dilfritual

anabelle / 20 / selfshipper snape - hp, fabian - the white lotus, joel - the last of us

[dilfritual]

Summer of Selfship: WEEK THREE!

Prompt Three: Birds / Sunrise | There's More Life In The Morning

Andie had been waking up most mornings before 5:00 am since she started her undergraduate degree — a 5 year long habit at this point. This routine began when her panic disorder developed, and a unique characteristic of her panic disorder was that all of her attacks occured when she woke up in the morning, usually around 8 or 9. Shooting out of bed in a cold sweat or to a burning, squeezing sensation in her chest that spread to her breasts and ribs, usually accompanied by horrific, screaming thoughts about her impending death… which never came.

Her psychiatrist recommended she take her Zoloft at night and wake up before 8am going forward after her third week of straight panic-filled mornings. She hadn’t looked back — every morning, if she wasn’t stirring awake to the clicking beat of her alarm at 5, she was already naturally up at 4. Sometimes earlier.

Andie was good about keeping this routine even when she took trips, and moving to Thailand for 3 months to work 12 hour days was no exception. She made instant coffee in her complementary room, drinking it on her bed with her legs criss crossed in boxers and a band shirt. Once the swill was down, she got up and got dressed, tying on sneakers and pulling on work shorts, followed by a provided polo shirt from the hotel. She did a rough brush of her hair and headed out to walk as the sun was rising, sometime around 5:45, 6:00. 

It was her fourth morning there, and she’d already gotten used to this new routine. Back home, she’d go through the motions to make herself fresh, iced chamomile tea, take a jog in the hotel gym, work on some grad school assignments. Being in Thailand, she wasn’t motivated to do any of those things. To try and make up for some of that disinterest, she went for a long morning walk, phone playing some downloaded music quietly since she’d forgotten her headphones back home like an idiot.

As she was turning the corner to step onto the beach and walk along the shore, she nearly crashed into someone who was seemingly struggling through a run. She steadied him, and as she lifted her head, Andie made eye contact with her mentor, Fabian. He looked as equally surprised, and they shared an awkward laugh as she let go of his shoulders and he stepped back, catching his breath and bringing the back of his hands up to his bright red face.

“Andie… you’re up early. Is everything alright?” he wheezed out, almost stumbling as he leaned down and held his knees, looking up at her as he tried to catch his breath.

“Yeah, uh… I’m an early riser. I was planning on walking over to the rocks at the end of the beach to watch the sunrise,” she told him and she reached out again, touching his warm shoulder. “Are you alright? Do you need water?”

Andie unlatched her bottle from the blue carabiner she’d used to attach it to one of her belt loops. He bashfully nodded, and he took a long gulp before passing it to her. “Watching the sunrise… how lovely.”

“Yeah,” she smiled and her eyes fell on his chest as he straightened up. His shirt clung to his body, and he was sweating through the material under his arms. The curls of his hair were matted to his forehead. “Do you want to join me?”

“Oh,” Fabian’s eyebrows raised, and he looked at the smart watch on his wrist before pursing his lips. “Yeah, that would be nice. I’d have to head back for when breakfast begins, but…”

“Sounds good,” Andie said, and she started off onto the sand. Fabian quickly followed after her, heaving deep breaths as he did. “So, do you run often?”

“Uh, no. No, I am trying to get into running. I want to lose a little weight,” he admitted, eyes sheepish as they walked side by side. Andie grinned and glanced up at him. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” she said quickly, still smiling. “Just surprised. You’re in great shape already.”

“No, no… I could be leaner,” he murmured, shyly turning his pretty eyes away, his long lashes fluttering as he replayed her words in his head. Andie shrugged her shoulders, and he looked out at the ocean as they grew nearer to the rocks. “So, you’re an early riser, you said? Why’s that? All of my other younger employees aren’t.”

She laughed a little bit at his bluntness. “It’s a mental health thing. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”

“Are you ill?” Fabian asked, and the tone of his voice would’ve made anyone who wasn’t Andie believe she’d just admitted to being an alien. She’d already picked up on the fact that Fabian jumped to horrible conclusions very quickly. 

“I mean, no, not terminally or anything like that. I have an anxiety disorder and waking up earlier is a way that I manage some of the negative sensations I sometimes have,” she explained gently. Andie stepped forward and climbed up one of the large rocks. The ledge of the rock was crusted in barnacles and micah glinted in the rising sunlight. Pale yellow and a melting sort of amber orange highlighted her tan skin as she sat down. Fabian sat next to her. “Besides, I like the morning. I always have. It feels less lonely than nighttime.”

“How do you figure?” he asked, a small smile tugging at his plump pink lips. There was a sense of wonder glinting in his eyes and he dragged the tips of his fingers through his curls, pushing the silver gray strands back a bit.

“Ah, I guess…” Andie grinned and sighed, scratching a bug bite on her knee cap as she looked up at the sky. Some cormorants flew overhead, and she gestured mindlessly at them. “There’s more life in the morning. More to see, I guess. I don’t ever see birds at night.”

“Huh,” Fabian mused, nodding his head. “I guess you don’t.”

The orange of the sky parted open to the blue, and the ocean crashed up on some of the waves. A bit of spray coated their legs, but neither of them seemed to mind.

“If you ever need someone to talk to about your anxiety, I’m here,” Fabian said quietly and suddenly. Andie looked at him, and he smiled at her. “It’s difficult to be somewhere that’s not your home when you struggle with stuff like that.”

She nodded slowly, thinking about the night prior when she’d stumbled across him having a conversation with two guests in German rather than English or Thai. “Thank you, Fabian.”

“Mhm,” he hummed, slowly looking away from Andie and up at the sky, where another flock of cormorants were flying by.

[dilfritual]

Summer of Selfship: WEEK TWO (secret double post!)

Prompt Two: Radio | Brooke and Jubal in the Morning

SECRET DOUBLE STORY... AU of me PISSING off Snape <3 with super special secret @lookingupatthesamemoon surprise cameo...

“Can I speak with Severus please?”

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded mischievous… sort of playful. Unfamiliar, too. Severus frowned and looked at the caller ID again. “Speaking. Who is this?” he asked, his tone coming out accusatory and rigid. 

“This is Jubal from Brooke and Jubal in the morning. I’m a host of a radio show out in Seattle, in the U.S. I’m guessing you haven’t heard of us from what we’ve heard about you.”

“You’ve ‘heard’ about me?” Severus questioned, and was promptly met with a howl of laughter.

“Yes, yes we have. Ahem, we have a segment on our show where one of our listeners can email us about a first date that they recently went on if their date isn’t calling them back. You went on a first date recently,” Jubal explained, and Severus felt himself growing increasingly irritated. The sleeves of his frock felt too tight, almost itchy, and a man in the background would not stop laughing.

“I haven’t been on a first date in ten years,” Severus responded coolly, his jaw setting. His eyes darted around his small office, roaming over the jars with slugs and the various feather tubes hanging from their suspended counters. “I’m going to hang up.”

“Wait, wait,” Jubal said quickly, “okay, I guess it wasn’t a real date. You were at a party recently, were you not?”

