#'you're really missing chicago aren't you'

[steddieas-shegoes]

never gonna give you up

for @steddiemicrofic "fake" prompt that needed to include the words: and, around, desert, down, give, gonna, let, never, run, up, you

1987 words | rated e | no cw | tags: modern au, flirting, bisexual steve harrington, handjobs, some platonic stobin, ridiculous and unserious

😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

"This might be the first time someone's deserted me in the middle of a date," Steve said into the phone.

"You aren't counting that one time Sarah left during the movie?" Robin asked.

"She had a family emergency!" Steve exclaimed.

"Right, and I'm definitely going on a date with a dude later."

"You're saying she didn't have a family emergency?"

Steve remembered that date, remembered how she'd even had tears in her eyes when she said her mom called and she had to run home.

"You're gonna unpack that all night, aren't you?" Robin sighed on the other end. "Steve, just go home. Take a week off from trying to get into some poor woman's pants. Leave some of them for me to get into. I beg you."

"What makes you think they'd come running to you?" Steve looked over at a guy standing at the counter of the diner, clearly trying to pick up his order. From the back, he seemed tall, but that could be the black skinny jeans and boots combo.

"Let me talk to them for one minute and I'll have them convinced."

The guy turned as the woman behind the counter walked to the kitchen, his eyes settling on Steve talking on his cell phone at the table in the corner. It's not like there were many people here on a Monday night, nothing else to look at but Steve awkwardly sitting by himself with two glasses on the table.

The guy started to walk over, and Steve recognized him immediately.

"Gotta go, Robs."

"What? How are you done wallowing already?"

He hung up before she could continue, putting his phone face down on the table.

"Well, well, well. Never thought I'd see the day where Steve Harrington shows back up in Hawkins."

Eddie Munson didn't know shit about Steve, never really had. He thought he did, just like everyone else in high school, but the gossip that followed him around never had much truth to it. He really only had two girlfriends for most of high school, and only one of them was serious enough for him to sleep with.

The sleeping around came after his move to Chicago, when he was constantly surrounded by women who would give him all the attention he wanted.

"Never really thought I'd be back," he said with a genuine smile. Kill them with kindness or whatever his grandmother used to say.

It seemed to throw Eddie off at least, his mouth opening and closing around whatever rebuttal he planned.

"So why are you here? Visiting the parents?" Eddie crossed his arms, leaned his hip against the edge of the table.

"Nah, came to visit Dustin Henderson. Staying for a few more days and thought it would be nice to take someone out. I guess she didn't agree," Steve shrugged.

Eddie glanced down at the empty spot across from him, the glass on the table with half of the drink missing. He looked back at Steve's face.

He sat down across from him and smirked.

"So. Come here often, sunshine?"

Steve snorted, shaking his head as he looked up at Eddie.

"Not as often as I would if I was coming to see you," Steve replied, taking a sip of his drink.

Eddie clearly wasn't expecting him to flirt back. He recovered quickly, though.

"I suppose we could fix that, then, huh?"

Steve looked him up and down, taking in the messy bun his curly hair was pulled into, the pen mark on his cheek, tattoos up and down his arm.

"I suppose we could."

Waking up in Eddie Munson's bed was definitely not what he expected when he arrived in Hawkins two days ago, but stranger things had happened.

He opened his eyes to sunlight streaming in through the curtains and Eddie's warm body pressed against his back.

Neither of them had gotten dressed after their shower last night, too tired to do anything more than rinse off the sweat and cum from hours of making each other come undone.

Steve let himself have this. Eddie would kick him out when he woke up, kindly of course, but he'd make it clear to Steve that this was a one night thing. No matter how good it was, Steve wasn't an idiot. He knew Eddie would never actually be interested in a guy like him.

"Mmm. Stop thinkin' s' loud," Eddie's lips brushed against the back of Steve's neck in a half-kiss, sending a shiver down his spine. "'s too early."

Steve smiled to himself, let Eddie's arms tighten around him and hold him close for a bit longer.

"I should probably head back to the Henderson's. Claudia will be worried if I'm not there for lunch," Steve said quietly.

"Just text Dustin, tell him your date went well."

Steve shouldn't get his hopes up. It's not like he was gonna do long distance, and even if he would be willing, there was no way Eddie would.

"I can't lie to him," Steve felt his heart flip flop in his chest at the admission.

Eddie's head lifted and his breath hit the side of Steve's face instead of his shoulder. "Did it not go well? I thought it- well, I thought it went great, actually."

Steve turned in Eddie's arms, facing him, placing his hands on his chest. "It did go well! It did."

"Okay, then…"

"It's just this wasn't exactly a date, was it? You just felt bad for me, probably wanted to see if the rumors were true."

"What rumors?"

"You know. The ones about me sleeping around, being good with my mouth." Steve's eyes searched Eddie's, looking for any hint of recognition. When none came, he continued. "How I let anyone fuck me on the first date?"

Eddie's brows furrowed. "Is that what people say about you?"

"You don't have to act dumb, Eddie. Some of it's true."

Eddie's hands were rubbing up and down his back, making goosebumps appear on his skin. "You are good with your mouth. That one’s true. The rest though? I never believed any of that shit.”

“Really? Why not?”

Eddie’s hand traced along Steve’s only tattoo, a robin placed just under his collarbone. “Because I never gave much thought to rumors. Lord knows most of the ones about me weren’t true.”

Steve thought about all the rumors he’d heard about Eddie in high school.

Back then, he may have believed some of them, but he had firsthand experience with things getting out of hand.

“You can think what you want, but I brought you back here because I genuinely enjoyed talking to you at the diner. I wouldn’t have slept with you if I wanted to get rid of you. Trust me. I’m not really a one and done guy,” Eddie’s hand cupped his cheek, thumb rubbing along his cheekbone. “If you’re in a rush to go, I can’t stop you. But I think staying in bed with you all morning sounds pretty fuckin’ good.”

Steve’s breath hitched, his heart kicked up in his chest. “You know, I’ve actually never bottomed before last night.”

Eddie’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Never?”

Steve shook his head. “Never found anyone I could trust to be gentle.”

“Was I gentle enough? Shit, you should’ve told me. I used spit as lube, Steve! That couldn’t have been comfortable.” Eddie pulled away a few inches, mumbling to himself in a panic.

“Eddie.” Steve tried to get his attention back on him. “Eds.”

Steve shifted forward, his front pressing against Eddie’s, his half-hard cock finding friction against Eddie’s thigh.

They both groaned as Steve rocked against him again.

“Everything was perfect, Eds. Only thing that would make it better is if I get to watch you come again right now," Steve said against his lips, pushing his hips forward so their cocks brushed against each other.

"Fuck, keep doing that and you'll get your wish, sweetheart."

He was sensitive, worked up from the hot breath against his mouth, the tongue brushing against his bottom lip. Steve couldn't remember the last time he'd been this wrapped up in someone, this attentive to the sounds they made, this focused on making sure they both felt good.

The friction was enough on its own to get Steve to the edge, and if Eddie's moans were anything to go off of, he was right there with him.

Steve never felt safe enough to be loud, not until he had Eddie begging him to make noise.

"C'mon, Stevie. Wanna hear how good you feel. Sounds so good when you can't hold it back," Eddie's hand gripped his hip, tugging him closer. They were both leaking precum, dripping down each other's lengths and losing track of where one of them ended and the other began.

Steve couldn't hold it back, didn't want to anyway. Letting Eddie hear how good he felt was a need.

"You gonna come with me, sweetheart?" Eddie gasped out as he wrapped his hand around both of them, slowing his hips to focus on moving his hand, finding the perfect angle and pace to get them both over the edge.

Steve bit his lip and nodded, barely holding back a whimper as Eddie's grip tightened around them.

"Come for me, Stevie."

Eddie's voice had a direct link to Steve's cock, maybe through the hand wrapped around him. Steve came with a shout, curling forward so his forehead fell against Eddie's shoulder.

He was overstimulated, fighting the urge to buck into his hand and pull away at the same time.

Steve pulled his head back to watch as Eddie groaned, cum hitting both of their stomachs as he worked himself through his orgasm.

They both lay there in silence, Eddie's grip loose around them as they both softened. They'd need to clean up before the cum dried in Steve's chest hairs and made them sticky, but moving seemed like an impossible task.

"You live in Chicago now?" Eddie asked suddenly, making Steve jump. He rubbed his cleaner hand on his back in silent apology.

"Yeah," Steve breathed out. "With Robin Buckley. From band?"

"I know Robin. She used to come to my shows before she moved."

"Small world."

Eddie snorted. "Just Hawkins." Eddie sat up, pulling Steve with him. "You know, the guys in my band have been considering moving to Chicago. Think it's a good place for a metal band?"

Steve searched his face for any clues as to what he was really asking. Certainly he didn't expect Steve to know if a metal band would feel at home somewhere.

"I…guess?" Steve answered.

"I'll just text Robin," Eddie wiped his hand on the sheets and reached over to the bedside table to grab his phone.

"Wait. You keep in touch with Robin?" Steve felt like he was being pranked.

"Not as much as I should, but yeah. We caught up last time she visited her parents." Eddie typed on his phone for a moment, then looked up at Steve with a smirk. "Problem with that?"

"No, I'm just kinda shocked she's never really mentioned it." Steve stood up with shaking legs. "I should probably grab a shower and go."

"You normally a runner?" Eddie asked, amused.

"No? Why do you ask?"

"It's just the second time you've been rushing to leave. Thought I told you I wanted you here."

Steve knew what he wanted, and he knew it was too much, too fast, too ridiculous for Eddie to even consider it.

But maybe, if he played his cards right, maybe he could have Eddie for more than today.

"Shower with me?" Steve settled on, pouting his bottom lip out.

"And then?" Eddie pushed.

Steve didn't know what to do, but he knew what he wanted.

"And then we'll go back to the diner and actually eat something together." Eddie nodded, encouraging him to continue. "And then you give me your number."

"For?"

"Planning our next date."

