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stormz369 · 3 months ago

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☕💖 Can I Get Your Number? ☕💖 Ch 4

Jason Todd x Chubby! Reader (fem)

written with a female reader in mind, first person pov, no use of Y/N, bit of trauma processing, will probably get NSFW later, let me know if there's anything else I should tag this with!

warnings: family discord and dealing with trauma, drugs briefly mentioned, human trafficking briefly mentioned

word count: 1.7k

Chapter Selection

I thought I was a strong, independent woman. I thought I preferred to take care of myself, that I could never be comfortable relying on others. One date with Jason had me strongly questioning those convictions. He bought the books, we had a late lunch/early dinner at the food court, wandered several stores, and talked about everything and nothing. I managed to keep him from buying every little thing I looked at, but we still ended up with several bags - all of which he insisted on carrying. Even with the bags in his hands, he managed to get his pinky wrapped around mine every time my hand was down. It was clingy, and awkward to walk, and it made me giddy. Is this feeling what everyone’s so obsessed with? … I think I get it now.

Jason drove me home that night, insisting that it was getting too dark and he didn't like the idea of me on public transit alone at night. Normally I would fight him on that, but the idea of walking home from the bus stop was doing unpleasant things to my stomach. He parked, and we took several minutes to rearrange the items in our bags.

“... I guess that’s everything.” He seemed a bit disappointed.

I nodded. “Yeah, I think you're right. … Thank you, Jay, this was a lot of fun.”

He smiled softly, nodding. “I had fun too. … Can I … see you again?”

“It's a distinct possibility.” I smirked a bit. “After all, I have yet to pass judgment on your trashy romance novel selection.”

He laughed softly, groaning and rubbing his face. “I already regret suggesting that. Give it back, you can't have it.”

I held my bags away from him, giggling a bit as he pretended to try to steal them. Suddenly there was movement in the corner of my vision, and I saw a silhouette on the roof across the street. “Oh god…”

“What? What's wrong??” Jason pulled back a bit.

“There’s someone on that roof. Which one is that, can you tell?” I peered up, but with the moon behind them I couldn't see any details.

Jason turned to look too, suddenly a bit stoney. “... Looks like Red Robin and Nightwing.”

“... Two of them? Are you sure? I only see one.” He just nodded. “... Fuuuhhhck, what's happening in my stupid neighborhood?”

“Probably nothing. This isn't their patrol territory…. Or … at least, that's what I've heard.”

I raised an eyebrow, staring at him. “You've heard? … What, do they take their cars to you?”

“... Something like that. … Anyway, it's well known, this is Red Hood's part of town.”

“... You don't think they're here for him, do you? I thought they were allied now?”

Jason shook his head a bit. “Probably just trying to spy on him … nosy bitches…”

I giggled a bit at that, but couldn't help the sneaking concern in the back of my mind. If they really were here to spy on Red Hood, that would suggest he was nearby … Did he decide he wanted his shirt back after all, or was something bad happening in the area?

Jason turned to me, a gentle smile on his face. “Hey, don't worry about them. You just get inside where it's safe, ok?”

I nodded, smiling softly. “Ok, but text me when you get home.”

He nodded, chuckling, “will do. And … about seeing each other again, … how about lunch on Tuesday?”

I nodded, grinning. “Sounds good. Good night, Jay.”

“Night, Doll.” I blushed a bit, getting out of the car and into my building. He waited for me to close the door before driving away, and I headed up to my apartment.

I wasn't sure what I'd find upstairs. I hadn't told Red Hood my unit number, but it probably wouldn't be that hard for him to figure out. … Hell, the shirt might have a tracker on it.

I unlocked my door and checked every room. Nothing had moved. My clothes were still in a crumpled heap on my floor, the flannel still peaking out from under my ruined pants. It occurred to me that I had meant to pick up a replacement pair at the mall before heading home. I sat on my knees, trembling a bit as I picked up the shirt. A thorough examination didn't reveal any electronic pieces attached. It was just a normal red flannel.

I held the shirt against my chest, shaking a bit. Everything was fine. I was fine. Red Hood was one of the good guys, even if he did some really terrifying shit. I wasn't a drug dealer or a human trafficker, so he had nothing against me. He was kind to me, even. I was safe. I was safe. I was safe.

My mind slowly drifted away from that night. Thoughts of blood and fear were replaced bit by bit with Jason; his shy little smiles and cheeky grins, the feeling of his finger wrapped around mine, even the smell of his cologne. When I breathed deep I could still smell it; a rich, woody smell, with a bit of lavender, and under that was a base note I couldn't identify. Something sharp and slightly metallic. I sighed softly, deciding not to think too hard about why I was tying the shirt around my waist, and started tidying the apartment. Couldn't put the pile off forever, but I didn't have to start there…

Jason watched her go inside, waiting to make sure no creeps followed her in before the security door locked. Once he was satisfied that she was safe, he drove off, calling Dick. Straight to voicemail. He tried Tim; also straight to voicemail. Annoying, but fine. He knew where they would be headed next.

Unfortunately for them, the drive was not nearly long enough to calm him down. He pulled in to the batcave and sat on the hood of his car to watch the entrance. Eventually the pair rode in, staring at him like he was the grim reaper.

“… Heeeyy Jason! What are you doing here? Don't you have tonight off?” Tim tried to play it cool, taking his bike to its designated parking spot.

“You should be more careful, Tim. She saw you.”

“Whaaaat? I don't know what you're-”

“She. Saw. You. On that rooftop.” Jason growled a bit, clenching his fist. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to reassure her that her neighborhood was not about to be attacked without revealing too much?”

“C'mon Jaybird, we just wanted to check in!” Dick grinned, moving to pinch his cheek. “Baby Jay-Jay's first date! You can't fault us for being excited for you!”

He smacked Dick's hand. “I can and do. Don't do anything like that ever again.”

Dick hissed dramatically, pouting. “You're so mean, Jay. We just wanted to see if it was going well!”

“Stop. Spying. On me.” He growled, giving Tim a pointed glare. The younger man raised both hands in surrender and nodded.

Dick smirked as Jason opened his car door, calling out; “okaaay, but don't forget to report in to the chat. Unless you'd rather Babs check the CCTV footage at the mall for us?”

Jason froze and growled. “… Fuck….” He slammed the door shut and drove away without another word.

BatKids Group Chat:

Jason: It went well. Now everyone STOP stalking me! You're weirding her out! 😡

8:04pm

Cass: Excuse me??

8:06pm

Damian: Grayson and Drake are the only ones interested enough to bother stalking you, maybe you should focus your ire on them and not the whole family?

8:06pm

Babs: We need details, Jay!

8:07pm

Duke: Wait, what??

8:08pm

Dick: Jaybird went on a date today, Duke! Keep up!

8:09pm

Tim: With a normal human-type girl no less!

8:10pm

Damian: How normal can she be? She accepted a date with Todd after you two harassed her.

8:11pm

Cass: 🙃 … Dick, do we need to have a talk?

8:12pm

Damian: I handled the matter at the coffee shop. (and am still waiting to be thanked, for the record Todd - the date would not have happened if I hadn't stepped in.) … But still, the girl's taste does seem questionable.

8:13pm

Dick: There was nothing to handle! We had it under control! 🙄

8:14pm

Cass: I hate to say it, but Dami does have a point - are we /sure/ she's entirely normal? There's no chance she's an undercover villain or anything?

8:14pm

Tim: Way ahead of you - background check came back clean. She's as normal as any other Gothamite.

8:15pm

Duke: So … absolutely nuts, but probably not too dangerous? 😂

8:16pm

Babs: Don’t listen to them, Jason - she's a very lucky (normal) girl!

8:17pm

Jason: You cannot be serious. You ran a background check???

8:19pm

Steph: What Babs said. Now, make with the details! 🤩

8:20pm

Dick: Of course we did - what kind of big brother would I be if I let you go out with a girl we know nothing about???

8:21pm

Jason: 😑 … This is exactly why I don't usually respond to this thread.

8:30pm

Duke: Details, man!

8:31pm

Steph: Details! Details! Details!

8:32pm

Jason: 😤 �� We picked out books for each other.

8:38pm

Dick: Awww, cute!

8:39pm

Babs: … And???

8:40pm

Jason: And … She seemed a bit surprised that I was there at all?

8:43pm

Damian: Pleasantly surprised, or upset?

8:44pm

Jason: … Just … Baffled I think.

8:45pm

Tim: … How many times did you have to reschedule?

8:46pm

Jason: … A few. But I always told her with enough time so that I wouldn't be standing her up!

8:47pm

Babs: Curious…

8:48pm

Dick: Alright everybody, recon time!

8:48pm

Jason: NO! It is NOT recon time!

8:49pm

Damian: What do we know about this girl?

8:50pm

Babs: On it!

8:50pm

Jason: No, no, NO! Stop!!!

8:51pm

Tim: Too late!

8:52pm

Jason: Uuggghh! I'm muting all of you!

8:53pm

Tim: … NOT IT TO TELL B!

8:55pm

Damian: Not it

8:56pm

Babs: Not it!

8:56pm

Cass: NOT IT!

8:57pm

Steph: Not it!!!

8:58pm

Duke: Not it!

8:58pm

Dick: …. Fuck.

9:03pm

Next ->

Divider by: @saradika

Taglist (open):

@jawdropforkpop @krys0210 @snowy-violet @superthoughts @wordsfromshona @mystic60 @iwannabealocalcryptid

#fanfic #fanfiction #dc fanfic #jason todd #red hood x reader #dc #jason todd x reader #first person pov #no use of y/n #batfam #batfamily #wayne family adventures #Can I Get Your Number?

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steviewashere · 1 month ago

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This is my @steddiebang2024 that was initially posted on AO3, but I figured I'd cross-post it to here, too. Featuring beautiful artwork by @maikaartwork, which you can find here on Tumblr, or here on Twitter. And beta'd by the wonderful and ever-patient, @billystarpip. ———————————————————————————————————————— Rating: Explicit | Genres/Tropes: Drama & Romance, Angst & Hurt/Comfort, Slowburn, Future Fic, Canon Divergence | WC: 56, 917 | Chapters: 11/11 | Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings ———————————————————————————————————————— Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson & Wayne Munson, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Past Steve Harrington/Original Female Character(s), Steve Harrington & Original Child Character(s) Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Wayne Munson, Steve Harrington's Mother, Robin Buckley, Original Female Character(s), Original Child Character(s) Tags: Cancer Diagnosis in a Secondary Character, Mentions of Past Spouse Death, Implied/Referenced Past Alcohol Abuse/Addiction, Implied/Referenced Past Drug Addiction, Parent Steve Harrington, mailman!Steve Harrington, retired rockstar!Eddie Munson, Second Chances, Getting Back Together, Middle Aged Steddie, Tender Sex, POV Alternating, Eventual Happy Ending

You are at Chapter One! Read Below the Cut!

———————————————————————————————————————— The alarm rings into the silence of his room at 5am sharp, just as he set it to be. It’s sound blaring—a marimba being played up and down from bottom of the scale to the top. His hand juts from under his blanket, grabs loosely for the phone vibrating against the bedside table, and brings it up close to his face. Light flashes very briefly as he turns the sound off and checks the time. Sure enough, it’s 5am. September 27th, 2015 spells itself out in blurry text. He’s got a normal day ahead of him, but it’s still difficult to wake up this early after all this time.

He peels the blanket from him, welcomes the cold as it kisses his bare thighs and tickles the soles of his feet. When he first bought the home he now resides in, he figured that hardwood flooring was going to be terrible. While he did enjoy carpet in the first apartment he had and the bedroom he grew up in, Steve’s perfectly content with being pulled into waking existence through the cold in his floor. He twists left then right, back and hips popping. And he stands.

Showers. Brushes his teeth. Dries his hair and slicks it back with a light layer of pomade, it has to fit under his hat. He trims up his mustache, handlebar, white haired, and tight to his top lip. Sets his glasses—thick and plastic black frames, square and magnifying lenses—on the bridge of his nose. It’s always a startling experience, to see himself in the mirror now, his vision being blurry and dwindling as time pushes. But he looks almost the same. Maybe a new deep wrinkle on his face. Or a few strands of dirty blonde he didn’t notice he still had on the top of his head. Got all his moles, thankfully none of them are new or worrying. And then he just stands in his bathroom for a few minutes. Wondering how he’s forty-eight, but looks to be ten years older. He’s still got his muscle, toned nicely on his arms and legs. A soft layer to his belly, earned with time and the stress of a normal working life. Doesn’t have the dark circles and eye bags that he carried in his twenties. But he’s older—older than he thought he could be.

In those few minutes, he takes the time to work his clothes on slowly. Joints aren’t all that replaceable and he’s going to need all his limbs in good enough condition to do his work. Underwear. Khaki slacks, straight cut, regular fit. Long sleeve, white undershirt tucked neatly into the waistband. His watch—wrinkled brown leather strap from decades of use, slight crack on the glass from being dropped during some roughhousing, and gently rusted. Dainty, gold chain cross necklace gifted to him by his mother, hidden away in the collar of his undershirt. A grey henley overtop. He emerges from his ensuite, down the hall because his bedroom is the farthest in the house, past his home office and a guest bedroom and a half-bathroom, takes a left corner into the kitchen, and flicks on the warm amber light.

Breakfast isn’t anything crazy. Doesn’t require any fanfare. But he makes two warm bowls of plain oatmeal, sprinkled lightly with brown sugar, topped with a handful of blueberries from his garden. He sets them on the table, where it’s tucked against the far side of his living room (there wasn’t a dining room when he bought the house and he didn’t care to make one), and goes to the guest room.

“Mom?” he softly calls out into the room. She startles awake anyway, but relaxes back into her blanket when she notices who’s calling for her. “Sorry to wake you up so early, but I made breakfast.”

She started staying with him five years ago. The arrangement came out of necessity. His dad had passed, left the house to her, but it was too much to deal with alone. And he didn’t want to move back to his childhood home, so he offered his empty guest bedroom. Packed her up, moved her in within a month. And the rest’s history. At first, he thought he made a mistake. Worried that she’d be the way she was when he was younger, uptight and in his space, stressing about doing well in the world, doubting him when he failed. But it wasn’t that way, surprisingly. In fact, she was grateful and happier than she ever had been.

The decision to let her stay very quickly grew on him. They were almost inseparable now, considering he’d been living alone and she would’ve been alone otherwise. He makes her breakfast, she knits him new beanies and sweaters, they watch Jeopardy! together, and he helps her back to bed.

Her mornings always start out with Steve carefully pulling her up into a seated position. Hands in his, they’re small, wrinkled, soft. She goes to the half-bathroom, uses it as usual, and changes into a pair of stretchy denim-like pants and a soft cotton sweater that Steve grabs for her. He helps her put on socks, sheer and like tights that slide easily into loafers. Every morning, he takes the time to comb through her hair, pin straight and completely white, thinning and falling to her shoulders. Sometimes he catches himself drifting to the mirror, caught up in how similar their eyes are to one another. It’s odd, in those moments, how he feels like a little boy again. Helping his mom brush her hair. When she was younger, with fine wrinkles on her face like he has now, put together by makeup she no longer wears. But he goes back to getting the last bit of sleep tangles at the ends of her hair and helps her back out to the living room.

Once she’s settled in her dining chair, he sets out about the kitchen again. “Do you want coffee, tea, or juice with your oatmeal, Mom?” he loudly asks from where his head is shoved in the fridge.

“A cup of hot coffee would be great,” she chirps. “With a tablespoon of that vanilla creamer that you like? You seem really happy every time you have it, I want to know what all the fuss is about.”

