#<- tag for the marching band au

[heycerulean]

we hold these truths to be self evident. that lovelace swore in front of her students sometimes and everyone pretended it didn't happen because they loved her.

[sixoclocker]

my integrity design

doodles

[camthecatchameleon]

im going insane and can't stop thinking about this au idea. uhh marble hornets but they were in marching band together not film school

please don't tag as creepypasta smiles :)

alex - battery (snare)

jay - flute

tim - clarinet

brian - trumpet

seth - front ensemble (synth)

jessica - saxophone (tenor)

sarah - color guard

amy - not in the band (theatre kid)

[dogboyhudson]

DRUM MAJOR BLAINE!!

[mrmarchingband]

Into the woodwind section, Is Clarice!

Alrighty!! She wasn't as pleased to be in this program, but she was motivated by a friend to join. She chose to try the clarinet this season, I wonder how it's gonna go!

[jacazull]

🌟🌟DTIYS TIMEEE🌟🌟

It’s time to do something fun to thank y’all for being here! If any of you follow my sister @vi050iv then you might be familiar with the band au doodles she posted a year ago on insta. Casey, Junior, and April are in a band managed by Sunita, and they sing about triumphs and rising against odds. They’re called The Underdogz 💥I referenced the cover of an idw issue I really like when drawing this~ (pretend I drew a z instead of an s in their banner)

Anywaysss I will doodle some prizes, so there’ll be a deadline (I’ll give plenty of time). Of course you’re free to keep doodling for the band au long after the date passes.

‼️DEADLINE: MARCH 31ST‼️

RULES:

- Please use the hashtag #jacazull1kdtiys and tag me

- MUST HAVE Casey, Junior, April, and Sunita doing something band related (signing autographs, costume fitting, practicing, battle of the bands, posing for an album photoshoot etc)

- You’re free to add other characters or ocs as long as The UnderDogz are there

PRIZES:

1st: Fullbody of any character

2nd: Halfbody of any character

3rd: Bust of any character

All prizes will be lined and colored in flats!

As an additional gift, I’ll be sharing the spotify playlists my sisters and I made for Rise over a year ago. Some songs may be a bit silly or out of place, but we had to compromise a lot LOL. Songs are taken out and added every now and then, but I hope y’all can enjoy them.

Casey: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2cxt5JGKkv5bziUFWF6JAE?si=hU-A4oBoRzqy1Pl6zcsHKQ&pi=u-BT8s5FrWT3CU

April: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6g850asOOGeF4OsPi1Bb8J?si=lEa0b6aASMi7P5OdvApR8Q&pi=u-fq7uj8oLSZGf

Junior: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1j6Rf7mt7Yl5TfMpBRwTOw?si=cBxlZ3KhQxmEQ2aBKxhPqQ&pi=u-ATNIY-fKSwez

Raph: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7Kt2htp2OpXDQgEFiRZnih?si=8q-kCtnBTTmCRQSJLNnMWw&pi=u-aToiW0YOQcSv

Leo: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ZAWkn0QDysAXZgX7KqNuM?si=JYrB-Dx2Qoqnas-FEl4rUg&pi=u-240kik8DTgO_

Donnie: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5LaxNqoN451ErZQTAb0GUu?si=cdTNkIvjThe_2X15c1aKvQ&pi=u-uR1PkEe4QrSc

Mikey: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/08dBF9Eq6Ouj7yI0NB9zUQ?si=jxkXATyeTB-8bUGrIamR4Q&pi=u-C_fx-iF2TJeB

Okie I think I covered everything. Have lots of fun!!!

[piftamere]

tugging on heartstrings

summary : as an aspiring solo artist, you dream of making it big in the music industry. With your talent and determination, you find yourself entangled in a web of romantic pursuits, rumors and betrayal. Will you emerge unscathed and manage to navigate your love life in the chaos of fame?

tags : smau with written parts, band au, fluff, humor, angst

pairings : gojo satoru x f!reader, maki zenin x f!reader, megumi fushiguro x f!reader | multiple endings

warnings : swearing, suggestive, alcohol, smoking, bad communication?, not healthy relationships?, characters have flaws basically, all characters are aged up

status : over!!

started : march 9th 2024

schedule : i'll try twice a week but no promises <3

taglist : closed

dividers by cafekitsune

[disclaimer: the way y/n is depicted is just for the outfits and poses and isn't meant to show how the reader actually looks like, she can look however you want her to :) ]

introductions !!

