#(<- person who hasn't written a word in that fic for a month)

[joffyworld]

A Celebration

I wanted to make this post as a post-October celebration of my experiences here.

You've all been amazing. Each and every one of you. To anyone who ever sees this, consider us friends and kindred spirits. I mean that from the bottom of my heart, Joffy is a friend to all! I understand some fear para-sociality, and rightly so. I know it's a bit of a dirty word, but while I may never know you in real life, while I may always be a stranger on the internet, that does not preclude kindness from our times here. You are all people, as am I, and there is no illusion of the opposite on my end.

I came into this community just a month ago, driven almost purely by an obsession with the TROD au written by the amazing @bamsara. Since then, I have fallen in love with so many AU's, so many fics, so many oneshots, and so many pieces that I never would have found otherwise, from the horrific cannibalistic nightmares of @teruuu and @yellowflowrs, to the cute and joyous wonders of artists like @junoberrii, @the-artist-grimm, @spiderin-space, @zynical-forg , @7-ferrets-in-a-coat, @cconfusedkat, @frecktheheck, @lagomorphics and @lil-vibes to the beautifully shameless smut and humour of @melle-d, the wonderous fantastical realms of artists like @aychama, @aniimoni and @stychu-stych and the incredibly well written and crushing experiences of writers such as @kiko---random-stuff-probably, @olrinarts and @alllgator-blood. It has all been an incredible experience to watch, every single shade and genre of art and creativity, and I wouldn't have it any other way! I never expected to have so much fun, so much joy, and such a range of emotions all at once, yet here we are!

My welcome into this community has been astonishing. The kindness, the warmth, the laughs, the tears, the silliness, the naughtiness, the evil, the good. It's all been such a wonder to behold. That's not even mentioning the activism, the understanding and the fundraising I've seen with my own eyes! You've all bred a community of love here, and each and every one of you should be proud of that.

Every mutual I make, I am reminded that kindness breeds kindness. When I started this blog, my only wish was to indulge my madness until it passed, to see if maybe instead of suppressing my own interests, indulging them could perhaps instead lead to a less anxious conclusion? I had often been consumed with anxiety as I fought to pretend I was "normal" and it's always been a tough thing for me. By God has being here helped.

I have embraced who I am as a person, I have learnt things about communities I knew nothing about. I've grown empathies for groups I once found hard to relate to, I've felt joy and comfort from strangers where the world has oft left me dejected. I've met so many people similar to me, completely different from me, and all that lies in-between.

I have met the most beautiful souls in the world, I've seen works of art that made me marvel them as though they were classics of antiquity. I've engaged in silly debates, I've interacted with people I look up to so deeply, I've seen talents I didn't know exist. Most of all, I have found a community that understands me, from the autistic and disabled to the regularly deranged and beautifully obsessed <3

And all of this has inspired me to write my own content, to indulge my own mind in ways I have long tried to leave behind, and find my own stride among the crowd of similarly inspired people. To say the words of you people have changed me is to lie, because it doesn't even begin to describe it.

To anyone I haven't directly @'d, I apologise. I wish I could plug you all, but my memory is fragile, and I'm on the mobile app. But know, that whoever you are, friend or foe, you are ASTONISHING. And should I wake up and remember your names, I'd gladly add them with your permissions. There's not a single person I've seen that hasn't amazed me in brand new ways each time, and every time I compliment your works I mean it from the bottom of my soul.

And to anyone who reads this, whether they be an artist, writer, creator of any stripe, or simply a friendly face or a lurking presence in the shadows:

Thank You,

Thank You So Much,

Joffy

[aziraphales-library]

Hello! Thank you for the role you play in this fandom, I don't know what we would do without Aziraphale's fic library

Today I wanted to ask if you knew fics where Aziraphale and Crowley are bitter exes who end up realizing later that they haven't stopped loving the other.

Thank you 💛

Hi! We have #getting back together and #reunion tags you can check for plenty more fics like this. Here are more to add...

Even Now, I Still Love You by Zakani_Donovan (T)

It had been 6 years since Crowley had last spoken to Aziraphale, and considering their nasty little breakup, he hadn't expected their next conversation to start with them suddenly being neighbors.

Down to the River by CemeteryAngel725 (E)

Twenty-five years ago, Tony Crowley walked out of Azi’s life and broke both of their hearts. Since then, Azi has been living in suspended animation, working in the army/navy surplus booth he inherited from his dad and writing horror novels. Now Tony is back from the city, flush with success and wanting to catch up with Azi. Should Azi risk his heart and try to reclaim what they’ve lost? Or is it too late to start over?

Reason Enough by ffonippop (E)

Crowley and Aziraphale’s entire relationship spanned just a little under eleven months. If dissected, the entire affair can be categorized very neatly into three parts: a rocky beginning, a rocky middle, and a rocky end. It devastates Crowley, how something that was so promising and held so much potential could end in such a shitstorm. Diminished to nothing but a hungover, sad, and lonely stain on his couch, Crowley is left to wonder if it was always going to end this way— or if it’s ended yet at all.

Like a Martyr, Not Enough (The Decoy Bride) by vines_and_vellichor (M)

Author Aziraphale Eastlowe had been a dutiful son for the entirety of his life… mostly. After a bout of teenage rebellion, he learnt that disobedience only brings misery and heartbreak to those he cares about; it’s better for everyone to toe the line and make the most out of the plan that has been laid out for you by your family and God. When a courtship with the famous Christian singer Gabriella Archer presented an opportunity to exit the dog-eat-dog world of city life, the last thing he expected was an existence plagued by writer’s block and a wedding so enticing to the British press that the privilege of a private ceremony was tantamount to successfully teaching a duck to play the accordion. In desperation, they turn to Taddesfild, a remote island in the Outer Hebrides, to marry. Things go south when a convoluted plan by Gabriella’s agents culminates in hiring local resident Anthony J Crowley as a decoy bride to put the paparazzi off the scent. The very person Aziraphale distinctly remembered dumping nineteen years ago. The situation is less than ideal: his fiancee is missing, the island is infested with bloodthirsty photographers and he has just accidentally gotten married to his ex.

Borrowed Words by sunrisesinthesuburbs (M)

Anthony J. Crowley, best selling author, has writer's block. He could blame the Accident, but deep down he knows his block started way before. He hasn't written anything in too long, if we choose to ignore the dozens of unsent letters addressed to the angel he lost two decades ago, when he moved to New York City. When his best (and only) friend convinces him to take a little vacation in a small town in Connecticut, he expects peace and quiet. He doesn't expect to see the smile that still haunts his dreams again. Apparently, small towns are full of surprises, and how late is too late? The world stops spinning on its axis or, at the very least, Crowley stops breathing. This is absolutely impossible. He forces himself to swallow, to take a deep breath, as he doesn’t want to scare this girl off. Muriel, who is still smiling, all bright and wide and just like- Oh, God. “A bookshop, you said?” He chokes out. This is impossible, and he’s being ridiculous. He is in London, this is just a sick coincidence and his stupid brain playing stupid games. “Yes, you can see it if you turn around.” Crowley doesn’t move. “It’s called A. Z. Fell Books.” Now, the world definitely stops spinning.

Sinking Ships by AppleSeeds (E)

The world is practically on fire and it feels like nobody's doing anything about it, but Crowley's outlook brightens considerably when a new member arrives at his local climate action committee. Crowley is immediately smitten, and is thrilled when he and Aziraphale become fast friends, although he can't help but hope they might one day become something more. When all of his wishes come true, Crowley starts to feel like life couldn't possibly get any better. He can picture exactly what his future is going to look like, until something happens that feels like a powerful bolt of lightning has struck and split Crowley's life right down the middle, with everything before that moment on one side, and everything that is to come - scorched, lifeless and devastated - on the other. With the help of a counsellor, Crowley begins the difficult journey of picking up the pieces and working through what's happened. When Aziraphale unexpectedly comes back into his life, Crowley finally has the chance to get some answers, revealing that the truth is very different from what he was led to believe. Now he just needs to figure out whether that changes anything.

- Mod D

[cypheroo]

Morning Confessions | Laurence Zvhal

"Hi can I request a fic with Laurance complementing the reader but she doesn’t believe him and he tries to prove that he serious?"

Word count : 774

Tw : none?

AN : SO, I tried to follow the request :) AND I have two more Laurence ficss coming soon (a siren x Laurence one and an angsty Laurence one both of which are long asf), so I wanted to get this one written!

Laurence was so handsome…he had such a charm to him, and gosh even just a light graze of his touch would send Shivers up your spine. And he knew this, he knew because he looked at you a lot more now than before. His ‘accidental’ touches seemed to happen more now.

Some people would say he might be feeling the same way you do, but his eyes were for lord aphmau, not for you. And those thoughts alone kept you from asking him if he felt the same. He was just teasing you at this point, toying with you the way a flirt would with anyone, you and him being friends didn't make much of a difference either.

And this morning was no different, Laurence and you were both sitting in the town square, both sipping your respective drinks, chatting the early morning away. It was so nice, being able to meet with Laurence like this, sure you wished you'd be able to call this a date…but it was ok! You were content.

“Really! Come on, how long do you think Brendon will really be into kawaii-chan?” Laurence questioned, “I dunno? The real question is when another person will catch His eye” you answered jokingly. “True. I'm surprised he hasn't tried his hand at aphmau” Laurence joked before he took another sip of his drink. You Shrugged and Looked back out at the main square looking around, no one was really out this early, most still being inside asleep. It was quiet for a moment before you felt Laurence's eyes on you, you held still trying to act like you didn't notice, “your eyes look really pretty against the morning light, has anyone ever told you that?” Laurence asked, his voice a tad bit more serious this time.

You felt your stomach get butterflies over his words…his tone, and the idea that it Was directed to you? You turned your head to him and laughed softly, “and who are you trying to impress Mr?” You asked as you shook your head, “you're just being nice” you cleared your throat trying not to sound too shaken up by his words. “No, I'm being serious. your eyes are absolutely beautiful, if you don't mind” as the last Few words of his sentence left his mouth he set his drink on the floor and slowly cupped your cheeks, forcing you to face him, “let me get a closer look, honey” the pet name rolling off his tongue easily. His eyes narrowed as he focused on your eyes.

You felt your face get warm, hell you felt your whole body get warm as the man in front of you studied your face, “your eyes are stunning” he moved his bottom lip between his teeth as he tilted his head.

You couldn't take it as you pulled away and stood up, “oh wow, haha. Funny joke Laurence you can quit it now” you waved him off and faced away from him, trying to calm yourself down.

“joke?” Laurence joined you in standing up. “I'm not kidding. seriously” he insisted. Before you looked back at him with some fake unimpressed look. “Laurence you gotta stop testing out your little pick up lines on me” you said with a small smile and furrowed brows. Your look was matched with laurences confused look, “testing? You think I'm testing them on you?” He asked, almost flabbergasted. “yeah? For lord aphmau, you know full well she'd never let you cup her face like that” you continued with a small hum.

Laurence was quiet for a while, he was absolutely surprised you'd even bring lord aphmau into this when he had been trying to hint at you for months about his feelings about you.

“none of anything I've said to you has been for testing, not for lord aphmau or anyone else.” He stated, his eyes slightly more assured, “to put it quite frankly you're the only one I've used these ‘pick up lines’ on. His words were very self assured which made you confused, “wait so…everything you've said- no way laurence” you couldn't even fathom it. “No way? No way I'm looking at you with hearts in my eyes?” Laurence joked as he crossed his arms. “No way I say these things to get you flustered?” He continued, “no way I say what I mean?” He whispered close to your ear.