[spideysbruh]

chicago

a/n I MISSED MAKING THESEEE

liked by tchalamet, yourfriend and 3,188,773 others

y/n 💕

view all 88,729 others

tchalamet forever and ever

liked by y/n

y/n and always

shawnyn god WHEN

wonkaswhore if they ever break up I'll kms

tchalamet just posted a story!

~~~

@ceoofynandtim tweeted- it's kinda been a while since they posted each other huh... im scared. I MISS THIS ERAAA

@teddyyn replied- DONT EVEN THINK THATTT

@girlyyn replied- am I the only one thinking they're engaged? 🤭

@aliveyn replied to @girlyyn- but why aren't they posting each other at all!??!?!? it's v unlike them...

~~

@celebnews just tweeted- BREAKING ‼️‼️Timothée Chalamet and Y/n L/n have broken up. Verified by a close source, the pair have split after four years together.

@phasesyn replied- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO💔💔💔💔💔💔💔😭😭😭😭😭

@wonkaswhore replied- love is dead.

@nightlyyn replied- no one touch me. my parents just got divorced

@ynxpaul replied- the way they spoke about each other... jesus how did this happen. never saw two people more in love.

@ronxyn replied- so we're all just believing this ?😭😭

@girlyyn replied- well. no reason to live now tbh

liked by dylanminnette, sabrinacarpenter and 2,817,278 others

y/n if it's real, then can you show me?

view all 87,288 comments

pepperyn omg. that song.

yourfriend you're too gorgeous

rachelzegler MY PRETTY BEST FRIEND

sabrinacarpenter my shirt looks good on you

biyn LESBIANS !?!?!

dystopiayn girl they are friends 😩💀 sab has a bf!

liked by florencepugh, billieeilish and 2,276,827 others

y/n trying to get in my horror era

view all 94,655 comments

rachelzegler the horrors persist but so do we!!

y/n I love you

ynscurtains you're already a scream queen !!

harryynpot im literally a child of divorce omg

modernyn Timothée fumbled omg

chalsyn they both fumbled 💀💀

@celebnews just tweeted- Y/n L/n in a recent interview talking about her split from Timothée Chalamet: "We had a few months before the whole world knew, so I got to kind of heal and process everything in private without people looking at and analyzing my every move. Breakups are rough no matter what, whether or not you're public about it. There are days that feel worse than others, and.. it is because I really, truly, thought i was forever done with that whole dating portion of my life."

replies have been turned off

@tchalametupdates just tweeted- Timothée seen recently greeting fans! When asked about his and Y/ns breakup he responded with, "Some things you just have to get through by yourself. I'm glad that you're all sending me love and support, but I'll be okay!"

@timschal replied- CRYINGGG 😭😭

@laurieslaurence replied- bro he seemed so sad 😭😭

@ynsstan replied to @laurieslaurence- well he broke up with her so idk why he's so hurt 🙄

@steelyn replied to @ynsstan- omg didn't know that you were part of their relationship too... dumbass

@ynxtimmy replied- I still think they're soulmates like they're gonna get back together watch !!!

liked by florencepugh, sabrinacarpenter and 4,188,938 others

y/n took myself out for valentines day this year. it was actually quite romantic

view all 99,927 comments

sabrinacarpenter beautiful girl

liked by y/n

rachelzegler we should've gone together

y/n next year 🤭

timmytimstan MAKE HIM REGRET IT

ynscurtains you're literally a timmy acc hello ? 😭😭

ynsheadphones kms cause their valentine posts were so cute

ynsshoes FRR their captions were always the cutest 😭😭💕

y/n just posted a story!

caption- single girl era 💕💕

@ynupdates just tweeted- While promoting her newest movie, Y/n was asked about Timothée, she expressed how she still has love for Timothée and doesn't hold anything against him. "He was the best person I've ever had the pleasure to love. I hold no negativity in my heart for him. Truly, I wish him nothing but the best forever and ever." She also went on to say that an Oscar win is definitely in his future.

@paulsyn replied- maybe they just need some time apart 💔💔💔💔

@lonesomeyn replied- 'forever and ever' KILL ME NOW

@ynscurtains replied- THEYRE SO NICE ABOUT EACH OTHER PLS LET THEM BE TOGETHERRRR

@ringsyn replied- I hope they stay friends 😭😭

~~~

*3 Years Later*

liked by florencepugh, tchalamet and 3,828,839 others

y/n and when im back in chicago 🎶

view all 92,288 comments

timmyyn remember when timmy and her would go to chicago like once a month 😭😭💔💔💔

vampireyn girl let it go

ynsheadphones UHHH TIMMY LIKED !?!?!?!?!!?????

coolyn BITCH I AM UPPP OMGGG

happilyyn do NOT get my hopes up omg

rachelzegler no invite ??

liked by y/n

@celebnews just tweeted- BREAKING ‼️ Timothée Chalamet and Y/n L/n were recently seen getting close with one another in Chicago. Apparently they were trying to remain unnoticed when someone asked for a photo.

@horroryn replied- GOD IS REALLLL

@chappellyn replied- THEY LOOK SO CUTEEEE MY LOWKEY PARENTSSS

@timmytimstan replied- bro I've been waiting for this news omg 😭😭

@rhodeyn replied- they're like justin and hailey 2.0 omgg

@laurieslaurence replied- the way they're literally matching. they used to coordinate their outfits alll the time and they're doing it again 😭😭🫶🫶🫶🫶💕

@cutesyn replied- THE WAY SHES SITTING ON HIS LAP OH MY GODDD IM SO SINGLE

liked by tchalamet, melissabarrera and 4,188,838 others

y/n me when

view all 121,717 comments

ynslipgloss ARE THOSE NOT TIMOTHÉES FEET 😭😭😭

tchalamet I wish I could like this 200 times

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sabrinacarpenter pretty girl !!

liked by y/n

blankyn I bet timmy took these pics

ynsheadphones HIS COMMENT OH MY GODDD

florencepugh how are you so beautiful

y/n no way you're asking ME that 😭😭😭🫶

airyyn can yall just hard launch already 😩😭😭

y/n okay!

airyyn HELLO!??!!

slyyn WE'RE SO BACK

tchalamet just posted a story!

caption- falling... falling... fell

@celebnews just tweeted- Timothée Chalamet spoke about him and Y/n L/n for the first time in three years, in a recent interview. "I'll never forgive myself for being away from her for that long. She is the most exceptional, divine person I have ever known. Being without her, while I did learn and mature a lot, was torture."

@bookyn replied- how I like my men

@timmyandynstan replied- they had to be apart to come back together 😭😭😭💔💔

@halfbloodyn replied- i cant wait for all the content we'll get of them 😭😭🩷💕

liked by tchalamet, dylanminnette and 7,277,838 others

y/n please please please!!!!!

comments have been limited

tchalamet my beautiful girl

tchalamet who needs an oscar when i have you

sabrinacarpenter felt

liked by y/n, zendaya and 10,982,277 others

tchalamet Je t'aime de toute mon âme

view all 132,828 comments

y/n how are you so perfect

liked by tchalamet

timmysgf ugh I thought we were free of her

huffleyn stfu 🖕 fuck off!!!

sabsyn DONT EMBARASS HER, MOTHERFUCKER

floralyn 😭😭😭💀

paulsdunes he didn't even embarass her the first time 🙄

sabsyn omg just play along, it's a song lyric

y/n my darling boy

tieyn remember when they broke up and she was saying how she thought she was done dating and now look 😭😭 back together FOR GOOD THIS TIME

wallowsyn MY PARENTS ARE BACKK

*

[myocsfanfictions]

South Side Story

Shameless Fanfiction Season 1

Desna Hills has come living in the Southside of Chicago four years before. Taken in by Kev and V, Desna is close friends with the Gallaghers. Let's see how this Southside story unfolds.

Warning: This chapter contains smut

MASTERLIST

<< Previous - Next >>

Chapter 20

Veronica had no idea what she was asking of Desna.

She had to go to Sheila, so that she could make Vee the dress for the wedding, and Vee wanted for Desna to come with her.

"You have to come," she had said to Desna with a frown, "It's my wedding dress, you can't miss that."

Desna had tried all she could to convince Vee to not force her to go, but it was Vee special day, and Desna really wanted to stay there for her. So now she was with Vee, Fiona and Debbie in Sheila's livingroom, as the woman was measuring Vee with a tape measure. Desna was sitting on the couch, but she didn't miss the glance that Karen was giving her from where she was sitting, on the chair of the table.

It had happened that sometimes they spent lunch together, because of Lip, but the two girls never spoke to each other, only snapping some comments here and there.

"You don't have to go crazy, Sheila," Veronica said, as Sheila had started to pin fabrics around her, "But as close as Vera Wang as you can get," Desna smiled, shaking her head. But she really was admiring Sheila's work. She really could make a dress from scratch, that was really impressive.

"You are going make a beautiful bride," Sheila said sweetly.

"Oh, Sheila!" Vee exclaimed, putting a hand on the woman's shoulder, "You're making me feel like Cinderella."

"As you should," Desna said earning a fond look form Vee.

"Screw Cinderella," Karen's voice made them all turn, "Little doe-eyed bitch. Probably one of the worst role models for little girls," Desna scoffed.

"Right," she said, "Kind, generous who at the end of the day married rich, yeah... Who'd want to be her?" Karen glared at her.

"Yeah," Sheila said, "I think Cinderella was a feminist," Desna nodded her head.

"The whole idea of marriege is useless a useless vestige of archaic civilization," Karen argued back, and Desna frowned, as was doing Fiona as well.

"How do you know?" Debbie asked sckeptically.

"I watched one unravel," Karen answered simply, and Desna looked at Sheila glaring at her daughter. It must have been very sad to hear Karen talk like that, because of her marriege. A bitch even to her mother.

"Oh, so a bad example of one makes them all bad?" Debbie challenged Karen.

"Marriege was nothing more than a legal exchange of women for properties," Karen said and Desna shook her head.

"Now's no more like that," she said standing up to go towards the kitchen.

"Maybe you're just being a little pessimistic," Desna said Fiona say.

"It's just a piece of paper!" Karen exclaimed. Desna observed Vee's expression. That was her special day, why could she not keep her mouth shut.

"A birth certificate is just a piece of paper," Debbie answered, and Desna could feel her lips turn up in a proud smirk, "And money is just a piece of paper. But those are pretty valuable."

"True, Debs," Desna said from the kitchen. The little girl smiled at her, while Karen turned with a glare. Desna heard Vee talking about the bachelorette party, but she wasn't listening because Karen stood up and walked towards where she was. Desna didn't look at her, as she was pouring herself a glass of water.

"You really like being on my nerves, aren't you?" Karen whispered stopping next to her, loud enough so that Desna could hear her, but not enough to be heard by the others.

"It would mean that I'd take you in account," Desan answered simply, "So take whatever I say, however you want," she was about to move, when Karen put herself in front of her, stopping her from walking.

"I know you're jealous of me," Desna scoffed at Karen's words, "Me? I simply hate you," she said with a fake smile, "Keep it in mind."

Desna observed the girl, for a moment, but after that from her lips escaped an ironic laugh, "As I said, I really don't give a shit what you think about me," Desna said, before making her way towards the living room.

"Babe, we are clubbing!" Vee exclaimed as Desna got closer, "Short dress and high heels," Desna laughed.

In the afternoon she was in her room chosing her dress for the bachelorette party, when a knock came from the door. She turned, smiling when she saw Lip on her door. His shoulder leaning against the frame, with a smirk.

"I've been changing three dress," she said.

"So I've missed one," he answered, the smirk never leaving his lips as he entered the room, closing the door.

"Which one did you like best?" she asked taking another dress from the wordrobe. A smerald green one, short and thight around her body.

"You going out like this?" he asked eyeing up and down as he sat on her bed. Desna glared at him.

"Bachelorette's party," she said, "What? You jealous?" she teased, but he just shrugged his shoulders, lighting a cigarette. Desna chuckled, going towards him, setting herself in between his parted legs, her hands on his shoulders as his set on her hips.

"I liked the blue one," he said eyeing the dress resting on the chair, then his hands gripped her asscheecks, making her yelp in surprise, "But I'd fuck you in this."

"Oh yeah?" she said leaning down, as he put the cigarette away so that their lips could touch, "If I'd put it on at the wedding?" she asked as she kissed him, and he groaned against her lips.

"I'd have to stay away from you," he said, pulling her close by the waist. She smiled, lightly biting his lip.

"What if I'd be with no panties on?" she whispered and he groaned again.

"I'd fuck you in the bathroom of the Alibi," she broke the kiss, liking the answer, then she walked towards the wardrobe.

"I've got a situation here," he said laying down on her bed, with a frustrated groan.

"I'm a bit busy," she said teasingly turning to him, "But feel free to take care of it, I like to watch."

Lip chuckled, "Shit, you're bitch," she liked to leave him hot and bothered.