y/n's group - groupies ♡ - others

chap 1 - daddy's mad

chap 2 - traitor

chap 3 - finally

part 4 - douchebag

part 5 - stunned (written portion)

part 6 - just us?

part 7 - business investment

part 8 - too soon?

part 9 - cute

part 10 - just friends

part 11 - girls night

part 12 - watch it

part 13 - shitting my pants

part 14 - interrupted (written portion)

part 15 - famefucker

part 16 - coward

part 17 - over and under

part 18 - god u suck

part 19 - just say the word

part 20 - an invitation

part 21 - because of him

part 22 - out of the blue (written portion)

part 23 - something stupid (written portion)

part 24 - i could bark at them

part 25 - i swear

part 26 - for your new boyfriend

part 27 - not my fault

part 28 - information (written portion)

part 29 - i think i fucked up

part 30 - 24 hours too late (written portion)

part 31 - the right time (written portion)

part 32 - 21 years

part 33 - painfully obvious

part 34 - one step at a time (written portion)

part 35 - you're right

part 36 - wish me luck

part 37 - emergency contact

the end

maki ☆ megumi ☆ satoru

[sarcastic-ace-artist]

Would you stab someone?

AU crossover gang answering the question Would you stab someone?

It was so fun trying to come up with the designs for the different AUs minus Radio Guard

Tagging @alastorsrchivesforthehotel & @hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog

Small details I'd like to point out bc nobody else will know otherwise:

Swap Alastor does have a coat, but he prefers wearing his shirt and vest most of the time

Domestic AU's outfits were based on marching band uniforms

Secretly Married AU basically swapped outfit styles

Secretly Married have their wedding rings hidden in their bowties

CATCF Vox's clothes are the costume for Willy Wonka

Radio Guard Alastor & Swap Vox are the only ones with visible eye bags

Swap Vox is the only Vox with no hat

[formosusiniquis]

Am I the Asshole?

Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington; Robin Buckley/Original Female Character(s); Steve Harrington/Original Character(s); Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson WC: 6052 | Rated: T | Tags: Modern AU, Reddit AU, Some AITA typical terrible people, QPR Steve & Robin, NB Steve, NB Robin AKA the Stobin AITA fic

r/AmITheAssshole u/HufflepuffHero94 9yrs ago AITA for being concerned about my girlfriends living situation?

Context: My (20F) girlfriend (18F) is amazing. She's a polyglot linguistics major, speaks three languages fluently and she's completely self-taught, a genius basically. We go to the same college (Midwestern Liberal Arts college) where we met in the marching band. Now R, my girlfriend, is from a small town. Like the kind of small town that they make jokes about in sitcoms, she isn't really online (so I'm not worried about her seeing this) because she claims they didn't even have the internet until she was in high school. She isn’t really “out” because of this. It’s like she lives in this semi-closeted space like some kind of TV queerbait character. It's not really a problem, I mean she’ll tell people we’re dating if they ask and all of our marching band friends know but when I ask about it she says it’s because it wasn’t really safe in her hometown growing up. But it’s 2014 not 1980…

Even though R is a freshman she’s in special accommodations. Instead of living in the dorms like the school usually requires she’s got a small, studio apartment just off of campus. A perk considering how awful living in the dorms is. R is a pretty private person and super studious. Most of our dates have been in the library or a study date at the coffee place on campus. She’s not big on PDA, she says she’s trying to get better at it but she’s still only sort of out and I’m her first real girlfriend. I was psyched when she asked me if I wanted to go with her to her apartment to study, said her best friend had a never fail study method that she was eager to try (and when she told me what it was I was pretty eager too).

R can’t drive, so when I pull into the parking lot of her complex she notices something and says her roommate hasn’t left for work yet. I’m a little confused because like I said she lives in a studio apartment, but she just brushes it off and says something about asshole parents and this being what they could afford when some money fell through. She’s sent me snaps from her place, so I know it’s pretty cozy so I tell her it’s fine. Obviously I’m concerned about what the set up is going to be like when we get up there but she insists that dingus (her words) will only be there for another couple minutes before they have to leave for work and that Stevie (again her words) is her best friend in the world. They moved here together from the same small town or something.