He chuckles as he leaves the fridge with the creamer. It shuts gently behind him. The pot is turned on, burbling as it pours the hot water over the coffee grounds. “I think it’s the sugar,” he relays, “It’s funny, though. I don’t even like this crap. Had a friend who showed it to me, reminds me of him, I guess.” Which is true. One hundred percent. Eddie Munson, the guy he knew all too briefly, liked cruddy vanilla creamer in his cup of coffee. So much that it went from a hot mug to a near chilled thing. Of course Steve remembered it. And of course, since Eddie left town all too abruptly all those years ago, he clung on to whatever remnants of the guy he had. Even if it made his coffee drinking experience become the ugliest thing he endured everyday.

The coffee is poured in two mismatched mugs. His: World’s Best Dad. And hers: a white mug with painted bluebells on it. He sets them out on the dining table, fills up a glass with water and sets a straw into the liquid, and grabs his mom’s daily pill sorter. When he settles in front of her, she begins taking her medications one by one.

“Remind me to refill that tonight,” he says, gesturing at the pill sorter. “I’ve gotta swing by the pharmacy for a few refills; yours should hopefully be ready by then, too.”

She hums, swallowing her last pill, and asks, “Work today?”

“Yup, should be my last shift until Monday morning. We’ll have the weekend to ourselves. It’ll be completely quiet, too.”

Her left thumb runs over the lid for Friday morning on her sorter. Eyes looking down at her oatmeal thoughtfully. “You know,” she murmurs, “while I appreciate your company, I really wish that you’d find a few friends to spend your weekends with.”

“Mom”—

“No, Steven, listen to me. I’m a seventy-seven year old woman who likes to spend her days knitting and reading and napping. You’re still young.” He sighs as she leans across the table to gently pat the back of his right hand. “I know you don’t like the idea of going out and meeting new people, but I think you should give it a chance. You’ve been through a lot in your life, I understand that. And you like things quiet and peaceful, which I can understand, too. But I can tell you’ve been doing alright for a while. Don’t you think it’s time to…get a couple drinking buddies or maybe go to some car shows? Could even try dating again”—

“I’m not doing that,” he grumbles. “That ship has sailed so many years ago. I’m perfectly fine with what I have now.” She gives him an incredulous look. In response, he rolls his eyes. “Seriously, Mom. Everything’s just to my liking. Now…How are your hands doing this morning? They still shaking like they were last night?”

She relents, holding out her hands to show off the heavy tremor to them. He scoots his chair closer, dragging his bowl to the new spot he’s made, and grabs for her spoon. Willingly, she takes the offered bite he scoops up. And that’s how breakfast goes. He feeds her the oatmeal, wiping away any bits that get on her lips, and transfers her water straw to the mug of coffee. Sure, his food congeals, gets a little cold, but he does what he must do.

Before he can get up to take care of their bowls, she stops him with a shaking hand on his wrist. “Is there something you need, Mom?” He checks.

“No,” she sighs. “But I just—Look at me for a second.” So he does. Her tone is serious and sage. Her eyes are wrinkled and drooping, shiny with unshed tears, dark brown and enriching. “Baby, I worry about you,” she says, but squeezes his wrist before he can interrupt. “Really, I do. Steve, what are you going to do when I’m not here?”

“That’s nonsense, Mom,” he murmurs.

She raises an eyebrow. “Is it? I…I’m only here because your dad is gone. And I know—I know—that you two had a very rocky relationship. But I can’t just ignore that he’s not in our lives anymore. If something happens to me, you’ll just be in this house. Alone,” she explains. “There’s nobody here to keep you company. You don’t really have neighbors. And I know that you’re friendly with everybody around town, it’s basically part of your job, but they aren’t your friends. Honey, most of your work stories are about people my age. Doesn’t that…You aren’t concerned about that?”

He sighs and places his free hand on the back of hers. Looks down at the table, zeroed in on a spot of paint that’s been there for years, not coming up with any sort of cleaner. Knows exactly what it’s from. An art project from when his daughter was a little girl. He doesn’t want to admit it, that his mom is right. There’s no partner that he shares his bed with. His daughter’s room is now a guest room; she’s in college, out of state, far from home.

Doesn’t allow himself to think about her mother, his late wife. He’s been a widower for over a decade now. It does get lonely around the house. There’s nobody that he encounters in the kitchen, ready to wrap his arms around their waist. He doesn’t have a partner to hold close on the couch and watch rom-coms with. Or his wife, who loved completing puzzles and would quietly and happily sit and do them while he watched baseball games. Who used to lean over and kiss his forehead just because. He misses her. Misses all of that. The companionship in that relationship.

And he does notice. The absence of his social life. Sometimes he does get bored of sorting out pills for his mom, watching rerun game shows, all that nonsense. Yes, he does talk with Robin and Nancy and Dustin over the phone still, they’ve been friends for forever. But they aren’t here in Hawkins. Not anymore.

His mom is company, though. He isn’t lonely if he’s with her.

“Being with you is enough for me, Mom. I’m not concerned because I have you,” he murmurs sadly.

She gives him a smile. A slightly upset one. Pats his cheek and runs her thumb under his eye. “I appreciate that, baby, but…” She sighs. “Never mind, okay? As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters, right? Put our dishes in the sink and I’ll wash them. You get the rest of yourself ready for work.”

He nods once, setting their dishes in the sink. Slips on his blue postman’s jacket, zips it up, and sets his postal hat firmly on his head. “I’ll be home probably around eight, Mom. Our shows should record for tonight, so don’t watch them without me!” He calls out to where she’s clambering around the kitchen.

“Steve?!” She shouts. He looks back. She’s leaned over the sink, dish gloves over her hands and up to her elbows. Smiles at him. “Remember that I love you and that today is going to be a good day.”

He smiles, teeth and all. “Love you, too, Mom. Be safe. Call me if you need anything.”

And then he’s off. The mail won’t deliver itself.

———————————————————————————————————— The phone call rattled his bones. Tumor, was said. More times than the amount of fingers on his hands. He’s never bought road trip materials fast enough. It’s weird, to think of and to act upon returning to a place that seemed to be a shadow in his past. But he supposes that he should’ve expected to come back at some point. Hawkins, Indiana—the odd spot on a paper map.

There’s a million reasons to not come back. Being hunted for sport being one of them. Chrissy Cunningham and Patrick McKinney’s deaths being their own reason. And his short time with Steve Harrington is a mess in itself. But as his car gently rolls by the ‘Welcome to Hawkins’ sign, the nerves seem to dissipate.

A few spots never recovered from the Vecna battle aftermath. There’s several restaurant fronts still bordered up and condemned. An entire grassy field with nothing but dead plants and broken glass bottles, probably a result from teenagers going where they shouldn’t be. Family Video is closed, a lack of interest. A small Walmart that replaces the RadioShack that once stood tall and mighty. Never thought he’d feel nostalgic for a place like Hawkins, but the missing floods back into his chest like a sudden rush of water.

There’s a lot of rebuilt homes. With plastic grass in the front yards. Fences that are plain cedar wood and tall. Faces he’s never seen. Some young, others as old as him—forty-nine or older. Children at playgrounds with Justice tops from the mall, bedazzled to all hell, pink plaid shorts, and blue Sketchers. Younger dudes with red beanies threatening to slip off the top of their heads, fake black glasses, cuffed skinny jeans and Timberland boots. Hipsters.

But he turns down familiar roads, non-replenished and cracked still. Spots the sign for Forest Hills Trailer Park and slows over the non-existent drive. The gravel clinking against the underside of the car, which he loathes. It’s a nice one, too—one of those BMW Sedans, all black with leather interior. Named her Carla after a suggestion from one of the Corroded Coffin boys (who were all drunk out of their minds, sans Eddie), but it stuck. And it cost a good chunk to purchase, but it’s gotten him safely over state borders, so he can’t complain that much. It still sits oddly in the trailer park, though. Next to Wayne’s old and well-loved pick-up truck—a baby blue Toyota. Tried and true. Hasn’t put anybody out, not yet at least. Still…Something crawls up his spine as he notices he’s the odd one out now.

He parks unceremoniously and takes a deep breath. Eyes trailing up to Wayne’s home. The mess of miscellaneous books. An empty ashtray, a little ceramic thing, painted bright orange; something Eddie made when he was in middle school. There’s the orange sofa, old and rusting on the legs, sun-bleached. A little dark blue rocker sitting in the corner of the porch, also sun-bleached, but the fabric is matted down. His hands come off of the steering wheel, grabs the keys roughly from the ignition, and hefts himself out of the driver’s seat.

Doesn’t even have to knock on the door before Wayne’s ushering him inside.

“Let me take a good look at you, boy,” his uncle’s brittle voice demands. Lets him put his weathered hands on his shoulders.

And Eddie does look drastically different from the last time he’d been home. A good decade ago, when he caught the time during a tour break. His hair is close cut to his scalp now, just above his ears, curly and dark brown with a few baby grays at his temples. Face creased with good wrinkles, crows feet and smile lines, a few creases under his eyes from how he’d squint on and off for years before getting contacts. Doesn’t have any facial hair, could never grow any that was good enough. Clean shaven with a five-o’clock shadow. His ears are pierced, but he’s stopped putting anything heavy in their holes, so for now there’s just a plain pair of black studs. Got more tattoos on his arms: bluebells and a nailed bat on the left bicep, robin’s nest just below on his forearm, a d-20 die at the soft give of his right wrist, and his Warlock to cover up the bats. Scars that he received are now silvery and pale. Body still lithe and lean, more muscle on his arms and legs from lifting around equipment over the years. Fundamentally, he’s changed on the outside. But inside, he’s still the same wild child boy that used to give Wayne a run for his money.

“Now, that’s the face of an award winning musician,” Wayne drawls.

Eddie chuckles. “It’s not the face that got the awards, Wayne. It’s the fingers. Didn’t earn these callouses on my fingertips for nothing,” he says, wiggling his fingers where Wayne can see them clearly.

He hums. “Think it’s that creative brain of yours, too,” Wayne surmises. “You wanna beer or somethin’, considerin’ the circumstances?”

“No,” he answers, “quit drinking about ten years ago. Wasn’t good to me anymore, remember?” Wayne’s face dawns surprise, a grand raise of his eyebrows, the squinting of his eyes, small purse to his lips. “Seriously, Wayne. Have a little faith in me, old man. I quit for good. I’ve got smokes, though, if you want one.”

“Ain’t allowed to. Not if I wanna keep myself healthy enough to shrink that tumor.”

Right, Eddie remembers, he’s gotta get on track to get surgery, you idiot. He nods slowly. Sucks on his bottom lip. “Then I’ll just have a pop, if you got it. Water if you don’t.”

As Wayne leaves towards the kitchenette, moving slow and careful like, Eddie looks around the living room, same as it’s always been. The mugs and hats on the wall. Old magazines and instruction booklets splayed out on the coffee table. He has the landline phone on the wall, above the small dining table. Garfield is still proudly displayed on one of the shelves by the front door. The only differences: TV replaced for one that’s slimmer and sleeker, a few throw blankets that appear brand new are placed over the back of the ugly floral patterned sofa, his clothes are put away in Eddie’s old bedroom, and it’s less cluttered on the kitchen counters. Otherwise, it’s remotely the same. Brown carpet, red curtains, four odd lamps, washing machine tucked by the fridge, old fold out bed from when Wayne slept in the living room. It’s still home.

Except, Eddie doesn’t live here anymore. Doesn’t have his clutter mingling with Wayne’s. Something twinges in his chest when he notices. But he ignores the sensation, sitting down on the sofa instead. Lets Wayne disappear to his reclining chair in the corner and sips on the can of Coke he’s given.

“So…What’s my rockstar nephew been up to?” Wayne asks into the silence.

Eddie shrugs. “I mean…Not much these days. Touring is over for me now. Corroded Coffin has put up our instruments for the last time. Now I just spend a lot of time at my house, writing songs when I feel the need to, watch shows and such, maybe give advice to new artists.”

Wayne scoffs. “You act like that’s nothin’ compared to what a lot of people are doing. You’ve got—what—three Grammys? Bunch’a your songs gone platinum. Just actin’ like your dream ain’t exciting.”

“It is,” Eddie mutters. “But…It’s sort of a lonely thing, you know? Can’t go out in public all that often, unless I want to be swarmed. Or people take pictures of me without permission. Makes me look bumfuck when I don’t know it’s coming,” he explains. Chuckling a little at the absurdity of it. “I’ve got my friends, but we don’t see each other a lot. Lots of ‘em drink or do other things and that’s not my scene anymore. So…I don’t know, it’s not as exciting as it used to be.”

When Wayne’s silent for too long, Eddie glances over. Finds that he’s being looked at, perceived like a bug under a microscope. “Could always come home,” he offers. “Or at least closer than damned Los Angeles.”

“Maybe,” Eddie murmurs. “Do you think—Is it safe for me to come back?”

“Lot of those bastard adults that chased you around are dead, Ed,” Wayne states bluntly. “The kids that used to bully you, they ain’t around. All the people who live in Hawkins, either they’re from that group of folks that you were with in ’86, or they’re new. In fact, the only one that I still see around here is the Harrington’s son and his mama.”

Eddie winces. “Didn’t think he’d still be here,” he grumbles.

“Don’t act like you’ve got the right to be ugly about him living here, Eddie. You’re the one that up and left all of us, mind you,” Wayne states rather agitated. “Besides, that kid…There’s an air about him that tells me he’d suffer somewhere else. Like a haunt to him.”

Instead of answering, Eddie takes a long pull from his can of Coke. Maybe he should’ve taken the beer if they’re going to sit here and talk about the ghosts of his past. If they were going to talk about the one guy that Eddie actually loved despite everything. Who made the perfect bowl of oatmeal, something that even Eddie can’t replicate after two decades. The guy that Eddie’s been pining and yearning over for all too long. The one he ran away from.

He stands abruptly with his empty can. Gestures loosely to the front door. “I’m gonna go have a smoke by my car. I’ll—We can talk about you know what when I get back inside. Can practically feel a headache coming on.” And he goes outside before Wayne can say something logical like: “That cigarette will do you in for a headache, boy. Stop running away from me.”

—————————————————————————————��—————— In a small town like Hawkins, there aren’t many mailmen to go around. Steve is one of them, on duty more often than not, but he’s just one of a handful. He spends the first couple hours in his early mornings training new post office employees. How to scan a package, where to put said package, making sales on stamps and envelopes, assigning P.O. boxes to those who need them. Those training mornings are some of his favorites. Where he’s respected for his career and not because of his age or his notoriety in town. The people who come to work are easy to get along with, smile at him, make small talk, and appreciate when he pulls out photos from his wallet—gesturing to a new one received from his daughter or an old small print from Robin in 2004. The mornings aren’t anything grandiose. But they do come to an end.

And then he’s on his own in his mail truck, Betty as he calls her. He’s able to use the radio, flip it to whatever FM station he wants, even try his hand at finding out how the aux works, but never takes advantage of that. Listens to the oldies—which are just the songs he listened to in his twenties—and drives through the scenery. Places packages full of staples on the counter at Melvald’s. Fills Claudia Henderson’s mailbox with too many cat themed magazines and personal coupons for the salon up her street. He drives up the off-beaten path to Hopper’s cabin and hands personal letters from El and Jonathan and Will—sometimes he’ll stay for a few minutes just to hear how Joyce is doing if she isn’t home. Makes his way to the Sinclair home and gets to hear about how Lucas is doing in Arizona with Max, or how Erica’s ripped apart another defendant. Visits the Buckley’s and gets to squeal about his Robin’s exciting translator career up in Seattle. He’ll meet new faces, compliment their gardens or simply place mail in their box if they aren’t home. When it’s a family with little kids that always scream that “Mailman Steve is here!” he’ll hand over stickers that he brought out from his own collection, ones that weren’t used up before his own little girl went to college. Pet the fur of dogs that are getting up there in years. Carefully tiptoe around easy to agitate cats, where they’ve fallen asleep on their owner’s porch.