His shoulders pinned up and his lips molded into a grimace. “Yes. I was at a party two nights ago for a coworker who was retiring. How do you know that?”

“Well, you see, this girl that was at the party really liked you and wanted to go on a proper first date with you, but you’re not returning her ‘owls,’ but I don’t really understand what she meant by that. She said you’d get it,” Jubal told him, and Severus’s eyes slowly rolled, his head tipping back into his seat as he scoffed. “It sounds like you know who emailed us.”

“Was it Anabelle?” Severus asked, distaste and an odd sense of amusement thick in his voice, and everyone on the other line erupted in laughter. “Right. I’m hanging up.”

“No! No, don’t hang up. Anabelle was so sweet and so funny. Don’t you think she deserves to be told why you’re not responding to her?” a woman piped up, and Severus licked his lips, the grimace on his face teetering on morphing into a smirk.

“She knows why I’m not responding to her. She always does stuff like this,” Severus huffed, rubbing his eyes and sinking further into his chair, feeling some sort of relief pour into his veins. “You can tell her she needs to learn some patience and to leave my owl alone. He’s tired.”

“Seriously, I don’t get the owl thing and I really hope it’s not some weird sexual innuendo,” Jubal chuckled, and then he continued, “wait, so you plan on getting back to her?”

Severus huffed. “I don’t have to ‘get back’ to her. She’s just doing this to humiliate and annoy me.”

“I am so confused,” the laughing guy called, and a distinct snicker came from the other end that wasn’t there before.

“Wait. Is Anabelle on the line?” Severus asked, and the snicker grew into a full on laugh. He couldn’t help his slowly building smirk, which swiftly became a small grin. “You’re a twat.”

The other end erupted once more in aggravating giggles. The mystery woman on the other end sighed, “good thing we’re pre recording this...”

“Anabelle, you were supposed to wait until I told him that you were on the other end,” Jubal cut in, “Severus, surprise, she’s been listening this whole time! She wanted to talk to you!”

“Yeah, sorry guys, I just wanted to annoy him,” Anabelle piped up, and Severus could easily picture her face, her hazel eyes all twinkling with some air of secrecy and teasing.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Jubal asked, and Severus cleared his throat.

“Anabelle’s my girlfriend. She’s just doing this so I have a reason to… punish her, I suppose,” Severus sighed, getting up from his desk chair. “I’m going to hang up so I can go track her down.”

The line went dead and Jubal, Brooke, and Jose exchanged flushed, somewhat amused glances.

“That got… wildly uncomfortable, wildly fast,” Jubal mumbled. “I think he’s gonna go use his owl on her. Alright, moving on to the next second date update! Rye is calling in about a fella named… Hagrid…”

[dilfritual]

Summer of Selfship: WEEK TWO!

Prompt Two: Radio / Lemonade | Linger

a different kind of radio during apocalypse times. this is for my pal's summer of selfship prompt event! @lookingupatthesamemoon !

July was, without a doubt, the most brutal summer month in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Most patrols only lasted an hour to prevent heat stroke and in order to lessen the amount of sunscreen being used by the community, as zinc oxide was hard to come by and only a set amount could be made every month.

To keep her working hours steady and to lessen her time outside of the wall during the fiery days, Adrienne elected to take gate watch and forgo her patrol spot to Dina, who had been begging for years to finally be allowed on patrol. Luckily, she often got the night shift. The hours admittedly were not the best, but being on the wall from 9pm to 2am meant sitting in the cool air and hardly getting any alerts of any kind. July was honestly her favorite time of year.

It’d been a week since her night duties started, and that meant it’d been a week since her last patrol with Joel, who she never saw outside of their trail runs, save for the occasional pass-by at the bar or armory. Tonight was no different from the rest. She was propped up in a green nylon camping chair, boots propped up on the wood railing, her walkie-talkie laying on her chest. The nightly gate watch person kept their radio on at all times, so usually anyone on night patrol could hear whatever they were saying. Most of the time, gate watch was utterly silent since the person on duty was alone, but Adrienne was getting tired of the frequent hours spent in her own thoughts. Tonight, she brought along her cassette player and was quietly playing songs, making sure to keep the player on the rail by where her boots were so it didn’t come through very loud on the other end of the radio.

At midnight, she pushed Everybody’s Doing It, So Why Can’t We? by The Cranberries into the cartridge and sank herself back into her chair, turning her eyes up at the sky. The stars were bright against the black sky, and she found herself counting the small dots, her head swaying from left to right as she listened along to the music. She’d traded Ellie a pistol for some cassettes last winter, and this had been in the bunch. Joel had given her this look, one that screamed, “did you just give a sixteen year old girl a free gun?”

Adrienne just laughed at him then. Back when they didn’t care too much for each other, when their shared patrols first started. She knew Joel didn’t like her at first because of her parents; Eugene, her dad, was a former firefly and Jackson’s pot dealer, and Gail, her mother, was a therapist, which was seemingly Joel’s greatest fear — someone who could actually understand his mind. Together, he saw them as a triple threat, and well, Adrienne was a stark reflection of them combined. Well, not really, but he didn’t know that until a few months into patrolling with her.

Adrienne had this habit to triple check rooms when they patrolled. The first couple of times she did it, it annoyed him. Made him roll his eyes. One day, when he wasn’t feeling particularly good and was trying to get their patrol ended as quickly as possible, he snapped at her to hurry the hell up and to his complete shock, she cried. Adrienne mumbled something about being terrified of missing something and leaving valuable supplies behind, about how her parents would be disappointed if she didn’t give it her all. He never hurried her again.

Outside of her anxious necessities, Joel started to really enjoy the conversations they had. She mostly talked about herself since she realized he didn’t want to talk too much about his past, which she was alright with. Adrienne had a seemingly endless memory; she recounted moments from early childhood to him and how she used to sit on her dad’s shoulders as he walked through the Philly QZ and she could list all of the chapter books her mom read to her before bed when she was too young to read them herself. She asked him stupid questions and he answered them — his favorite color? Brown. His favorite snack? Peanut butter crackers. His favorite household chore? Weird fuckin’ question… folding laundry.

“Folding fucking laundry, are you serious?” Adrienne had exclaimed, stopping dead in her tracks and looking back at him over her shoulder. “Can you come over and do my laundry, please?”

“Hell no.”

Adrienne swayed her boots from left to right as Linger started on the cassette, and she smiled to herself. “If you could return… don’t let it burn, don’t let it fade…”

Her voice carried quietly in the dead of the night. Some leaves rustled in the breeze and she ruffled her bangs a bit as the song continued.

“But I’m in so deep… you know I’m such a fool for you,” she grinned as the lyrics spilled past her lips, and she did her best to keep her volume down, not wanting to alert the perimeter patroller. “You’ve got me wrapped around your finger… do you have to let it linger?”

“Probably one of the best damn songs ever written.”

She nearly shot out of her chair at the sudden southern drawl that came from behind her. Adrienne sat straight up and looked back, relief pouring from her as she recognized Joel’s figure in the darkness. He was wearing thick cargo pants, probably the taupe ones, and a tee shirt that hugged the chiseled composition of his chest in a manner that left her thighs glued together in a failed effort to extinguish the unbridled desire that was burning between them. “What the hell are you doing up?”