You shook your head, “no that'd mean-” you started as Laurence nodded, “that I've fallen for you?” Laurence finished. He nodded with a laugh. His hand slowly grazing your shoulder as he moved in front of you, "Baby, im in love with you. And eyes don't lie. It's clear you feel the same, " he purred as he moved closer to you. "So understand my words are made for only you to hear," he continued. "So please... take my compliment?" He asked with that stupid smirk you hated to love. It was when your eyes met his once more that you slowly smiled and nodded.

Tags :

[ashwhowrites]

miscommunication I LOVE IT SM ,

eddie and reader are best friends, he sees reader talking to gareth & gareth tells eddie he has a crush on someone , automatically eddie assumes its the reader so he feels hurt that gareth would “like her” but really shes helping gareth talk to her sister & eddie stops talking to them and kicks reader & gareth out of hellfire , hes angry for weeks so he blows off dates and movie days even when reader shows up to his house with flowers 5 times he still blows her off waynes upset at eddie too. , until theyre having a party eddie wasn’t invited to but dustin brought him , thats when he finds out everything cuz sees reader all by herself in the kitchen while gareth is with her sister , he thinks its gareth that made her sad but really it was him.

A few random notes!

I would like to personally thank everyone for being so patient with me. It's been a few months since I've written a longish fic so this may be incredibly rusty! I hope it's still worth reading.

To the anon who requested, if you even remember requesting this ( it's been a hot minute since you sent it in...) Thank you so much for being patient with this!! I hope you like it and it's what you wanted :)

Thank you to everyone who supports my work :)

I'm excited to finally get a fic out! I hope you guys like it <3

Never proofread

Y/N spent her time with two people, and usually those two people only. Her two best friends, Gareth and Eddie. The three were always together, but weren't afraid to be a part. Eddie and Gareth liked their guy time, where they talked about girls and the band. She enjoyed talking to Gareth about her huge crush on Eddie. And Gareth liked to talk to her about his crush, Y/N's sister. And her time alone with Eddie? Wasn't ever friendly. There were lingering gazes, cuddling, his hand on her thigh and her hand in his hair. He listened closely, always kissing her forehead when she cried. She could talk about anything with him. He never judged her, made everything she said feel important. And one thing she wasn't used to- he made her feel loved and made her emotions feel valid.

Her heart raced too fast for them to be friends. But Eddie wasn't easy to read, she had no idea if he was into her or just was a flirty friend.

Gareth wanted help with asking out Y/N's sister, Steph, which she jumped at the opportunity. Her brain needed a break from Eddie and her feelings for him.

Gareth first planned to go to Eddie but figured Eddie's too chicken to admit his feelings, how would he be any help? Plus it's Y/N's sister, she'll know every detail he needs to win over Steph.

~~

Eddie wasn't quite sure what happened. Or how he was so blind. Gareth and Y/N started to get closer out of nowhere. Suddenly sitting side by side at lunch, whispering to each other. Shoving shoulders as they passed in the halls. Even during Eddie's alone time with Y/N, Gareth finds a way to be there. Did Eddie not see a sign? He never once saw Gareth as Y/N's type. And Y/N definitely wasn't Gareth's type. So what was going on?

But sadly all the pieces fit when Gareth admitted he had a crush.

"okay man, so I got this crush on this girl right? She's going to be at a party this weekend and I think I'm going to go for it" Gareth smiled.

Eddie felt his heart sink into his stomach. Gareth had a crush, and it was obvious who the crush was on.

"what party?" Eddie wondered, he wasn't invited to any party.

"some popular chick, no idea what her name is. But Y/N invited me" Eddie has never once wanted to punch his best friend across the face, but the smug smile on Gareth's lips was way too tempting.

Y/N invited Gareth, to a party. Not a single word mentioned to Eddie. A party that was this weekend, five days away and she hasn't said a word. But asked Gareth?

His two best friends liked each other

~~

Eddie was acting weird. It was the middle of the week and Y/N has barely seen him. He stopped coming to lunch, he never opened his front door when she pounded on it for hours, and he won't answer her calls.

She wasn't sure what happened but tonight was hellfire and she planned to get answers.

~~

Y/N and Gareth headed to hellfire earlier than the rest, knowing Eddie would be setting up. They wanted to get him alone to ask why he was avoiding both of them.

"Hey Eds?" She said softly, walking further in the room, eyes catching that there were two chairs missing.

"wait, who's not coming?" Gareth questioned

"You two are out. " Eddie said flat, not bothering to look at them as he dug out his notebook

"OUT?" Gareth yelped out

"wait why? Tonight is too important for us to be out" Y/N aruged

"I want you guys out of my club" Eddie said, eyes finally looking at his two "best friends"

He knew he was being an idiot. Taking his feelings out on them. Not giving either a chance to explain themselves. He also knows he hasn't given Y/N the time of the day or night.

He kept trying to shrug off Wayne's disapproving look when Eddie refused to open the door. Y/N screaming his name on the other side. One night Wayne came in with flowers and a note for Eddie. Eddie knew exactly who they were from. It was the same flowers he got every year, for their friendiversary. Something Y/N always demanded they celebrated together. He remembers the angry look in Wayne's eyes as he threw the flower right back outside.

"It is not just your club!" Y/N's sharp tone snapped Eddie out of his thoughts. Blinking slowly as he looked at both of them.

"yeah. We've been in this club together since the beginning of high school. We have just as much importance to our club as you do" Gareth stood his ground.

"I'm the leader, you two are just like the rest of the sheep. My word goes" Eddie fought back, crossing his arms as he puffed out his chest. Trying to ignore the sad look that came across Y/N's face.

"You know what? Fine" Y/N snapped, slamming the door behind her as she marched out.

"dude! What's your fucking problem?" Gareth snapped. The coldness Eddie has been giving them was uncalled for.

"I don't have a fucking problem. Go follow your little girlfriend and get the fuck out" Eddie snapped, turning around to pretend to look for something. Not looking as the door slammed again.

~~

Saturday arrived

Gareth was in his room, searching for his best clothes.

Y/N covered her lips in Eddie's favorite red gloss.

And Eddie found himself in his bedroom, strumming his guitar. He hasn't talked to either of his friends since the big blowout. Thursday and Friday passed with glares and silence. A lonely Friday night in his room, a night that was usually filled with giggles and weed when Y/N slept over every single weekend. But once again, Eddie refused to open the door.

His two friends were going on a date to a big party and Eddie was going to spend his Saturday night driving Dustin to whatever friends house and going back home to smoke alone.

~~

"and it's that house!" Dustin pointed out, excitedly bouncing in his seat as Eddie pulled up.

"Dustin, this is a huge party! How did you get invited?" Eddie scoffed. Even a fucking freshmen was getting invited to parties. Is this the one Gareth and Y/N were at? Eddie felt his stomach turn thinking of them dancing on the inside.

"a family friend. Come in?" Dustin asked, shutting the door before Eddie could even answer.

Eddie wasn't sure why, but he followed.

~~

"you got this! She likes you. Be yourself, good luck" Y/N squealed, shoving Gareth ahead. A proud smile on her face.

She watched from across the room, a full drink in her hand. Smiling as she watched Gareth walk up to her sister. Barely one word in and the two were smiling like idiots. It made her think of Eddie. She missed him.

She watched them hug, smile slowly falling. She missed Eddie's hugs. She missed his smell and how warm he was.

Then they giggled. She missed laughing with Eddie. Getting high in his bedroom. She looked at Eddie like he held the stars and now she can't even look at him without needing to cry.

And once she saw them kiss, that's when the tears fell.

~~

He doesn't know how but his eyes found her in seconds. She stood alone, holding a cup. Eddie could tell she was sad. Her body language was slouched and small.

He may have been pissed at her, but he'd always care.

"aren't you supposed to be having fun at parties?" He chuckled, sliding right next to her, not bothering to see what she was watching so closely.

"aren't you supposed to be ignoring me?" she snapped. Her eyes not leaving Gareth. If she looked at Eddie, she'd break down.

"that's fair" he swallowed. He's been an ass, he can't expect a joke to make things better.

Eddie finally looked to where she was staring, his eyes going hard when he saw Gareth kissing another girl

Wait! ......that wasn't just a girl

That was Y/N's sister

"I'm gonna kill him" Eddie snapped, planning to march forward when Y/N grabbed his hand

"hey. What? Why?" Y/N panicked

"HE'S CHEATING!" Eddie yelled, looking at her like she grew two heads. But not releasing her hand.

"what! No he's not" Y/N slightly chuckled. Feeling her tears starting to dry. Just feeling his skin made everything feel better.

"then why are you crying?" Eddie asked

"I'm not" she quickly lied. Dropping his hand to clear off her face quickly

"yes you were. You were looking at him and crying. You like him right? And he's kissing your sister" Eddie explained

"I do NOT like him" Y/N laughed, that was just ridiculous

"what? You guys have been sneaking off and always together" Eddie tried to explain. How was he seeing this situation wrong?

"he wanted to ask out my sister, I was helping" She explained, a small smile on her face as his puppy eyes looked confused.

"your sister? Crush? Not you?" Eddie blabbed out. He couldn't lie, he felt his body fill with relief. He tried not to think about what they did when he wasn't around but asking out Steph was nowhere near his radar.

"no? Why would he like me?" Y/N scoffed. A boy hasn't liked her since forever. Not that she cared. She just wanted the confusion boy across from her to like her.

"because it's you!" Eddie explained like it was common knowledge.

Y/N felt her face warm but tried not to get her hopes up.

"Can we talk? Somewhere quiet? Or are we still ignoring each other?" She asked, shyly looking at him. Eddie hated the small sad smile on her face. All Eddie had to do was talk to his best friends and all his unnecessary drama could have been avoided.

"yeah. I have my van" Eddie offered an encouraging smile, grabbing her hand again and leading her out to the front yard.

~~

"what happened?" Y/N spoke first, breaking the silence.

"I thought you and Gareth liked each other and I got upset" Eddie sighed, hearing himself admit it made him feel dumb.

"Eds, even if we did, we wouldn't stop hanging out with you. We'll always be best friends" Y/N explained, holding Eddie's hand softly.

"that's not what made me upset, baby" Eddie admitted, refusing to make eye contact.

"then what? Got a crush on Gareth or something?" She joked, laughing to herself.

"he's not the one I have a crush on" Eddie confessed, he could feel his palms getting sweaty. The hand she was holding was shaking slightly. Her thumb rubbed his hand softly.

"oh"

Eddie deflated at her response. Of course she wasn't interested. He was dumb for being upset and he was dumb for liking her

"I'm sorry. I know we are friends and that's all we will be" Eddie followed after. A fake smile on his face as he looked at her. Ignoring that his heart raced. He noticed her lips covered in his favorite gloss. He wanted to taste her.

"that's not true. That's not all we can be" she said, leaning a little closer. " Gareth isn't the one I have a crush on either" She winked, a small smile on her face.

Eddie blinked at her blankly. Was she saying she liked him?

"...you like me?" Eddie squeaked out

"yes I do. But I like you a little bit less after the way you treated me and Gareth" she teased lightly, but still meaning her words

"yeah, I'm sorry. That was just a dick move. You guys didn't deserve that"

"We didn't. Ignoring us? Kicking us out of hellfire? You have a lot of ass kissing to do" this time she wasn't teasing. And he could tell.