"You didn't ask me if it worked," Lip said, his hands behind his back as he took back the cigarette, his eyes always on her, "With the priest."

Desna smiled, "You made it."

"Yeah..." he said and she turned to look at him.

"I knew it'd worked," she answered, "It's your plan, and Carl must have hurt him pretty bad."

Lip laughed, "That's true, he knocked him down."

She knew that Carl was safe, not only because his brothers went with him, but Carl was a boy that took shit from anyone. In that she admired him. She wasn't that brave when she was his age.

"You going to the Alibi tomorrow?" she asked after a moment, "For the bachelor party?"

Lip nodded his head, sitting back up, putting out the cigarette, "Ian too. Ah, he's got a date tonight," Desna put on her clothes back, looking at him with a frown.

"Kash?" she asked.

"At his house," he said, gesturing for her to come closer, which she did. Desna took his hand letting him pull her towards him, "You busy now?" she set on his lap, his arms around her.

"No," she said brushing her lips against his, "And the house is empty," the her hand moved down to his crotch, touching him through the jeans. From his lips escaped a moan, "Maybe I should take care of this," she whispered.

But he gripped her wrist, "I want to fuck you so hard," she gasped as he threw her on the bed, putting himself in between her legs, rubbing his clothed croch against hers. She let out a moan, loving how his hard cock felt against her core.

"Will we ever have a conversation without ending up fucking?" she asked letting out a sound that was a mixture of a laugh and a moan.

"We can talk while we fuck," he said as his lips attached to her neck and his hand went inside her pans, Desna moaned, "I thought you were angry," he said a finger entering her.

"Why?" she gasped, her eyes close as he moved his fingers, her hand in his hair.

"Your face when I've talked about Karen," Desna was too focused on what he was doing to her, to even being able to roll her eyes.

"Because you want to fuck her in my house?" she moaned, as his hand kept working on her, his fingers inside her and his thumb against her clit as his lips were attached to her neck, "I don't care," she moaned and that made him stop to look at her.

"Yeah?" he asked and she didn't even realized when he had pulled down his pants, but suddenly he was inside of her, "You don't care if I fuck her?" his hips moved immediately, not giving her time to adjust, and that made her moan loudly, "At all?"

"I thought-fuck, that you... didn't want-ah... for me to be jealous," she said, the bed rocked against the wall, due to his hip thrust, "Fuck..." he was hitting her so good, so hard.

"I like when you want me," he panted, his hips moving fast, his hand pulling up her thigh so that he could go deeper.

"I want you-ah," she said in a moan, "I want you so much, but... fuck... I know that you think about me while you fuck her," he stopped his movement and that gave her the chance to push him on his back, so that she could sink around him.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed, his eyes closed and that made her smile.

"You like to fuck me better than her," she said every word was meet with her movement around his cock.

"Shit," he moaned, when she put her hands on his chest to have better leverage.

"You've fucked me everywhere," she said in a loud moan, knowing that he like to listen to her letting out those sounds, "Here-fuck," she moaned, "In your house, at school... more than once a day," she moaned, moving her hips faster. His eyes were close, as she leaned over so that she could whisper into his ear, "You love to fuck me so much," she said, his hands on her hips, helping himself to thrust up inside of her, "And I love when you fuck me so much," she moaned, her eyes closed as she could feel him buried so deep inside of her.

"You love it when I fuck you?" he asked, rolling her over once again, so that he could stay on top of her, his hips moving fast, his lips found hers as she buried her fingers into his hair.

"God, yes," she moaned as he thrusted up inside her.

"Fuck," he moaned, "Fuck, you clench around me so good," he said and she moaned as his fingers started to play with her clit, "I love this pussy so much."

"Lip, fuck," she moaned, her eyes closed, "Don't stop, please, please don't stop," his hips were moving so good, the sound of their skin slapping was so sweet, and she felt herself getting closer.

"You're only mine," he groaned into her ear, "This pussy's mine, fuck, you're so pretty when you come," she moaned feeling her climax closer and closer, his fingers working on her perfectly with his thrust, she felt so much pleasure, she almost whimpered from the plasure.

"You feel so good when you come around me," he groaned, his hips starting to move erratically, he was close too.

"Lip, you feel so good," she cried, "You're cock feels so good."

"Fuck," he moaned, his head reasting against her shoulder, focusing on the moviments of his thrust. Desna felt overwhelmed buy the pleasure, she was feeling so much at the same time. The only thing she was able to say only his name.

"She doesn't feel like this," he muttered, "Fuck, I love fucking you so much," and they climaxed to together, she could only cry out as he moaned against her ear as he emptied himself inside of her. They stood in that position, as they both tried to get their breath back to normal. Desna could feel her legs shaking and she kept moaning as he rode them both out of their high.

"So, my pussy is yours?" she asked with a teasing smile. Lip chuckled, kissing her neck.

"Shut up," he said, and Desna brought him up so that his lips could be against hers. She kissed him, bringing him closer, her arms around his shoulders, as his went around her hips.

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

Tag List: @th3h0nkz @aunicornmademedoit @g0thchick

If you want to be add to the tag list just let me know.

If you liked it, plerase leave a ♥️ and reblog!

[nightmaree-eyess]

Orange is the last of us pt 2

Tlou fic based on oitnb

Summary: after abby got released from prison your resentment builds

Tags: prison au, femme reader, y/n, angst

Word count: 1702

Pt 1:

Divider @cafekitsune

Weeks and weeks go by and the letters keep coming in from abby. You can't bring yourself to read them. Maybe you do hold grudges after all. When you look at the envelopes all you can think is she got to walk free and you're still stuck in this piece of shit with stale air that lingers and agony oozing from the walls. It's not fair but that's life. You wouldn't wish her to come back to the personification of hell though. You wouldn't wish prison on your worst enemy. A part of you wants to read the letters she sends though. Gross curiosity about how she's doing. They taunt you.

“y/n mails here” a guard hands you an envelope and it's another letter from abby. This time instead of shoving it in the endless pile in your cabinet you bring it to the cafeteria at dinner to ask Ellie about it. They have history too and maybe she'll give you some advice.

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

“If i can guess what the letter says it probably says *speaking in deep voice* hey babe miss you now lemme eat your pussy” ellie makes a v with her fingers and brings it to her mouth to make a crude gesture

“I’m fucking serious ellie. I don't know what to do. I want to know if shes ok but i also dont give a fuck.” you groan

“Well which feeling is stronger? Your love or your resentment?”

And with that question you knew what you had to do

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

Later that night you end up reading the letter she sent. You take a deep breath to settle your nerves. Your hands are shaking as you take the letter out from the envelope.

Dear y/n,

You probably aren't opening these or if you are, i'm sure you don't really want to hear what i have to say. I doubt if th tables were turned that i would be reading this, but on the off chance that you are still reading, i want to try and explain myself which is difficult in a letter and would be so much easier face to face (even though im terrified that theyll lock me up if i step foot in there) i know that the situation in chicago seems fucked, but i promise i was protecting you.

There was a lot going on that I wasn't able to talk to you about and if I had had even a moment alone with you before the trial, I swear I would have been completely open and honest.

The last thing I want after everything we have been through is for you to feel lied to, or used in any way y/n, i promise.

I love you,

Abby xoxo

You sit there with your mouth agape.She wants to meet in person? What else can she even say? The next morning you ask your counsellor to add Abby to your visitors list. You wanna hear what she has to say. But you also miss having her in the same room as you. You miss sneaking touches under the table and kisses at night. You even miss your mundane conversations. She has a way of making you soft.

Couple days later you call Abby to arrange a Sunday for her to come up and see you. You're nervous but also excited to see her again.

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

That sunday you walk into the visitation room and there she is, sitting at the middle table and she catches your eye. You see a sparkle that wasn't there before and you're happy for her as much as you don't want to be. You give her a quick hug (which got you yelled at) and you sit across from her. Shes wearing that grey sweater that makes her muscles look so fucking good. It's your favorite sweater she owns.

“This is totally weird but, i'm in the wrong outfit”

“I like your sweater.” you reach out to touch her buff arms to just feel that she's real

“Its soft…like your resolve when you're offered a plea deal” you snided

“It came down at the very last minute, y/n. Abby sighed “And they promised me it would put Kubo away for good.”

“But it made me a perjurer and you a free woman.”

“I thought you were gonna tell the truth!” abby yelled

“And I thought you were gonna lie!” you yelled back

“What are we in a fucking novel or something?” Abby said this made you both chuckle.

“It's good to see your face”

You shake your head “I don't know what to say.”

“You have every right to be angry.” abby sits back in her chair and crosses her arms

“I don't know if I'm angry. I'm confused…by you.”

Abby chuckles “I'm confused by me, too. I'm pretty much the master of handling things completely wrong.”

“Well that's an understatement” you say flatly

“Im a fuck-up. And now i get to be a fuck-up in a shithole apartment in Queens. Too afraid to even open my curtains.” abby looks around the room and whispers

“I sleep with a gun.”

“You what?! Abby , what the hell? You're on probation.”

“There is a van parked outside my apartment everyday. He's trying to scare me. I wanna go out there with a baseball bat and smash the fucking windows in.” abby looks scared and defeated

“I should honestly start dealing again”

You look at her in disbelief

“Find a bigger, tougher new kingpin who can beat up my old kingpin”

“That's not funny” you say worryingly

“It's not a joke. What am I qualified to do? Huh? I have…I have no job. I'm scared shitless to leave my apartment. I got so used to sleeping with the lights on that I'm freaked out by the dark. My probation officer, Robert Hill, is a fucking joke. Bobby fucking Hill is my probation officer.” you guys both laugh

“King of the hill?”

“King of sitting on his fat fucking ass eating Little Debbies, hoping to bust me for some stupid infraction.” abby sighs and looks down at the table

“You'd think that part of his job would be to protect his probbies, you know?...Nobody gives a shit about ex-cons.” abby said defeated

“What are you gonna do?”

Abby sighs and presses her lips together “i'm skipping town”

“You can't”

“I don't have a choice. These people know where I live. That's why I wanted to see you. When I go, I can't come back. I have to disappear.”

You feel a sting hit the back of your eyes and everything sounds muffled.

“You- you can't leave me.” you say desperately

“y/n, i'm in danger i have no choice”

“But i dont have anyone left…”

We stare at each other, wishing it didn't have to be this way.

“I'm sorry y/n. I'm sorry for all of it. I know my track record id shit…but I really do love you.”

“Yeah well, I hate you.”

“No, you don't.”

You look down at the table to hide your tears ``no… no i don't.”

“Visiting hours are over!” a guard yells and when you get up to leave you look at her one last time because you might never be able to again.

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

For the rest of the day you worry for abby. She can't be serious right? Skipping town is not the best idea but is it the only way to keep her away from Kubo and his minions? You have an idea to keep Abby from danger but it involves calling your ex fiance who slept with your best friend. He could have slept with anyone but he chose your best friend. Asshole. But he owes you at least this favor to make up for it. You would've said you were even and let it go if he didnt sleep with your best friend.

“Hey y/n” Barry picks up the phone

“Hey are you alone right now?”

“No im with holly and you're on speaker phone” holly says hi

“Ugh great, I need a favour.”

“Depends on what it is”

“I need you to call abby's parole officer and tell him shes breaking her parole”

“Why would I do that?”

“I giving you a chance to fuck over someone you hate.”

There's silence on the other end

“Fine if you won't do it holly will you?”

“Sure whats the name of her parole officer”

“Robert Hill. He works for the DOC in Queens.”