“S’only a bit past midnight. Just finished up my stretch of night patrols. I heard some static coming from the radio and figured I’d check it out. Then I turned it up and realized it was just you not doin’ your job,” Joel smirked and he stepped closer to her chair so he became more illuminated in her kerosene lamp light that was hung beneath the railing so people outside of the gate wouldn’t see it. Adrienne rolled her eyes at his teasing comment. “Hootin’ and tootin’ over the airwaves when yer supposed to be silent.”

“Hootin’ and tootin’ is crazy. Psychotic, even,” Adrienne laughed, shaking her head. “You must miss me if you were willin’ to climb up here with those old ass legs.”

“Somethin’ like that. You likin’ doin’ gate watch?” he asked, and she heard him open one of his velcro pockets. The swish of a bottle followed.

“It’s whatever. Better than doing patrol in a heat wave,” Adrienne answered, and she turned off her cassette player. “Who’s your new partner for the summer?”

“Been doin’ solo routes. They’re faster,” Joel nodded, and he stepped right beside her chair. His hand extended in front of her face and she squinted, her eyes adjusting in the darkness to register what he was holding out to her. It was a bottle. “Lemonade I made. Thought I’d bring you some.”

“Shut up,” Adrienne grinned, taking it from him and looking up at him in the darkness, her eyes wide. “Wow, you must really miss me.”

“Like I said. Somethin’ like that. Maybe I’m wrapped around your finger, or whatever you were hootin’ about earlier,” he smirked. His calloused hand dropped into her featherlike fluff mop of hair and ruffled it. “Have a goodnight, Adrienne. Don’t be a stranger this summer, y’hear?”

With her face burning and eyes locked on his disappearing silhouette, she nodded and huffed out, “I’ll see you…”

[lookingupatthesamemoon]

Summer of Selfship Week 1: Picnic + Flowers

pairing: RyeJoe :3

summary: Rye and Joe embark on their first proper date - a picnic in a meadow.

word count: 1.1k

divider by @/saradika :3

Joe was excited. It had been a little while since he’d really been on a proper date, and he really felt something for this girl. They’d been growing close for a good couple of months – hell, they’d even spent Valentine’s Day together – and they developed quite the connection. As far as Joe was concerned, as long as he could get this date right and make her happy, he would have a good chance of getting another one – and hopefully even more than that. Technically she was already his girlfriend, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to try – for all he knew, one shitty date could make her change her mind.

He had found the perfect little nook amongst the flower patches for a picnic – a very standard Silvertown date. He had taken her out to the meadow before, a couple of weeks ago, before any flowers had started to bloom – in fact, that was where they had made things official mere weeks ago. There was just enough shade for the two of them in the spot he had chosen, away from everyone else with a nice view of the nature surrounding them – he really hoped she would love it. He went about his work, laying out a blanket for them to sit on, and carefully setting his basket in the center. He took a step back, grinning in contentment. He then glanced down at his watch – she was supposed to be meeting him in a mere five minutes.

Joe brushed himself off, taking the short walk back up the dirt path that led back to civilization. There was a train station quite close, and that was usually Rye’s main mode of travel when she came to Silvertown – that was where he was meeting up with her. She never exactly had both her feet planted anywhere particular in Silvertown, though she wished that she did. In a perfect world, maybe she would move in with Joe, or maybe he would move in with her. Although it was extremely early to say so, Rye already wanted to spend everyday with Joe, and she was willing to bet that he felt the same. She already found herself fantasizing about their joint living room as she stood up from her seat, watching the scenery out the window slowly roll to a stop.

And there she was, in that red speckled dress he liked, stumbling off the train with a floral tote bag slung over her shoulder, perfectly in tune with the changing of the seasons. He glanced at his watch again – she was a few minutes late, but that wasn’t her fault. Damn trains… He looked back up in time to see her headed his way, a bright smile on her face as she approached him with open arms. He smiled back, opening up his own arms to squeeze her into an embrace. He kissed her cheek before pulling away. “It’s so good to see you,” he told her, lacing his fingers with hers. 

“You too,” she responded, a sigh of contentment leaving her lips. It had only been about two weeks since they had last seen each other, but even that felt like far too long for them to be apart. 

Hand in hand, the two walked the familiar path to the meadow, whispering and giggling amongst themselves. This was really happening. They were finally together, a proper couple if there ever was one – and the best part? It was almost as if nothing had changed between them. It still felt like they were the best of friends, only with a couple of extra steps.

As they approached the clearing Joe had set up for them, he insisted on covering her eyes – he wanted her to be surprised, of course. Rye could only chuckle to herself, rolling her eyes playfully. It felt a bit silly, but Rye couldn’t help but love his sincerity. He approached every aspect of his life with genuine wonder and care, and she was more than joyous that that included her and her relationship with him. Carefully, she allowed him to guide her body forward until finally, he took his hands away from her eyes to reveal the blanket and basket amongst the flowers.

“Oh, Joe,” she gasped, turning to face him, “it’s beautiful.” She threw her arms around him enthusiastically, causing him to chuckle, rubbing her back as he did so.

“Yeah? You like it?”

“Of course! It’s so cute! And so simple… I love it, it’s perfect.”

Joe smiled, taking her hand and helping her to sit down before sitting down himself. He couldn’t help but notice her scooting closer and closer to him as they got settled, her head gently resting against his shoulder as she watched him open up the picnic basket. “Can’t keep your hands off me, huh?” he joked as he began to pull food out of the basket.

Rye giggled. “I just missed being so close to you,” she reasoned, a light pink blush spreading across her cheeks. “I feel so comfortable and safe with you… You’re like… A warm, cozy blanket.”

“Well, ain’t you sweet,” Joe grinned, planting a kiss atop her head. “For the record, I don’t mind… I missed bein’ close to you, too, you know. Two weeks is a hell of a long time when… You know, you like someone so much.”

“God, I hear that,” Rye responded. “So, what’ve we got good in there, hmm?”

“Oh, yeah… I asked Charlene for some help,” Joe said. “She made the sandwiches, but, you know, I helped her make the cookies.”

Rye smiled, taking the sandwich Joe handed to her and slowly removing the cling wrap as best she could without ripping it into bits. She took a small bite, nodding in approval before taking a larger one. Grilled chicken with fresh tomato and spinach – one of her favorites. Joe’s attention to detail was always appreciated. Joe followed suit, munching away at his own sandwich. They made small talk as they ate – well, as best they could with their mouths full. 

“So, um, Rye?” Joe began as he finished eating, tossing the remaining plastic wrap into the basket, “Would you, uh, rather sleep at my place tonight? You know, instead’a the bed and breakfast?”

Rye’s eyes widened, urging him to go on.

“I mean, you know, you came all this way just to see me, and I’d hate for you to have to spend money on a room again… I just figure it might be easier? I can sleep on the couch if y-”

“I’d love to, Joe,” Rye answered, cutting off his egregious suggestion for sleeping arrangements. “Thanks for offering… But, um, you don’t have to sleep on the couch. I think we can handle sleeping in the same bed, don’t you?”