"I know. I fucked up and I'll earn my forgiveness from the both of you" Eddie promised

"why didn't you accept the flowers?" Her thumb stopped moving on his hand. Her eyes looked away from his as she felt her throat burn. The same horrible feeling in her stomach when she saw her flowers crumpled up in his front yard

"that was very uncalled for and I'm incredibly sorry for acting like that. I was being pathetic and taking everything out on you and I shouldn't have. The flowers were beautiful. Wayne totally chewed out my ass for the past week" Eddie admitted. He was embarrassed of how he acted. Truthfully, the next night when it began to storm, he raced out and collected the flowers. The flowers now sat on his bedside table.

"I'm glad he did. Your ass deserved it. Gareth's been waiting also" She laughed, using her free hand to poke his side.

"I think he'll be a little too busy for that" Eddie joked, throwing a wink.

"but on a serious note, Gareth deserves an apology too. We also deserve our spots in hellfire. And we deserve respect for our roles in it. And you have to plan a celebration of our anniversary"

"done, done, done and definitely done" Eddie said, checking off imaginary boxes

"you do understand that you hurt my feelings, right? That you have to make up for that? You need to make it up to me as a friend before we ever try to be anything more" Y/N explained

"I understand and I agree. I want to make it up to you, and Gareth. I'm going to make it up to you, I promise. Then I'm gonna sweep you off of your feet" Eddie smirked, a horrible wink sent her way that caused her to giggle

"be ready to put in the time and work, won't be easy Munson" she smirked back, leaning to kiss his cheek.

"I've got all the time in the world, baby" he smiled, loving that his favorite gloss now covered his cheek

He can make it up to Gareth later, right now his focus was on her.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @slightlyvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergent @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire

[xoxobuckybarnes]

February 2024 Stucky Fics

Completed

Keystrokes and Music Notes (Rated: M, Words: 32K) by goblininawig / @goblininawig

Summary: Bucky is paying Steve for help tracking down his stalker. Nothing happens until something happens: Steve falls in love.

Mr. Brick Wall & Mr. Overshare (Rated: T, Words: 7K) by LilyElk13

Summary: Based on the Tumblr post that's like "half of college professors are like 'you can know nothing about me except my name' and the other half are like 'and that's why my wife left me! anyway what's up with y'all'" and the response "There were two professors like this in my department and I was one of like 20 people who was taught by both of them so there was a very small gang of us who knew that Professor Brick Wall and Professor Overshare were married with two kids." except in this it's high school teachers instead of college :)

A Company Man (Rated: E, Words: 75K) by mambo / @whtaft

Summary: It’s the way that Bucky smiles at Steve from across his desk. No, it’s the way that Bucky’s hand brushes Steve’s as they stand side by side in an elevator not crowded enough to justify their closeness. Or maybe it’s the whispered conversations every Saturday night, the way Bucky saves Steve’s number under a different name in his phone. No matter what it is, the truth is the same: Steve Rogers is in love with Bucky Barnes, a married man.

Rock You Like a Hurricane (Rated: E, Words: 112K) by CelticCross

Summary: Bucky Barnes is an author, he's written many books in his Winter Soldier series, starring Lloyd Hansen and Nick Fowler. He hasn't written a word worth writing in the past three months and his agent, Sam Wilson, forces him to take a break. Sam books him a rental beach house in a place called Plum Cove in Mass for three months, hoping to break him out of his writer's block. The owner, Steve Rogers, retired Plum Cove Police Captain, landlord and part time surfer is surprised to get such a lengthy off season booking but takes it anyway. He doesn't expect to spend a lot of time with the person renting his house, but then he wasn't expecting the storm to be that fierce.

Closing Time (Rated: M, Words: 10K) by RecoveringTheSatellites / @thisonesatellite & art by maichan /@maichan808

Summary: Steve works in a Brooklyn dive bar. A tall, guarded guy comes in to drink at regular intervals. He always sits in the back corner. Steve leaves him alone. He looks like a guy who deserves some peace and quiet. He does find out the stranger's name is Bucky. Finds out what he likes to drink. And little by little, conversation happens. Connection happens. Until one day a cock-flock of dudebros comes in (i made up cock-flock, but really, is that not their collective term) and the heckling goes up to eleven once they’re good and drunk. Bucky gets asked to take it outside. Steve will have none of that, thankyouverymuch. . A tale of love and hope in unlikely places, sprinkled with a bit of PTSD, and the occasional sarcastic quip.

Use Your Agency (Rated: E, Words: 15K) by romanticalgirl

Summary: Bucky is given the assignment (punishment) of being the agent whose job it is to integrate the newly-thawed Captain America into life in a new century. Only maybe it's not so bad. Because Bucky ends up dealing with Steve Rogers, who is nothing like the Captain America in Bucky's history books. From coming out of the ice through AoU.

Stay with Me (Rated: E, Words: 79K) by maikurosaki / @allegra-dreams

Summary: When Bucky Barnes accompanies his family to a ceremony dedicated to George Barnes' activity, he expects free food and drinks, the occasional boring speech, and watching his dad blush furiously as he gets to finally meet his childhood hero. What he doesn't expect is saving Captain America's life and getting shot in the process. What follows is a slow road to recovery, eating hospital food (still disgusting), making new friends (Avengers!!! Seriously, the Avengers!) and pining over Captain America (he won't comment on that). It sounds simple, but it really isn’t!

The Steadfast Soldier (Rated: E, Words: 12K) by danielosbourne

Summary: Bucky returns to Brooklyn to help his sister navigate a family crisis.

twelve twenty-five (Rated: E, Words: 43K) by burning_brighter / @burnin-brighter

Summary: “I have to say,” Winifred says, a mug of cocoa in her hands. “When you say you were bringing someone home, I thought you meant you were bringing a boyfriend. But I’m glad you brought Steve.” “Who says I’m not?” Bucky teases, laughing when Steve lets out an exasperated groan. “You two finally got your respective head out of your respective ass?” asks George, looking at Steve and Bucky intently. “No,” Steve says pointedly, “Bucky just thinks he’s so funny.” - Ever since they met, everyone assumed it was just a matter of time before Steve and Bucky became a thing. Ten years later and it has yet to happen. But when Bucky invites Steve to spend the holidays with him and his family in upstate New York, things start to change.

WIP

Every Me and Every You (Rated: M, Current Words: 38K) by deadto27 / @deadto27

Summary: Bucky Barnes is doing his best. He’s getting by after the blip, after Sam became Captain America, after Steve…well, it’s best he doesn’t think about that. The point is, his life is different now, and he’s trying his best. He just wishes the hollow feeling in his chest would go away.—–Bucky gets blinded by a bright light as the tear seems to implode in on itself and there’s an odd little jolt as the pulling stops, and then Bucky’s blinking, trying to get his vision right again as he loosens his grip on America.“You okay?” he checks, still squinting. He’s probably not blind, he thinks. It just feels like it right now.“I’m okay,” America tells him and he sees her nod shakily as his vision starts to clear, and he carefully lets go of her, seeing that she can support herself, hands pressing onto the floor next to her.“Uh…I don’t think I am,” says another voice, and Bucky turns his head so fast he might give himself whiplash. Because he knows that voice. He knows that voice better than any other voice on the planet and he’s missed that voice, so, so much.

Lost Vocabularies that Might Express (The Memory of These Broken Impressions) (Rated: E, Current Words: 103K) by dorian_burberrycanary / @burberrycanary

Summary: The worst of times, like the best, are always passing away. How’s that for some consolation on the road? A post-The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Stucky fix-it as part of the all-American road trip, detours included.

[graysparrowao3]

The Northern Bastards: Part 6. Series Complete.

Let us be honest with one another. I saw two unpleasant northern white guys and then blacked out for a few months to write an angst and smut laden long fic as a character exploration to address their emotional issues. Good times. I'm sure this doesn't say anything about things I need to personally unpack in real life.

Thank you to everyone who has been so kind about the writing in this unexpected series, I reckon it's the best character and thematic work I've ever written so far haha. I really hope this does the resolution justice for anyone that has been following along, I pulled out all the stops I could think of, and I thank anyone who hasn't if you have stuck around in spite of this indulgent, questionable, and oddly meaningful interlude.

It has "Goodbye" in the title. I've marked the series as "Complete". The summary says it's their final meeting and it even has "Enemies to Lovers" and "Explicit Consent" tags. If you still think this isn't the last installment, well well, looks like I'm not the one in denial after all...

Anyway, here it is. The finale. The climax. The Sixth Night Stand.

Godspeed, fellas.

Six Times to Say Goodbye

Words: 7,048

Rating: Explicit

Tags: Sexually Explicit Content, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Consent, Bittersweet

Summary: Rugan and Aradin want the same thing. But only one of them can have it. Or is it both? Or neither? Something’s got to give, and it’s going to be that ridiculous act they’ve been putting on.

✨ Link on AO3 ✨

P.s. An edit. I was still lying to myself. It's not the end. Lol.

[yanny-77]

2024 Fic Writer End of Year Roundup

Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going! Thank you to @witch-and-her-witcher for the tag!

Blue is for Sarah J Maas fics and Green is for Fourth Wing fics

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

About 250,030. I can't tell for certain about 20k words of TUH and all but about 20k words of ATOFAF were written in 2023.

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

1 Multi Chapter Fic 20 One Shots

The Multi Chapter Fic was I Don't Feel Safe with You Anymore based on a prompt assigned to me by @skyfallscotland

It's been five days since the Battle of Basgiath and Xaden still hasn't heard from Sgaeyl. The dragon left the college, needing time and distance to reflect on and process the changes to their bond since Xaden reached for power. Xaden is determined to give her that space, even as his magic drains the longer she stays away. He fights the urge to channel from the earth with everything he has but being a rider, his body is no longer compatible with life without magic. He can wait for her to come back. He can hold out. The alternative is unthinkable

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

Start? Just one: The Shadow Stalker.

A notorious killer is stalking the city of Prythian, killing from the shadows. After six months on the case, FBI Profiler Detective Eris Archeron still has no leads...Until he enters a seedy bar on the edge of the Forest House district and meets a man who will change his life forever

But The Underpants Heist started late last year.

Bodhi Durran has been in love with Liam Mairi since he was fourteen years old. It's a secret he's held close to his chest until a first-year from Liam's squad starts to get under his skin. Following War Games and the events at Resson, Bodhi is overwhlemed by grief, the rebellion, and his new position as Flame Sectionleader and finds himself turning to Liam's squadmate Ridoc for solace as the two scheme an elaborate plan to steal Commandant Panchek's underpants. And somehow, much to his surprise, Bodhi finds himself falling for the larger-than-life rider

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

Pink Pony Club

Any time Bodhi has to face the memories of his small hometown, Aretia, Tennessee, it’s painful. But after moving LA just over a year ago, he’s found a new home: at the Pink Pony Club. As a performer at the club, he can be whoever he wants to be. He can be cool. He can be sexy. He can be expressive. He can even be himself. Life in LA is better than he ever could have imagined. His new friends love and accept him for who he is, in a way his friends and family back home never could. He gets to dance without anyone judging him. And tonight, he’s going to get what he wants most of all: the attention of the man at the front-left table who comes to all his shows, the one with the beautiful eyes. He doesn’t even know the man’s name yet, but Bodhi’s determined to meet him at last. Because no matter what Mama or God may think, he is Bodhi Durran, and he is fucking beautiful.

