#bigger space = more fireworks

[kithtaehyung]

u suck !! (m) (3tan special) | myg

3tanoween special: u suck !! pairing: 3tan!yoongi x reader(f)  series: masterlist | three tangerines | fireworks | house party | basketball |  stay |  sidewalk talk | friends | dalo | like that | anytime | sundress season | yoongi’s interlude | forfeit | flutter | video call | busted rating/genre: m (18+) ; angst , fluff , smut ; brother’s best friend au, implied age gap au summary: jimin’s cul-de-sac is filled to the brim with autumn leaves, trick-or-treaters, and halloween spirits. but the scariest part of the night? yoongi himself. and the way he looks downright sinful in his costume. note: BOO!! :))) happy halloween and i love you all so so much. if you haven't read three tangerines or the rest of the series yet, i highly recommend diving into that first! this would make a whole lot more sense lol note 2: this is gonna be heavily unedited bc i literally started it on tues🥹 and consider this a pocket universe/side story for now until i mention anything otherwise :)) warnings: [explicit warnings under the cut] language, house party, alcohol/drug mentions, vampires are present but there’s a different type of sucking going on HEYO!!, tight spaces, yoongiiiiii🥺🥺🥺, one (1) uncomfy hug, jimin is a warning, yoongi is a bigger warning, kissing is a staple warning atp, yoongi in black leather and chains ahahahahah, tension, angst bc it’s me🤪, you have to be quiet :)), but it’s so hard :))), yoongi hands🥴, so many doll mentions, cus this reader is a barbie!!!, this yoongi is out of control and i’m not stopping him 🤷, ermmmmmm yoongi’s voice🧍‍♀️this is all i can say🧍‍♀️, ...VMIN??? drop date: oct. 28th, 2023, 12:17am est  word count: 11.5k🫣

explicit warnings: choking, head/hair tugging, min yoongi king of consent wbk, fingering, breath play, oral (m rec), ass play, chains lmfaooo, tears, face fucking, back shots, cum swallowing, breast play, protective sex, …public sex🫣, nasty dirty talk, he’s rude and we love it and he knows that we love it😩

—

—

“Oh, did you get the cookies?” 

“Yeah, they’re already in the back,” you huff out as you rush around the car. After getting in and catching your purse strap on your very pink heel, you explain while slipping it free, “And don’t worry, I made un-iced ones for you.” 

Your brother sighs in relief, as if you’ve never done that for him before. “Thank god.” As he backs out of the driveway, he gives your costume another glance. “That damn movie. I feel like I’m gonna see three hundred of y’all tonight.” 

“Barbie was great and you know it.” 

“Whatever. Aren’t you gonna be cold later?” 

“I got this.” 

Steering the wheel, he sighs, “Okay.. You’re gonna regret that.” 

“Yeah, probably.” 

Fixing your tee and smoothing out your skirt, you make a mental note that he didn’t comment the usual things about your costume this time. Whether it’s because you grilled him about the Dalo incident or not, you’re pleasantly surprised. 

The only thing he complained about was that couldn’t dress how he wanted in peace. 

“You still could’ve been Ken, you know,” you think out loud. “All you had to do was throw fur over that jersey.” 

“Nah, the coat I got is expensive as fuck.” 

“So is the jersey?”

“I have two of these.”

“…I will never understand you.”

The drive to Jimin’s isn’t too far, and the streets are already occupied with people in various characters. When you pass by a Ghostface costume with pink heels and a sign that says ‘This Barbie has a knife!,’ both you and your brother give it an approving laugh. 

If the atmosphere in the neighborhood was buzzing, it’s Jimin’s cul-de-sac that bursts with the biggest Halloween charm. 

Every yard around the semi-circle is chock full of decorations, from the ghoulish to the whimsical. Orange and purple lights scale whole houses, trees are covered in ghosts, and inflatable spiders and kittens rest on every surface you can see. Glee spreads throughout the whole setting as trick-or-treaters of all ages stop along the sidewalks, gawking at the views and running up to doors to procure sweets. 

It’s magical. 

But you can’t enjoy it at the moment because your brother has to park way down the main street. Which means you’re subjected to his teasing as you make the trek in enormous heels. 

Ugh. 

At least he’s carrying everything. 

“Damn, look at that house,” you point, adjusting your purse and almost teetering over.  

“That’s a shit ton of cobwebs.” 

“The lights are so nice, though.” 

“Uh huh.” 

After forever, you finally get to Jimin’s house, going through the open garage and already greeting the yells and hugs upon arrival. Some people are dressed up and some are in their regular clothes, but everyone seems chipper. 

And it’s even louder inside the house. All of you have to practically yell to hear each other. 

“Hey! You made it!” 

Damn, Jimin looks good as a vampire. 

As your brother says hi, you try super hard to not stare at his silver hair, avoiding his bare chest under that ruffled white shirt entirely. “Hey, Chim! You’re all decked out, holy shit.” 

“Ah, thank you! We both are. The lady at the Halloween place gave us a discount.”

“For what?” 

“Uhh, being cute? What else?” 

Adorable. If he went with Taehyung to get costumes, you wonder how extravagant your best friend looks. 

When you laugh, Jimin stops to look at you with his jaw dropped. “Wow, look at you, Barbie!” Turning to your brother, he teases, “You let this happen?” 

“I will throw you against the wall right now, fang boy,” he responds with no hesitation, which pulls a high cackle.

“No fighting tonight, please,” you drone, smiling while giving the handsome vampire a side hug. “Everything looks so good!” 

“Yeah? Spent all day decorating.” 

“Well, it shows.” Noting how Jimin always has great cologne, you take the trays from your brother while asking, “Where do you want these?” 

“Ah, in the kitchen! Here,” he offers, sliding them onto his puffy sleeves. “Follow me. You can see what we have.” 

His cloak brushes both your legs as you’re led into the big area, and your eyes feast on the assortment of themed desserts and drinks. 

Whoa. There’s even a bubbling pot of red punch? Jimin really has gone all out this year. 

Maybe Tae has something to do with this uptick in ambition. 

“Yoongi! You, too?” 

Huh? Him, too? 

“Yeah, it’s fucking hot.” 

Hot? What could possibly be—

Oh. 

Fucking.

Hell. 

It’s your fault for assuming it was Tae that Jimin went to the store with. It’s your fault for not even entertaining the possibility that Yoongi would dress up. 

And it’s all your fault for not being able to process what’s happening because even your own brother teases you when you cannot form words. 

You can’t help it. There’s literally no way. 

Because seeing this man up close, decked out head to toe in shiny black leather and hair properly tousled as if he just had wicked sex? 

How the fuck are you supposed to react! 

“I think you broke a wire in there somewhere,” Jimin comments through puffs of giggles, finally snapping you out of your inappropriately timed trance. “Ah, there she is!” 

Recover. Holy shit, you gotta recover.

“I just—” You gesture to the demon with your hands. “I didn’t think you’d ever dress up.” 

And Yoongi has the audacity to respond with, 

“Why?” 

“I mean. I thought you were..” Flailing for anything, you blurt, “I dunno, boring?” 

Amusement shoots out of both your brother and Jimin, carving a sickly upward curve into Yoongi’s face. When he looks away to poke his cheek, you know something’s coming.

But when he glances back and drags his eyes from your feet to your awaiting face, you're completely unprepared when he drawls, 

“And you dressed basic for what?” 

Disbelief slams your jaw straight into the ground, your little audience bent back with laughs so loud that some people around your group glance over. 

Oh, you wanna launch yourself at him so fucking bad. Wipe that stupid, smug taunt off his face. 

But there are other ways to come out victorious. And you can’t exactly do anything with your sibling so close. 

“Alright. Okay,” you hum, nodding and thinking of a thousand ways to incite revenge in private. “I’ll remember that.” 

“Won’t help you, doll.” 

Shit, did he really just call you that out loud?

Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it he’s just saying that in the open because you’re a Barbie. “Whatever, Neo.” 

Yoongi quickly smiles in confusion. “Neo? I’m a vampire!” 

“Oh, yeah, cus you suck.” 

Your brother and Jimin are full on titillated now. While one blows out air, the other plants a hand on Yoongi’s shoulder while creasing over from glee. 

And you spot your friends arriving, which turns into perfect timing for you to slowly retreat with a middle finger and a lip bite. “Bye, suckas!” 

Your brother can only shake his head before turning to grab a cup, and you barely—just barely—catch the fiendish spark in Yoongi’s eyes as he bites his grin right back. 

You can’t believe you got through that whole interaction so smoothly. 

Because every time you’ve caught peeks of Yoongi since then, your body’s reaction is downright visceral. Borderline feral.

And it reaches its peak when you get a text from the devil himself.  

Yoongi [10:02pm]: Fuck 

Shit, you can’t do this. 

If you start texting now, too? There’s no way you’re gonna be able to resist him. 

But the two drinks in your system are very smooth talkers, and you’re convinced immediately. 

You [10:02pm]: what🥺 

“Let’s go!” Yuri yells, dragging you along. 

“Where’re we going?” 

“Garage. Table’s about to be open.” 

From the backyard, it takes a minute for you all to weave through the people inside to get to the designated card game area. So you don’t get to read Yoongi’s text until you’re waiting for a table to clear. 

Yoongi [10:04pm]: You know exactly what 

You [10:04pm]: 🤪🖕

Yoongi [10:04pm]: I better not find you alone 

Fuck, you want that. Frankly, there’s literally nothing you want more right now. 

It’s been way too long since you’ve seen each other, and even more since you’ve gotten to do anything that leaves you breathless. 

So being this deprived and witnessing him in that costume? Yoongi’s the vampire but you’re the one that wants to suck the soul out of him. 

You [10:07pm]: maybe i want that 

It’s official. You can’t hold back your replies tonight even if you try. 

Between drinking and a haze of thoughts solely connected to him, you find yourself getting more and more needy. 

Yoongi [10:07pm]: You don’t 

You [10:08pm]: but shyyy 

You [10:08pm]: whyyy* 

This is bad. 

Why can’t he be super annoying instead—

Yoongi [10:10pm]: 🤷‍♂️ 

Well. 

You [10:10pm]: 😐 

Yoongi [10:10pm]: Lmaooo 

Taehyung chuckles next to you, and you immediately lock your phone while giving him a slight nudge. “Shut up…” 

“I will once you stop sexting.” 

“We are not!” 

“Uh huh. And I’m not wearing a suit.” 

Scoffing, you give him a once-over, wondering why everyone except for Yoongi decided to forego a goddamn shirt today. “What are you supposed to even be?” 

“A model.” 

He’s full of shit. “You just wanted to wear this outfit, huh.” 

“Yup.” 

Small huffs leave you both as you wait just a bit longer, and you let the night air and music lift your spirits until you get another text. 

Yoongi [10:13pm]: You look great, doll 

Why does he have to say all the right things?

You truly don’t know how you ended up here. To be able to receive compliments like this from him of all people? It’s a wonder this whole thing isn’t just one big dream. 

Fueled by the excitement and comfort only October can bring, you lean into this conversation and type a genuine reply. 

You [10:13pm]: so do you baby 

You [10:13pm]: i better not find you alone either 

Wait. 

Have you ever been that bold? 

Seems like tonight is making you a bit scary, too. 

Yoongi [10:14pm]: 👀 

And rude. 

You [10:14pm]: 😛😛😛

“Get off your phone, babe! Enjoy the night!” 

“Sorry, sorry,” you whisper, belatedly dropping your device in your purse and following everyone to scraping chairs and rustling clothes. 

The air feels even chillier at the table, and you’re thankful for the warm metal seat this time when your bare skin makes contact. Peering out of the garage, you can see that the night is still active as ever with more and more people walking around. 

Maybe poker and cool autumn weather will quell the heat swirling in your core. 

Nope. 

Even your card game can’t distract you from what happened. You still have the whole thing running through your mind, replaying Yoongi’s expressions and feeling more and more want build between your legs. 

Under a skirt that's completely the wrong length for how it feels outside.

But you try your best to focus on having fun with all of them, especially since Dom and Tae keep eyeing each other and smirking at you whenever you try to ask what’s up. 

“You know what’s up.” 

“Dom!” 

“Don’t act like we can’t see it.” 

Hiding your smile with a cup, you break, “What!” 

“Babe, you are thinking hard about something,” Dominique points out as she swishes her long white locks—a perfect Storm on your left. As she lays out cards, another comment flies out, “And I don’t like that smile you got going on.” 

“Yeah, what’s that all about!” Yuri joins in, and you pout at her high pigtails while she stares at her hand, chucking her cards in the center. 

Then Reia folds, too, her pretty nails extending the sleeves of her ninja getup so well. “Probably thinking about her boyfriend.” 

“He’s not my—”

Four pairs of eyes instantly give you a look to just give it up already, and you flounder as they all tease you in various ways. 

“Is he coming?” 

“Yeah, are we finally gonna meet him?”

“Yeah, babe,” Tae repeats, resting his smug cheek on a palm. “Are we gonna meet him?” 

Glaring, you respond to the pair of cards in your hand. “Not yet,” you answer honestly. “Call.” 

It’s you against Taehyung, and Dom flips another card in the center. 

“Hold on,” he stops. Turning to you, he bets, “If I win, we get a name.” 

What? 

Gawking, you try to send him every single signal in the universe telling him to take that back. The chills you get compound with the dropping temperatures, and you suddenly can’t move your fingers.

Even Dom is shocked trying to play fair. “Hey, we don’t have to force them.” 

But Yuri and Reia are already all for it, siding with Tae and getting excited for the face-off. 

Shit, shit, shit. Your cards are good, but you never fucking know with your opponent. Someone even more mysterious than Min Yoongi. 

Fuck it. “Fine,” you blurt, watching Tae’s eyes fully enlarge in surprise. 

Oh, shit, did he not expect you to call his bluff? 

Fuck, what if his hand is better! 

Sweating while frozen all over, you wait for Dom to flip the final card. 

Damn, damn, damn. You can just make up a name, right? You can just brush it off with a pseud and call it a night. 

But you know they’d be able to tell you’re lying. So you have to win this, you have to win…

That last card may have just saved your ass.

You and Taehyung give each other a look, and you can’t tell if he wants to beat you or is sad that he thinks he did. Either way, he looks stricken.

“Straight,” he claims, laying down his cards while Yuri and Reia cheer. 

And you breathe, checking your hand one more time before regarding him again. 

With a flourish, you reveal your cards with a boisterous, “Full house, bitches!” 

Loud groans mix with Dom’s close-call hiss of an exhale, and all the slaps on the table get the attention of everyone in the garage. 

And outside of it. 

While you’re raking in everyone’s chips, you glance over to see Jimin and Yoongi looking in from the sidewalk, some of their friends also wondering what the hell happened. 

At this, you get so shy that you don’t even acknowledge them, instead turning right back to the table and sitting down with your winnings. 

When Dom gives you a look, she asks, “You good?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” you stumble, rubbing the cold from your arms. “Let’s keep going.” 

After another shuffle and deal of cards, you finally gain the courage to look out into the driveway. 

Only to see them talking amongst their group again. 

This is agonizing. 

Why the fuck did Yoongi have to dress up? It’s doing things to your insides that you never would’ve guessed, and watching him be all casual while looking like sin incarnate isn’t helping. 

Maybe it’s the way his hair is still so ruffled, or the way his shoulders stand so broad—which never fails to destroy you.

Or maybe it’s the way some people give him the biggest heart eyes and others rope him into pictures, knowing that you’re the one that he just texted. 

Your next hand is quick to be tossed on the table, which gives you a chance to glance again. 

Of course, the thought that some people here are probably ones Yoongi’s been with before awakens darker parts of you. 

Like that girl that just caressed his arm. 

But they aren’t as powerful as before, because you’ve been reassured a thousand times over. 

He’s not like that anymore. 

But as he’s pulled in for a picture with some other Barbie’s, you’re promptly reminded that he’s still not outwardly taken, either. 

Which coaxes another, sadder side of you to come out of hiding, casting a shadow over a fun Halloween night. 

How much longer can you take being the one in the dark? 

Screw waiting to find Yoongi alone.

You’d rather be standing together. 

Activities bustle about the house while the neighborhood is very much still alive.

Some kids do brave Jimin’s scary yard and, thanks to his foresight, anyone who’s near the open doorway simply tells them to grab as much candy as they want from huge plastic cauldrons—while hiding any drinkware they might be holding. 

The only reason you know any of this is because you found yourself near his front door with your friends, and two tiny witches walk up to the porch with full buckets. 

You and Tae are the ones to greet them, with him beaming a hi and you following up with a question,  

“What’s your favorite candy?”

“Chocolate!”

“I like gummi bears.”

Ah, that might be a no-go for the second one.

Leaning forward, you rummage through one of the plastic bins. “Ooh, I know we have plenty of chocolate, but.. I don’t know if we have gummi bears out here. Tae, can you check inside?”

“Yeah! One sec.”

As he leaves, you keep searching while Reia asks them another question,

“Can we know what spells you ladies are learning?” 

One of them doesn’t respond, but the other in a frilly dress fires out an answer, 

“I’m learning how to turn boys into cats!” 

Excellent. Wide-eyed, you wholeheartedly support their decision. “That’s the best spell to learn. Can I see?” 

“Yeah!” 

Just as timing has it, Taehyung is far gone. 

But a wonderful replacement shows up in Jimin and Yoongi as they're spotted walking across the yard, and you quickly call them over. It seems they’re joined at the hip tonight. 

“What’s up!”

“Come here real quick!”

When they oblige, you check with the parents on the sidewalk and see if you’re taking too long. 

When they give you a thumbs-up, you turn back to the kids, “Alright, let’s see it!”

“Okay!”

Yoongi gives you a look, and you grin. “She’s learning a new spell.” 

As soon as the girl waves her wand, she shouts, “Turn into a cat!” 

Straightforward. Succinct. Admirable.

Jimin immediately lets out a gasp and holds paw hands in front of his face, which makes the little witch giggle like hell. 

But what Yoongi does makes everyone react, and your jaw unhinges while something wildly potent rushes through your stomach. 

The man puts fingers on his head in the shape of cat ears—something you didn’t even know he knew how to do—and in the plainest voice, lets out a low, 

“Meow.” 

Oh. God.

Not only does Jimin burst at the seams, but you, your friends, the little girl, and her quiet companion all start laughing. 

And Yoongi’s wide grin at the child almost brings tears to your eyes. 

“That’s not a cat!” she corrects while smiling, and he’s immediately affronted. 

“Yes, huh!” 

“No!” 

“Look! I have ears!” 

“No! You sound like a human!” 

“You need to keep practicing that spell then!” 

Delighted, the little girls burst into laughter again. 

Who is this man? You feel like you know more about him than you ever hoped to, and yet… Yoongi’s still a mystery. 

One beautiful, scary, amazing mystery that you will never get tired of discovering piece by piece. 

When your thoughts dissipate, you notice that he’s now aiming expectant eyes your way, and your heart beats extra extra loud. 

But quickly, you understand. Raising your arms above your head, you do the same ear-shape with your fingers, beaming when he looks satisfied and feeling full when the little ones try it, too. 

“We’re all cats now!” you exclaim, and they shout in agreement before running down the sidewalk to continue their adventure. 

You have no idea what just happened. Zero clue. 

But what you do know? 

You’re not letting that go. There’s no way Yoongi’s escaping that interaction and you’re gonna hang it over his silly old head forever. 

“I didn’t find gummi bears but we have fruit snacks—oh, they left?”

Swiveling, you regard Tae with shock. “Wait, you really looked that whole time?”

“Ah.. Yeah. Felt bad cus, umm. All the gummies in there are definitely not for kids.”

“Oh, it’s okay.” Chuckling, you give the other two boys a grateful look. “I think they left pretty happy anyway.” 

There’s one other thing you know for sure. 

Seeing how Yoongi can be with children? 

Any sanity you had left to give has been absolutely, positively vanquished.

Jimin’s whole cul-de-sac seems to always throw parties that people love to stay at. 

An hour later, it’s still packed around the semi-circle of houses, and even you are delightfully buzzed and joining in some of the action. 

But even though the alcohol is helping, you are still freezing. 

Of course, there’s no way you’re letting your brother get another told-you-so in his bucket, so you endure the cold as you watch him and Shiv challenge Yoongi and Jungkook in beer pong. 

To no one’s surprise, the youngest one has also chosen to not wear anything under his white suit. With clattering teeth, you refuse to believe he’s not shivering under that thing, too.

“Y’all took so long to win that one,” your brother shit talks early. “You ready?” 

Kook’s brows pinch as he whines. “I thought he was good at this!” 

“I am!” 

As Yoongi fires off excuses to an unconvinced Jeon, you and a couple people laugh at their spat. But it’s when he claims that he’s just rusty that your sibling interjects, 

“Oh, bullshit, Yoong’s lying! I do all the work when we duo!” 

Ah. There they go. Eyes and mouths adorably creased to hell, “The fuck you don’t!” 

“Oh, yeah? You don’t do shit!” 

“Me? What the fuck happened last time!” 

Gosh, there’s a lot of bodies walking through the backyard right now. You have to shift around as they pass your area, and what the fuck did someone brush your ass? 

You jut your head sideways to see if anyone looks guilty, but the whole crowd just keeps moving. 

Well. It wasn’t a blatant slap or anything. You definitely would’ve thrown hands if that was the case. 

Their argument comes back into focus as you shiver. 

“When?”

“At Hobi’s?”

“Okay, wait, that doesn’t count.” 

“It does—!” 

Your brother’s unannounced shot drills into the cup right in front of Yoongi’s crotch, and everyone around the table stops on a dime. 

“Can we play now?” he asks, tilting his head. “It won’t take long.” 

Shiv adjusts the red cap on his head, and it’s hilarious seeing him so serious in a full pokemon trainer costume. Especially when he shrugs at your opponents while they pin him with annoyance. 

If you weren’t freezing, you would’ve laughed a little more. Your arms are fully caging you in at this point, and it’s hard to even rub your legs together. 

More people walk through the area, and you have to shuffle backwards again to make room as they pass by. 

“You look so good, Barbie!” one of the girls praises, and you compliment her matching aesthetic just as genuinely.

Your brother was right yet again. 

There are plenty of pink and white outfits walking around. 

Unfortunately, this combo that you decided on pulls eyes the whole night, all of which you are choosing to ignore. 

There’s only one person you dressed up for today. Everyone else can take a damn hike. 

Maybe this is why you’ve gravitated towards your brother and his friends instead of wandering more. Taehyung and the girls went back to playing cards, but you wanted to watch this game despite going solo. 

Oh, well. There’s a whole group of you watching and you’re getting a little warmth from body heat now. 

“Course it won’t take long.” Yoongi rubs a wrist, and you puff out air when he gives Shiv flack. “Not with him on your team.” 

“Hey!” 

The game commences, and everyone’s missing cups by the slightest mistakes. But one by one, they get set aside as shots finally start falling for Shiv and your brother, and pretty soon they’re down to the last one while Yoongi and Jungkook have a bunch. 

Frankly, you don’t exactly remember how it all went down. Because all you can think about is how attractive Yoongi looks when he competes.

And watching him dip soaking fingers in water cups isn’t helping your mental in the slightest.

Fucking hell, you didn’t think this through. The price of finally getting to be around him? You can’t do much else except watch.  

And your self-control has never been tested so egregiously in your life. 

“Any last words?” your brother asks, his partner rolling an airy ball in his fingers. 

And Yoongi takes a deliberate sip of his liquor before responding with a drone, “Yeah, hurry up.” 

Smiling, you feel pity for the vampire. Because he’s about to lose whether Shiv makes this or not—which he in fact sinks with no issue. 

Your brother only shrugs as people yell around the table, and you taunt Yoongi with your eyes as he turns to poke his cheek, fishing out the shot with long fingers. 

Still a goddamn menace. 

“I thought you were good at basketball,” Jungkook complains in a huff, roping his attention. 

“I am.” 

“So do something!” 

“Am I holding a basketball?” 