[dilfritual]

Summer of Selfship: WEEK 1!

Prompt One: Picnic / Flowers | A Proper Romantic.

a bit short, but i wanted to contribute to this awesome selfshipping event put on by my good buddy old pal @lookingupatthesamemoon !

Anabelle could always tell when Severus was in a good mood by a number of small things that stood out from the usual dull drone that radiated from him. Today, the day after graduation, the indication of his higher spirits came in the form of his handwriting. His writing was typically cramped, nearly illegible and rushed, ink blotting through the parchment; instead it was relaxed and legibly cursive with enough space between letters and lines to the point where Anabelle could make out exactly what he’d written to her.

Black Lake, 1 o’clock. Bring some cassettes and your player.

x Severus

She was cleaning up her classroom when she received the note from his owl, Seth. Her eyes fell to her watch and she laughed — it was 12:30. “Asshole,” she muttered, running her fingers through her bangs before locking up her door, mentally telling herself she’d resume cleaning tomorrow… maybe.

In her chambers, she changed out of her slacks and tugged on some jean shorts, the denim clenched her waist but was loose around the thighs. She pulled a green and orange patterned button up shirt over her head and unbuttoned the collar before heading to her bathroom to freshen up her hair with some water and pomade. It was Severus’s pomade that he used so sparsely it’d been in his possession for the last three years. Now that he was staying over Anabelle’s chambers most nights, he just kept it in her bathroom.

She thumbed through her cassette rack, her skin grazing the plastic cartridges with gentleness. She unslotted three from their places — Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, Pablo Honey by Radiohead, and Abbey Road by The Beatles — and put them into her shoulder bag. She slipped the player off of the shelf and into her bag, too, before tying on a pair of sneakers and heading out.

It was a really nice day in late May. Not too breezy, and the sky was completely clear. The humidity wasn’t engulfing and rather appreciated after a harsh winter. The school year had been torturous. Torturous. Severus’s concussion had finally gone away, but he was still recovering from being scratched down his chest by Lupin in his werewolf form. Anabelle only had to change his bandages once a week now as opposed to nightly, but it was still gruesome each time she had to peel the gauze away and apply neosporin. He’d given up trying to use magic to heal it — Lycanthropic scratches were tricky, and he didn’t want to risk letting the infection in by accident. 

She descended the grassy hill, reeds reaching her kneecaps. From afar, she could see Severus laying out a large blanket near the edge of the water, hair flipping around as the leaves swayed in the light wind. Anabelle grinned to herself, noting that he’d finally shed his teaching robes and opted to wear a dark green tee shirt and some gray slacks. It was the first time she’s seen him dress casually while dating her — before, she just had to steal glances of him at social events during previous summers and not get too close. Now, casually dressed Severus was all hers.

“Hey there,” Anabelle called as she reached the bottom of the hill, readjusting the leather strap on her shoulder. He looked back at her and smiled a little, standing with one hand on his hip, a big rock in the other, presumably to hold the blanket down. “You’re glowing.”

“Am I?” he asked, watching her approach, his eyes drifting down to her legs and lingering momentarily before flicking back up to watch the dimples on her cheeks deepen as she nodded. “I suppose it comes from knowing that I don’t have to be subjected to dealing with hundreds of snot nosed children for the next three months.”

Anabelle laughed softly and slipped her sneakers off as she stepped onto the blanket. She hooked an arm around his waist and pushed herself up on her tiptoes. Severus dipped down and pressed his lips to hers, smiling into the kiss.

“That sentiment is quite a nice one, hm?” she mumbled, her hand splaying out on the low of his lean back, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she pulled away. Severus hummed and set the rock down on the last corner of the blanket before gesturing for her to sit. Anabelle did so, sinking onto the soft quilt, her fingers drifting back and forth across the patchworked grooves. Severus dropped down across from her and he extended his legs so they pressed to hers. “What’s in the basket?”

He smiled and jerked his head gently towards it. “Take a look for yourself.”

Anabelle sat up and flipped the wicker top open and bit her lip at the sight of pale red tulips with vibrant green stems. They were wrapped in brown paper and trimmed with evident care. She lifted them to her nose and glanced at him, watching him drag his tongue between his lips as he appraised her. Setting the flowers on her lap, she looked into the basket to find a couple of bottled butterbeers in a mini cauldron of ice, a blue carton holding raspberries, and two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches wrapped in paper towels.

“You’ve turned into a proper romantic, haven’t you?” she asked, a small smile on her lips as she nudged his knee cap with her foot. Severus rolled his eyes and grabbed her ankle, dragging her across the quilt and closer to him. He hiked her leg over his thigh and the hand on her ankle moved to cup the nape of her neck, drawing her head forward. “Mmm?”

“Don’t push it. Put on a cassette, will you?” Severus muttered as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, eyes no longer jaded from the insipid school year but rather enlightened; he could see the summer ahead of them, and he was thrilled.

[dilfritual]

Pack of Reds | Joel Miller AU fic

This is the first chapter of my fic which will be updated ONLY on ao3 going forward -- just posting the first chapter here so more people will see it! It's a Joel x Reader about a convenience store worker and Joel falling swiftly in lust.

The pale blue vape between Y/N’s thumb and forefinger wheezed after each pull she took. It was on its last legs; a relic from her freshman year of college, three years ago. Beat up with black streaks from being dropped on frat basement floors, dents from when her ex boyfriend, Riley, threw it across her room when she told him that she knew he was cheating on her, faded paint around the mouth piece from the copious amount of times her lips have wrapped around it and inhaled freshly filled cartridges. She exhaled a plume of cotton candy smoke, her shoulder blades pinned to the cool concrete of the 7/11 she was working in, the material of her black tee shirt scraping against it as she looked around the empty gas pumps. Cars hurtled by. OK Computer by Radiohead came out in scratchy harmonies through her string earbuds.

You know where you are with / You know where you are with / Floor collapsing / Floating, bouncing back / And one day I am gonna grow wings / a chemical reaction.

A black pickup truck with rusted tire rims peeled into the lot and rolled up to pump #4. The bed of the truck held a bunch of long pieces of wood and precariously stacked power tools. Two men were in the front seats, their bickering filtering out of the windows that were down entirely. Y/N yanked her earbuds out and slipped her vape into her back pocket, quickly heading inside. She punched back into the computer and her eyes settled on the clock. 10:23 — 7 minutes until her shift relief came in.

The bell mechanism above the door chimed as the metal hinges squeaked, and Y/N glanced over. “Tommy, do you want anything?”

Her eyes roamed over the man in the doorway. He was tall, hair messy and damp with sweat, some sticking to his tan forehead. He had a short, thin beard with hairless patches dotting his cheeks inconsistently. The man’s brows were knit impatiently and his curved nose twitched as he listened to the other guy who was pumping gas.

“Fuckin’ idiot,” the man muttered under his breath. He made his way to the back and tugged open the alcohol cooler. Y/N watched him lift up a six pack of Coors Light and a Twisted Tea tallboy. He snagged a bag of Lays original from one of the shelves and approached the front. His dark eyes, brown, fell on the girl working the counter, and he nodded in greeting but didn’t smile. “Pack of reds.”