I put my whole heart into this fic. If you only read one thing I wrote this year, let it be this.

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

The Shadow Stalker. I did not have a serial killer AU with ethical non-monogamy, dirty bathroom face fucking, and dark romance elements on my Bingo card for this year.

Honorable mention to: Shut Up and Fly With Me. This one might not seem experimental, but it's the only thing I've ever written in first person in my entire life.

After three long years apart, Garrick and Xaden are finally reunited at Basgaith. Only, instead of the romantic reunion Garrick expected, Xaden is holding back, afraid to take their relationship public for whole host of stupid reasons that start and end with Alic Tauri.

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

Uhh. I wrote a fic about Xaden watching his cousin have sex on dragonback...and surprisingly the people loved it.

Dragonback Boink

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

I want to say Paradise by the Dashboard Light...but apparently I wrote it last year. Fuck it. It's my post and I'm saying it anyway.

It was long ago and it was far away and it was so much better than it is today. A Tharion/RQD retelling taking place in 1970's hybrid Lunation/Real-World AU based on the music of Meatloaf.

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

@sholdthebus is one of the sweetest people around and I love all their art. Also @korrinamoe has some of the best Sloane/Aaric art around there and also some awesome are for Crowns of Nyaxia. Of course @silverlude and @xenafay too!

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

@iftheshoef1tz. I cannot read anything that Fitz writes without getting jealous of her talent. She makes writing seem effortless and everything she writes is moving and emotional and sexy.

I also have to call out @hoeelliexx for inspiring a Fourth Wing/AFTG crossover that I've been plotting out.

@born-to-riot and @acourtofladydeath for keeping me engaged with the Azris fandom even as my mind wanders.

And, of course, @suebswrites and @essjaywrites who keep me a functioning writer when all I want to do is quit. Add in @alexandia03 and @greeneyedwildthing who help host the @rq-gift-exchange!

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

This makes me feel like a mother playing favorites. @ubiquitouslyme, @siobhanbooks and @copperfirebird are some of the many talented writers I met this year. (You all better tag the rest of the crew!)

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

LMFAO Yes. Either as pinch hits for the exchange or to cheer each other up on the bad days.

Dear Brennan with @suebswrites

Adventure Kids with @suebswrites and @essjaywrites

The Moment I knew with @korrinamoe

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

I Don't Feel Safe With You Anymore is the first multi chapter fic I've finished.

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

Pick and choose your ideas carefully. There are a ton of things I want to write, but if I get distracted by the plot bunnies, then I end up going several months without updating my main fic and it's hard to get back into it.

Also ONLY SIGN UP FOR ONE EXCHANGE AT A TIME.

14. What is your advice?

Find fandom friends. They'll keep you writing, even when you don't feel like it with all their kind words and pestering.

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

FINISH TUH

[chimneyz]

2024 Fic Round Up

tagged by @mmso-notlikethat thank you <3

this year was actually my first year writing fanfiction and i only started in mid november during that time i have written 4 fics and 38,646 words under the ao3 handle thegayestdisaster (not including the stuff i wrote for exclusively tumblr) i had a lot of fun writing these and i am excited to write more

i also wanted to thank those who have read and liked them and this wonderful fandom

To Think We Could Stay the Same

Bucktommy | 6 out of 15 Chapters Completed | 26k | M

"I'll see you around, Buck" The door clicks behind him, officially closing him off from his hopes, his dreams, the man that he lo- No, not that, not after everything. It would hurt too much to say it, to even think it. His heart pounds in his ears, the beats increasing. Why is it so hard to breathe, it shouldn't be this hard to breathe. Before he knows it, his feet move quickly down the hall slightly staggering. Everything around him is a blur, the pounding of his heart becoming unbearable. He halts nearly tripping slamming his palm to the wall anchoring him in his place so he doesn't collapse to the floor below. With his free hand, he places pressure against his temples as he lets out an anguished sob. No, he can't, not here.

The Act of Gift Giving

Bucktommy | 1.5k | T

It's been a month since Tommy left, Buck was still on his baking spree trying his hardest to not text Tommy. He's only witnessed Tommy bubbling him once but he likes to think Tommy has done it more than just once. Buck gets back home from a long grueling shift and finds a package on his doorstep, Buck wasn't expecting any packages and there was no return address, or any address, whoever this was from had to of dropped it off. Buck stared at it for hours before he opened it, to his surprise it was a porcelain husky (at least he thought it was porcelain) it seemed old and very much loved in a past life. Buck laughed at himself, he has always been compared to a golden retriever by others, but there was one person who said otherwise. "No, no" Tommy smiled at him one day, "you aren't a golden retriever, you are a husky, fiercely loyal, intelligent, goofy, and yeah a bit of a yapper but loveable nonetheless." 

Under the Mistletoe

Bucktommy | 7.2k | T

He knew this day would come, he had been dreading it with every fiber of his being, but he knew it would come. Especially after what happened last week. Turns out today was that day. The melancholic sounds of The Cure sang through the radio in Tommy's truck, he hasn't been able to listen to much else besides The Cure. Sure maybe throw in some Radiohead and The Smiths but it mostly has been The Cure since the break up. Tommy knew that it was all his fault, that he was the one that ended things, but still, it's been a while since Tommy felt this melancholic about the end of a relationship. The sun was setting, painting the sky a brilliant orange, but it was hard to pay attention to the beautiful sky when there was only one thing on his mind. A text, one singular text that squeezed his heart to an aching pile of mush.

Blue Christmas

Bucktommy | 3.5k | T

A sharp blade of sunlight stabbed through the blackout curtains right into Tommy's eyes, it was unbearable enough to wake him from his slumber. In a groggy groan, Tommy shifted his body, facing away from the sunlight, pulling the blankets over his head cocooning himself in darkness once more. A sharp pain drilled into his brain making it throb against his skull. The pressure from it makes it feel as if his brain formed thumbs pressing against the back of his eyes trying their damndest to push them out of his head. A botched lobotomy would have been better than his. The stale taste of last night's alcohol coated his tongue, it was bitter.

i know it's super late to do this so i am pretty sure all my writer mutuals have already been tagged so if you see this and want to join in consider yourself tagged by me ☺️

[nygmcbblepot]

You're on Your Own, Kid: Part One

You have been Edward Nygma's assistant for a few months now. So far he hasn't taken you on any heists or anything, but usually you're just an errand girl. When he's too busy, he puts you in charge of the when, where, and how behind his plans. Sometimes you know he feels frustrated when you mess up but you needed a job and being a part of the Sionis family, he figured that you may be useful for him. You would love for him to wake up one day and realize that you're capable of helping him in a heist. You begin writing in your journal as Edward approaches and sits across from you at the dining room table. Ever since he had escaped Arkham a few months ago, he had been supposed to share Cobblepot Manor with Oswald but Oswald has since moved into a larger, more expensive, home.

You watched as Ed sat down across from you with a newspaper in his hand. He skimmed over the cover, and moved onto the crossword section, skipping all the other pages that had been before it. 

"You have been working for me ever since I had gotten out of Arkham and since your family essentially threw you out," Ed remarked with an attitude, not looking up from his puzzle. "I have noticed your work and being a Sionis, I figured you may have more insider information about different crime families or different popular bosses in the city. I'm not giving you a promotion but I'd like to do a trial run to see how well you'd pull off a successful heist. I've heard of the wonders your older brother Roman has pulled off, now let's see how you'd do. Think you could gain back your family's love by outdoing him?" Sighing, you get up from the table and bring your journal along with an empty coffee mug, figuring it was time to refill it. 

"Roman is just a crybaby bitch who would do anything for his daddy's approval. I on the other hand would like to outdo him just for my family to feel sorry that they ever threw me out like that."  As you begin to walk away, Ed stops you. 

"Y/N, are you gonna even take me up on the heist offer? Wouldn't want you to be stuck as someone's lousy errand girl for the rest of your life whenever you have just so much potential in you. Think about it; you could be the next Selina Kyle, or you could be better. Come back to me whenever you have made your decision."

You walk into the kitchen and begin brewing a new cup of coffee as I consider his offer. Once it's done, you take your notebook and head upstairs to your room. Your room was much darker and Victorian than you were used to as a Sionis. The Sionis' were into more modern architecture, which could get very boring at certain times. Roman managed to incorporate both modern and unique into his club, The Black Mask Club.  You personally felt the decor was just odd. Sitting down at a desk, you open a fresh page in the notebook and grab fancy pens out of your well organized drawer. You always try your best to keep everything neat for Ed, which was easy since you were a very tidy and organized person. Splitting the page down the middle with a black pen, you mark one side with a green word that reads, "pros", and a red word that reads, "cons".

A/N: Hi guys!! I haven't written in forever so excuse me if I'm a little rusty and my grammar sucks. I'm hoping to make this an ongoing fic so definitely give me feedback!🩶🫧

[tiltingheartand]

twenty questions for fic writers

tagged by @hearteyestommykinard and @desert--moonchild <333

How many works do you have an AO3? 34.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 132,535.

3. What fandoms do you write for? at the moment, just 9-1-1, although i have a feeling as soon as i rewatch the sandman i’ll feel a renewed urge to write in that fandom too.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? let me in before the rainy season starts again (7337) i want to believe (3878) colliding with forever when you speak (3191) clouds the size of oceans outside and above our heads (3186) the symphony of what we are (773) (all five of these are for the sandman, btw. all dreamling.)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why? Why not? so the thing is that i want to be the kind of person who responds to every comment, but they build up and then thinking about answering them makes me anxious so i avoid them, so more build up, so i get more anxious … it’s a whole thing. and i try not to get to the point where my hobbies feel like assignments? so.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? we were warm until we went to hell, with characters from star trek (2009) in the universe of repo! the genetic opera. it’s, uh. about as cheerful as the source material. (... i.e., major character death.)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? i’m dying not to hurt you, a haven fic in which i said “fuck that” to the MCD in the penultimate episode, and in which i got the ot3 from the show together. finally.

8. Do you get hate on fics? not so far (fingers crossed).

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? until a few months ago the answer to this question was “no”, but then i … started writing smut. apparently. it’s all been bucktommy so far (and probably will continue to be, tbh).

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've ever written? well considering the answer to #6 is a crossover …. anyway. not my only crossover. i think maybe the "craziest", just in terms of which media were getting mixed, is the sound of her wings -- a crossover between mash and the sandman (the comic series; this fic was written in 2006).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? no (again, fingers crossed).

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? i have not!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? no, although i help people brainstorm sometimes (or get help brainstorming). also, it's not quite fics, but i was in a bunch of text-based RPGs on LJ and DW in the long long ago.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? what a horrifying question to ask, thanks! uh. right now, probably bucktommy; ask me again in a year and that answer might change.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? i have concerns about finishing the thing i'm calling "the frequency AU", solely because it's. a lot of plot. and i have a severe tendency to get myself bogged down in details that literally nobody else gives a shit about, to the point where all writing ceases. (... actually, i'll include "hob gadling vs the wraith" here too, for the same reason.)

16. What are your writing strengths? i'm pretty good at getting characters' voices right, i think, both out loud and in their heads (i write almost exclusively third-person limited).

17. What are your writing weaknesses? scene transitions. establishing scenes, so that the thing i have pictured in my head that i'm trying to get into words is accurately conveyed to other people in a way that i don't leave a big piece of information out. where to end scenes.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? hasn't really come up for me actually? i feel like if it ever did i'd just end up going the "italicized words, and then "in [language]" after the italics" route, both for my sake and the sake of the readers.

