#I also have a handful of games I got on steam but just can’t run on my current laptop

[fadejumper]

YIPPEEEEEE one of my friends got a new gaming PC and is probably gonna sell me their old one 🔥 I’ve been low key stressing about building a PC, having to pick parts (the paradox of choice omg too many options) and worrying I’ll put it together wrong, so this is the perfect solution… I get a custom built PC and all I’m gonna have to do is probably upgrade just one of the parts

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Li Zeyan’s MQ: Burning Imprints (Eng Translation) - Part 1

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a mind quest, 灼痕, that is yet to be released on the global server! ♡

✦ Part 1 || Part 2 || ASMR

🔞 Additional Warning 🔞 Same old but more severe warning this time LOL. The steamy parts of the MQ are as explicit as they can get, i.e., some of the most explicit stuff you’ll read in a CN otome game right now, so if you don’t qualify for the game’s 17+ rating (CN server), I’d very highly recommend that you don’t proceed under the cut~ :>

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

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【Subbed Video】

【Chapter 1】 

Toot–– 

The melodious steam whistle sounds from afar. A ferry sails over the shimmering, crystalline waves, its sleek and majestic hull gradually becoming clear in the field of vision.

Accompanied by the heavy thud of the ferry entering the port, the seagulls on the coast are startled, scattering and flying into the azure sky.

I exchange a few words with the staff next to me, and eventually, we fine-tune our respective appearances. As we look on in anticipation, the ferry slowly lowers its gangway.

In no time, people begin to descend in small groups of two or three.

Employee A: Wow! I can’t believe the entire island has been booked for team-building. The company really is committed to this.

Goldman: After all, we’ve managed to seize back several projects from FengZhen Group, and the financial report has some commendable highlights. Anywho, the only one who is capable of making such strides is our LFG. [1]

Executive B: Indeed, let’s have the administration team shoot a few extra videos. We can use them as promotional material when recruiting from universities next year.

Amidst the continuous ebb and flow of conversation, a staff member next to me props up their head ornament and walks up to the crowd.

Staff Member: Welcome, travelers from distant lands, to Nan’Ao Island!

Staff Member: I am an elven emissary of this island. In the time that follows, I will be accompanying you on this journey of exploration along with my companions.

In cooperation, I point the “wand” in my hand toward the direction of the shore. As I watch the expression on the staff members’ faces, either of astonishment or admiration, the weariness accumulated over the past few days of running around dissipates a little.

With the Spring Festival approaching, LFG offered employees the opportunity for company-sponsored travel as a benefit. Nan’Ao Island was among the destinations that were up for choice.

This place has just undergone the transformation into a vacation-themed resort with a “Magic Holiday” theme. In addition to the subsequent promotional campaigns, [MC’s Company Name] was also involved in designing the majority of the activities.

In order to closely follow up on the initial operations, I decided to stay on the island. Concurrently, I made most of the opportunity and assumed the role of an “NPC” to promptly identify and address any potential oversights that might occur during the process.

MC: Now, please make your way to the nearby golden beach. We’ll be guiding each of you to choose your own “abodes.”~

The crowd follows the guidance and walks toward the beach. I maintain a courteous smile, my gaze subconsciously scanning around, but I’m unable to find Li Zeyan’s figure.

...Could it be that he got caught up with some last-minute work? Or could there be some other reason?

As I silently ponder to myself, memories of the conversation during our video call the other day surface in my mind.

–

──── [FLASHBACK STARTS] ────

LZY: …they can only truly relax when the higher-ups are not around.

LZY: There are still many year-end matters to attend to, and not all members of the management, myself included, necessarily need to be directly involved.

I let out a prolonged “Ah” and lean a bit closer to the screen.

MC: Team building is an essential component of corporate culture… how can CEO Li, as a member of LFG, make an exception?

MC: In such opportunities to strengthen team cohesion, if the boss also actively participates, it can provide even better motivation for everyone!

MC: Moreover, “sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the cutting of firewood.”  Taking a break before the New Year also means entering work with a better mental state afterward, don’t you agree?~

Li Zeyan, on the screen, locks eyes with me for a brief moment, and his motion of flipping through the documents comes to a halt.

LZY: If [MC’s Company Name] ever incorporates a debate competition into team-building activities, a certain someone here would surely come out on top.

MC: So, to translate your words, does it mean that CEO Li has been persuaded by me?

Li Zeyan leans back against the chair noncommittally, and though he doesn’t confirm or deny, a touch of softness settles in his expression.

LZY: Don’t celebrate just yet; I need to arrange my schedule first.

LZY: If I can carve out time, I’ll try my best to make it there.

───── [FLASHBACK ENDS] ─────

–

Seeing the stream of people on the pier gradually thinning out, my gaze falls on Goldman, and subconsciously, I consider asking him about Li Zeyan’s situation.

But considering that there are still numerous unfamiliar LFG employees present here, and given my current role as the “Elven Emissary,”...

After some thought, I decide to play the role of an “NPC” for now and find a moment to give him a call later.

Click.

A soft sound emanates from behind. I reflexively turn around and find myself involuntarily squinting my eyes into a smile.

Li Zeyan is leisurely leaning against the railing of the pier, holding up his phone in my direction. His hair dances in the sea breeze, revealing his deep-set eyes and brows.

Perhaps due to the vacation atmosphere, he is dressed somewhat casually today. The collar of his shirt is loosely open, allowing the sunlight to sketch out subtle contours.

Noticing that I’ve turned around, he then shifts his gaze away from the screen. A barely perceptible hint of a smile lingers on the corners of his lips.

At this moment, only the two of us are on the boardwalk. I finally can’t resist the urge to let a smile tug at the corners of my mouth and briskly walk up to his side.

MC: Hm-hmph, I knew you’d definitely come~

MC: By the way, were you sneakily snapping photos of me just now?

LZY: I’ve been standing here for quite some time already.

LZY: You were the one who didn’t notice me, so you can’t really call it being “sneaky.”

LZY: Besides, I haven’t seen a certain someone for several weeks. Am I not even allowed to take a few pictures now?

MC: Hehe, Sir, you’re allowed to do whatever you please~

MC: After all, this “Elven Emissary ” here is so cute. It’s only normal if you want to treasure this moment~

LZY: [laughs helplessly] …as usual.

His voice carries a subtle undertone of helpless resignation, causing me to involuntarily burst into laughter. Li Zeyan looks at me and slows down his pace.

LZY: Your mood seems exceptionally upbeat today.

MC: Of course~ After all, I had a hand in creating this tourism project, and the first batch of guests to be welcomed here happens to be employees from my boyfriend’s company.

MC: One must acknowledge it’s a wonderful stroke of fate.

The bright and beautiful sunshine beams down, and the warm sea breeze carries with it Li Zeyan’s soft chuckle.

LZY: Turns out this kind of hectic coordination can also be viewed as a “serendipitous coincidence.”

LZY: Obviously, when the administrative department was selecting the team-building destination, in order to advocate for Nan’Ao Island to be included in the list, a certain someone even went out of her way and brought a PowerPoint presentation to explain.

LZY: What was it? Something along the lines of “since there’s a hierarchical relationship, if LFG chooses Nan’Ao Island, they can enjoy discounts and save on budget funds.”

LZY: “After tirelessly working for the entire year, what better place to warm one’s heart than heading to a sun-drenched island during the chilly season?”

LZY: While you did deploy a bunch of rhetoric, you also appealed to emotions and reasoned with logic.

MC: In any case, judging from the results, the strategy did prove effective!

MC: CEO Li, rest assured. Since I’ve strived for this opportunity, I will ensure the quality of your team building is guaranteed.

MC: I pledge that no matter what, both CEO Li and the employees of LFG will enjoy a perfect vacation~

In the midst of our conversation, we’ve already reached the end of the boardwalk and stepped onto the soft, warm beach. Li Zeyan’s voice resonates from beside me.

LZY: And what about you?

MC: I’m gonna fulfill the duties of the “Elven Emissary ” and ensure you all have a great time, of course~

LZY: …a certain someone never forgets her professionalism.

In the distance, the hubbub of indistinct yet clamorous laughter emanates from the meeting point. I clear my throat and speak in a serious demeanor.

MC: I officially welcome you to the island~ Our magical holiday journey is about to begin!

──────────────

[Tidbits]:

[1] It’s a reference to his top-up SSR from this same event.

—

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—

【Chapter 2】

As we get closer to the meeting point, the distant voices of conversation become increasingly clear. I loosen my grip on Li Zeyan’s arm, lowering my voice.

MC: I’ll go ahead first; we’ll catch up later, okay~

–

I gesture to another “Elven Emissary” as I speak. The latter, understanding my signal, walks in front of the unfolded map and speaks during the interval before I take the stage.

Staff Member: Up next is the segment for choosing your accommodation. Feel free to pick based on your preferences.

Staff Member: For those seeking a quiet retreat, you can choose locations near the “Healing Hot Springs” and the “Elves’ Home Bar.” The surroundings are picturesque, and it’s convenient to reach us whenever needed.

Staff Member: If you lean towards activities, you might want to choose accommodations near the boardwalk. This not only offers more convenient access to activity spots like “Blue Sea Snorkeling” and “Dragon Wing Gliding” but also…

MC: But also, there’s a higher concentration of hidden items in the nearby area!

Seizing the opportunity, I smoothly take over the conversation and walk to the front. And sure enough, a curious inquiry reaches my ears.

Employee A: What was that you just mentioned about the hidden items?

Beaming ear to ear, I raise a string of coconut shell bracelets.

MC: This is the Easter egg segment we’ve designed~

MC: Scattered around the captivating spots worth exploring on the island, you’ll find 16 sets of these bracelets. If you find them, please pass them over to the Elven Emissaries.

MC: Once you collect them all, you’ll unlock a hidden scenery–– share this delightful surprise with someone you hold dear~

MC: Now, who would like to come up first and choose their accommodation?

The air buzzes with excitement as conversations erupt. Though no one comes forward to take the stage, everyone simultaneously turns their eyes to the back of the crowd as if in tacit agreement.

My gaze follows the direction of the crowd, and looking up, I see Li Zeyan standing alone under the shade of a tree.

Probably not wanting to draw attention to himself, he has deliberately chosen a spot slightly removed from the crowd. However, he is still unable to escape from the employees’ gazes locking precisely onto him.

The beach at the moment is akin to a natural conference room, with countless eyes of either admiration or curiosity trained on Li Zeyan, all awaiting his directives.

I struggle to contain the urge to hook my lips into a smile, suddenly recalling Li Zeyan’s words from our video call – “They can only truly relax when the higher-ups are not around.”

During the relaxed time of team-building, it’s actually a great opportunity to lessen the sense of distance between superiors and subordinates...!

Suddenly, an idea pops into my mind, and I speak with a beaming smile on my face.

MC: Although no one has spoken yet, their collective gazes have already pointed to the most fitting candidate.

MC: That handsome gentleman back there! Could you come up to the stage, please?

LZY: …

Across the bustling crowd, Li Zeyan and I lock eyes for a brief moment before he finally walks unhurriedly to the front of the stage.

The moment our shoulders brush against each other, his thin lips move almost imperceptibly.

LZY: [GAHH THE “THREATENING” WHISPER]  You’re gonna have to settle this account later.

MC: C’mon, enliven the atmosphere a bit. Please cooperate, CEO Li~

I also answer in a voice that only the two of us can hear, briskly leading him to stand in front of the map. Then, with a serious demeanor, I ask.

MC: I wonder which accommodation you’re planning to choose?

As I speak, my fingertips trace over the area near the “Elves’ Home Bar” as if inadvertently, and I stare at Li Zeyan expectantly.

His gaze wanders over the map for a moment, then he raises his hand and points to a vacation cabin nestled within the dense forest at the far end of the bay.

LZY: This one here.

LZY: However, it’s in a rather secluded location. I’m afraid I won’t be able to find my way there alone.

