zipper, I think we have a problem. Zipper: What, the fire? Negan: No, the- wait, what fire? Zipper: Oh forget about it, this sounds more interesting

Zipper: I made tea. Negan: I don't want tea. Zipper: I didn't make you tea. This is my tea. Negan: Then why did you tell me? Zipper: It's a conversation starter. Negan: It's a horrible conversation starter. Zipper: Oh, is it? We're conversing. Checkmate.

Negan: This is a bad idea. Zipper: Then why are you coming along? Negan: Someone has to get your injured ass home.

Negan: GET BACK HERE YOU DUMB FUCK! Zipper: LET ME RUN FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY ACTIONS!

Yep negan and dumba** Zipper.

This brings joy to my dark soul.

[mysteryshoptls]

R Kalim Al-Asim PE Uniform Personal Story

"I can't just leave you alone"

[Sports Field]

Kalim: Aaah～ I'm starving! Today's physical training was really hard.

Kalim: Doo-do-doo ♪ 'Kay, lunchtime～ …Huh?

Kalim: That little guy over there… That's definitely Idia's little brother Ortho, right?

Ortho: …

Kalim: Heeey, Ortho! What're you doing, moping over here all by yourself?

Ortho: Kalim Al-Asim-san… Hello…

Kalim: Hello― Hey, wait, what's wrong, you're really not looking good.

Kalim: If somethings bugging you, I can totally help!

Ortho: Actually, today my brother and I had plans to play outside today.

Kalim: You mean that Idia promised to play outside? That's great.

Ortho: Yeah. We were going to try out the new drone that my brother made to assess its performance, but…

Ortho: He was just unable to reach the rank rewards in his online game, so…

Ortho: He's super depressed, so I came out by myself.

Kalim: What's with that?! Just because he lost at a game… Keeping his promise to play with his brother should be much more important!

Ortho: Don't speak bad about my brother!

Kalim: !!

Ortho: Nii-san is a nice, smart, and an amazing brother. It's just, he's a little bit eccentric is all…

Kalim: …Oh, okay. Sorry, I didn't mean to speak ill of your brother.

Ortho: It's fine. As long as you understand.

Kalim: Alright. Then, do you wanna play with me in place of Idia?

Ortho: Eh! Is that okay!?

Kalim: Yeah! Whenever I'm down, I find that the best thing to do is to just let it all out.

Kalim: So, let's play with that dro―whatever it's called! I don't know what I need to do, though!

Ortho: If you're going to hang out with me, we can do anything. We can do what you like to do, Kalim Al-Asim-san!

Kalim: Oh, then, do you wanna dance?

Ortho: Dance…?

Kalim: If you dance to the beat of the music, all the bad stuff'll just fly away, y'know?

Ortho: That sounds fun! I've never danced before. I'd love to dance together with you!

Ortho: Okay, then I'll install some dance data right now.

Kalim: …Install?

Ortho: Yep. I don't have any data on how to dance in my programming yet.

Ortho: What kind of dance will we do? The waltz? The salsa? Breakdance?

Ortho: I don't really know, so I'll install all of it!

Kalim: Wow, you can just learn anything you want just like that? That's amazing!

Kalim: But it'll be no fun if you're able to dance perfectly from the get go.

Ortho: …Is that so?

Kalim: That's right. It's fun because you get better little by little by practicing!

Kalim: Besides, even if you don't know what to do at first, all you gotta do is move your body to the rhythm and you'll be fine.

Ortho: Hmmm. Are you sure I'll be able to learn that way? It doesn't sound very efficient.

Kalim: It'll be fine! I'll stick with you until you learn how to dance properly, Ortho.

Ortho: …

Ortho: …Ehehe.

Kalim: Why're you laughing all of a sudden?

Ortho: No reason. I was just thinking about how nice you are, Kalim Al-Asim-san.

Kalim: Really?

Kalim: I've got little brothers too, y'know. I can't just leave you alone and sad like that.

Ortho: You've got younger brothers, huh!

Kalim: Yeah, a ton of them! Another one was born just the other day, too.

Kalim: I have so many little siblings that I bet I could fill a whole dormitory!

Ortho: Wow! That many?

Kalim: Doesn't matter how many there are, younger siblings are the cutest.

Ortho: Eheheh. Your little siblings must be the luckiest!

[growl…]

Kalim: Ah. My stomach… Oh right, I didn't eat lunch yet.

Kalim: Then, I'm gonna go eat some of Jamil's home-made lunch before we start dancing. You should come too, Ortho!

Ortho: Yay!

Kalim: …Oh hey, what do you eat anyway, Ortho?

Requested by Anonymous.

#twisted wonderland #twst #kalim al-asim #ortho shroud #twst kalim #twst ortho #twst translation #mention: idia #mention: jamil