19. First fandom you wrote for? sailor moon, the dic dub. thank god geocities is gone.

20. Favorite fics you've written? this one's a really tough call actually! i think probably a cross between we'll dance this fading life away (stargate sg-1) and the physics of this second sight has led me here (the librarians), because i was trying to write the both of them for such a long time and i'm really happy (and proud of myself, honestly) that i managed to finish them both.

tagging (with zero pressure!): @miriellesandthegiantpeach @mooshkat @26-cats-in-a-trenchcoat @smallandalmosthonest @dadvans

[the-s1lly-corner]

Flufftober prompt 29: Vacation (Lambert)

chat im going to be so real i didnt mean for there to be so many cult of the lamb fics for this month but ykw im not complaining.... if there was anything i could change, it would be rewriting shamura and narinders pieces esp because their fics were written before the bishops final quests were added in buuuuuuuut its too close to my personal deadline for this as i write this (a few days before october 1st) so yeah heres to hoping i give writing them another shot in the future! list here woo yeah baby plot: you steal the leader away for a day spent at pilgrims passage... its hardly a vacation but its a break the lamb accepts with open arms notes: reader is gn, reader is written as an aquatic creature in mind but you can tune out the details to make them anything, reader is a disciple and has been around for a long long time, takes place post game while the lamb is getting the bishops, they/them pronouns for lambert word count: 1506 cws: none

Things were only getting harder after each addition to the cult, and as dissention grows the Lamb finds themselves getting stretched thinner. Always sent away to retrieve something- or someone- from the world outside the flock.

They were dead tired, despite what they told you; but you could see the drag in their hooves and the way their eyes squinted when a cultist flagged them down for their attention.

So when you noticed the kitchens running low on fish you jumped at the chance to steal the leader away for some much needed time away from the cult. Hence why you are now both standing at the shore of Pilgrim's Passage.

You lower yourself onto the sand and dangle your feet off of the sudden drop, and watched the waves under you. It wasn't still, but they weren't slamming into the rock and dirt. You watch at the red crown shifted into the form of a rod and casts itself into the water.

"You don't need to do that, you can buy from..." You eye darts to the figure a few meters away. "You know, the fisherman." Your mouth tightened a bit as you peeled your eyes away and looked to your leader. "We've more than enough coin to cover it,"

Lambert's mouth worked itself before they looked back down at you, curling it into a faint smile. "I know, but fishing is nicer. It let's me turn my brain off for a while!"

That was true. They would be gone for far longer than one would expect when coming down to the coast.

"You don't have to be here, truth be told I was hoping you'd stay behind and keep an eye on everyone..."

You shrug, fingers sinking deeper into the warm sand. Your fins stretched as you smiled at them. "Julty can handle it on their own! besides who would keep you company and make sure you don't spend the entire weekend here? You know they don't like the water, anyways."

Julty, the yellow cat turned from hard working farmer to devoted disciple.

Lambert says something you can't quite hear, shifting to sit down next to you. Their hands grip the fishing rod, fingers tapping on the reel. "There's still so much work to be done,"

They look so tired, but not defeated.

"The flock is growing and there needs to be precautions set, with the bishops... I'm surprised Leshy hasn't burned anything down yet, but we're struggling to keep up with Heket's appetite." They mumble the last part to themselves.

"Why not kill them?" You want to say, but the words don't dare sneak past your lips. If Lambert wanted the bishops dead, they would have done so already- they'd never think to bring them to the flock. There has to be a reason they've brought them here, even if temporarily.

You shift your jaw, and you lean forward over the edge of the drop as the Lamb begins talking to themselves again.

"And if the flock finds out the bishops are here, the dissention could- HEY-" They scramble to grab at you before you can fall into the water but they're not fast enough.

In an instant you're under the waves, the water warm against your scaled body. Your head breaks the surface as you smile up at your leader, who was about to jump to follow you... You file that away for later. "Why-" They began before you shot a stream of water through your mouth at them.

They splutter and glare down at you, although they don't seem to be all that angry. You duck under the water as the red crown morphs into something- what form it takes you don't know, as everything fades into darkness as you lower yourself into the water.

The hook of the fishing rod breaks the surface above you.

You stare at it, before a grin breaks across your face. You hook a finger around it and give it a tug. Lambert tugs back, not enough to tear you out of the water or bring you closer to the shore- but enough to raise you closer to the water's surface. You swim upwards, clinging onto the line.

"Oh dear it appears I've been caught!" You cry out into the air as you let the line pull you.

"Yup," The Lamb pulls you even closer, face still dripping with water. "I've never caught a talking fish before... real big one too, maybe we can use this one for a feast!"

You tug away from the line, grin evident on your face as you watch your leader grip the rod tighter in their hands. "No! I wouldn't taste good-" You give another tug.

"Or maybe we could indulge and eat this one live and strung up-" They grin back at you.

You give another tug, this one a little too rough- you snap around and splash water everywhere just in time to see Lambert falling forward into the water.

"Shit- shitshitshit-" You hiss as you dive forward, stopping only when Lambert emerges from the waves.

"My lead-" You begin before they splash salty water in your face. Your face scrunches as you begin to splutter out of instinct. "That's for getting my face wet."

You gag, but the salt water wasn't anything new to you. "So mean, I was just trying to help you cool off is all-" You spit into the ocean and sink chin deep into the water, leaving only your face visible.

You open an eye and look at the lamb, who was wading through the water. It wasn't deep here, only high enough to come up to their chest. You rise to your feet in the water, no longer needing to swim now that you were in the shallower parts of the water.

"Lambert?"

"There aren't really any fish here today, maybe I should have done a ritual for some luck..."

You frown, they'd already returned to prioritizing the flock. You drag your feet through the water. "We've still got plenty of other meats, and as I said earlier you can always just buy some fish."

They frown, before clapping their palms together and taking a deep breath. "That's fine, I can just run through Anchordeep and get some, I need to go there anyways to get Kallamar,"

"Lambert," You said their name firmer this time. Finally, they looked at you. Their bell jingled softly as they raised an ear. "Hm?" is all they give you.

"You can go to Anchordeep later, there isn't really a rush is there? You just got done with Anura-" You walk with them to the dock, and help them up onto the wood. "The bishops can wait for you, I'm sure a few days is a blink for them."

Lambert lowered their hands to pull you up from the water. You take them, and they pull you up next to them. You both sit on the dock, their hands still wrapped around yours.

Their fingers squeeze you, before relaxing. Their face is screwed in thought, eyes fixated somewhere on your face. For a moment, they almost seem sad. For what, you can't say.

"Time is different for Gods, but that doesn't mean I don't have a job to finish,"

They pause as they watch your eyes burn into theirs.

"But," They cling tighter onto your hands once more. "I suppose, the flock can manage themselves for a little while longer."

They turn your hand over and trace their thumb along your palm. Then, their fingers interlock with yours.

You smile just slightly as you look out to the sea. The sun had begun to lower and cast it's light across the water, staining it orange.

"We can try to fish again tomorrow, I can help you," You offered. "So you don't come back to the flock empty handed,"

"I'd like that very much."

"How does four days sound?" You ask, "Then we can return, that should be enough time to catch plenty."

They turn over your words in their head.

"Three days, I do not want to leave Julty with all the work,"

"There's other disciples... but.." You trail off and swing your feet over the edge of the dock. The Lamb grips you, preventing any chance of diving back into the water. Not that the thought crossed your mind. "Three days can work,"

They nod, and rise to their feet. "Where are you going?" You ask.

"Checking to see if the Lighthouse Keeper has a spare place to rest for the time being,"

You watch them walk to the edge of the dock, before turning to their left to the lighthouse.

The waves shift under you, hitting the dock's support. Still, the Lamb was putting the needs of their flock before themselves. Lambert did not need to sleep.

You pull your knees up to your chest and watch the light glint through the sea. Beautiful shades of orange and yellow and blue shimmer for you. By the time Lambert returns, the sun had long set.

[timextoxhajima]

Kill Shot: Niki Nishimura

member: enhypen niki

genre: mafia! enhypen

synopsis: you're an fbi agent working for the nishimura cartel as an undercover spy. your cover is blown in the presence of the boss' youngest son.

a/n: it has been a hot minute since i've written something. my writing style has definitely changed, and this fic will not focus on any romance whatsoever. based on the new song by itzy.

w/c: probably like 400

the nishimura cartel is not one for the weak - of course, that's what everybody says about any mafia system or any cartel. but when you're knee-deep in it, involved with their transactions and being a person of importance to their routines, danger becomes a thin line you can cross without even knowing.

japanese mafias and cartels very seldom include the likes of anybody below the age of 16, so when jung dayoon was very carefully sifted into the system, she was very surprised to meet the youngest member - niki nishimura - the middle child of three and the only son of his father.

her focus became keeping an eye on him, as well as his sisters. His older sister is the pride of the family. despite being just one year older than him, her missions and tasks started way before he did. she was 15 when she first held a gun to a man's head, and jung dayoon was there to watch the inherited cold-bloodedness she had.

but it was too much effort to have jung dayoon sifted into the system, so blowing her cover now, at six months, would be too fast. one of the reasons for her reluctance to bust them is that she wouldn't know what would happen to the three children. they may have been in a cartel but nobody could deny that they were living a life most people would've wanted.

they never starved. they always got the newest toys. always sat in expensive cars and always ate the best things. as ironic as it seemed, these children were in a bubble - if the bubble was covered in spikes and poison and killed anybody who touched it.

click.

she clicks the magazine into the gun and sets it down. turning around, she meets eye to eye with niki, who closes the door behind him.

they don't knock here. all the nishimuras never have to knock. dayoon has lost count the number of times she's tried to use her pager and gotten a heart attack.

"i was just looking for you."

dayoon almost feels emotional - the first time she met him, his voice was still that of a boy's. she was also taller than him. now, his voice is low enough to go unnnoticed if he doesn't bother to speak up, and during conversations, she remains a foot away from him to save her neck the ache.

"what is it?" she passes off rubbing the barrel of the sniper with her sleeve to push her pager up her arm.

"you know how my first task's probably coming soon? i just was... just wondering... how did you get in? i mean, if my father trusted you, then you must be good at something."

his words sting. it's been difficult trying to hide the hurt, the sorrow, the anger and every other emotion on the drawing board while working here. dayoon sometimes wonders if she was the right person to be made an undercover agent, but by the time she realised who she was dealing with, it was too late.

she scoffs. "'good at something'? i hope that hasn't been your impression of me the entire time i've been working here."

niki shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets, finding a chair nearby to sit in. dayoon remains standing. it's necessary that nobody sits in a nishimura's presence.

dayoon notices the lack of response - he's not going to ask again.

"i have never missed a shot in my life. 100% fatality. thought you would've already known," she composes herself and places her hands infront of her abdomen.

niki fiddles with the pistol on the table he's at. then, he pauses and tilts his head to look at her, eyes dark through his blonde hair which he hasn't gotten past ever since he got it bleached.

she remembers that day - he looks like he aged two or three years. sometimes, she thinks about how terrifying he is, that if a child can be capable of doing certain things, then what will he be capable of when he's an adult?

niki is one of those people who gets more intimidating as he grows older, for he's following in his father's footsteps more and more each day. and dayoon knew for a fact that if she slipped up, the chances of niki catching her would be much higher than her father or his sisters. he's not the heir to the cartel for nothing.