With this sentence, he slips one hand into his pocket and turns sideways, looking at me with an indolent gaze. Although he hasn’t said anything explicitly, I clearly catch his implication and discreetly pout my lips.

MC: ...Then, after everyone has chosen their accommodations, I’ll––

Goldman: Actually, after CEO Li’s demonstration, the process has become much clearer. We can complete the remaining steps under the guidance of others.

Goldman: Going in groups like this will also increase efficiency.

Goldman pushes his glasses up and suddenly speaks from the audience.

Several threads of understanding or confusion are thrown from the crowd, but they all nod in agreement in groups of two or three.

LZY: Could you lead the way now, “Miss Elven Emissary”?

MC: …please follow me. Everyone else, carry on.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, I escort Li Zeyan off the stage and walk out of the crowd. It’s not until we are seated in the equipped car that I turn to look at him.

MC: Sob, sob~ and here I was so sure of our tacit understanding. Did you not catch the hint I gave you just now?

MC: This place is the furthest from our offline work information exchange hub, “Elves’ Home Bar.” I’ll have to take so many detours in the future…

Suddenly, a warm touch lands on my lips. Li Zeyan raises his hand and caresses my lips, sending a wave of tingling sensation through me.

LZY: Well, isn’t that just perfect.

In the faintly intoxicating sea breeze, he leans in toward me, his voice tinged with a touch of indolence.

LZY: Since it’s so troublesome, just reduce the frequency of your visits.

LZY: Invest all the time you would have spent there on me instead.

—

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—

【Chapter 3】

The cozy tropical sunshine beams down as I sit on the deck of the small boat, adjusting the fishing net. Suddenly, a few drops of cool seawater land on my cheeks.

Li Zeyan floats up from the sea, lifting the breathing tube with one hand, and squints slightly as he looks in my direction.

LZY: Wasn’t it a certain someone who took the initiative for this and said she wanted to try her hand at fishing?

LZY: Why is she dilly-dallying now?

MC: Let me finish fastening this last buttonhole… don’t rush me!

I lazily scoop up a handful of water and splash it back at him. Looking at the dripping wet hair over Li Zeyan’s forehead out of the corner of my eye, I can’t help bursting into laughter.

MC: Don’t you feel this scene gives a sense of deja vu?

MC: It feels like when we were on White Pearl Island, I was waiting for you to come back from pearl diving just like this. [2]

As I speak, I adjust the equipment and give him an OK gesture. Li Zeyan seems to recall something as well, and a glint of smile glides across his dark-colored irises.

LZY: All I remember is you waiting on the deck for about ten minutes, and then you started feeling bored.

LZY: When I got on the ship, you persistently kept asking about the underwater scenery.

As he says this, he reaches out and clasps my palm, bridging the distance between him and me.

LZY: And this time, you can accompany me to see it together.

With these words, Li Zeyan pulls me along and together, we dive into the warm, cerulean sea.

The scenery undersea is akin to a picture scroll, its novel appearances unfolding before our eyes through the diving mask.

Schools of fish shuttle through the vibrant, swaying coral. Occasionally, one or two would swim alone, leisurely swishing their tails as they cruise along.

The target suddenly appears, capturing my attention instantly. I swiftly dash forward and swing the net. Unexpectedly, the fish rapidly changes direction and escapes from my encirclement.

MC: … 

Li Zeyan casts a sidelong glance at me, his long legs sheathed in a black diving suit swaying leisurely in the sea waves.

Despite the breathing tube and diving mask obscuring his face, I can still vaguely discern a smile.

Unwilling to resign myself, I chase after several lone fish again, but all my attempts to catch them end in failure. I grab his hand and float to the surface, exhaling a sigh of frustration.

MC: These fish are too agile. Can I apply for some assistance from outside?

Upon hearing my words, Li Zeyan glances at me and takes off his breathing tube.

LZY: When you say “assistance from outside,” what exactly are you referring to?

MC: I was referring to CEO Li’s Evol, of course~

MC: As long as you pause time for just a moment, we can catch them all in one fell swoop, can’t we!?~

I lean in with a beaming smile on my face but am stopped by Li Zeyan’s outstretched finger pressing against my forehead.

LZY: Even if we succeed this way, there won’t be much joy in it.

LZY: Instead, we should slow down our movements and allow the fish to relax their vigilance. Once they feel safe, they’ll come closer on their own.

LZY: When the time comes, they naturally won’t have any chance to escape.

Seeing my skeptical gaze, Li Zeyan doesn’t offer further explanation. He simply puts on his breathing tube and motions for me to join him in diving underwater again.

I follow behind him, observing as he pauses with the net in front of a cluster of coral, quietly slowing his movements. Before long, sure enough, a few fish swim over.

Silently, Li Zeyan leans forward, waiting until the fish approaches the net without any alertness, then swiftly pulls the net together.

Eyes wide, I suppress the excitement bubbling within me as we float up. I watch as Li Zeyan lifts the net, several fish floundering vigorously inside.

Glistening droplets of water cascade down his damp forehead, melding into his equally soaked neck and broad shoulders. I can’t help but gasp in awe.

MC: So amazing! You managed to really catch them!

LZY: I learned quite a few techniques from the fishermen back when we were on White Pearl Island. Just putting some of that knowledge to use. [3]

Li Zeyan lifts his hand and swings the net onto the small boat as he speaks, then helps me up onto the deck. Followed by this, he speaks with a hint of amusement in his tone.

LZY: On the other hand, a certain someone has already been on this island for quite a long time for planning and on-site inspection purposes.

LZY: How come it is that no matter if it’s diving or fishing, there’s always a sense of novelty in your reactions?

MC: Hehe, I indeed haven’t had the chance to enjoy myself here. This island is more of a workplace for me, after all.

MC: Every day, I’ve had to stay on top of the situation on-site, adjust program designs and coordinate personnel arrangements…

MC: Sob, sob, I’d just pass out as soon as I went back to my room, so I didn’t even have any time to explore properly.

A warm touch lands on my cheek as Li Zeyan casually wipes away the water streaks from my face, giving me a somewhat helpless glance.

LZY: Aren’t you always on the dot to remind me about “seizing” the chances to relax when I’m on business trips?

LZY: I remember you mentioning before that you’re not the only person responsible for this project inspection.

LZY: So, how come you didn’t sneak off to “touch fish” and relax a little? [4]

MC: I just can’t help but feel a little uneasy without seeing things with my own eyes. After all, this project is going to be recommended to LFG, so it’s only natural that I must ensure every detail is ironed out.

MC: Moreover, haven’t I already “seized” it back? Being by your side is already the best method of “touching fish.”~ [5]

Grinning, I reach out and touch the fish still flopping around in the net, the tail note of my voice carrying a cheerful lilt. Beside me, Li Zeyan chuckles softly in response.

LZY: A certain dummy has always been quite skilled at comforting herself.

LZY: So, what’s the plan for these fish?

MC: The restaurants on the island do offer processing services… but I want to push the envelope a little further.

Beaming from ear to ear, I lift my chin towards the open-air barbecue area on the shore as I speak. Li Zeyan follows my gaze, his voice now tinged with a hint of comprehension.

LZY: When it comes to troublesome tasks such as this, a certain someone really spurs into action.

MC: But I also need someone here to cooperate~ Pretty please, Li Zeyan; it’s been ages since I have experienced your culinary masterpieces!

As I speak, I fold my hands together in a gesture of prayer and gaze at him. Although Li Zeyan remains non-committal, the glimmer of a smile in his eyes grows increasingly pronounced.

—

Sure enough, once the small boat stops by the boardwalk, Li Zeyan picks up the net.

LZY: Go change your clothes.

LZY: Decide on the flavor you want, grab the condiments, and meet me at the barbecue area.

With Li Zeyan’s promise, my mood can’t help but brighten all the more.

After changing into dry clothes, I head toward the “supply point,” filled with joy and expectation, mentally calculating as I walk––

Naturally, we should include the local specialty sauces… but what if Li Zeyan doesn’t have a taste for them? I should also bring some classic condiment pairings like spiced salt and hot pepper…

Staff Member: Excuse me… Miss Elven Emissary!

A hesitant call sounds from behind me. I quickly snap out of my thoughts, and a polite smile forms at the corner of my lips.

MC: May I help you with something?

Staff Member: I just found one of the bracelets you guys mentioned while taking photos by the reef. Could you please guide me to the registration area?

The other party opens their palm towards me as she speaks. My gaze falls on the beaded bracelet, and my eyes can’t help but sparkle a bit at the sight of it.

The first bracelet has been found so quickly! This collection task seems to be progressing even more smoothly than I imagined…

MC: Of course, please follow me~

I reply in a brisk tone and send a message to Li Zeyan, letting him know that I’d be ten minutes late. Then, I escort the girl to the “Elves’ Home Bar.”

After taking care of everything, I inadvertently glance at my phone. My heart suddenly stutters.

…It’s been twenty minutes past the time I promised Li Zeyan that I’d be there.

—

I rush towards the open-air barbecue area at lightning speed, carrying the bottles and cans in my arms, and spot Li Zeyan leaning against the long table.

Several plates are already arranged on the table. As I draw nearer, the tantalizing aroma of grilled delights wafts into my nostrils, clearly indicating that they’ve been ready for quite some time.

Seemingly hearing my footsteps, Li Zeyan lifts his gaze to look at me. I promptly dash a few steps forward.

MC: I’m sorry for making you wait for so long… haha, the aroma is so delightful!~

MC: As expected of Mr. Li. You can maintain top-notch performance even without any condiments!

LZY: These fish have already been seasoned. You can stop buttering me up now.

LZY: While I was waiting for you earlier, a staff member passed by in the vicinity, so I asked him to help me fetch them.

LZY: Otherwise, if I were to wait for a certain someone to bring them back, the fish would have all burned.

MC: The route to the registration point was a bit circuitous. I didn’t realize it’d take this long.

As I rush to explain at lightning bolt speed, a not-so-firm yet no-so-gentle tap lands on my head.

LZY: [laughs helplessly]  Dummy, I’m not mad.

LZY: I just realized that you seem to be particularly invested in this group task.

MC: Because I designed that surprise single-handedly from scratch. Instead of it staying hidden, I rather hope it can be seen by everyone~

MC: And, to be honest, I also have a bit of a selfish motive.

MC: “The harvest reaped from a certain someone’s efforts during this time has indeed been worthwhile.”... I want to hear you say these words personally after seeing the “surprise.”~

LZY: [laughs even more helplessly] You’re already an accomplished producer in your own right, do you still need this kind of affirmation?

MC: Of course~ After all, affirmation from clients and work partners is recognition of my capabilities, which fuels my resolve to keep pushing forward.

MC: However, the affirmation from my boyfriend–– can sweep away all the weariness from this period, filling me with motivation to welcome the next challenge head-on~

LZY: [even more indulgently] Dummy.

As he says this, his baritone voice softens slightly, and he forks a piece of fish and brings it to my lips.

The delicious flavor explodes on the tip of my tongue. I squint my eyes contentedly, listening as Li Zeyan speaks in a low voice.

LZY: It’s okay to give yourself a break without any worries.

LZY: Don’t underestimate the people at LFG.

──────────────

[Tidbits]

[2+3] It’s a reference to LZY’s first UR card story: “Melding Into You.”

[4+5] The term used here is “摸鱼” (lit. meaning touch fish), which is actually used to mean “slacking off.” There are a lot of playful puns here, which I’m too exhausted to explain rn. Anyway, while I could have used the fig. meaning, I went with the lit. one b/c the conversation revolves around the whole fish imagery here, e.g., you see MC touching the fish they’ve caught together (with him guiding her) as she says her best method of slacking off, i.e., relaxing, is simply being with him– which essentially is a core part of this date, which you’ll see unfolding later ahah 🥺

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 4】

Outside the vacation cabin windows, the dense patter of rain mingles with the rustling of branches and leaves.

Standing on the terrace and looking outwards, I can see the buildings near and far being shrouded in a fine veil of rain. 