He loves his job. Loves the community that comes with it. Even if the interactions are small. Even if the relationships he comes to create are majorly unimportant or too much of nothing to structure in his life. He still enjoys what he does. And is pleasantly surprised every single time he’s on route.

Today is no exception. He trains like usual in the morning before making all his normal stops. The last one on his route, though, is Wayne Munson’s home. He drives down the full length of Forest Hills Trailer Park, makes a small U-turn when he reaches the end, and parks near Wayne’s. There’s a figure standing outside, leaned against the bumper of a very nice car, smoking, but he doesn’t know who it is. Or if Wayne even knows this complete stranger is there. However, he chooses to ignore the stranger…for now.

Grabs the stack of mail that he needs, but realizes he also needs to grab a hefty package. He clambers into the back, hefts the last package in his truck, and gently grasps the rest of the mail, stacking it on the very top of the box. When he finally places his feet on the dirt and gravel path, he makes a steady effort to keep his head up, line of sight straight on. But then the stranger’s head whips up from where they’ve been looking down at their feet.

Steve is a very graceful person. Has been. Continues to be. Needs to in order to do his job. The sight of this stranger, though, nearly makes him drop the contents in his arms.

He’d recognize those damn soft brown eyes anywhere.

Stopping himself from going further, he stands roughly five feet away from the guy. Blinks. Blinks harder when said guy doesn’t stop staring at him. “Holy shit,” he breathes. “Eddie…is that you?”

Eddie—or who he believes to be Eddie, he can never trust his vision these days—raises a tentative hand. Wiggles his fingers in a gentle greeting. “Uh…Yeah, it’s me. Eddie. Eddie Munson. Who are—“ And then he stops talking altogether. Squinting. The cigarette dangling between his fingers drops to the ground. His right hand falls away from where he’d been smoking, drags itself over his face, pushes up into his very noticeably short hair, and he laughs incredulously. “Oh. My. God. Steve Harrington! As I breathe…You’ve—wow—You’re so different from what I remember. But holy shit, it’s you!” He exclaims, voice pitchy and scratchy.

Steve giggles. “Yeah, guess I have changed. Could say the same about you, Eds. Lots of things have happened, you know?” He shrugs, but his sore arms remind him greatly that he’s still working. “Shit, hold on. Let me put these on your uncle’s porch and then…We can talk for a little bit? I’ve gotta head back to the post office and clock out afterwards, but I can spare some time. Give me—Just give me a second.” Carefully, he carries the package closer to himself, but he moves faster up the porch steps. Sets down the stack in his hands on one of the cluttered shelves outside, and knocks. When Wayne answers, Steve smiles bright and big. “Hey, Mr. Munson,” he greets. “Brought some mail for you. There’s a package, it’s a little bit heavy. Could…I could bring it in if you need me to.”

Right back at him, Wayne smiles just as big. “Don’t worry about it today, boy. As long as it doesn’t need to be refrigerated, it can stay out here for a little bit,” he states softly, “Eddie’s back in town, he can get it. Maybe you guys can catch up for a little bit?”

There’s something in his belly that tightens and loosens wildly. A crisp edge to his posture, something in him heavier yet lighter at the same time. He’d run a hand through his hair if it wasn’t blocked by a hat. “Think I will,” he says quietly, “I’ve missed him, despite…Well, you know.” Instead of answering, Wayne nods once, smile softening, and gestures behind Steve.

He climbs back down the steps and stands closer to Eddie, but not quite in his space.

Eddie looks fantastic. Clothes nearly all black: dark blue denim jeans with gentle rips in the knees, black quarter sleeve t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, white Reeboks that are fresher and newer, chains and rings per usual. Lean body, bright eyes, the same beautiful dark brown hair. He’s older, sure. But he’s still got the same air and poise to him that Steve came to know twenty-nine years ago. His arms covered in beautiful tattoos, a splash of color on a few of them. But when he zeroes in on the flowers on Eddie’s arm, the sleeve just above them gets tugged down. Trying to hide the tattoos rather unsuccessfully.

In front of Steve, Eddie visibly shifts from side to side. A nervous habit he’s always done. “So you’re still here,” Eddie gently starts. “Thought that…Well, I honestly thought you’d follow Robin or something.”

Steve’s eyes jump to Eddie’s face. Leans his hip into the bumper of what must be Eddie’s car. “I thought about it very briefly,” he admits. “But there were—“ Well, he was busy mending a broken heart. Then, he stayed behind for the girl he fell in love with. Stayed for his child. For his mother. Stayed because his job was actually good. He enjoyed how he lived. That’s a lot, though. “—There were things that kept me here. Like my job, I really enjoy what I do here. But uh…You’re back in town. How’d that happen?” A part of him wants to be bitter. Ask something insensitive like: “Why’d you come back? Why’d you only come back after us…Why couldn’t you be here during us?” But knows better of it. He’s in his forties now, he should have at least a sliver of etiquette.

Yet, Eddie swallows heavily. With enough force to take down his teeth. “I…That’s not a conversation I’m ready to have,” he answers honestly. “I’m back, but not for the greatest reason. Is it okay with you if we leave it at that right now?”

“‘Course,” Steve immediately responds. “We’ve all got things that we gotta keep close, right? I know that I certainly do,” he says nonchalantly. Chuckling a bit with it. But that makes Eddie frown. His eyebrows furrow. A tilt to his head. Concern, Steve recognizes. “Nothing awful,” he scrambles hastily to add. “Just…Something brought you back here and it must be unpleasant. I’ve got shit, too. That’s all I’m saying.”

Eddie flashes him a gentle smile, one that lightly squints the corners of his eyes. They dart over all of Steve’s appearance. His uniform and facial hair, the hat on his head. He makes a cut-off surprised noise in the back of his throat. “Never thought I’d see the day that you’d be willingly hiding your hair,” he comments. “Do you have to wear the hat all the time? I mean…Like while you’re working. Not when you’re at—You get my point.”

Steve snickers. He bites back the foolish grin that tickles to make itself known. Relaxes completely on Eddie’s bumper, though. “Not in the summer,” he answers. “I don’t mind it, though. It’s not the worst uniform I’ve ever had to wear.” His hand rises up to his hat, carefully lifts it off his head, and runs his other hand through his hair. It’s slightly crispy from the product he put in this morning, but it’s otherwise pretty clean. Maybe not the softest, but it’s nothing like what Eddie surely remembers. “Still like doing my hair. It’s just not something I show off all that often. There’s not a lot of reason to. Not when I’m alo—“ But he stops himself with the shaking of his head. Mouth clamping closed. He could lay out all his cards, be completely honest to Eddie right now. Yet. It’s one thing, though, admitting to your ex that you’re lonely and another to admit the same thing to your mom. He sighs. “—It’s not my crowning feature nowadays. That’s my mustache, I think,” he states, stroking the back of his right index finger over his facial hair.

That gets a small laugh out of Eddie, something breathy, done and gone. Steve will take that as a graceful first step. Then, tentatively, Eddie grasps his cheeks. Fingers digging into the soft flesh. He twists Steve’s head left then right. Gently dragging his eyes over his features. “Think I’d say they’re both crowning features, Stevie,” he murmurs. With how close he is to Steve’s face, his breath mingles between them. Minty, a little sugary, with the end of a cigarette. Something in Steve craves. Fluttering and shifting within him. Tampers it, though. It’s not the time. Probably won’t ever be.

Eddie continues, “But wow…You’ve aged pretty magnificently, dude.” Steve ignores the butterflies that raise their heads in his stomach. Even though he knows they’ve surely risen from some deep hibernation within him. Hasn’t felt anything like it in an insanely long time. But before he can say anything, something surely stupid and too strong, Eddie drops his hand away. “Anyway,” Eddie sighs. “You’re a…mailman now. Said you like it. Maybe you can tell me more?”

Quickly, Steve checks his watch, hoping their time isn’t up. 6:45PM, shit. He looks back up. Stares at the face of a guy he once knew pretty intimately and lets himself spark with curiosity. And with a twist to his stomach, the way it is before it growls. Hunger lurks with Eddie, he notices. He wants to take a nibble.

“I have to drive back and clock out, but…You could follow me and we can grab some dinner?” He offers. Almost says something stupid like ‘Please.’

“Oh—uh.” Eddie shrugs. Steve wants to sour already, but he can be patient. Especially when Eddie looks over his shoulder to Wayne’s front door. Glances back at Steve very briefly. “I’ll check in with Wayne. Make sure he doesn’t need anything from me. Then, I’ll meet up with you? Where’d you wanna—“

“Benny’s Burgers is under new ownership. Apparently one of his sisters came back to town and bought it. Kept it mostly the same. We could—“

“Yeah!” Eddie agrees eagerly. He must be trying to reign himself in, judging by the way he softens and his cheeks flush in subtle embarrassment. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “That sounds great, Steve. I’ll be over there in fifteen-ish minutes?”

Steve nods. Smiling gently. Lets himself spark a little more, prodding the butterflies in his stomach. They raise to his chest and he wants to do something ridiculous like scream. Stand on the edge of the universe and shout about how his day is glowing brighter, something cheesy like that. But he looks away to his truck, back at Eddie’s gorgeous eyes, and nods one more time. “See you then, Eds. I’ll order a vanilla shake for you.” Ignores how Eddie’s face colors with surprise, probably wondering how Steve remembered after all these years. But he wouldn’t know how to explain himself, without baring his complete soul. He puts a hand on Eddie’s right bicep, squeezes softly, and turns back to his truck.

When he pulls away from Forest Hills, he keeps the radio off. The silence like a warm blanket on his shoulders. But his chest is bursting like fireworks, crackling and popping, searing him on all sides, colorful flashes of light working through his fingertips. He hasn’t been this excited since his kid was born. That should say something about him, he’s sure of it. Whatever it means, though, surely isn’t something to analyze. It’s good. Something gooey he’s willing to stick his fingers in.

———————————————————————————————————————— End of Chapter One! Read the Next Chapter Here —>

#stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #drama #romance #angst and hurt/comfort #slow burn #eventual happy ending #read all tags above in the post #steddiebang24

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just-a-simpel-narrator · 2 months ago

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@frustratedpker and @madmachaca

Heyy you two, how are you doing? Hopefully amazing!

You can probably guess by the fact that I'm tagging you, but I have a little question about our favorite photographic reporter on my mind.

I honestly don't know which much it's worth to discuss it but I figured I might as well bring it up

To briefly explain how we got here, I was chatting with my dad a while back and somehow, I don't remember the topic we were talking about or how we got there, he mentioned that the name Stefan is often written with a V (Stevan) in Slavic Countries, which immediately got my way to hyperfixation filled brain racing.

Namely about a certain Headcanon of mine, that I've also seen flying around here on Tumblr (Thinking back at it it may even have been one of your posts!) which consists of Stefan originally stemming from (now Ex) Yugoslavia.

I tried to find some evidence about the whole "Slavic name" thing online but sadly the only one I was able to find was on this Baby name site, so I'm not sure if it's one hundred percent true, but if it were, what/could it mean anything?

I've been playing around with the concept of a possible name change, or maybe even witness protection program, for a while now, even if more for my personal Au than canon.

For example, I used to have the hc that Stefan changed his name to Steven, when he came to Duckburg and even though I no longer use this hc, I still very much like the thought of it

But then again that's 12 years old me speaking, and a whole made up storyline about our favorite duck that I'm not gonna get into now, cause oh boy that thing was wild

But I'm getting of track

I guess what I want to say is, could there possibly be a connection with the whole "Stevan" thing? Personally, likley not. Could Stefan officially have changed his name or be part of a witness protection program? I wouldn't be surprised if so. And should I ever talk about the story/Au I made up when I was twelve?

No sorry, that last one was a joke, I know one day I probably will

Anyways! What do you think?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

#stefan vladuck #camera 9 #pkna #duckverse

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zielenna · 7 days ago

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hey :) for the book ask, 12, 9, 4, 11, 2, 25 + favourite & most unusual places you read something this year? <3

hi!! thank you for these, I'll try to avoid repeating myself...

2. Did you reread anything? What?

I reread quite a few texts for the classes I took this (calendar) year: Milton's Paradise Lost, Euripides's Bacchae, Shakespeare's Lear and Austen's Persuasion. Of all of these, I was most excited about Austen, whom I only read for pleasure before. I didn't remember how good she was: it really feels as if she invented the genre of people overthinking their social interactions, and nobody has done it better since. Something I haven't noticed before is how much the novel is doing that is not just reporting action & thought - for example, in Persuasion, there seems to be a pattern of characters forgetting or confusing other peoples' names, not being certain of another person's identity - taken together, these instances seem to point to a kind of thinking about replaceability, identity and non-identity between different people - but these aren't thoughts attributable to any single character in the novel; it's more like the novel is thinking for itself (a similar pattern in Lear is its notorious obsession with the concept of nothing and the figure of zero). It was cool to see!

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

I would say Robert Glück; after Margery Kempe I would be interested in anything he wrote, and - I just looked it up - the synopsis of his first novel, Jack the Modernist, promises a narrator "thinking about werewolves." Having spent considerable time thinking about werewolves myself, I would love to know more.

9. Did you get into any new genres?

I briefly mentioned contemporary poetry - I read more of it for my winter class than ever before, I think. Another answer would be gothic - which is not a new genre, and not even a new genre for me (my gothic fiction tag goes all the way back to 2015), but I was meaning to seriously revisit it - I finally read Walpole's Otranto, and I have open in my tabs Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Coherence of Gothic Conventions, but it is still waiting for its moment. What I have been thinking about with gothic is its place in the history of disenchantment that was supposed to occur between the medieval ages and modernity; gothic as a genre depicting and engineering experiences of irrational, destabilizing passion, that gained popularity in what was supposed to be the age of reason. That's how I make it relevant to my own research interests, I guess. What I find personally compelling as a reader is all the fucked-up families.

Rest under the cut!

11. What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

Almost all books I read this year weren't 2024 releases, so - any book I mentioned in the top five reads of this year would qualify. I'll say that especially in the past few months, I made more of an effort to read books I have been meaning to read for a while. So: Otranto, Djuna Barnes's Nightwood (which I had on my shelf since 2016), and I just started Garth Greenwell's Cleanness, which I was saying I should read for maybe three months now - and it's been good so far! What is most surprising to me is that it is a book written by an American about being an American in (broadly considered) Eastern Europe - and it's not annoying about this!

12. Any books that disappointed you?

Well, the worst five from the previous post... Also, I read Andrea Long Chu's Females, and it was just fine. When I was reading Berlant, I wanted to send people screenshots of every second page, and with Chu, nothing felt that revelatory.

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

There are a few specific books I want to read (Notes of a crocodile from your list!); I feel that quite a few people I follow on here, or see around myself, are having a Bolaño moment, so I'd like to read something by him - right now, I settled on his novella Distant Star. And, what feels like more of a project, I'd like to read a book in French - I can cope with articles and modern translations of Old French texts I know, but I’d like to try actually reading a book. So if anyone has recommendations for something not too daunting, I'd be grateful...

favourite & most unusual places you read something this year?

Oh, this is fun! I am usually too practical to be reading anywhere outside my room / the library / public transport, but when I took that Berlant book on a trip, I ended up reading it whenever I needed to rest my feet or charge my phone - once, in the middle of the Union Square, which made me feel like I was 14 again and capable of reading whatever with complete disregard for the circumstances. On the same trip, I ended up reading for half an hour in the back of a very nice book store near Chinatown; I bought a can white peach & yuzu seltzer to pay for my taking up the time & the armchair, but it actually didn't feel required. I think I remember them playing 60s Chinese songs, which was lovely, too...

Thanks again for giving me an excuse to ramble!