"my father can find a sniper anywhere. why you?"

dayoon takes a deep breath. because the police force planted me in a spot where your father will see me as the best of the best in his circumstance.

"i don't know, you tell me," dayoon returns a shrug. she knows better than to speak to him in this tone - but niki is sharp. he is ruthless. he can tell when you're lying, and right now, she's already in danger. it's better for her to disguise it with courage, nonchalance.

niki sighs, lacking patience. he drags a finger down his left temple, then adjusts his arm to reach for the pistol again.

"sometimes, just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not there."

his voice is just loud enough for her to hear - but she's having trouble processing his words.

dayoon cocks her head, slightly anxious. "i'm afraid i don't understand."

"i'm telling you... to not be arrogant. arrogance is enough to make a mistake. a fatal one."

she finally frowns, reaching behind her for the gun.

"i'm not here to kill you."

"then why are you telling me all this?"

"because i'd hate to have to blow your guts out tomorrow for my first assignment," niki stands, hand grabbing the pistol and raising it to eye level.

dayoon's heart is in her mouth, and her fingers begin to tremble upon the realisation. there are no thoughts in her head, for she's simply preparing herself for death.

but instead, niki releasing the pistol and lets it swing around his index finger, allowing her to take it.

"your life or the safety of the cartel."

dayoon knows how fast he is with guns, so she doesn't bother taking it out of his hands.

"the cartel is the reason why the city isn't safe."

"and yet half of the cartel have families to feed. you may not see it our way, but why should you ruin those... when i'm letting you go?"

"your father will know."

"my father already knows."

she pauses.

"he was just reserving you. for me. so you can either accept my proposal and keep your mouth shut... or come tomorrow and let me put a bullet through your eyes. your choice."

[solivagantingrebel]

Fanfic writer questions!

How many works do you have on ao3?

8! But if we count my other account that I abandoned, 10.

What's your total ao3 word count?

So far, roughly 142k words.

What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly just COD fandom (exclusively Ghostsoap!)

Top five fics by kudos:

Leaving Your Heart On Fire - omegaverse smut amirite? (first attempt at smut fic too, which is, something!)

carry me in your teeth (with tender jaws of sympathy) - seal!soap x orca!ghost with hurt/comfort, biting and other shenanigans. honestly, i never thought people would like it that much since i hallucinated the plot & the first chapter within a day lmaoo.

Only Yours - another omegaverse smut! second one in the series, but whatever. wall sex galore tho <33

Sweetest Gift - lingerie & shibari & bdsm. need i say more

With The Softness Of Your Breath - what if hallmark movies were good, and ghoap? ALSO childhood friends and retired au + all the christmas goodness. this one is very deserved and i will literally kiss everyone who read this on the mouth for giving it a chance even tho i know first person pov isn't favoured in fandom spaces. i poured my heart into it, ty <3

Do you respond to comments?

I try my best to! Miss some sometimes because i'm too busy giggling and kicking my feet over the sheer amount of elation i feel whenever i get the notification.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Happy ending kind of guy, so none. Unless you count the letter. MCD 😔

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

CHRISTMAS FIC,, but all of them are going to be happy ending so we'll see!! my current longfics will take the rest of the year, or more, to end though, so who knows.

Do you get hate on fics?

No? But I did get a comment about how first person pov was something that a reader hated and they were looking forward to reading the fic with the tags & summary. Oh well, their loss.

Do you write smut?

ABSOLUTELY,,, i adore writing smut. right after fluff and angst, i have to say.

Craziest crossover:

None yet :(

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! I wouldn't mind it though.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No but Alex. i am looking at you with the softest, darkest brown eyes ever.

All time favourite ship?

GHOSTSOAP. but also capitaru and cami. if you know you know. i don't mind ghoap x reader too, but i swear they NEED to be fucking each other as well, no ghoap 'thinking' of each other as friends and nothing more. all of us are in love and fucking and that is final, or there is nothing.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Beyond Life and Death,,, im so sorry my first attempt at a longfic but i really overestimated everything before i started writing it. Still hold it in my heart, since it was how I taught myself to write fanfics in general but it's a mess, honestly.

What are your writing strengths?

I. have no idea. I've been told I'm good at setting scene (emotional, erotic, angsty) so maybe that? Words also fly out of my mind at the speed of light whenever I am deeply dissecting a character's inner monologue, feelings and thought process AND ALSO TRAUMA, so that too.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I would say action if it were me from the past,, but I've gotten better at it. So, for now, plot, but I'm working on it!

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

HELL YEAH!!

First fandom you wrote in?

......JJK. You will not find that fic though.

Favourite fic you've written?

All of them are my babies don't make me choose 😭

I have no idea who has done this tag game and who hasn't. it was trending like months ago, so open tag for now! do feel free to yap about your fics and tag me if you, i'd love to know <3 (get some recs meself) ill tag a few but feel free to ignore me if youve already done it lmao @eiraeths @myriadblvck

[qstarhalo]

I feel like I ask about fic ideas a lot, but I was once introduced to the magic of having a second pair of eyes for a story, which really helps, and this is starhalo 😅 As a knight, how do you think Etoiles would realize he would want to serve Bad? I have a story where Bad is an emperor and Etoiles was assigned to be his personal knight so they grow close through that, but before Etoiles is chosen, how would he realize Bad is someone he wants to serve? Or even during his servitude? I feel like this is a very broad question, so it's totally alright if you don't really have an answer xD I have a small bit written out where Etoiles admired Bad’s battle prowess and kind of how he governs, but that's about it.

Ooooo hm that's an interesting question.....

Now, as far as I know, an Emperor is someone who is higher than a King. An Emperor rules over the entire empire while the kings and queens rule the towns within it. So, with this in mind, let's see what I can come up with and keeping it fictional.

By assuming that Etoiles has lived in one of these kingdoms through his life, there'd be no doubt that he hasn't been to some festive to show appreciation to their king and queen and the emperor. And it has been the same Emperor for so many decades. Until one day, where news have spread fairly quickly, that there'd be a new Emperor and he's going to visit all the kingdoms to get to know them!

And so, there'd be a welcoming festival! Yay!! And Etoiles is helping set up when everyone is told to get into position! Etoiles, if anything, would be one of the people that protects the townsfolk so he'd be at the entrance waiting for the arrival. Blah blah blah arrival happens and festival is now over and the Emperor is talking with a street kid that looks like they could be related to the Emperor (ahem Dapper).

I can't see there being an attack of some sort, especially if this kingdom isn't the first Bad's visited, but I can see a kid stealing fruit from a store. And this kid can be a little girl who wears a beret, Etoiles' mini warrior.

Just as Etoiles sees Pomme stealing and the guy grabbing her, he goes to intrude, but it seems that the Emperor was a step ahead of him for as he goes to the stand. The guy lets the girl go and bows, Pomme following. Bad then hands the owner way more coins then he's supposed to pay for fruit and grabs a fresher apple then the one the girl was stealing and hands it to her, throwing the other away. And something about the gentleness draws Etoiles in. Something about how he handled that was so.....

Confusing. Etoiles is so confused. Isn't it his first week? There's no way he's this good at all this. Not even their previous Emperor knew what he was doing for his first month or so. But then that intrigues Etoiles even more, that mystery.

The mystery of this guy is so interesting and it's just that he handled that so well but the guy wears a cloak that hides his face. And he doesn't look like he's grown up in the village nor in the castle. And he doesn't say swears nor the substitutions for those swear words that everyone uses. And just everything about the guy makes him mysterious. And Etoiles wants to know more, plus he looks cool.

OR Star is talking nonsense ^^"

(Also, I love when you stop by and ask for ideas <33 It inspires me to write little rambles and I love doing that <3)

[ladydorian05]

A Home for Broken Hearts ~ Chapter 8

Co-written with @made-ofmemories!

Hi, Ladydorian here!! Nope, this fic hasn't been forgoten. Yes, it will be completed. When? … Someday and I really hope it happens soon.

Anyways, I'vee been editing the last chapters, but I've been lacking motivation, not just to finish this one, just in general, real life sucks. So it's a really slow process and I actually wasn't going to update untill the rest of the chapters were ready to also be updated but it's been a while since the last update.

Hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!

Masterpost

AO3

Chapter 8: I Had the Time of My Life

A few days after Max and Dustin have left, Eddie brings up the gig. It ends up being a last minute plan. Steve isn’t even sure if Eddie was being serious when he first brought it up. He sounded as though he was half joking when he asked if Steve and Robin wanted to watch his band play, just enough that it’d be easy to backtrack if they turned him down.

They’re playing at the hideout, which according to Eddie, is what the dive where they first met is actually called. Steve agreed much too quickly and Robin wasn’t far behind him. And now here they are.

“Your hair looks fine, will you stop?” Robin is in his room perched on the edge of his bed watching him fuss over his appearance in the mirror. 

The air is heavy with the extensive collection of hair products he’s been spraying for the past 20 minutes. He hasn’t put this much effort into his hair since highschool. 

“Ok, ok I’m leaving it.” He raises both hands in surrender and does a final once over in the mirror. He looks good. There’s a smattering of stubble covering his jaw and upper lip, his hair is coiffed to perfection, and he’s wearing his favorite pair of jeans, the tight ones that hug his ass just right. 

“This is why people used to call you Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington.”

“You’re the only person that’s ever called me that,” He quickly tucks a rogue strand that has flopped down in front of his eyes back into place before she can notice and chastise him for fussing again, “and you never stopped.”

“Details.” She waves a hand through the air, brushing the conversation away. He can see her reflection in the mirror and pinpoints the exact moment her eyes lock onto the little glass tube of clear gloss on the edge of his dresser, “Is that my lipgloss?”

“No.”

She’s on her feet now, stalking over to him and squeezing both of his cheeks together with one hand forcing his lips into a pout, “It totally is, I can’t believe you stole my lipgloss!”

“You’re literally wearing my jacket right now.” His words are muffled by Robin’s hand still gripping his face.

“It’s not yours.” She lets go of him, wrapping her arms around herself instead, pulling the jacket close to her body as if he’ll try to take it from her.

“Yes it is.”

“It’s our jacket.” 

Steve sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He can’t count the number of times his shirts, jackets, even his jeans have gone missing only to show up in Robin’s laundry. It’s usually a bigger surprise if he walks up to his wardrobe and finds everything where he expects it to be.

“You know Eddie’s still going to think you look good even if you turn up bald, right?” Oh so they’re talking about this again. He gives her a look, “I’m just saying, he likes you. Really, really likes you. Which is probably a good thing because it’s the only way someone would put up with all of the blatant ogling-”

“I do not oggle!” He definitely does.

“And I know it’s not my place to meddle.” Like that has ever stopped her. “And I know you said all that stuff about getting over Heidi, but it’s been nearly two months  since you two broke up. Seriously, Steve, how have neither of you made a move by now? If I have to spend one more day watching you both pining over each other I’m going to lose my mind!”

“I do not pine either!” Who is he kidding, he definitely does, “And it’s not as simple as just ‘making a move’, what if I do and he doesn’t reciprocate? Then I’ve made things awkward and he’s never going to speak to either of us again and we lose our gallery space.”

“First of all, stop catastrophizing. Secondly, have you seen the way he looks at you?” 

Robin has perched herself on the edge of his bed again and he lowers himself to sit beside her with a heavy sigh.