Jeon groans, but Yoongi quickly eyes Shiv with all the confidence in the world as he switches his attitude with a resigned, 

“Fine.” 

And he makes a quick dagger shot, too. 

All of you react as mister basketball holds lazy arms out, and your sibling calms the crowd down with swipes. “Fluke! Nah, hey, that was a fluke!” 

“Don’t listen to him.” 

“Okay then, do it again, bitch.” Immediately, your brother hits a fast one into the same last cup, and people erupt again while Yoongi and Jungkook regard the solo with dread. 

Your laugh seems to reach both their ears, because they both look at you with different faces, 

“Whose side are you on!” 

“You got something to say?” 

“I’m not on anyone’s side,” you clarify with a smile. “You all suck.” 

While Yoongi cocks a brow, your sibling calls you out with a knowing laugh, “You wanna shoot for them?” 

“No, I’ll make it.” 

He chortles again, and you get the strangest look from his best friend—someone that doesn’t know you’ve had plenty of experience doing this with your brother when you were both bored at home. 

Is that pride? Curiosity? An intriguing mix of both? 

Whatever it is, you feel wings flutter about your stomach and fight to keep your emotions internalized.

“Just lose already,” your sibling taunts. “Then we can do that thing Jimin’s talking so much shit about.” 

“The haunted house?” 

“Yeah, that.” 

After both guys fail to make a comeback, you watch your brother and Shiv gloat as much as they possibly can. 

And you’re about to move forward when another group of people blocks your way, damn near tripping as you step back. 

While you’re waiting, a guy spots you and throws his arms up in recognition. “Hey! What’s up, how’ve you been!” 

Huh. 

Who is this man? Are you supposed to know him? 

“Hi!” you call back, deciding to stay polite more than anything else. 

Truly, you kinda feel bad because you have no idea who this is oh he’s going in for a hug. Okay. Strange but that’s whatever okay whoa it’s a full hug. Ah, he’s really squeezing you. Alright. Interesting. 

As he lets go, you try to make small talk and ask how he’s doing. Because you feel terrible for not… remembering him...

He’s already walking away. 

And you feel the most uncomfortable you’ve felt in months. 

Umm.

What the fuck was that? Did he know you or not? 

…Did he just want a hug to feel your tits?

Motherfucker.

Your eyes find Yoongi as soon as you feel an ick, now exceedingly cold both inside and out. All this time, you’ve avoided all the stares and only smiled while politely leaving others behind. 

So to feel that disrespected just because you were considerate makes you want to hurl.  

But when Yoongi moves to strip off his coat, you freeze for another reason. 

Because he’s watching that dude leave. 

Looking pissed. 

Something deep inside of you rumbles to life, and you can’t explain what it feels like wait what’s he doing now? Why’s he walking right towards you why is he—

He’s not—

What is he doing?

He’s not gonna—not in—not in front of everyone, right? Not in front of your brother, right? 

Right?

…This is bold as fuck. 

Your denial is so substantial that you don’t even move when he gets close, handing you incredibly warm material and looking murderous in a black tee and pants. 

“Here,” he offers, voice hardened gravel. “Put it on, doll.” 

Damn. No subtlety this time?

You don’t even wanna know what your brother could possibly look like right now. All you feel are several eyes watching your every move, including some that aren’t particularly friendly. 

But you whisper out a quiet thank you before he shakes his head. 

“I should’ve done this sooner.”

“You didn’t know.” 

“Doesn’t matter.”

When you take one look at his expression, you drop any other sentences you were gonna say. 

Yoongi is actually furious.  

Your stomach churns up a flurry of emotions as he turns, nodding to your brother that’s looking over with Shiv. 

Ah, fuck. Did all of them see that, too? 

They don’t need to do anything drastic. You’re fine if just.. feeling a little violated. 

Okay maybe you’d look the other way if they avenged you.  

“Y’all good over there?”

“Yeah.” 

Oh. Your brother didn’t see a thing. 

That’s probably best for everyone involved. 

“Let’s go then!” he yells, finishing his drink while Shiv puts all the cups back in place.

And Yoongi stays next to you, not caring if people give him looks. “Come on,” he mutters. “Just stay with us.” 

“Okay.” 

No other words are spoken as you walk out the backyard. 

But when Jimin pops up with Taehyung and your friends, Yoongi pulls him aside while you ask how the poker games went. 

The usual comments spring up immediately. Yuri complains about Taehyung being too good, and Dom and Reia quickly tell her she needs to work on her face. 

Laughing the edge off, you see your brother checking his phone. 

And just like the shadowed expression Jimin now has on his face, the hand your sibling smoothes over his head doesn’t seem like a good sign.

The haunted house was amazing, and it was a wonder you got through it in your shoes. 

But you need a break after all that screaming. And you already spent a lot of time saying goodbye to your friends before they left. 

So instead of joining Taehyung and his group in conversation, you keep to your own thoughts, sipping on punch while watching balloons cross kitchen tiles. 

Ironically, you need anything to get through the loneliness. 

Even more people latched onto Yoongi earlier. Which you should’ve seen coming after his whole ensemble was revealed. 

But he had to keep them entertained because he isn’t taken. Not officially; not to them. There couldn’t be hints of him being cuffed, especially when your brother could see him at any moment. 

Did you feel jealous? Upset? 

To your pleasant surprise, not really. 

Because unlike New Years, there’s been more history between the both of you that can never be repeated anywhere else. Ties that have woven between your bones and connections that you have no plans to sever. 

You cherish them. And you’d like to think that he does, too. 

All the flirting just sucked to see up close, though. 

A sudden tap on your shoulder makes you jump. 

“Fuck, sorry. You okay?”

As you see your brother and not another stranger, relief floods your system. And you hate how jumpy you are. 

So you lie a bit. “Yeah, why?” 

Hmm. He looks… out of sorts. You’re halfway into questioning the bend in his brows when he quickly asks, 

“You good to go home with your friends?” 

Wait, huh? That’s new. “Oh. They left but Tae’s here. You okay?” 

“Something came up at work so I’m heading back.” 

“The fuck? On Halloween?” 

He shakes his head before running a hand over his chin. “Yeah, I dunno. But if you don’t wanna leave just have him bring you back.” 

Damn. He’s not even concerned about you staying? What the hell is going on? 

And thinking about things… do you wanna stay anyway?

Looking out into the house, you do a quick sweep before deciding that you’re gonna tough this night out. Taehyung’s still here, and you can hang with his circle. 

You’re staying. Wishing for the best, you let him go. “K. Hope it’s all good.” 

“Nah, it’s fine. I just have to clean up someon's mess.” Your sibling squeezes your shoulder in a final goodbye before stepping away. Pointing to the ground, he warns, “No one better try shit with you.” 

“Go,” you usher with finality. “Text me when you’re home.” 

“K.”  

He heads out, and you’re left with your cup that you forgot you even had. 

Staring into it, you somewhat wish you heard a familiar laugh in your ears. Throwing yourself back to that New Years night when Yoongi hung back in the kitchen just to talk. 

Maybe he’s still preoccupied. Even after you gave him back his coat, ignoring his look of confusion.

After another half hour of feeling alone, with no vampire man in sight, you admit you're a little defeated. 

Maybe you should have left, too. 

Your purse buzzes, and you slowly fish out your phone while not looking at anything in particular.

But when you focus on your screen, your heart squeezes in double time. 

Yoongi [12:43am]: Where are you?

Feeling a mix of emotions—relief, confusion, anything in between—you text back. 

You [12:43am]: kitchen. but i was about to leave..

Yoongi [12:44am]: Don’t

Yoongi [12:44am]: Gimme a sec 

This is it. 

This is why you stayed. 

Because one thing Yoongi has always proven to you is that he will make time. Whether it takes him a day, three months, or two hours. 

Yoongi [12:50am]: Come up, doll

And you will wait forever. 

However long it takes.

You [12:51am]: ok

It’s a short trip up the stairs from near the kitchen, and you wonder what’s gonna greet you when you get to the second level.

Are people up there? Is he just telling you to come so he could be near you? Or is this a clandestine meeting where he steals you from the night like the fiend he’s dressed as? 

All of these thoughts wander about your head like specters. 

But as soon as you reach the top, all you see is Yoongi, glancing up from his phone before stowing it in a coat pocket. 

So unfair.

In the obnoxiously red and orange lighting, he looks even more devastating, standing like he’s been haunting your dreams for years. 

And you hate how small your voice is when you greet him with a measly, “Hi..” 

Very much unlike yours, Yoongi’s energy is loud. Powerful. He takes his time, consuming you with his gaze and making you feel so, so shy in heels that are somehow still on. 

“Come here.” 

“You sure?” 

He hesitates. 

And with a heavy heart, you wonder if he has the same question. 

But he walks toward you instead, and you feel vulnerable. Nervous. 

What’s he doing? What are either of you doing?

There’s a lot of people here still, and it’s not like they don’t know you. And they clearly know Yoongi quite fucking well.

God. You hate this uncertain, murky feeling. Because it could be solved so simply, so quickly. 

But nothing in life is ever quite that easy for you, nor for him. So the paranoia lingers and lingers. 

However. 

When this man leads you away from the stairs, your fear spins into thrill, your nervousness taking on a new meaning. 

“Yoongi…?” 

With a shuffle of leather, you’re positioned right in a corner, breath catching because holy shit anyone could come up at any moment. 

Why is Yoongi not nearly as concerned as you feel? Is he not jittery with nerves? 

Judging by his lowered lids and unbothered line of lips, no, he is not. 

As he looks around, warmth from his coat slowly swallows you on both sides. His hair cascades forward; his breath can be heard in the space between.

And you really do feel like he steals you away—from the night, the party, the world.

“Now what,” you whisper in pure nervousness. “Gonna bite me? Drink me? Suck me… Dry…”

His lips ghost along your neck, and you grant him all the access you have when he murmurs, 

“Is that what you want?”

Your check for understanding is a sigh, “Want…hmm?”

“Me to suck you dry.”

You know what he means. And you’re already fighting for air as your exhale shakes. “Yes,” you admit. “Lemme do it, too.” 

His dark hum rumbles your core. “Uh uh,” he rejects, one arm separating you from the rest of the room. “Only good girls can do that.”

That’s unfair. Fuck, that is really unfair.

You pant before gripping his coat in your fingers. “I’ll be good.” 

“You’ll be what?” he asks, licking a small stripe along your throat and making you flinch. 

“Fuck.” Your breath is harsh now. Very, very harsh. “A good girl.”

“Good.” 

You feel the slightest nick of teeth as he lunges into your neck, and you have to clamp your lips shut to keep from mewling out loud. 

Holy fuck, you’re already so wet.

There’s no way Yoongi can suck you dry at this point. Certainly not with the limited amount of time you have.

And the motherfucker knows it, his laugh pulsating down your spine. “So sensitive.”

“Yoongi—”

Again, he attacks, sucking hard once before running his tongue along the sting. 

Thoroughly overwhelmed, you dissolve into mush. Your legs buckle under the pleasure, sparks of desire firing along your limbs as your ankles work double to keep you upright. “Baby...”

“You taste so fucking good.” 

More. You need more and you need it now. “I wanna—”

Without warning, his lips finally find yours, arms fully encasing you in leather as he slams both hands on the wall. 

“Yoo—”

And your heart leaps into the kiss while your fingers zip right to his face, tugging him in until your noses smush. 

For someone with a million concerns before, you’re devouring him without any shits given and it’s magnetic. Electric. Magic. Sparks zip down your skin, pebbling your nipples and sending your toes in curls. 

Hints of whisky and smoke pepper your tongue, and you know your breath proved similar if just a bit more reserved.

But you can tell something’s off.

He’s holding back.

Why? Why are his hands still firmly on the wall? Why is he keeping his distance even though you’re standing right here?

If you’ve been fiending to touch him the whole night, he had to be feeling the same way.

So what’s with the sudden hesitation?

Your body thrums with need, yearning for those large palms to roam and venture across every inch. Aching for him to erase that stupid hug from earlier in a way only he can. 

“Baby,” you whisper. “Please.” 

“Please what.” 

“I need you.” 

“I’m right here.” 

“No, I”—you grip one of his wrists—“Please touch me.” 

“In here?” He pauses, pinning you with concern. “You sure?” 

Swallowing, you take in the music and conversations downstairs, hearing laughs and other exclamations. 

Were they always that loud?

“I’m doing this for your own good, doll.” 

Heart stuttering hard, you question, “Why?” 

Yoongi only lets out a huff. “Cus…” Leaned in fully, his hot breath fans your face, all of his dark syllables drenching you in hellfire, 

“If I touch you, I’m not gonna stop.” 

“Fuck,” you rush out, breathing so hard your chest billows out. “I want that.”

“You don’t.”

Fuck yes, you do. You aren’t letting another chance pass by. You’re feasting on him whether it’s for two seconds or one thousand, and he’s gonna do the same to you. 

Because as much as he’s holding back, you can tell he wants nothing but to tear you apart. A monster in the red lights strung around the game room.

And you’ll let him.

Consequences be damned. 

“I do,” you finally admit with a whoosh. “I don’t give a shit right now, Yoongi, just do it—”

Any other words are snatched from your mouth as you’re pinned against the wall, your reward in the form of rough skin and thick leather sliding all along your sides. 

Immediately, the coil in your belly rumbles to life, tightening click by thrilling click as you tug him in even closer.

Between kisses, you grit out how stupidly attractive he looks, and his chuckles are so dark that you feel them shake your core.

“Thought I was boring.”

Another groan into his mouth. “You know I didn’t mean that.”

“Say sorry then.”

It’s your turn to giggle, “And if I don’t?”

Fingers ghost along your throat before they squeeze in warning. “Try it.”

Attempting a whine, you press your shoulders back into the wall, fingers still clinging to his dark shirt. “I kinda… I kinda want to.” 

“I know you do.” He shoves one of your legs away with a strong thigh, pushing his weight forward and accusing, “Wanna be a brat so bad, huh.”

Desire is doing wonders for your confidence. You’re not gone, but you’re influenced enough to let your thoughts flow. 

All you needed was the last hit of this man’s magnetism. “Wanna be a lot of things for you..” 

Amusement rumbles out like thunder. “Like what.”

Giggling, you admit, “I didn’t dress like this for nothing.”

“I know.” He kisses you in a way that has you swooning. “I could get used to this.” 

“This wouldn’t get old?” 

“Fuck no.” His hands move straight to your ass. “Not if it’s you.”

Confused, you pout in a whine. “You said it was basic.”

“It is.” He goes right for your neck for another feast. “And it’s fuckin’ hot.” 

He then nips your skin in earnest, tugging his name out of your throat and causing you to claw into his hair.

“That guy just wanted to feel me,” you suddenly sigh, hating how you’re still thinking about it even now. 

“I know.” Yoongi stops before watching your eyes. With a finger on your chin, he checks, “You okay?”

“Just make me forget it.”

He keeps his gaze on you for a moment more, forehead pressing against yours before he vows, “You will. He won’t.” 

And your lips are fully captured before you can respond. 

You missed this. You missed this so fucking bad and you’re pretty sure you’re saying everything out loud but you don’t mind. Yoongi deserves to hear it and you are gonna live this out to the fullest.

If he doesn’t hear you, he certainly feels you. In the way you rake at his hair, tug at his chest, sling your arms around his beautiful neck.

But your frantic actions are stopped when he growls,

“Fuck, you shouldn’t’ve come up here.” 

“Wait, why—”

“Cus now I’m—Fuck it, come on.”

Before your mind catches up, your body is being rushed into the nearest door: a guest room that’s surprisingly not occupied. 

“Yoongi, what—” 

He holds a finger on his lips before peeking through the door, and he shuts it with a click when he seems convinced. 

And you’re even more alone with the demon of your dreams—now shrouded in bright white from the string lights in this space.

You have no choice but to submit to his hands, stomach flipping as he seizes your lips with newfound energy. When you respond in kind, he backs you up until your legs hit the guest bed, setting off another alarm in your fizzing brain.

“Baby, you sure?”

“I won’t do much.” Yoongi lowers you down, steadying himself on an elbow. “Do you trust me?” 

“Yes.” His gaze is steady on yours. “Nervous, though.” 

Because it’s true. Even if your brother isn’t in the house, there’s a high possibility one of his friends walks through that door. One of Yoongi’s friends, even. 

“We don’t have to, doll.” 

And if you’re honest… 

The thrill of it is enticing.

“We can.” 

“I got us,” he assures with a kiss, now grinning like mad. “Lemme live this out just once.” 

A bit shy, you bite your lip to combat your nerves. And the million butterflies raging in your ribcage. “And what would that be.” 

“Not telling.” 

Of course. “You suck.” 

Puffs of mirth leave his mouth before he consumes you, and you feel unbelievably scandalous and loving every second. 

Because you saw Yoongi leave the door unlocked. There’s no recovering if someone opens it without you both hearing them, because the closet is opposite from the bed. You will absolutely not get there in time. 

Be it the holiday itself, or the fact that Yoongi’s positively enjoying himself, you feel more enthralled by the danger than you’ve ever been. 

And the fluttering in your chest triples when he lifts your tee. “Baby—!”

“Chill, love,” he laughs, a glint in his eye as he kisses your bra. “Never done this before?” 

“No, but—fuck.” 

Your soft moan stems from him slipping your bra down, licking at your chest and groaning at your scent. 

“God, you’re so perfect.” 

Fervently disagreeing, you reply so lightly, “Not at all.” 

“You are.” Another kiss to your lips before he moves down to your throat, squeezing one of your breasts with purpose. His weight feels heavenly on your torso, which you label the most ironic given how sinful he looks. “Couldn’t fucking wait to get you alone.” 

Fucking hell, do you feel the same. Truthfully, you didn’t think you’d even get the chance. As you arch into his chest, your bare skin heats under his mountain of dark clothes. “Wanted to be with you all night…” 

“Same.” The next kiss proves deep, and he slides a hand under your head to claim as much of you as he can. His lips leave yours with a pop before he grips you with conviction. “Fuck, you should’ve been.” 

Oh. 

You know why he’s holding you so hard. 

And it touches the deepest, softest parts of your soul. 

Gently holding his taut wrist, you whisper, “It’s okay, baby.” 

His eyes stay closed, blocking you from hearing anything that he could be thinking. 

But it’s your turn to lift his chin with a finger, and you reassure him with everything you have, 

“Nothing happened. Don’t worry, okay?” 

Yoongi still doesn’t answer, which makes you sad. One dude shouldn’t ruin both of your moods hours after the fact. He can eat shit and Yoongi deserves to be the one enjoying a perfect night. 

So you vow to make that reality. 

“Besides,” you continue, waiting until he finally looks at you. When he does, you slyly smooth both hands over your breasts, pushing them together right in front of his face. “These are yours, right?”

Like a switch abruptly flipped, Yoongi’s whole demeanor changes on a dime. 

Hungry eyes rake over your chest before he plants a kiss on your fingers before anything else. “What else is mine.” 

Your cunt quakes at the question, making you drag one of his hands down to the side of your ass. “This,” you whisper, biting back glee as he grabs right at it. 

His mouth hovers over yours now, voice so low it sounds more like distant thunder, “What else, doll.” 

And whatever made you so bold washes away in an instant. Because you know what you wanna say but it’s the hardest one to let fly. 

Of course, Yoongi knows this. It’s the only reason he’s being so cheeky about it now. “That it?” he asks with a lilt. “You sure?” 

Gnawing your lip, you shake your head, garnering more and more courage to tell him one last answer. 

“Don’t be shy,” he orders through a wicked grin. “Tell me.” 

Just say it. All you have to do is whip it out of your mouth and you can get on with it—

A bunch of voices start getting louder and louder from outside the door, and Yoongi reacts before you can process what to do. 

Tee shoved back on and skirt rumpled to hell, you’re quickly rushed to the closet, thankful that Jimin’s house is fucking enormous and gives every bedroom double-doored enclosures for clothes. 

Conversation gets even closer. Someone is definitely coming in holy shit shit shit. 

Adrenaline courses through your veins as you settle on a sidewall, and the fact that there’s enough room for you to stand sideways is enough to distract your harrowing thoughts. 

But Yoongi shuts the doors with practiced ease, dousing the space in darkness with only small strips of light to illuminate. 

So fucking unfair. 

Just him peeking through the crack in the doors makes you suffer, chains dangling from his chest and the mischievous glint in his eyes giving you pain. 

Why does his side profile have to be so perfect? Why is this bad boy adjacent version of him enough to send you into orbit? 

Suddenly, two voices burst into the room. 

And you recognize both of them. 

“—like you said, right?” 

“I know, but…” 

It’s Tae. 

And Jimin. 

“Then hey,” you hear your friend say with hope. “It’s okay.” 

The coincidence of those words in that room does not get past you. 

“You really think so?” 

There’s a bit of silence before Taehyung responds, but you suddenly get distracted by someone much, much closer. 

Because Yoongi’s slowly roaming a finger along the hem of your skirt, hooking it in and slowly tugging you forward what the fuck!

When your wide eyes meet his, you can tell he’s thoroughly enjoying this. And you have to clamp your mouth shut when he casually starts feeling over your shirt.  

What the fuck is he doing! 

This man is going to be the end of you. 

“So yes. Let’s go back down, yeah?” 

“Okay… Just give me a moment.” 

Delirium. You’re approaching delirium as Yoongi now watches you suffer, and you buckle when he travels under your tee—up, and up, and impishly ducking his thumb under your bra. 

And you almost can’t deal with the feeling. 

Because your senses are upped to the highest setting, body on full alert and having to keep quiet when at his mercy. 

You feel legitimately wild, mad, drunk off Yoongi’s presence alone. There are literally people on the other side of thin wood and he’s driving you up every closet wall in the house. 

Out of your mind, you aim for his neck when you launch your own silent ambush. 

And it’s his turn to suffer when you grab at his chains, because you tug him enough to get access to his neck as soon as you hear your friend again. 

“Even this room looks nice and it's unused. Seriously, you did a good job.” 

“Most of it was your idea.” 

“Me? I only suggested it because I knew you could do it.” 

Yoongi’s breath puffs over your shoulder, and he buries his head in your tee while you lick and suck him with a vengeance. His hands grapple your hips, taking no time in circling back over your ass. 

“Thanks. Okay, I’m ready.” 

“Finally. It was getting boring in here.” 

A laugh tinkers out before Jimin hums in confusion. 

“Weird. Thought I told people to not touch this bed.” 

“You just sat on it.” 

“I didn’t sit on that side.” 

Taehyung responds right as you grope Yoongi’s crotch, and his body locks so hard you flinch at his grip.  

“It’s probably nothing. The bed’s still made.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

Mercifully, the guest door opens again before shutting, and you’re left in the weighty silence and faint bass of music coming from downstairs. 

Adrenaline still at its peak. 

“You’re gonna pay for that.” 

“Says you,” you pant, mewling when his lips latch onto your neck for the umpteenth time. “What do we do now?” 

After another suck, Yoongi lifts his head. “With what?” 

“This,” you clarify, gesturing to the closet space. “We have to leave, right?” 

“Do you want to?” 

You pause. 

If you leave now, you can sneak out of the room and no one will ever know you spent seven minutes in heaven with Min Yoongi. 

But if you stay… 

“Not really,” you whisper in admittance. “You?”

“Fuck no.” 

Your giggles end up in his mouth when he claims you, and you grab at his chains in earnest, tugging him closer before raking impatient fingers through his ruffled locks. 

And you’re already fine with this situation. Making out with this man in a closet? Who would’ve thought you would have this opportunity in the history of ever? 

So when you feel wandering fingers between your legs, your reaction comes out a high mewl. “Wait—What are you—”

“Careful, doll,” Yoongi quells. “Gotta keep that mouth shut, yeah?” 

You nod before realizing he probably can’t see, so you whisper an affirmative before slamming your lips shut. 

Because one touch of his fingers on your covered slit has you already losing it. 

A manicured hand slaps over your mouth as you widen your legs, gripping his coat with the other as he surrounds you mentally and physically. All you can think about is the way he’s calmly shifting your panties, expertly sliding over your cunt and chuckling right in your ear. 