#readings

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xxavengingangelxx · 1 year ago

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Somewhere Only We Know (Long Way From Home Series Part 2) sneak peek

Here is a very, very like VERY brief sneak peek. Just remember Val's trials and tribulations aren't over. Stockholm Syndrome and other types of trauma bonding are not love. They're just that: a trauma bond. Trauma rewires the brain so no, some victims are never okay and are not immediately happy when/if separated from their captor. I'd be happy to answer more questions about it (I see a lot in my work :( )

141 notices there's something...particular about Shadow Company's only female operator. @josieguts because they asked to be tagged :)

This is a sequel to my work, Long Way From Home in which Graves captures 141's translator and takes her as his prisoner in a desperate somewhat well-planned idea to keep tabs on 141 after his betrayal. She puts up much more of a fight than he expected.

Read here!

Triggers for Long Way From Home are many. It's a dark fic, so I will post triggers here JIC. MDNI, 18+ TRIGGERS: Implied/attempted suicide, self-harm, torture, brainwashing, physical abuse, mind fuckery, Stockholm syndrome-related mental gymnastics, trauma bonding, mentions of foster care, threatened/implied/referenced rape, EXTREMELY dubious consent, flashbacks of torture, female being drugged. Self-hate in this one :( If I miss, any let me know, please! DARK FIC! Kinda Dead Dove.

Now, Somewhere Only We Know has less of these triggers but still will have some of them. Disclaimer: I don't know what will happen in MW3 but I have the storyline of this new fic more or less figured out. I'm guessing there's a ceasefire between 141 and Shadow Co. due to Konni being the bigger threat.

SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW:

“She’s ours, Graves, like she’s always been,” “No, you abandoned her!” Graves roared.

You were in a hospital room when you saw Price walking in with a phone held to his ear. He was angry. His body language screamed his emotions. He was on the phone…

With Graves.

Graves’s voice on the other side of the phone was mad…from what you could hear. You didn’t hear the whole conversation but some of it involved you. You heard a few phrases from Graves, all with a more pronounced Southern accent. His accent got more pronounced when he was emotional whether he be feeling angry or sadistic. Where the hell is she? You had no right. She’s my prisoner. You planned this shit and separated us on purpose.

Price put the call on speaker.

“You tell ‘im that you’re safe and that you’re done with ‘im,”

“Val?” Graves’s voice his voice saying your name.

You reached for the phone.

“Nah’uh,” Price pulled the phone away. “Tell him,” Price demanded. “That’s an order.”

You looked at the phone.

And then at Price.

And then at the phone.

“Val,” Graves’s voice told you he was uptight, upset, and on the verge of throwing the phone in his hand through the fucking wall.

When it was clear you weren’t going to tell Graves what Price had ordered.

“She’s ours, Graves, like she’s always been,”

“No, you abandoned her!” Graves roared.

You asked to talk to Graves and were denied. “No,” Price said firmly.

You briefly heard Graves say something about Shepherd.

Price hung up.

Now don't judge our 141 boys too roughly. Pretty sure they've never recovered a female soldier from a prisoner situation. :( They're doing the best they know.

#phillip graves #cod mw2 #cod mwii #phillip graves x reader #john soap mactavish #mw2 141 #ghost cod #graves x reader #konig mw2 #gaz mw2 #price call of duty

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david-tennant-wearing-things · 8 months ago

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Okay I have thoughts on this one and I actually feel like putting them into sentences, so, without further ado: me actually writing a post without procrastinating indefinitely

My first impression, genuinely, was underwhelmed. I definitely really like it, but it didn't blow my mind like the others. (Maybe all of my anticipatory excitement before seeing it was setting the bar unrealistically high?) Initially, I assumed the designer was Mithridate—partially because I spent the past few weeks really hoping it would be—but mostly because they've designed the previous three embellished jackets and it seemed like a reasonably logical conclusion?

Some things I noticed:

1. Flowers! Mithridate's three previous looks have all been very celestial. The switch to flowers is plausible (or at least still on-theme for the Crowley vibes) but it feels a bit unlikely for them to change gears so suddenly. 2. Shawl collar, which means literally nothing aside from "a tiny bit less Crowley," but it definitely makes it distinct from the others. 2a. Sunglasses, which mean literally nothing aside from "a tiny bit more Crowley" and I think this has more to do with his stylist than anything else. 3. Where are the bugs?? Mithridate has been doing a lot with bugs (to the point that I briefly thought they might've been involved with Andrew Scott's Met Gala look. Alright, fine, Versace. You can have some bugs, too.) 4. Bead placement is a lot more focused to specific areas (lower sleeves, shoulders, lapels, and collar) opposed to Mithridate's usual all-over embellishments. 5. I zoomed in and I could actually identify the types of beads used! (mostly bugle beads) And really, credit for this should go to Shane Anthony Sinclair of Getty Images, not the designer, but on both the BAFTA Kilt and the Olivier suit, I really struggled to be able to identify specific bead shapes. This issue was also present on the suit from the Evening Standard Awards, but to a lesser extent. (if anyone has some super sharp images of any of those, I'd be forever in your debt 🥹) 6. Enter Georgia

Suddenly it all makes sense: Joshua Kane. It doesn't look like Mithridate's work because it's not. Joshua Kane shared this to his instagram story and it's really interesting to see v1! Also the images in the linked post are super sharp, so I'm definitely not complaining

Also want to note that Georgia tagged goodomensprime which also doesn't mean anything, but I still wanted to mention it 🤷

final thoughts: I like it a lot more now that I'm not trying to figure out why Mithridate suddenly changed everything. I also really appreciate the closeups of the beading on Joshua Kane's instagram (despite being a different piece) because I love the detail and I wish he'd post similar shots of David's!

#david tennant #georgia tennant #tv bafta 2024 #joshua kane #ray ban

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tactician · 1 year ago

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it's time for a reides update!!! this post is going to focus on reides the kingdra's generation 6 adventure!

first of all, you might be wondering why there's no post devoted to the ribbons of generation 5. like i mentioned briefly towards the end of my gen4 post, the gen5 pokemon games have no ribbons in them... not even one for entering the unovan hall of fame! thankfully, this weird lapse in the ribbon trend was relatively short-lived, as ribbons came back in earnest for generation 6! and so the grind continues...!

this generation of the pokemon games includes both the kalos AND hoenn regions. thanks to my friends and our shared memories of playing these games together, i have a whole lot of personal fondness for this generation - so i knew that i'd enjoy this segment of reides' journey. also, since reides hails from emerald version, it meant that he was going to have a bit of a homecoming.

of course, i gotta take a quick moment to mention my other ribbon master posts! they can all be found in my ribbon master tag or on my neocities blog.

now then, let's get started!!!

luckily, since i got my first file of y to the post-game and never replayed it, i was able to use playthrough from Way Back When in reides' ribbon quest. this saved a whole lot of time, of course! for those who don't know, gen6 of pokemon introduced a somewhat controversial decision. in an attempt to streamline the ribbon page, gamefreak consolidated all of the contest and battle tower ribbons into two fancy plaques. on one hand, this is kind of sad, as it meant that 48(!!!) ribbons were now just... 2. that meant for way less scrolling on the ribbon page. however, on the other hand, it's kind of cool, too, as the contest memory ribbon and the battle memory ribbon are both styled like plaques and are really, really gorgeous.

since reides managed to gather all of the relevant ribbons, he got two shiny gold plaques for his hard work. you can see those plaques in the bottom row of this picture, which i took upon his arrival in kalos.

it's worth noting that, in generations 6 to 8, the golden battle memory ribbon has a requirement of 8 battle tower-related ribbons. in these gens, if you have less than 8 battle tower ribbons, you get a silver plaque instead. a few months ago, however, gamefreak made a FANTASTIC decision and changed the golden battle memory ribbon's requirement to 7 ribbons! this was likely implemented to make up for the now-defunct gen4 wifi servers. it was great news for people who didn't have the means of connecting to the fan servers that i detailed in my gen4 post. regardless, i was still really happy to have the gold plaque at this part of my journey. i didn't regret my decision to take on the world ability ribbon in the slightest... even if the sight of a perfectly normal machamp now makes me tense up out of fear of dealing with a hacked no guard sheer cold user.

anyway, my first order of business was definitely opening up pokemon amie so i could FINALLY play with reides!

i was looking forward to this for such a long time!!! i immediately fed him a bunch of poke puffs and pet him a whole bunch. i would've done this even if i didn't have to do it to get a ribbon - but it turns out that maxing out your pokemon's affection in amie is, in fact, a requirement for one of the gen6 ribbons! namely, you need your pokemon to ADORE you for the best friends ribbon.

there's actually a way to grind for this ribbon so that you can get it pretty quickly! i'd feed reides pokepuffs until he was full, then i'd pet him until he started spawning music notes instead of hearts. at that point, i'd play three rounds of tile puzzle on easy mode so that i could get more pokepuffs, reset his appetite, and get my petting to spawn hearts again. each round of this puzzle game can be completed really quickly, so i figured it was the optimal difficulty for my purposes - but any minigame would definitely work! the tile puzzle game also gives you some cute little pictures of your party as you complete each puzzle, which i thought was a great added bonus! sometimes, additional pokemon would photobomb, too.

for maxing out reides' affection, i got a throne fit for royalty.

i then visited bonnie in lumiose city, where she was chillin over in prism tower. (apparently, she only shows up after you beat lumiose's gym leader - namely, her brother, clemont.) she was impressed with the bond that reides and i shared and we got the best friends ribbon.

we then scuttled on over to the pokemon league, which we challenged in order to get the ribbon for entering kalos' hall of fame. i'm still sad that we couldn't get one in unova, but i digress... maybe someday, be it in a remake or some sort of new adventure set in unova. (since we're going to unova for the upcoming indigo disc dlc, maybe it'll even be there!)

at any rate - i somehow forgot that kalos' league is absolutely amazing! each member of the elite four is so iconic, and they each have BEAUTIFULLY decorated rooms that reflect their respective personal styles very well. i had to take a photo of champion diantha's room; it was just so, so gorgeous. the stained glass flooring reminded me a lot of terapagos' terastal form! the place's aesthetics aside, reides was pretty much able to solo the league on his own... what a champ! even though he did most of the heavy lifting, my whole party (including this random gengar named gaspar that i got wonder traded way back when; he was in my party when i arrived so i decided that he could come along) got kalos champion ribbons.

it was then time to take on one of my favorite little mechanics introduced in the kalos games: super training! while ev training off wild encounters is my usual go-to nowadays, i really like this feature. back in the day, it pretty much introduced me to the concept of ev training, so i feel like it deserves a whole lot of my respect, haha. i had all of the courses unlocked thanks to my training in the past, but i still had to clear all 30 of them with reides. i got to work on that while i was doing some super training of my own - i.e. while i was walking on a treadmill. lmao.

eventually, reides had all 30 of the necessary medals for the training ribbon. i hopped in a cab to go see the character who'd give it to me and learnt that super training is a whole Thing in kalos; the term 's.t. meatheads' had me losing it.

though i put it off for as long as i could, it was finally time to face gen6's battle tower - the battle maison. thankfully, gamefreak realized that they went a little too wild with gen4's six battle tower-related ribbons and i only had to get two battle maison-related ribbons in gen6. the first of these ribbons would be from beating one of the normal battle modes (namely, emerging victorious against the chatelaine at battle #20 of it). the second one was for achieving a streak of 50 on one of the super battle modes, which would require beating the chatelaine at battle #50. i decided to take on the single battle mode for this ribbon master quest, which... may have been quite the choice. it was my first time taking the maison on, and i heard (both from friends and from various posts made by people online) that the single battle mode was the hardest one. you may be wondering why i opted to choose that mode, then. unfortunately, i don't really have an answer for that. I Just Did. HAHA. speaking more seriously, i'm generally more comfortable with battling one-on-one, so i opted to go with what was familiar to me versus what would be easier to me. as it turns out, the first battle maison ribbon (the skillful battler ribbon) was incredibly easy to get on reides. i used the same ol' team of albatross, origin and reides and yoinked it on my very first try. after breezing through it, i had one HELL of an ego. "gen4's tower was way worse," i told myself. "if my team got through that, they can get through anything." I WAS WRONG. AND THIS SMALL CHILD WAS RIGHT.

my streak in the super singles battle mode broke several times in the 30s; more times than ever before!!! my team was being hard-countered. even when i opted to replace reides with persana the suicune (you only need your ribbon master for battle 50; it's fine if you don't have them present in your party for the full streak), we were still having an incredibly hard time. i knew that i couldn't brute force my way through the maison if i wanted to get through gen6 in a timely manner. so i opted to try out a very, very popular little strategy for grinding wins in it.

this strategy involved none other than the cute steel bug known as... durant.

(fair warning: this part of my post is gonna get a little technical!)

wild durants typically have the swarm or hustle abilities. however, truant is available to durants as a hidden ability... and a truant durant is the absolute crux of this strategy.

truant is a strange little ability that makes it impossible for your pokemon to attack consecutively; your truant pokemon can attack on turn one but will then spend the entirety of turn two lazing around. this ability sounds like it'd be absolutely useless on a durant, right? it probably would be... if our awesome little bug didn't learn entrainment at level 44.

entrainment allows your durant to change its target's ability to match its own ability. this isn't permanent, of course - a pokemon who got its ability changed by entrainment gets its ability back to normal once it's switched out, or after the battle ends. but pokemon in the battle maison are very rarely switched out, so... you see where i'm going with this, surely!!!

the truant durant strategy basically relies on outspeeding your opponent and landing entrainment on them so as to pass the traunt ability to them. after doing that, you swap your durant out for another pokemon. it can't just be any pokemon for this strategy to work, though. you'd need one with the move protect, as well as a stats-boosting move, such as dragon dance or shell smash. by using protect on the turns that you expect your opponent to attack on and using your stats-booster on its traunt-afflicted turns, you can safely max out your pokemon's stats and proceed to sweep the entire enemy team. the general pattern is therefore as follows:

your durant uses entrainment, giving the opponent traunt

you swap to your stats-boosting pokemon*

your stats-booster uses protect, avoiding damage from the opponent

your stats-booster uses its stats-boosting move*

repeat 3 and 4 until your stats-boosting pokemon has maxed out stats

SWEEP!