To give R credit, she’s definitely done the best she can with the space. When I walked it it definitely felt as homey as it does in her pictures. The door opened up into the kitchen and living room and she’s got those spaces divided off from the beds with one of those Chinese paper divider thingies. Anyway to make a long story short it turns out her roommate and best friend Stevie is actually a whole dude (19). He comes out, gives her a look and asks her if “us girls are planning a sleepover” and if he should make himself scarce for the evening. R says she doesn’t give him shit when his “special friends” come over and after that I kinda stopped listening. I slipped off into the apartment looking for the bathroom and that’s when I saw how their “bedroom” was set up. Twin beds INCHES apart, they might as well be sharing the same one.

Here’s where I might be the asshole. When her “friend” finally cleared out I told her the truth. I didn’t know how comfortable I was hanging out in her place where she lives with a guy. I do live in the dorms but I’ve got a single right now. I asked her to move in with me so she wouldn’t have to be in this situation. I guess it maybe sounded like I was dissing her friend, which I was but I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. I just think it’s weird that she won’t come out to anyone and is also living with some guy! I told her I wasn’t interested in being an experiment and if things were serious then she would want to move in with me.

That’s when she kicked me out and called me an asshole. But really I don’t think I’m being a dick for being concerned that she might just be jerking me along while she plays lesbian so she can tell her boyfriend about it at home. Even if nothing is going on I'm just worried that living in this kind of environment isn't safe for her. I mean this guy is probably just pretending to be her friend to get in her pants, I think the fact that they're from the same small town means she can't see that. I really think she would be better off if she moved into the dorms with me aita?

u/otpsnotbrotps NTA

u/foreplayisntreal NTA guys and girls can't be friends. If she even is a lez and a katy perry wannabe then roomie is just biding his time til she's ready to be converted

Read the rest on AO3

[spaceyaceylesbianart]

I see your color guard molly and cheerleader jester and raise you both of them trumpets before molly did leave for color guard (team trumpets!)

Fjord would die on the football field get that man a sousaphone

Yasha in percussion is 100%

saxophone veth fits so well holy shit

i had been thinking clarinet for caleb but mellophone also works very well, and caduceus on clarinet is totally real

If I must band camp so must she. Marching band au where beau is color guard

[pikachu66]

AU upcoming!

Hi guys! For the ones who read the last fanfic, hi again! For the ones who didn't, welcome. Let me explain everything you need to know!

Basically, I am currently planning my first multiple chapters long AU! It is gonna be a non-band AU, and is gonna take place on Ace's birth planet and on earth! And I was thinking of giving you guys an opportunity to be a part of it.

So, I decided to make a little competition!

But what is the price?

Well, my dear friends, the winner will see their OC become the AU's main character!

Cool! But how to participate?

Well, my KISSers, it's really simple! You will have to:

★ reblog THAT post

★ in your reblog, talk about your OC, their pronouns, explain their personnality, their role, their love interest, etc...

★ in that same reblog, post an image of your OC. You can draw them yourself or make them with an avatar maker or Picrew, as long as you tag the Picrew artist or avatar maker's creator

● but your character can't be racist, inscestous (if that's even a word), homophobic, transphobic, and any other problematic behavior with your OC will not be tolerated. If any of these characteristics are found withing your OC, you will immidiatly be disqualified.

And the reblog with the most likes is gonna see their OC become my AU's main character!

You have until MARCH 31st to submit your OC! And then, I'll announce the winner in the AU's first chapter!

Now, I know I have very few fans for the moment, but I believe that even if I can make a few people happy and excited, I'll be happy as well ❤️😊

I hope you guys are as excited as I am! I am so ready to discover all your creative ideas!

I also encourage you to go check out other people's work, if anyone participates!

I really love you all! I got so many positive comments and I thought you guys deserved the warmest thank you. And since I can't hug each of you, I decided on this competition 🖤❤️🥰

Take care, and keep rocking!

And with that, have a good day ☀️

Here's a coquette Eric for the greatest community on that app 🥰

[heycerulean]

hey random question.

(link to the fic if you would like to read it)

[destielaureversebb]

Coming soon for the @destielaureversebb: “Station 49” 

Author: Itztigress3 Artist: @xfancyfranart

Rating: Explicit Archive warnings: None Length: 65,000 words Tags:  Firefighter!Dean, Fire Investigator!Cas, AU-Firehouse, Demonic Fire, Spirits Relationships: Dean/Castiel, Sam Winchester/Eileen Leahy, Bobby Singer/Ellen Harvelle, Benny Lafitte/Andrea

Summary:  

Guilt is all Dean has known since he was fifteen, when his parents died. Ten years later he’s a fireman with the Lawrence Fire Department and it seems like the fire is out to get him and his friends. 