You hang up the phone cause you really dont wanna be talking to them longer than you have to. At least the plan is in motion. It might seem a little selfish and you feel a tinge of guilt but with this plan at least you know she'll be safe. You can't let her skip town, start dealing again, or have Kubo find her. So you decide to be selfish. You wish it didn't come down to this. No one deserves to be in this cease pool, especially abby. You'll be taking this to your grave.

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

You're working outside today setting up for a mothers day event and the sunshine feels good on your face. The closest to freedom you have.

“Your little girlfriend is back” ellie says to me teasing

“Wha- what do you mean?”

“Yeah I saw her walking to her bunk from the intake. She looks beat up”

“I-I gotta go see her!” you start to walk away

“Inmate, get back here! You can't leave during work!” a guard yells and I slowly walk back with my hands up in surrender.

“You'll see her around. It's not like she's going anywhere.” ellie said

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

After work you go back to your bunk and see that the bed is finally occupied. Could this be Abby's stuff? That has to be a coincidence right? Many girls get processed through here everyday. What are the odds this is her stuff?

“We gotta stop meeting like this” a voice behind you says.

It's Abby. Fucking. Anderson.

[seth-whumps]

i am currently working on your questions (i was so sos so excited to get them i missed answering em about my sillies) BUT i have a quick one for you while i do...

PLEASEEE tell me more about jj's midwesternisms. i find his upbringing SO FUN and i love it so so much

follow-up question: does he have any kind of accent/voice claim? same thing for morri!!!! i loveeeee voices for characters and accents so much it tells you so much about them

OK THANKS [viciously shaking your Guys by their shoulders in excitement]

AUGHHH an opportunity to talk about JJ's accent and Midwestern upbringing??? are you aware of the gift you have given me????? bug you are THE BEST

(a lot of this is me talking about growing up in the Midwest because I think JJ should get the good parts too)

JJ spent his time under the stars, a lot. Far away from the city, you get the prettiest view of the sky at night. He would start a bonfire with his brothers and sister, make smores under the night sky. It's some of his fondest memories. He really misses the stars sometimes.

So, JJ is from the outskirts of a very small town in South Dakota. Most of his time was spent either on farm chores or daydreaming during the drive to school, which took an hour at times. He knew how to drive tractor when he was eight; he rode horses and cared for chickens and spent his life doing the dirty work. When he was younger, he was tanned, sported sunburns, and had more freckles and muscle from the work.

Speaking of, he does have siblings! Two older brothers, and one younger sister who could kick any of their asses. There's a scrapbook of family photos somewhere in the boxes of his studio apartment in Chicago (the city may change in the future), and one of her sitting on his shoulders in a corn field. When life is hell, he finds that book.

Despite that, JJ wasn't The Farm Kid in his family. His oldest brother was supposed to take over the farm before he had a kid; then the second oldest moved to Georgia. He was a farm kid, but he didn't know it as well as his brothers. He left for Chicago anyway. Everyone knew why. He couldn't make a difference in a small town like that. He was "born for better things".

Some small midwesternisms!!!

He can drive manual, as said in another post

He can and will kick your ass at pool and at darts. And poker or gin rummy. Lots of bar games

His strength was never superhuman. He was just used to throwing hay bales

He feels very isolated in the city because he doesn't know everyone

He played sports in high school, mainly baseball, but he was also in some theater things. He loved expressions, and playing the heros

He got a box of all of his dad's old comic books and read them all the time

There is a Midwestern custom of if you're on time, you're late, and if you're early, you're on time. This is deeply instilled in JJ. He hates being late

He is very used to picking up problems. This is an odd phrase, but consider: you grow up on a farm that raises several baby animals. Those animals are problems? You pick them up. That habit carries over. He will just pick people up if they're being an issue

If a house isn't carpeted, he wears his shoes. Farm house floors aren't as clean as city houses. The habit is hard to break

His favorite road rage insult is "dipstick" because he didn't swear in the car when his parents drove with him

ACCENTS NOW!!!

For JJ, Midwestern accents are distinct in that they sound almost typical American with just a little bit of strange to it. Often you'll hear an 'e' sound before an 'a' (let's she'are something, can I te'ake that from you), and that is still mildly present in his accent. He also tends to crack down pretty hard on 'r' sounds--take a typical American accent and make all the vowels a little harsher, and you've got the classic Midwest. The faster he talks, the more harsh the vowels and rhotics get.

Morrigan's accent is much more West Coast or Washington. Not a movie popular "sahh dude" kind of accent, but if you took the harshness out of the Midwest and the roundness out of the Southern, you get a sort of California accent. There is a lightness on 'r's and vowels ever so slightly reminiscent of English accents (they also say "aye-ther" instead of "eether"). They're however able to change their accent depending on the situation. (It is hilarious to witness stuffy, professional Morrigan start ranting like they're from New Jersey.)

--

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE QUESTIONS rambling about his Midwestern experience was so cathartic you are the absolute best ily bug /p <33333

[idsb]

per your Noah Kahan post - people who aren't from new england just don't get that extra feeling of home his music brings to us. It's why it felt odd when Olivia Rodrigo covered his song. She's a great singer, but it doesn't work if you're not from here, it's missing something when non-new englanders cover him.

sorry I forgot to answer you anon!!!! Maisie covered it last night & it made me think of you (affectionate) because once again hearing it somewhere so very Not New England was both beautiful and wild.

Anyways!!! There is something about the tamber of his voice that just feels SO New England; maybe adjacent to other woodsy 4 season areas but so DISTINCTLY New England. I think it's really amazing because there are so many artists that sound like where they're from and have the embodiment of that city ingrained into their music without trying: Panic At The Disco & The Killers are SO Las Vegas, early Fall Out Boy is SO Chicago, Halsey is extremely New York, The Band Camino SOUNDS like Nashville despite not being full country artists, Olivia is so very LA, etc. The music is all so seeped into where they’re from, it just takes you there. I don't feel as though New England had something like that until Noah Kahan. it is funny because I was thinking the whole song, like, okay y'all don't GET IT like I get it!!! you're singing it like you're looking out a window at a beautiful meadow, I AM IN THE MEADOW!

[wonderwhump]

wonderwhump / november_1 fanfiction list

Hi guy's I hope you're all doing fine :)

This is a list of my fanfics. I'm a huge fan of reading and also writing fanfiction of all kinds of fandoms. My AO3 name is november_1.

If you like, check my them out. They are all whump stories with various degrees of emotional and physical whump. If anything triggers you, please check out the tags before reading.

I'm happy about any feedback you might give me. Kudos and comments make my day (yeah, I'm desperate and attention seeking 🤣 But aren't all writers...)

I will add to this list as I write more stories.

FANDOM: Jedi Fallen Order / Star Wars

Endings and Beginnings

An explosion on Bracca and Cal and Prauf are in the thick of it. Hurt and comfort ensue…

FANDOM: Lockwood & Co.

The dread of undying love

Lucy had been keeping a close eye on Lockwood for days. Something was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Yet. He was quiet. And pale. Big dark circles under his eyes. She knew something was wrong, but he didn’t talk about it. Of course he didn’t.

Will Lucy and George find out what's going on and be able to help their friend before it's too late?

A Lockwood & Co whump story with lots of angst and pain but also friendship and some undeniable more-than-friends-tension between Lockwood and Lucy.

FANDOM: Chicago PD / Chicago Med

The wrong son

A party. An argument. A car crash. And a dead brother...

Lots of angst and emotional whump for a young Jay Halstead.

Survivor

"What are you supposed to do when somebody calls you out of the blue one beautiful summer evening and tells you, that your husband is missing?"

This story is set some months after 10x3. Jay and his team are captured on a mission in Bolivia. What will happen to them? Will they get out alive?

Brothers

Jay and Will Halstead take a car trip together. It doesn't go that well...

I'll give it to someone special

Jay is out Christmas shopping. But the day doesn't go as planned.

Into the abyss

They find Jay in his apartment, unconscious, unresponsive... dying. Pills and alcohol. A suicide attempt obviously. But was it really?

A week of bad luck

It was one of those days you wish you just hadn’t gotten up at all. That you’d just have turned over in bed, pulled up the sheets over your head and ignored the world out there. It had been a whole week of those days for Jay Halstead and he desperately wished to be able to crawl back into the safety of his comfy bed and hide from the world.

But the world had some more bad luck from him in store.

Life and Death and Baseball

Jay gets injured during a Baseball game. But that's just the beginning and the day gets from bad to worse rather unexpectedly.

Camping is fuckin' dangerous, man!

Jay stumbles into the bullpen and collapses to the ground unconscious. He's seriously injured and drugged up to his eyeballs. Everybody thought he was out in the woods camping and fishing for the last week... But did he even get there? What happened to Jay and who did this to him?!

The bar fight

A good looking stranger steps in to protect a woman in a bar.

Sacrifice

It was Jay's fault that they were in this mess. Now he'd do anything to protect his unit. Even if it meant torture and death...

Pain & Purpose

"The mornings were the worst. The nights were pretty bad too, to be honest. But the mornings made him feel so lost, like he had forfeited the grip on the world. Like the world, and Jay in it, had lost all meaning."

Jay Halstead is a broken man - physically and mentally - when he returns from the war in Afghanistan as the only survivor of his unit. How will he deal with the pain and the trauma?

Remember me

Hailey is 37 weeks pregnant and she and Jay are excited and happy to be parents soon. But one day they are kidnapped right off the street... and suddenly happiness turns into fear, pain, suffering and despair... What will happen to Jay and Hailey and their unborn baby girl? Will they survive this dire situation unscathed?

Beautiful day gone south

The blood felt warm and sticky. It gushed out between her fingers and colored her hands in bright red. She pressed down as hard as she could and he groaned. But how ever hard she pressed down on the wounds, the blood kept on flowing. With every passing second, with every drop of blood, she could feel the life leaving him.

Burning up

Jay knew he was getting a cold. He had been feeling off for the last couple of days: sore throat, beginning cough, headaches, maybe even a fever. But he just ignored it. It would pass. He didn’t have time for a common cold, no time for feeling like shit. And just for the record: Halsteads didn’t get ill. End of discussion.

Shaken

"There was a sharp jolt and then the earth started shaking. From one second to the next the lovely sunny day turned into chaos and destruction."

Will and Jay Halstead are in Los Angeles visiting their friend Connor Rhodes who moved there a year ago to work at UCLA. It was supposed to be a vacation! A little escape from Chicago with sun, beach, fun and drinks. But somehow everything turns out quite differently when an earthquake hits the city and Will and Jay are buried under tons of debris.

Trust and betrayal

Connor's day starts out perfect - until he is wrongfully accused of sexually assaulting a young woman. Suddenly everybody hates him, nobody believes in his innocence, he is suspended and arrested. Who is this woman that accused him of raping her? And what kind of game is she playing? Will Connor be found innocent or stumble deeper and deeper into this mess?

It should have been me

Terry's death hit Jay really hard. It triggers his PTSD and he's spiraling down. But before he can hit rock bottom, somebody from Jay's past turns up and something even worse happens. Something that Jay and his brother Will may not get out of alive...

This story is set right after 3x17.

Shallow waters

If anybody had told Jay that morning that he would drown in thigh deep water in the middle of Chicago, he would have laughed. But right now, he didn’t feel like laughing as the water swashed over his mouth.