I withdraw my gaze from the eaves outside and glance at the work group chat that has been continuously bombarding me with messages since just now.

The sudden downpour has only now begun to taper off. The patrol staff just reported that the beaded bracelet placed at the seaside has been washed into the sea.

If similar situations occur at the other sites where the bracelets are placed, it will surely impact the experience of the game. With this in mind, I swiftly send a few messages in the group chat.

MC: “Once the rain stops, let’s each go check the placement of props in our designated zones.”

In response, there comes a series of consecutive affirmations in the group chat. Deep in thought, I raise my head and gaze towards the forest outside the vacation cabin.

The nearest hiding spot to me is right here... I’ll have to seize the opportunity when Li Zeyan isn’t paying attention and sneak out for a quick look.

As I’m contemplating, Li Zeyan’s voice suddenly comes from behind.

LZY: It’s so late, and you still haven’t come to bed. What are you zoning out for?

I discreetly tighten my grip on my phone and turn around to look at Li Zeyan.

He is sitting reclined against the headboard, iPad in hand. His dark fringes hang leisurely, partially veiling his eyes.

A pair of glasses rests loosely on the bridge of his nose, reflecting several glimmering points of light from the screen.

I plop back onto the bed, casually leaning closer to him as if nothing has occurred.

MC: The rain outside is quite lovely, so I was just snapping a few photos.

MC: And what about you… it’s only been a few days since the vacation, why have you already started looking at documents?

Catching my curious gaze, Li Zeyan leans back and casually angles the iPad in my direction.

LZY: In order to complete a certain someone’s mission.

I move closer with some confusion, and a chart titled “Technology is the Ultimate Weapon” immediately enters my field of vision.

On the topographic map of the vacation island, at least a dozen annotations are sprawled, detailing analyses ranging from distribution patterns to minimum spacing radii, both internally and externally.

For a moment, I can’t help but be bewildered by the scale of the arrangement. Then I hear Li Zeyan’s voice coming from beside me.

LZY: As you can see, there are already people from LFG who have begun updating the guide in real-time.

LZY: In addition to taking turns searching during the vacation, they also share the locations they’ve already found the bracelets each day to avoid wasting time.

LZY: Goldman even went ahead and prepared charts, saying that it would narrow down the search area through data analysis.

I withdraw my gaze and meet Li Zeyan’s eyes with a moment of incredulity.

MC: Isn’t that taking it a bit too seriously… hang on, you didn’t assign this as a task to them, saying something like, “You must complete it within the designated time frame,” did you?

Li Zeyan shoots me a cryptic glance with a hint of ambiguity in his expression.

LZY: I haven’t become that unreasonable yet. This is something that interested individuals did voluntarily.

LZY: At the end of the day, it was a certain someone’s previous introduction that piqued their curiosity.

With a pensive “Oh,” I suddenly think of something.

MC: So, to derive from what you said, this is a private chat group? Then how are you––

There is a sudden hesitation in Li Zeyan’s demeanor.

LZY: [you can’t see me but I’m actually crying lmao 😭] …I asked Goldman to add me to it.

His voice remains very calm. I hold his gaze for a moment, but can’t help bursting into laughter.

MC: Pfft, haha, so it turns out CEO Li is also participating in this activity, huh! Then doesn’t that mean you have to lead the team and set an example?

MC: But you have the “secret weapon” in your hands! Just “please” me a little, and who knows? You might uncover some clues.

I teasingly poke his cheek. Li Zeyan doesn’t say anything and simply stares at me intently.

A moment later, he suddenly chuckles and casually takes off his glasses, setting them aside. Without the obstruction of the lenses, those deep eyes of his stare at me unabashedly.

LZY: [chuckles teasingly]  How do you want me to “please” you?

His voice seems to take on a slightly huskier timbre than usual, as he reaches out and takes hold of my fingertips.

A wet, passionate kiss descends immediately. I quiver, instinctively wanting to pull back my hand, but he restrains my movements.

LZY: Like this?

LZY: …Or would you like me to go further in?

With these muffled words, his lips quietly trail to my neck, lingering there, taking his time and igniting a growing fire.

My heartbeat accelerates uncontrollably, but I still make a conscious effort to keep my willpower intact.

MC: …I already asked you to please me. Naturally, you should be the one to think about how to do it.

LZY: Hmm, I haven’t thought it through yet.

He appears to be genuinely reflective, but the force of his delivery suddenly increases, catching me unawares. The goblet glass at the head of the bed is knocked over, its content spilling silently and soaking the crumpled bedsheet.

I tightly clench the pillow, his voice reverberating in my ears.

LZY: [shaky, breathless voice x1] But since you’ve handed over the control to me…

LZY: [x2] When we should stop won’t be your call anymore.

—------------------------ interlude ------------------------—

The rain outside has stopped at some point. Only the gauze curtains in the distance dance in the breeze, occasionally making a rustling sound.

I stealthily open my eyes. The man next to me has half of his face buried in the pillow, his features traced by the moonlight pouring through the window.

His body rises and falls gently along with his light, rhythmic breathing. It seems that he has already drifted off to sleep.

MC: Li Zeyan? CEO Li? …Zeyan gege?

In order to feel out, I speak in a soft voice. Seeing that he still hasn’t responded, I slowly move his arm aside.

Then, gently and quietly, I rise from the bed, casting one last glance at the sleeping Li Zeyan before feeling at ease and pushing open the door.

—

Creak––

Along with this almost inaudible sound, the crisp air post-rain rushes towards me head-on.

The clear night drapes over the quiet vacation village, with the vaguely audible murmurs of the waves in the distance.

I walk along the cobblestone path into the woods, carefully identifying the location of the placement point by the distant lights.

The bracelet hanging from the branches sways gently in the breeze, almost blending into the dim light of the night.

Feeling relieved, I send a message to the group to confirm that everything was fine. But just as I’m about to leave, I can’t resist muttering to myself.

MC: …Li Zeyan, you really are a dummy.

MC: This hiding spot is clearly so close to where we’re residing, and yet you still haven’t found it.

LZY: After all, considering the vast expanse of the area to search through, it’s surely going to consume a lot of time.

LZY: Instead of running around aimlessly, it’s better to wait patiently for the chance to arrive.

A familiar voice sounds from behind me. Startled, I turn around at lightning pace. There, standing behind me, is the person who I saw seemingly “sound asleep” just a moment ago, now watching me.

MC: You… You were actually pretending to be asleep!

LZY: A little correction. I was simply concerned about your safety when I noticed you were heading out so late, that’s all.

LZY: The discovery I’ve made just now can only be regarded as an unexpected gain.

Li Zeyan’s eyes mirror a contemplative interest as he speaks.

LZY: On the contrary, a certain someone here seems to be getting more and more adept at pulling the wool over people’s eyes.

LZY: While her leading foot earnestly vowed that she was genuinely exhausted and just wanted to sleep quickly, her trailing foot dashed out the door to be busy with this and that…

LZY: [GAH THAT MENACINGLY SEDUCTIVE TONE] It seems like I don’t need to be mindful of such excuses from now on.

The roots of my ears can’t help but flush a bit, and I let out a cough before offering an explanation.

MC: Circumstances change… my current action is entirely driven by my dedication to work.

Li Zeyan lets out an ambiguous “ah.” His figure is outlined by the distant lights, casting a slender silhouette that projects onto me.

Amidst the murky darkness, I discern his voice carrying a slightly deeper chuckle, and it seems a little more muffled than usual.

LZY: Sophistry.

LZY: Whether or not there’s some truth to it… I’ll examine it in my own way.

His voice drops to a whisper, and what follows is a warm and entangled kiss.

I find myself involuntarily clutching onto the corner of his garment, tilting my head back to reciprocate. The next moment, I feel the tip of his tongue gently glide across the roof of my mouth.

Despite the brevity of that touch, it sends a shiver through me, making me tremble uncontrollably. I feel as if my heartbeat is about to melt into the fiery breath of this moment.

??: Has this area not been searched yet?

Indistinct chatter suddenly echoes from a distance. I gasp and turn my head, watching as two blurry figures appear far off at the edge of the woods.

MC: They seem to be looking for clues… We…

Before I can finish my entire sentence, it’s gradually drowned out by stifled whimpers.

Li Zeyan closes in on me from the back, covering me deeply. His one hand presses against my lips, seemingly trying to hush my voice.

His slender fingers teasingly caress the space between my teeth. After playing around for a while, they irresistibly delve further in.

MC: …!

LZY: They should know what’s appropriate.

LZY: But if you can’t control your voice… that might be a problem for us.

His fingertips carry the slight chill of the night, stirring my tongue every now and then. It feels like an appeasement, and yet also a form of punishment.

All the sounds in my ears fade away, leaving only the pounding of my heart, growing more and more violent amidst the whimpers. Unconsciously, I bite down on the fingers he has inserted.

His embrace, imprisoning me, tightens even more. A moist kiss descends onto the nape of my neck, followed by gentle nibbles, trailing down to my chest.

Rumble–– 

The rain, which came to a halt, has begun pouring down at some point unbeknownst to us, pitter-pattering onto the surface and creating ripples.

In the embrace of the night, everything is steeped in the surging tide.

──────────────────────────────────────────

Continue to Part 2: here!

────────────────

[kiatheinsomniac]

Not a request but imagine being Kaveh's sister and falling for Haitham

Also imagining being like Kaveh and annoying Haitham but he loves you regardless 💗

──── 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘 ˊˎ -

☾ ⋆ ﾟ𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 / 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒: I haven't actually got to Sumeru in game yet so if this is ooc I'm sorry bc I'm running on what I've read in other fics and their MBTI types here lol. I wanna play more Genshin over summer tho so I can really make my characterisations by myself hehe 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: Alhaitham x Kaveh's sister! Reader 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 1.6k 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: none

With Kaveh working so hard on his latest project, you’ve noticed how frazzled he’s beginning to look. You idolise your big brother and so you stepped in prepared to do some things for him in order to just lift the burden of everything he was currently under as much as you were able to. And so, you find yourself cooking in the kitchen of his rented home so that he doesn’t have to worry about it later on and he can focus on his project in order to get it done quicker. 

You measure out meals to put away for him so that he can heat them up and eat them in the week too once you’ve returned to your own place. You carry the plate of hot food to his room and set it down on his dresser so you don’t need to move anything on his desk that might disturb its organisation (not that there was currently much method to its current state but you knew that, in Kaveh’s mind, it was organised). 

“Everything going ok?” You ask as you stand behind his chair and prop your chin upon his head of blond hair in order to look over the blueprints he’s constructing. 

“Yeah, it’s just taking a long time.” He sighs and turns around to face you, red eyes noting the steaming plate of food placed upon the dresser. He gets up to stretch with a little smile and you hear some of his bones crack as he collects the plate and hugs you with one arm. “Thank you, by the way, for doing all this stuff to help me out. I really appreciate it. I just can’t wait to get this project done, the client’s being so picky and I’ve got no creative freedom. You’d think that would make this all more straight forward but it just complicates things.” He sighs with irritation in his breath. You frown a little at the situation he’s in and ruffle his hair as he sits back down. You know he’ll be working still while he eats. 

“Anything I can do to help you get this over with quicker.” You smile softly. “I’ll go eat my own food now before it gets cold, is there anything else you need first?” He shakes his head with a smile after tasting the first bite of food, the plate placed beside him as he takes up his pencil in hand once again. 

“No, you’ve done more than enough already, go eat before it gets cold.” He insists. You nod and leave his room to go and do just that. Kaveh isn’t usually one to be alone and – at any other time – he’d want you to sit and eat with him but right now he just wanted to get his head down and power through this project so that he doesn’t have to put up with this client for a second longer than needs be, and you respected that. 

You make your way back to the kitchen where there are two other plates of the food you’ve just made. You set them down on a tray and make your way over to your brother’s roommate’s room instead. Alhaitham lets you roam freely around his house while you help out your big brother and you respect that he readily lets you in his space too. You would feel rude to do so much cooking for yourself and your brother in his kitchen and to not just make something for the homeowner while you’re at it too and so you find yourself holding the tray in one hand while you use your foot to knock on the door. 