Castiel’s career had been smooth until his boyfriend was arrested and charged with arson. As a fire investigator, he should have known better. Now he’s faced with falling for another fireman who has fires trying to take him out.

Can they band together and solve the riddle? Can Cas overcome his fear of moving on? 

Excerpt: 

I positioned Jones in front of me, letting her lead. Lafitte was bringing up the rear. It seemed odd that as soon as Jones cleared a section, flames would erupt from somewhere near her.

The walls, a light socket, even the ceiling! Added, if we weren’t close to the initial point it seemed the fire snaked its way across the floor toward us. As if it was seeking us out.

The initial point of fire was also changing colors indicating it was heating up, turning from red and orange to blues and whites. Eventually, Lafitte passed me and I hanged back but caught up. After they were outside I turned to do a final check, to make sure no one was calling out. What I noticed was trails of flames that were running across the floor. It was in areas we were all in, like someone had poured a trail for the flames to follow.

“Winchester?” Captain asked.

“Coming, Captain Hascum.” 

I was nearing the door when the voice rang out. Your fault.

I spun around expecting someone to be there, but the room was empty. Just white hot flames licking the ceiling, trailing across the floor, blazing through sofas and desks. A hand dropped on my shoulder, and I swear even with fifty pounds of weight, I jumped ten feet off the ground.

“Easy, Cher, it’s just me. You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Let’s get the hell out of here.” 

Flames seemed to leap at Benny as we exited the building. 

“All clear.” I called.

Outside the building was pure chaos. There were more stations present now, each one having hoses on full. Four were focused on the roof up on ladders high above us. Chief Singer was also on the scene, he seemed to have taken over Captain Hascum’s command. I went right to him. He was giving out directions initially, so I turned to view the building and found flames were now leaping out the windows, engulfing the door we just came out of. But, I swore for a brief moment I saw a boy standing there.

Posting date:  March 11, 2025

[lesbianforlottie]

Ok so I'm someone who is in marching band and has been on colorguard and played an instrument, so I'm going to assign them marching band instruments/guard roles.

Jackie - drum major... duh (although guard captain could work just as well for her) she'd probably have played flute in her marching days

Shauna - trombone, brass captain

Van - bass drum for sure, all the bass drum girlies I know are lesbian

Taissa saxophone, wood captain

Lottie - marimba, frontline captain

Misty - baritone, spirit leader

Nat - tenor, drumline captain

Laura Lee - flute/pic

Travis - tuba

Javi - tuba, he'd be the comically tiny tuba player

Crystal - flute/pic

Mari - trumpet or guard captain

Akilah - bells or guard, loves flag but good at rifle as well

Gen - xylo/vibe

Melissa - guard, insanely good at rifle, proficient at sabre

Coach Scott would've been on drumline during his marching days and Coach Martinez was def in brass.

Not sure who would be junior drum major, Misty I could see but I feel like she's too immature to be reasonably picked by the coaches for that position, Mari would work really well but she's on varsity, maybe Akilah or Gen? Now I'm just imagining the scene with Coach Martinez telling Jackie why he chose her.

"You're certainly not the best musician, Shauna is a great marcher, Lottie is better at sight reading by a mile..."

What instruments do you think the YJ’s Play?

Me personally:

Lottie is a Guitar girlie

Laura Lee plays piano Cannonly, I could also see her taking up guitar with Lottie teaching her

Shauna and Van I can see on drums

Misty plays the clarinet

Tai I’m gonna say Violin. I don’t know why, but yeah

Jackie prefers singing, but also had piano lessons

Nat Electric Guitar and Drums

And everyone else doesn’t play instruments

[fkinkindagauche]

Hot Knife

Posting just a snippet here of a one-shot I wrote while work was super slow the past few days and I had this song stuck in my head non-stop (Hot Knife by Fiona Apple). It's omegaverse, which I know is not everyone's cup of tea, so you have been warned! Full tags on AO3.