“Marlboros?” she asked, and she flushed when he looked at her with confusion and some aggravatingly sexy kind of amusement. “Ahem.”

Y/N spun around and grabbed them off of the rack to find him smirking. “Yeah, Marlboros are the ones.”

“I know,” she huffed, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand while the other scanned his drinks and the chips. The man chuckled a little. “Do you want a bag?”

“No ma’am,” he responded. “Thank you.”

Y/N nodded and watched him scoop the items into his arms after paying and turning around. The rubber heel of his work boots were crusted with grime and his denim jeans were thick and hugged his muscular thighs like shapewear. She exhaled softly as he left and she watched him get into the passenger seat of the truck while passing the driver the Twisted Tea tallboy.

At 10:37, her reliever came in and she left through the front doors, vape already between her lips and fingers pushing her earbuds in as Radiohead picked up where it left off. As she stepped off the curb to pass between the gas pumps to get to the sidewalk, she kicked something. In the flickering, ugly yellow lights that blared down from above, she made out a leather wallet. Y/N frowned and picked it up and opened it. She thumbed through the cash — there were five 20 dollar bills and a couple of crinkled 1s and numerous gift and credit cards. Between a Discover card and an unused McDonalds gift card, she found the person’s driver’s license. Fishing it out and turning it around, she realized it belonged to the man who’d teased her about the cigarettes. With a sigh, smoke curled around her as she read his information.

Joel Isaiah Miller, DOB: 09/26/1967, etc.

Her thumb grazed his picture and she coughed a bit, easing her vape into her front pocket. She put the license back into the area with his gift cards and shuffled around some more. Producing a dog-eared cardstock rectangle, she grinned. Bingo.

MILLER BROTHERS CONTRACTING

Office # 832 - 7630 - 8869 | Cell # 832 - 5447 - 2210

Y/N dialed the cell number, leaning her shoulder into one of the posts beside pump #4. It rang repetitively for 10 or so seconds before someone picked up. “Hello?”

“Uh, hi, is this Joel Miller?” she asked, chewing her bottom lip.

“Who’s asking?” the voice responded, and she rolled her eyes a little bit.

“I found your wallet. It was outside the 7/11. I’m the one who sold you the pack of Marlboro reds,” Y/N forfeited, and she took her vape back out. With a long pull, she breathed out. “Hello?”

“Joel, someone found your wallet!” the other voice suddenly hollered out. “Sorry, hon’, this ain’t his number. D’ya call the cell number on the business card?”

“Yeah,” she responded, and he laughed.

“Got it, well, here he is,” the man said, and she pursed her lips, tapping her finger against the plastic edge of the vape. 

There was rummaging on the other end of the phone until another voice spoke up, and she noticed the difference in the cadence. This voice, Joel’s voice, was a bit deeper and less warm. “Marlboro girl?”

“Uh… yeah,” she coughed out, choking on a mix of vape smoke and the teasing nickname. “You dropped your wallet. Probably when you were getting in your truck. Um, I’m off my shift now but I’ll be in tomorrow if you wanna grab it.”

He huffed. “How do I know you’re not gonna skip town with all my money overnight?”

“All 108 dollars?” Y/N shot back with surprisingly quick wit, and she heard him attempt to stifle a chuckle. “Seriously, man, I’ll give it to you tomorrow. My shift starts at 9 tomorrow morning.”

“Mmm, how am I supposed to trust you, huh?”

“Well, you have my personal phone number and you know where I work so I don’t think it would be too difficult to file a police report if I did ‘skip town overnight’ with your wealth of cash and gift cards,” she said, unable to fight the smile tugging at her lips, vape hand hanging at her side, forgotten.

“What’s your name?” Joel asked, and she rolled her eyes. Silence filled the line for a couple of seconds. “Oh, come on. You have leverage over me right now. My life savings are in your hands. And my driver’s license.”

“Y/F/N,” she answered, and she palmed her vape like a stress ball. “There, do you trust me to hang onto it for the night?”

“Yup. That’s all it took, Marlboro,” Joel answered and she groaned into the receiver. “Y’know I should come by the 7/11 more often. Real easy to rile up the staff it seems.”

“Maybe I will skip town overnight,” Y/N huffed and he laughed. Her face heated up and she swallowed softly. 

“I’ll see you at 9am sharp,” he said, and then he hung up.

Y/N pulled her phone away from her ear and stared at her screen, shaking her head. Her tongue dragged across her cracked lips and she raised her vape to her lips, pulling as she shoved his wallet into her pocket and made her way across the street, illuminated by white street lamps and red stop lights. The leather felt like it was pulsing against her thigh as she walked, carrying Joel’s handsome and unfamiliar face close as she arrived at Mickey’s Vacancy, the temporary housing motel she was staying in while trying to get back on her feet.

Mickey’s opened in 2000 with a mission to house the less fortunate. Y/N had heard about it throughout her childhood and was mindful of it through her teenage years, oftentimes encouraging her shitty friends not to loiter near there since she knew they’d make fun of the residents. Y/N always felt fucked when she settled in for the night knowing her life was a whole lot easier than most of her neighbors, and she felt bad for wondering how she ended up there. She had a working cell phone, she could bum off her older brother’s Spotify account, she was capable of working long shifts (albeit not at the safest place in town), and she wasn’t in charge of caring for any children. Hell, she was halfway through two degrees in communications and creative writing. She was ambitious and she had an idea of what she wanted to do with her life… but she’d been out of school for a year and a half because tuition had gotten too expensive. A semester-long break had turned into three semesters off and the threat of a fourth.

Y/N shook the self loathing aside during a long, hot shower. Her head fell back under the water and she closed her eyes. In her mind, she could see the dark brown from Joel’s gaze, hear the scratchy laugh from across the phone line, and remember how his fingers curled around the red and white box of cigarettes.

Once she was dry and draped in an oversized tee shirt and blue boxers, she laid down over the old quilt that covered her mattress. Her eyes drifted over to his wallet on her bedside table and she flipped it open. Finding his driver’s license, she looked at it in the moonlight that poured in through the window across the room from her bed. It must’ve been taken years ago. There were no grey streaks in his hair and he only had a mustache. She dragged her thumb over it and put it away before dropping her head to her pillow, trying not to imagine the possibilities of their conversation that would occur in the morning.

[deathdetermineslife]

the ULTIMATE f/o infodumping ask game!

(this is gonna be a long one...)

🍓 - disregarding the career your f/o currently has, what other career would they consider going into, if given the chance?

🍒 - if your f/o and you spend a day doing anything, anything at all, what would they do and why?

🍎 - what's your f/o's favorite drink? any drink, alcoholic or non alcoholic!

🍉 - is your f/o religious? what's their opinion on religion or spirituality?

🍑 - is your f/o more comfortable giving or receiving gifts? why? do they have any preferences on gifts they like receiving?

🍊 - if you asked your f/o to peel an orange for you, what would they do?

🥭 - did your f/o have stuffed animals growing up? do they still have stuffed animals? do they have a favorite?

🍍 - if you could change any one thing about your f/os backstory/character, what would you change? why?