“I can’t risk it. Even if he does feel the same way, what if it makes things awkward between us in the long run? It’s better if we’re just friends, every other relationship I’ve had has blown up in my face. I don’t want to lose him too.”

He’s afraid. The realization hits him like a punch to the gut. He thinks Robin knows it too, maybe even figured it out before he did, her expression softens. 

“Ok, I won’t mention it again, unless you do it first.” She pats his shoulder, “I’m going to book our Uber so you have about ten minutes to finish getting ready.”

“Ten minutes? Ten minutes isn’t enough, Robin!” He calls, but she’s already gone and the door is left open behind her. “Shit,” He curses to himself as he scrambles to his feet.

–

Chrissy is waiting for them when they get to The Hideout. She’s sitting on her own around a table much too large for just one person and waves to them when she sees them in the doorway. She stands to greet them with a hug and a bright smile. 

“The boys are backstage getting ready, they’re on in a minute.” Her voice is raised, fighting to be heard over the din of the bar. 

“Alright, I’m going to go grab a drink. Do you want another?” He gestures to the empty glass on the table and Chrissy nods.

“Just a beer.” 

“Same,” Robin chips in, not needing to be asked as she takes a seat next to Chrissy at their too-large table.

It’s busy and it takes much longer than he anticipated to finally make his way to the front of the bar. Corroded Coffin are making their way on stage right as he returns to the table with 3 beers balanced carefully in his hands. 

Eddie’s eyes find him in the crowd almost instantly and stay locked on him as he introduces himself and the band. He sends a wink Steve’s way right before they start their first song. He finally breaks eye contact only to bang his head back and forth in time to the beat of the drums behind him before returning to the microphone to roar out the first line of the song.

Steve is mesmerized for the whole show, Eddie on stage is a sight to behold. He belongs up there, guitar in hand, microphone in front of him, it’s hard to imagine him being anywhere else as he bounces around the stage somehow just as full of energy at the end of their 45 minute set as he was at the start. 

“They’ll be packing up the van if you want to go find them.” Chrissy leans over, her shoulder bumping against his and a knowing smirk on her face when she pulls away again. Clearly she’s noticed Steve’s gaze which has not so subtly been fixed on the empty stage ever since the band left. 

“Oh- no it’s ok I don’t want to bo-” 

“Steve. Just go.” Robin interrupts. 

He raises both hands in surrender and shuffles to his feet as he heads out the front door and around the side of the building to the back parking lot to the jeering of a slightly tipsy Chrissy and Robin. 

One of Eddie’s band mates is the first to spot him, the drummer if Steve remembers correctly, though admittedly most of his attention had been focused on Eddie for the majority of the performance. The maybe-drummer elbows the guy standing beside him, turns his back to Steve and leans in to whisper something before they’re both whipping their heads around to look over their shoulders. Real subtle. Steve gets closer, still no sight of Eddie and he’s starting to feel a little self conscious when he sees them glance in his direction then lean in to whisper something again.

“Hey, is Eddie with you guys?” He decides it’ll be better if he just approaches first.

“Are you Steve?” The drummer says at the same time as the taller one points towards the open door leading backstage.

“Um, yes.” 

“I knew it!” Drummer turns to his bandmate, “I freaking told you, Eddie was staring at him the entire show.” He continues as if Steve isn’t there, “You owe me 5 bucks.”

“Hey!” Eddie yells and all three heads snap in his direction. He’s heading out of the stage door followed by their fourth and final band member, “Gareth, leave him alone.” 

“What? I didn’t even do anything!” Gareth throws his hands up into the air and Steve fights back a smile.

“What’re you doing out here?” Eddie asks, his attention focused on Steve again as he pulls him into a hug. He’s damp with sweat after spending the past 45 minutes jumping around a stage in a stuffy bar. Steve should find it gross, but he really can’t find it in him to care about anything when Eddie’s arms are wrapped around him.

“Chrissy said you guys would be out here, figured I’d see if you needed any help.”

“We’re just about done.” Eddie smiles, eyes locked with Steve’s. Gareth clears his throat, breaking whatever moment they were having and causing Eddie’s head to whip over into his direction as if he’d forgotten they’re currently surrounded by his bandmates who are staring at him expectantly.

“Oh, how rude of me.” He rolls his eyes in the direction of the 3 pairs of eyes currently boring into him awaiting a proper introduction, but it’s playful and Gareth flips him off in response, “This is Jeff.” 

Eddie gestures to the one who had followed him outside just a moment ago. Jeff offers a small smile then holds out his hand for Steve to shake, “Nice to meet you.” Jeff says. Polite, Steve likes him, he decides. 

“And it looks like you’ve already met Gareth and Carl,” Eddie adds. Gareth, arms crossed and with a hard glare on his face, juts his chin up in greeting. Carl offers a friendly little wave and smile.

“Nice to meet you guys.” Steve nods at them.

Jeff falls into step with Steve at the back of the pack as they make their way inside. Carl and Gareth are ahead, flanking Eddie at either side and from the pieces of conversation Steve can overhear, interrogating him. 

“Don’t worry about Gareth.” The sound of Jeff's voice pulls Steve's attention away from the trio in front of them and over to the boy beside him, “He’s kind of like a feral cat. You’ll get used to him.”

“You know I can hear you right?” Gareth turns to walk backwards a few steps to look at them as he speaks and almost trips over his own feet in the process. 

Jeff takes the seat on Steve’s right when they return to Chrissy and Robin at the table. Gareth moves to take the seat on Steve’s left but pauses and moves to the next seat over when Eddie’s hand clamps down on the back of the wooden chair accompanied by a look.

There’s another round of introductions as the band gets acquainted with Robin followed by a brief lull in conversion when Chrissy drags a reluctant Eddie off to the bar to help her with the next round of drinks. It’s Robin who breaks the ice.

“How did you guys meet?” Robin asks after downing what’s left of her beer.

“Highschool, DnD club,” Carl informs her.

“Yeah, Gareth here is the youngest,” Jeff continues to explain. Carl ruffles Gareth's hair, but quickly gets his hand batted away followed by an angry stare, “He moved out to Chicago for college about three and a half years ago now and we all followed.”

“Eddie likes to think Chigago was his idea,” Gareth pipes up, “but it was really because they all know the band sucks without me.”

That gains a reaction, playful jeering from Carl and Jeff and laughter from Robin and Steve.

“You wish, Emmerson!” Eddie’s voice booms above the others and Steve cranes his neck to see him and Chrissy returning to their table with as many drinks as they could carry between the two of them balanced in their hands.

Eddie places two beers onto the table and uses his free hand to tousle Gareth's hair. Just like with Carl he bats the hand away and gives him a scowl even more fierce than the first, Steve is a little surprised that it isn’t accompanied by a hiss. He’s starting to understand Jeff’s ‘feral cat’ comment more with every second that passes.

Eddie’s bandmates are surprisingly easy to get along with, so much so that Steve is left wondering why he was ever worried about meeting them in the first place. Jeff has known Eddie the longest and has the juiciest gossip, Carl has a great sense of humor seemingly without realizing just how funny he actually is, even Gareth starts to warm up to them after a little while.

“I swear! His guns aren’t just for show, those arms are strong!” Robin shouts, “When Max and El first watched Dirty Dancing they made it their pastime to run to Steve and get him to lift them like the characters in the movie for weeks! They still do it sometimes.”

“Bullshit! You can’t do the Dirty dancing lift!”

“I so can!” “He so can!” Steve and Robin chime in at the same time.

“Prove it Harrington,” Garreth challenges, “Twenty says you can’t!”

“Easiest twenty bucks I’ll make,” He stands up from the table and claps his hands once looking around their table, “Alright, I need a volunteer. Chrissy?”

“Why me!?”

“You were a cheerleader, it’ll be a piece of cake for you. Besides, Robin moves too much, and she’s ticklish.”

“Oh fuck you, Dingus!” Robin was definitely more drunk than Steve had thought, she normally doesn’t cuss that openly, “you just revealed my number one weakness to everyone here!”

“Hate to break it to you, Sir. Robin, but it wasn’t a secret,” Eddie points out, “What do you say, Chris? Want to fly again?”

“Only if I get half of the money.” She leans back in her chair, watching him from across the table, “And you better not drop me.”

“Sure. I promise I won’t drop you.” Steve lifts his left hand, palm facing forward and makes a cross over his heart with the right one, “Cross my heart, scouts honor and all that.”

“You were never a scout, Steve!” Robin slurs, her brow furrowed with confusion.

“Oh shush you, everyone makes promises like that.”

“Okay, I trust you.” Chrissy nods then pushes back her chair and stands, “Well come on then, what’re we waiting for?”

It’s still busy even after the live music has ended, and the place wasn’t the biggest venue to begin with, but they manage to find an empty space big enough to give Chrissy a running start. Carl and Jeff deal with moving an empty table to the side to give them more room as the others form a perimeter around them. Steve doesn’t miss the cautious looks they’re getting from the staff behind the bar, but so far they haven’t been kicked out and that’s good enough for him.

“I’ll count to three! On three, you run up to me, okay!?” Steve shouts over the music, he waits for Chrissy’s answer before starting to count, “Three!” 

Chrissy runs to him, jumping when his hands find her waist giving him a helping hand as he lifts her up above his head. Her hands grip his shoulders for a moment until she feels secure enough to let go and stretch her arms out to the sides. He turns twice, pivoting on his feet and keeping Chrissy balanced carefully in the lift the entire time. She’s giggling by the time he sets her down, but it’s difficult to hear over the cheer that erupts from their friends and strangers alike. The commotion had drawn quite the crowd, but it soon dissipates once the show is over.

“Oh my god!” Chrissy is still giggling as she pulls him into a hug, “That was fun, I get why Max and El liked it so much.”

“Nah, nah, nah! That doesn’t prove that Harrington is strong, Chrissy is tiny, she’s easy to lift,” Gareth argues.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Garebear.” Jeff teases.

“I’m not a sore loser! It’s facts!”

“Wanna try yourself Gareth?” Carl taunts.

“No way, I’m not about to volunteer to get dropped on a dirty bar floor.” Gareth’s face scrunches up in disgust.

“You should try lifting Eddie.” Robin is smirking at him and already pushing Eddie forward with both hands.

“What?” Eddie asks, looking bewildered as he’s shoved into the center of the circle that has formed around Chrissy and Steve, “Why me?”

“You’re the tallest.” Robin shrugs. It’s a blatant lie, Steve knows exactly why she picked Eddie; she isn’t as slick as she thinks, especially not when she’s so drunk she can barely walk in a straight line.

“You up for it?” Steve asks, but Eddie hesitates.

“I don’t know, man.” 

“Come on, I won’t drop you I promise.”

“Wait!” Gareth announces, mischief painted across his features as he disappears in the direction of the bar. If he cranes his neck Steve can just about make out the mop of brown curls as he leans over the counter talking to one of the bar staff.

Jeff and Robin have ganged up on Eddie, trying to convince him to go along with it, when the music stops abruptly and the song changes. Chrissy’s face lights up instantly and it only takes Steve a second longer to realize what he’s hearing when the lead singer croons out ‘Now I’ve had the time of my life’.

“Now you really have to do it, Eds.” Chrissy says excitedly followed by an enthusiastic nod from Gareth as he returns to them. 

“For the record,” Eddie sighs as he shoos Carl and Jeff out of the way with a wave of his hand to create some space, “I still think this is a bad idea.”