Read the full fic on AO3

Rating: Explicit | Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, mentions of Chrissy Cunningham/Robin Buckley | Tags: AU No Upside Down, AU Omegaverse, AU College, AU Modern Setting, full tags on AO3

I'm a hot knife, I'm a hot knife

I'm a hot knife, he's a pat of butter

If I get a chance, I'm gonna show him that

He's never gonna need another, never need another

“Him,” Steve said confidently, nodding across the dining hall at a gangly man with a mess of long brown hair who looked like he'd just walked out of a Mötley Crüe show.

“ Eddie Munson ?” Robin asked, nearly spitting out the mouthful of soda she'd just taken.

“Is that his name?” Steve asked, watching as the man - Eddie - nearly tripped over his own feet walking to a table.

“He's not exactly your type, Steve,” Robin replied. 

“I smelled him in the elevator. He's my type.”

“Okay, but he's, like, a huge fucking nerd. He's a music major. He plays Dungeons and Dragons. And he's in a heavy metal band.” She just kept listing things, like it was going to do anything to change Steve's mind.

He waved a hand at her dismissively. “Don't care,” he said, still watching. Eddie was talking to the other people at his table now, gesturing vigorously with his hands then throwing his head back and laughing loud enough that Steve could hear it across the dining hall.

“If you start something with Munson your swim team friends are finally gonna actually disown you,” Robin said. “You being friends with me was bad enough.” 

“Yeah, I think I’m at the point where I’m okay with that. They’re boring.” He had spent his sophomore year becoming increasingly annoyed with his teammates, who seemed to want to stay mired in the same types of people and pastimes they’d experienced in high school. He had enjoyed it during his first year, it had been nice to have continuity and had made the transition to college less jarring, but now he found he was looking for something more , and they all wanted to stay the same. 

He had met Robin in one of his classes, a geeky girl who had no interest in sports beyond what she observed from her section in the marching band, but she constantly made him laugh, and she was an omega, his first real omega friend. He had always been the only omega on the swim team, a bit of a freak of an omega given his large size and muscle mass. The other guys on the team had a tendency to completely forget about his designation, given the scent patches he wore all the time.

“I’m gonna go talk to him,” Steve announced, pushing his chair back. 

Robin shrugged. “Your funeral,” she said, and Steve rolled his eyes. He knew he was a very attractive and charismatic man, Eddie would probably be excited to be approached by him. 

Steve walked over to the table, Eddie still deep in conversation with his friends as he approached, not even looking up at Steve. A couple of his friends glanced up with confused looks on their faces, but Eddie just continued holding court. 

Steve sat in an empty seat directly across from Eddie, who finally acknowledged his existence. “What do you want, jock boy?” Eddie asked, derision evident in his tone. “I don’t sell to athletes, that’s a surefire way to get expelled while you just get a slap on the wrist.” 

Oh, he was a drug dealer. Robin had left that bit out of her list. “I’m not here to buy,” Steve said, holding out a hand. “I’m Steve Harrington.” He hit Eddie with his best bedroom eyes. He knew Eddie couldn’t smell him through the scent patch, but surely he’d heard of Steve Harrington, omega swim team superstar.

Eddie just stared at Steve’s hand, not extending his own. “Can I help you with something, Harrington?” He sounded annoyed. “Or are you just here to stare and interrupt our conversation?”

Okay, that was unexpected. This was not going the way Steve had expected. He typically had no trouble picking up alphas, in fact they tended to be the ones throwing themselves at Steve. He could deal with this, though. Just a little pushback. He’d try again when there weren’t so many people around, maybe Eddie was just shy.

“No, just wanted to introduce myself,” Steve said, smiling. 

Eddie waited for a moment then waved his hand away from the table. “Well, introduction done. Run along, jock boy.”

Steve stood, walking back over to Robin who had dissolved into snorting laughter at the table. 

“Oh my god, you just got shot down so hard,” she said between laughs. “How’s it feel, King Steve?” 

“He must not get subtlety, I might need to be more explicit,” Steve said, refusing to let his confidence take a hit. 

Robin wiped a few tears away from her eyes. “Sure, Steve. It definitely couldn’t just be that there’s one alpha out there in the world that won’t immediately whip their knot out for you at the first sign of interest.” 

***********

Eddie wasn’t sure what Harrington had been doing talking to him, if not to buy drugs. Maybe he was still angling for that, just trying not to scare Eddie away. Eddie knew who he was; everyone knew who Harrington was. Not just the golden boy of the swim team, but an omega with a pussy made of gold, to hear some of the alphas talk. 