🍌 - does your f/o have a vendetta against The Big Light™? what kind of lighting do they prefer?

🍋 - if your f/o could change one thing about themselves, what would they change and why?

🍋‍🟩 - is your f/o superstitious? is there any habits they follow or quirks they have to follow said superstitions? like not opening umbrellas indoors to avoid back luck?

🍈 - does your f/o believe in fate? do they thing everything is preplanned out by the universe or a higher power, or do they think that the idea of fate is bogus? why?

🍏 - if you have any queer headcanons for your f/o, how did they realize they were queer?

🍐 - does your f/o have any nervous ticks or idle quirks they do? like mindlessly tapping on a desk or fiddling with their hair when they're stressed?

🥝 - would your f/o ever let you do their make-up? what does their make-up process look like? is it simple? complex?

🫒 - what kind of hugger is your f/o? do they give good hugs? do they like hugs? do they like receiving hugs?

🫐 - is your f/o more of a writer or an artist? would you say your f/o is more left or right brained?

🍇 - if you and your f/o never met, what do you think your f/o would be doing right now?

🥥 - what hobbies does your f/o have? is there any hobby they would like to get into that they haven't tried out yet? what is it?

🍅 - if your f/o could buy you any gift in the world, whether it exists or not, what would they buy you? or, if they could make you something, what would it be?

🌶️ - does your f/o have any remedies they follow when they get sick? like taking a shot of whiskey to get rid of a fever?

🫚 - is your f/o a picky eater? is there any foods they will not under any circumstances, gun to their head, eat?

🥕 - when your f/o was little, did they dislike vegetables? do they still dislike them?

🧅 - what makes your f/o cry? do they get emotional at sad movies or books? do they only get emotional under very rare circumstances?

🌽 - does your f/o have a favorite animal? what is it? are they scared of any animals?

🥦 - does your f/o have any pet peeves? things that just really really get on their nerves? what are they and why?

🥒 - what's your f/o afraid of? do they have any phobias? anything minor they're scared of?

🥬 - what are some beige flags your f/o has? so, not bad, but not nessecarily good either. just. "oh. you do This."

🫛 - how does your f/o feel about pet names or nicknames? do they like them? hate them? what are their favorites and least favorites to be called and to use?

🫑 - how does your f/o feel about death? are they afraid of it? is there anything specific they'd like to do before they die?

🥑 - is there any niche topics your f/o is interested in? what are they and why do they like them?

🍠 - what are a few of your f/os favorite pastimes or things that they do when they're bored?

🍆 - does your f/o have a favorite scent? why is it their favorite? do they have a least favorite scent?

🧄 - does your f/o have any allergies? food or otherwise?

🥔 - does your f/o have any food dishes they make often? is there any foods you make for your f/o that they enjoy?

🍄‍🟫 - if your f/o could be any mythological species, what would they be? if your f/o is already a mythological species, would they ever want to be human?

I recommend practicing reblog karma ! people love infodumping about their f/os :) I also recommend sending more than one emoji at a time,,, there are Many here...!!!

[dilfritual]

SENDDDDD

[uss-moonveil]

Shoutout to all of my fellow self shippers who also ignore the fact that their f/o died in source<333 we are strong as fuck

[lookingupatthesamemoon]

SPRING BREAK SPRUNG - a lore guide

a quick guide to the ship of Alien and Lexus, my Spring Breakers (2012) s/i !!!

cw: substance use, canon-typical violence

meet Lexus, my Spring Breakers (2012) self-insert !!! she’s a college student in her early 20s, majoring in finance, though she does drop out in favor of a life of crime with Alien.

she meets Alien while she’s on spring break in Florida (who could’ve guessed), while she’s sitting outside of a convenience store and admiring his car. she comments on it, inviting a conversation, which eventually leads to him offering her a ride in it, which she graciously accepts. they cruise around for a while, Alien asking her questions and flirting her up along the way. he eventually drops her back off at her motel, where her friends are waiting for her. before letting her go, Alien invites her to a party he’s having that night, and insists that she should bring her friends along.

of course, Lexus’ friends are like “why the hell would you get in some strange man’s car? we’re not going to that party, and neither should you.” Lexus, ever so stubborn, goes to the party on her own anyway. Alien spots her as soon as she shows up, and spends most of the night dancing with her, offering her substances, introducing her to his friends, and showing off his pricey possessions. his attempts to impress her work, and although his initial assumption is that she’s just another young and naive spring breaker he can use for his own gain, she sees opportunity with him for herself. they hook up, but she doesn’t spend the night, sneaking out in the midst of the party to walk back to her motel by herself. her friends have waited up to question her, but she waves them off, reminding them that she’s old enough to take care of herself.

the next day, Alien shows up at the motel, curious as to why Lexus snuck off on him. her friends, of course, are creeped out by this, but Lexus is charmed, hanging all over him as she hops into his car to go on another adventure. when the two return to the motel, Lexus’ friends watch as she grossly makes out with Alien before she leaves him. they try again to warn her about how suspicious he seems, but ultimately give up, as they know they can’t beat her stubbornness. they also complain that she’s wasting her spring break time with Alien when she should be spending time with them.

the day before she’s supposed to leave Florida and go back to school, Lexus gets lunch with Alien at some run-down diner, and he makes a proposition: she can keep living the dream in Florida, all expenses paid, so long as she helps him out with a little business venture (AKA the drugs). she likes the sound of this – school is boring to her, and the benefits of this potential arrangement with Alien sound worth her while. she thinks she can handle it. when she asks why Alien is offering to do all this for her, his answer is simple: “you just seem like someone special.” Lexus agrees to take him up on his offer, but doesn’t tell her friends until right before they get on their plane home. they’re upset, obviously, but don’t have time to try to change her mind. after a few months or so, they stop contacting her altogether. 

Alien first starts having Lexus work as “quality control” for his product. he then starts showing her how to package everything, and has her work with the twins for a bit, until they start creeping on her. she complains about this, and he then entrusts her to count the money and keep track of it in between getting it to his actual financial connections. she “moves up” so to speak rather quickly, and as she does so, she also gets closer with Alien – both in business and romantically. she finds herself falling pretty hard for him. she also starts realizing she can get pretty much whatever she wants out of him if she flirts and touches enough, and she requests to start helping him do drug runs, which they both quickly realize she’s pretty efficient with. 

soon after, Alien teaches Lexus how to shoot a variety of guns, and proposes that she join his collections team. at first she’s hesitant – she worries that Alien might be putting her at too high of a risk, but he assures her that she’s getting this opportunity because she’s tough (maybe even tougher than he is) and he thinks she can protect him. on her first trip out, she realizes that she finds it fun to bark back at other dealers, and she feels good about not having to worry as much about whether or not Alien will be coming home safe every day – plus, she gets to take whatever guns she wants to each “meeting,” which is a pretty sweet deal as far as she’s concerned. at first, people underestimate her, but soon enough word starts getting around that she’s just as wild and crazy as Alien is. he’s super proud of this, calling her his little protege and whatnot, and he even starts letting her carry out collections on her own. 

by the time Lexus becomes proficient at being a part of Alien’s criminal empire, it becomes clear that the two of them are pretty on par in terms of how reckless and crazy they can get, and they fall into a mutual obsession of sorts. Alien is enamored with how well she can handle herself, as well as how seemingly fearless she is. he spoils the shit out of her – buys her chains, cars, whatever the hell she wants. he gets her name tattooed right on the side of his neck. she’s almost always attached to his hip, and eventually it becomes rare to even see them apart from one another, both on and off the job.