“I made you dinner if you’d like?” You offer. It’s not the first time you’ve cooked for Alhaitham and you suspect it won’t be the last considering the two of you usually sit down and chat while you eat all while Kaveh eats as he works on his project in his room. 

The door opens and you’re met with the sight of Alhatham’s toned chest at your eye-level before you tilt your head up to meet his teal and terracotta eyes. You smile happily as he looks between you and the tray in your hands before he turns around and gestures with his head for you to follow him inside. By the looks of it, he had been sitting in the bay window of his room while reading as the book was now open to the page he had left off on and face-down upon a pillow. 

You join him and set down the tray between the two of you. Alhaitham doesn’t really outwardly show his appreciation with words and expression and initially this put you off doing these nice things for him. However, you’ve come to learn that he’ll show his appreciation by leaving nothing on the plate, complimenting something about the particular dish you made and insisting on washing up everything after you’ve eaten. He wasn’t a very openly emotional person but you’d come to learn that they were still deep down there, you just had to look out for the smaller things he did in order to see when he was doing something out of emotion. 

But this didn’t stop you from teasing him every now and then. 

“It won’t kill you to smile every now and then, you know?” You tease with a little wink as you cross your legs and set your plate down in your lap. You watch him roll his eyes as he leans back against the wall and follows suit in setting his plate down in his lap. He gets to eating and only then does he grace you with the faintest of smiles tugging at the corner of his lips at the flavour of what you’ve made. 

“How’s Kaveh? I’ve heard him cursing and yelling through the walls all day.” He changes the subject. You let out a little sigh.

“Still frustrated. I don’t blame him with what the client’s asking.” 

“He needs to learn to put his foot down and say what he will and won’t do with these designs.” Alhaitham states and you shrug. 

“Yeah but you know how he is; he wants to please his customers. Isn’t their satisfaction essential?” 

“Yes, but so is his area of expertise. Kaveh likes art, he hangs enough of the eyesores around the place here. They should let him do his thing or find an architect who works in the way that they’re asking of him.” 

“If you hate the art so much, you can make him take it down. You’re the homeowner here after all~” You add as you spoon another mouthful of rice into your mouth. You’ve figured out Alhaitham enough by now. If he taunts someone, he likes them and is comfortable with them. If he’s overly polite while keeping a distance, he doesn’t like them or isn’t comfortable with them. It’s something fascinating to you as you just take to people so easily and show your affection with your words as well as actions. 

“I wouldn’t want him to throw another one of his dramatic tantrums.” He replies simply and it makes you smile. There it is, the taunting, he really does like your big brother, even if he won’t say it. “And what about you, hm? Walking around my house like you own the place or pay rent.” There’s a tease in his tone and a smirk upon his lips. You’re happy to see that you’ve broken through his polite distance and into the grounds of him picking on you. 

“Oh, yes, I’ve actually been choosing out new wallpapers too.” You quip. He shakes his head of silver hair. 

“Clones of each other, the two of you are.” He sighs as he happily eats the food you’ve made. “But I’d rather deal with the pair of you than the ones at the Akademiya. I can’t wait until all this Grand Scribe stuff is over and done with.” That makes you smile a little more. It’s the closest thing to a compliment you’ll get from him for the time being. He makes you sound like a burden, sure, but really he’s telling you that yours and your brother’s presence is a reprieve from those he has to deal with throughout the day. 

“Aww, look at you being all nice.” You tease. Alhaitham had intentionally worded the phrase the way he did so that you wouldn’t pick up on the subtlety of his compliment but you, ever the optimist, had seen right through it. “Who knew you had it in you?” The faintest of pink closes in on his cheeks and you grin triumphantly. 

“Stop talking, y/n.” He shuts you down quickly but you continue to feel proud as you eat, your eyes now on your food. Meanwhile, Alhaitham’s two-toned eyes stay fixed on the curves that make up the features of your pretty face. His teeth graze his bottom lip for a little while as he watches you for moments that seem to stretch out for decades with how quickly his thoughts are moving. 

Here you are, the cute little sister of his annoying roommate who he holds so close to his heart, just like him and yet your own person. You were adorable, precious, thoughtful. He wanted to drop this whole barrier of being kind only when serving it up with teasing and taunting, wanted to hold you in his arms and feel your head rest upon his chest while he tells you just how incredible you are. But the two of you are in a delicate situation. He has a very strong suspicion that Kaveh wouldn’t approve, has no idea if you feel the same, and suspects that you will reject him if your big brother advises you too. 

But none of these things are certain and he has time to navigate it all. 

You look up to catch him staring and he gives you a look as though you had been the one to stare at him as he takes another bite of the delicious food you’ve been kind enough to make for him. 

One day, he tells himself. 

One day. 

☾ ⋆ ﾟlike my work? why not: ∘ buy me a coffee? ∘ commission me? ∘ join my taglist ∘ consider following/reblogging

🏷️@someoneinthestars

[satoshi-mochida]

Maid Cafe on Electric Street launches this summer

From Gematsu

Maid Cafe on Electric Street will launch for PC via Steam this summer, publisher PLAYISM and developer Adventurer’s Tavern announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

Maid Cafe on Electric Street is a leisurely maid cafe adventure set in the otaku haven of Nipponbashi, Osaka. The protagonist of our story quits his job at an extremely toxic workplace and finds himself at a run-down maid cafe tucked away in a quiet part of Nipponbashi. There, he meets the maid Shiro. One thing leads to another, and he eventually gets appointed as the temporary cafe manager and put in charge of the management of the maid cafe. As the new manager, his first task is to scout cute girls to work at the cafe. Time to explore Nipponbashi and all the otaku stuff it has to offer!

Get to know the four unique main girls: Shiro, Miyu, Favna, and Honoka, all voiced.

Immerse yourself in lighthearted stories about everyday life with the cute maids.

Enjoy the modern and gorgeous pixel art graphics depicting even the finest details, including the meat buns next to the convenience store cashier and the figures on the shelves of an anime shop.

Go on fun dates at Nipponbashi, from anime shops to arcades to the cinema!

The Four Main Girls of Fuwa Fuwa

Shiro – “Um, please be the new manager of the cafe!” A maid who loves Fuwa Fuwa Cafe. A huge otaku for anime and video games, she talks really fast when she’s gushing about the things she loves, and often splurges on merch without thinking whenever she visits an anime shop. A little clumsy, but works hard every day to become the cute maid she’s always wanted to be.

Miyu – “Hey Mr. Manager, thanks a bunch for hanging out with me today~☆” A game otaku and gyaru with a big appetite. Loves both eating and cooking, and apparently really enjoys serving her cooking to customers at Fuwa Fuwa Cafe. Is actually Shiro’s friend on the online game Magic Angel, so they knew each other before actually meeting in real life.

Favna – “I am the Slayer of the False God, the Queen of the Kingdom of Darkness, the All-Seeing Oracle, the Guardian of the Dream of All Things���“ A mysterious girl dressed in gothic Lolita fashion. Speaks in riddles and demands the protagonist become her familiar. She sometimes accidentally drops the edgy act when she’s taken by surprise though, so maybe she’s just got a serious case of chuunibyou…?

Honoka – “Ya want a thrivin’ business? That there sounds like a job for our shrine!” A girl with a Kansaiben dialect who works as a shrine maiden at her family shrine. Practically in charge of the shrine, she is reliable and very good at handling money, and has a strong sense of responsibility to boot. On top of that, she’s also the only glasses girl at Fuwa Fuwa Cafe!

Support Your Maid Cafe Employees as the Manager

As the cafe manager, it’s your job to allocate work to your maids. Make sure to give the right girl the right job! For example, Shiro is always enthusiastic to serve customers, and Miyu is great in the kitchen. Of course, you can’t just sit there while they work. During opening hours, you’ll also have to make coffee and help out on the floor, so it’s not as easy as it sounds!

The Stunning Sights of Nipponbashi

In order to recreate the atmosphere of the real Nipponbashi, the game features several real stores you can find there, such as Surugaya, Sofmap, Dragon Star, Super Potato, and Karaoke Rainbow, among many others. Don’t forget to pay them a visit when you’re shopping or taking one of your maids on a date!

Collectable Capsule Toys

If you’ve been to the real Nipponbashi, you’ll know that there are capsule toy machines all over the area. In this game, you can also try your hand at collecting your favorite capsule toy series and experience that unique gacha thrill of not knowing what you’re getting. As you collect more toys, you can even bring them up in conversations with the girls. Keep cranking those machines until you’ve collected them all!

Watch a new trailer below.

Indie Live Expo 2024 Trailer

English

Japanese

[javelinbk]

🍄❄️🪲 (or just the last 50 words you wrote) (also i swear i actually chose questions i was curious about and didn’t just go off how thematic the emojis were)

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Most of my ‘what if?’ thoughts end up in my fics!

Although in my head, the reason Paul gives that awkward/annoyed laugh at the end of the ‘you don’t stroke hands with guys’ conversation is because Ringo wasn’t toeing the party line of ‘Paul McCartney, macho ladies man’. That was Paul realising he can’t control the narrative so easily when Ringo is there, the one man standing who has seen it all

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

I’m quite intrigued by a couple of moments in Get Back, like when John jokes about a sleepover at George’s, or when Paul leaves for the day and John says ‘can we come too?’… what happened next? 👀

I’m also surprised there aren’t more angsty fics around the breakup. I can’t believe people watch Get Back and still go ‘what happened in India?’… what happened between Jan and Sep 1969 is what I want to know! But I’ve already done that era with Get a job cop, so someone else will have to write it

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

The last thing I wrote yesterday was my new one-shot, but I did write this yesterday as well…

“You sure you don’t want me to come with you today?”

“Nah, she runs out of steam quicker if she’s only got one of us to interrogate.”

Paul rolled his eyes before turning back to the piano. “She’s not that bad.”

“Well, in that case, you can deal with her on Sunday.”

Sorry it’s not very exciting - I was filling in some blanks

Thanks for these!

Writers Truth & Dare Game

[chicgeekgirl89]

Packing a Piece

Fandom: 911 Lone Star

Characters: Carlos Reyes, T.K. Strand

Rating: T

Summary: 

“Yeah, I’m not really a talk-it-out kind of person,” T.K. mumbles around the lip of the glass as he takes a sip.

“So I’ve noticed,” Carlos tells him, a knowing smile on his face. “I believe your motto is ‘punch first, questions later?’”

“You’re never going to let that go, huh?” T.K. asks, wincing at the reminder of his recent bar brawl.

“The image of you in handcuffs, looking like a cranky, beat up alley cat? Probably not.”

A/N: I always love the early days of a ship. The will they/won't they. The longing looks. The miscommunications. Here for all of it. So when a happy little fic involving the darts scene came into my brain, I took it and ran. Also this fic has one of the dirtiest lines I've ever written, so if my mom ever finds this...I'm sorry.

Read on AO3

This was not how he’d planned to spend the evening. He glares across the room at Judd Ryder, chomping on the straw in his drink as the activity of the bar swirls around him. God, he’s literally never met someone more infuriating, someone more rude…who the hell does this guy think he is?

“Your turn.”

Carlos’ voice draws T.K. back to the game at hand and he looks up to see the other man smiling as he holds out a couple of darts. Right. He’s on a date. One he should definitely have said no to given his current fury at his teammate.

Two hours ago he’d stormed out of the firehouse and run smack dab into a firm torso. 

Strong arms grabbed hold of him to keep him from toppling over. “Whoa,” Carlos said. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, sorry,” T.K. said, distracted by his bad mood. He just wanted to get out of here and as far away from Judd as he possibly could.

“Trying to add assaulting an officer to your rap sheet?” Carlos asked.

That got his attention and the uncertainty must have shown on his face because Carlos smiled. “I’m kidding.”