He was also a cocky asshole too convinced of his own importance, and Eddie didn’t want to have anything to do with him. 

“What did Harrington want?” Gareth asked, like he hadn’t been sitting there right next to Eddie through the whole conversation.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Eddie said, and looped the conversation back around to what they had been talking about before, the upcoming campaign for the D&D club. He didn’t want to waste any more breath on that man.

************

Steve really tried to give up on Eddie after that first flop, but he found he couldn't stop thinking about him. When he'd caught a whiff of him in the elevator it had triggered the strongest response he'd ever had to a scent. The most immediately noticeable notes of his scent were pretty typical alpha scents, something in the woody family with cloves mixed in, but underneath that Steve could catch hints of something sweeter, possibly jasmine, maybe even vanilla. Not typical alpha scents. Layered underneath all of that was just a hint of patchouli. A thoroughly sophisticated scent. 

He'd tried to describe all of this to Robin to explain why he wouldn't give up yet, but she found his hyperfixation on scents in general annoying, and even though she was an omega she had never been able to pick apart a scent as well as he could. Robin's lack of interest notwithstanding, he was too intrigued to give up after just one miss. 

As luck would have it, after swim practice the next day he found himself in the mailroom at the same time as Eddie,  who was filling in the address on an envelope. It seemed like Eddie never wore scent patches; Steve was once again surrounded by his scent as soon as he walked into the mailroom. Eddie didn’t even look up as Steve walked in and grabbed his mail.

“Hello,” Steve said when it became clear Eddie wasn’t going to acknowledge him.

Eddie looked at him, frowning, and his scent went a little sour. “What do you want?” he asked.

“Just… saying hi,” Steve said awkwardly, not sure how this man kept robbing him of his typical charm.

“Alright, you’ve completed your task, run along,” Eddie said, waving a hand toward the door. The hostility was a bit shocking to Steve, who had always managed to skate through life liked by everyone around him.

“Did I do something to you at some point that I don’t remember?” Steve asked, perplexed. 

Eddie sighed and rolled his eyes. “No, Harrington. I just have very little time for drug seeking rich boys who could get me expelled if I sell to them.” 

“I’m not looking for drugs,” Steve protested. “I’m just trying to talk to you.” 

“Sure, sure,” Eddie said, looking like he very much did not believe Steve. He finished writing on the envelope and threw it into the mail slot, brushing past Steve as he left the mail room, not even saying goodbye.

Steve was honestly a bit shocked. He didn’t think anyone had ever been that mean to him, especially not anyone he was showing interest in. He was really going to have to step up his game.

************

“Steve, you forgot your scent patch again,” Robin said as he sat next to her in the dining hall. 

“I didn’t forget it,” he replied. “I intentionally didn’t put one on.”

Robin furrowed her brow. “I thought you stopped needing to do that to get laid a while ago.” 

Steve sighed. “I thought so, too. But it appears there are still some people resistant to the powers of my scentless charm and reputation.” He looked over at the table where Eddie was sitting with his friends.

“What do you know about him?” he asked Robin, nodding toward Eddie.

Robin looked over her shoulder, following his gaze and sighing. “Really? You're still on this?”

“Yes, I’m still on this.”

“Is this just one of those things where you feel slighted by his rejection so now you need to relentlessly pursue him just to prove you can?”

“No, I told you. It’s his scent.”

Robin made a frustrated noise. “You are so weird about scents, Steve. I mean, I’m an omega, too. I have a nose. He just smells like an alpha. Maybe like an alpha who spent too long in a New Age bookstore, but not in a compelling way.” 

“Well he wouldn’t smell that good to you . I think we’re scentmates,” he declared, but Robin only rolled her eyes. 

“Okay, first, those don’t exist. Second, you claim you’ve found your scentmate at least once a semester, yet you never seem to want to keep them around after the novelty wears off. Doesn’t seem like a fated pair situation to me.”

“None of those were real! This time it is.” He was well aware of how ridiculous he sounded, but it was true. Sure, he’d really liked the way all those other people had smelled, but this was much more visceral. He felt drawn to Eddie in a way he had never experienced before.

“Okay, Steve,” Robin said with a long-suffering sigh. 

The person sitting next to Eddie stood to leave, and Steve took his chance. He stood up and walked over, sitting down next to Eddie. “Hi Eddie,” he said, leaning in as close as he could without risking a punch to the face, so Eddie could get a good whiff. 