“You’ve been this wet this whole time?” 

Gasping, you hum out a yes, and Yoongi laughs the scariest you've ever heard him,

“Nah, we’re fucking in here.” 

Holy fuck, what? 

“Baby,” you plead in his ear, wanting him in every way possible but knowing you don’t have a condom. “We can’t.” 

“Why not?” 

“We don’t have—”

“Yeah, we do.” When he senses your confusion, he peeks out the closet door before... leaving. 

What the fuck! What is he doing why is he going for a casual stroll with a boner right now? 

Oh, he’s back already. But you’re still holding your heart with a goddamn fist. 

When Yoongi holds one up, he laughs. “I actually didn’t know if he had some up here, by the way.” 

“Sure you didn’t.” 

He smirks before pocketing the package, grabbing your face and kissing all the lingering fright from your features. His tongue slides all along yours before he sucks, and his teeth drag over your plush when he lets go. “You down?” 

Drunk off his continuously great make-out sessions, you slur out, “Hmm?” 

“We don’t have to.” 

Your smile is automatic. Knowing Yoongi’s still asking even though he was dead set on it makes giving him the go-ahead even easier. 

But you both hear another smatter of activity in the game room outside. And it seems like people are starting to use the pool table. 

Fuck. 

Do you really go for it? 

You’re gonna have to be silent as the grave if you do, because this will be the most sordid position you can be found in. 

…Fuck it. Screw it. It’s Halloween and you’re dancing with the devil. 

“Yes we do,” you scoff. “But if you break my heels we’re gonna fight.” 

His quiet bout of laughs makes you melt, and his fingers feel positively intoxicating when they find your cunt again. 

Your shoulders hit the wall with a soft bump as you arch, back to sewing your mouth closed and smushing your head in his clothes. His name slips out on your breaths, and his growls make you quiver with more and more impatience, 

“So fucking wet.” 

Fuck. 

“Gonna take this dick so well.” 

Nope. You can’t wait anymore. You don’t care who the fuck is out there, you’re folding and folding fast. 

“Please, baby,” you pant. “I need you. Now.” 

Yoongi obliges immediately, spinning you around and pinning your front against the wall. 

Well, you think he’s on the same page. 

Until he clamps a hand over your mouth before fingering you from behind holy fuck you might come any moment now. 

Your hands slide into fists on the wall as you moan in his fingers, shoving your ass back to glean as much delicious friction as you can. 

“There you go,” Yoongi praises. “Just like that.” 

You’re gonna come. You’re already gonna come and he’s hitting every fucking spot to speed up the process. It’s almost unbelievable how quickly he can launch you off the edge, but you suspect this time has something to do with the thrill of your whole situation. 

You feel bad. 

And it feels fantastic. 

“Babe,” you whisper, turning your head. “I’m already close.” 

When you clasp a hand around his wrist, he finally finally finally grants you into heaven’s gates. You feel him let up, and you wait with tiny shakes as he rips the condom pack open with ease. The clink of his belt tickles your ears just right, and you quickly think about other dark things. 

After a moment and more clothes shuffling, you feel his hands slide along your hiked up skirt before gripping your ass, never failing to worship your body and making you feel fucking pretty. 

When he leans forward, his warm shirt and chilly chains on your bare skin alone push you even further. “Hands over that mouth, doll,” he rasps in your ear. “Can’t be loud for me this time.” 

“Mmhmm.”

“Good girl.” 

As soon as you do what you’re told, you regret not pressing down harder. 

Because Yoongi plunges into you so smoothly that your moan almost flows right out of your fingers. 

Holy shit you really were that wet. But he's still so big. So, so big, and filling you too well fuck are you being too loud because it feels so fucking—

“Thought you were just gonna dip without saying bye?”

Oh, fuck.

Yoongi did not wait until he was inside of you to say that.

“Think you’d just show up looking cute and talk some shit, huh.”

Damn it. He did. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he’s a demon and you have nowhere to run now. 

Delightfully frightened, you shake your head in denial. Repeatedly and full of terror.

“Show me up then.”

He stops all his movements, and you’re left to your own devices. Stranded on his dick with only the wall and your heels to support you.

Oh, he’s a killer. 

And he’s all yours.

Thrusting back, you start slow, groaning into your hand at how large he is. It’s a wonder you can even move, and your jaw unhinges when you feel his dick hit a certain spot just right.

Again, and again, you fuck him as deep as you can take, slamming your ass into his pelvis and finding pride in the divots he’s sinking into your cheeks.

Yoongi’s still unhelpful, but you can tell he’s breaking. His grip is getting harder, his minuscule groans lower and more forced. Even the tiniest curse makes you preen, and you throw a look over your shoulder to hear him better.

Which is the worst best thing to do. 

“Fuck, doll.”

With quickness, he rams himself into you, a sweaty hand clasping right over yours just as you yelp.

“We aren’t finished with that,” he promises through gritted teeth, and he takes over before you can process what that means. 

And his pace is relentless, pumping into you so well that every thrust catapults you across space and time. 

You’re outright panting now, feeling him deep in your guts and the strong lines of his forearm pressed into your chest. 

“Breathe in for me.”

And you do, feeling his hand close around your throat while fingers lodge themselves inside your mouth. 

Fuck! 

Your eyes roll so far back you can probably see him if you had light, and you’re mercifully let go before you need to gasp for oxygen. 

“Again.”

When you obey, Yoongi chokes you again, and you’re finding it euphoric as he clasps your column even harder. Every time he does, you clench around his cock, and a warm feeling washes over you every time he lets go. 

“How’s that feel, baby girl,” he asks, humming in approval when you drag a reply out,

“So good.” 

“Good.” He kisses your sweaty cheek before easily admitting, “I like it, too.”

Stilling, you turn as far as you can to regard him, asking in the tiniest voice, “You do?”

He darts his eyes to your lips before nodding. “You can try it next time.”

You smile, not knowing why you feel shy in this position of all things. But maybe you’re just happy that he said that. Because he didn’t need to admit something so intimate in the moment. 

“We’ll do whatever you want,” you vow in a murmur, closing your eyes when he captures your lips.

After sliding a tender hand down your cheek, he whispers, “Turn around.”

You immediately do, untwisting your back and relieving the tension in your neck. When you slowly move to face Yoongi again, he steadies you the whole way. 

And as soon as you’re settled, he kisses you so hard you fall back against the wall again. 

Hands come up to shove your tee upward and unhook your bra, and he gropes at your chest before ducking to take a nipple in his hot mouth.

Surging with pulses, you bury your face to muffle your moans, squeezing your eyes shut from pure ecstasy.

How the fuck are you doing this? With him? If you travelled back in time to tell yourself that this was gonna happen at a party someday, you would’ve been told to piss off. 

“Love these tits,” Yoongi grits. “Fuck.”

“I didn’t wanna wear a bra.”

He immediately chuckles. Darkness and sin brushing your chest. “I would’ve left.” 

You hum in mirth, knowing exactly what he means by that. As much as you wanted to tease him, you know that decision would’ve immediately gotten him in trouble. 

And definitely other people, too.

But the more he keeps licking and sucking, the more you feel it coming. Release. The inferno. It’s on the horizon and you’re just awaiting the crash of relentless deluge.

“There you go,” he rumbles. “You gonna come?”

You pant out before nodding, every muscle thrumming like hell. 

And he orders low in your ear, yanking your orgasm right out of your very center,

“Then come for me, doll.”

Your body wracks with jolts, stabs of lightning hitting every limb and locking them at hard angles. A rush of pleasure surges through, filling the closet with a heady scent that makes Yoongi groan pride into your neck.

“Uh huh,” he praises. “Still wanna talk shit?”

And you do. Tears leak from your eyes as you nod, orgasm riding farther than ever, waves unending and your mental shore nowhere in sight. 

“Course you do.” Yoongi claims your mouth. “Fuckin’ love it.”

Still, you feel pulled, lost to the universe that’s him and him alone, and you want to reciprocate the same pleasure that he’s providing. 

“Baby, I’m still—”

“Fuck—”

You don’t know what comes over your brain, or your body, or whatever else runs on autopilot. But you use the rest of your strength to shove him back, pushing him until he hits the other wall of the closet.

“D—”

You rush out a question before lowering yourself, “Did you come?”

“No, but—”

“Take it off.”

Stunned, Yoongi rushed to unsheath the wrapper, rubbing himself before you take control. 

Nothing will stop you at this point. Anyone could come in and you’d still be pleasuring Yoongi until he breaks. 

Because you want this. He’s earned this. 

Your knees hit the ground right as you take him in your mouth, tasting the strange mix of salt and latex but knowing it won’t be for long. 

This is what you’ve been wanting to do since he gave you his goddamn coat, and your imagination has been so vastly outdone by reality that you feel like none of it’s truly happening. 

When you flick your eyes upward, you get another thing you’ve been yearning for. 

Yoongi is fighting for his life. 

You can barely see that his eyes are squeezed tight, and you catch a tiny glimpse of his mouth agape before he bites it shut. When you suck in hard, his whole body flinches, and for the first time that night, he’s the one with a hand over his mouth. 

And you feel so fucking elated that you welcome the hot strings of cum painting your mouth, groaning around him and giggling when his essence slips right down your throat. 

He’s promising dark and wonderful things above your head, and you feel him grip your chin as soon as you pop off of his dick.

“Open that mouth.”

You show him, hoping he can tell in the dim light that there’s no drop left on your tongue.

“Goddamn.”

You’re tugged up before your mouth is smothered by his, and you teeter on your heels for balance as he whips you back against a solid surface.

It looks like he wants to say something. 

But nothing comes out as he clenches a fist next to your head. 

As you both calm, only your breaths fill the closet, your scents of passion clinging onto coats and jackets, all of which you could’ve worn in place of the one he gave you. 

But Yoongi did something so bold tonight that it was only natural for you to want to take the same risk. 

As he kisses you slow, you respond in kind, rolling your lips with his and enjoying coming down from this high with him every time. 

Shouts and yells from the game outside pierce into the closet, but both of you exist in your own little world. With you tracing the lines of his shirt and him gently straightening your clothes. 

“Thank you,” you whisper.

“For what, doll,” he asks in return. 

“Making me yours.” When you slightly pull on his jacket, you hope he gets what you mean. “Even if no one else knows.” 

His tiny peck on your cheek is genuine and, if you aren’t mistaken, a little prideful. “They’re going to, doll,” he vows into your skin. “I told you, you're gonna get tired of me.” 

"Lies," you sigh in peace. “So I get Halloween pictures with you next time, too?” 

Yoongi freezes, standing straight before fishing out his phone. 

And you fuss up a quiet storm before he lets you fix yourself, smiling at his camera as he squishes his sweaty, satisfied as fuck face right next to yours. 

If anyone ever comes across those pictures on his phone, you will never ever tell them the context. They'll never know why your makeup looks like that, or why his hair is even more haphazard, or why you both look way too happy to be in a closet.

Even if they frightened you to death. 

Some time later—and after a stressful time sneaking out with a smug Yoongi in tow—you find yourself downstairs and heading out the door with Taehyung. 

After he asks where you were, you simply tell him the truth: you were with Yoongi. And end it at that. 

With one look at your neck, he hums in amusement.

And you immediately slap a hand over it in shock, embarrassed to hell when he laughs.

But you let Tae tease you all the way home, knowing that you also caught a small glimpse of his life with Jimin. Not that you’ll tell him that until months from now. 

When your phone buzzes, you immediately check what awaits you. 

And you dissolve into mush yet again.

Yoongi [2:45am]: Text me when you’re home 

You [2:45am]: but im not going to your place :((  

What is home, if not where you feel the most at peace? Where you feel like you can be yourself and not worry about sneaking around? Where you know someone will protect you and be that person you can go to without any questions asked? 

Yoongi [2:47am]: Next Halloween you will be 

It’s definitely with Yoongi. 

Right now, you know your home is with him. 

Smiling, you type another text, full of contentment and looking towards the day all of this can be lived the way you both want. 

You [2:47am]: turn into a cat 

Yoongi [2:47am]: 😒

Taehyung looks at you when you laugh, and his grin grows when he can tell you’re genuinely happy. 

And when Yoongi actually sends you a selfie matching the ear gesture he did earlier, you feel the endearing prick of hot tears in your eyes. 

Yoongi [2:49am]: 1 Attachment 

He has a distinct matching mark on his neck.

And you are one thousand percent sure he took the picture knowing it's visible.

Yoongi [2:50am]: Meow :)

Happy Halloween indeed. 

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end :)

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🍊ahhh what do we think !!🍊| join the taglist!

a/n: thank you all for reading! i know this is super super late to post but i wanted it to be decent for y'all before letting it free. if you did enjoy, please interact however you can! even a like is okay at this point, but all tags, reblogs, comments, messages, and submissions in the feedback box are super appreciated.

a/n 2: to any men reading this series, let me tell you.. that hug situation happened to me and some people i know and it suuuucks :(( ladies - and guys, anyone really - if you've had that happen to you i am sending you the biggest genuine hugs and a 3tan yoongi to make it better. and if it hasn't happened to you, then good.

++feedback box: ⇥ of course, any reblogs/comments/messages are appreciated! ⇥ for the ones that are too shy to reblog with a review, comment on this, or send a message, i went ahead and made another anonymous form where you can send in what you think! ⇥ no emails collected, no need to put in a username. it’s literally just a comment dropbox :D feedback can be as short/sweet or as long as you’d like! ⇥ here! ++ more links: ⇥ masterlist  ⇥ three tangerines masterlist

#BOO!! :)) happy halloween! #bts imagines #bts reactions #bts fic #bts fanfic #yoongi fic #yoongi angst #yoongi fluff #yoongi smut #yoongi x you #yoongi x reader #*ryenfictalk #ryenwrites #three tangerines #3tan #3tanoween #*latest #bts smut

[qwimchii]

𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘩 — 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴

𝘫𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘯𝘺 "𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘱" 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘹 𝘧!𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

— 𝘴𝘧𝘸 & 𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘸

ʚ⁺˖ everyone has that inner child in them that wants to be nurtured by their partner, and Johnny actively seeks that out in a person

ʚ⁺˖ he is not immature, clingy, or needy—he just wants to be with someone who makes him feel safe enough to just be him and be in that soft, little boy energy sometimes

ʚ⁺˖ i think that Johnny was a bit of a popular boy in high school. the nice kind who was a bit hyperactive and the class clown and probably got voted to be homecoming court king just because he was just funny and everyone liked him…

ʚ⁺˖ really fucking naughty too. was definitely having mini little science experiments with gunpowder, matches, and fireworks in the backyard with his brothers as a kid!!! he was blowing things up even before he got an education and license for it

ʚ⁺˖ but he was also one of those kids who everyone liked but he was kind of always distant… untouchable. it was always like he was focused on bigger brighter things—wanted to join the sas asap and wanted to grow up faster than everyone else. 

ʚ⁺˖ he was that kind of senior that you had a crush on in high school but knew you had no chance because his attention was just elsewhere—not like he was mean at all. he was always kind and didn’t judge others, but he wanted an unconventional path that was different than most. he was also that kind of senior who would be friends with anyone… even if they were “weird”. he didn't care because he was focused on other things, so lots of social norms/constraints didn’t really register half the time in his brain.

ʚ⁺˖ really fucking smart too. too smart. he was outsmarting his teachers since elementary school. not super book smart, doesn’t know all these specific facts, but he just understands. really high social iq as well!! everyone thinks that he lives too fast, that he’s funny, that he’s a bit brash and rough around the edges, but inside, he’s actually very in-tune with his surroundings—people’s energy, your energy

ʚ⁺˖ because of his hyperactivity in high energy situation with lots of people, lots of things going on, he needs that safe space to just unwind and be like :]

ʚ⁺˖ this :] literally embodies johnny when he’s content with you—his pretty little safe space. especially because he wanted to grow up so fast, join sas as soon as he possibly could, and probably grew up in a catholic family with quite a bit of kids, his inner child didn’t get much attention.

ʚ⁺˖ once this man notices you for who you are on the inside, how nurturing and calm you can be, how you can see his inner child, he is head over heels. head over heels. obsessed, obsessed, obsessed.

ʚ⁺˖ doesn’t really know what to do with himself and builds up all this nervous, slidey energy around you. like all his insides are sliding around too much and he just needs to anchor himself to something (you). 

ʚ⁺˖ didn’t date much when he was younger but enjoyed one-night stands every now and then, never anything serious. didn’t think he really wanted anything serious. he had seen his siblings and their families and was content with remaining a proud uncle of ten (or more). suddenly, after meeting you, and all your softness, something about it innocent and carefree, he didn’t know what to do.

ʚ⁺˖ it was like everything he hadn’t really experienced in his early 20s—that first, serious relationship that most of his childhood friends went through in college—came rushing to him.

ʚ⁺˖ his first instinct is to get close to you—become friends first. he’s the type that wants to have a really natural connection so that the line between lover and friends is blurred. not in a bad, miscommunication way. just a natural, this feels so right way. 

ʚ⁺˖ he’s intuitive, remember? thinks with his own different kind of logic that most people would find confusing or a little strange if they really noticed it which isn’t so easy under his funny, easygoing exterior… not you though. he knew you thought of his unique mind as endearing, because no matter how many more vulnerable sore spots he revealed to you, you wouldn’t even flinch. you’d just give him that pretty smile and reassure him and he'd be obsessed all over again.

ʚ⁺˖ he also wants a fun lover! wants to have fun and crack jokes!! you guys probably have two and a half million inside jokes that are way too much to unpack for others to understand. even if you’re not a naturally talkative, outgoing, or joking kind of person, the conversations Johnny will take you down are always strange, strange rabbit holes that draw out the most fun discussions you’ve ever had. he has chemistry with almost anyone, but you especially because he’s just fascinated.

ʚ⁺˖ starts giving you pet names once you become closer friends. bonnie, bonnie lass, kitty, or kitty cat. if anyone in 141 calls you kitty cat/kitty, it’s definitely Johnny.  “hey little kitty cat.” “how’s my little kitty cat doin’ today? hm? yeah, bonnie? tell me about yer day. ” over the phone…

ʚ⁺˖ soon enough your hangouts becomes more intimate and personal. it’s a little confusing because you’re friends but you’re not?? but every time you’re with him, all that confusion just melts away, because it’s just him. Johnny. you’re very comfortable with one another—does it even really matter if you define your relationship with him?

ʚ⁺˖ watching movies cuddled on the couch, sharing shitty ramen recipes and having whole-ass mock cooking shows at 2am for shits and giggles, wriggling into each other’s beds during a sleepover, facetiming a lot, you’re practically attached at the hip virtually and not. all your friends are onto you immediately, sniffing out this newfound “friend” like hounds. it’s obvious to everyone else that you can’t possibly just be friends… but how obvious is that to you? not much.

ʚ⁺˖ a touchy boyfriend friend. can definitely imagine a lazy weekend when he stayed over at your place on the couch after a long night of binging movies or k-dramas, and in the morning, he’s at the entrance of your bedroom, yawning and stretching out like a cat and shamelessly shirtless, much to your enjoyment embarrassment. jokingly asks if he can join you, because you just look so cute and comfortable curled up in those sheets like a little kitty cat, and when you say yes, he’s over in a flash, burrowing in the warm blankets beside you, all content like :] while watching your sleepy face. 

ʚ⁺˖ brushes away the hairs from your face and you whisper back and forth in the soft morning hours, letting him gently peck at the soft places on your face when he wants. till one day, just like any other day, you’re laying in bed and he’s gently pecking at your face, forehead, nose, eyelids, cheeks, and then the corner of your mouth, and you gently turn your head and his soft lips are on yours, bristly beard grating against your chin. but you don’t mind it in the way he’s kissing you so deliciously, tongue sliding between your lips as he crawls over you and cages you beneath his weight.

nsfw

ʚ⁺˖ the thing that would spur you over that thin line from friends to lovers was the incessant want you had for each other

ʚ⁺˖ Johnny more than anything. can’t get enough of you—sometimes gets hard just at the thought of you, which is embarrassing because he feels like he can’t control himself when it happens

ʚ⁺˖ during long months away from his favorite kitty cat, touches himself to the thoughts of your pretty smile and soft skin in breathy gasps, eventually caving in when he got too desperate and called you and felt so so so bad for lying to his sweet little kitty over the phone.

ʚ⁺˖ “are you alright, Johnny?” you’d ask him, brow furrowed and lip caught between your teeth at the sound of his strange, husky gasps over the phone. and he just grunts back, “mhmm. m’perfect kitty, just keep talkin’ to me. jus’ like that.”

ʚ⁺˖ it wasn’t like it was just one-sided. while Johnny is a very, very eager lover with a crazy high sex drive just for you, you’d been suffering from the same side effects. lingering in the same close-knit spaces when he was on leave, his scent lingered on different things—your pillows, bedsheets, clothes, and just the smell of him was enough to make you squirm and get you all dripping wet. sometimes it gets so bad to the point where you humped a pillow that smelled like him, thinking about how much you ached for the burly, warm muscle of his bare body sliding against yours in bed when you cuddled.

ʚ⁺˖ sometimes, when he was over at your place, tangled with him after a particularly hot summer night, you’d wake up with your clothes half-stripped off and Johnny almost naked just behind you, the strong muscle of his chest digging into your bare shoulder blade. it was embarrassing, realizing that you had done that in the middle of the night without even realizing it. and when you tried to slide out of the sheets to discreetly pull up your shorts again and put on a shirt, he’d growl, pulling your back into the blankets and not even caring how bare you were, one burly arm beneath your head and the other around your waist, fingertips sliding up to rest in the place right between your tits, but not touching. 

ʚ⁺˖ his morning voice would be all gravely by your ear, teasing, “my little kitty get hot last night?” when you would start squirming in his arms in protest, half-mewling for him to let go, but not really wanting him to let go, he’s just chuckle, his hips flush to your ass and grinding lazy circles of his morning wood into your plush flesh. “s’alright, kitty, just relax.”

ʚ⁺˖ and when you finally do fuck, after long heady months of endless teasing, lingering touches and a blatant amount of skin on display for each other, Johnny suffering a record amount of blue-balls in your presence and the sweet smell of you making him downright dizzy, you’d be fucking like rabbits—Johnny going round after round after round and making you wonder if he had a refractory period at all. 

ʚ⁺˖ so so so desperate and fast and rough, hand snaking in your hair and pushing your head down into the mattress as his strong hips snap against your ass, other hand snaking down your stomach to rub too fast circles against your clit.

ʚ⁺˖ he can be soft—naturally is rough. spits on your cunt and in your mouth, pulls your hair, slaps your ass and watches with a greediness the way it creates addicting little ripples over your skin. loves turning your ass cheeks a pretty shade of pink. loves your ass in general—always groping it in private, doing discrete little grabs in public. fucks your mouth too, thick cock head against the back of your throat as he wipes away your tears and coos, praising you for being his good little kitty cat, with suck a fuckable throat and pretty little swollen, fuckable lips. s’yer fault yer such a fuckin’ tease. his head tips back when you swallow around his pulsing head.

ʚ⁺˖ does sweet little check-ins while making you see stars. soft pecks against your lips, kissing away any tears, brushing his fingers over your hair softly sometimes. just to make sure you’re alright while he’s fucking you so good and rough and overstimulating you till you can’t even talk and you’re just babbling for more while his thick, dripping cock is rutting into you and his hand is squeezing around your throat, letting out low, throaty grunts and groans—just the way he know you love it. loves degrading you too. you’re his sweet little slut, his sweet little whore, pretty little slag. for no one but him. absolutely no one.

ʚ⁺˖ and oooh this man is possessive. the most possessive in 141 (me thinks). can’t stand it when men are even in your vicinity—not because he isn’t confident. he very much is. it’s super sexy to you, too, the way he carries himself with a straight posture and big, broad shoulders. he’s just so so so protective over his sweet little kitty cat. can’t have these awful men corrupting you :( that’s exclusively for him!