“Right,” T.K. said. He frowned. “What are you doing here?”

Carlos actually blushed and it was so fucking cute it made T.K.’s heart skip a beat. “Oh, I, um, I…kind of came to see if you’d give me another shot.”

T.K. raised his eyebrows. 

“Listen, I—I guess I wasn’t completely honest with you, or myself,” Carlos said. “The one night stand, fuck buddies kind of thing…it’s not me. And I don’t want to put any pressure on you or anything but…I like you. So I thought I would take my chances and see if you wanted to go on a date. With me. Tonight.”

The word “date” immediately made T.K. balk. That wasn’t a lifestyle he wanted anymore. Love ‘em and leave ‘em seemed like a much better, less heartbreaking option. Plus he’d already bared far more of his soul to Carlos than he was comfortable with during his brief incarceration. Better to walk away while he still had at least a little dignity left.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” he said slowly.

“Just one drink,” Carlos urged. “Well, I mean, not a DRINK drink, obviously because…” His hands fluttered around aimlessly as he tried to recover from his verbal fumble and he let out a nervous half chuckle. “Okay I told myself I wouldn’t screw this up, but I guess I did. So, never mind. It’s fine.”

The sight of strong, brawny, hot-as-hell Officer Reyes looking for all the world timid and shy made him weak. “Okay,” he’d said before he could stop himself.

Carlos had frozen. “Really?”

How could he say no to those beautiful, soft, guileless brown eyes? And he really did kind of owe the guy after being such a dick the last couple times they’d been together.“Yeah. Sure. Let’s grab a drink or whatever.”

And now here he is, in a bar, pissed as hell, and the subject of his ire is across the room, further souring his mood. He can’t even have a date in peace. Judd “Stop Acting Like the Coach’s Son” Ryder has to ruin that too.

He needs to relax, to blow off some steam, and forget that the people working alongside him at the firehouse are the most judgmental, ass-backward, hillbillies he’s ever met. And hopefully, if he plays his cards right, there will be some blowing of other things later. Judging by the way Carlos keeps checking out his ass when he thinks T.K.’s not looking, his chances seem pretty good.

Although T.K. might ruin everything if he keeps complaining. Nobody wants a cranky lay.

“You know, if I was a less secure man, I might be bothered by the fact that I worked up the nerve to ask you out, and you’ve spent the entire night talking about another guy,” Carlos finally says after T.K. mouths off yet again. 

He should apologize. But he doesn’t. Instead he presses on, practically goading Carlos into calling time of death on this miserable date over his assholery. He doesn’t deserve to be with someone as good as Carlos anyway. This is the third time in a row that he’s been a jerk to the man, and he really doesn’t understand why the guy keeps coming back for more. 

A tiny voice in the back of T.K.’s mind whispers that he’s self-sabotaging yet again, but he tells it to shut up and reminds it that at least he’s not shooting up or getting the crap beat out of him to deal with it this time. 

“You think he’s right?” he asks. It’s a challenge, a test, one designed to make Carlos fail so T.K. can prove to the world that he’s still a screw-up that no one could possibly ever want.

Carlos doesn’t say anything, just tosses another couple darts at the board, then waits for T.K. to go collect them.

“Do you?” he finally asks.

It makes T.K.’s blood boil. Because yeah, that is one of his greatest fears. That he’s only here because of his dad. That he’ll never be good enough on his own. And he doesn’t like anyone to push on that particularly tender part of his ego. “You know I’m holding a dart?” he says, sending Carlos a pointed look.

Carlos’ answer is immediate. “And I’m packing a piece.”

T.K. freezes in surprise at the snappy response. It’s just enough to break through his inner monologue and get him to fully pay attention to the gorgeous, completely ripped, incredibly good at sex stuff, man in front of him. “That’s hot,” he says, thoughts of Judd Ryder and his terrible day slowly melting away.

Carlos gives him a charming little smile. “Do I finally have your attention now?”

T.K. leans closer, amusement and desire swirling in his gut. “Yes.”

“Good.” Carlos cocks his head to the side and then swipes the dart from T.K.’s hand. “Because I want you fully present when I kick your ass.”

Carlos does kick his ass, not a surprise considering the man wears a gun as part of his uniform. But T.K. doesn’t do too badly either. And despite the fact that he came into this with a chip on his shoulder…it’s fun. Carlos is sweet and snarky and unbelievably good. He’s kind to T.K., the bar staff, the people who walk by. And god help him, T.K. feels something stirring inside himself that he’d thought had died on the floor of his New York apartment five months ago.

“Okay, how are you doing that?” T.K. asks when Carlos hits his sixth or seventh bullseye of the night.

“Practice,” Carlos says with a shrug. “I can show you if you want.”

He steps up behind T.K., his lips right by T.K.’s ear as he speaks. “Relax your body,” he says, his hands skimming gently over T.K.’s frame, positioning him just so. “I like to line my shoulder up with the bull’s eye.”

The warmth of his breath on T.K.’s neck causes goosebumps to rise along his skin. Carlos’ hips bump up against him and he sucks in a sharp breath. This is…beyond a turn-on. 

“Then you just draw back and let it go,” he says, giving T.K. a quick pat on the ass before he steps back. “Go get ‘em champ.”

The heat T.K. was feeling seconds ago immediately turns into annoyance at the obvious reference to Judd’s words. He sends Carlos a scowl. “I’m glad my workplace harassment is funny to you.” 

“Are you going to take the shot? Or should I have your dad come over here and coach you from the sidelines?” Carlos asks, a sassy grin on his face as he needles T.K.

T.K. rolls his eyes, but he draws his arm back and gives the dart a toss. It hits only millimeters off of center.

“Nice,” Carlos says. “Keep practicing and maybe next time you’ll beat me.”

Next time. Like this isn’t a one time thing. Like Carlos wants to see him again even though T.K. has tried his damndest to fuck this evening up. Who the hell is this guy?

“So I was thinking—“

“You want to get out of here?” T.K. asks, cutting him off.

“Yes,” Carlos says immediately. “Let me close our tab.”

He’s back in less than two minutes and then it’s a short drive to his place where they immediately lose themselves in an already familiar rhythm of lips and hands and teeth and skin. 

“Well that was fun,” Carlos says when they’re both laid flat out on his bed, a satisfied smile on his face as he pulls his briefs back into place.

“You deserved some fun after I was such a crappy date,” T.K. tells him as he reaches for his own briefs, which have gotten hung up on a lamp.

Carlos’ face immediately drops. “Wait, you didn’t—T.K. you didn’t come over here because you felt obligated to, right?”

God this man is so damn good, it almost physically pains him. “No,” T.K. says quickly. “No, I—that’s not what I meant I was just…”

“Because if you felt like I pressured you into any of what just happened or thought I had some kind of expectation—“

“No, Carlos, it’s okay,” T.K. says, reaching out and putting a hand on his thigh for reassurance. “I was being self deprecating. I promise, I wanted everything we just did as much as you.”

Carlos relaxes. “Okay good.” He looks down at T.K.’s hand. “You’re really hard on yourself, you know that?”

“Not hard enough according to Judd,” T.K. says with a roll of his eyes, then inwardly cringes for bringing that up again. He truly is a terrible date. No wonder Alex left him for someone else.

“Have you ever thought that maybe whatever Judd is saying, it’s not about you?”

The question catches him by surprise and so does the earnestness in Carlos’ eyes. “What else could it be about?” T.K. asks.

Carlos shrugs. “His marriage. Money. His truck.”

T.K. snorts a laugh. “You think he bit my head off because he’s upset about his truck?”

“You’re in Texas now. Men love their trucks. Sometimes more than their wives,” Carlos tells him as he gets up and heads into the bathroom. “What I’m saying is, usually when people are mad, it’s about more than what they say it is.” He returns with two glasses of water, one of which he hands to T.K. “I’ve known Judd a long time. He’s a good guy. And he’s been through a lot lately. Might be worth it to try and talk it out.”

“Yeah, I’m not really a talk-it-out kind of person,” T.K. mumbles around the lip of the glass as he takes a sip.

“So I’ve noticed,” Carlos tells him, a knowing smile on his face. “I believe your motto is ‘punch first, questions later?’”

“You’re never going to let that go, huh?” T.K. asks, wincing at the reminder of his recent bar brawl.

“The image of you in handcuffs, looking like a cranky, beat up alley cat? Probably not,” Carlos says, leaning back and giving T.K. a spectacular view of all the muscles in his abdomen. The man is built like a freaking god.

“An alley cat? Seriously?” he asks.

Carlos shrugs. “I saw what I saw.”

“You’re very lucky that you’re hot,” T.K. tells him with a roll of his eyes. He takes a peek as his phone. “I should probably get going.”

“Or…”

“Or…what?”

Carlos leans forward and presses a searing kiss to his lips. “Or you could stay a little longer. And give me a new memory of you in handcuffs,” he says, soft eyes going dark and stormy.

T.K. stays.

“I had a good time tonight,” Carlos says a couple hours later as he walks T.K. to the door. He had made it very clear that T.K. could stay over but…he’s not there yet.

“Good,” T.K. says, throwing on a cocky smile. “I’d hate to think all my hard work upstairs was for nothing.”

Carlos gives him an exasperated look. “I mean the whole thing T.K. The date, the sex, all of it.”

“You are not going to tell me you think tonight falls into the category of a ‘good date,’” T.K. says incredulously. “I was being a dick the entire time.”

Carlos shrugs. “You had a rough day. It happens. I still had fun.” He steps forward and runs a finger flirtatiously down T.K.’s chest, toying with the top button of his shirt. “Besides, I like being someone who can put a smile back on your face.”

Stunned is an understatement. This is…he’s really not used to being treated like this. Like he’s allowed to have bad moments. Like maybe Carlos isn’t going to just use him and then walk away. Like maybe Carlos actually…likes him. Not just tolerates him or wants him for sex.

“Can I see you again? Maybe this weekend?” Carlos asks, that sweet, innocent look in his eyes. The one that turns the “no” in T.K.’s throat into a “yes” by the time it reaches his tongue.

T.K. nods, uncertainty shifting around inside him like the open seas in a storm. “Yeah.”

“Great.” Carlos smiles and then leans in, capturing T.K.’s lips in a soft kiss. “It’s a date.”

T.K.’s mind whirls as he slips into his cab. What the hell is happening to him?

[schrijverr]

Life Is Ours, We Live It Our Way 13

Chapter 13 out of 18

Genderqueer Stevie with platonic soulmates Robin and Eddie living their best queer life.

In this chapter, Eddie, Robin and Stevie have a fun domestic night. The spring break of 1987 again starts with a grueling campaign, luckily the only exciting thing that night. But last year hasn’t left anyone fully, with Eddie having a nightmare, leading to him and Stevie having a midnight talk with Lucas. At least they have others to lean on.

On AO3.