* = your pokemon takes no damage, as it is a traunt turn for your opponent.

please note that this order shifts a bit if your durant gets knocked out on turn one! if it does, you get a free swap *into* a traunt turn, so your stats-boosting pokemon doesn't need to start off with protect and can get right to boostin'.

in order to get a traunt durant, i knew that i'd have to use sweet scent in order to spawn horde encounters. within hordes, pokemon have a small chance of having their hidden ability. however... i also needed that durant to have a speed boosting nature so that it could outspeed whatever enemies it faced. ideally, i wanted a jolly one; one that would have reduced special attack for increased speed. i COULD have simply caught a small army of truant durants, but i was wary of testing my luck like that and decided to test it in another way that was, hopefully, less time consuming. basically... i hatched ralts eggs until i got a jolly one with synchronize. with this ralts leading my party, the pokemon that i encountered had a 50% chance of being jolly natured, themselves - even while the ralts was fainted. i then grabbed my sweet scent user - a cute little spritzee - and got to challenging hordes of durants. after catching 3 truant ones, i finally managed to get my hands on a jolly natured durant with the traunt ability. i named her 'donatella.'

then came the matter of my stats-boosting sweeper pokemon. i went through my boxes and noticed that i had a ton of leftover pokemon from various breeding projects during my y playthrough. (just as this gen opened my eyes to ev training, it also opened by eyes to iv breeding!) i saw that i had an adamant dratini with perfect ivs, as well as its hidden ability. i knew that dragonite's hidden ability, multiscale, would give it some tankiness in the battle maison (it reduces the damage that the pokemon takes when its hp is full), and i also knew that dragonite could learn dragon dance (a move that increases both speed and attack) as well. i decided that it was finally this little dratini's time to shine after spending years and years in my pc. i named her 'venus.'

finally, there was the matter of my third pokemon. using one of my already-trained pokemon was definitely an option, but i saw a LOT of people online talking about how cloysters with the skill link ability can easily hard-counter the super single battle chatelaine's team. to employ strategy, you give your cloyster a focus sash and have it use shell smash on the first turn of the battle. the focus sash keeps your cloyster safe from being ohko'd on that first turn, and, after getting the shell smash buffs, it can outspeed most of the battle chatelaine's team. skill link allows cloyster to land the MAX NUMBER!!!! of hits for multistrike moves, giving its icicle spear attack a whole lot of power - enough power to k.o. the chatelaine's tornadus and thundurus. while the chatelaine's choice scarf-wielding landorus potentially poses a problem (as it may outspeed your cloyster and potentially finish off the last of its hp), you can easily circumvent this by using ice shard on it, instead.

this little strategy works consistently, so i figured i'd raise a skill link cloyster, myself... just to be safe. while trying to hatch a jolly ralts with synchronize, i actually hatched an adamant one with synchronize, too - so i used him for my little shellder hunt. i fished a suitable shellder up from the sea in no time at all and named her 'applause.' here is a picture of my new battle maison warriors, all ready for the training grind:

i ev trained this trio of pokemon by giving them power items (which boost the amount of evs that you get per battle) and by taking on hordes via sweet scent. since i had the same ev build in mind for all three of them AND since gen6 introduced the party-wide exp share, i was able to ev train them all at once. i took out weepinbells on route 19 for attack evs, wingulls on route 8 for speed evs, and hoppips on route 7 for special defense evs. you can make this process SUPER fast if you use a high-levelled pokemon with earthquake or surf, as you can take out all 5 members of the horde with one use of the move!

once everyone was all ev trained, i levelled them up by repeatedly challenging cafe le wow in lumoise city while keeping the party-wide exp share on. it was during this training-fest that reides finally hit level 100, too!

in the end, this was my battle maison team:

donatella the durant (choice scarf) ability: truant nature: jolly evs: 252 atk, 252 speed, 4 sp. defense - entrainment - toxic - x-scissor - iron head

venus the dragonite (lum berry) ability: multiscale nature: adamant evs: 252 atk, 252 speed, 4 sp. defense - earthquake - fire punch - dragon dance - protect

applause the cloyster (focus sash) ability: skill link nature: adamant evs: 252 atk, 252 speed, 4 sp. defense - shell smash - icicle spear - ice shard (for landorus) - protect

this team worked like a dream for the whole maison, and i was able to get my streak of 50 wins on my very first attempt with it.

admittedly, i kept applause the cloyster in my pc until the final battle, during which i swapped donatella the durant out for her and slotted reides in, as well - but i was just so relieved to maintain an unbroken streak. there were a few thorny situations, so i don't think this team is entirely unbeatable or anything of the sort, but i definitely recommend the truant durant strategy if you're struggling with the maison. it felt SOOOO great to finally get through it... i did NOT expect it to be as difficult as it was.

also, in hindsight, i could have likely sped this process up a whole lot more if i followed donatella up with applause the cloyster rather than venus the dragonite. i seriously underestimated skill link; that thing lets icicle spear hit like a TRUCK! furthermore, venus needed to use dragon dance 6 times to max out her attack and speed stats, whereas applause's shell smash would only need 3. so... you know. i do think that dragonite offered better coverage, at the very least, so all's well that ends well, i guess. while it may have taken longer to clear the maison with venus, i'm really happy that i was able to raise her properly. that alone is a huge reward, since i LOVE dragonite. more pals sharing in reides' ribbon master journey is always a good thing, too, right?

once i got those final two ribbons, reides' time in kalos reached its end. before leaving, i randomly decided to raise a kangaskhan, because i remembered how cute mega kangaskhan was and wanted one for myself. (shoutout to my friend, rachel, who traded me a kangaskhan with awesome ivs Way Back When and made it super easy for me to raise one of my own!) i named this new kangaskhan 'chips,' since i was snacking on some really delicious sour cream and onion chips at the time, and decided that she'd accompany reides on his adventure, too. (...along with her little baby, of course. that goes without saying!)

with kalos' ribbons handled, it was time for reides' homecoming! i plopped him back into pokemon bank and then booted up my copy of omega ruby. he was all ready to go home to hoenn. hilariously enough, i didn't have a file in the post-game for omega ruby. if this ribbon master challenge has taught me anything, it's that i have a shocking amount of pokemon games that i drifted from without ever completing. fake fan alert. (I'M KIDDING!!!!!) but, anyway... i only had to wrap up some wild plot cover-legendary-related business and nab my 8th badge, so it wasn't like i had to replay the entire game. i really enjoyed how everything played out, and it was also a treat to meet wallace again. he's one of my fav pokemon characters ever, and his oras redesign is absolutely incredible!

immediately after getting my 8th badge, i slotted reides into my team and rushed on over to the pokemon league. since my alpha sapphire file is currently devoted to my shiny badge quest (which will hopefully be a post of its own, someday!), it was actually my very first time taking on the pokemon league in the oras games. not gonna lie, i had low expectations, as i figured it'd be a simple 1:1 reskin of the rse league rooms - but it kind of took my breath away.

like the kalos league, the revamped hoenn league was utterly gorgeous. i tore through it with my team until we eventually faced the LEGENDARY steven stone. it was reides' first time facing him as a champion, as, in emerald, wallace was champion, instead. since he was a level 5 horsea while the rest of my team faced wallace in emerald, i gave him a shot at a hoenn champion battle and let him take steven on.

once reides single-handedly took down steven, my team entered the hoenn hall of fame. even though reides already had a hall of fame ribbon from hoenn, he actually got a second one for entering the oras one!

after weeping openly at omega ruby's beautiful credits, we then headed to lilycove city. once there, we took a bit of a break from the ribbon grind and paid a visit to the cove lily motel. it turns out that some small indie company called gamefreak had just checked in. i talked to the game director, who was amazed upon seeing reides. since reides was from emerald version, he noted just how far he had come and gave us the time travel award. as lovely as this award is (you can even put it up in your secret base!), it's worth noting that the art featured on it is inexplicably shiny locked?!?! so reides had his normal kingdra colouration in mine! it's still a beautiful award, though, so i edited it for the purposes of this post!

i put the award up in my secret base and focused on a much-anticipated part of reides' ribbon master quest: the hoenn contests (part two)! the contests on oras are similar to the ones in rse - however, instead of giving ribbons for each and every contest win, the oras contests give a brand new ribbon for each *master* contest win. this meant that reides needed to take on the master contests for each of the 5 contest categories (the same ol' cool, beautiful, cute, clever/smart, and tough ones). like i mentioned all the way back in my gen3 post, oras also took the sheen limitation away, so i was finally able to max out reides' contest stats. since his stats were already really good, i didn't have to feed him too many pokeblocks for him to have the perfect contest spread.

i was so proud of him for finally having everything maxed out!! it's truly what he deserves. the contests themselves were also pretty easy. i'm not sure if it was necessary or if having perfect contest stats meant that they hit a cap, but i went and picked up the red, blue, pink, yellow, and green scarves from the pokemon fanclub in slateport and put them on reides just in case. also, while i couldn't use the amazing rest + snore combination of rse fame, i used the double team + secret power one (which i learnt about thanks to this post on the ribbons subreddit). my general strategy was:

turn 1: double team for the 1st pumped-up star.

turn 2: double team for the 2nd pumped-up star.

turn 3: secret power! (big boost thanks to being pumped up!)

turn 4: double team for the 3rd pumped-up star.

turn 5: secret power! (for yet another big boost thanks to being pumped up!)

the audience wasn't too pleased about the repeated double team on turn 2, but that didn't matter, as reides was able to win each and every contest category on his first attempt.

since he got the 5 ribbons for winning each contest category at its master rank, reides also got the contest star ribbon as an added bonus!

this was the last ribbon that i needed in gen6, which meant that reides' time in hoenn had come to an end. after wandering around the region a bit, peeking into various friends' secret bases and seeing the sights... it was time to pack our bags once more and gear up for the next part of reides' adventure.

gen7 has even less ribbons than gen6, but i never thought that the battle maison would end up being such a big challenge in gen6 - so who knows how gen7 will go?! (...i do, actually, because i was slightly evil and grinded out gen7's ribbons before making this post. sorry. i won't spoil it, though.) regardless, i hope you enjoyed reading about reides' gen6 journey!

#pokemon #ribbon master #jamietxt #reides the kingdra

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undefeatablesin · 2 years ago

Note

Hello! Hope you're well. I have a mildly silly question, but does Ruza have heterochromia?

I've been staring at your art of her and been puzzling over it.

I figured her reference pics would be best, but while it's true in her Thorn Uniform, her eyes don't looked colored in on her Hunter Garb page, and I figured her eyes both being depicted as the sort of red tint was more of an artistic choice but it could also just actually change, Yharnam does weird stuff to people, and I hope you don't mind me asking you directly.

No such thing as silly questions here, my friend! I don't mind at all, I'm only too glad to answer any questions people might have 💙

But anyways, yes, Ruza does in fact have heterochromia. Her right eye is brown and her left eye is blue. I haven't made any HQ refs of just her face, so its understandable that it might be a bit confusing to puzzle out from just my regular artwork alone or from the really small face scale on my garb ref sheets. The clearest depiction of her heterochromia that I have in my works at the moment is this sketch-but this indeed is the correct colouration for her eyes across all of her designs.

While I'm here though, I'd like to share a little about this design choice; I mentioned this briefly in the tags of another post, but initially I had planned for Ruza to have started with both her eyes being brown, but for the left to have changed to its pale blue hue after becoming tied to the hunter's dream. Individuals are already "marked" by the Great Ones in some fashion in the canon of the game, such as the characters that drop the Oedon Writhe rune after death and like everyone commenting that the Hunter has a specific strange "moonlit" scent. I thought it would be interesting to take that idea a step further by introducing a physical indicator of the hunter's moon-bound state-and given the game's most prevalent theme of eyes, that was ultimately what I felt appropriate to change.

The pale blue of her left eye was, none too surprisingly, therefore meant to evoke the colour of the moon, and it was no accident that the pupil of that eye is depicted as red in some panels and lighting. It was all part of the idea of her connection to the dream and the fact she, as all paleblood hunters are, is presently under the Moon Presence's thrall.

However, I wasn't entirely sure whether to keep this idea, if it blended well with the lore or if it was maybe too on the nose or cliche, so I haven't really canonised it entirely as part of my lore specifically. Even so, heterochromia has become something I feel Ruza would have regardless, so it remains as one of her features across all of her incarnations and still receives these stylistic nods and hints in the comic and such.

#sinbox #(thank u for your interest!!!! im always more than glad to explain things omg)#(i do need to make some refs for her face and hair from different positions tho its on my to do list)#(the pupil always has that red sheen it just doesnt always show)#(the moonlit scent thing????? itches my brain to death.)#(bc if the moon presences name is flora then is it safe to assume the moonlit scent is flowers?)#(the flowers in the hunters dream perhaps........)#(well anyway thats what ruza smells like so LDFLDLDL)#(I ENJOYED EXPOUNDING ON THIS ALDLDL i appreciate your curiosity)

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quarks-pussy · 1 year ago

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For the ship ask: Data/Geordi, Dax/Worf, and Quark/Odo?

Thanks so much for the ask! Sorry it took so long...

[Here's the post with the questions]

Okay, so, let's do these in order. I'll put it under a cut I think, it's not excessively long but still

Daforge

1: They're amazing. One of the best Star Trek ships of all time and for sure the most wholesome one. They see each other in ways nobody else can - figuratively and literally! Amazing stuff happening here

3: I really like this one but other than that I don't really have any concrete ones.

Dax/Worf

1: Well, here's the awkward thing: I've mentioned this before on this blog but I don't watch linearly and even if I did, I'd be nowhere near their relationship yet. So I haven't actually seen them interact much yet so while I might ship it in the future, I don't do so now. Regardless, I'll try to make educated guesses.

2: "Area man in awe of his awesome wife"

3: Hmmm I know Klingon women toss stuff at their romantic interests. I think Jadzia, knowing this, would occasionally yeet stuff at Worf, too.

Quodo

1: Fucking hell, these two. They were the first Trek pairing I got obsessed with. And like... they're so obsessed with each other. It's amazing! Also, both of them suck. Ten out of ten

2: Heh. I'm about to toss y'all back a decade. Disgusting by Miranda Cosgrove

3: I have a couple, though many have to do with how they do the do (in case you couldn't guess from my url lol) and most of the others are variable/incompatible in that there's different versions of their relationship that I like. But my favourite of those is them having been married since Terok Nor era and not even keeping it secret but most people still don't realise. I've previously briefly talked about it here.

And because this took so long, I'm tagging you to make sure you see it @tea-earl-grey

#shipping ask meme #daforge #dax/worf #quodo #mine #original posts fresh from quark's pussy

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alyssaforevermore · 6 months ago

Text

Hounded ↦ Bellamy Blake 9. Unity Day

Synopsis: After being locked away for eight months, Athena Kane alongside 99 other criminals is sent to the ground to find out if it's survivable. The ground was the dream, but who knew it would turn out to be a nightmare?

Show: The 100

Pairings: Bellamy Blake x OC

Warnings: major series spoilers (full series will be covered), use of profanity, descriptions of violence, death, blood and gore, and mentions of drugs and alcohol.

Tags: @mellxander1993 @sweetz1919 @jordangdelacruz

Masterlist

I had waited up late last night, anticipating the inevitable conversation with my parents. Luckily for me, both were too busy on the Ark to bother. Part of me was bitter, considering what today was, but I knew the chaos of Bellamy's information stirred up a lot up there.

Luckily, today was Unity Day and Clarke and Bellamy had both agreed to pause work on the camp and defences until after the ceremony. This meant I had a chance to sleep in for the first time since I'd be locked in Skybox.

When my eyes finally fluttered open, I noticed Octavia staring at me from across the tent.

"Were you watching me sleep?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. Then, I smiled. "You're such a weirdo."

Octavia rolled her eyes, standing from her bed and rushing over to mine. "I found something I thought you'd like." She leaned over, rummaging through her pack and pulling out a long knife, handing it to me with a smile. "Happy Birthday."

My eyes widened. "I can't believe you remembered."

"Of course I did!" Octavia beamed. "You made my birthday in Skybox so special, and we weren't even free at the time. I know it's not much, but I figured it would come in handy."

I felt my eyes swell with tears, though I quickly pushed them back. "Thank you, O. I really appreciate you even remembering."

We hugged briefly, Octavia pulling away with excitement. "We are going to have so much fun tonight. Monty is cooking up some of his famous moonshine."

"At least we get to drink it this time."

"I'll let you get ready for the day," Octavia spoke, heading to the entrance of the tent. "Too bad the moonshine isn't ready yet. I could use it to get through the Unity Day Ceremony."

I laughed as Octavia headed out of the tent. After all those years of participating in the ceremony with Clarke and Wells, I could also use a drink.

...

I made my way to the centre of camp, finding most had gathered around the monitor to watch the early portion of the ceremony. The camera panned to my father for a moment, a sharp pain shooting through my body. Despite lucking out and getting to avoid talking to him, of course I'd still have to see him.

"Missing being up there for this?"

I turned around, Bellamy appearing. "Definitely not."

He raised an eyebrow. "Kane's daughter doesn't like Unity Day?"

"Kane doesn't like Unity Day." I whispered, earning a chuckle. "It's just such an elaborate show, as if we came together peacefully for the good of mankind. The Ark only became the Ark after the thirteenth station was blasted out of the sky."