(divider by @/thecutestgrotto, moodboard by me :3)

[dilfritual]

HI ANABELLE :3 i was hoping perhaps you could answer 💘, 🍬, and 🧊 for the ask game? :3

RYEEEEEEEEE <3

💘

SEVERUS: ok ok ok Severus is really good at giving gifts bc mind reader who can figure out exactly what i want and need but he knows that it bothers me bc like... think from your heart ho?? idk??? but he really likes to fill journals every birthday with diary entries, poems, doodles, date ideas, memories and give those to me as like a yearly tradition... he also likes to give things like books, CDs, vinyls, DVDs, and VHS tapes!

JOEL: joel is a WOOD CARVER!!! he LOVES making little things out of wood, so he will make little animal figures out of wood that he saws down and whittles. he also is into practical item gift giving as he and adrienne are survivors of the apocalypse so he is secretly hunting for things to give her whenever he's on patrol and stuff!!

FABIAN: fabian writes songs and poems all the time for andie!!! he makes recordings, too, of their shared favorite songs. since he's really bad about going out and shopping, he rarely buys her anything, but she doesn't really like being given material items anyway since it like makes her awkward and anxious and he knows this!

🍬

SEVERUS: severus is like a sweets anti... he prefers sour and savory things, 100%. like i will fuck up a bowl of ice cream while he's having raspberry or lemon sorbet. but! he knows that i like cheesecake and he spends a lot of time making them for me on holidays because he does enjoy cooking and baking as it's reminiscent of potioning.

JOEL: sweets are damn hard to come by in the apocalypse but if he can get his hands on them... he doesn't tell anyone so he doesn't have to share. one of the restaurant workers in Jackson teaches adrienne how to make ice cream one summer though because she wants to surprise joel by making him coffee ice cream and he becomes OBSESSED with it.

FABIAN: fabian LOVES chocolate. get this guy a chocolate bar rn... especially german chocolate since it reminds him of home! but he always complains that it's not good enough if it's not actually made in Germany like most of the places in Thailand sell.

🧊

SEVERUS: severus is winter's biggest fan. put him outdoors when the first snow of the season hits. he's a summer hater so he is frequently waiting for winter to come around. his only gripe with winter is that his birthday happens during it and he's a birthday anti. but. it is what it is. he loves a good stroll when its snowing! as for what he wears in the winter time, he's wearing big wool sweaters when he's not in his teaching robes. he doesn't like hats and he barely tolerates gloves so the wool sweaters have to be insulated for prime comfortability when he goes on walks!

JOEL: winter is really annoying in the apocalypse; nothing grows (weed), good carving wood is hard to come across, and there's always the threat of violence being less easy to track because of blizzards. however. christmas is a really close holiday to joel's heart, not for religious reasons, but because it's a fond memory to look back on with his daughter. now that adrienne's around, he's actually able to enjoy it again. he loves playing his guitar by the tree while the fire's going. during winter, he wears a big heavy coat, thick water resistant cargo pants, and boots!

FABIAN: since fabian lives in thailand, winter isn't really winter. but, when he visits home, he deliberately avoids going during the cooler months because he doesn't like the cold as it reminds him of his kinda bad childhood! his cooler weather outfits in thailand though typically consist of wool trousers and long sleeve button up shirts!

[dilfritual]

🫂 - for the ask thing !!

YAY HIIIIII SONNY!!!! <3

🫂- how does your f/o feel about physical touch? what's their favorite kind?

SEVERUS: okay so Sev notably detests physical touch with anyone outside of those close to him (me LOL); he's a germaphobe to a pretty big extent (stems from his undiagnosed OCD and neurodiversity). he hates seeing PDA occur, and he only is comfortable with very subtle PDA from me. touching the hem of his sleeves and stuff like that is okay, fingers hooking together under a table is fine, but he's against anything further in public. HOWEVER. behind closed doors? he's a hugger and he has to put up with the fact that i LURV being COVERED by him like if there's a couch and i'm on it? he's laying ON ME. just chilling. he finds a lot of solace in gentle touch, particularly on his back and face.

JOEL: at first, if he doesn't know you, Joel doesn't want you touching him at all. but if you're close, he's fine with pats on the back or high fives or handshakes. as for adrienne (my tlou self insert), he is the one doing most of the touching --- hip grabbing, arms around her waist from behind, ruffling her hair, grabbing her hand. he's pro-PDA because he's a possessive little asshole and likes for people to know what's his. Joel is welcome to pretty much any kind of touch behind closed doors!

FABIAN: Fabian is used to physical touch; since he's the boss of a prestigious hotel, he's comfortable with handshakes, back pats, other casual forms of touch. when it comes to andie (my white lotus self insert), he's against PDA because of their situation (co-workers). however, when they're alone, he LOVES hand holding. he always grabs andie's hand if they're watching something, or he's driving her somewhere. he also loves when she touches his thigh while he's playing piano.

thank you for asking!!!!!!

[deathdetermineslife]

meet my f/o ask game !!!

💘 - what's your f/o favorite kind of gift to give?

🌸 - whats your f/o's favorite flower? is there any reason that's their favorite?

🍬 - do they like sweets? whats their favorite kind of candy?

🏩 - how does your f/o act when they're sick?

🧶 - other than their main hobby/career, what other sorts of things do they like to do?

🧼 - what scent of soap do they use?

🩵 - does your f/o (if romantic) use any kind of pickup lines on you?

🫂 - how does your f/o feel about physical touch? what's their favorite kind?

🫐 - do they have a favorite fruit? what is it? why is it their favorite?

💠 - do they have a favorite thing to do when they're bored? what is it?

✈️ - what's their dream place to travel to?

🧊 - how do they feel about winter time? do they like it? what do they wear to stay warm?

💜 - if your f/o could receive any gift in the entire world, no matter what it was, what would they want?

🪻 - if your f/o has ever bought you flowers, what kind do they buy you the most? do they go to a florist? or do they get them from a convenience store? maybe they grow their own?

🍇 - what's a food your f/o will not eat. just absolutely will not touch at all. they hate it.

👾 - does your f/o have a favorite video game? if they do, what is it? if they don't, what do you think they would like?

🧬 - if your f/o could go into any other career than they're currently in, what would they go into?

reblog or whateva you want to use :) feel free to send me some asks as well! (I love infodumping hsjbsgsja)

[dilfritual]

ASK AND I'LL ANSWER FOR ALL MY MAINS

[dilfritual]

new years tradition - joel and adrienne's first kiss <3

1400 words, contains cussing, kissing, consensual groping, weed !

Joel left the church 11 minutes ago. Adrienne was still standing outside in a semicircle with Jesse and Kat, passing a joint. 