Ships: None

Warnings: nightmare, smoking, guilt, ptsd and the misgendering that comes with not being out.

~~~~~~~~~~

Fun Nights

The next morning, Stevie wakes up well rested and calm. His night has been restful and he double enjoys laying in bed for a second, before sneaking out of Eddie’s arms to get started on breakfast for them.

She’s just finishing up the coffee when Eddie comes stumbling out of the room, his hair a mess and his eyes still half closed. He makes grabby hands at the coffee and Stevie laughs at him as she hands him a mug.

“You’re a hero, Stevie,” Eddie mutters, contently sipping his coffee and letting the steam warm his face.

Stevie finishes up breakfast and they both sit down. Eddie thanks for him making it then says: “You didn’t have to, you know. I was planning on making you breakfast after last night, but you’re such a morning person.”

“That’s nice, but it’s okay,” Stevie assures him. “I like it and I feel good, so I wanted to.”

“Yeah? You feel good, princess?” Eddie asks. It isn’t meant as teasing, Stevie can hear how genuine he is, but still she blushes and ducks her face, taking a big bite so she doesn’t have to reply yet.

Once he has swallowed, the blush is still there, but has lessened and he nods: “Uhm, yeah, I- I do. It was nice.”

“Good,” Eddie smiles, eyes crinkling as he digs further into his own breakfast. A few bites later he speaks up again. “I was joking about the full review thing yesterday, but- but uhm,” Eddie now looks a bit uncertain, as he quietly asks, “do you have more notes than ‘it was nice,’ maybe?”

And Stevie remembers that Eddie likely hasn’t put anyone under in about a year and Eddie is still a sensitive guy who wants to do right by people. He needs reassurance too.

“Yeah, sorry, of course,” Stevie replies, still a bit stilted and embarrassed about it. “It was good. I felt fuzzy and comforted. You were a steady presence. And since when are you so strong?”

Eddie laughs at the last part, but Stevie notes he looks more relaxed as he obnoxiously winks: “You like my strong mechanic’s arms, princess?”

“Oh shut up,” Stevie laughs, swatting a hand at Eddie. “I am honest and vulnerable and you’re laughing at me.”

“Sorry,” Eddie grins, obviously not sorry in the slightest. “I just didn’t realize you’d be into these.” He flexes.

“God, I need to start working out again,” Stevie groans, after appreciating Eddie’s arms in an objectifying way.

“Stevie, you’ve been running multiple miles each fucking Sunday,” Eddie says. “I don’t even know how you do that.”

“It makes Lucas happy not to run alone and it’s calming,” Stevie shrugs and it’s true. He likes being able to check in with Lucas, hear about the others, about what he’s worrying about and just spending time together without her feeling like she’s dumber than her friends.

Sport is something he can do and it’s nice to be able to share that with someone. He doesn’t mind that none of his other friends really do sports, but she can’t deny that she’s been happy to be able to run with Lucas and talk about the most recent games, though the latter can also be done with Wayne when he comes over for dinner.

“You’re doing enough to keep active, sweetheart,” Eddie says. “And, I don’t know, of course, but how happy would you be if you got jacked again? Like physical appearance wise? Or is it a thing you think you have to do?”

Stevie never really thought about that. Sport has always been encouraged throughout his childhood, both because it could get him into college and because it was a masculine thing to do. She has just been lucky that she likes sports. It’s fun and easy and creates camaraderie.

It was about the result, but only because it was expected to be about the result. But thinking about it now, Stevie doesn’t think that bulking up her shoulders and arms will make her happy.

“Huh,” he says after a second. “I hadn’t thought about that yet.”

Eddie nods, but doesn’t say anything, which Stevie is glad for. He doesn’t want to feel like Eddie is better at her gender than he is. And obviously Eddie won’t think that, he just made an observation that confronted Stevie with something he hadn’t thought about yet and pointed it out so he won’t get insecure. Eddie is being nice by pointing it out, not condescending, and Stevie appreciates that about him.

They’re quiet for a few beats, then Eddie asks: “So, yes to doing it again and me carrying you around?”

“Yeah, yes, uhm, I’d like that,” Stevie agrees, nodding awkwardly.

Again there is a beat of silence, before Eddie bursts out laughing clutching the table. His laughter has always been infectious, so Stevie smiles, questioning: “Why are you laughing?”

“Look at us,” Eddie snorts. “We’re a non-limerent gay man, a bisexual person with no gender, who have agreed to spend the rest of our lives with a lesbian woman in a platonic way. A future, I might add, that we’re planning around a group of teens we semi-adopted. And here we are, getting awkward about our BDSM relationship. That’s hysterical, Stevie.”

When Eddie puts it like that it is pretty fucking funny and Stevie nods with a grin, laughing with Eddie at the absurdity of their lives. So, he wheezes: “Why are we like this?”

“I don’t know!” Eddie exclaims gleefully.

They laugh for a little while longer, both looking like idiots as they sit at their table in their little kitchen, just dying in their breakfast.

Once they have finally calmed down, Stevie answers the question that set this in motion: “But, uhm, yeah, I’d be down to do this again. And yes, I would like you to carry me around.”

“Hell yeah,” Eddie grins. “I will sweep you off your feet now that you’ve given me permission.”

“Woe is me,” Stevie rolls his eyes, not really taking Eddie seriously, which is honestly his mistake, because Eddie is giving him a look, but doesn’t comment on it.

Instead Eddie says: “But, seriously, the doing in two weeks again unless something happens that makes you ask still sound good?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Stevie nods. Not only does she feel rested and settled, but it had just been plain nice to be cared for and let Eddie decide for a night. To not have to worry or think for a little bit. Though one question still lingers, so he asks: “Hey, Eds?”

“Yes, sweetheart?” Eddie prompts.

“I- I got two strikes. What will happen if I mess up next time?” Stevie asks.

Eddie thinks about it, then shrugs: “I’m okay with only counting strikes per scene without carry over. I don’t want to punish you unwarranted, you know.”

“Okay, yeah, that’s- thanks for clearing it up,” Stevie agrees, still a bit awkward, but relieved to know the answer.

“Happy you asked,” Eddie says, the final words on the topic for now as he starts gathering their dishes while Stevie goes to take the first shower, as they both move into their morning routines.

And after that nothing really changes between them. If Stevie had been scared that everyone would see what she had done, then she shouldn’t have worried. The kids call for rides, Robin annoys him at work, Wayne just asks about their week at dinner and Joyce and Hopper don’t suddenly start berating him for being weak.

Nothing bad happens, he just feels more centered.

The only thing that does happen is that Eddie takes his ‘sweeping you off your feet’-comment seriously and Stevie finds himself swept up in big hugs, pulling him off the ground as Eddie swings him in a circle, much like Stevie does to El. He has also taken to slinging Stevie over his shoulder when he thinks that she’s taking too long getting ready.

Stevie complains about that last thing. Loudly. Doesn’t mean a single moment of it. Stevie loves physical affection. He adores it when Robin feels well enough for a hug and treasures her high fives and nudges or when she’ll hold his hand. She also loves the kids chittering around her excitedly and the hugs they’re willing to indulge in. So, he’s fucking on board with this development with Eddie, who has always been the most affectionate out of everyone in their group.

Maybe the new affection gets some eyebrows, but Eddie is good at making a comments to lighten the mood and after everything, no one will make Stevie feel shitty when he’s smiling like that when it happens.

Robin doesn’t even mention it on Tuesday when she comes over to eat. Stevie makes her favorite and they all eat around the table, snorting laughter at Robin’s impression of a rude customer that Eddie coincidentally also had to help a few days ago.

Once dinner is finished Robin insists on helping Eddie with the dishes. Stevie lies down on the couch a little, sleepily watching his two favorite people dance around like idiots while doing the dishes, both bouncing off each other as they go from topic to topic.

Stevie falls asleep on the couch, but is only dozing and wakes slowly at Robin’s touch when she says: “Hey, dingus, I brought my makeup, but if you’re too sleepy that’s fine.”

That wakes Stevie up. They have been failing to plan this for a while now with both of them being too on edge or tired to do so. But not tonight. She rubs the sleep out of her eyes and shakes her head: “No, I’m awake.”

“Yay,” Robin grins. “I mean, I’m not the best at makeup, like it’s not a thing I do often, but I can do it. But I won’t be like Madame Tucker, who can transform your whole face or anything, just me messing around. But I do have experience in messing around on my own face and I at least know some things.”

“Robs, you’re going to be fine,” Stevie says, gripping her shoulders and looking into her eyes. “I don’t care about how good it looks. It’s about the experience too.”

That makes Robin smile softly, looking way more sure than before. She offers: “We could do each other’s makeup.”

Stevie’s eyes sparkle and he nods excitedly, doing each other’s makeup is such a stereotype, but it sounds exciting to Stevie. Connecting to someone without having to put on a tough guy act and playing with makeup is fun, even if she’s not good yet.

They giddily retreat to the bedroom, dragging an extra chair with them.

Robin gets one of her tapes from the collection and puts it on as Stevie clears away the last of the clutter on the vanity. Eddie brings them some drinks and says that he’s going to read on the couch, but that he wants to see the results and to have fun.

To the opening notes of Total Eclipse of the Heart, which makes them both giggle, Robin starts applying the makeup.

The brushes are soft against her face and Robin’s brow is pinched, concentrated on what she’s doing. However, once she gets into it she starts talking, commenting on what she’s doing.

Stevie hasn’t done much experimentation himself, except for the mascara and lip gloss, being comfortable enough with the latter to wear it around town when the mood takes him. So, Robin’s tips about blush, eye shadow, liners and lipstick are very welcome.

She gives her a Madonna inspired look, taking cover of her single La Isla Bonita as inspiration, which is only half successful, but so much fun.

In the end, Stevie looks cool. Not at all like the more soft and sweet look she usually goes for or just the preppy one he has always had, but tougher. With a grin she opens the doors of her closet sorting through Eddie’s clothes until she finds a cropped metal shirt and puts it on.

For the hair, he takes over, styling it into blown out, semi-mohawk he’d seen in a magazine a while back. While Robin digs around the closet for a bottom to match the look.

As she digs through her closet, she sighs: “I wish I could stay here all the time, you know. It’s so much more comfortable here. And I know that I’m here every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, along with Saturday if I can manage, but having time here just makes it a bigger contrast to life at home, you know.”

“I know,” Stevie sighs sympathetically. He remembers how extra empty his parent’s house used to feel whenever he’d spend time at the Byers house or with the kids.

“Like I want to play with makeup and it not be a big thing about me embracing how to be a lady and I want to wear my comfortable clothes and I want to get excited about college without being reminded that a housewife is also a good option for the future,” Robin says. “The only pro is that they’ve gotten off my back about my sexuality by dating you. They fucking love you.”

Stevie hums at that, thinking, before offering: “I can try and get in some dinners with your parents on Mondays. Not weekly, but more often. We can work in the idea of you playing housewife here and me feeling guilty because you don’t even live here and are already taking the role. If we play it right, we can get you to move.”

“That might work,” Robin says excitedly. “But then I’d be sleeping here, who knows what can happen out of wedlock?” she mocks that last part and Stevie snorts.

“I can give you a promise ring,” she shrugs.

“Really?” Robin says, looking torn between amused and like it can work.

“Yeah, why not, it’s not like I have any other prospects in my life and I’m starting to think that I don’t want those either,” Stevie replies, casually.

“You – Stevie Harrington, who flirts with everyone – don’t think you want to get back out there once we can drop this charade?” Robin asks, sounding disbelieving.

“Nah,” Stevie says after a second. “Maybe if someone walks into my life, I’ll take it, but I’m not going to look for it. I have you and Eddie and the kids. I don’t really need more than that. And after everything, I don’t know if I can find someone to relate to, you know.”

“And you’d be okay with that?” Robin asks. “Never loving someone like that.”

“I think I love people plenty,” Stevie shrugs. “And I’m not going to swear it off or anything, just stop looking for it. If there is someone meant for me, then I’ll run into them, but the rejection and shitty dates feel kinda stupid after a while.”

“God, wish I could relate to having so many dates that they start to feel stupid,” Robin sighs, before shrugging: “But I guess that makes sense.”

“You’ll find someone, I’m sure. College will open a whole new can of babes,” Stevie assures her, the word choice making her grin.