"You're even more pessimistic than usual."

I rolled my eyes, turning back to the screen. "You're one to talk."

Bellamy let out a sigh, walking away to join the others.

Alone. As Always.

...

- Six Years Earlier -

I sat on the couch of our family's unit, staring at the door. It was nearing midnight, and I had yet to see my parents all day. When I woke up they'd both been gone, my mother being called away for surgery and my father for whatever 'official business' Jaha needed him for today.

My birthday cake sat in the fridge still, awaiting an adult to stick some candles on it and light it for me. Part of me felt guilty for being upset about missing out on candles; I was one of the lucky few who could even afford to have a cake made. I had read in a book once that cakes were tradition for every birthday on Earth.

The sound of a keycard swipe yanked me from my thoughts as I quickly jumped over the couch. The hard metal door swung open, revealing my mother. She looked exhausted, yet somehow still so put together.

Her eyes finally landed on me, her tired eyes widening. "Honey, I am so sorry."

"It's alright, Mom." I lied. "I spent the night watching movies after the Unity Day Ceremony."

She frowned, placing her keycard on the table by the door. "You shouldn't have to watch movies alone on your birthday."

"I'm used to it." My mother winced, her frown only growing. "I haven't touched the cake yet." I added, smiling.

My mother finally smiled. "Let's bust out the candles then!"

"Really?" I asked. "We aren't supposed to have any flames after ten."

"Are you going to tell Jaha?" She asked. I shook my head. "Good. Neither am I."

My mother marched into the kitchen, grabbing the candles from the drawer as I pulled the cake out of the fridge. She placed twelve candles neatly across the cake, lighting them all with a match. Before I could blow out the candles, she placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Happy Birthday, Sweetheart."

My smile filled out my face as I closed my eyes and made my wish. Then, I opened my eyes, blowing out the candles as the clock struck midnight.

...

"My friends, this is a historic Unity Day." Jaha spoke through the monitor. "Every year, we mark the moment our ancestors of the twelve stations joined to form the Ark, but this is the last time we do so while aboard her. Next year, on the ground."

Cheers erupted on the Ark, but most remained silent down here.

"Right. After we did all the work." Miller groaned. "Somebody shut him up."

"You shut up, Miller. Nobody's forcing you to watch." Raven snapped.

"For ninety-seven years, we have eked out an existence, hoping that someday our descendants would return to Earth." Jaha continued.

"Monty strikes again!" Jasper's voice rang out through the camp. "Call this batch 'Unity Juice'. Who's thirsty?"

Many delinquents rushed over, grabbing makeshift cups while Jasper filled them all. I stayed put, for reasons I didn't even understand, watching the ceremony instead.

"To our sons and daughters on Earth listening to this message, we will see you soon." Jaha carried on. "The first Exodus ship will launch in under sixty hours, carrying you the reinforcements that you need, so stay strong. Help is on the way."

As the words filled my ears, I could feel my heart stop. The first Exodus ship meant the second wouldn't be far behind. How soon until my father was down here? Despite the constant threat, I was getting used to having freedom down here. I definitely wasn't ready for him to bark orders at me again. At least my mother would be down here soon. Hopefully before him.

Children carrying flags danced around the screen for a while, a little girl finally stepping into the centre of their circle.

"Long ago when the Earth was on fire, through space all alone. Then one day, Mir floated by Shenzhen, and they realised life would be better together." The girl spoke. "The other stations saw this, and they wanted to be together, too. When all the stations were formed, they called themselves-"

A loud bang sounded through the radio, the video cutting to static. We all stared at the screen, waiting for the video to come back, but it never did.

...

The sun had gone down, work came and went, and now it was time to have some much needed and deserved fun. As I walked through camp I watched everyone drinking, laughing, singing and playing games. I'd never seen 'unity' like this on the Ark.

My eyes landed on Bellamy, and I felt a familiar sinking feeling in my stomach. I took a deep breath, marching over until I was standing behind him.

"Hey," I spoke, causing him to turn around. "I was a jerk earlier. I'm sorry."

Bellamy eyed me for a moment, before smiling. "Birthday blues, I get it."

My eyes widened. "How did you-"

"Octavia told me a bit ago." Bellamy cut me off. "I can't blame you for hating Unity Day more than most."

"My birthday was always a little overshadowed." I sighed. "I can't complain too much, though. My mother always found a way to make it special, even if it was just before midnight."

Bellamy smiled. "Your mother sounds great."

"Yeah, she's pretty cool." I smiled back.

I watched Clarke approach us, a frown on her face. "The comms are still dead."

"Best Unity Day ever." Bellamy smirked.

"Now you agree with me." I joked.

"Do you guys really think now is a good time to have a party?" Clarke asked, looking around. "The Grounder is still out there."

I shook my head. "Grounders."

"By now, he's made it home. He's probably putting together a lynch mob." Bellamy spoke, causing Clarke to shift her feet. "Relax. I got security covered. Why don't you go get a drink? You look like you could use one."

"I could use more than one."

"So have more than one," Bellamy responded. "Clarke, the Exodus ship carrying your mother comes down here in two days. After that, the party's over. Have some fun while you still can. You deserve it."

Clarke thought for a moment. "Yeah, okay. So do you, by the way. Both of you."

"I'll have my fun when the Gounders get here." Bellamy smirked.

Clarke smiled, laughing slightly. "Alright."

We both watched her disappear into the crowd, Bellamy spinning the apple in his hand. Finally, he turned to me.

"What about you?" He asked. "Shouldn't you be celebrating?"

I shrugged. "I'm not even sure I know how to celebrate."

Bellamy took one final bite of his apple, tossing it to the side. "Come on." He said, marching away.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my shorter legs struggling to keep up.

"First, we get drinks. Then, I will teach you how to celebrate."

I laughed, causing him to stop and look back at me. "You're going to teach me how to celebrate?"

Bellamy smirked. "Trust me, we used to have the best parties on Factory Station."

"Right, I heard about those." I smiled. "I always wished I could go."

"Well, now you pretty much get to."

We reached Jasper, Bellamy asking for drinks. Jasper poured them, eyeing the two of us the entire time.

...

We spent most of the night drinking, talking about our experiences on the Ark and playing different games. Finally, we came across a new group, Clarke among them.

"You're not gonna get this one." Clarke taunted Fox.

Fox smirked. "Yes, I am."

"No, it's not happening."

Fox flipped the metal piece, landing it the cup of moonshine.

Everyone around the table cheered as Clarke admitted defeat, drinking from the cup and spitting the metal piece out.

"What do you know?" A boy spoke. "Her highness can actually party. I like it."

"What are you gonna do when the guards come down here and commandeer Monty's still?" Clarke asked.

"Build another one."

"Right." Clarke laughed, her eyes landing on me. "Athena! Come try."

I shook my head. "I'm alright, thanks."

"Come on, Athena." Bellamy nudged my arm.

I sighed, stepping towards the table. "Alright, what am I supposed to do?"

Clarke explained the rules to me as best as her tipsy self could. I stood across the table from her, aiming my piece of metal towards her cup. I then tossed it, the piece bouncing off the table and landing in her cup.

Clarke stared down at her cup for a moment before looking back up at me with a frown. "I regret asking you to try it."

"Beginner's luck." I threw my hands up, smiling.

Clarke and I battled it out for a bit, her getting distracted before we could break the tie. She placed one of the metal pieces on her nose, struggling to balance it.

"Hey, can we talk?" Finn asked, appearing through the crowd and placing his hand on Clarke's arm.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

Finn looked around before gesturing for her to follow him.

With Clarke gone I stepped away from the table, realising I had sort of abandoned Bellamy. To my surprise he was still there, the smile on his face bigger than I'd ever seen it before.

"You were totally going to win that game."

My eyes widened, my cheeks warming up. "You think so?"

He nodded. "I'm impressed, Athena."

"It's the birthday spirit, I guess." I laughed, stumbling slightly.

"Woah," Bellamy laughed, grabbing my arms. "You alright?"

I nodded. "I'm a little dizzy. Very tired. Too much birthday."

Bellamy laughed again, helping me regain my balance. "Let's get you to bed, alright?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

Bellamy led me across the camp, stopping just outside of my tent.

"Octavia, are you in there?"

No response.

Bellamy pushed the flap to the side, stepping inside and helping me navigate my way through. I quickly sat on my cot, staring up at Bellamy.

"Alright, try to get some sleep." Bellamy's eyes shifted around the tent. "I'll bring you some water in a bit. Drink it when you wake up."

Bellamy turned to leave, but I quickly grabbed his arm. "Bellamy, wait."

He stopped turning back around to face me. I stood from my bed, the alcohol taking over me and I tossed my arms around him.

"Athena?" He asked.

"Thank you, for everything today." I spoke. "It was the best birthday ever."

I felt Bellamy's arms wrap around me, lingering there for just a few moments before we both pulled away. I stared into his soft brown eyes, and he stared back into mine. For a second, I thought he'd say something more.

Instead, he smiled. "Goodnight, Athena. Happy Birthday."

Bellamy turned to exit the tent, pushing the flap aside to reveal Clarke. Her eyes quickly darted to me behind him, before landing back on his face.

"Hey, I needed to talk to you both."

"Been having fun, Princess?" Bellamy smirked.

Clarke glared. "I'm serious."

"You always are."

"Finn's set up a meeting with the Grounders. I'm leaving to go talk to them."

I stood up, my head spinning. "Like hell you are."

"Do you think that impaling people on spears is code for 'let's be friends'? Have you lost your damn mind?"

Clarke rolled her eyes. "Now you two decide to agree on things?"

"Clarke, we have no idea what else these people are capable of. You could be walking into a trap."

"I think it might be worth a shot." Clarke shrugged. "I mean, we do have to find a way to live with them."

"They'll probably gut you, string you up as a warning."

"Well, that's why I'm here." Clarke said. "I need you guys to follow us, be our backup."

"Does Finn know about this?" Bellamy asked.

Clarke shook her head. "He doesn't need to know."

I eyed Clarke for a few moments, before finally letting out a hearty sigh. "Alright, I'm feeling up for an adventure this evening anyways."

"Good," Clarke nodded. "Bring guns."

While I watched Clarke march away, Bellamy turned to me.

"You should stay here."

I shook my head. "No way, I'm coming with you."

"Athena, you were falling over ten minutes ago."

"And now I'm worried about my friends." I snapped. "Bellamy, We've all been drinking. I'll sober up on the walk there."

"Athena-"

"I can't stay behind while my friends meet with the enemy. I'm coming with you, end of discussion."

"No, not 'end of discussion'," Bellamy glared, folding his arms across his chest. "Who knows what kind of danger we're gonna be walking into out there. I know you always feel like you have to risk yourself for your friends, but not this time. I can't worry about you."

I went to protest, his words finally sinking in and forcing me to stop. He was right. As much as I found arguing with him slightly entertaining, I knew this was one battle I would not be winning.

"Alright," I sighed, slapping my hands against my thighs as I sat down on my coat. "Promise you'll be careful?"

Bellamy nodded. "We'll be back before you know it. Try to get some rest."

Bellamy left the tent, and I knew I would not be getting any sleep that night.

--------

AN: Here we are with chapter nine! I hope you all enjoyed. Please remember to like/reblog and share your thoughts <3

#bellamy blake; hounded #the 100 #the 100 fanfic #bellamy blake #bellamy blake fanfic #bellamy blake x oc

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beatcroc · 5 months ago

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[for anyone else, this is @ my original tag complaining that i can't figure out how to get him to sit] @localcoffeeaddict i do love funny gamma car but sigma also already has refs for this!

the e-100 series crouch. they can get pretty low down, but they're very much still putting their entire weight on a relatively small point on their own legs; and i'd say with how their like... ankle wheel thing is positioned, it looks like it actually puts More strain on weird points of their legs/joints. crouching/squatting on your own regular human legs for extended periods of time doesn't feel good either! not to mention with sigma's uneven foot/leg situation specifically it's probably even more uncomfortable. i'm talking 'sitting' as in like chilling resting casual style; i've tried some scribbles about it but nothing's really clicking

funnily enough the perching one is definitely what looks most natural, but the problem is that sigma is Massive and Very Very Heavy and i dont. think thats really going to work with much of the usual scenery that can be Perched Upon. he is going to break it. the other problem with being a big clunky robot and not a regular bird is his legs are Way thicker and you can't get them folded very tightly without it looking wrong. i did also try just putting the legs straight out in front but trust me that looks way dumber and is way more distracting since the other joints only bend Up gfjgfjfkjfg. i also briefly entertained a more 'quadrupedal' style of sitting more akin to like a cat or dog or whatever where it's the flats of the hind leg+also the 'hands' of the arms but it feels really wrong for him just vibewise like some kind of fucked up gorillabeast. i'm trying to avoid leaning into animal vibes with him and if it's gonna be anything it's gotta be the bird. they also have this weird... crossbar thing that their legs attach to which further complicates the 'where the hell is the center of gravity supposed to be for this' issue but frankly if i can get that on the ground along with the feet or ankle-wheels im gonna call it good enough.

currently i think what's gonna need to happen is i give him a specialized ''''''chair'''''', which ultimately just amounts to raised block perpendicular to the ground to prop up the base of his feet just behind the wheels/foot base like in the 'perched' image, while the 'ankle' angles down behind and rests on the ground. which is going to be a pain in the ass to work into any scene where i want him to sit but whatever.

every time i draw sigma i think of this

#much ado about stupid robot ergonomics #i realize this is ultimately all very minor but LISTEN. the VIBES are IMPORTANT to me #moreover i just need a way for him and mecha to sit next to eachotehr where he looks comfortable and isn't going to be like towering #on an unrelated note you know what's surprisingly NOT hard to work with on him? the triple-jointed arm #i thought i was gonna have a lot of issues w that but it's pretty much just the same as a regular elbow joint but with slightly more freedo #anyway if you think im making THIS way too complicated you should see the mental gymnastics ive been in about how those two fuck

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hellfiremunsonn · 2 years ago

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You Remind Me Of The Babe. Steve Harrington x Reader

You Remind Me Of The babe.

I do not allow my writing to be republished anywhere other than my own blog without my consent

Summary: could you write a fic where steve is a brat tamer and wants you to sit on his face but you’re insecure about it

(REQUESTED)

18 + IF YOU ARE NOT 18 OR OLDER DO NOT READ OR INTERACT WITH MY WRITING. IT IS NOT INTENDED FOR MINORS. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MEDIA YOU CONSUME.

WARNINGS: Porn with a plot?, fem reader, face sitting, orgasm denial, Dom! Steve, brat tamer Steve, reader is a brat, drinking, mentions of alcohol, if there's anything else I forgot to tag, let me know.

Word count: 4312

Two things I knew for sure was that Steve loved when I wore red lipstick, and summery dresses. So today before bounding down the steps of my front porch I made sure to wear my yellow sun dress with my red lipstick tucked away in my bag. He had been teasing and taunting me all week, and I figured I'd give him just a little bit of payback. My old converse with frilly socks that came out just over the tops of my shoes blew in the wind, tickling my ankles as I hopped into the passenger seat of Steves car.

Leaning over he kissed me on the cheek, slowly taking in my appearance. "Well don't you look beautiful today"

"As opposed to every other day?" I joked.

"You look like a bombshell everyday baby" He said sliding his sunglasses back down off the top of his head to his nose, giving me that famous Steve Harrington grin. "Seatbelt" He said tapping my thigh lightly. He waited till my seatbelt was clipped in before driving away from my house. I loved the way he was so protective of me and in such little and subtle ways. He never shied away from showing me off to everyone and making it known that I'm his and I loved every minute of it. Of course that didn't stop me from being a little shit from time to time, I liked to push his buttons and he knows it, because when were alone, he doesn't let me forget who I belong to.