ʚ⁺˖ but when he is feeling for a softer round… or maybe you are… it’s usually after you’ve been fucking rough for hours and he’s begging you for just one more, pretty, lifting your leg up and slipping his hard, pulsing cock into your puffy, swollen cunt while you whine and cry, tears spilling down your cheeks.

ʚ⁺˖ he’ll fuck you lazily on his side just like that, arm wrapped around your waist while the other massages soothing circles into your twitching clit, shushing you softly as you half-sob, whispering kind things in your ear. 

ʚ⁺˖ “so good for me, kitty. need ye te come one more time. can’t ye do that for me? hm, kitty cat? aye, i know ye can, i ken you will, bonnie. just for me. aye, you can do it, there ye go, just like that, such a good lass takin’ this thick cock—” babbling incessantly into your ear, coaxing you through your last bone-shaking orgasm, little mewls falling from your lips as he presses his cock right up to your swollen cervix, stuffing liquid warmth into your womb.

ʚ⁺˖ and once he’s spent, sperm effectively drained from his tight, throbbing balls, he’ll smile at you in victorious satisfaction, kissing all over you in sweet little apologies for how rough he’s been with you. sometimes he’ll pay special attention to the puffy lips of your pussy, kissing them and then suckling on your clit, enjoying the way you squirm with overstimulation, whimpering soft little no mores and he’ll pull away with a smirk, amused with the cute little pout on your face.

ʚ⁺˖ then, he’ll crawl back over you, wrapping you up in his strong arms, feeling absolutely content that he won’t be sharing you—his sweet, gorgeous little safe space—with any other person in the entire world :]

no i did not 100% have soap brain rot at 12am and write this....... i would never..... especially not on a school night........

taglist: @ivybeeloved

#cod mw2 #johnny mactavish #johnny soap mactavish #john soap mactavish #soap smut #soap mactavish #soap x reader #soap x you #johnny mactavish smut #call of duty modern warfare #call of duty modern warfare 2 #soap headcanons #johnny mactavish x reader #johnny mactavish x you #johnny mactavish headcannons #cod headcanons

[atinylittlepain]

Dancing in the Dark

no outbreak!joel miller x fem!reader

Hungry Hearts masterlist

The summer of '86, a season of love, record-breaking heat, and evening softball games in one Austin neighborhood. What happens when seventeen years later, that lost love comes back around?

warnings | 18+ cursing, smut, young joel is a goddamn menace, angst, references to bad home life, gin making random things canon

wordcount | 9.8K

a/n | welcome back to Hungry Hearts, y'all. i have to thank @northernbluess for beta-reading this bad boy. love you, cousin. as always, I'd love to hear what you think of the chapter!

.......................................

“Hey, Cher, you ready to go?”

“Does it look like I’m ready to go?”

“You look ready to me.”

“Joel, I’m not wearing a shirt.”

“It’s hot out, Cherry. I’m just thinking about your well-being here.”

“How considerate of you. Just give me a minute, and be quiet before my parents hear you.” 

“Bossy, bossy.” She leaves him at her window, shuffling back over to her closet to finish getting dressed. Joel, however, doesn’t stay put for long, swinging one leg, then the other over the sill and into her room before promptly banging his forehead on the opened pane of her window, a low curse leaving his mouth before she can shush him. 

“Very smooth.”

“Yeah, well, you know me. Now c’mere.” He hooks a finger into the belt loop of her jean shorts, a little tug that she resists, and then a bigger, more impatient tug that she can’t help but shuffle into. He’s actually wearing pants tonight, tight, tight blue jeans with a t-shirt that’s had the sleeves and sides cut out, a perfect space for her palms to splay along the bare sides of his ribs when he draws her in for a kiss by the hinge of her jaw. 

“If you start now, we’re never gonna make it to the fair.” He hums at that, his eyes still intently focused on her lips.

“Hmm, would that be such a bad thing?” 

“Uh, yes, I want to see the fireworks.” She’s not sure if he really heard that, his mind seeming to go a bit one-track as he looks at her bra, his fingers brushing over the top of the cups, catching on the lace there.

“This is new.”

“No, I just haven’t worn it around you before.” 

“Well, shit, Cher, you been holding out on me?” 

“Joel.”

“Alright, alright, hands off, I’ll let you get dressed.” As she pulls a tank top over her head, she realizes that he’s never been in her room before. Not even when they were kids. She steals a glance at him as she’s tying her sneakers, and he seems to be stealing glances of his own, subtly leaning over the small desk across from her bed, his eyes trailing over the stack of books sitting there, the photos she had pinned to the wall from her last year of college. He doesn’t say anything though, a quiet collecting, so she doesn’t say anything about it either, simply clearing her throat to grab his attention when she’s ready to go.

“Try not to knock your head into the window on the way out this time.” He doesn’t, though he grumbles through the close contortion he has to manage to pop back outside, panting a little when he holds his hand out for her through the window. It’s not like they had an actual conversation about the necessity of sneaking around with each other. It was an unspoken understanding. Her parents like Joel enough, she grew up with him after all, but she’s certain they would both have aneurysms if they found out what they’ve been getting up to. And anyways, it’s just for the summer, nothing serious, a bit of fun, and Joel seems just as content with that as she is. 

“Tell me about your classes.”

“I’m pretty sure I’d bore you if I did.” 

“We’ve got a half-hour drive, Cher, try me.” The sun is just starting to set, turning the inside of his truck a hazy orange as they drive down the highway away from the suburbs and toward the Austin city limits.

“Okay, in most of them we read books, then we talk about the books, then we write papers about the books.”

“That’s it?”

“I told you it’s boring.” 

“You’re taking writing classes too though, right?” 

“Yeah, I actually won an award for a short story I did in one of them.” She feels a bit stupid sharing that with him, a bit stupid for even wanting to in the first place. But he smiles, big and bright, his eyebrows lifting up with a quick glance over to her.

“No shit, Cher, that’s awesome. I’m not surprised though.” 

“Thanks, yeah, you wanna know what my mom said when I showed her the photo of me receiving the award?” 

“What’d she say?”

“She asked if I had really been wearing my hair like that at school.” For a moment, he’s silent, and her stomach twists up, worried that she shouldn’t have shared that because, obviously, why the hell would he want to hear her bitch about her mom? 

“That’s fucking bullshit, she seriously said that?”

“Yeah.”

“Your mom was always kind of a square.”

“I’m inclined to agree.” 

“You remember when I got gum stuck to your skirt in Sunday school?”

“Oh my god, she was so mad.” 

“She’s got that vein, right down the middle of her forehead, you know?”

“Oh yeah, I’m very familiar with that vein.”

“I swear, Cherry, I thought it was gonna burst she was yelling at me so good.”

“I remember watching that from the car. Your little mouth was just hanging open, I didn’t know if you were gonna bolt or barf.”

“I was scared shitless. She yell at you when y’all got home then?” 

“No, I got the silent treatment and no dinner for a week.”

“Shit, Cher, really?” Suddenly, the laugh buoying his words is gone, a little quieter, a little more tempered. And she realizes, oh, one of those things that isn’t normal. Oh, one of those things that doesn’t happen in other families. Since starting college, she’s gotten good at recognizing these moments, when the laughs die out right after something she said. Oh, your parents? Well, get a load of my parents. No, not funny. Not funny at all. A whole lot of not funny going on in her household. 

“Yeah, I guess that’s why I stopped sitting next to you in Sunday school.” Said with a weak laugh to make it okay, though Joel’s smile has still faltered into something closer to a grimace, his eyes staying still and squinted down the stretch of the highway. 

“Can I read the story sometime?” 

“Oh, um, yeah, okay, if you want.” He keeps his eyes on the road, but his hand that isn’t hanging over the steering wheel slips down to rest on the center console, palm face up, a wordless invitation that she finds herself taking with her own hand. A small comfort to press her palm into his.

“Of course I do, Cher.”

…

It’s the same thing every year. The same rides that always have a few screws loose, the same smell of food sizzling in oil that his doctor would definitely not want him eating, the same throngs of sunburned people shuffling from booth to booth down the drag of streets that have been closed off for the fair. For a while, he didn’t go, but since Sarah got old enough to be interested in all the fourth of July festivities, they’ve made the drive into Austin every year for it, though as of late, the night usually entails her meeting up with her friends and yes, dadding, him into leaving her alone until the fireworks are over. But he isn’t all alone this year, Tommy tagging along at the last minute when whatever his plans were, Joel shudders to think of what they were, fell through. So no, not pathetic at all, just two grown men wandering through the crowd and waiting until they can go home. 

“I saw we got a new appointment on the books for next week. Someone on Cascade Street?”

“Uh-huh.”

“New client?”

“Yep, yeah, they just moved in.”

“Why are you being weird about it?” Tommy stops in his tracks, scrunching his face up at Joel who would really like this topic of conversation to get dropped. 

“I’m not, Tommy, why are you so concerned about this new client?” 

“What are they getting done?” 

“New porch.” 

“Who’s taking the job?” 

“I am.”

“You?” 

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” Tommy shrugs, scoffing when Joel starts walking again without him, quick to catch up and step into stride with him.

“Seems like a pretty rinky-dink job for you to take on, especially when we’re in the middle of that new build on Cypress.”

“I thought you said you have Cypress under control?” He’s being a touch too snappy about it, he knows it, and judging by the weird look Tommy is giving him, his hands up as if in surrender, he knows it too. 

“I do, I’m just surprised that you aren’t letting one of the other guys take that job on, is all. What, is it a pretty lady or something?” Before Joel can figure out how to answer that question, Tommy’s eyes are widening and slipping right over his shoulder, and then–

“Holy shit, holy shit.”

“What?” 

“See for yourself, brother.” Tommy shuffles him around by his shoulders, Joel’s protests dying in his throat when he sees her. Mercifully, she hasn’t seen them yet, standing in line at a frozen lemonade stand with her phone at her ear, having what looks to be a heated conversation. He doesn’t see Ellie with her, though, and figures to himself that she’s gotten the same treatment he has from Sarah. And suddenly, frozen lemonade seems like a very good idea because his throat has gotten quite dry looking at her. Those same jean shorts he saw her in the last time, and a sliver of skin between the waistband and the hem of her t-shirt. Her very tight t-shirt that rides up a little more when she raises her hand to push those sunglasses of hers back into her hair. And, well, he’s not trying to be a perv, but it doesn’t take much more than a glance to tell that she isn’t wearing a bra beneath her very, very tight t-shirt. 

“Cherry!” 

“Tommy, what the fuck?” Too late, her head has already whipped around, her phone still pressed to her ear, though the scowl that had been on her face melts into a small smile, her eyes widening in recognition. Meanwhile, Joel is considering how hard he would have to punch his brother to rattle his pea-sized brain into some sense. Cherry seems to finish her phone call with a quick flurry, already walking over to them as she hangs up.

“Tommy Miller, look at you!” Tommy pulls her into a tight hug, a small oof leaving her as he hoists her up until only her toes are on the ground before setting her back down with a slap to her arm. Joel decidedly does not give her such a greeting. 

“Cher, of all the people I don’t think I’d ever expect to see you around here, goddamn!”

“Wait, Joel didn’t tell you I moved back?” They both turn their attention to Joel, who only manages to open and close his mouth a few times before Tommy lets out a scoff. 

“You knew that she was back and you didn’t tell me?” 

“Uh, well–”

“I thought for sure he would have told you. He’s coming out to look at my porch next week. Very impressive by the way, Tom, Miller’s Construction.” At that, something smug slides down Tommy’s face as he looks over at Joel.

“Oh, is he now? Say, Cher, you didn’t happen to move in on Cascade Street, did you?”

“Yeah, that’s right, so Joel did tell you then?” Joel contorts his face in the best expression of please no, Tommy, I will kill you if you do that he can muster over Cherry’s shoulder, but Tommy just grins at him, and then at Cherry. 

“No, nope, I just saw in our books that there was an appointment on Cascade next week with a very important person. Just putting two and two together for myself since it looks like no one tells me anything around here.” With that, Tommy claps Joel on the shoulder, who still hasn’t managed to get a word in edgewise between the two of them. Cherry has a smile on her face like she knows exactly what’s going on.

“Well, anyways, it’s so good to see you, Cher. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“It’s good to see you too, Tommy. I’m really glad to see you looking so well.” 

“I try, now if you two kids will excuse me, I have a date with something deep fried and covered in sugar.” Tommy is off in a flash, leaving Joel to flounder beneath Cherry’s simpering gaze. 

“You didn’t tell Tommy that I was back?”

“I didn’t think it was mine to tell.” She nods, squinting at him through the bleary haze of the sunset.

“So this hasn’t changed much at all.”

“No, I reckon these are the same rides we went on as kids.”

“Don’t remind me, I’m already worried that Ellie’s off getting kidnapped right now. I don’t need tetanus and loss of limb added to the list.”

“So you got dumped too then?” They make their way back over to the line in front of the frozen lemonade stand, a bit longer than it was before, but he’s happy to wait with her. 

“Afraid so, apparently when you turn fourteen you no longer want to be seen in public with your mom.”

“That applies to dads too.” They both share a tired smile and a small shrug, and once again he can’t believe he’s standing here with her, talking about parenthood of all things. 

“Ellie’s on a date, but don’t tell her I told you that.” Said with a slanted smile and a bump of her shoulder into his.

“Oh yeah?” 

“Mmhmm, she’s been harboring quite the crush on her team’s center outfielder.” The gears in his mind spin for a moment, and then it clicks. 

“Oh, oh, huh.” 

“Nice save, Joel.” 

“No, I mean, that’s great, Cher. Good for her for, uh, knowing herself.” He palms the back of his neck, trying to cool the quick heat creeping there as she laughs at him. It’s a heat he hasn’t felt in a long time, though she was always quick to draw it out of him, always quick to catch him.

“Yeah, it is. I do worry though. Austin is definitely not New York.”

“That it ain’t, though I don’t think she’s gonna have to worry with you for her mom. You always did know how to give people the what for.” 

“You’re damn right about that.” That’s a smile he’d like to remember, a grin really, her eyes crinkling up at him, a little wry and a little fierce. That heat just keeps creeping. 

When they get to the front of the line, she starts to argue with him when he tries to pay for her drink, though he manages to sneak it by her when she gets distracted by another phone call buzzing through her back pocket. She checks the caller ID, sighs, and immediately shoves the phone back into her pocket, letting out another sigh when she sees that he’s already paid for her lemonade. 

“For the record, I’m getting the next one.” 

“Sure, Cher.” His mind gets a little stuck on next one, though he manages to follow her over to a bench and sit down with her, when once again, her phone starts ringing. She doesn’t check it, simply takes a long swig through the straw of her drink as it continues to buzz and ring.

“Not gonna take that call?” 

“Nope, do you want some of this?” Maybe it’s childish, but the thought of drinking from the same straw as her makes his brain start to fry, so he shakes his head no and grips the edge of the bench a little tighter. 

“Is that who you were on the phone with earlier?”

“Oh, you saw that, huh?” It makes him feel sheepish, admitting that he had, nodding to her question. Her shoulders slacken with a long sigh, another pull from her lemonade before she continues speaking. 

“It’s my agent, poking around for my next draft.”

“So you weren’t kidding about the big leagues? Got an agent and everything.”

“I wish I didn’t have one, honestly. But I kinda have to when I’m dealing with all these big publishers.” She pinches the bridge of her nose as she says it, her eyes dropping shut, and he finally sees that she is actually very tired. A little drawn, heavy circles under her eyes, a little thin, sharp around the edges in a way he doesn’t remember. How he missed it before he isn’t sure, but now that he sees it, something slight and sharp slips between his ribs and curls around his heart. 

“You’re working on another book then?” How quickly she hides away that weariness, looking at him with her cheek tilted over her shoulder and a bright smile.

“I’m trying to. You probably don’t care to hear about this–”

“I do, Cher, always wanted to hear about your stories.” It comes out before he can think much about it, and her expression does a strange thing. A quick fall, a scrunch of her brows, and then a slight frown before she shakes her head as if to clear the whole thing away. 

“Have you really not read a single one of my books, Joel?” 

“Uh, I–”

“No, don’t answer that. Wasn’t a fair question, sorry. Anyways, there’s nothing much to tell about this one because I am completely stuck with it.” 

“Stuck?” 

“I’m about this close to scrapping the whole thing. I don’t know, I guess part of me thought the move would shake something loose, but I still got nothing.” It’s not like he could offer her any advice on it, and it’s not like she’s looking for it either, another sigh around her straw and a shrug of her shoulders, always quick to make nothing out of something. 

“You eaten anything for dinner yet?”

“Does this thirty-two ounce frozen lemonade count?” He’s already getting up and holding out his hand for her, and while it seems like the simplest movement, his mind instantly questions if it’s too much, though he fights against that with a foolish hope. 

“C’mon, Cher, I think I can do you one better than a frozen lemonade.” No big deal, she takes his hand. No big deal, he tells himself. No big deal when she lets go either, because that’s normal too. That’s friendly. And friendly is good. 

“If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, then it is definitely going to be better than this frozen lemonade.” 

…

“You got a little, right there–” Before she can wipe away whatever he’s referring to with a napkin, Joel has already licked his thumb and swiped it along the corner of her mouth, promptly sucking what she assumes is barbecue sauce off the pad of his finger. 

“That was so gross.”

“What? I’m saving paper.”

“Lovely.”

“Always, Cherry baby.” The sun had set a while ago, the streets lit up in a syrupy wash of neon from all the rides and games lining the several blocks. They ran the whole circuit of the booths, her constantly pulling Joel away to keep him from spending any more money on trying to win her something, and inevitably failing at whatever rigged game he stepped up to. She can already see his eyes dragging over the remaining booths as they finish their meal at one of the picnic tables set up next to all the food vendors, planning his attack, no doubt.

“You know I really don’t care about getting a stuffed animal, right?” 

“It’s the principle of the thing, Cher.”

“Those games are literally designed for people to lose at them. Seriously, I don’t want you to waste any more money on it.” She quickly realizes that was the exact wrong thing to say, Joel’s eyes flashing back to her, hard and steeled, on the defense. 

“You don’t gotta worry about what I do with my money, okay?” His words come out rushed and loud, with a quick shake of his head, enough to startle her back from where her thigh had been pressed close to his, something that immediately washes the edge out of his expression, his eyebrows slackening and his lips parting.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it, Joel.” Her mouth feels dry, a cool prickle in her scalp, regret swirling up her meal in her stomach. He gets enough of that from everyone else, the money, the job, the what is the plan. He doesn’t need it from her too. 

“No, I’m sorry, it’s just– forget it, I shouldn’t have gone after you like that.” She’s not quite ready to look at him, keeping her eyes focused on the red and white checkered napkin that she’s twisting in her hands. But of course, Joel doesn’t abide by that for long, ducking his head and leaning over to place a smacking kiss on the corner of her mouth before angling back again to get one planted square on her lips. 

“You– taste– like– smoked– brisket–” Each of his words is punctuated with another peck until she can no longer stave off the smile threatening at the corners of her lips, shoving him back with a palm pressed in the middle of his chest. 

“Oh shit, Miller, is that you?” Her stomach turns over, because she’s pretty sure she knows whose voice that is, and she wishes that she didn’t. She isn’t sure what the next best move is, though Joel seems to make the decision for her, slinging his arm over her shoulder to tuck her into his side just as Mikey Donahue comes sauntering over to where they’re sitting. 

“Hey, Mike, you out with the guys tonight?” Joel offers his hand out for a hard shake, apparently still chummy with Mikey after the little scene at his party. Though she supposes water flows under the bridge a little faster for boys anyways. 

“Nah, decided to finally bite the bullet and take Maureen out, she ducked into the bathrooms but she should be wandering over soon.” Though the answer is directed at Joel, Mikey’s eyes stay steady on her, a smile that she doesn’t like the curl of crooking his mouth. 

“Y’all are quite the couple. Does your daddy know you’re out with this menace, big city?” It’s so small, so subtle, but she can still feel it, the way Joel’s hand curls closely and tenses around her forearm from where his arm had been draped around her.

“Ha, ha, Mikey, that’s very funny. I’m a big girl though, don’t really need my daddy or you to be concerned with my business.” Joel snorts over her shoulder, and she has to resist the urge to elbow him for it. 

“Whatever you say, big city. Oh, here comes Maureen. Do y’all mind if we join you?” She’s quick to cut Joel off before he can answer, squeezing his thigh hard to shut him up as she offers Mikey a tight-lipped smile. 

“Actually, we were just heading off to get a few rides in before the fireworks, but y’all have fun.” Not another word, though she’s pretty sure she hears Mikey let out a laugh as she pulls Joel up and along behind her before Maureen can even get anywhere near them. 

“Cher, you know I don’t like rides.” Said very lowly, a bit bashful, she thinks, his head ducking down to speak the words right into her ear. Yeah, she knows, and has known since they were nine and Tommy and her forced him onto the Gravitron, which ended with Joel in tears and a puddle of what had been his dinner next to the trash can that he missed by only a hair. 

“I know, I just needed an excuse to get away from those two. But, really, Joel? Not even the ferris wheel?” He stops walking for a moment, his eyes scanning over the arc of the ride as if to give it his full consideration. Finally, he looks at her again, his lips pressed in a thin line.

“How bad do you wanna go on it?” 

“I think it could be nice, but not if you’re going to be all weird about it.” She swears she sees his chest puff a little, and with that, he takes her hand with all the conviction of a man going off to war. 

“I’m not going to be weird about it, let’s go.” Famous last words. He’s the picture of ease all while they’re standing in line, but the instant they cram into one of the cars, his whole body tenses up, his knuckles going white where they’re gripping onto the side railing. She doesn’t say anything at first, just puts her hand on his bouncing knee when the ride cranks into motion. Though when they crest the top of the ride and it stops again, Joel’s poorly contained panic becomes impossible to ignore.

“Oh, what the fuck–”

“It’s okay, they’re just letting more people on.” She doesn’t think that he hears her, too busy craning his neck over the side of the car before skittering back into place when the lean of his body makes the whole thing rock. 

“This is so fucked–”

“Joel.”

“Why do people enjoy this? That’s–”

“Joel.” 

“What?” He finally looks at her, eyes a bit frantic and jaw slack. She can’t help but reach out and brush his hair back from his face. 

“Is it– are you afraid of heights?” Calling it what it is seems to calm him, his shoulders finally coming down from his ears and his eyes softening. She lets her hand dip down to curl behind his neck, her fingers scratching lightly into the back of his hair.

“Maybe, but I’d say that’s a pretty rational fear, Cher.” 

“Yeah, it is, and you’re also totally safe right now.” Her words are undermined just a bit when the ride screeches back into motion just as she finishes saying them, Joel’s eyes going wide again as he whips his head around to look over the edge of the car. Right, drastic measures then. 

“Hey.” First, she shrugs her thigh over top of his to stop the anxious bounce in his knee, already drawing his attention back onto her. Then, she leans in a little closer so she can keep her eyes steady with his, her hand firm along the side of his neck to hold him in place. 

“Just look right here and it’ll be over before you know it.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“Well, I’m not the one freaking out on a ferris wheel right now.”

“Hey.” She shouldn’t, like giving a child what they want just because they’re having a tantrum. But she does, pressing one kiss, then another to his lips, small, swift little pecks that he eventually starts to lean into, his hand that had been gripping onto the railing coming up to settle along the line of her jaw when she swipes her tongue across his bottom lip. They’ve gotten a little better at this, at making compromises with each other, giving and taking almost equally, opening up for each other. And, not that his ego needs to hear it, but she really likes kissing him. 

His panic seems to be all forgotten as he licks into her mouth, his nose brushing along the side of hers. Always a little greedy though, crowding her into the side of the car and making a soft sound skitter up her throat when his teeth graze along her lip. 

“Uh, excuse me?” It startles them both, Joel very slowly pulling away from her and turning his head to look at the ride attendant, the very unamused looking ride attendant. 

“Y’all can get off now, thanks.” 

…

“Goddamn.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“They don’t have barbecue up north?” 