Then she gets back to the earlier topic and says: “But if you could try to convince my parents that living here is good for me, then I’ll owe you.”

“I will and you won’t owe me, Robs,” Stevie rolls her eyes. “I want to see you be happy and safe, you won’t owe me for that.”

“Fuck, Stevie, how are you so nice and pretty, fuck you,” Robin says wiping her eyes.

“What?” Stevie chuckles a bit in disbelief and bashfulness.

“I’m not attracted to you, you’re my dingus, but the makeup is really bringing out your pretty side,” she shrugs. “I just wanted to compliment you, but the honesty crept up so I felt like I had to deflect, but I still wanted it to be nice, so it’s a double compliment with a confusion factor to keep you on your toes and prevent us from becoming emotional. Plus, I found pants for your outfit.”

Stevie blinks a few times, mentally working through Robin’s word vomit. It’s actually really sweet, but he drops it with just a smile, before asking: “Pants?”

“Yeah, they’re my pants, but they should fit,” Robin tells her. “They’re baggy and black. Please, they fit the vibe so well.”

“Sure,” Stevie gives in and tries on the pants. He has to admit Robin is right. It looks cool and gives him an interesting figure.

“See,” Robin exclaims gleefully when she sees her inspect herself in the mirror.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Stevie gives in. “Now, it’s my turn, walk me through it.”

They get back to it, going through tapes until they find a soundtrack for Stevie doing Robin’s makeup with her walking him through things he hasn’t done much yet or even at all.

Robin’s look is a little softer than Stevie’s and she cackles like a maniac when she pulls out Stevie’s soft pink sweater and the skirt she got for her Halloween costume that Stevie stole. She looks very unlike herself and it’s hysterical.

“Oh my god, Eddie’s gonna piss himself,” Robin laughs as they stand next to each other and look into the mirror.

Stevie laughs and agrees. They stumble out of their bedroom towards the kitchen where Eddie is on the couch with a book. He obviously hears them coming, since the both of them are giggling like idiots.

“What’s all this fuss ab-” Eddie looks up and stops his sentence, looking up for a second. Then stopping as he spots them.

“So what do you think, Eds?” Robin grins at his shocked expression, both of them bursting out in laughter when he can’t find anything to say.

“Cat caught your tongue?” Stevie winks with a cheeky grin.

“Is it too soon to make an ‘I feel like I’m in another dimension’-joke?” Eddie finally says.

“Eddie!” Robin exclaims but she’s laughing too.

“Sorry, sorry,” Eddie grins, putting his book away. “Come on, let me see. This is so weird. It’s like you’re still you, but changed personalities. What the fuck.”

Robin bounces forwards and dramatically drapes herself over Eddie as she puts on a high little voice and says: “Am I not a proper lady, Edward? I promise I can lead you from this life of sin. This does not have to be you.”

“Shut up,” Eddie snorts as he catches her, before squinting at her and gasping: “Holy shit, I can see it. Ahh, this is weird. Stop. Bring my Robbie back.”

He shakes her as she laughs and Stevie takes out the polariod he brought and quickly snaps a picture of them. They startle at the flash, but the picture is already taken, their smiles frozen on the film both looking a little blurry.

Stevie shakes it with a grin as it develops and Eddie rolls his eyes, while Robin rolls off his lap and asks: “So, that’s your opinion? It looks wrong?”

“No, don’t twist my words, fair maiden,” Eddie whines. “You look beautiful, just very lady-like and proper, which is a contrast to your personality.”

“Are you saying I don’t have manners!” Robin gasps, faux-offended.

“I just saw you try to monologue with spaghetti still hanging out your mouth, Buckley,” Eddie shoots back unimpressed.

Robin stills for a moment, then shrugs and grins. “Touche,” she says. “I was more for shock factor, the real kicker is Stevie. She looks amazing, don’t you think!”

“He does,” Eddie agrees, smiling and looking at Stevie.

His gaze is heavy on Stevie, who now realizes she looks a bit like a rockstar’s wet dream in the metal outfit and Eddie’s stolen shirt. It wasn’t intentional, but Stevie knows how to tease and that she looks good. He strikes a silly pose, doing the horns, and asks: “How do I look?”

“Stevie, princess, if I could love you I’d fall right now,” Eddie tells him dramatically. “You, fair knight, are really hot like that.”

Stevie giggles at the comment, but Robin asks: “If you could love?”

Eddie shoots her a look and Stevie quiets for a bit, then Eddie puts on his fake bravado and says: “While I am a flaming homosexual and know what I want in bed, I’m afraid it stays in my bed. I’m non-limerent.”

“Ohh, I read about that in one of the zines Madame Tucker send us,” Robin says. “Thank you for telling me. That’s cool.”

The words relax both Eddie and Stevie with Eddie grinning: “I am the coolest.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Robin snorts, rolling her eyes. “Just compliment me on how I did Stevie’s makeup.”

“I already said it was hot, you fisher,” Eddie ribs.

“No, you said Stevie was hot, my handiwork has gone entirely without validation,” Robin pouts playfully.

“And we can’t let that happen,” Eddie agrees, their attention turning back to Stevie, who has been watching them with an amused expression.

She gets pulled onto Eddie’s lap like Robin had been, but instead of dicking around, Eddie inspects his face closely like he truly is some sort of makeup critic, humming here and there. Without her glasses, Stevie can’t see much from the left, so Eddie makes sure to tell her before he’s cupping her cheek so that he can turn Stevie’s head around to inspect from all angles.

Robin is giggling next to Eddie, thinking the whole thing hilarious. Stevie also finds it a bit funny, but keeps up a displeased act as he asks: “Everything up to snuff, inspector?”

“You sound like a bad porno,” Eddie snorts.

“Dude, what kind of pornos do you even watch?” Stevie shoots back.

“Don’t answer that!” Robin screams. “I don’t want to know Eddie’s porno preferences.”

“My expression is being stifled here,” Eddie huffs.

“Your expression should be stifled,” Stevie deadpans, Robin vehemently agreeing.

“You two are so mean to me,” Eddie pouts, but he doesn’t mean it.

“Just tell Robs you like her makeup, Munson,” Stevie says.

“As you wish,” Eddie replies, before turning to Robin and saying: “Your makeup is very nice, I like it, Robin,” in the fakest voice he can manage.

Robin slaps his arm lightly and says: “You’re so rude.”

“How am I the rude one!” Eddie guffaws.

“God, both of you are like four years old,” Stevie injects before Robin can reply to that. The comment has the intended effect of making him their common enemy as they simultaneously tell him to shut up, before looking at each other and laughing.

Once the laughter is out of their system, Eddie says: “No, but seriously, Robs, this is really good. I thought you said you were bad at makeup.”

“A lady must keep her secrets,” Robin winks. “But thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah, just strike a pose together, I wanna have a picture of you two,” Eddie says, taking the polaroid that had been discarded on the table.

“Oehh, yeah, photo shoot,” Robin exclaims delighted, dragging Stevie with her.

They likely take it way too seriously, but they end up with a few nice pictures. One is Stevie recreating the album cover, the other one is Robin and Stevie back to back striking spy-poses, there is one of Robin alone sitting on a chair like a proper lady and one of Stevie doing a pretty good imitation of Eddie as she lounges on the chair, as well as one of Stevie in the chair, Robin standing behind her, both posing liked ages monarchs.

However, the one that ends up on the fridge is taken later in the evening. Robin and Stevie have collapsed on the floor, their heads next to each other, but bodies going the opposite way. Eddie hangs over them and calls out: “Smile!”

Both of them barely manage, Stevie’s eyes half-mast and a lazy grin, Robin just keeping her eyes closed as she smiles, throwing up a peace sign.

When Eddie is putting it on the fridge, Stevie asks: “Isn’t it a bit much for the fridge? Shouldn’t this be a vanity picture?”

“If you’re uncomfortable with it, we can move it, sweetheart,” Eddie assures her. “But with Robin looking so out of character, I think people will see it as something that doesn’t mean anything. A joke, maybe.”

“Maybe,” Stevie sighs, a bit sad.

“I know it sucks that we have to try and twist this,” Eddie says sadly.

“One day the people that truly care will know that that’s you, Stevie,” Robin rubs his shoulder. “I promise.”

“Thanks,” Stevie smiles softly, studying the picture again before nodding. “It looks good on the fridge.”

“Hell yeah,” Robin cheers. “Now gimme the other ones. For the album.”

The album is something she started after they made plans for the future together. Apparently her parents have documented their lives excessively and she claims that it is nice to have your history, all the good memories, together to view whenever you please.

Eddie, whose parents abandoned him and whose uncle could never really afford to have his childhood documented and Stevie, whose only childhood pictures were official portraits to hang in the house to project a family, both nearly cried when she showed them the part of their trip to the city that she had made earlier when she pitched the idea for the album.

She’s still in the pink outfit, but sitting on the floor at the coffee table as she sticks the pictures into the album, tongue sticking out in concentration.

The dates are written on the pictures themselves, alongside the location. However, funny stories or context is written on the page itself. And Robin forces both Eddie and Stevie to write something too, making it truly a collection of them.

However, the picture of Robin and Eddie together isn’t in the album. Stevie puts that one on his vanity, glad his mother was vain enough to put a big mirror on her itinerary, so that Stevie now can put a lot of pictures there before the view’s obstructed.

That night – after Robin and Stevie have taken off the makeup and changed into pajamas, Robin squealing about how cute the pink ones are – they crawl into bed together.

Stevie has gotten used to Eddie cuddling up behind her and she loves the safety it brings and how the nightmares are less bad. But there are nights when he needs to know that Robin is okay. When dreams are filled with Russians and Stevie doesn’t know where she is. So, having her hand safely in his, will always give him the best rest.

They all sleep the best when all three of them are there.

In hindsight, it’s probably that night with Eddie coming out and them all laughing that makes Robin not question the sudden sweeping off feet’s that Eddie is doing. She is the only one to think of either of them being gay together and Stevie not being with her. It’s nice that she doesn’t ask, that Stevie can explore more before looping her into this new vulnerability.

And so the weeks start to pass with winter slowly starting to turn into spring with Stevie and Eddie falling into a routine of every other Sunday, while Stevie spends some Monday’s at the Buckley house trying to convince Mr. and Mrs. Buckley to let Robin move out. They think they’re getting close.

When the 20th of March arrives, spring break also arrives, which is ushered in with the first DnD night of the break as well as the final battle of this campaign.

All the parents have agreed to let the kids sleepover at their home and all of them are buzzing, because Eddie has promised that their final battle will be long and they will be staying up late to try and beat it and they will suffer while battling it.

Eddie has been religiously keeping his notes away from Stevie, even though he knows she won’t peak, just in case she spots something. A fact that hasn’t stopped the kids from grilling him alongside Eddie in the hopes he has a grain of information.

Stevie has made all sort of snacks and the two of them have taken an afternoon to get the living room into the mood with candles and lamps all around to bask the room into a soft glow.

After school Stevie comes to pick up half of the excitable kids, while Eddie is waiting to take the other half. Even Max and El are coming, not wanting to miss out on a slumber party and Robin also hangs around as always.

They’re all so excited about it and Stevie can’t stop smiling. These are his kids, you know. And they’re getting visibly older and they won’t always need him. Hell, some of them are already learning how to drive. But in moments like these, they’re still the little nerds she first met all the way back in ‘83.

The party crowds around the coffee table as they do each Friday – the kitchen table too small to seat them all at, thus taken over by Max, El and Robin – and get out their stuff.

And so, the final part of their adventure begins.

Eddie leads them through a haunted forest that only Stevie recognizes as being Upside Down inspired, since he is the only of the players, who ventured that deep into the dimension as well. He doesn’t comment, however, because it’s nice to be able to pretend to walk through that place without truly having to fear it. It lessens the impact of that forest to have Dustin and Mike arguing about what path to take as background track instead of distant creatures making noise.

When they get to a guard, which is more a live statue (like the Greek ones, Eddie explains) come to life, Dustin tries to wingman Will, something he has been doing more frequently, claiming that if it’s hard to have a real life boyfriend in Hawkins then Will should at least have a fantasy boyfriend in DnD.

Stevie has noted that Mike always looks a little displeased, but the boy hasn’t said anything about it yet, though his friendship with Will has gotten much stronger again.

Then they finally make it to the final battle. The ground has just burst open, a giant creature crawling out, and everyone has rolled imitative, when Eddie claps his hands and grins: “Let’s order pizza and take a small break.”