So while sitting next to him in the car still I unclipped my seatbelt, scooting forward to the edge of the seat and pulling down the little visor with the mirror. I pulled the red lipstick out of my bag uncapping it loudly. "Do you have to do that right now?" He said glancing at me briefly.

"Yes" I said slowly and tentatively applied the red lipstick to my lips. Rubbing them together and finishing with a loud smack I smiled at him and leaned back into my seat. Knowing he was watching my every move. He shifted in his seat ever so slightly and I knew my plan was working.

"Seatbelt" He said again and I rolled my eyes in response. "Hey" He said sternly. "Don't roll your eyes at me"

I blushed and looked down at my lap, while slowly putting my seatbelt back on. "Sorry" I said quietly.

"Sorry what?" He asked checking the review mirror and turning down a street.

"Sorry daddy" I said quickly. I loved the pet name he encouraged me to to call him but I still got so embarrassed when I said it out loud. Our relationship wasn't always so heavy in this sort of lifestyle especially outside of the bedroom but it was exciting when it did happen.

"Good girl" He said reaching over to place his hand on my thigh.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" I asked tucking my legs up under me.

"Robin wants to come over with vickie and have like some sort of date night party thing, but it's never an actual party with us as you know. We'll probably get drunk and watch movies like every other time" he smiled.

"Sounds like a perfect Saturday night to me, we should invite Nancy and Johnathan, and maybe Eddie?"

"Eddie isn't dating anyone though" His brows furrowed.

"He's seeing Chrissy remember?"

He nodded in response. "Do you think Chrissy likes hanging with us though? We're not exactly her type of people"

"Baby she's dating Eddie, we're definitely her type of people" I let out a small laugh.

"Yeah I guess you're right" He said smiling at me.

By the time we got to Steves house Vickie and Robin were laying down on the lounge chairs by the pool in his backyard. I called Nancy from Steves phone in his kitchen and then called Eddie next.

Sitting down on the ground near the two girls I untied my shoes, discarding my socks and dipped my feet into the pool. Listening to the two of them banter back and fourth. Robin could talk a lot, her words spilling out of her mouth faster than her brain could process them, and Vickie was the exact same, it was hard to keep up with them sometimes as they jumped from one thought to the next. The conversation that peaked my interest the most was when they started talking about The Labyrinth, with David Bowie.

"That movie is superior, I mean David Bowie? Covered in glitter, and that hair?" I dramatically fanned myself. "That could get a girl going!"

"You remind me of the babe" Robin said, glancing at me from the side.

"What babe?" I quoted back.

"The babe with the power!" She yelled.

"What power!?" I said leaning up onto my knees.

"The power of voodoo" she wiggled her fingers at me.

"Who do?" I fake questioned, tapping my chin pretending to be deep in thought.

"You do!"

"Do what!?"

"Remind me of the babe!"

"Oh my god the two of you are so annoying" Vickie giggled.

"Yeah but you love us" I stated, sitting back down onto my butt.

"But yeah, the hair thing (Y/N)? We know you have a thing for nice hair, you're literally dating Steve 'The Hair' Harrington remember?" Vickie teased.

"So you admit that Steve has nice hair?" Robin teased, poking at her sides making vickie lean back into her giggling.

"I mean I'm not blind baby!" Vickie giggled against Robin. Robin smoothed Vickies hair away from her face a little before leaning down to give her a small peck on the lips. "Yeah he does have some magic hair, I'll give him that" Robin said agreeing. "Don't tell Steve I said that though, I can't let his ego get any bigger, it might go to that hair and start increasing in size, and that's something none of us could even begin to prepare for"

A hearty laughed left my chest, making me throw my head back. "God we can't have that can we?" I said between laughs. Our laughing was disrupted by the loud swing of the backyard door and Eddie carrying Chrissy over his shoulder, her legs kicking wildly as she laughed against him. "Eddie!" She yelled still laughing. Eddie shot us a famous grin before flipping Chrissy over and dropping her straight into the pool with a loud splash. She surfaced gasping at the cold water, her bangs clinging to her forehead. "You're going to pay for that Munson!" she yelled holding up her fingers into a 'gun' shape and aiming them at him.

"Baby please, you're gunna shoot me? After all I've done?"

"Any last words Munson?" she asked cocking her fake gun, squinting one eye as if it was going to help her aim.

The three of us on the sidelines, watching intently as the scene before us played out, stifling laughs.

"I LOVED CHRISSY CUNNINGHAM!" he shouted, and with a dramatic bang, he spun, clutched his chest and fell backwards into the pool, this time splashing the three of us on the sidelines. When he surfaced he engulfed Chrissy in his arms and she blushed. We erupted into an applause, whistling and yelling at their performance. Eddie bowed and helped Chrissy out of the pool, joining the rest of us. "We should have known you two would have ended up in the pool, within seconds of being here" I joked, bumping my shoulder into Chrissys.

"I like my girl nice and wet what can I say" Eddie said wiggling his eye brows at me.

"Eddie!" Chrissy yelled, her cheeks glowing red once again.

"I'll get you guys towels" I said shaking my head while getting up to head inside. Steve, Nancy, and Johnathan were all gathered in the kitchen chatting, drinks in hands. Steves eyes lit up when he saw me come in.

"Grabbing towels, Eddie threw Chrissy in the pool again"

"Again?" Nancy said.

"I think it's becoming a tradition" I laughed heading up the stairs and to the linen closet just outside Steves bathroom and grabbed a handful of towels. Clutching the towels to my chest I carefully made my way back down the wooden steps, making sure not to slip or trip. Steve watched me, his eyes soft as I passed the kitchen. I gave him a bashful smile on my way out the back door.

Once outside I put the towels on an empty lounge chair and took two of them, throwing one at Eddie and wrapping the other one around Chrissys shoulders which she took thankfully.

"Why'd you throw mine at me!?" Eddie scoffed.

"Because you're a little shit Munson" I said smiling and returning to my position at the side of the pool. The water cold again as my feet and legs adjusted to the temperature. I inched my dress up higher on my thighs so the sun could get to them better, I could easily just go put on a swim suit, knowing that there was bound to be one I had left here from pool days before, but I really didn't want to get back up again. I tucked my dress in-between my thighs into some make shift shorts so I wouldn't flash anyone in the process. Steve and the rest of the gang finally joined us around the pool, handing drinks to everyone in the process. Steve sat down next to me, handing me a red solo cup. Taking a sip I frowned realizing it was only water.

"Water?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yup" He said popping the 'p' while staring straight ahead, taking a slow sip from his cup.

"Why?"

"Because I said so" He said turning to me with a mischievous smile.

I rolled my eyes laughing but stopped short when his two fingers tapped my cheek hard. I looked around quickly but no one had seemed to notice. "What did I say 'bout rolling your eyes at me?" He said quietly just enough for me to hear, peaking at me over the top of his sunglasses.

Deciding to test the waters I smiled looking down, before rolling my eyes again. Steve stiffened next to me. "Do it one more time and you're in trouble"

My stomach flipped and I shifted back and forth slightly, squishing my thighs together. "Hey Rob?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I see your cup for a second?"

She raised an eyebrow but leaned forward and handed it to me. I glanced into it quickly confirming that Steve really gave only water to me and I glared at him slightly, and while not breaking eye contact I threw back robins drink, wincing as it burned on the way down. "Okay well if I knew you were going to do that I wouldn't have handed it to you" She said leaning back on the lounge chair bringing Vickie back with her. "It's okay, we can share" Vickie said holding her cup up over her head passing it to Robin.

"Sorry Rob, but Steve apparently thinks he can control when I drink or not, he gave me water" I said while reaching over to my cup again tipping it completely upside down so it splattered onto the pavement next to me, the water rolling until it hit the bottom of my dress, soaking the fabric.

"Wow Steve" Robin said laughing into Vickies shoulder.

Getting up I walked towards the shallow end of the pool, stepping down the few steps until it was at my thighs. Deciding to push my luck a little further I reached down to grab the hem of my dress, beginning to lift it up over my head when Steves hands grabbed me, lifting me up and throwing me over his shoulder. "Excuse me while (Y/N) and I have a conversation" He said sternly, continuing to walk with my torso bobbing against his shoulder.

Multiple 'ooooohhhhs' were whispered along with a dramatic fake gag from Robin. Steve continued to carry me away from the group and into the house. "Steve" I huffed. Up the stairs and too his room, he didn't set me down until he shut the door behind him with his foot, turning quickly to lock it. Still ignoring me he roamed his room, throwing the curtains closed, kicking off his shoes and rummaging through his dresser. "Steve" I said again breaking him from whatever trance he was in. His eyes almost black, the rich amber colour of his eyes barely noticeable.

"Sit" he said pouting towards his bed.

I moved quickly, tripping slightly over my own two feet before sitting on the edge of his bed. My dress bunched up against my waist so the wet fabric wouldn't get onto his bed. Finally walking towards me, he leaned forward, his hands at my sides, his nose barely touching mine. "Do we need to go over some rules? How you should be behaving?"

I looked down at my hands, fumbling with my fingers still wrapped around the bottom of my dress. I was nervous, but very aroused. "No" I said softly.

"No?" Steve repeated but it sounded more like a question. "interesting, because last time I checked, good girls behave, and that's what you want to be right? A good girl?"

"I am a good girl" I lied while giving him a small smile. He walked away from me. leaning against his dresser, arms crossed in front of his chest, his biceps gaining in size. I bit my bottom lip and hummed lightly, attempting to hide more of my smile.

"Are you? Because I think you've been bratting all day to me. Which means to me that you need to be punished about it. I think you need to remember who you belong to and how you should be acting, especially in front of company" He tilted his head to the side, watching me intently. "And by the looks of it, you're becoming a needy little whore about it, acting like I can't see you squishing your thighs together, or how your cheeks are flushed"

I rolled my eyes, silently cursing myself for how well Steve could read me. Taking quick strides towards me he slid his hand around my throat, tilting my head to look at him.

"What did I say" He paused tapping my cheek lightly with his other hand. "About rolling your eyes at me?" He slapped me this time. Not hard but enough to shock me a little. Heat pooling between my legs.

"You said not to do it"

"Exactly, and how many times did you do it after I told you not to?" he said squeezing my throat just a little harder.

"U-Um" I furrowed my brow trying to think. I brain wouldn't, no couldn't work when he was this close to me, hand around my throat.

"How many times princess" He repeated.

"Three? Or t-two?" I licked my lips. "I don't remember"

"Awe of course you don't" He cooed, loosening his hand so it was simply just held there, as a warning, as a point. A point to note, that he was the one in charge, in control. "Dumb little baby huh? Needs daddy to remind her to be a good girl, very pathetic" He rubbed his thumb across my cheek and I nodded, looking up at him through my lashes. Glancing down he noticed the wet fabric clutched into my fist. He took it out of my hand, feeling it with his fingers, tutting. "Not to mention trying to strip in front of our friends knowing damn well you don't have a bra on" He traced his fingers along my collar bones, my shoulders, down both of my arms, across my chest, just barely touching the soft skin where my breasts began. Fingers roaming ever so slightly across them, only briefly pausing over each nipple, making them harden under his touch.

"I don't think good girls do that hmm?" He asked, lifting my face up to look at him. His expression was soft, but I knew that hard Dom was hidden just beneath it.

"No" I admitted.

"No they don't" He tapped my cheek a few times before pulling me up by my hands so I was now standing in front of him. He sat at the edge of the bed now, hands on my waist. "Take this off" He said sliding my dress up my thighs and to my stomach, before I reached down myself and lifted the dress up over my head, dropping it to the floor next to me. "Hands behind your back"

My hands swinging behind me, one of them holding onto my wrist, keeping them in place. Turning me with his hands, warm on my skin he pulled me over onto his lap so I was face down with my arms behind my back, ass laying across his thighs. I could feel his erection under me and I squirmed slightly resulting in a loud smack against my ass. A stinging pain under an assumed pink handprint I could already feel forming. I whimpered agains him, spit from my mouth wetting his thigh.

"Awe poor baby" He said with another slap, softer then the first one. "Don't like being spanked huh? This is what happens when you don't behave princess" another smack. Groaning into him I attempted to roll my hips to the side, waiting for some sort of relief of my stinging ass but his opposite hand held me in place. "Just a few more baby, you can handle it" He encouraged. "If you couldn't you wouldn't have been a brat today" two smacks. Those ones were worse, and part of me hoped they would leave small purple marks so I could think about them later. I could feel tears brimming my eyes but I quickly squinted them closed, trying to keep them from falling down my cheeks and onto Steves jean clad thigh. With a final smack he lifted me back up sitting me down next to him. The sudden movement causing me to open my eyes, and the tears I tried to contain rolled down both my cheeks.

"Awe my poor little love" He said caressing my cheek in his hand. "Scoot up" he instructed with a nod of his head, and with a sniffle I shifted further onto his bed. "Will you behave now?" He said laying down next to me, running his fingers along the band of my underwear. I hummed in response as he trailed his fingers lightly against my skin.

"Yes" I whispered, afraid to speak any louder.

"Will you though?" He asked slipping his hand into my fabric. A breathy moan escaped my mouth. He removed his hand. "Will you, behave" He asked again.

"Yes, I promise, please touch me, I'll be such a good girl, I'm sorry for bratting, but please daddy, please touch me" I begged, fresh tears falling from the desperation I felt between my legs. His hand slid back down sliding between my fold gathering some of my arousal before two of his finger tips began rubbing slow soft circles on my clit. His pace never increased, and it felt like time had suddenly stopped with each rotation of his fingers. "Can I cum?" I asked in preparation, knowing I might forget once that knot in my stomach began to grow.

"Maybe" He said quietly, pressing only slightly harder onto my clit.

"Oh fuck" I moaned. "Faster?" I asked looking at him, his eyes still black. He obliged, circling faster, tightening the knot within me.

"Please" I breathed. He knew I was close, he probably knew before I did.

"Steve, I'm gunna- Fuck" I spat my head dropping back a little further into his pillow. "I'm going to cum" I rushed. And just as that knot was about to untangle and tug at my insides, he stopped, removing his hand completely.

"What the fuck?" I said sitting up.

"Language, or I won't let you cum all week" He threatened. "You can cum later" He ensured. "Come here" he said gesturing for me to sit on him. I sat up and straddle him, leaning down onto his shoulders. "I wanna try something" He said rubbing his hands against my things.

"Oh?"

"So here's what you're going to do okay?"

"Okay?" I said skeptically.

"You're going to take that pretty little pussy of yours, and you're going to sit on my face"

Heat crept up through my body and I looked away knowing my cheeks were as red as they felt. This was something Steve really wanted me to do but I was insecure about it. "What's stopping you" He asked quietly.

"I just... It's weird, I mean it's not weird, I just don't, want to... Crush you?"

He laughed. Squeezing my thighs while he did so. "Baby you won't crush me, and it's not like I haven't had my face there before" He said licking his lips and glancing down between my legs. I bit the inside of my cheek, tilting my head to the side as I thought about it. As much as I knew I was going to cringe about it at first, I really wanted to cum, and Steves mouth on me right now would be an absolute dream.

"Okay"

"Really?"

"Yeah" I said blushing.

He smiled and playfully smacked my thighs with both hands, scooting himself down so he was flat on his back. "Your seat awaits"

I tugged my underwear off and threw them to the side before crawling forward on my knees. I hovered over his face hesitating slightly. He grabbed my thighs harshly and pulled me down to his face, his tongue lapping at my folds and my limbs instantly turned into jelly. "Oh my god" I said leaning forward, one hand against his headboard. I rocked my hips slightly and his nose brushed at my clit and I whimpered.

He shifted so his tongue was now sucking and circling my clit and I could feel that knot being tied again. "Daddy, can I cum?" I asked for the second time tonight. He didn't reply, he only kept his movements quickly, not stopping. "Daddy" I mewled.