Chrissy goes to stand with Robin, they’re leaning close whispering something between themselves that’s too quiet for Steve to hear over the music. 

“Ready?” Steve asks, raising his voice so Eddie can hear from where he’s positioned himself a little further back than Chrissy had been for the run up. He gets a nod in response, “Alright on 3 again.”

Eddie isn’t as balanced as Chrissy had been, his hands don’t leave Steve’s shoulders and he wobbles as he tries his hardest to keep his legs stretched out behind him. They hold the pose for a few seconds before Steve lowers him to the ground carefully, his hands lingering on Eddie’s waist.

“See, told you I wouldn’t drop you.” He leans in, his voice as hushed as he can make it while still being heard.

“Didn’t doubt you for a second, big boy.” Eddie grins. They’re so close Steve thinks Eddie might lean in and kiss him right there in the middle of the bar in front of all their friends. Gareth clears his throat, obviously taking extra care to be as obnoxiously loud as possible and Eddie jolts away as if he’s just remembered where they are.

The first round of shots comes from the table of women to their right who had been cheering on Steve during his impromptu dirty dancing routine, the second round comes from the two guys sitting at the bar. He loses track after that, isn’t even sure how much he’s had or how far gone he is until a shot is placed down in front of him only to be swiftly removed by Eddie. 

“I think you’ve had enough, don’t you big boy?” He’s leaning in so the others don’t hear as he sets the shot aside. His words slur slightly and Steve can smell the alcohol on his breath but he’s one of the more sober members of their party at the moment. 

Steve nods, not trusting himself with words as he starts to realize just how much his head is spinning.

“Steve, hey, you good?” There’s that husky voice again, the one that has been the star of every inappropriate dream he’s had for the past month. He almost forgets he’s meant to reply until Eddie raises an eyebrow and he realizes he’s been staring.

“Oh, yeah I’m good.” He says in a rush, “Think I just need to get some fresh air. Yeah, fresh air good.”

Thinking he can balance on his own two feet is his first mistake, his second is throwing an arm out toward the table to catch himself when he wobbles unsteadily flopping back down into his seat at the same time as he sends the discarded shot and an almost full bottle of beer toppling over soaking his shirt and pants.

“Shit.” He hisses, fueled by adrenaline and jumping to his feet with much more ease. 

He looks down at the mess he’s made, too shocked and too drunk to feel any embarrassment about it. Jeff is already picking up the toppled glasses and making a futile attempt to clean the table up with a napkin. Eddie is by his other side now also standing, one hand hovering near the small of his back.

“When I stopped you from drinking that shot I didn’t expect you to start wearing it instead,” Eddie jokes, a wide goofy smile appearing on his features, “Go clean yourself up I’ll see if I’ve got a spare shirt or something in the van.”

Eddie leaves looking much more steady on his feet than Steve feels as he heads toward the restrooms with wobbly steps. Both Jeff and Robin offer to accompany him, but he waves off the offers, he’s pretty sure Robin is even drunker than he is at this point and would be more of a hindrance than help anyway.

The restroom is thankfully empty, but just as grimy as expected with graffiti covering most of the tile and the cubicles. He splashes some cold water onto his face and rests a hand on either side of the sink as he looks at himself in the mirror. His hair still looks pretty good despite the fact he has been running his fingers through it for most of the night, his shirt wasn’t so lucky. He grabs a wad of paper towel, scrubbing hopelessly at the mixture of alcohol staining his now ruined shirt. There’s a thud when the door swings open and hits the wall.

“Alright,” Eddie is striding over, leather jacket in hand, “This is all I could find, but it’s better than nothing right?”

“Yeah, yeah that’s good,” Steve says, only half paying attention as he returns to frowning at his shirt.

Eddie sighs and Steve hears the leather jacket being set aside, one of the metal buckles clinking against the porcelain sinks, “Come here, you’re not going to get anywhere scrubbing at it like that.” 

He hands over the wad of paper towel then quickly realizes he is not mentally prepared for this when Eddie steps closer, right into his personal space, resting one hand on Steve’s hip as he uses the other to gently dab at the fabric covering Steve’s chest. 

Eddie’s tongue is poking out of the corner of his mouth the way it does when he’s concentrating. He should look away, fix his gaze on the ceiling tiles, or the graffitied wall behind Eddie’s head, anything except Eddie’s perfectly plump lips. Maybe if he were sober he’d be a stronger man but right now he just can’t pull his eyes away. They really are very pretty lips, Steve thinks they would look even better wrapped around his-

“-Are you listening?”

“Huh?” He blinks slowly, forcing himself to meet Eddie’s eyes and pull his thoughts out of the gutter.

Eddie chuckles, the hand on Steve’s hip gives a firm squeeze, “I said I think the shirt is a lost cause.”

Right. The shirt, the whole reason they’re in this situation in the first place. He tries to come up with a response, pretend he still cares about the shirt, but his eyes are on Eddie’s lips again and any shred of self control he had been holding onto dissolves into thin air.

The kiss takes Eddie by surprise and Steve uses it to his advantage, pushing forward until Eddie’s back hits the counter where the discarded Jacket had been placed. It’s desperate and messy, a hurried clash of lips and teeth combined with the taste of cheap beer on each other's tongues. Eddie’s hands are gripping Steve’s waist as if he’s scared he’s going to float away if he lets go.

Steve lets one hand tangle in Eddie’s hair and tugs, earning him a breathy moan that he’s sure he’s going to be hearing in his dreams for the rest of his life. He tugs again, a little firmer this time and he’s rewarded with another pretty noise. Eddie presses himself impossibly closer, one of his legs slots between Steve’s and Steve ruts forward involuntarily, craving whatever friction he can get.

Eddie pulls away abruptly. Steve whines, chasing after Eddie’s lips, but Eddie shakes his head, dodging Steve’s lips and letting his forehead rest against Steves. Eddie’s eyes are screwed shut as he takes a deep breath then lets it go and opens his eyes again.

“You’re drunk.” They’re still standing tangled together, Eddie’s hands on Steve’s hips, one of Steve’s hands gripping the back of Eddie’s neck and the other resting on his chest, “I’m drunk.”

The reality of what just happened hits him in a rush. He just made out with Eddie in a grimy public restroom, practically threw himself at the poor guy until Eddie put a stop to it. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I- I shouldn’t have done that I thought you felt the same way and-” 

“I do,” Eddie says firmly, no room for argument, “But if we’re going to do this I want to do things right and you’re way too drunk to consent to anything right now anyway.”

It takes Steve a moment to process Eddie's words, to realize that no he has in fact not screwed this whole thing up, Eddie is just a decent person. 

“Ok.” 

“We can talk about things tomorrow, yeah?” Steve nods and Eddie smiles at him, pressing a chaste kiss against his cheek. He grabs the forgotten leather jacket from behind him, holding it out for Steve to take, “Put this on, I’ll be with the others when you’re ready.” 

He emerges from the restroom with his shirt balled up in one hand wearing Eddie’s leather jacket zipped up to cover his bare chest. He can feel Eddie’s eyes on him as he sits down and he resists the urge to squirm in his seat. His face is still flushed from their restroom encounter; he just hopes the others are either too drunk to notice or put it down to the alcohol in his system.

They unanimously agree that it’s time to call it a night after that. They’re waiting outside for their Ubers, Robin is with Chrissy and Gareth laughing about something or other, Jeff and Carl are sharing a cigarette and leaning on the wall by the door leaving Eddie by Steve’s side. They don’t speak, Steve isn’t sure what to say and he doesn’t trust his drunken mind not to say something stupid anyway.

The temperature has dropped since the afternoon and the cool air sobers him slightly. Eddie has his arms crossed against his chest hugging himself and trying unsuccessfully to hide his shivers.

“Do you want your jacket back?” Steve asks. It’s quiet out in the parking lot, the only sounds breaking the silence are the idle chatter and laughter from the others and the faint thrumming of music from inside the bar.

Eddie shakes his head, his hair falling down into his face with the motion, “Keep it. For your modesty.” He jokes, gesturing to the sodden shirt balled up in Steve’s hand. 

“Yeah, ok, you have a point.” Steve laughs. 

Eddie dropping his head onto his shoulder takes him by surprise. He responds by letting his arm wrap around Eddie, rubbing his hand across the cool, tattooed skin of his bicep.

“Much better.” Eddie hums. 

They stay like that until their first Uber arrives and Steve realizes he has to leave. 

“I’ll uh, see you.” Steve says before he heads over to the Uber where Gareth and Chrissy are drunkenly trying to help an even drunker Robin into the back seat.

“See you.”

Robin is asleep on his shoulder before they’ve even left the parking lot.

< Chapter 7 ~ Masterpost ~ Chapter 9 >

[sitp-recs]

Happy birthday darling @nv-md! I can’t think of anyone more present, cheerful or supportive than Ali. She’s always so kind, so positive and genuinely encouraging to everyone around her, and also super enthusiastic about all fandom related things. Her passion for Drarry and rare pairs is absolutely infectious, and I feel like we are especially connected through our sordid rare pairs interests 👯‍♀️ not to mention her wit and sense of humor - Ali is such a fun person to be around and that translates into her fics, too. It’s impossible not to smile or laugh out loud with the hilarious shenanigans she comes up with - or drool over her sexy & scorching hot smut 🔥

Ali is a fandom champion and embodies what this experience is supposed to be about imo - finding joy in creating and engaging. She’s a writer, beta, cheerleader and still finds time to carefully read, comment and reblog everything else. Whenever I’m leaving a comment on a fic I find out that Ali’s already been there spreading gentle encouragement. Her presence is truly inspiring and reminds me of what it means to be part of something bigger, and to be there for your friends. So much of what she does goes unnoticed behind the scenes and I wanted to highlight those contributions as well. Now, on to my favourite Ali treats (lol I almost wrote “threats” which they might be! Killing us with softness 😔). As I said, she’s equally passionate about Drarry and rare pairs - from tooth rotting fluff to unapologetic filthy porn, she’s written some of my favourite tropes for my favourite ships, and I’m so happy that I get to feast on her works for free. Happy birthday my friend, I hope you have a day as sweet and fun as you are! Thank you for being you 💗

Drarry

Have I Told You About My Vampire Boyfriend? (M, 1.1k)

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Bonds, Besties, and Boners: Draco Malfoy’s Guide to Getting a Boyfriend (E, 4k)

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Harry's in love with Draco, but it's complicated. Even more complicated than 'I'm in love with my ex-archnemesis and I get dizzy every time I see him smile'.

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It’s not easy to be bonded to your childhood rival, turned fuckbuddy, who you also have extremely uncomfortable but repressed feelings for—just ask Draco Malfoy.

Rare pairs

Savage Altruism (T, 428 words) - Harry/Hermione

A cursed statue is determined to keep Harry and Hermione from love.

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Werewolves usually only have one mate, but of course, Draco has to be special and have two Alphas chasing after him. And he makes sure they always want him...especially when he can drag them into the loo of a club.

True Love Blooms (E, 7k) - Harry/Theo

The flower tattoos on Theo's back paint the story of his and Harry's relationship: two boys falling in love and making their relationship work, no matter what.

Overexposed (E, 10k) - Harry/Teddy/Draco

Teddy never expected to become a model for Nimbus, and he definitely didn't expect any of the adverts to catch Harry and Draco's attention. But now that it's happened, Teddy can't deny he gets a thrill every time he catches Harry and Draco staring, and he's going to do everything he can to keep their eyes on him.