“Not like this they don’t, Jesus.” He tries not to smile too big at the satisfied hum that leaves her throat as she takes another bite. And he’s also trying hard not to watch her too closely, because, no, it’s probably not normal to just stare at someone while they’re eating brisket and potato salad. 

“Do I have something on my face?” Busted, and, well, actually, he motions to the side of his own mouth, words getting caught in his throat. She gets the hint though, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at the same spot on her face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how hungry I actually was. I probably look a little crazy right now.” 

“Are you eating proper while you’re working?” Sheepish, the flicker of her eyes from beneath her lashes is enough of an answer to his question. Some things never change, he supposes. 

“I may get a little distracted.”

“Uh-huh.” A quick, quiet smile shared, a knowing. He likes knowing. 

“Mom?” No, he is still not used to that, both of them whipping their heads around where they’re sitting at a picnic bench to see her daughter with a very furrowed look on her face. 

“Hey, babe, everything okay?” Ellie is looking at Joel. Sizing him up is more like it, her lips pursed and her arms crossed, her hip cocked to the side, just like he knows her mom does when she’s not pleased with something. 

“Uh, yeah, we were just gonna– wait, are you eating meat?” He glances back to Cherry, who now has the guiltiest little smile on her face, her eyebrows pulled together in a quiet cringe as she tries to inconspicuously swallow another bite of food.

“I am, Els, I’m sorry. I gotta be honest, I don’t think I’m gonna keep up the vegetarian thing all the time, but you know I’ll support you if you still want to.” Ellie gives her an eye roll that looks like it’s going to get stuck in the back of her head, a little huff and a few shuffled steps in place like she can’t believe this.

“Okay, well, fine, I guess. I was gonna ask if you had found something to eat that didn’t have dead animal in it, but obviously you’re not gonna be much help with that so I’ll see you later.” With that, Ellie turns heel back into the crowd, Joel still unsure exactly what he just watched.

“They have fried pickles, babe, those should be fine! Be safe, please!” Ellie only acknowledges her shout with a glance spared over her shoulder, Cherry immediately deflating when her daughter gets swallowed up by the crowd, bringing her thumb and forefinger to pinch the bridge of her nose again.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe that just happened.” Said with a dejected little laugh that only grows when she takes another bite of brisket, his chest loosening up when she shakes her head and offers him a smile.

“So vegetarian, huh?” Cherry shrugs.

“New York.” 

“Sarah had a phase with it too. Only lasted three days before Tommy took her to KFC and she swayed.” 

“Ellie is a little more, uh, zealous about it. It’s going on two years now since she watched some documentary and came into my room in complete tears over, and mind you that a twelve-year-old said this, the horrors of animal agriculture.” 

“Well shit.” 

“Right?” 

“You’re telling me you’ve been vegetarian for two years?”

“Don’t laugh, Joel.” It only makes him laugh harder, Cherry shoving him in the arm as she tries to scrunch her mouth out of a smile. But beneath that laugh, there’s something else, something warm and a little giddy. He’s noticed it every time she has said his name. 

“No wonder you were so hungry, Cher, damn.”

“This may surprise you, but meat isn’t the only food group. And I’ll have you know I make some damn good tofu enchiladas.” 

“Well that’s just sacreligious.”

“Oh please.” Back and forth, slipping into that easy volley without either of them noticing that their faces have started inching closer and closer, though when they do there’s a quick flush of heat that has them both clearing their throats and widening that space again. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask, where did Will end up?” 

“Oregon, he’s a really great photographer these days.” 

“Y’all keep in touch?”

“A little, yeah. I think for a while, we were both just happy to have gotten out, you know? It made us keep our distance from each other. But he came and visited last year, got to meet Ellie for the first time.” 

“That’s great, Cher.”

“Yeah, it is. He’s turning thirty-three this year, if you can believe it.” 

“Jesus.”

“I know, how’d that happen, huh?” Joel just shakes his head, a memory already floating up to the surface. Will was a freshman when they were seniors, tall but slight for his age, quieter, kept more to himself, though Joel made a point of saying hi to him in the hallways, clapping him on the back in the lunch line. There was a day, maybe a week after winter break, and Joel was loitering in the halls during a class he didn’t have any patience for when he saw Will at his locker. All smiles, all loud and brash greetings that all faded when he saw the shiner mottling under Will’s right eye. He remembers being ready to go on the warpath for the kid, asking him over and over, who did this, man, just tell me, who did this? He figured, one of the guys from the football team, someone he could set straight, and that he of course would set straight for Cherry’s little brother. But Will just kept saying nobody, it’s nobody, Joel, please don’t. It was probably two months later when he finally figured out who nobody was, a slow realization, something clicking into place. 

But he knows better than to share that memory with her, the same way he knows better than to ask her if she has kept in touch with her parents. He already knows the answer to that question. 

“Joel?”

“Hmm?”

“Where’d you go?” Her head tilted at him, a suggestion of a smile. 

“Sorry, just thinking.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“And that’s mean.” Back to the present, sitting next to her on a picnic bench, he has to shake his head of it. A strange feeling, how carefully they’re stepping around the past, sharing pieces in scraps, in unsure palms, always quick to make it light, make a joke of it. He’s not sure how long he can keep dancing like this. 

“Are you sticking around for the fireworks?”

“I was informed by Sarah to meet her at the car after the fireworks, so yeah, I guess I am.” 

“Oh, how funny, I was given the same instructions by my own little tyrant.” 

“Imagine that.” 

“You wouldn’t want to watch them with me, would you?” 

“I’d love to, Cher.”

…

“You do realize you’re driving us in the opposite direction of where the fireworks are being set off, right?” 

“Do you trust me or not?”

“Do you want me to answer that honestly or not?” 

“You know I could kick you out of my car if I wanted to.” 

“Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try.” 

“Cherry, just– quiet for a minute–”

“Don’t tell me to be quiet, Joel!”

“I’m trying to concentrate, goddamnit! You’re gonna make me miss the turn.”

“What turn? We’re literally on the highway and there isn’t another exit for–” Her thought gets lost behind a gasp when Joel mutters a quiet shit under his breath and suddenly veers completely off the road and into what she thinks is a corn field, though she’s a little too busy shouting whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck over and over again as the car bounces and bumps over uneven ground. And seemingly just as suddenly, he stops the car altogether, putting it in park and killing the engine in what, yes, is the middle of a cornfield, the stalks unusually high and proud for this early in the season. It’s already dark out, deep blue and bruising shadows, she can only barely see his face in what light the lamp post about fifty yards away offers.

“What the fuck?”

“You already asked that about a thousand times, Cher.” 

“Yeah, and you haven’t answered, so again, what the fuck?” He’s still not answering, shouldering into his door to get it open against the close crush of the tightly planted corn stalks, letting out a satisfied grunt when it finally gives way.

“Joel–”

“Cherry, just shut up and give me your hand.” 

“If you ever tell me to shut up again I’m going to make sure you regret it.” 

“Noted, now come here.” Albeit reluctantly, she takes his hand from where he’s now leaning out of the driver’s side door, managing an awkward shimmy over the center console and into the driver’s seat as Joel swings his body out along the side of the car, one leg hitching into the truck bed. The soft silk of corn stalks brushes against her legs and arms as she follows after him, holding on tight to his hand to hoist herself up and into the truck bed alongside him, a quick tumble over each other, all tangled up. Though not for long, Joel already getting to work shaking out what she sees is a stack of moving blankets in the back of the truck bed. She takes a moment to look around, a thick line of trees surrounding the field on the side opposite to the road, so late that she doesn’t think a single car has passed by since they’ve driven out here. And, she hates to admit it, a perfect view down the stretch of the highway of the stadium where they’re setting off the fireworks from. 

“You good?” His question startles her out of her slow scan of the surroundings, finally looking back at him to see that he’s spread the blankets out in the bed of the truck, his back resting against the cab and his legs stretched out in front of him. 

“Y-yeah.” It comes out small and shaky, and while she thinks she knows why, she tamps that down tight as she crawls over to sit beside him. Even though it’s oppressively hot, she still tucks down into his side when he lets his arm fall over her shoulders. Perfect spot and perfect timing too, but she doesn’t watch the sky when she hears that familiar whistle and pop of rockets, choosing instead to see the light burst and shatter over his face, the slow fall of it in his eyes. And there’s no tamping it down now, that feeling starting to fizz and lift in her chest, and as she continues to watch each succession of color and sound wash over Joel’s parted lips and wide eyes, she knows that she is absolutely, irreparably, fucked. 

“You’re not even watching.” 

“Yes I am.” He’s not watching anymore either, looking at her down the length of his nose, all shadow between the quick fractures of light. Their chins bump first before they get it right, seeking each other out by feel. His hands finding her hips, squeezing and coaxing her into his lap, though he pulls away when the next resonant crack of fireworks splits the sky and her whole body tenses. 

“You don’t like the sound?” 

“It’s not my favorite thing.” No, she doesn’t like that sound. That sound that reminds her of the whole lot of not funny going on in her household, but she’s already leaning in to forget all that with her mouth pressed to his. Though Joel holds her back, firm palm, big palm, steady and curled at the nape of her neck. 

“Is it okay though? You’re okay?” It doesn’t help her case when another stream of fireworks sets off just as he asks it, her body jolting in his hold again, but she tries to pass it off with a breathy laugh. 

“It’s fine, Joel. I’m fine. Just come here, please.” He relents, his hand slipping down along her spine to press her closer as she opens his mouth with hers, a shared sigh and the quiet scrape of teeth, her palm splayed over his chest feeling the thrum of his moan when she licks into his mouth. He’s being careful, she can tell, and she doesn’t think it’s only because they can just barely see each other in the dim light and the punctuated bursts of brightness from the fireworks, his hands splaying wide along the span of her back, holding her so close that every time her muscles tense and jump at the sounds it just sends her closer into his arms. He’s steady, perfectly, his thumbs stroking back and forth along her spine, constant and lulling until she knows that the fireworks are still going on, the pinpricks of light in the periphery, but she can no longer hear them over the rushing in her ears and the way she’s trying to collect every breath of his with her own. 

And she just wants more, however she can get it, his stomach tensing up when her fingers slip beneath the hem of his shirt, only pulling away enough that he can help her tug it over his head. Always so warm beneath her hands, she keeps one palm in the center of his chest, finding that pulse, that beat that always seems so strong to her, as Joel’s hands begin to wander. Ever predictable, the first stop of his circuit is her ass, both palms splayed and squeezing, making a weak noise fizzle out in her throat as he rocks her forward into the hardness in his jeans. From there, his palms slip down to the meat of her thighs, another squeeze, his fingers flickering under the hem of her shorts. Their kiss breaks with a quiet click, lips shined and swollen with it as she leans back to peel her tank top off, though before she can unclasp her bra, Joel grabs both her wrists, his eyes wide and pleading.

“What’s wrong?” The fireworks have stopped, so she must squint in the shadows to see the way his eyes are drooping down, the dip and bob of his throat as he swallows.

“Nothing, I just– s’pretty.” He lets go of her wrists, his fingers coming up to ghost over the tops of her breasts, that slight spill of flesh over the top of her bra, a small sigh that she can see leave his chest as he watches her own inhale and exhale. 

“Do you want me to leave it on, baby?” She’s never called him that before, though judging by the broken groan that crackles in his chest, he liked it, a new warmth curling deep in her stomach at the sound. 

“Please, Cher.” She can’t help the grin that slips across her face, circling one of his wrists with her palm to draw it up to her lips, pressing a kiss to the pad of each finger before guiding his hand down to the waistband of her shorts. Quick to flicker through the button and zipper, it’s all slow moves as he surges forward and she leans back until she’s laying out in the bed of the truck with Joel between her legs and nothing on but that bra he seems to like so much. It doesn’t surprise her that he wastes no time in ducking his head down to mouth over the fabric of her bra, her spine arching up into the wet heat with a sigh. Though he’s gone just as fast, drifting further down over the fluttering rise and fall of her stomach, his lips catching below her navel before he settles between her legs with her thighs resting over his shoulders. 

He learned fast what she likes, with her hand in his hair and her words so quick to correct or to praise, he learned very fast. So she doesn’t have to say a thing now, a silent cry crackling in her jaw when he drags his tongue through the heat of her cunt. She can already feel a perfect bead of arousal dripping from between her thighs down the cleft of her ass as his mouth rests over her clit and he sucks, sharp, quick, before dipping back down and doing it again. He’s gotten more confident, more brazen about it, a little rough in the way his fingers dig into the swell of her thighs, demanding everything, open and willing and waiting for whatever he will give her. And she gives it to him, fingers threaded through his hair to tug when his teeth graze too tender, her spine strung tight and taut as her cunt clenches around nothing. The sound is obscene, a salacious secret amidst the hum of crickets and the close quiet of the night, the little hums he can’t seem to stop rising in his throat as he eats at her, the slick slip of it, and the gentle, but still there, rock of the truck from how he’s grinding his hips down, seeking out more just the same as her. 

His one palm slips under the curve of her ass, tilting her hips up toward his mouth as he continues to lick and suck at her cunt, all that pleasure starting to hurt, starting to snap and snarl as she tugs a little harder at his hair. 

“I– more– something more, please.” He lifts his gaze from its hazy drop, the whites of his eyes still hooded and shining up to her as he rests his cheek against the soft inside of her thigh, the little pants of his breath washing over her cunt and making her hips twitch. 

“You want more?” She would smack him for looking so smug if she didn’t need it so bad, settling instead for another tug in his hair that makes him puff out a laugh. He doesn’t wait for any more of an answer, happy to oblige with two of his fingers dragging down through her swollen cunt before dipping inside, heat shooting up her spine when he curls them just so, that small stretch, that ache, that want. He presses a kiss to the inside of her thigh before his teeth sink into the flesh, his fingers already finding a steady rhythm that’s making her buck up into his hand. 

“Yes– just like that– I want– I want–”

“You want it?’

“Uh-huh.”

“You need it?” 

“So bad, Joel, please.”

“I know, Cherry, look at you, huh? So perfect like this.” He continues to coo at her in that low hum when it finally catches up with her, that pleasure pulling taut fraying all at once, her whole body curling in tight and tense and then releasing with a languid moan. My girl, my fucking girl, so good, my good fucking girl. She hears it somewhere in the back of her mind, tucking it away behind the wall of sound and sense still coursing through her as her hips jolt in his grasp, so sensitive that tears start to pearl along her lashes. She thinks her heart might actually stop when he finally pulls his fingers away and up to his mouth, sucking each one with a hum and an absurd pop before he crawls up her body to give her a taste. 

Her hands are already tugging at his jeans, only a bit surprised when she manages to ruck them down and finds that he isn’t wearing underwear. 

“You are such a freak.” He laughs, leaving a harsh nip to the hinge of her jaw.

“I don’t see why you’re complaining, it’s easy access, Cher.” She only manages to get his jeans down over the curve of his ass, but it’s enough so she can slip her palms down and dig her fingernails into the flesh in retaliation, Joel groaning and dropping his forehead down to her sternum. 

“Be nice.”

“You be nice.”

“You’re the one that called me a freak.” 

“And it stands.”

“If I’m a freak then you’re a–”

“Careful, baby.” 

“You’re a menace.” He hisses out the word as he spreads her open on his cock in one slow drag, the both of them sighing as he stills inside her. For a moment the only sound is their ragged breaths. Slow movements, his hand curling around the back of her knee to draw it up against his hip, another small rock that makes her preen with how full she feels. Her mouth stays stamped at his hairline, words murmured there as she curls her arm around his shoulder blades. 

“I’m a menace?” 

“Uh-huh, you d-drive me insane.” His words come out breathless as he finally pulls his hips back, a little more force in his next thrust that makes a whine tear through her chest. He’s so deep, grinding his hips into hers even deeper and all she can do is take it, her heel digging into his low back as he does it again and again and again. 

“Well you drive me in-insane too– oh.” The words slip out in stilted stutters, tears dripping cool and sticky down her flushed cheeks as he finds a different movement, one that’s harder and meaner, rucking her up the bed of the truck with every shunt of his hips against hers, his chest pressed tight against hers, sweat beading and dripping between her breasts.

“Oh yeah?”

“Uh-huh.” Pitchy and high in her throat, she can’t help it when he slips a hand between the humid stick of their bodies to drag his fingers against her clit. 

“Good.” It isn’t long before they’re both unraveling around each other, his forehead pressed hard into hers, the weight of him heaving and draped over her, stifling and sweaty and perfect. Her whole body shakes with the panting laugh he lets out, finally resting his chin between her breasts to look up at her. 

“My little menace.” She can’t help but laugh too, his cheeks splitting into a grin at the sound. 

“My big freak.”

“Hey.”

…

“Oh my god.”

“What, what is it?”

“I think that’s Ellie and her date.” 

“Where?”

“Don’t be so obvious about it, two rows down, across the aisle.” Her hand is on his shoulder, her finger pointed right next to his face to guide his gaze toward where she’s looking. Sure enough, it’s Ellie, sitting very close to another girl on the bleachers, oblivious to the crush of the crowd around them, smiling and laughing to each other as they wait for the fireworks to start. He never liked watching from inside the stadium, thinking that all the bright lights sort of defeated the purpose, but now he’s grateful for them so he can get a better look to confirm that yes, that is definitely Ellie who is now putting her arm around her date, getting even cozier. 

“Oh my god.” He finally looks away to see Cherry hanging on his shoulder, perfectly mortified at the sight in front of her.

“You got a regular Casanova on your hands, Cher.” 

“I feel like I’m going to cry, or maybe scream, or maybe throw up.” He’s watching her watching them, her brow crumpled and her jaw completely slack, pure shock. He’d laugh, but he’s pretty sure he’d be in a far worse state if he saw Sarah in a similar position. 

“Hey, it’s okay, they’re just–”

“Oh my fucking god, look!” His eyes dart back just in time to see what he’s pretty sure is the end of a kiss, the young pair shyly pulling away from each other with small smiles.

“Oh, Jesus Christ.”

“Do you think that was her first kiss?” It’s such an absurd question. He’s only just met the kid, after all. But when he looks back at Cherry and sees the pleading tilt of her eyes, how could he not try his best?

“Well, I don’t know, Cher, do you?” Maybe his best wasn’t very good.

“I don’t know. Oh fuck, I shouldn’t have seen that. I should not have seen that. She’s too young for that, right? I should go get her, yeah, that’s what I should do.” She’s already starting to get up out of her seat, and all Joel can think to do is grab her hand to keep her where she is.

“Woah, woah, hey, I think they’re fine, Cher. Look, they’re just talking now.” She squeezes his hand, still looking at Ellie with a deep frown on her face, but she does sit back down. She’s still holding onto his hand while she worries her bottom lip between her teeth.

“You think so?”

“Tell me this, how old were you when you had your first kiss?” Suddenly, the worry in her face slackens, something a bit more bashful slipping into place. She’s still holding onto his hand.

“Well, I was thirteen.” 

“There you go, it’s normal then.” She’s still holding onto his hand.

“How old were you when you had yours?” She’s still holding onto his hand.

“I don’t know, probably thirteen like you.” She’s still holding onto his hand.

“You mean you don’t remember?” She’s still holding onto his hand.

“Not really.” 

“How can you not remember your first kiss?” She finally lets go of his hand, only so that she can talk with her own, a bit of flailing and exasperation at him before her hands settle in her lap. He rests his on his knee, a hard squeeze to stop any lingering want.

“I just don’t. It was a long time ago, and it obviously wasn’t very important.” 

“Do you at least remember who it was with?” He does, but she’s not going to like the answer, and suddenly the toes of his boots are very interesting as he scratches the back of his neck. 

“Uh, Maureen.” He says it as he drags his hand down his jaw, the name getting muffled beneath his palm. Cherry’s face scrunches up.

“Come again?” He really doesn’t want to say it again, but he knows she’s not going to give this up now, her chin tilted down and her eyes narrowed at him.

“Maureen? Maureen Henderson, yep.” As if a yep might make it better, but her brows have already done that thing, that familiar thing where they shoot up her forehead, then scrunch down again, then slacken.

“Huh, so Maureen wasn’t very memorable then?”

“Nope, not at all.” She purses her lips and nods, her eyes squinting out across the stadium for a moment. But before whatever is simmering below the surface can bubble over, the first booming firework goes off, and her whole body recoils. 

“Oh, motherfucker.” It happens again, another fizzle and crack, and as the crowd oohs and ahhs, she digs her fingernails into her thighs and grits her jaw. 

“That never got any better, huh?”

“Afraid not.” He wants to reach out for her, to curl his arm around her shoulders and pull her tight into his side, to absorb the shock that keeps resounding through her body. He knows how to, after all. 

“Is– is there something I can do, Cher?” Her eyes are a little unfocused, even when he ducks his head down to try to get her attention.

“You’d think that by now I’d have figured out that every loud sound isn’t–” Almost like a hiccup when the next rocket goes off. The only thing that’s different is that now, each time, first her eyes dart over to where Ellie is sitting, checking, making sure. He feels his heart ripping apart watching her. 

“Hey.” It comes out quieter than he meant it to, but her eyes still turn onto him when he puts his hand on her knee.

“You wanna go wait at your car?” She nods, and that’s enough for him to go into action, not thinking twice about taking her hand again and shepherding them both down one of the aisles further away from where Ellie is sitting. Back and forth, back and forth, his thumb stays steady and smoothing along her hand the whole way out of the stadium and into the massive parking lot.

“My car or yours, Cher?” 

“I don’t– I don’t– Ellie– uh, I–” She’s still holding tight to his hand, her eyes darting around the lot, clearly working herself into a state, the continued onslaught of fireworks not helping at all. 

“That’s alright. Cher? It’s alright, okay? Let’s sit in my car and I’ll drive you to yours when this is over.” He thinks she says okay, but he’s already focused on pulling her along to his car. And when they get in, him in the driver’s seat and her in the passenger’s, he realizes that, no, he’s not going to crack the windows, trying to keep as much of the sound out as possible. So he lets the car idle and cranks the AC up as high as it will go, and it’s probably going to burn up his tank of gas, but he doesn’t care, because it seems to muffle the noise of the fireworks just enough for her to start coming back down. He’s still holding her hand over the center console.

“Oh fuck, I’m sorry, Joel.” She takes her hand out of his, pressing her palm to her chest, letting out a long breath through her nose. 

“Don’t, Cherry. It’s okay.” She keeps her eyes closed and her palm against her chest, long inhales and exhales, and he realizes that she’s doing a breathing exercise. He only knows it because the shrinks at the VA started Tommy in on it when he kept having panic attacks after coming home. And something like anger settles in his stomach, slithering up and seeping out between his ribs, sickening and slick. Anger that no, this hasn’t gotten any better. Anger that no, this probably won’t get better. And no, no one deserves it, but he selfishly thinks to himself that she especially doesn’t deserve it. 

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Cher.” Her eyes finally slip open, head tilting onto her shoulder to look at him. Mercy, it’s passing. Mercy, he could help her through its passing. 

“So, Maureen Henderson, huh?” 

“Oh, you’re still on that?” Small smile, he’ll take it.

“You could have done better, that’s all.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmhmm.” 

“Well since you remember it so well, who was your first?” 

“You’re not gonna like my answer.” 

“Try me.” 

“It was Mikey Donahue.”

“No.” She was right, he didn’t like that answer, not one bit.

“Yeah, I think his friends dared him to do it, honestly.” 

“That little shit.” 

“Uh-huh.”

“You could have done better.” That gets a full smile from her, her nose scrunching up at the same time something takes off in his chest. 

“I guess we both could have.”

“Yeah, Cher, I guess so.”