And again just as that knot started to untie he stopped completely.

"Fuck" I said smacking my fist against his headboard. "Really?"

He chuckled from beneath me. I moved back so I could look at him. His face shining with my arousal across his mouth and chin. "I told you, that you could cum later"

"When is later?" I pushed.

"Whenever I want it to be" He said smiling, giving my already sore ass a light smack.

I crossed my arms over my chest. A small 'hmmp' leaving my mouth.

"If you keep pouting, I won't let you cum at all today, and I already threatened to not let you cum for a week, do you want that to happen?"

"Nooooo" I whined.

"Then be grateful I got you even close to humming pretty girl" He gave my thigh a quick kiss. "Come here" he said again. I got off of him and tucked myself into his side, laying my head on his chest. He hitched my leg up over him so it was laying across his waist. He smoothed my hair out of my face and rubbed my head for a few minutes.

"You okay?" he asked, coming down from his dominate high.

"My butt hurts, and I want to cum" I complained.

he laughed a little, my head shaking against his chest from the vibrations. "Later, gotta make you suffer a little bit you know?"

"Yeah, yeah" I said smiling into him.

His warm hand slid around to my ass and he rubbed at the pink spots lightly. "Can we have a bath?" I asked.

"Absolutely we can baby"

Removing himself from me to go run the water, but not before giving me a kiss on the head. I listened to him hum a sing I couldn't recognize as he shifted around the bathroom. "Bubbles?" He said emerging with a large pink bottle in his hands.

"Always"

"I don't even know why I asked" He said chuckling to himself. "Always yes to bubbles"

"Alright my princess" he said walking towards me, hands out in front of him so I could grab them. Twisting me so both arms were criss crossed around my chest and we waddled awkwardly towards the bathroom. The water was warm and soothed my butt almost getting rid of the stinging completely. I leaned against Steves chest, his arms wrapped around my shoulders. "I wasn't too rough on you was I?" He asked quietly.

I laughed through my nose. "Baby you didn't even fuck me, you weren't too rough, I'd say it was perfect" I leaned to the side so I could look up at him. His forehead dewy from the steam from the hot water.

Loud laughter and commotion coming from downstairs disrupted the little love bubble we were in. "Guess we gotta go back down and entertain them" Steve sighed.

"They're gunna think we fucked" I said covering my face with my hands.

"Is that so bad?" He said poking my sides making me giggle.

"Yeah, because we didn't"

"Later baby" He reassured.

We got out of the bath drying ourselves off and getting back into clothes. I witched into a pair of shorts and one of Steves shirts seeing as my dress was still wet. Steve hung it on the back of his door so it would dry. Hand in hand we headed back downstairs and into the kitchen for a drink, this time Steve handed me a cup that actually had booze in it this time. I gave him a small smile and we regrouped with the rest of them.

"Finally you guys are back, I was going to start screaming" Robin said loudly clearly a little bit more than tipsy. "You guys are always fucking like rabbits" she said waving her hand in disgust.

"We didn't even fuck Robin" Steve said nonchalantly giving me a knowing smile. I giggled into my cup as Robin rolled her eyes leaning back into Vickie.

#Steve Harrington #Steve Harrington fic #Stranger Things #Stranger Things fic #Steve Harrington smut #Steve Harrington x reader #Robin Buckley #Eddie Munson #Nancy Wheeler #Johnathan Byers #hellfiremunsonn #x reader #Steve Harrington imagine

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polkadotsocks1993 · 2 years ago

Text

What Good Neighbors Do Pt. 2

Modern Osferth x Reader

Warnings: mentions of difficult family situations, mentions of neglect/emotional abuse

This is a continuation of my first drabble posted yesterday. Thank you for the response! I will probably make a whole series.

Note:

First, let me know if you'd like to be included with a tag list. Also, if anyone can figure out how to do that, I would be grateful since I haven't been on tumblr since 2016 🤣.

Reader is from the American South, American Thanksgivings typically look a bit different down here (we eat a LOT).

Also: in this AU, Uhtred and the Boys were all in the British army (to make it applicable to modern situations). There are mentions of Uhtred and Finan cross training with the American army, and that actually happens quite a bit. Just in case that question comes up.

It was your first Thanksgiving away from your family, your first holiday in England. Thanksgiving had always been a special holiday for your family, but this would be the first time in your life that you weren't spending it with them. For you, this would be a very hard week. Even though you'd found a close circle of friends in Osferth and your neighbors, you still missed home terribly.

You thought of how much you missed your family as you sat in the shared back garden with your new neighbors, Osferth, Sihtric, and Finan, as your landlord's wife, Thyra, threw the ball for her dogs and yours.

"You've been quiet, Y/N." Osferth observed. He had a cup of coffee in his hand, a habit you'd started him on when he (more often than not) joins you for dinner.

"I'm sorry, guys. I guess I'm just a little homesick. Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and this is the first year I've never been with them." You explained.

"I hate to hear that." Osferth said, "What does Thanksgiving look like for you?"

"Where do I even start?" You chuckle, "Me, my mom, my grandmother, my sister, and my aunts all spend days cooking all kinds of food and desserts. My dad starts the night before, smoking different kinds of meats. The whole family comes to my grandparents' farm. We play games, we eat, we go see the farm animals. It's a lot of fun, and I'm really sad I have to miss it."

"I thought you only ate turkey on Thanksgiving?" Sihtric asked.

"Not my family. My dad usually makes different kinds of barbecue. Everyone in the family likes something different." You explained.

"I'd pay good money to have barbecue again." Finan said, taking a sip of his tea. During his time in the Army, he'd briefly trained in America with Uhtred.

"Where did you and Uhtred go, Finan?" Y/N asked.

"Kentucky, Texas." Finan said, "Still the best ribs I've ever had."

You laughed, "I'm convinced you would let yourself get kidnapped if there was food involved, Finan. That goes for you too, Osferth."

Osferth chuckled, tussling your hair slightly.

"If it was your food, maybe." Osferth replied.

You blushed; over the last few months, you and Osferth had grown very close, but neither of you seemed to want to be the first to venture outside of just friendship. You flirted constantly, and it was obvious to everyone how you both felt, but neither of you seemed compelled to take the leap.

"What if we had a Thanksgiving?" Came Thyra's question, throwing the ball for your dog, Brownie.

"I, for one, would not say no to more food." Finan said.

"I could make plenty of food. I'm sure it could be really nice." You said.

"I could help you," Osferth offered, "I'm sure it couldn't be too hard."

"I could help, too." Thyra said, coming over to sit with the four of you, "Gisela makes the best chocolate cake."

"Let's do it." You said, "It could be a little Friendsgiving. I think everyone would like it."

Osferth reached out, patting your shoulder lightly. "I think this is going to be a lot of fun."

You smiled at him, he was impossibly optimistic. You hoped you could pull this off.

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

When Thanksgiving came around, though, you had never regretted your decision more.

You only had one tiny oven in your flat, and only so much counter space. You were struggling keep up, and you'd run out of refrigerator space the day before.

Osferth and Finan had arrived at your place early that morning, and your stress rolled off of you in waves. Growing up, Thanksgiving was always a shared task, and you'd taken on the brunt of it. Osferth was the only one of the men who knew how to cook, and you'd immediately put him to work.

"What have you made, pray tell?" Finan asked, looking at the various dishes of food scattered everywhere.

"Well, Beocca and Uhtred are making the meat... I'm making mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, rice stuffing, macaroni and cheese, about four different casseroles, deviled eggs..." You trailed off, trying to remember everything Thyra, Gisela, and your other neighbor, Hild, were making. Sihtric and his girlfriend were also bringing a variety of desserts, since his girlfriend was a pastry chef.

"If we run out, I'm going to laugh." Osferth said. He was mixing the dough for the rolls, laughing softly as he tried to find room anywhere in your kitchen. You'd settled on the small table you'd found on the side of the road with Thyra--Finan had helped restore it--and there was barely any room left there.

"To be fair," You said sheepishly, "We usually have a long buffet line for the food, usually in my grandma's living room."

"What does everyone else do while the food cooks?" Osferth asked.

You laughed, taking a shot of whiskey to calm your nerves. "We drink. And play games."

"I like the drinking part." Said Finan, wearing one of your vintage aprons and pouring himself a bit of whiskey.

"Well, to be fair, some of us aren't allowed to drink anymore. Not since Thanksgiving five years ago." You said.

Osferth stopped making the rolls and looked up, "What happened five years ago?"

Osferth knew more about your family than the others, he knew part of the reason you'd chosen to move halfway across the world. He knew where this story was likely headed.

Taking another shot of whiskey to deal with the anxiety rising in your throat, you laughed. "Well, Thanksgiving five years ago is when half my cousins, mostly Aunt Lisa's kids, along with my Uncle Bobby, kind of started a brawl in the front yard. Half of us wound up going to jail."

"To JAIL?" Finan asked, putting yet another casserole in the oven.

"I didn't have to, but my sister did. You'd like my sister, Cassie. But anyway, I suppose my cousin Blake was three sheets to the wind, and I guess he took a swing at Cassie, and all I know is that by the time the deputies showed up, all of them were in the yard." You explained, getting the dish of macaroni and cheese ready.

"Sounds like fun." Finan said.

You shrugged. "It comes with its own problems."

"What do you mean?" Osferth asked.

"My family is big and loud. I love them, and I miss them, but I'm kind of the odd person out. I'm the first one to graduate from college. It's hard, sometimes, feeling like I'm out of place in my own family." You said.

"I know the feeling." Osferth said, a look in his eyes you hadn't seen before, "I've never actually spent a holiday with any family other than my uncle or my mum."

"Wait, what?" You asked.

Osferth shrugged, "My dad and my mum never married. He came around some, when I was little, but it was never consistent. He always gave her money, I guess, but then she got sick, and we moved in with my uncle Leofric. My dad got married, had more kids. His new wife didn't like me. She didn't want me around for holidays, always said that I made them look bad. My sister has always tried to reach out, but I never got to see what a big family holiday was like until I met Uhtred."

You and Finan both stood, mouths agape. As flustered as your family could make you, you'd never been outright excluded.

"My uncle never had a lot of money, growing up, especially after my mum died." Osferth added, "When I joined the Army and spent that first Christmas with Gisela and Uhtred, Gisela had gifts for me. Gisela and Uhtred practically raised me."

"Yes, yes they did." Finan said, trying to lighten the mood. Tears filled your eyes, your heart broken at the realization that the only family Osferth had ever really known was there, on that street. You couldn't help the urge, walking forward and putting your arms around him as tightly as you could.

You couldn't think of anything to say, you just kept your arms around Osferth for longer than necessary, and he didn't push you off. Of course, Osferth never rejected affection from you.

Cutting the tension, Finan cleared his throat.

"As cute as this is, I think we should probably find some tables, as there is more food here than this flat can hold and Y/N has evidently decided to feed the whole neighborhood. I'm going to go see if Beocca or Uhtred have any folding ones." Finan said, taking off the apron and placing it on the hook on the wall.

That left Osferth and you alone, for the first time in nearly a week. You couldn't help but smile as the whiskey warmed you and you turned on some music to help you finish cooking.

"Thank you, for helping me do this." You said, feeling a little more bold than normal.

"I can't say no to you." Osferth chuckled, watching you spin around in sock feet.

"I'm sure you could, if you wanted to." You teased.

"And why would I want to do that? Why say no, when I can watch you dance to some ancient old song?" Osferth teased. You playfully hit his stomach, laughing.

"Don't disrespect Dolly like that!" You exclaimed. He laughed in response, taking your hand and spinning you around.

Truthfully, even though you missed home, you found you'd never felt more at home than you did in your small kitchen, with Osferth.

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

As it turned out, there was so much food that tables had to be set up outside. Uhtred and Beocca had outdone themselves with ribs, chicken, roast beef, and ham. Gisela had brought a herring dish and chocolate cake. Thyra had made cabbage, roast vegetables, chicken tikka masala, and several desserts. Hild and Mr. Pyrlig had brought dishes too, and then there was the vast feast you and Osferth had made.

Truthfully, the neighborhood didn't need much of an excuse to get together, as you realized. Watching everyone stand around, talking and laughing, you realized that you'd found a family. You felt an arm sneak around your waist, and you looked around to see Osferth, who had snuck nearly half a tray of deviled eggs.

"I've never had these before, my uncle was not a good cook." He said.

"How many have you had today, Osferth?" You asked.

"I couldn't tell you. Not enough for me to regret it." He replied.

You gave him a playful nudge with your elbow and then went to grab a plate of food, taking a seat in between Osferth and Thyra. There wasn't a lull in conversation, everyone was having a good time and you couldn't help but feel warm watching everyone smile and laugh. Afterwards, you, Osferth, Finan, and Sihtric played with the children while everyone else ate dessert. Gradually, the day turned into night, and you were a bit sad to watch everyone go.

No fighting, no extra stress. As it turned put, everything had been perfect.

-----------

Later that night, in your tiny kitchen, you and Osferth washed and dried what appeared to be an endless pile of dishes, Thyra and Beocca boxing away leftovers to take to everyone in the neighborhood. You truly missed having a dishwasher then, though you didn't mind the company.

"You know, Osferth, you should have invited your uncle." You said, handing him a freshly washed baking dish.

"I would have, but it's a little late for that." Osferth said, drying the dish and putting it aside.

"Why?" You asked.

"He died when I was sixteen." Osferth replied, his voice a little hollow.

"Osferth, I'm so sorry. Could I ask...?" You began.

"How?" Osferth answered, "A roadside bomb in Afghanistan."

"You've been on your own since you were sixteen?" You asked.

Osferth shook his head. "No. I spent a month living with my dad, until his wife decided she couldn't stand the sight of me and kicked me out. Wound up getting sent to a boys' home, until Beocca and Thyra took me in. I had been staying with them while my uncle was deployed, turns out my uncle had named them my guardians in his will."

"Osferth..." You whispered, "I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry. Why didn't you say anything?"

Osferth chuckled ruefully, wiping his forehead with his elbow. "Everyone else already knew. I don't talk about my family much, no one really wants to ask. I spent the better part of my life being the bastard throw away, as my stepmother used to tell me. Beocca and Thyra, Uhtred and Gisela, Finan, Sihtric...and even you make up for that."

You stopped washing the dishes, turning to look at Osferth. He wasn't very good at hiding his emotions; at least, not around you. You could see the lingering pain in his eyes. You moved to wrap your arms around him, hugging him as tightly as he'd let you. He rested his sharp chin on the top of your head, sighing heavily, as if he were letting go of a breath he didn't realize he held.

"For what it's worth, Osferth, I'm really, really glad you're here." You said, letting go just enough to look up at him. He smiled, placing a chaste kiss to your forehead.

"I'm glad you're here too, Y/N." Osferth replied.

There was a pause for a moment, both of you looking at each other with a vast array of words that you seemed to want to say. However, neither of you spoke, you simply returned to washing dishes.

You couldn't help but release a shaky sigh as your stomach did flips; it seemed that every time you were in Osferth's presence, you felt butterflies. You glanced over toward Osferth and noticed he was looking at you, too, giving a slight smile as he continued to dry the dishes.

You finished the night by watching a Christmas movie, Beocca and Thyra bidding you goodnight before they went upstairs to their own apartment. As you sat next to Osferth, you wished so badly that you could tell him all the things that were in the forefront of your mind.

However, his soft eyes watching the movie said that could wait for another day. He was there, with you, sharing in a favorite tradition.

Someday soon, you would tell him. Tonight, you thought, that it could wait.

------

Thanks for reading everyone!

#osferth #baby monk #the last kingdom #ewan mitchell #aemond targaryen #house of the dragon #the last kingdom x reader #osferth x reader

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