Eddie turned to him and glared, but Steve could see his nostrils flare and his eyes widen incrementally before his face snapped back into neutrality. “This is getting old, Harrington. If you don’t want drugs then could you please tell me what you do want so I can never speak to you again?” 

Not a promising response, but at least he’d gotten a little bit of a reaction. “Just wondering if you’re free this weekend,” Steve said. “There’s a party at the Sigma Chi house.”

Eddie laughed in his face, stopping when Steve frowned. “Christ, are you serious? Absolutely not, I wouldn’t be caught dead at a frat party.” 

Okay, yeah, maybe Steve had miscalculated there, it was just the first thing he thought of. “Right. They’re not great. What do you usually do for fun on the weekends?”

“What is this conversation?” Eddie asked, looking more confused than pissed off at this point. “What is your aim here, Harrington? Is this like some sort of prank with your jock buddies?”

Steve made an exasperated noise. “I don’t even hang out with them anymore outside of practice and meets. Not sure if you’ve noticed but I pretty much just spend all my time with Buckley now,” he said, motioning towards Robin.

“I haven’t noticed, because I do not give two shits about you. I don’t even give one shit. No shits are given. Now go away and stop bothering me, you’re putting me off my food.” He pointedly turned his back on Steve, who got up and walked away, a little shell-shocked. He heard a few snickers from Eddie’s friends. 

Plopping down next to Robin, Steve put his head on his arms. “That didn’t look like it went well,” Robin said, patting Steve on the back. “Was he not immediately entranced by your luscious scent?” 

Steve half-heartedly threw an elbow at her. “I could tell he noticed it, but it didn’t help. I think he really doesn’t like me.”

Robin made a sympathetic noise. “This must be very new for you, to not be liked.”

“It is,” Steve whined, sounding pitiful even to his own ears. 

“I mean, you have to admit. You probably have, like, nothing in common with him,” Robin said. 

“How can I know that if he won’t even talk to me?”

“Okay, fair,” Robin admitted.

“What do you know about him?” Steve asked, picking up his head. 

“I already told you everything I know - D&D, heavy metal, and music school. You are interested in none of those things.”

“I could be, though,” Steve said. “Does his band actually have gigs?” 

Robin sighed. “I don’t know, Steve. Are you seriously going to keep pursuing this?” 

“Yes, absolutely. I will not back down from a challenge.” 

Read the full fic on AO3

[likemmmcookies]

WIP wunday!!

Tagged by @manicpixiedreamedwins and @dear-monday. mwah mwah!

So this is from a wip I started at 4:30 am after a 13 hr shift in a half-asleep frenzy because I couldn't get it out of my head. I finished the short story Gaze by Gemma Files that day and the concept of a lost and enchanted lover's eye portrait got its hands around my throat.

Artist!Charles and Witch!Edwin AU set in the early 90s:

xxxx

Charles meandered to a glass case of things that may have been sparkly once upon a time. Costume jewelry mixed with vintage engagement rings, all of them surely haunted. He was already turning to go find his date du jour when there was something –

“What’s that?” his mouth said to the witch à la bird enthusiast hovering behind the glass case. He pointed to one corner. The skin-itch bass-throb roiled in his stomach, a racehorse kicking at its starting gate.

She unlocked the case and her hand went knowingly to the object. Lucky, since Charles couldn’t describe it even if he tried. It looked like mustsee and musttouch and pick me up, please.

She handed it over; it met his hand like electricity and starlight.

A small portrait, no bigger than his thumbnail. Oil paint, undoubtably.  The varnish was well-tended, or it was fresh. Nothing of this style could be from the last 200 years.

The portrait was a single eye, under an arched eyebrow – thick, bold, domineering. The keen eye was the color of April – freshly green things, flecked gray with the dark ice remnants of March – cool and alive.

The sweetest shadow of early crow’s feet suggested the subject was about to smile – at him or with him was unclear. Perhaps both. It was unbearably knowing, like the owner had seen everything Charles didn’t have to offer and loved him anyway. No one had ever looked at him like that.

“How much?” he said distantly, without handing it back. As delicately as he cradled the object, removing his fingers would be akin to bending back bands of iron.

The shopkeeper tilted her head at him. “It belongs to you,” she said haltingly, like the answer was coming to her second-hand, and as a surprise.