FANDOM: Seal Team

Broken

Brock’s last conscious thought was „Oh, fuck – that was it!”. He didn’t feel the shuddering of his body when it impacted with ground. Didn’t feel the bones splintering. Didn’t feel his limbs go slack. He didn’t feel the blood seeping from his nose and head wound, forming a little pool on the forest floor. He also didn’t hear his brother’s screaming. Didn’t hear Cerberus whining.

Wake up, sleeping beauty!

Clay still lay on his side, as he had before, eyes closed and fast asleep. He looked pale. Stella crouched down in front of him smiling, gently stroking his hair. “Hey, wake up, sleeping beauty.” She kissed him, first on his forehead, then on his lips. He didn’t move. Why didn’t he move?

Clay just doesn't wake up the morning after they came home from deployment in Afghanistan. What happened? Will he be ok?

Cold as ice

Sonny Quinn’s right leg was on fire. Well, obviously not literally, as he was lying on his back on the icy ground - in the snow of a dense larch forest. He was sure the leg was broken. He had sneaked a peak down his leg – and no leg should ever be bent in such an angle. But that wasn’t his top concern at the moment. Clay, his best friend, lay about 5 meters from him, his body curled around the tree trunk that had broken his fall down the steep slope - as if he was hugging it. Lifeless.

Too much blood

Brock felt something impact with the back of his head. Hard. His head, and with it his whole body, flew forward and stars exploded in front of his eyes.

Brock is mugged on his way home from the bar.

FANDOM: Six

8 weeks later

Did you ever wonder what happened to Joe "Bear" Graves and his team after the show's last episode (S2E10)? This is my take on that story never told...

Joe „Bear“ Graves was in pain. 8 weeks since the day that had shattered his life to pieces. 8 weeks since the day he had destroyed the life of the people he loved. But now it would be over soon.

[freyito]

putting this out there as well, please never be afraid to request ftm. i am a trans man and i will admit i love writing amab because gender envy! but also lowkey, even if i have to get forced to write it, writing for ftm readers makes me. accept myself more??? if that makes sense??? like i hate my body and bro i wanna be born a cis man so bad but also... simply writing "hey reader is dysphoric. boys love them regardless" helps a lot. obvi i have a lot of fic/headkanons/drabbles/anything in my queue that im gonna write for. but it's also comforting knowing people aren't afraid to request it either. so please please please never be afraid to request that, im actually having so much fun with the prompts. lowkey each one i write feels so affirming and also gives me better gender envy if that makes sense final word 2 those who follow my blog that are ftm (or masculine presenting, leaning, whatever!), i really mean it when i say i believe there is no definition of masculinity. please know it is okay to feel dysphoric, and it is okay to present however you'd like regardless. fuck man, sometimes i miss dressin up in skirts & dresses. i am pretty AND handsome and no one should feel like they have to be put in one or the other. everyone feels differently. being comfortable in your body takes so much time. i'm pre-t, and probably will be for a couple years. i feel feminine as fuck, my voice feels so high pitched, my body feels so feminine (unfortunately blessed with a nice rack), my hair is considered long and a feminine length, yet. my friends have told me constantly for about 2 years that i am their BOY i am the GAY GUY of the group. and that maybe some slipped up in the beginning (like 2 months into me actually talking to them) but they will always see me as a guy regardless. and it rubbed off on me! maybe it's my flat affect, but i feel like my voice sounds much more androgynous, i dress masculine, i feel seen as masculine. of course, i have times where i feel the complete opposite and i don't feel like myself at all. but they are there for me. don't feel discouraged because you're pre-anything. or if you struggle with dysphoria more. you are a man, and as long as atleast you know who you are, then it shouldn't matter. you know, it's funny! my mother came from chicago, she was the black sheep of the family. and my dad came from the ass crack of oklahoma. guess who's going to be the best man for my dad's wedding? me! and guess who doesn't have a mom anymore lol. not trauma dumping, but a little experience i wanted to share. i was so taken aback when my dad just accepted me as is. and i want everyone to know that there are people out there like that, family, friends, strangers, partners, etc.

[riality-check]

Hi! I am so very in love with your Appalachian!Eddie 'verse. Everything you've shared about it is absolutely perfect. <3

You've said you're usually open to getting asks about headcanons, so I hope this is okay. I started wondering about what birthdays were like for Eddie, since today's mine. I'm stuck pondering how they were for him growing up, and how they may have changed when he moved in with Wayne. I also started wondering how'd they'd be when he and Steve get together--especially considering Steve doesn't seem to have a typical home life, so he may not even have the experiences we'd expect him to around that kind of thing.

If you have thoughts on any of this, I'd love to hear them, but please don't feel pressured to respond. No worries if you're not feeling it! :)

hi!! i'm so sorry i couldn't answer on your actual birthday, but i'm less busy now and have so many thoughts about this!!

Eddie's birthdays growing up are small. His parents aren't super well off, and they don't talk to the rest of their families, so small birthdays it is. I can see them going out for ice cream or getting fast food for dinner, small stuff like that. They usually got him one or two things, too, stuff like comics issues, books, art supplies (you can't tell me Eddie wasn't a creative kid), and new tapes.

The most important thing, though, is that both of his parents were there. Neither one of them missed a single birthday before Eddie went to live with Wayne, and they were both sober enough to be functional. Holidays were hit and miss, but Eddie's birthday was a priority. They made an effort to be there, and he loves them for it.

When Eddie goes to live with Wayne, he's around thirteen years old. Wayne is better off than Eddie's parents are, so he takes Eddie to Benny's for his birthday and gets him new clothes and his acoustic guitar. It's... a lot for Eddie, who grew up watching his mama count change on the kitchen counter of whatever house (or motel room) they were living in at the time, even when his pa tried to distract him from doing so. He knows he and Wayne aren't well off, not really, but it's still an adjustment.

Steve is big on birthdays. I've written his parents a variety of ways, but for this particular scenario I'm going to settle on the idea that they loved celebrating his birthday when he was younger but didn't like it as much as he got older. I feel like his parents wanted a kid, not a person, and once Steve stopped being a kid, it stopped being fun for them and time for him to finish growing up and become a man. So, Steve is big on birthdays because he remembers loving them as a kid, hating them as a teenager, and then learning to love them again with the Party. Once Eddie becomes a solid part of their group, Steve wants him to have that, too.

They fight about it at first. Steve is a bit pushy. He can be a lot, and Eddie is still uncomfortable with the idea of doing a lot for his birthday. They fight about it, briefly, until they come to the conclusion that they can make Eddie's birthday little and Steve's birthday big, just as it suits them.

Eddie usually wants to go out for ice cream for his birthday, and that's it. Steve's is for the adventures they take, like driving up to Lake Michigan for a weekend or going into Chicago to see a concert.

They wouldn't have it any other way.

[still-single]

Records I Am Glad to Have Found in 2023: Part 1

Instead of rufflin' whatever (feather) maybe it's better that there's just a place where I can tell you that my life is better for having found these records and having them within reach. Maybe you might wanna reach for them as well. Up to you! Maybe feel fortunate that I want to engage with Tumblr at all, but the 16 or so accounts who said (anonymously) that they miss my review content may get a kick out of all this, and see where my head's at now.

New records, not-new records, things I bought, things that were sent to me, things I bartered for. Fair play.

First up, this Beau Wanzer record that I wrote up a while back. I feel exactly the same about it. It's new as of January and there aren't many releases out there like it at the moment. Undead, shufflin' Beau hours. One of my favorite DJs and electronic musicians in Chicago, he really does not seem to walk any path other than his own.

Al B. Sure! - In Effect Mode LP (Uptown/Warner Bros., 1988)

Growing up in my early teens, two songs from Al B. Sure!'s debut album were more or less inescapable: the masterful slow jam "Nite and Day," and the more uptempo quasi-diss track "Off On Your Own (Girl)." I never owned the record (why would I, this always seemed like a "why buy the cow" situation), and it never seemed to turn up used, something I better understand now.

This thing is great! It's short, mindful of our time and Al's. Side 1 contains four slow jams (the Nite! side), kicking off with the classic "Nite and Day" (so much rooftop glare and World Trade Center fixation in the vid) and cascading down into the whisper/falsetto/snap percussion ballad "Oooh This Love Is So" (kinda like an older brother NKOTB slow jam, really well arranged, FM synths cresting over top with some tasteful guitar buried underneath). His take on Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly" is doctor's office soft, but works where the Fugees' take doesn't, as Al seems to know there's no improving on the original, and he's lucky just to put it in his framework. "Naturally Mine" is like the shadowy flipside to the majesty of the opener, and doesn't come close, but also doesn't need to; the Teddy Riley guitar work does a lot on its own.

Side 2 (the Day! side) turns on the lights for some more uptempo New Jack Swing template jams. Opener "Rescue Me" sounds like two songs that were somehow merged into one, but that may just be the tonal difference between the intro and verse structure.

"Off On Your Own (Girl)" is neatly, nearly perfect, with quiet, pressurized syncopation, Al's bellyache storytellin' (sits by the phone a lot, it seems), and a delivery, particularly in the chorus, which says so much more than the title states. I'm particularly enamored of his switching between judgmental sing-speak/orchestra hit stress and his bracing falsetto. On the stremf! He even throws us a Slick Rick impression in a bridge. Last two tracks seem interchangeable but that's fine; you don't serve surf after the turf, even if you're coming in hot with bass pounds.

Uptown is generally a welcome sign of quality for this time and place; from Al to Heavy D., Guy to Jodeci. Andre knew what was up. Cool cat logo too.

Honestly there are probably other Al jams worth seeking out, and of course his performance in New Jack City when he fingers Ice-T as a narc with those Bert eyebrows of his. Most people don't hit this sort of success right out of the gate, and that's the needle he threads so effortlessly here.

Ron Morelli – Heart Stopper 2xLP (L.I.E.S., 2023)

Ron was one of the first people I met when I moved to NYC in 2000, and for a while I was regularly having lunch with him, Steve Roche, Adam Paterson, and Matt Smith at the Uptown Juice Bar in lower Manhattan, when we were all working in some sort of office and/or dot-com capacity, going to ABC No Rio and the like. I'd fall in and out of that orbit for a while over the next 6-7 years, as bands formed and broke up, people worked up their DJ chops, etc. At some point Ron moved down to Philly and was grinding in a more formal club DJ capacity before coming back to NYC and starting L.I.E.S., living in the trap, and working at A-1 in the East Village. It wasn't easy, even in that orbit, to find the L.I.E.S. releases, but the quality was always there.

I fell off a bit due to life and the like, missed a lot of Ron's Hospital output (as well as a lot of later L.I.E.S., again due to life stuff; the last one I gripped from the initial run was Florian Kupfer's Lifetrax), and last I knew he had relocated to Paris. Living in Chicago has given me more of an opportunity to interface with house music as it happened, with proximity to the records and DJs in clubs, to where it started to click with me. Heart Stopper retains this same sort of focus, drilling down on the repetition and stress/release of the foundational cuts of the initial era. My fave here is "Tangled Trap of Love," a big nod to Master C & J's "Face It," but I've found myself putting this record on and letting it roll to the close more often than most I've favored this year. Didn't make it to the Podlasie Club back in May, but I did appreciate this (paywalled) interview in the First Floor Substack, the guy I remember so well playing stoically to the bozos up front, dialing down style to the horizon where it meets substance and accepting nothing less.