...................................................

taglist: @casa-boiardi @tieronecrush @swiftispunk @beskarandblasters @trulybetty @amanitacowboy @pr0ximamidnight @wannab-urs @jksprincess10 @suzmagine @everything-isfucked @lanabobana @kittenlittle24 @sarap-77 @officerrrfriendly @val-srz @bitchwitch1981 @redwoodsanddaffodils @themothersmercy @romanarose @lost-inhawkins @youcancallmeelle @hollywoodcaligirl @

#joel miller #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #tlou #tlou fanfiction #joel miller angst #joel miller x you #joel miller fluff #the last of us #joel miller smut #joel miller series #joel miller story #joel miller fic #joel miller au #hungry hearts

[rottenpumpkin13]

I just thought of something great, ok so we have seen Angeal and Tseng swap places, what if Rufus and Lazard swapped places, Rufus trying to get through the day dealing with the migraine that is SOLDIER and Lazard finding out all the stuff Rufus gets up to

• Rufus is very optimistic when he settles into Lazard's office. Sure, he was annoyed at first when the president brought up the suggestion that they switch, but honestly? He deserves the break. He's sure the SOLDIER program is a smooth—

• Zack crashes through the glass door and rolls onto the floor. An angry infantryman Cloud marches in after him (with blue hair). He's the one who threw Zack through the glass.

Zack: Ack! Rufus, you gotta help me! He's trying to murder me!

Rufus: I've been here for two minutes.

Cloud: LOOK AT THAT HE DID TO MY HAIR!

Rufus: You're not even a SOLDIER.

• Meanwhile Lazard is quietly seething with rage as he settles into Rufus' comfortable office. How come he got the bigger space? SOLDIER is infinitely more important than the Investigation Sector! Ah, well. At least he won't have to deal with juvenile shenanigans for a day.

• Rude runs into the office looking exasperated.

Rude: Sir, it appears that everyone took advantage of Rufus not being here! They're throwing a party as we speak!

Lazard: Ah, well that can't be so bad. Where's the harm in a little party?

Rude: They taped Tseng to the fireworks!

Lazard: FUCK! *he gets up and runs out*

• Meanwhile, Rufus is busy in the office when Genesis rushes in looking petrified.

Genesis: DID YOU SEND SEPHIROTH ON A MISSION!?

Rufus: Yes? What's the problem?

Genesis: IT'S TUESDAY!

Rufus: And?

Genesis: TUESDAYS ARE HIS BAD DAYS! YOU CAN'T SEND SEPHIROTH ON MISSIONS ON TUESDAYS!

Rufus: WELL HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?

• There's a loud bang before a part of the wall completely comes down. Genesis and Rufus scream as the dust and debris rise. Sephiroth appears in the hole, holding a sledgehammer and with a crazed look in his eyes.

Sephiroth: Is she here?

Rufus: WHO?

Sephiroth: I will not rest until I find her.

Rufus: W H O!??

Sephiroth: I am willing to kill everyone and then myself if you don't give her to me.

Rufus: WHO, SEPHIROTH? WE'LL FIND HER FOR YOU!

Sephiroth: My mother.

Rufus: Oh my god we're all gonna die.

#ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy 7 #crisis core #final fantasy vii #sephiroth #rufus shinra #lazard deusericus #zack fair #cloud strife #tseng #genesis rhapsodos

[vodika-vibes]

Hi! This is my first ever request and I’m so excited 🤩 Could you please do Ambrosia and Coriander with Wrecker?

I love the character trope “A falls first, B falls harder”, so maybe fem!reader A and Wrecker B?

Fireworks

Summary: You make fireworks for a living, just like your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. You love the colors and the explosions. And when you meet Wrecker, who loves many of the same things that you do, you hit it off. You fall first...but, as it happens, he falls harder.

Pairing: TBB Wrecker x F!Reader

Word Count: 2377

Warnings: Heated making out

Prompts: Ambrosia - love is reciprocated, Coriander - lust

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: SO! This is my first time writing Wrecker, and I'm not sure how I did. So please if anyone has an opinion on it, please let me know.

You smile warmly up at Wrecker, “I appreciate you going out of your way to help with this,” You say lightly as Wrecker sets the crate on the floor.

“It’s not a problem, I was there and happy to help.” His grin is wide, “Besides, I’m kind of curious as to how you do this.” Wrecker adds as he gestures around you. “I’m sure Tech could walk me through it, but it’s not quite the same as seeing it for myself.”

“You’re exactly right! Tech is very clever, and I’m sure he could give you the bare bones details, but a lot of this is passed down through oral tradition.” You place your hands on your hips, a proud grin lifting your lips, “And, my family has been making fireworks since before space travel, so I’m something of an expert.”

“What a coincidence, so am I.” Wrecker teases, “Are you sure you want this crate here?”

“True! Explosives are explosives, whether they’re for show or for destruction.” You fold your arms, “And yeah, I have to dig through it to sort it properly anyway, so better to leave it here.”

Wrecker looks around a little more, “You guys seem busy.”

“Well, the fireworks festival is happening soon.” You point out, “But really, this is nothing. You should see us in the week leading up to the festival.” You grin at him, before you crouch to enter the code to unlock the crate, “Of course, the payoff is definitely worth it, in the end.”

Wrecker opens his mouth to say something when a shout from the second floor distracts you both. Your older brother and your father are screaming at each other, and you sigh. “I should go deal with that.” You stand, “Thanks for the help, Wrecker, I mean it.”

“Sure.” He eyes the screaming men, “You want me to stick around-?”

You laugh, warm and bright, “My brother and my father are both just too stubborn for their own good, but there’s no danger here. I promise.”

Wrecker eyes the screaming men for a moment longer, and then turns his gaze back to you, a grin crossing his face, “Well, if you’re sure.”

“I am. Thank you though, you’re sweet.”

“Ah, well…” His face heats slightly, “I try.”

A giggle falls from your lips, he really is too cute, “I’ll see you later, alright?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Wrecker watches you for a moment longer, as you hurry up the stairs to defuse your brother and father’s fight, and then he leaves out the way he came in. 

It’s been almost a year since Wrecker and his brothers settled on Pabu with their younger sister, and they’ve since made a home for themselves here. 

You met Wrecker about eight months ago.

It had been an accident, you hadn’t been paying attention, and he hadn’t been paying attention and the pair of you crashed into each other. You weren’t hurt, but he did manage to knock you to the ground, simply because of how much bigger than you he is.

At the time he had been so apologetic and worried about hurting you, that he spent a whole ten minutes apologizing to you. It took you another fifteen minutes to reassure him that he didn’t hurt you, and that the scrapes and bruises that you were covered in happened before he ran into you. 

After that, you seemed to bump into him everywhere, though you never actually ran into him again. 

Slowly, over time, you and Wrecker developed a close friendship. You’ve come to cherish him as a close friend, and are more than happy to spend your free time with him. 

Well, okay, that’s not exactly true.

You do consider him a dear friend, but you also want more. You’ve long since fallen in love with him, but you’re hesitant to ask for more than friendship. After all, if he doesn’t feel the same, then you’ll have just ruined the best friendship of your life.

So you keep your mouth shut, and you enjoy the time you spend together, and you appreciate Wrecker’s kindness and warmth, and you silently pine over him, while hoping that he doesn’t notice.

The last thing you want is to lose your best friend, after all.

You rub the back of your neck as you hurry up the stairs to your family. You can think about this later, there are more important things to worry about.

It has been almost 6 weeks since the day that Wrecker helped you bring a crate into the warehouse, and the Firework Festival is almost here. Almost, in the sense that it’s tonight, and you’ve been running around like a maniac for the last week trying to get things in order.

In terms of relationship, nothing has changed between you and Wrecker…at least, you don’t think anything has changed.

These last couple of weeks, Wrecker has been acting odd around you. 

Seeming a little nervous and jumpy, unwilling to meet your eyes at times, and randomly changing the subject whenever you try to press him if something is wrong.

You’re beginning to worry that you’ve done something wrong, that maybe you said or did something that bothered him and he’s just too nice to call you out.

Stars, you hope not. That’s the last thing you’ve ever wanted.

Unfortunately, you’ve been too busy the last week to have a proper conversation with him. It’s everything you can do to manage a simple hi when you see him on the street before running off to your next chore.

And even with those small conversations, there’s still something off with how Wrecker responds.

You grip your comm for a moment, staring at Wrecker’s contact information for a moment, before you grit your teeth and take a risk.

Hey Wreck, you up?

Yeah, course. What’s up?

The Fireworks are tonight, you gonna watch them?

That’s the plan. Omega wants to watch them on the beach.

Ooh, that’s a good place. 

For a moment, you hesitate, before you type your next message.

I was going to ask if you wanted to watch them with me, but since you already have plans.

I’ll just watch them with my brothers

Wait

Wait!

I’d like to watch them with you

If the offer is available?

What about Omega?

Hunter, Echo, and Tech will be with her.

She won’t even notice I’m gone.

Where are we watching them?

On top of the warehouse, I’ll bring food!

You don’t have to do that

I want to. I’ll see you tonight!!

I’ll be there.

Some of your anxiety fades when Wrecker agrees to watch the fireworks with you. If nothing else, he still wants to be your friend. And then you jump when you hear your mother shout at you from the hallway of your apartment.

Kriff, you’re going to be late!

You roll, literally, out of bed, landing on the floor with a thump, “I’m okay!” You shout to your mother before you scramble to your fresher to take the world’s quickest shower.

And then you pull on your clothes, and hurry out of your bedroom while pulling your hair into a tail, “Sorry, sorry! I overslept!” You call to your mother, who shoves a breakfast sandwich into your hands as you balance on one foot to pull your boots on.

“Hurry up, everyone is waiting for us!” Your mother rushes you.

“I know, I know! I’m coming!”

Wrecker is nervous. Nervous with a capital N, even. 

He knows that he’s a big guy, he’d have to be blind to not see that. And he knows that he’s not as careful as, say, Tech or Echo. And he knows that he’s a bit too loud and a bit too exuberant, and that he’s not everyone’s cup of Caf.

He also knows that his pretty spark has been working herself to the point of exhaustion for the last week, and that she’s not had time to do anything for herself, and even so, she still made time to say hi to him every day.

Even when she’s covered in soot, and has dark circles under her eyes, and her hair is pulled into a messy knot because it hasn’t been washed in a week, she’s still the most stunning woman he’s ever laid eyes on.

She still smiles at him like…like most women smile at Hunter, and stars, he loves her so much.

Echo figured it out before he did, because of course he did. He just flashed a small, sad, smile before teasingly telling Wrecker that when he fell for her, he hit every branch on the way down.

Wrecker figures that he’s probably right, he normally is about this kind of stuff, but it’s not actually helpful.

“Wreck,” Echo says, his voice gentle and kind, as he pulls Wrecker out of his thoughts. “You’re already friends with her, just talk to her.”

“But…what if she doesn’t feel the same?”

“Well, that’s a risk that you have to take.” Echo replies.

“Maybe I shouldn’t say anything-”

“Will that make you feel better?”

“...no.”

Echo smiles at him, “Go. I’ll cover for you with Omega.”

“Thanks Echo.”

Wrecker makes the walk from the house he shares with his siblings to the warehouse, and he uses the outside stairs to get to the roof. She’s already there, sitting in a comfy chair next to a table covered in various foods and drinks.

Her hair is loose and freshly dyed, likely to celebrate the festival, and she’s wearing a pretty dress that he’s never seen before. She looks…gorgeous. And somehow Wrecker falls even more in love with her.

Her gaze slides over to him, and a blinding smile crosses her face, “Wreck! You made it!”

“I said I would,” Wrecker replies as he steps onto the roof, “Has all of this stuff always been here?”

“Hm? Oh, I pulled them out of the shed,” She replies as she motions to a small building a little bit away, “But it wasn’t hard.”

Wrecker crosses over to her and sinks into another chair, though he hasn’t taken his gaze off of her, “I see you dyed your hair new colors.”

She laughs, “New colors for a new firework festival!”

“And a new dress?”

“Mother bought it for me. Do you like it?”

“It suits you.” Wrecker replies, finally averting his gaze to look at the food on the table, “Did you just hit up every fast food place between your apartment and here?”

“Mm, just about.” She falls silent for a moment, “Hey, Wreck?”

“Yeah?”

“Did I do something to make you mad at me?” She asks, and Wrecker’s gaze snaps to her face, she looks deeply anxious, “You’ve been acting…odd, these last couple of weeks. And I know I haven’t been a good friend, because of how busy I’ve been-”

“Woah, woah. Hold on. Did someone tell you that you’ve been a bad friend?” Wrecker asks, his brow furrowing, “Because you’ve been so busy this last week, that I was worried that you were going to collapse from exhaustion before the festival.”

“Well, no.” She admits, “but I can’t think of any other reason. You’ve been really nervous around me, and I can’t figure out what I did-”

“...you noticed that?”

“Of course I noticed, I’m not blind.” She sounds hurt and offended, “I just want to know what I did.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Wrecker hastens to reassure, “If anything, this is my problem.”

“Wreck, will you just tell me? Please?”

He exhales nervously, and rubs the back of his neck, “I…appear to have fallen in love with you. Hard. Echo says that I ‘hit every branch on the way down’.” He risks a glance at her face, and his heart sinks slightly when he sees the look of surprise, “And I just didn’t want to make you nervous. Or to lose our friendship.”

She exhales slowly, “Well, I can honestly say that I wasn’t expecting that.” There’s something strange in her voice, and Wrecker’s not quite sure what emotion it is. He’s never heard it before.

“It’s fine if you don’t feel the same way. I don’t expect it, I’m happy with our friendship-”

She blinks at him, “Wrecker, that’s the thing, I do feel the same way.”

It’s his turn to blink at her dumbly, “You…do?”

“Of course. You’re so kind and gentle and handsome…plus you love explosions as much as I do. How could I not? I’ve been crushing on you for months now.” She admits with a small smile.

Wrecker just stares at her for a long moment, “Huh.” He finally says, “I…legitimately don’t know what to say to that. I kind of expected you to tell me to kriff off.”

She laughs, “I would never. Even if I wasn’t interested for some reason.” She considers him for a moment, and then she stands and walks over to him and gingerly settles herself on his lap.

Wrecker immediately slides his arms around her, and watches her curiously. This isn’t the first time he’s touched her like this, she’s a very tactile person after all, but she’s never sat on his lap before.

She flashes a small smile up at him, and then she leans up and presses her lips against his.

The kiss is soft and gentle…and shoots white hot desire through his entire body. He tries, he really does, to keep the kiss chaste and innocent. But the more she presses her lips against his, the harder it is to control himself.

And then she presses her lips to his one more time, and Wrecker just snaps. One of his hands tangles in her hair as he cups the back of her head, while the other one firmly grips her hip and pulls her flush against him.

He’s still careful to not hurt her, but even that thought fades to the background as she releases a soft moan when he nibbles on her lower lip.

His name falls from her lips in a breathy sigh when he pulls away just long enough to catch his breath, and Wrecker can honestly say that he’s never heard anything more arousing in his life.

At least, not until ten minutes later when she moans for him.

#star wars #tbb #vodika-vibes follower celebration #tbb wrecker x reader #wrecker x reader #star wars fanfiction #x reader fanfiction #f!reader fic #answered asks

[lovejosephquinn]

The pictures got nothing to do with the actual story I just think he looks extra soft here 🥺

Just friends.

Two words you loathed so terribly from the English dictionary more than you cared to admit.

It was a wet and rainy Friday night, nothing to do but spend time with your best friend; the one you’d loved ever since you could remember. You’d always watched from the sidelines, praying that someday the girl whose hand he held, took every single second out of his free time and cared for so deeply would be you.

When those close to you who knew of such a feeling was to say to you just tell him the truth or you don’t know until you try. Well it was easier said than done. Do you risk your whole friendship or do you just sit back and watch your feelings and yourself deteriorate rapidly from his lack of knowledge or do you leap into something that would either go well or to shit.

Well this night you thought differently, he’d brought you flowers just because you’d had a bad week, you were plowing through a bottle of wine that he’d also took the liberty of purchasing for your night in. You’d just finished devouring the Chinese take out in which you’d requested, plate piled high of the salty yet delicious food, stomach almost ready to explode from the whole eyes bigger than your belly situation.

Legs up on the coffee table, Joe’s arm firmly placed around your shoulder, your head leaning against him, it almost felt like love, a complete and utter fantasy which you focussed so much on so often. His eyes were firmly fixated toward the television screen at the crappy comedy you had committed to. You body moved before your brain could catch up and before you knew it your hand rested on top of his, paying no mind resting against his lap. It made him avert his attention straight to you.

“Everything ok love?” His voice sounded oh so sweet, so quaint and attentive, it made your heart go crazy.

“Always as long as you’re around.” Why are you like this? Your eyes looked up to meet Joe’s, his nose scrunched up, the chocolatey gaze making the entirety of your body tingle, goose bumps arise and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

“Are you sure, you got everything you need?”

You sat yourself back, sitting up straight, legs moving to sit to the side of you on the sofa.

“What would you do if you loved someone you were so sure didn’t love you the same way back?” A simple question, sure. An innocent question, maybe to you. A hard answer for him, it seemed that way when his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Then I’d tell them, or at least make a move and then at least I’d know right?”

Why was it so easy for him to say that yet so difficult for you to act upon his advice? Oh yeah probably because the reason was sat so close to you.

“Can I practice telling you?”

Joe sighed practically leaving you side tracked to his bizarre reaction.

“Or I could show you, that way you’ll know what to do if you were me.” You nodded as his whole posture moved frantically, his legs now reflective of your own stance. His face came impossibly close towards you. His hand came up to stroke over your cheek, down your jaw and thumb clambered over your lips, a small nervous smile appearing on his features, quivering and anxious for his next move, you closed your eyes, your heart beat irrational.

“Do you know what I’d do, it’ll give you a straight answer for sure.” He whispered.

“What’s that?” Your voice came out in a squeak, you’d never felt this nervous around someone before, never-mind the person you usually feel most comfortable around…

Joe moved in, closing the space between you with a single peck to your lips, slowly moving away dragging his softness with him. You felt fireworks explode.

“Do it again please?” You felt like the manners would make him refuse, but he did and this time for longer.

Your lips collided together in a perfect rhythm, slowly ridding of any tension that you felt, your arms now wrapped around the back of his neck, heads tilting either side for full effect. His tongue made its way past the entrance of your mouth, sliding with yours in unison, it was hot and beautiful. Something your dreams only held dearly to your heart, but now this was reality. He was giving you what you’d craved for so long. Moving back, you felt the last of the smile he’d left lingering whilst you passionately made out with one another, this time you joined him said smile.

“He’s one lucky man.”

“He’s also one oblivious man.” You muttered under your breath, the problem was he heard you loud and clear.

“And what do you mean by that?” Joe smirked.

“Let me show you.” You threw all the confidence you had into this one move, almost throwing yourself to straddle his lap. He furrowed his brow at you, proving your point on full obliviousness.

You moved your arms back around him, this time pushing him toward you from the back of his head and crashing your lips down to his. He was taken back as his breath hitched and eventually hummed at the memorable taste of before.

“You’re a quick learner, darling.”

“What’s your answer?” You bit down on your lip in anticipation, the cogs clearly turning in his brain. You could’ve almost spotted the moment in which the lightbulb pinged above his head.

“If you don’t know then you’re pretty oblivious yourself.” Joe mocked your voice during the keyword. You could’ve cried tears of happiness, if this wasn’t him admitting his feelings back.

“Prove it.” You whispered.

“Why do you think I kissed you? It’s not the road I’d normally go down but I had a sneaky feeling, not so insensible now am I?”

You scoffed, your tongue poking at your cheek as you shook your head in disbelief.

“Should we continue or are you going to look like a rabbit in headlights for the rest of the night?”

You made impact on your mouths together once again, Joe initiated the first and second kiss because he loved you, you initiated the third because you loved him. Now the feeling was mutual it was a pretty easy fact to confirm that you took action together.

The movie was a mere sound in the background now, your full focus was on the man you’d wanted and longed for silently for years and years, it just goes to show the wait can be worth the risk.

Just friends? Just lovers.

#joseph quinn imagine #joseph quinn fluff #joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn blurb

[lilith-little-world]

When I was younger, I had a thing for that trope. Maybe it was due to having something very similar happened to me. Dreams are weird things, so I never questioned it until 6 (?) dreams later he kept invading my dreams. I always wanted to write them down and make a story about them but eh, I never got to it.

Anyways I got fanfics to write. Better to write those than that whole mess.

This one is a short one, but I'm planning to add parts to it. Just so I got something to do when I can't come up with the concept oneshots. Also bad grammar and sentence structure, I was like half asleep when I wrote this.

I Saw You Once In A Dream, Maybe|| Oneshot Pt. 1

It was the new year and you were spending time with your family. Last night was spent with a small feast and fireworks but now here you were washing the plates and pans. It was the least you can do since your parents made the feast for yesterday. Doesn't hurt to help clean up a bit.

“Sweetheart, tell me, are you seeing anybody?” Your mother asks while putting away the dishes.

“Sadly and fortunately, nope. Taking a break from all that.”

“I told you that person was no good for you, but you didn't want to listen to your mother.”

“You made it sound like we had ended things terribly, in reality, I just didn't have feelings for them.”

“It's always the same thing. I know, you didn't have any feelings but why did you give them a chance?”

You hand your mother the last plate, shrugging. Honestly, you didn't know why. Maybe the personality or looks that reminded you of someone? Possibly.

“Maybe, I was meant to be single forever.”

“Don’t say things like that, there's always a person for someone. Romantically or platonically. It just takes a while, that's all.”

“Then that person sure is taking their sweet time.”

You sigh tiredly, this wasn't your first time having this conversation with her. Even though her intentions were in a good place, after the first 10, it becomes tiring.

“Here, let me give you some leftovers to take home.”

There she went to get a big tupperware and fill it to the brim with food.

‘At least she tries.’

You smile and help your mother. It wasn't long until you left. Saying your goodbyes to your parents. Driving around the city, filled with life. Many people start off the new year with an exciting day. Going out, shopping, eating at a restaurant, spending it with family or friends, a significant other…

Okay, maybe your mother’s worries were definitely in a good and reasonable place to worry. You try to appear that you're doing fine, but in truth, you were lonely and craving for someone.

‘That's enough, thinking for one day. Time to turn off my mind.’

You get out of your car and walk around the busy streets. A crowd doing the same thing as you. Looking at the shops and cafe, wondering where to go next.

‘Remember kids, if you're feeling depressed or lonely buy some clothes and make-up and hope it fills the void.’

You notice a shop’s window, looking at the merchandise. It was all Monkey King theme. Journals, pens, keychains, stuffed toys, and so on.

“Or buy some merch…” You told yourself softly, lost in thought. It was a small stuffed toy of the famous monkey. Something in you demanded the toy. You obeyed and bought it, feeling a lot happier. It was a cute toy to own and is no bigger than your hands, it won't take much space. You bought a few more things, a few fine-tip pens and a journal. In other words, the day wasn't so bad.

The sun had set and you finally got home, exhausted. The house was empty and dark, with nothing but silence. A sigh escapes from your lips. The loneliness slowly swallows you up. Head to your room, not even trying to turn on the lights. You throw the bag at some random corner and collapse onto your bed. Just wanting the night to end.

You didn't know when you fell asleep, but your buzzing mind went silent. Like the room, you are sleeping in. Maybe your lonely mind was getting tired of your sulking and gave you a strange dream. I mean, what else can you it

It was bright, too bright. Things were fuzzy as your mind blocked out the voices talking to you. However, what you noticed was that you were looking in a mirror. You couldn't get a good look from being fuzzy so looking down, you noticed a red dress. There was golden embroidery of… Well, you couldn't make out what it was. It was blurry.

“Today is the big day! Are you excited?”

Turning to face the young woman with a blurry face. You couldn't help but look at her confused.

‘Excited for what?’, you wanted to say, but your mouth couldn't move.

Next thing you knew, the scenery changed and you were outside. The scene reminds you of a wedding.

Wait-

‘Is this my wedding?!’

You wanted to look around and see if anything cleared up, but it was still fuzzy and blurry as you walked down the aisle. The Wedding March, clearly playing as you came closer to the groom. Who was oddly more blurred than the others?

Okay, now that was rude. As much as this dream was crazy, your mind could have at least come up with a groom and then given you a blurry mess. You never had a greater urge to wake up than right at this moment.