“It sounded like Seth cracked a goddamn floor board, Adie. That was a little much on Joel’s end,” Kat said from around the filter, her brown eyes darting to her left to meet her roommate’s gaze. She passed it to Adrienne, who inhaled and sighed. “Look, I get that you two are friends, or, whatever, but I don’t think you should be trying to defend him. Did you see how Ellie reacted? Even she was mortified.”

“I think that you don’t know the full story between Ellie and Joel,” Adrienne responded, her tone sharp and punctuated by a cloud of smoke surrounding her head. Jesse scoffed and laughed a little bit, the hair on his forehead swaying as he shook his head. “What?”

“You don’t know the full story either, Lucarelli.” He used her last name while shrugging his shoulders with a tight lipped expression. “Give me that back.”

Adrienne watched him, rubbing the thin paper around the filter, wet with all of their saliva before taking it out from between her lips.

“Fine, Feng,” she grumbled, passing him the joint and watching as he pulled from it. She sighed and looked at her watch — 10 minutes until midnight. “I’m gonna go for a walk. Think about the new year, the new me…”

“Sure,” Kat laughed. “See you in the morning for patrol.”

Jesse waved Adrienne off as she made her way across the crunchy snow. Her hands lodged into her jacket pockets, and she lifted her head in the direction of Joel and Ellie's house. The light was on outside, and she could see him in his rocking chair. As she stepped onto their property and crossed the white blanketed lawn, she noticed that he was holding a guitar in his arms, restringing it.

“Hey,” Adrienne greeted quietly as she ascended the rickety porch steps. Joel nodded at her. “Who’s guitar is that?”

“Ellie’s,” he answered hoarsely. He set it down, the neck of the guitar reclining into the arm of his chair. His hand slid up his chest and through his beard. “Why are you here? To tell me I shouldn’t have done what I did?”

Withdrawing a fresh joint and an old, rusting zippo lighter from her pocket, Adrienne smirked at him. “No, I’m not here to do what literally everyone on the council is going to do to you in the morning. I’m just checking on you.”

“Well, I’m fine,” Joel said, his lips pursed as he looked up at her. The orange embers on the end of the joint sparkled and illuminated the curve of her pink upper lip. “You shouldn’t be here. You should be celebrating the new year with your little friend group.”

“No, Joel, y’see, I have a New Years tradition,” Adrienne hummed, leaning her back into the railing of the porch. She inhaled and exhaled as she smiled at him. “I try to get ahead of the curve with whatever my resolution is right before midnight so I’m entering the year immersed in my intentions, right?”

He dragged a big calloused hand through his hair, rubbed the base of his skull as he looked at her. His free hand reached out, and she passed him the joint. Joel kicked one leg over the other and started rocking in the chair as he took a long breath of the potent marijuana. “What’s your resolution for 2029, then, Adrienne?”

She glanced at her watch and frowned at him mockingly. “You’ll have to wait five minutes.”

“Oh, joy,” he whispered, shaking his head and taking another long hit. He held it back out to her and she accepted it. Joel rose to his feet and moved to stand next to her at the railing. “You don’t think I was too much tonight?”

“Nah,” Adrienne laughed, smiling lopsidedly at him in the yellow porch light and starshine. “I fuckin’ hate Seth. I always have. He’s such a freak to female patrons and god forbid if you disagree with anything he says… I honestly would’ve punched him if I’d beaten you to it. You did much less than I would’ve, that’s for sure.”

Joel heaved a breath. He looked down at her and licked his lips before holding his fingers out. She passed him the joint, and she watched him raise it to his mouth. Smoke curled around them in the darkness. “I don’t think Ellie’s ever been that angry with me.”

“She’s a teenager. She’ll get over it,” Adrienne told him and she nudged his arm. Joel passed the joint back and she pulled from it before slipping it back into the plastic holder. She pushed the holder and her lighter back into her pocket and released a long plume of herbal smoke. Across the street, they could hear loud voices shouting and counting down from 60. “Jesus. Do you think any of them can actually get from 60 to 1 without fucking up?”

Joel huffed to hide a laugh and he tilted his head as he looked down at her. “Alright. Fess up. What’s your resolution?”

She dragged a hand through her dark hair and rubbed the bottom crest of her skull, her hair flipping behind her and she looked up at him. There was a glint in her eye, something mischievous but warm and Joel froze as Adrienne moved closer. Her palm flattened his coat to his chest, the thick flannel melting into her flesh, as if her touch was alight.

30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25…

“As much as you aggravate me, as much as you make it clear that I will never ‘matter’ to you, as much as I feel fucking ridiculous when I think about you,” Adrienne pauses, pressing closer, “I can’t help but want you. Sometimes I feel crazy remembering that I haven’t had you yet and I may never have you.”

8, 7, 6, 5, 4…

“My resolution is to be more honest–”

Joel’s hand is sudden and tangled in her hair, and she feels a clash of his beard and lips pressing to her mouth. His body, his hips in particular, pin her to the railing of his porch as they embrace and kiss. Her palms drag up his chest, over the column of his stubbled throat and over his cheeks to his hair. Joel’s tongue slotted between her lips and his hands tightened around her waist. “Always fuckin’ tempting me.”

The murmur was strangled and sent heat to her core. She bucked her hips into his, grinding her center over the bulge in his jeans. The delicious chill from his metal belt buckle slid beneath her sweater and over her warm stomach when he rocked against her in response. Joel growled when she tangled her tongue around his, dragging the soft underbelly of it over the ridges of his bottom row of teeth, sharp and dangerous. Their saliva dribbled in a mesh of need down their chins, and Joel uttered a moan as Adrienne let a hand fall from his hair to his lower back, pushing him closer to her so she could more directly grind on his ever lengthening, strained bulge.

“God fuckin’ damn it, darlin’,” he hissed, and he grabbed her waist tight, holding her still as he hunched against her, catching his breath as she pecked softly at his swollen mouth. “Gonna fuckin’ kill me if you keep moving like that.”

Adrienne laughed around his lips, parting from his mouth to kiss his jaw, her hand on his shoulder moving to touch over his heart, feeling it pound. Breathily and with need, she asked, “are you going to invite me in?”

“Jesus, girl,” he sighed, his hand sliding from her hip to her ass, curling his fingers in deep. “Fuck, get inside. Room’s upstairs, first door on the left. I gotta finish these strings.”

“Are you serious?” Adrienne laughed, jaw unhinged in teasing offense. At his half-annoyed, half apologetic grumble, she grinned and brushed her lips over his throat as she pushed past him, squeezing his bicep. Joel grunted and stumbled after her to where the guitar was resting. “Fine, I’ll be patient. But… I might be asleep by the time you come in, old man.”

“Oh, I’ll wake ya,” Joel muttered, slapping her ass before dropping back into his chair to resume stringing the guitar, albeit at a much less leisurely pace.

[scikisser-deactivated20250818]

Shoutout to sleepy selfshippers. Reblog if you’re a selfshipper and also tired as fuck.

[ Dividers by @/kodaswrld ]

[christianfriedelfan]

Bringing back this iconic Insta Story

[derrestistschweigen]

Look at my boy! (The "boy" in question is 45 years old)

[christianfriedelfan]

Christian Friedel for Cartier.

[dilfritual]

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