(Doug Mosurock)

[aimmyarrowshigh]

I know this is a super broad question, but; I'm in Chicago this weekend for MPCA/ACA and was wondering if you have any recommendations on what I could do in my freetime? Any smaller/niche museums or bookstores or whatever. Anything you think is interesting/nerdy. And food, of course! Food recommendations are always good :)

Oh man, I wish I had less touristy answers to give you, but I live just enough outside of the city that I mostly do touristy kinds of things when I go down there, and I've only been once since the 2020, so a lot of my answers aren't open anymore/didn't survive the pandemic.

BUT: I do have one that's not touristy! If you're into crafting or found objects at all, there's a secondhand crafts supply store called The WasteShed on Kimball Ave. that's very cool. My favorite thing there are the collections of donated old family photos and slides that people just sort of... give away, when someone in their family dies and they don't want to keep the personal effects(?????). I found an amazing pair of gorgeous family portraits from 1928 in Tokyo last time I was there. The family's names, ages, and the date are all written on the back in both Japanese and English. I'm glad those portraits didn't go into the landfill. But I'm a Small History person who loves things like ephemera. They also have tons of stuff for every type of art or craft imaginable!

Greektown also used to be super cool, but I don't know whether it still is. AFAIK the big tentpoles all didn't survive the pandemic, so don't quote me on that one.

I'm also always going to hype the fairy castle at the Museum of Science & Industry. It was created by and for Colleen Moore, the flapper and silent film star, and she used to tour the country with it to show at children's hospitals. It's fucking amazing. There's a 1" actual Guttenberg bible in there. There's a polar bear rug made of mink and mouse teeth. There's mother-of-pearl chairs made from her earrings from the set of a movie. There used to be running water on the Weeping Willow, but they had to turn off the water in the '90s because it was eating through the materials after 70 years. It's truly my favorite dollhouse, and I've seen the Nutshell Studies.

...I also love American Girl Place but that's literally just a me thing. I also sort of hate-love it, because they have Lost Their Way Severely.

I also am a big fan of the Field Museum -- I know, I know, museums evil, but it does genuinely seem like they're trying to course-correct and make amends -- and the Shedd Aquarium (same). You can touch a manta ray. You can see otters. You can smell penguins. I mean, you can also see them, but boy can you smell them. And Sue (the t-rex at the Field) is an unofficial Chicago mascot.

This is a good list of cool bookstores in the city, which I have to say I haven't explored as much as I should. I've been to a ton of cool bookstores in the Twin Cities, New York, and Staten Island, and some in the SF area and Seattle, but I haven't really explored the ones in Chicago too much because there used to be THE BEST children's/YA bookstore in my suburb and it was where I spent my entire life. This list looks like it has good options for many neighborhoods in the city, though, so wherever you're staying there should be something near-ish to you.

Which is kind of the other reason I haven't explored Chicago as much as other cities in which I've lived, despite living here the longest: public transit here FUCKING SUCKS and I hate city driving more than anything in the world. Maybe you'll have a better experience with the L than I ever do, though, so don't let me being terrible at the L put you off trying it out. I just am not good at it. I can do the subway! I can do trams and the Skyway! I can do street maps okay! I cannot do the L. Somehow every single time I try, I miss a stop and have to circle all the way around again.

Ooh, one other fun thing I did in like 2019 in the city was go ax-throwing, so if you want to try that, they have that right near the symphony building. That's surprisingly fun and not scary.

Food-wise, Chicago is full of good food. Pretty much everything I've ever eaten in the city was great, from the popcorn at Union Station (YOU MUST GET THE CHEDDAR AND CARAMEL MIX AT UNION STATION. IT IS THE BEST POPCORN.) to the $600+ per plate price fixe at Alinea (the only good thing I ever got from an ex). I feel like Sam @copperbadge has a more "a la minute" (hyuk hyuk) set of opinions about Chicago dining than I do -- like I said, a lot of the places that I really liked didn't survive the pandemic or they're outside of the city itself.

Oh! And it is sort of touristy but also very nerdy: the International Museum of Surgical Science. There's an exhibit right now about Frankenstein!

Honestly, looking at the MPCA/ACA website, I'm just jealous you get to be doing/seeing that all weekend. I feel like that's the nerdiest and most fun-seeming ticket in town. What are you there to present or see specifically?? I'm so intrigued!

[pickledpascal]

Sweet Nothing

Chapter Three: City Grown Willow

Summary: Blake takes Will to a coffee shop to have some time to decompress.

Warnings: Hannibal is a little jealous ooooo

Word Count: 1.7k

Sweet Nothing Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

During a particularly traumatizing chain of murders, the entire crew minus Hannibal and Alana were in one of the forensics rooms. Blake’s arms were crossed in front of her chest, listening to the facts rattled off by Katz, Price, and Zeller as they guided the rest of them through what else happened to the body. She looked absolutely mutilated and Blake tried her best to mask just how much looking at the woman lying on the metallic table got to her. It seemed she was doing a much better job than Will. Each time Blake so much as glanced in his direction, she caught sight of sweat building at the back of his neck.

“Will, I think I need a break, would you mind accompanying me to get some coffee?” Blake said kindly as she slid the medical gloves from her hands and threw them in the trash. Then she glanced at Jack. “Not really a request.”

Will glanced at Jack as well before he nodded and took off his gloves to then adjust the glasses that were perched on his nose. As the pair made their way outside the glass walls, they shared a look where Will expressed his gratitude for the out.

As they arrived at the Starbucks, Blake stole a look at Will. A light smile broke out on her lips, "I notice you're wearing my coat." She said softly as they stood in line. 

Will pursed his lips, gaze shooting to some random table in the corner of the cafe. "Well, it's a lot warmer than my other coats. Did you want me to return it?" He asked, thankful it was cold outside so it could mask his blush.

"No." Blake said truthfully, pushing her hands into the coat she wore. It was similar to the one Will wore, but it was black while Will's was more gray. She leaned towards him slightly, it happened to be one of those days she wore boots so she was taller than usual, "Looks good on you." 

Will narrowed his eyes slightly as his lips pursed. He wasn't used to people flirting with him. Not in a way that mattered. Or a way that lasted.

Once they reached the cashier, the pair gave them their orders and Blake paid before Will had the chance to even get his card out. Getting their coffees, they mutually decided to sit by the window. 

"How did you…. Come to live here? You certainly don't sound like you're from here." Will's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He hoped he was doing this correctly. Small talk was never his strong suit.

Neither was it Blake's, with her friends, she would just start talking at random and they'd listen. She believed that's how they got to know so much about her, she'd just begin rambling out of nowhere.

Blake took a sip of her hot chocolate, something basic since she never really had cravings for coffee. "Originally, I'm from Chicago. I lived there since I was born and I still love it there. I moved to North Carolina when I was sixteen and lived there for the other half of my life. I moved here just a few years ago." She explained softly, a nostalgic sigh escaping her. 

"I miss Chicago a lot. Lots of culture clashing and good food. Plus, moving from somewhere you have everything to somewhere you have nothing when you're a teen is not fun." Blake huffed out, still somewhat bitter towards her parents for that. She then took a sip of her drink.

Will hummed in response, gaze focused on the cup–specifically the way the mermaid's tail on the logo seemed to be split in half. Maybe he didn't look too interested but he was storing this information in his mind for later.

Blake narrowed her eyes slightly, nose scrunching as well before her expression became neutral. "Where are you from? I know a lot of people aren't really from Virgina. Especially if you work for the FBI." She joked softly.

"Originally, Louisiana." Will sighed out, still not used to talking about himself. In fact, he hated it. Most of his sessions with Hannibal were spent talking about cases. "My mother ran away on me and so my father and I moved up here, until he died." He explained, expression neutral while his voice betrayed him–a slight inflection of anger in his voice.

Blake cocked her head, eyebrows tensed. "You sound indifferent to that." She observed. Well, that is to the mother part.

"I didn't know her, I was young when she left. Can't say I remember a single thing about her." Will shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. He looked into the small hole on the top, catching a glimpse of the light brown liquid inside. He gave Blake a slightly strained smile, "Um, I have to thank you for the…. Cider. You were right, I think it somehow willed away the cold from my body." Will chuckled lightly.

Blake's lips upturned slightly, eyes looking at her own cup. "Thank you." Hell, it almost looked as if she was blushing. "It's another one of my mom's recipes, she doesn't make it as much anymore so I decided I had to because it's…. Really good." She shrugged, feeling as if it was a normal thing to do. In some ways, it was. Children get most of their traditions from their parents, it's only fair they get recipes from them as well.

"I'm glad you did." Will's lips quirked up as his eyes turned fond, or more noticeably fond that Blake could see it clear as day. "I can say, I've never felt so…. Warm. I'm so used to the cold that I think it's ingrained in my bones. It's like…. I was defrosted by the entire power of the sun." He narrowed his eyes in thought, looking out the window. Admitting this was hard but trusting Blake was easy.

Blake was a patient woman, she had to be in her line of work. It could be very easy for her to break that patience though, especially when around people who tested her too much. Although, Will was easy. She could understand to some extent where he was coming from. 

"Well, I appreciate the compliments. I'll be sure to make more for you." Blake said with a smirk, a teasing glint in her eyes. 

Will's eyes dilated slightly as he took a sharp intake of breath. People didn't do things for him. Not small things. Sure, Alana looked out for his mental well-being as best she could and even complained to Jack about how attached he could become but it wasn't the same as…. This. As intentionally making hot cider for him or letting him have one of her coats. It's different than anything he's ever experienced before. Will Graham didn't have affection given to him so he was so used to not getting any that the bluntness of Blake's actions was surprising.

Blake checked her watch and let out a disapproving hum. "I think it's time for us to leave. Jack would probably have our heads if we didn't come back soon." She joked, although…. 

Jack certainly could be a strict boss and he liked to cross patient-psychiatrist lines for the sake of making absolutely sure that his team was mentally sound. Visits to Hannibal's house became a regular thing with the main subject of their conversations being Will Graham. 

The pair stood from their seats and as they exited, Blake set a hand on Will's elbow. She pressed a kiss to his cheek as he gave the shorter man a smile. "This was…. Nice." Blake admitted. Sometimes genuine compliments were hard to voice. Anxiety is a bitch.

A more noticeable redness flushed Will's face. He gave an almost bashful smile and bowed his head, not sure what to do with Blake's words. That was…. Until a certain thought entered his head, a very loud thought. Will let out a small huff of air before he tilted his head upwards and pressed his lips against Blake's. Her eyes fluttered closed as she let her hand rest on the back of his neck. 

As they pulled apart, Will let out a shaky sigh while Blake ran a hand through his hair. Will's eyes closed gently, enjoying the feeling. 

"Many people say I'm…. Unstable." Will softly stated, averting his gaze from Blake to a crack in the cement. 

Blake cracked a light smile, "I know." 

—-------

Hannibal and Will sat silently across from each other in plush chairs. The psychiatrist in the room tapped his hand against one of the arms of the chair. "Would you like to talk about your growing relationship with Doctor Adler?" He asked, cocking his head as he hoped to get Will to talk.

"Not necessarily." Will pursed his lips, giving Hannibal a strained smile. He looked off to the side and through the window.

Hannibal let out a sigh. "Yours and Blake's relationship has developed fairly fast in the matter of a few weeks. Not to mention that she seems to not care about your emotional well-being." He narrowed his eyes, waiting for his reaction.