You let the dream play out, as the ceremony went on. The groom held your hand, his hands were rough yet soft. Holding yours gently as if afraid to hurt you. His eyes were on you and a warm feeling filled your chest. You couldn't help but stare at him, trying to get a good look at his face. Slowly it unblurred as you saw a strange mark on his face and the unusual golden glow of his eyes.

“I promise nothing will tear us apart. I will fight the whole celestial army again if it means I can stay by your side.” He said, grinning at you.

“You're going to jinx yourself and when I'm around I'll keep you out of trouble so you won't have to fight the celestial army again.”

The words left your mouth. As much as you were confused, you found this cute. So you stopped questioning this dream and enjoyed this moment.

He leans into you, just inches away from your lips.

Beep, beep, beep, beep-

You grab your phone that was still in your pocket. Turning off the alarm, groaning.

“When the dream was starting to get good.”

You smothered your face into your pillow and let out a small scream.

“Why do I have to wake up?”

Begrudgingly, you got out of bed. The sunlight peeking through your curtains showers the room with light.

‘Right, I got work to do. That dream was nice while it lasted.’

Better to move on when the harsh reality demands more attention. Anyways it was just a simple dream that your lonely mind came up with.

Right?

_______________________________

Remember you can always request and ask questions!

#lmk sun wukong #lmk monkey king #lmk reader #sun wukong #lmk #lmk oneshot #lmk x reader #lmk x y/n #sun wukong x reader #lmk y/n #lmk sun wukong x reader #monkey king #monkey king x reader #lmk wukong #sun wukong x y/n #lego monkie king #lego monkie kid

[rj-jinye]

maine by noah kahan as hyyh taejoon HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME OUT I am going to explain myself.

namjoon and taehyung are not crash-and-burn or decay-and-rot they are more like gone-with-the-wind or how-to-disappear. more like “you have bigger things ahead of you” more like “i hope i don’t interfere with this future i hope this blood doesn’t stain your floor no it’s not my blood it’s just everywhere i don’t know where it came from” more like “you leave traces of yourself everywhere you can’t clean this up i won’t let you” the type of moment you have for a second that feels like a year. but all in all it is just a second made up by people who care too much about things they don’t know much about. too dependent on tiny information too dependent on the temporary. taehyung is scattered; he covers everything he touches like magic, like fireworks, like smoke. the problem is with kids like that is that they fuck up spectacularly sooner or later and force themselves to disappear, leaving shards of glass in their place as if disappearing makes up for any of the things they’ve tainted. namjoon has steadiness that is only a preconceived notion. a remnant of what used to be there. he isn’t steady but he lingers; lingers in places people do not exist to make sense of what he will never have; lingers in ghost cities until he too decides to erase everything. he hides from his guilt and the black blood on his hands because if nothing else he shares it. he shares every burden until they are both nothing more than whispers.

they exist in this in-and-out collapsing portal where taehyung never stays in one place for too long and doesn’t tell anyone why and when he finally rips through space itself trying to flee, namjoon will take his things and leave the city with pockets full of glass.

hmm now I am tempted to write a dual timeline taejoon au. I will tie in cape elizabeth somehow.

#this made absolutely no sense but that’s alright i needed to braindump #hyyh #bangtan #bts hyyh #bts #hyyh taehyung #hyyh namjoon #hyyh taejoon #hyyh vmon #i don’t know what noah kahan did to me but I sincerely apologize #noah kahan #cape elizabeth #do we use vmon or taejoon now

[louisupdates]

Nolan Fisher

Louis Tomlinson Was The Greatest in St. Augustine

On July 11th, eager fans arrived at the St. Augustine Amphitheater at precisely nine in the morning to get their numbered wristbands for easy access later in the day. Closer to doors opening, lines were packed for merchandise and entry. Louis Tomlinson and support Andrew Cushin would be performing later, and fans came early and prepared for the night of their lives.

Charisma and pure joy radiated off of Louis the minute he walked on stage, taking in a moment to look around at his fans before beginning to sing. Louis opened his set with the opening track of his recent sophomore album, Faith In The Future, "The Greatest." The lighting being a simple white spotlight felt perfect for the first song, as it let everyone focus on him and his band. When "Kill My Mind" from his debut album Walls began, the red light show made its way on stage, setting the mood for the song and the rest of the night.

As the show went on, Louis performed all except two Faith In The Future tracks, which is to be expected since this is the Faith In The Future World Tour. He played two more tracks from Walls, along with an unreleased track, "Copy of a Copy of a Copy," and a demo that featured on the "Bigger Than Me" single CD, "Saved by a Stranger." To top off these wonderful songs, Louis brought us back to 2014 with two tracks from his former band, One Direction's album Four. Louis did his own renditions of "Night Changes" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," which had fans screaming louder than ever. The light show was specially curated for each and every song, so the audience was always visually entertained in addition to their obvious audible entertainment. The stage design was created with these large venues in mind, large screens used for fun light designs and live video feeds of Louis and the band, and some platforms for some of the band members to stay perched on. The fireworks were also a great addition to the set, adding that extra punch to further excite fans. At the end of the night, during "Silver Tongues," Louis dropped in between the barricade and the stage and ran through that empty space as the rest of the venue watched streamers shoot from the stage and fall to the chorus. With such an amazing live performance, we definitely suggest taking the time to go see one of Louis' shows when the chance comes!

[13.7.2023]

Louis Tomlinson, FITFWT23: St. Augustine, 11.7.2023

#louis press #fitfwt23: st augustine #11.7.2023 #burberry #louis tomlinson

[erosofthepen]

dwavern holidays: discuss

bro loving the freedom and creativity this brings me

okay so dwarves all have their maker, Mahal, whose Aule right? im not fact checking right now so correct me if im wrong, but dwarves don't really treat their maker with a typical religious pursuit, its more like "oh yeah he's there he exists we go to him when we die ig" and thats that, theres no priests or religious rites or anything, so i assume their holidays aren't centered around him either.

also dwarves live a much longer time than humans do, so im also gonna assume that their bigger holidays aren't annual either. like maybe they're every 3 years or every 5 or 10 years, or they're in accordance with celestial shit. but the thing that gets me about celestial holidays is that dwarves are creatures that roam below the earth, the caverns and caves are their home, not the stars and the heavens, so holidays that come around every few years or so make more sense.

this brings the question of what exactly would dwarves celebrate then? we know canonically they have Durin's Day, an annual holiday that signals the start of the new year, however, i feel like besides new years, their holidays would be in accordance with the things dwarves value most. This includes smithing, crafting, mining, the riches of the earth, feats of strength, and value of close friends/family, greater than any treasure. Some dwarven holiday ideas i have are listed, with hc's around each of them.

Durin's Day- the dwarves new year. Not a huge holiday, but a nice short one, like one night of festivities. I feel that most celebrations would be more family/small group centered with this holiday, maybe a small feast and some form of dancing and music. This holiday is mostly focused on the improvements in development from one year into the next, and just a last way to celebrate before going into the depths of winter. The New Years was proclaimed by Durin the I, and has since been named in his honor.

The Fire Festival- this has been stewing in my mind for a while now. every 5 years, for two whole weeks, a huge display of dwarven craftsmanship and skill is celebrated and admired, with dwarves of all different crafts in relation to fire presenting stalls of their best works. We're talking smithies, glassblowers, candlemakers, you name it. Its a celebration of the fire that produces such great works of beauty. and the outfits... bro the outfits make this festival. everyone is decked out in reds, oranges, blacks, blues, and yellows, and positively dripping with gold and gems. the make up is usually charcoal or some sort of bright/shimmery pigment, and the hair is done in so many braids weaved with different ribbons and precious metals. fires are constantly lit, with one giant fire pit kept burning continuously throughout the entire festival, and fireworks are set off on the first and last days (we know dwarves can make fireworks from balin in the hobbit). the food is superb, with a lot of spicy main menu items and citrus and bold sweet fruits imported, and the dishes are prepared almost artfully. music and dancing play a huge part, and some dancers spend years leading up to the festival to try to capture the movements of the flame in their steps. its a bit like coachella except much much better.

Meragel (or feast of all feasts)- this whole holiday would probably occur every 25 years or so. It is, as the name implies, a feast to rival the gods. Like this is a week of feasting the whole community takes part in, and everyone eats at least the first meal together in a great hall or a large open space. A large array of meats, ales, wines, whiskey, breads, sweets, grains, root vegetables, spices, fruits, and cheeses are brought to the many many tables, and every group brings a dish (or several). This feast i feel, is explicitly a time for family and friends who love each other dearly to meet up and talk of their lives. people will travel many miles for an opportunity to connect with their loved ones again, and what better way to bond than over a delicious meal? side games and music are to be expected, though whether or not people will be able to dance depends on their ability to hold their liquor.

Rites of Strength- physical prowess and power are very important in dwarven culture, and this whole holiday is an event specifically for that. typical dwarven sports games (i wholeheartedly believe they'd have some version of rugby but as a rugby player im biased), lifting, wrestling, sparring, some form of rock/discus throwing, any shows of skill involving weaponry, and most importantly, a display for younger dwarves to prove their worth going into adulthood. I'm thinking this holiday would be around every 10 years, since that's a good window for older teens and young adults to be showing off their skills. One huge challenge is set up, with all the younglings competing against one another over the course of a moon cycle to become a champion (a new challenge is presented twice a week, and over the course of these challenges the number of competitors decreases based on skill alone, until there is one remaining). The prize for the youngling in the end is Honor and a Hefty purse of gold. Dwarves will travel to the nearest village/city of the head of one of the 7 dwarf families for the competitions, and while the challenges are ongoing it gives the adults and wee pebbles opportunities to have good rough fun with one another. also hc'ing that dís was the champion during her tournament.

Exhibition of the Sciences and Arts- dwarves have a deep love of creation and making sense of things, and science and art are so deeply intertwined that dwarves have a celebration for the two of them together. haven't thought about the time for this one, but possibly every 3 years? not sure. anyways, architecture plays a huge part in this festival (its probs the most perfect combination of the two fields, and we all know how dwarves love their geometric halls), as well as practices of logical medicine (throwing this in there but im thinking dwarves have logical medicine that they know for fool-proof physical healing and illogical medicine that is like groovy witch-craft reading signs and superstitious stuff), carving art, mathematics, acting, singing, writing, and so on so forth. its a knowledge share and a place where intellectuals feel most at home, and isn't so much a party as it is a nerd expo. super fascinating and interesting though, and a great place to find talented scientists and artists for commissions and job opportunities.

The Craft Trade- a huge market that comes along every two years where crafters display their wares for about 2-3 weeks, during the summer solstice. i feel like this would be a huge display for potters, weavers, quilters (i hc that quilters are widely respected in dwarven culture), textile merchants, tailors, cobblers, jewelry makers, spice traders, bakers, ect. its a mesmerizing and amazing place, perfect to trade and buy gifts. It's also considered good etiquette to bring food to the sellers, as dwarves are notoriously protective of their works, and they don't wish to risk leaving their stalls for too long during the day. a lot of pop up entertainment is around, from buskers to party tricks and games.

On Weddings, Birthdays, and More- Weddings are kind of a huge deal in dwarf culture, bcs you only marry if you find your One. there can be years of preparation going into a wedding, and while the actual ceremony and creation of the marriage contract (canonically, dwarves are obsessed with contracts) lasts only a day, the feast, even without the couple present, will last for a week at least. the families/friends of both parties are present and taking their well deserved break from preparations. On birthdays, the day of birth is most joyously celebrated. trusted friends and family are invited to celebrate the successful birth of another dwarf (its a long and rare process for dwarves to be born, celebration is almost a necessity) and the gifts presented to the child are spectacular, as well as the feast in the child's honor. Full birthday parties are held maybe every 30 or 50 years, and probably the largest party will be a dwarf's 100 and 200 year party. annually, not a whole lot of special emphasis is placed upon a birthday, maybe a favorite meal and small gifts given by your closest companions. afterall, when your lifespan is nearly 300 years, annual birthdays grow tiring.

welp my wrists are tired and im slouching like a shrimp, but i had so much fun writing this!!!

#asks #dwarves #dwarf #dwarven holidays #dwarf holidays #the hobbit #the hobbit dwarves #tolkien #tolkien dwarves #dwarf headcannons #the hobbit headcannons #the company of thorin oakenshield #thorin #fili #kili #dwalin #balin #bifur #bofur #bombur #oin #gloin #ori #dori #nori #fanfic #the hobbit fanfic

[cr-amber]

You said to toss you a prompt so:

James introduces Regulus to his culture

James is Indian ❤️

wanna preface this by saying i am not indian or hindu and have simply done my best to research to make this accurate but please let me know if there's anything i've gotten wrong!

thank you for this prompt anon! i'm stoked to have learned more about diwali since it's going on right now!

Regulus adores Diwali.  He’d never experienced it before, but James was keen to teach him all about it and include him in the rituals.  They’d lit diyas throughout the flat and even made a rangoli, and now here they are on the roof, lighting a lantern to release into the night sky together.

James strikes a match, lighting the lantern the muggle way, and they lift it together, standing side by side with twin stares as they watch it float up into the sky.  

“There’d be fireworks if we were back in India,” James says when it’s been quiet for a moment.

“Let’s make some then,” Regulus says. “We are wizards, after all.  Show me what they’d look like.”

James glances at the door to the roof, and Regulus quickly spells it shut and locks it.  James tentatively lifts his wand, shooting off a miniature burst of fireworks that dance across the space in front of them.

“You can make them bigger than that,” Regulus murmurs.

“Reg, there’s a little thing called the statute of secrecy,” James shoots back.

“Alright fine, if you won’t do it, I will.”  Statute of secrecy be damned.  James deserves his fireworks.  Regulus raises his wand, sending streams of vibrant light bursting across the sky.  James lets out a breathless laugh, stepping up to lean against the railing along the edge of the roof as he watches the display.  Regulus crowds up behind him, arms wrapping around his waist and chin coming to rest on James’ shoulder before he speaks.

“Happy Diwali, Love.  May the festival of lights illuminate your life.”

hope you enjoyed and happy diwali to all who celebrate!!

#jegulus #james potter #regulus black #indian james potter #my writing #jegulus drabble #starchaser #fanfic #jegulus fic #jegulus fanfic #diwali #desi james potter #jegulus microfic #jegulus microfic by car #microfic by car

[running2reanimation]

Sticktober 2023 - Day 11: Competition

"Okay Dad, here's how this works, using the blocks the crew has given us, we have to try and make whatever prompt pops up on that big board - and we have 5 minutes to complete it! Once the bell rings we aren't allowed to place any more blocks! Sky, Teal and Indigo will vote on who made the better build! We do this 4 times and the person who wins the most, gets the prize of $1000 and bragging rights at home!"

"I feel somehow this benefits you more than me, even if I win," King commented, looking at his full inventory.

"Mmmmaaaybe," Gold grinned, and behind him fireworks went off and the board displayed the word: CAT.

"Alright, timer starts now!" Gold shouted, heading off into his corner while King sauntered to his own.

"I really don't think I have much of a chance, sorry to anyone who's actually rooting for me," King laughed, scrolling through his inventory before placing down some quartz stairs and then shaking his head and placing down some white wool, "He just has much more experience doing this - I've seen his other build battles."

--

At the end of the first round, they revealed their builds - Gold's was a simple small tuxedo cat all in wool, while King's was a much bigger orange tabby with varying materials for the differing shades of orange.

The judges declared King the winner, "You went easy on me!"

"No, no you won fair and square!" Gold insisted, and the fireworks went off again. The board displayed the word: POTATO.

"Potato?" King rolled his eyes and started looking at the various wood in his inventory, "How am I supposed to make a visually interesting potato?"

--

King and Gold had similar ideas, attempting to recreate the Minecraft potato, but King's was a little bigger so the point went to him again. This time there was no banter and Gold frowned as the next prompt appeared: REFRIGERATOR.

King was once again puzzled over what to do with this one, "A fridge is kinda simple. Oh! Maybe I could add some fridge art, stuck on with magnets?"

--

King's fridge, while impressive, didn't match Gold's this time. His son had opened up the fridge door to show it's contents. King was sincerely impressed, and wasn't really surprised that he lost this round.

"That was really good," King complimented and Gold nodded in thanks, "So what happens if we tie?"

"One last build battle, winner takes it all," Gold explained as the potentially final prompt appeared: PIANO.

"Oh, this'll be easy, I used to play piano!" King charged off to his side, getting to work.

--

King's piano was a simple one, modelled off of the one he used to play as a kid, while Gold had gone for a grand piano.

"Oh wow, it even has the right number of keys," King remarked, counting them while Gold stood proudly, hands on his hips.

"Does yours?"

"Of course."

Again the win was given to Gold, which meant it was time for the tiebreaker: SOUP.

"Soup? How am I supposed to make soup?" King scrolled around his inventory, "I can't change the colour of water. Though I could use lava, that would be really risky and I'd have to find blocks that the lava wouldn't burn."

In the end King went with glass blocks as the soup but just as he was finishing up he heard a shout from Gold's side of the competition space, "DAD!"

And suddenly the game didn't matter and he dropped what he was doing to run to Gold's side of the wall. He found an incredibly high wall of iron blocks; a massive soup pot.

Without even thinking he began placing and climbing up ladders, practically shooting up the side of the build. As soon as he reached the top he could see that Gold had fallen into the "soup" which in his case was lava.

He could hear the bell ringing but that didn't matter.

At least Gold was close to the edge as King reached down and grabbed his son's hand, and despite the burning heat he did not let go, pulling his son up onto the ledge with him.

Without thinking he just dumped a bucket of water down between them and they rode the flow down to the ground.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You know that wouldn't have actually killed me, right?"

King nodded, hand scratching the back of his head, "Of course, but you called for me. And I'll always come running when you call."

--

King looked away from the screen and down at the blackened hand that had failed him. Failed to save him. But Gold was still calling from the other side.

And King would always come running when Gold called.

#ava sticktober #alan becker #avm mango #avm king #avm king mango #avm king orange #avm gold #king #gold #hermit

[countlessrealities]

New Year's Eve toasts || Accepting !

@shctupmeg sent: 🥂💋 for a toast with a kiss (for Morty)

During the hour that preceded midnight, Morty spent most of the time glancing at the clock, to the point that keeping up with the ongoing conversations the people around him were engaging in. Summer and Rick had to elbow him a couple of times when he failed to answer a question or a comment he had been addressed.

Yet, no matter how embarrassed and even slightly humiliated he got by being called out for having spaced out, he couldn't really bring himself to focus on the present. Not when his heart was beating so loudly at the thought of what he was planning to do once the clock would strike midnight.

Then, there was the part of him that worried and hesitated, because the truth was loud and clear. He and Meg had gone on a few dates, but they weren't together. Not officially, not yet. And he had been the one to insist that they took their time, that they let their relationship develop. Slowly. So, maybe, he was making a bigger deal out of this than it had to be?

Hazel eyes floated towards where Meg was chatting animatedly with Summer. She seemed at ease, unlike him, and that just made his anxiety grow even more. For all he knew, the girl didn't even want to share a New Year kiss with him and he was just forcing his fantasies onto reality.

Or, maybe, she didn't think it was that important. They had kissed a few times already, so why being nervous about a repeat? Great, now he really felt pathetic.

In any case, he couldn't change his plans now. That would have been even lamer. And that said it all.

So, when the end of the day, and of the year, finally approached, he inched closer and closer to the girl, trying his best not to attract anyone else's attention. Thankfully, the rest of his family was preparing for the countdown, so they couldn't have cared less about paying attention to what he was doing.

"Uh, h-hey, Meg? Come with me for a moment?" He asked in a whisper, leaning in so that just his almost girlfriend could hear him. "I-It won't be long, I-I promise. I...There's something I want to do."

He offered his hand to her and, the moment she took it, he tugged at her arm lightly, to coax her to follow him. As the rest of the family headed for the backyard, he pulled her in the hall, near the front door. His initial plan had been to get out of the house, but he decided against it. He didn't want the neighbours to whistle at them or worse.

So, they just sat on the stairs, as he produced two paper cups and a small bottle of fruity, alcohol-free champagne. He usually drank actual alcohol during the holidays, but he knew that Meg didn't like it, so he had been sure to pick a drink she could enjoy.

"I-I just wanted to have a moment alone with you," he explained, as he filled both their glasses. "B-Because...I know that we aren't together together, b-but I really like you. A lot."

He was stalking and he knew it, but he couldn't help it. The nervousness in the pit of his stomach just wouldn't settle and he was struggling hard to fight it. Then, the clock struck midnight and he knew that it was then or never.

"An-And...I...I really wanted to...to do this."

He didn't elaborate or wait for an answer, gearing that he would lose his guts if he had. So, instead, he just leant him and kissed her.

While he didn't deepen the contact past their mouths moving against each other, he was a bit rougher, a bit more passionate than he had been the previous times. He pressed in closer, hungrier even, taking as much as he could without crossing the lines he himself had set down.

Was he indulging too much? Was he pushing for too much? Asking too much? Especially when he wasn't ready to give what he knew she wanted from him. But he was too selfish to stop now.

When he eventually broke away, he was panting a little and his face felt too hot from comfort. Still, he managed to pour their drinks, just in time for the second round of fireworks to light up the sky.

"S-So, uh, happy new year, Meg. I hope that it will be a good year for you. An-And that I'll be able to help making a happy one too."

#[ ic :: Morty ] #&& Meg Griffin #[ sv. Rick Double Morty Megyhem ; timeline split & shctupmeg :: Morty ] #[ ᴵ ᴳᴸᴬᴰᴸʸ ᶠᴬᶜᴱ ᴬᴸᴸ ᵀᴴᴱ ᵁᴾˢ ᴬᴺᴰ ᴰᴼᵂᴺˢ 'ᶜᴬᵁˢᴱ ʸᴼᵁᴿ ᴴᴬᴺᴰ ᴵᴺ ᴹᴵᴺᴱ ᴵˢ ᴬˢ ˢᵂᴱᴱᵀ ᴬˢ ᴴᴼᴺᴱʸ :: ᴍᴏʀᴛʏ & ᴍᴇɢ ] #shctupmeg #[[ he got all nervous bc it's their first New Year's as romantic partners x3 ]] #[[ but he delivered well enough I think xD ]]

[whatthebodygraspsnot]

you don’t need to read this - im just fixating and feeling paranoid and i need to type it out instead of bothering my people about it even more :)

so shitty air quality right? according to airnow.gov that people swear by, we’re at 241 Very Unhealthy right now and i’ve been borderline obsessing over this all day. since i got into work and saw it. i run a camp of 140 kids and 20 staff so i have to give a shit and move activities inside for all sorts of reasons.

so i move things inside. thankfully we found the space. i’m texting the other site coordinators for the older camps elsewhere and they don’t seem as worried. we were registering as Unhealthy the entire day. kids especially are supposed to limit outdoor time. we were outside for 20 min during pickup and you could literally see and smell the smoke. and i know i’m supposed to care but the responses from the others and my higher ups make me feel like im blowing it out of proportion. which i might be but idk. like, i feel like it matters?

i ask my supervisor about what protocol is for a pool day coming up if the air quality is poor. she says she doesn’t know and makes a joke. no one talks about it again. i realize i’m just using the default weather app on my phone and there’s airnow.gov to use with better instructions on care and the number is even higher on there. purple and not red.

i’m home at this point and shoot another text about how we’re going to be in bad numbers again tomorrow and make a joke about being a little obsessive about it. just in case they wanted to move stuff around on their schedules so they’re not putting their kids and staff at risk. no response. which is super cool and makes me feel like i am DEFINITELY obsessing now and blowing it out of proportion.

but. i’m not. right? group chat friends are very nice and have suffered this but Bigger in NY when it was horrible. it was worse for them. which makes my brain do the “it could be worse for you” thing but it IS still bad for us. yes? except i keep pulling the percentage up an uncomfortable amount of times. and not going outside. and yet as i type this there are fireworks going off. so it can’t be that bad. but it is.

i can’t stop myself from checking the site like something is going to happen. no one in my area is taking this as seriously as me and it makes me feel like i’m being paranoid. like something big and bad is gonna happen and no one is listening to me here about it.

i wanna talk about it to everyone but i’ve done that enough and i’m gonna be annoying if i bring it up again. because enough is enough. and it could be worse. but it’s still bad. and i feel bad.

so i’m typing this out and sending it off and hopefully i will feel better.