"Blake Adler is the only one to care about both my emotional and physical well-being." Will gritted out. How could Hannibal even think that? Jealousy? Surely not. "She understands who I am and is willing to…. Work through it. Unlike, Alana who would rather die than be with me when I'm 'unstable.'' Will still felt a little bitter towards Alana, yet at the same time, he could understand why someone might not want someone like him. He got into the minds of killers for a living, he can't imagine that's something women wanted in a partner.

Hannibal cocked an eyebrow, "You seem to be very protective of her." He said softly. "You may be developing early codependency."

"I'm not." Will quickly denied. "Blake is a very independent person to my knowledge. She doesn't need me." He shrugged, shaking his head.

"But you need her." Hannibal hummed.

Will huffed out a sigh. "Well, we all have our flaws."

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Ok.

Question 1 about Enhypen. What are your best performances and what do you think of their music?

Question 2. Do you have a bias?

*

Ask 2:

BPP I'm starved for performance energies like I get from BTS. JK's live show yesterday made the feeling more acute cos all I could think was how much better it would've been with 6 other BTS members. I wonder if you understand my feeling. Are there groups that give you similar performance feeling to BTS?

***

There's no other group like BTS when it comes to performance synergy, energy, and charisma. In my opinion. That's one key ingredient in the secret sauce that sets BTS apart from other groups. They really are the best, and I'm saying this to help calibrate your expectations. But this also doesn't mean all the other groups are shit lol.

If you're looking for a solid dance and performance-driven group, Enhypen is one of the only groups that's worth a look.

I started paying real attention to Enhypen when I heard Pass the Mic and realized they were the first k-pop group to make a song in the Chicago Drill genre. The song itself I'm not a huge fan of (I don't like Ni-ki's rap verses and I think some of the lyrics are a bit cringe), but as far as misses go, this is the only one in their discography. And I still appreciate how drill was incorporated into the song. Also, the choreography is top tier, like every other choreography in their repertoire.

Enhypen is a 7-member group under Be: Lift - HYBE, and it's the first full concept group under HYBE - their concept being a vampire coming of age odyssey. Basically, all the members are vampires and I'm impressed by how consistently this theme is incorporated into their music, styling, lore, MVs, even stage personas without it seeming contrived or cringe.

The members are Jungwon (leader and my bias), Heesung, Sunghoon (bias), Jay (bias), Jake, Sunoo, and Ni-ki (maknae and main dancer). Every member that isn't my bias is my bias wrecker lol.

Honestly, Enhypen should be a lot bigger than they are, because every single one of their performances are, and I'm not saying this lightly, iconic. I'll link a few below and you'll see what I mean. I know the reason they aren't more known is because they don't have a rapline, but the group is beyond talented with a professional figure skater, a dance prodigy, several athletes and one former trainee peer with TXT, all in the group. Their music has roots in rock, hiphop, and EDM but not the 'noise k-pop' type.

Personally, I like their music a lot and feel it's easily some of the best in the entire 4th gen. Because Enhypen is a HYBE group, of course their dance skills, energy and synchronization are best in class. I've seen them in concert once and seen most of their recorded performances (comeback shows, Studio Choom, M studio, etc) and I'd honestly rank them behind only TXT in terms of performance skill and storytelling.

For the uninitiated, to illustrate the sort of talent I'm talking about, this is Enhypen's debut song:

Given-Taken (produced by Bang PD)

(Did you hear the adlibs? This is still one of my favourite debut songs, only behind Attention by NewJeans. By debut this group was already so polished)

*

Blessed Cursed - the song and choreo is in my top 10 for all of 4th gen

*

The infamous Bite Me performance - with this one alone they made history for not just 4th gen, but arguably for all boy groups.

*

Upper Side Dreamin' - is criminally underrated and I know why but it doesn't make it any less painful.

*

Drunk-Dazed - the entire thing is good but the outro seals the deal.

*

Anons I hope this answers your questions. Enhypen will be coming back on November 17th with Orange Blood - their 5th EP. I'm personally looking very forward to it. The boys are just completing the 1st leg of their FATE world tour (all I've heard are rave reviews) and will immediately shift right into promoting the EP. They are working hard and if you like their work, I'd say this is a group worth supporting.

[be-good-be-safe-be-kind]

mkcember 7: chanukah sameach

[ steven learns about the holiday | 1445 words ]

steven nestles himself into the little alcove between his mattress and the wall, breathing out a sigh of relief. the fading sun casts enough natural light into the room to illuminate the books around him, and he has plenty of lamps to provide a soft, gentle glow, lending a warm atmosphere to the room. london isn't as cold as manhattan, but winter is winter nonetheless, dark and dreary, leading steven to prioritise comfort in every possible area lest he slip back into depression.

marc had initially been a bit of a grump about the flat, muttering that it's unnecessarily crowded and if you're going to insist on sleeping here, at least buy a fucking bed, but after the duat, steven understands marc's poor attitude. the walls aren't entirely bare and sterile, not like the asylum, but the colors.... yeah, steven sees it now, they are a bit like the house in chicago. the decor is different, but the ladders and the lattice resemble khonshu's temple, and while the structure allows steven the feeling of being sheltered without being suffocated, marc experiences those feelings in reverse.

i'm sorry, mate. if i had known, if i had been paying attention -

-no, steven. don't ever apologize for recognizing your need for safety.

he sighs again as he opens the first of a dozen books he's found on the new topic of interest, flipping to the indexes at the end in search of a particular name. alexander the great. start with familiar territory. steven reads calmly for a few minutes, muttering under his breath and occasionally scribbling notes on a pad of paper, until there's an itch in the back of his skull and a dull pain building in his forehead.

pick up a different book.

the command is insistent, rough even by marc's standards, and steven can feel someone pacing in his mind.

"marc?" he tentatively asks.

the sound of approaching footsteps pulls him out of his thoughts for a moment. he lifts up his head, surprised to find layla settling down in an armchair, although he knows she's been here all day.

"you boys doing all right?" layla's voice is familiar, grounding, but steven can't help the way his lips twitch into a frown.

"i... i dunno," he admits, "i don't know all that much about egypt and the surrounding territories from after the hellenistic period, and i was just curious about the mediterranean influence on the culture, that's all."

"i see," layla says evenly, "and when you say you don't know much, how little are we talking?"

the pain in his forehead grows steadily, almost like marc is trying to push himself into the front and reroute steven's thoughts. not now, please. "erm, very little?"

"well, that explains it," layla mutters, as if the answer is really that obvious.

"i'm missing something here."

no shit, sherlock.

"well, then help me figure it out, instead of being rude."

"i'm going to assume that wasn't directed at me," layla says with a small smile.

steven blushes and nods, mumbling an apology. his hands reach for the chain around his neck, and a flash of realization dawns on him as he fidgets with it.

the magen david. a symbol that has been recognised in connection with the jewish people since at least the 16th century, which now has affiliations with the temple menorah from biblical times. people often confuse the temple menorah with the modern chanukiah, which is lit for the duration of the chanukah holiday, commemorating the miracle which took place during the seleucid rule of the hellenistic period.  

steven experiences these thoughts in a similar way to how he reads old books; the information is vaguely familiar, vaguely connected to memories, but mostly it's a list of facts which he can recall with little emotional context behind them. he looks up at layla, to gauge her reaction as to whether or not he's spoken aloud again, and her twinkling eyes and sad smile tell him all he needs to know. 

"marc is… well, the holiday season can be difficult for some people, and he doesn't handle fire all that well," she adds as the historical aspects continue to play in the background of his mind. 

that's putting it mildly. 

images of colorful birthday candles melting into wax puddles on poorly frosted cakes coincide with similar candles being lit in front of an oil lamp with eight branches. the smell of burnt flesh and the taste of blood in his mouth as he bites his tongue enter the picture, and marc's forearm stings and he needs to get ice on it, now, and she won't stop yelling, and now there's a sharp burst of pain on the small of his back and - 

- and steven is sat in his corner, knees up to his chest, clutching his right arm. his vision is blurred by tears, but he can sense layla's concern as she places a water bottle beside him. 

"i didn't know," steven mumbles. "i didn't even realise the holiday starts tonight." the sun has set, leaving the room mostly in darkness, and suddenly there's nothing he wants more in the world than to light a chanukiah.

we can do that, steven.

but… but those horrible memories.

as much as i want them to stay in the past, they're gonna keep coming back. if we're gonna wait for every awful association to go away, we're never gonna leave this apartment. don't let my baggage hold you back.

"it's okay," layla's words drift into his consciousness, "i'll be here, no matter what you decide."

you know, i never did thank you for preventing the divorce.  

steven relaxes as he drinks his water, slowly, trying to calm his mind and settle on a compromise. his eyes roam around the flat, and settle on the shelf above the kettle. the lights - they don't need to have big flames, right?

i think they're just meant to burn for an hour?

there's an undercurrent of excitement beneath marc's hesitation, and it's enough to pull steven to his feet and walk towards the kitchen. 

"lavender and lemon scented tea lights," layla reads the tin as steven passes it to her, "a unique choice; i like it!"

her casual acceptance, the way she moves easily through the apartment as if she lives there, causes marc's heart to skip a beat too quickly. are you certain that you don't want to be here for the ceremony? layla won't mind lighting the candles for you, and i'm happy to take a step back.

there's a faint hum in the back of his head, where the itch had been minutes earlier, as if marc is considering the offer. i've had enough holiday memories for at least one lifetime. it's time for you to have some of your own, don't you think?

"all right," steven agrees, "let's do this."

marc guides him to a bookshelf and helps him move the paperbacks to the side, revealing a set of worn, leather-bound books. layla sets a piece of aluminium foil by the window, placing three of the pale purple tea lights and a matchbook on top, as steven carefully finds the proper book. he's pleasantly surprised to discover that he can recognize the hebrew letters and their sounds, even if he can't understand the words, and soon he has the blessing for lighting the candles open in front of him. 

"i know we're meant to have a shamash," layla says, gesturing to the candles, "but this is the best i could do on short notice." two of the tea lights are stacked atop each other, while the third is a few centimeters to the right.

"it's perfect, layla, thank you." she takes the prayer book from him, holding it open to the blessings as he picks up the matchbook and takes out a match, letting the minuscule weight of it settle into his fingertips. "i suppose i should light the shamash, then say the blessings and light the candle?"

"i suppose so," layla answers as a voice within steven's head replies in hebrew. 

steven takes a deep breath before striking the match. the impromptu shamash begins emitting a soothing aroma, and steven's confidence grows. he snuffs out the match and takes out another one to light the candle. he recites the blessings, carefully pronouncing each word, and a calm settles over him with each one. 

he nods at layla when he's done; she closes the book and places a delicate kiss on its cover before putting it on a side table. they stand in comfortable silence together for a moment, watching the tiny lights flicker and stay strong.

chag chanukah sameach, steven.

[colleenmurphy]

It all started on a very normal evening out for drinks and dinner with her newest beau, a really sweet cop from Chicago that had dreamy blue eyes and a voice that could melt her brain into her shoes.

"So here I am half way down seventh and park just on my beat when I pull up and see this little girl, pigtails in ribbons, backpack too big for her pink sneakers the works. Then it dawns on me that it's the little girl that went missing four hours ago and her parents are frantic..."

Colleen was hanging onto his every word as he sipped his tequila and water and she occasionally drank her white wine. Then she smelled it...or them, rather. A noxious blend of cloying night jasmine and sickly honey mingled with mugwort and cedar capped off by bitter ivy and icy birch. To her it was gag inducing but it soon passed.

"I pull up along side her and ask her if she's lost 'cause she was walking all determined. Kinda like you.."

Biting his lip she resisted the urge to jump him right then and there. It had been many moons since Colleen had felt this spirit in this form. She felt a blush rise high in her cheeks as she drank deeply. Her time in Endor she'd felt it strongly only to be left well into the 1700s until he popped up again. But she digressed and turned her attention again from the annoying smell and back to Bill.

"She answered me with a tiny timid yes and she had these huge green eyes that just struck me and that's what pulled me into the search. I was well out of my way and technically on a different beat entirely. But I'd found her. I introduced myself and let her wear my hat and play with the buttons a little. But I really won her over when I hand delivered her to her mom on their front porch. Made me proud of myself that day. All the shit I did in my life, over there...that was a life away from what I did to get where I am now. I helped someone. I knew I was in the right line of work."

She smiled and again her ancient heart melted. Taking his hand in hers she traced his lifeline. Good and strong mount of Venus. Unbroken.

"You're awfully affection this evening, Col."

She smiled again before leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"It's Friday, I got paid and I'm with one of my all time favorite people."

"Ya mean besides Helene?"

A throaty laugh left him as he shook out a cigarette, something Colleen didn't quite approve of but couldn't fault him on since she herself had her own hand rolled cigarettes of a different variety in her purse. She'd already lit up I the ladies room to get her nerve up to even consider asking him about taking the next step she felt was right in their relationship.

"Yes. What was what drink you were trying to get me to try?"

"Oh it was a margarita...little different than what you're used to, babe. Aren't you Miss Colly Safety usually? You sure you want to mix your wine with liquor?"

Yes, he knew her very well, almost too well. But now was her turn to surprise him.

"I'm feeling a bit wild this evening. We don't have to be up early and we're booked for the Keys tomorrow evening. Helene's going to lose her mind when she sees the rental."

He stopped playing with the raven and triple moon charm on her bracelet.

"What if I told you it wasn't a rental?"

Their waitress came back over in a cloud of spun sugar sweetness of maraschino cherries and presumably spilled cheap vodka and Jasmine.

"Anything else for you two tonight? Dave in the back he can whip up somethin' quick if you've got a drive ahead of you."

"I'll have that margarita thingy..."

"Colleen you've never said 'thingy' in your life...are you sure?"

"Yes, I've had one glass of wine and it was paired with the usual crab cake and salad."

She was logical and practical but Bill had to admit that he was surprised.

"Ok, get your pen out Tammy...a double shot of silver tequila, a shot chambourd and Gran Mariner shaken over ice and garnished with the salt sugar rim and a lime."

A slow blink and a pop of her gum gave it away that Tammy was a touch impressed and jealous of Colleen and her taste in male company. As she walked away Colleen smelled it again. This time her stomach gave a lurch.

"I'll be right back."

"Ok, but the drinks are almost here."

Dashing off as fast as her feet could carry her towards the ladies room she bolted the door and made a fumble for her Tiger's Eye.

'Helene...do you feel it? Is it what I think it is?'

Colleen had been around for a very long time and she had grown to feel that nothing could frighten her these days. Until she felt the twinge of being hunted by whatever...no, whoever was giving off that god awful stench. A twinge of brimstone mingled now until it wafted away as quickly as it had come over. She stood there clutching her Tiger's Eye and shaking out a joint in there other. Slipping it onto her necklace chain she sighed and inhaled. Giving herself a good three minutes before breathing deeply and spraying herself down lightly with whatever was in her purse. Some aquatic and airy. Perfect. Walking back out she met his eyes and he shook head slightly as he chuckled.

"Did I miss something?"

"The other waitresses think there's a skunk out back, Col."

Biting her lip to stifle an equally embarrassed and amused snicker she blushed.

"Whoops..."

"Sorry about the wait...damn skunk must be back out there again by the dumpsters. Here's your drinks and your bill. Ya'll have a wonderful night."

"Cheers, Colly baby."

"Slainte, Liam."

A clink of glasses and a few sips and Colleen was feeling positively giddy. She had sipped from the fountain of youth for the sheer fun of it ( it's slightly carbonated and a tad salty with a tinge of Mangosteen if you really want to know ) and she had the privilege of partying in wine from many courts of many kings and nothing compared to the ambrosia that had graced her palate.

"Holy shit you've never made that sound before."

Opening her eyes she gave him a worried look that shifted to a flush of self awareness and the alcohol hitting her stomach. Liquid courage was starting to hit and she touched her necklace once more.

"Maybe you will...later."

She watched his eyes widen and a wolfish glimmer take hold. If the floor could have opened up she would have thrown herself in head first as she blew him a kiss.

"I said that aloud...hollyhocks and sunflower stalks.."

Cradling her head in her hands for a second she ended up laughing at herself. For the first time in ages. With him.

"You are literally the only person that talks in flowers when they're embarrassed and I love it."

"Only when truly and deeply embarrassed. But, at least I've got a nice little in onto the next subject."

Fiddling with her straw she sipped again. This time she was surprised to find a splash of grapefruit soda hitting her tongue. It was pleasant mind setter.

"I know your feelings on marriage after your divorce with Katherine and you know how my last relationship ended with Jeremy. But what about..

Her mother's voice rang out in her head.

'Every time you look at him you get lost in his eyes. I see what was, what could be and what will be. Just ask him.'

A flurry of activity hit as door the tavern opened in a whirl wind of rain and leaves. Helene's curls sprang out as she came in searching the place.

"Hey!"

Politely walking passed a few other couple she made her way over to their booth by the fish tank.

"I hate to break this up but...I've got bad news and good news. I'm an agent of change right now. Don't know what's got my tongue but this cat showed up and now I can't shut up. I'm too honest. Oooh..tequila!"

Taking a sip she pulled a face.

"Oohh. somebody's gonna feel that in the morning."

Bill chuckled as he finished his and took Colleen's hand.

"Oh, She's been dancing with the devil's lettuce, eh? Ok, here's my shot because she won't be blunt with you. You love her and she loves you. You know her knitty gritty past when it comes to love and you know she's into kinky shit. She's wild for and about you and you her. Colleen's at that age in a witch's life where babies are on the brain. Big time. She sees you she wants babies. Specifically your babies, k? We all know how you both are about walking the aisle again and I really don't know if she can..technically. But...yes, she wants to settle down and have a home with you. Buutt...here's where it turns like mega shit bad. We're being hunted. Someone's out there looking for Col and I and we need to skedaddle on out of here before they find us. I've got Mama Murphy on the case and Pops on it. How fast can you drive or should we let Col do it?"

"The smell!"

Bill to his credit was sitting there stone silent taking it in.

"Yep. So yes, let's get paid here and get to getting 'cause whatever it is is Big Mad and Big Bad. "

Helene wandered of towards the bar to ask about a to go cup of whatever that was that she just drank.

"This is the part where you run screaming for the hills, right?"

Tears had welled up in her eyes, partially from having her bubble burst in a big way. She and everyone that she loved and cared about were being hunted by something so god awful she couldn't put a face to the smell. But it was locked away so deep that could only mean something horrible.

"No...this is where I get you and your best friend, our best of honor, to our new home a bit sooner than expected. Which is good. We'll have time to talk about turning a third guest bedroom into a nursery...or something."

She smiled as she kissed him.

"Hey lovebirds! Let's get a move on, please! Paradise awaits us!"

[ectoplasmbender]

Hello! Here's a snippet of one of my chapter drafts from my upcoming fic if anyone is curious 😊

Vlad Masters was not handsome exactly, but he was stately and elegant looking. His long silver hair was tied back in a neat ponytail and his beard was well-groomed. His suit was obviously expensive, but also tasteful and not flashy like one may expect of a billionaire. Sam figured he must have been about fifty, but looked to be in very good shape for a man of his age. His posture was impeccable.

"Ah, what a great honor it is to meet you, Samantha." He smiled, extending a hand. Sam shook it, surprised by how cold it was.

"Just Sam is fine." She corrected politely. "And the real honor is that someone as esteemed as yourself took interest in my paper." Sam added, years of her mother's high society training kicking in.

Vlad waved his hand dismissively, chuckling.

"You don't need to flatter me, dear. I'm just some rich jerk at the end of the day." His grey eyes twinkled with mirth, his smile a touch mischevious. His self-deprecation immediately won some points with her. "And anyway, I've had a keen interest in the Amity Park situation for years."

"Really?" Sam asked, curiosity piqued. "Aren't you from Wisconsin?" She asked, already knowing the answer. She had looked the man up the second he had contacted her about her paper. Apparently he was a huge Cheesehead and had unsuccessfully tried to buy the Green Bay Packers a number of times. She tried unsuccessfully to imagine this polished and distinguished man doing something so kooky.

"I am." He answered immediately. "But I went to school in Illinois." That was true too, Sam remember reading that he had graduated from business school in Chicago.

"DePaul, right?" Sam asked automatically, wincing as she realized her faux pas.

"Ahh so you've done you're research. Clever girl." He said good-naturedly. "Don't worry, I understand completely. And yes I did attend DePaul, but before that I went to University of Illinois Chicago."

"Really? I didn't know that." Sam said. She couldn't recall reading anything about that online.

"Ah, well I didn't finish my schooling there due to some health problems at the time. I ended up changing career interests anyway. " he waved a hand impassively.

"What were you studying originally?" Sam asked, interested in this new information.

"Biology." He answered, picking at a non-existent stain on his jacket. "My real interest though was ecto-biology, but that was obviously fringe at the time. So any research I did in that field was merely my own passion project. That's how I met the Fentons, you know."

Sam's heart stopped at the words.

"You knew the Fentons?" She asked, bewildered. He nodded, taking a sip from his champagne.

"Yes. They were...strange to be sure, but my impression was that they were far more brilliant than their peers and professors ever gave them credit for. Especially Maddie."

"Is that why you're so interested in Amity?" Sam asked. That made a lot of sense, if he had known the Fentons once.

"Yes, of course what happened to your town was a horrible tragedy. But as you know, no one can afford to be so invested in every single tragedy that happens throughout the years. But I feel I owe it to my former colleagues to help...clean up their legacy." He said.

Sam, being an activist with a bleeding heart, disagreed somewhat with that sentiment. But she supposed it was still a noble goal to help redeem his former's classmates reputations.

"Were you close with them?" Sam asked.

Vlad's eyes glinted.

"Once perhaps. But I hadn't talked to them in many, many years before their deaths." He said. "It's one of my regrets that we never reconnected before then."

"Truthfully..." Sam began. "I'm surprised that you miss them so much. They're not exactly remembered very fondly."

Vlad looked distant for a moment, lost in some kind of memory.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes horrible, terrible mistakes. But none of us deserve to be defined by our worst moments." He said.

Sam was surprised by this man. He was not what she had expected at all. Her faith in this project and his intentions had grown signficantly during the conversation. He really seemed to care about Amity Park.

"Mr. Masters, I have to admit I was ready to dislike you." Sam said sheepishly. "I've been around a lot of so-called philanthropists, and most of them have just been men with too much money making empty promises out of boredom." Vlad studied her.

"And I'm not?" He asked slyly. Sam shook her head.

"I don't think you are." She said sincerely. Vlad studied her for a long moment.

"It was a very well-written paper, Sam." He said at long last. "That is not flattery. It really did move me." Sam was speechless at this praise, not knowing how to respond. She had published her paper mostly for herself, but the thought that it had genuinely moved someone was beyond her. Especially this influential, powerful person who had the ability to actually make a difference.