#personal #to delete

[pandorias-box]

Alpha Encounter

The trek to Deertrack Heights was scenic, as was most of the Fieldlands. She was asked by one of the Diamond Clan’s wardens to rid of a nuisance that had set up space in a sacred site that was said to be where the descendant of a blessed Pokémon dwelled.

Little did Pandoria know that said nuisance was a Kriketune. An Alpha Kricketune. The insect was taller than she was, its arms that would otherwise look flimsy seemed to appear as sickles. It stood its ground, emanating a distinct and very loud cry.

DELELELELE WOOOOOOOP!!

Pandoria covered her ears when the bug-type made the noise, and soon after, the Pokémon lunged at her with its eyes glowing red. It tried to pin her to the ground before she had any time to react. She stumbled back, rolling to the edge of the natural arena, kicking up dust and dirt from beneath her feet.

“Get up! You have to battle it!” The Warden shouted from the sideline.

I am going to, human. I was not given an opportunity to call forth any of my Pokémon! Pandoria thought, but refrained from saying to Mai. She wanted to have good relations with those of the Diamond Clan, and if she got irate at one of its members upon their first meeting, then that’d be a big problem.

But she had a bigger problem looming in front of her. Literally.

She grabbed one of her Pokéballs, an archaic iteration of the device, and called forth one of her companions. A bright azure light emanated from it before materializing as a small blue and yellow creature with a blazing backside.

A Cyndaquil. Though it was small and meek, it let out a small noise; that of a battle cry.

The Kricketune rubbed its arms again, making its distinct cry once more. This time it was in defiance. It was itching for a fight.

“Are you ready for this, Mira?” Pandoria asked the small fire-type.

Cynda!

“I suppose I should take that as a yes. Okay, let us begin!”

As she spoke, the Kricketune primed itself to slash the Cyndaquil with its arms using Fury Cutter. It knocked Mira back somewhat, but barely made a scratch despite it seeming to be quite the strong blow.

Not very effective…

Pandoria knew she had an advantage if such a move was doing minimal damage. She had to take this for granted.

“Mira! Use Ember!” She commanded.

The Cyndaquil’s back burst with a small blaze trying to muster all its strength and fiery energy it had. It then spat out a small spark that burst into flame upon contact, singeing the exoskeleton of the Kricketune somewhat. It was weak to fire, as all bug-types were. The insect too staggered back and fumbled somewhat, giving Pandoria an opportunity to strike at it again.

“Tackle!” She instructed.

The Cyndaquil made a running start at the Kricketune before ramming into it headfirst in its chest. That seemed to be a weak spot for it.

But the insect maestro stood up again, rearing to strike once more. It too tackled Mira, knocking it back. The tiny fire type seemed to be panting, but there was still a lot of fight left in her.

Once again, the Cyndaqil spat an Ember at the Kricketune hoping to finish the job. But it was still standing. In fact, the battle was far from over even though it was severely weakened.

But there was a way Pandoria could finish it without risking any further injury. From her satchel, she grabbed a Pokéball and hurled it right at the Kricketune as it was beginning to charge at Mira again. It became enveloped in a familiar light, and the sphere dropped to the ground.

It shook once.

Twice.

And then a small signal flare, akin to a firework went off.

It was done. The Alpha’s fury was quelled.

Mai jogged close to Pandoria looking at her with awe.

"You really are an impressive one, aren't you? Seeing someone best an alpha like that... It truly reminds me of the legendary hero of old!" She said.

“There is no need to flatter me like that, Warden. After all, it was not I who bested it, but rather Mira.”

The Cyndaquil squeaked in response to Pandoria’s praise. Mai then got close to the ground and fed the Fire Mouse a berry.

"We'd best make sure your Pokémon is taken care of after facing off against such a foe."

“Thank you for your kindness, Warde-.”

As Pandoria was about to thank Mai, another resonant noise echoed across the open plains. It seemed to be coming from the rocky outcrop that overlooked the arena that the Alpha and Survey Corp member fought in.

A shadow then leaped from the edge, and landed gracefully. The sound of clopping hooves on dirt could be heard before the source of it moved closer.

Its fur was grey and had a mane as white as snow, striking eyes that seemed to gaze into one’s soul. And those antlers. Those intricate and unmistakable golden antlers.

Mai staggered back, but not in fear. She then made a bowing gesture towards the creature. It huffed in response.

“The great Wyrdeer… He looks upon you with kindness, Pandoria.” The Warden said in a hushed voice.

The Pokémon then slowly walked towards Pandoria and huffed in contentment despite her being a stranger.

"I'd say the great Wyrdeer has taken a liking to you. That is fortunate. He is an esteemed Pokémon that can dash across the expanses of Hisui while bearing a person he deems worthy. He is a blessing to us all," Mai stated.

"The Hisui region is a land created by almighty Sinnoh for the sake of its Pokémon. As long as your goal is to coexist and thrive together with the Pokémon, then I imagine you should also be allowed to use this land."

“Y-yes. That is my goal, Warden. I am honored to have gained the approval of such an esteemed Pokémon.” Pandoria replied.

But in reality, my goal is to return home…

"You have my thanks for what you did today. Our clan leader will hear of how you aided us. I'll come to show my appreciation with a proper reward as soon as I can." Mai spoke.

“You need not do such a thing, Warden Mai. Truly. But, I am grateful to assist you nonetheless. Shall we be off then?”

“I suppose we shall…”

#pokemon irl #rotumblr #pkmn irl #irl pokemon #pokeblogging #pokeblr #rotomblr #irl pkmn #arc: divine decree

[babygirlrex0504]

Chapter One: The Phantoms

You have been on your own since the fall of you clan and the Fall of Mandalore. Memories of the night of escaping Mandalore. The Empire has recently fallen which you naturally celebrated in the nearest cantina (aka finding a bounty.) in Tatooine. Little to your knowledge another Mandalorian visits the same cantina, starting a beautiful partnership.

Next

Warnings: violence, blood, childhood trauma, trauma, mentions of death, din being super damn awkward and stubborn, and swearing

Masterlist

Chapter Two

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5 Years Ago

The celebration of the Empire falling was a big one for sure. People hollering and killing or beating the troopers down to a pulp. Some of the Empire soldiers left as soon as the rumor started, which brought the eyes of the civilians of Tatooine. You thought it was irony from what they did to Mandalore. You were not there when it fell, you were there when Vizsla was murdered by Maul. It took a while before Maul was overthrown by the Republic. It didn’t matter, the Empire soon after came and destroyed our planet our city.

When you fled a lot of Mandalorians dispersed throughout the whole universe. You would occasionally come into contact with other Mandalorians through the galaxy. The more of the Empire grew the less you saw Mandalorians. We hid more and became space rats, gathering food, and credits to survive. That’s why some of us joined creeds or just became solo bounty hunters.

You leaned against the wall of a cantina, you wore your beat up Mandalorian armour. Your helmet was Vassk with silver baskar parts and blue paint melded into the armor. However with not being able to upgrade is that it was battered down, scraped up, and some pieces destroyed.

While everyone celebrated you were sent to do a job. It would be easy to track and grab the target. You were a freelance bounty hunter, haven’t found a creed to stick to. Fireworks went off near the Hutt palace, you watched as it lit up the sky. Bringing back memories as a child, watching the missiles fly and hit buildings around you, as you ran for cover.

“Fuck the Empire!” your thoughts were interrupted as a flying glass flew passed you vision and hitting a speeder bike. The poor scout was flooded over with people beating him to death.

You looked over at the crowd and saw your target. They were wanted for killing the clients children, he was also a Devaronian, so he was naturally tall. Devaronians are not a joke, the last time you went toe to toe with one they broke your collarbone. Almost killing you, if you weren’t able to stab them with a wooden spoon you could have fire yourself.

His name was Jovur Ceihk, the children wasn’t the only crime he has committed, he has murdered tons and tons of people, theft, kidnapping, and smuggling. Jovur stumbled passed you and into the cantina you were leaning against. You followed him giving a couple minutes of space. You leaned off of the wall and started to walk into the cantina.

It was busy people singing, cheering, and drunk off their minds. You watched the small screen that showed Coruscant, people taking down statues of the past rulers, troopers. Fireworks going off with celebration everywhere, you could see people very happy. You were relieved but this Empire doesn’t help you survive.

You couldn’t help but to think who would be the next one to “rule.” All the men and women you came in counter with were hierarchy rulers, wanting to take instead of serve. Dishonorable. You sighed looking around for Jovur, you saw him next to another Devaronian, that one was much bigger. “Great.” You shifted through the crowd to make your way to him.

Until you caught a glimpse of another armored person. You snapped you head up to see them sitting in the corner watching carefully. Your blood ran cold as you stared into their visor. A Mandalorian. They got up as they noticed who you were going towards, so you quickly and purposefully ran into Jovur.

“Watch what you are doing yelp.” He growled down at you, usually others would cower down or shake out a sorry.

However Jovur and his friend haven’t met you yet. “Oh man, couldn’t help myself people pushing others and all. You are Jovur?”

His friend snapped his head towards him then looked into you black visor. The ‘t’ shaped looking at Jovur, ignoring the death glare. “Who’s asking?”

You pulled out the puck fiddling with it. “Ya know one of the highest clients to ask. You can come nicely so people can…” His friend smashed his cup on your head.

It didn’t really do anything but slowly look over at him. He started to grunt and growl at you, you knew it was him talking in his language, so you turned to face Jovur, pointing your hand towards him. “Care to translate?”

“He said your a dead Mandalorian.” He growled throwing a punch at you, you already had a knife at the end of your boot just in case it was going to go south.

You kicked his friend with the knife in his side while dodging Jovur’s swing. His friend howled as you grabbed up to Jovur horns, pulling him down to jab your boot in his shoulder and kicked him away. He stumbled backwards into other people, as they tried to yell at him, I pulled out my blaster pistol and shot his friend in the side, with no work on it he charged and slammed into me.

With a grunt we both went flying to the ground. You pulled out a knife from your side and jabbed it into his eye, he yelled loudly as he tried to pry out of his eyes but you jabbed more into it and kneeing him in his good parts. You pulled out a smaller knife and jabbed it into his other eye, he lifted himself up and was frantically trying to pull them out. He was angry, oh you knew that but the last time you encountered one of these beasts, you almost died.

They might be bigger yes but if you blind the mud horn it can’t charge. “Take it outside you two!” The bartender yelled. Two?

You snapped your head to find no Jovur. Your patience no on thin ice you realized the other Mandalorian wasn’t to be seen. “Oh Maker.” You grunted looking over at the Devaronian. “Sorry man gotta go, hope your eyesight get better.” You bolted out pushing people out of the way. They moved quickly some of them, the ones sober.

You remembered the time on Mandalore talking to your foundling mother, while getting prepared for your armor. You were 14 receiving your own armor or getting ready to at this time. You were given the underclothing to be able to place the armor on you. Your foundling mother watching, you never got to see her face until she died.

“Mother,” You whispered walking towards her. “Do we get our signet today?”

She tilted her helmet down towards you. “Not yet my cub. Someday when we both work on missions together to bring Mandalore back to how it was.”

You looked puzzling towards her. “Are we almost there?”

She went quiet. “No no we are not,” It was silent for a moment as you frowned. She lifted you chin up towards her visor. “Don’t worry we will. Let’s meet with the armorer.”

You made sure you were on top of the sand duned buildings, using your scanner that popped in front of your visor. You used heat vision to do so. There was so many people that it worried you that you lost both the bastard Mandalorian and Devaronian. People now throwing any kind of fireworks in the air, sparking sticks, and some things that pop on the ground making it almost impossible to see. You almost gave up until you remembered a training session.

You were about 18 at this time training a bit more for the take over of the throne. You were a bit nervous just because unlike many others, you didn’t like how they planned on taking over. You thought it was a terrorist action, people killing, and trying to overthrow Satine. Yes it wasn’t right on how she was running their world, it should be how it has always been. That is what you were taught in your belief lessons.

You almost had your target that was set up until the other Mandalorian teen beat you to it. You immediately stopped thinking it was over until your foundling mother yelled to continue. Confused you and the other one started to go hand to hand, eventually you pinned him and we were ordered to stop.

Panting you stared at her, you knew she was disappointed by how her body language was. It was silent all the way back up to camp, you walked with her side to side. You knew not to talk until she did about things like this. You remembered the last time you did you had to scrape up any animals that they had feces up until it didn’t smell at all period.

She spoke right before you both were on the borderline of the camp. “When your prey is taken by another hunter, don’t give up on the hunt. The hunter is now the hunted.”

You jumped roof to roof and found both of them. You smirked underneath the helmet and jumped down, behind them. You waited for the opportunity to eject your wire to wrap around the Mandalorian’s legs. There was dust gathered up and a oof, you detached it and sprinted towards Jovur. He tried to sprint away with no luck as you tackled him. “Gotcha.”

You then felt a line around your neck. You forcefully slammed into the ground and was sliding against the dust ground. You were able to slip your fingers between the wire and you neck giving some breathing room. People either walked over you or just stared. You scrambled your feet to try to lift up with no success. When you felt that your body stopped being dragged you looked up to see the other Mandalorian looking down at you.

“Hey.” You croaked since the line was tight around your neck. He didn’t say anything but instead tried to throw a punch in your face.

You blocked it and kicked your legs to his helmet having him stubble back. You rolled to the side and intertwined your arm with the wire pulling him closer. You elbowed him in the throat hearing him gurgling a bit as he kicked you in the stomach.

You felt your lunch come up before swallowing back down. You pulled the wire to have him swing down, slamming into the sand. You turned around to see the Javur gone. “Oh for kriffs sake.” You whispered having your scope come down and scanned the area but was soon pushed down.

The Mandalorian was above you pinning you down wrapping your arm behind your back and lifting up. “I caught him before you.” He panted out. His voice was a bit deep, silky. You tried to push up but he used his weight even harder on your back.

“Ohh hohoho no buddy you caught him once he was injured so to be fair I did.” You argued still trying your best to lift up. “Plus he is already heading to the docks, so how about we make a truce and split whatever.” You offered praying to the Maker he would take it.

For how much this dimwit was it was still enough for you to have a room and food for a couple of days. The Mandalorian groaned in frustration. “10%.”

You laughed a bit. “50%.”

“30.”

“40.”

“Fine.” He exhaled the word as he cut the wire and lifted his body up off of you.

Once you regained you balance you looked at him. “That wasn’t nice.” He didn’t say anything but started to run towards the docks.

You both pushed people out of the way as you saw the tall red man. “There.” You said as you caught up next to him. “I will take the sky while you stay below?”

He snapped his head over. “How do I know you just wire him up?”

“Lucky for you that was the last time,” You sighed and rolled you head a bit almost slamming into a woman. “This is the Way Mando.”

It like that shut him up for good as he just nodded. You saw a stack of boxes that led to the roof of a building. You sprinted and jumped until you reached to the top.

“Sometimes cub you will have to make alliances with you to succeed. When you do, you can’t and will not betray that trust. For it would be a dishonor.” Your foundling mother instructed as you both sat over the ridge. You were 5, you promised to help someone get there things back (like a some stupid doll.) But kept it for yourself.

“Yes mother.” You whispered feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

You felt her hand on your shoulder. “You will fit it one day, the others don’t understand just yet. They have been born into this clan but you…you were special to be welcomed in,” You turned to her looking into her visor. “You will always be special to me cub. This is the Way.”

You have always hated allowances, you felt that you would be cut short or betrayed. So you tried to do it before them however, you never have done that with a Mandalorian, it would bring you to that lesson that conversation. You didn’t care if it was pirates or some other kind of bounty hunter.

You caught up to Jovur and leaped to land on him. You both rolled until you had your knee against his back. “For a big horned dude you are fast.” You panted as you pulled his arms up to bring that pinpointed pain in his shoulder blade.

You heard footsteps behind you, the Mandalorian looked down at the both of you. “Done?” He asked.

“Oh eat a womp rat Mando.” You snapped before pulling him up. You pushed Jovur to him. “Since I caught him you get to walk it.”

It was quiet between the three of you, obviously Jovur was not saying anything due to knowing he was caught and no way out. I didn’t want to talk at all to anyone, was hungry and tired. Mando, seems like he isn’t just a talkative dude. People still cheering as the sun rose slowly from afar, the moons disappearing. It reminded you of the last time you saw you mother.

You and your Foundling Mother were the only ones left. You landed on a planet that was similar to Coruscant if it was a dump. It was most for ports for smuggling. It had two moons beautiful but barely noticeable from the smoke of the factories. That’s where she died, was helping smuggling some red sand until we found that it was a bust. You sighed as the Mandalorian paused and looked over at you.

“What?” You asked looking around to see a big ass ship.

“Where’s your ship?” He asked while the ramp came down.

You watched as it came towards you guys. “I don’t have one.” You whispered, you would hope that he didn’t realize that and moved on but here you are.

“This is going to shorten the cut,” He said casually while walking up the ramp. “For fuel.”

“Fuel?” You mumbled.

“I am not a taxi service.” He grumbled as he tossed Jovur to you.

You grunted and looked up at him. “This fucking guy.” You mumbled.

Juvor nodded his head as he sat down on one of the seats. You kept a good eye on him as you flew through whatever was making you fly through. Juvor actually fell asleep and wasn’t giving any more issues even when landing. Mando came down the ladder and grabbed Juvor by the arm lifting him up.

“Where are we?” You asked as the hatches opened.

Once you were able to see everything it was just a small town ahead, it had an arch for you to go under to walk inside the small area. You looked over at Mando and he walked forward. You passed every sort of different species and hunters. The would stare in awe as both of you passed by them.

Mando looked straight ahead ignoring the onlookers. You then noticed when walking through sticks with stormtrooper helmets on top of them. They were bloodied and little mud on them, some visors broken. Good celebration here as well.

You noticed as you walked up to what you assumed was a cantina, two large Gamorreans. At first you thought you landed on the other side of Tatooine, you never seen them anywhere else. They followed you in as the cantina went quiet, a middle age black man stood up. “Mando once again you have ceased to…” He paused looking over at me. “Looks like you found yourself a girlfriend.”

“No temporary alliance.” He mumbled looked at him back then the two Gamorreans.

“Don’t worry they are here for him.” The man explained as the two Gamorreans took Juvor away. We watched as he tried to fight but on of them stabbed him with one of their staffs making him scream before pulling him out. Mando sat in the booth across from the man and I followed suite sitting next to him.

I studied him, he seemed well kept for what it looks like out there. His clothing seemed pretty nice as well. His facial hair well trimmed and he seemed nice but never could be too careful. The man sighed and pulled out credits. “Better use these fast since the Empire is gone,” Mando quickly grabbed them and overlooked it with a firm nod he placed them in a pouch. You glared at him before the man spoke. "I have a big puck for you Mando but before we discuss this puck...You," You snapped your head over. "Are you a true Mandalorian?"

You glared at his finger and stared at it for a moment before he retracted it and sat awkwardly. You nodded my head. "Yes I am."

He waited to see if you were going to state anything else before clearing his throat. "All Mandalorians are the same huh? Are you in any Creed?" You shook my head, sharply. "Well good you are now, my name is Greef Karga, if you want good jobs you come to me," He paused then closed his eyes for a moment then turned his head to Mando. "Alright Mando you won't like what this puck requires...this puck is a team up type job." He placed the puck down and a Bivall popped up, it caught your eyes just because she worked with the one and only Emperor Palpatine. Her head was to be brought to the client themselves. It was worth a lot of credits: 10,000. It stated her name which was Sionver Boll that was it, no location. You sighed loudly and shook your head firmly.

"No, I work alone." You said quickly, still shaking your head.

"I agree." Mando mumbled loud enough for all three of you to hear.

Greef sighed. "Well Mando it requires two participants, if not I can give it to..."

"We will take it," Mando replied quickly as you snapped your head. "Where was she last sighted, do you know?"

"Yes, she was last sighted at Coruscant once the glorified Emperor was killed, she fled." He stated before folding his arms smirking. "I would start there." Mando nudged my leg indicating to get out of the booth. You sighed irritated before scooting out and stood waiting for him to get out. He started towards the door and you looked down at Greef. "Good luck he is hard to work with."

You nodded you head before sighing out. "You are telling me." When you got out of the cantina he was waiting outside for you and starting walking into the alleyways. You followed closely as it became more packed, passing some vendors yelling towards the both of you in a different language. You both trekked on, until there was a hole in the wall, he barely looked over at you and led you in. You pushed the cloth make shifted door and walked down steps, it got darker until you reached the bottom.

The long hallway had people inside you waited until he walked through the arch way and you followed. It still being dim you noticed that there was other Mandalorians, your heart skipped. You watched as some started to stare at you when walking through the long hallway, you stared back not scared of them, but you were cautious. You thought that Mandalorians didn't stay in one area, you were told to split. You saw that Mando was ahead, so you walked faster until he stopped and looked at you. "The armor."

You slowly looked over and saw a Mandalorian woman fixing a weapon, hitting the hammer down on it. You thought she didn't even notice you until she paused and slowly looked up at you. "Clan Vizsla, you have some of your brothers and sisters here. Many haven't come back but they are here," You didn't know what to feel, relieved, comforted, angry, tired. You couldn't believe an amorer was here, in front of you. "I know who you are y/n, you were there when the reign of Maul happened, left with your foundling mother, as did others. You were young, yes?" She explained a bit looking over at you.

You nodded and inhaled deeply. "Yes, I was."

She nodded before walking over to you. "Children of the Watch is what we are now, living and collecting...have you forgotten the ways of Mandalore?"

"No, I have not." You quickly said looking right into her visor. Her armor was beautiful, the gold and the red mixing in as what the legend of the Pheonix was.

"Have you removed your helmet?"

You felt your heart racing, you never did, you almost had plenty of times due to fighting or being knocked on conscious. However, none of your enemies truly pulled it off. You felt Mando's eyes on you, why did he bring you here if he didn't trust you, let alone just meeting a few hours. "No I have not."

"Good. I am surprised that he has brought you here for only working together once." She said almost asking it as a question.

"I saw how her armor is. I noticed it on others here." Mando answered pointing to your gauntlet part of your armor, the blue indicating it.

You looked around and noticed that other Mandalorians were gathering, nosey buggers. You felt like they can and always will be. Some were head taller than you, mind you Mando is almost the same height as them, he towers over you. Some were women, some men, mostly men. You hoped that someone here you would recognize back at Mandalore.

"I see," The armor said slowly. "You need a little fix on your chest plate, for you staying now. I will fix it before you head to your next destination."

You nodded and walked into the room that she was in, it was roomy, rightfully so due to what she needed to create. When you took off your chest plate you placed it on the small table then sat in front of it. "Night of Thousands of Tears were you there?" She asked grabbing the chest plate.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to return after the reign of Maul." You said, your voice little shaky from the thought of how your world is now in shambles.

She nodded and walked over to place it down. "That is very unfortunate," She overlooked it then slightly looked over her shoulder to Mando. "You will show her the way that we live now, whenever she understands it, you may depart. It will be your choice," It was silent until Mando accepted her words. She inhaled before slamming the hammer down. "This is the Way."

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The Clan of Three Series

A/N: Oh my it is now posted! I worked for hours on this just cause I was so excited! I hope you guys have enjoyed the first chapter and the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Trust me Mando will be less meh ;) I just feel like that is how he is awkward and off. If you are wanting to be added to the tag list comment below!

Tag List: @happycupcakeenthusiast @nobeepnochill14

#the mandolarian x reader #mandalore #the mandalorian #din djarin x f!reader #din djarin x y/n #mando #this is the way #the clan of three #star wars #star wars fanfic