The table bursts out in protests and Stevie watches Eddie revel in the chaos. She herself just rolls her eyes and goes to order pizza, already knowing everyone’s order.

After that he goes to sit with Robin, who is reading, while El and Max are giggling over some magazine. He says: “Just ordered pizza, should be here soon. What are you two doing?”

“Looking at hair styles,” Max says.

El nods: “This one has guides for braiding.” Then she looks a bit sad. “My hair is getting better, but it is still short.”

“It’ll grow out, promise,” Stevie tells her sympathetically, knowing first hand how much hair can do for a person.

“We wanted to practice on each other,” Max informs Stevie and it breaks his heart that El can’t have her hair practiced on yet. What those assholes did to her. In her anger, she misses Max’s gleam, before she suggests: “Hey, Steve, your hair is pretty long…”

And even if Stevie wanted to say no – which he never would – the excited gasp of El would have discouraged him. She excitedly says: “We could do a braid train! Like in the movies.”

“STEVE!” Dustin yells from the couch. “We’re talking strategy, come here.”

Stevie looks between the pleading girls and the group around the coffee tables, then says: “If we can form the train over there, go nuts. But I think they’ll skin me if I don’t get back.” With a mutter she adds, “Despite the fact that I just got them dinner.”

The two giggle at that but beam up at him as they hurry to the table, the magazine in hand.

Max sits behind Stevie with El behind her, the magazine on the ground next to them, though El floats it up with her powers whenever she wants a closer look. They get to work and Stevie focuses on the strategy talk.

For a second it looked like Mike might comment on it, but then his eyes flick to El and he realizes why Stevie is getting her hair braided, so he shuts up.

By the time the pizza arrives they have a strategy and Stevie’s hair is braided, and they’re all ready for a little break. The delivery guy is someone Stevie used to semi-know in school. Enough that he greets her with a smile only to look confused by the scene behind her. She’s gotten used to it and it’s a little funny to see the confused looks at the company she keeps now. How the Harrington name has tanked in esteem now that her parents have left town.

They all fully step away from what they’re doing to eat the pizza. The DnD players are naturally buzzing to go back to their game, however, they manage to talk about spring break plans and the last week of school, only getting up immediately when they’re done to sit back in their seats and wait for Eddie to finish.

Both Stevie and Eddie get practically heckled when they try and eat in peace. With Eddie yelling out: “We’re getting old! Let me eat slowly or I’ll get cramps,” which earns them fake gags and peace to finish dinner.

Then Eddie sweeps them up into the heaviest combat they’ve had to date. It is grueling and they’re slowly starting to realize that most, if not all, will not make it.

One by one, their healers go down as Eddie’s eyes get more manic and gleeful. Though going down is not stopping them from calling out things they should do to the players still in the game.

It’s the most exciting thing since last year.

The commotion is enough to draw the girls from their table as cheerleaders alongside their fallen friends. Robin is behind Stevie, massaging her shoulders like some sort of box coach as she rolls the dice. El clapping every time, even if the roll is shit. Max just shit talks them, even if she can’t read the dice.

In the end, it’s just Stevie and Erica vs. Eddie’s creation, a dragon. Stevie decides to heal Lady Applejack and stay in position, taking an attack of opportunity so that Erica won’t be the one hit and has next turn to roll, hoping she rolls well enough and it won’t be a TPK and they won’t have to re-fight this boss with new characters.

Eddie dramatically narrates: “The dragon lets out a might roar and it’s claw comes down toward Sir Stephen, who can’t do anything but watch as it draws near. The healing magic is leaving his outstretched fingers towards Lady Applejack as the claw digs into his back. Sir Stephen gasps, wordlessly, then collapses. As he lays there, Stevie, does he say anything?”

“Uhm,” Stevie thinks for a second, then does his character voice: “‘Live for me, for us, Lady Applejack.’”

“The words are choked out between the blood and barely heard by Lady Applejack, the last standing against your foe,” Eddie says, everyone tearing up a bit. They’ve been saying goodbye to all their characters and it has been a high and a low.

For Stevie, it’s nice to say goodbye to Sir Stephen, who first allowed him to explore doing something other than what was expected and spending time with her kids, learning what they loved and getting into it herself. However, she has learned so much about herself since making Sir Stephen and while she isn’t sure if she has the courage to play Lady Stevie next, his next character will be an updated version.

“Lady Applejack,” Eddie asks, “what do you do? You are surrounded by the husks of your friends, who have given their lives so that you might have a chance to take this fucker down. This dragon, who has been making life miserable for you and your party. This dragon that is now barreling towards you at full speed.”

“I let out a loud battle cry, jump and stick both my daggers in his eye,” Erica says.

“Roll acrobatics,” Eddie tells her.

Everyone holds their breath as she rolls. If it’s too low, she won’t even get to attack at all. She the room is quiet and tense as she shakes, then rolls.

14.

It’s the lowest she has rolled for acrobatics this entire battle, making it a 17 with her modifiers. The entire group looks at Eddie, who basks in it for a second, before he goes: “You make the jump. Roll two attacks.”

There is a sigh of relief as Erica snatches up the two dice and rolls them at the same time, too anxious for theatrics.

“Both hit!” Eddie exclaims, bouncing, now also too excited to see where it goes to try and have a dramatic pause for effect.

They all dive to give Erica their lucky dice so that she can have the best roll, even if Max tells them it’s just stupid superstition. This time Erica does drag it out a bit. From Dustin’s close observation, there could be room for error here.

Once the dice are rolled, they all lean over, seeing who can do the quickest mental math. Which is Dustin, screaming out the number, before all their eyes whip to Eddie.

“Lady Applejack runs towards the dragon and jumps, successfully landing on its eye socket and holding onto its lashes for dear life,” Eddie starts, everyone hanging from his lips. “She lets go to plunge one dagger into its eye. It gets lodged there, serving as a handhold to push in the other, which disappears into the eye, never to be seen again.”

“Gross,” Robin mutters, getting many elbows in the side at her interruption.

“The dragon lets out a mighty roar.” Eddie roars. “Like it can’t believe what is happening. It halts, stumbles, staggers, then falls onto the ground.” Everyone cheers. “Still hanging onto her dagger is Lady Applejack, alone in the rubble, but victorious.”

They all continue to cheer, Stevie clapping Erica on the back, before Lucas hoists her onto his shoulder, getting everyone to chant. This makes Eddie lean in and say: “He gets the sports chanting from you.”

Stevie laughs, before she says: “That was a brutal end, Eds. I can’t believe you killed everyone but Lady Applejack.”

“I didn’t kill everyone,” Eddie replies. “If you were better, you could have lived.”

“God, you’re a dick,” Stevie punches his arm.

“Maybe,” Eddie shrugs. “But from what I hear these kids have been playing these characters since middle school. They could use a chance to reinvent themselves. Besides, I think Sir Stephen has run his course too, don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, I do,” Stevie agrees, because Sir Stephen has been ready to perish for months.

Before they can continue the conversation, Eddie gets swarmed by the kids, yelling at him for that ending as well as jumping in excitement, intermixed with questions about what this means for the next campaign, which Eddie agreed to start that break.

Once he has managed to calm them, he says: “Okay, so you did all die.” “Uhm, most of them, not me.” “Sorry, most of you died. Now, for the next campaign, you are allowed to bring back your characters, however, I felt they all had their arcs completed and it’s time to reinvent yourself. You can also make a new character and keep the names, that’s fine too.”

The kids nod and he turns to Erica: “I know you lived.” She nods and flips her hair. “But you are also free to make a new character if you want, but Lady Applejack is more than welcome to find new companions.”

“I’m gonna keep adventuring with Lady Applejack,” she decides. “Sir Stephen’s last wish was for her to live and I’m going to live.”

“Hell yeah! That’s what I like to hear,” Eddie cheers. “So, it is already quite late, buttttt I do have new character sheets, if you guys want to stay up a little later and get started on them. Erica, you can level up, the rest of you, just make a level 16 character.”

They unanimously make a decision and snatch the new character sheets out of Eddie’s hands, already chattering about their plans for their new characters.

Eddie and Stevie watch them fondly for a moment, before they start to do the picking up. Robin joins in and winks: “Gotta live up to that housewife story we’re selling,” which makes the two other laugh.

Stevie has just put down a stack of pizza boxes when Max appears beside him. She looks tired and tugs on his sleeve, as she says: “I need to go lie down.”

“Of course,” Stevie says. “Here, come. You, El and Erica are staying in Eddie’s room. Don’t worry, we cleaned the sheets.” And Eddie hasn’t slept there once.

Max smiles and softly thanks him as she ushers her to the bathroom alongside El, who caught up to them the moment she noticed what was happening. Stevie calls Erica to go to sleep too. She doesn’t have to make a character and as the youngest, Stevie wants her in bed now.

The three brush their teeth and say goodbye to the others, though Lucas laughs at Erica in that way only big brothers do. While Stevie loves the kids, he snaps his fingers and sternly tells them: “Don’t laugh yet. You get one hour extra, then you all go to bed as well.”

The boys groan, even if Stevie can see the sleepiness already tugging at them. Erica sticks out her tongue at that.

“Mama Stevie,” Eddie laughs as she corrals them to bed, while Stevie rolls her eyes.

“You three set for the night?” Stevie asks, standing in the doorway. “Or do you need anything? A glass of water?”

“We are good, thank you, Steve,” El answers.

“Alrighty,” Stevie nods. “Sleep well.”

“Good night!” the three echo back.

Eddie and Robin are doing the dishes when he gets back. Eddie leans back and asks: “They all good back there?”

“Yeah, Max got tired,” Stevie explains. “I’m honestly glad she was able to stay the whole night. She has been doing better lately.”

“She has,” Eddie agrees. “Wanna supervise the shitheads there?”

“You two don’t need help?” Stevie asks.

“Stevie, we can clean a few glasses and bring some empty pizza boxes to the trash,” Robin rolls her eyes and shoos her to the kids.

Reluctantly she leaves, but that reluctance disappears the moment he sits down and he’s bombarded with the new backgrounds for their characters. Will is giving his new character a husband, telling this to Stevie with a smile, while Dustin is excitedly talking about trying to convince Eddie to let him have a sentient instrument, Lucas wants to make a fighter with a fantasy sports celebrity background and Mike is going the underdog leader route.

They ask about Stevie’s new character and he shrugs: “Haven’t thought much. Maybe I’ll play as a barbarian.”

“That’s so cool!” Dustin gushes. “Like Eddie told us about with the bat, you can channel that! Mike has always been our paladin, you can be our barbarian! That makes so much sense!”

“That’s a yes to the barbarian idea?” Stevie laughs, the four of them nodding quickly.

All of them continue to talk for a little while longer. The sound exploding a bit again when Eddie and Robin join them again. Eddie draping himself over the couch, while Robin wraps herself around Stevie. However, Eddie doesn’t leave them alone, throwing his legs over them.

It’s pushing half past midnight by the time Stevie decides he’s ordering everyone to go to sleep before they’re too tired to help set up themselves.

They complain of course, but Eddie backs him up, which makes that they help, but complain that they have to sleep on cushions on the floor and the couch. However, they accept it when Eddie and Stevie point out that mattresses are expensive and all their money just went to pizza and they have other bills, so they should have just brought their own air mattress, like they suggested when they invited them all.

So, they set up and brush their teeth in companionable silence. Then, as they all lie down, Mike sets them all off by asking: “But where is Eddie sleeping?”

The three of them share looks, before Robin shrugs: “He’s sharing with us. You twerps are taking over the rest and we’re too old to sleep on anything but a bed.”

“And you two don’t mind?” Dustin asks, looking between Stevie and Robin.

At that Stevie cracks, laughs and raises a brow: “Dude, do you think we’re going to fuck with everyone in here? You’re sleeping next to your friends, so are we. It’s not like the girls are doing anything weird and they’re sharing a bed.”

“Oh god, you should look at your face right now,” Eddie cackles, before dragging Stevie and Robin with him as he calls back: “Go to sleep, adventurers.”

They’re still giggling a bit about it when they get to their room with Robin exclaiming: “I can’t believe your kid just practically asked if we were going to fuck.”

“Fucking Dustin,” Eddie snorts.

“He’s been getting better,” Stevie points out. “He just has this weird fixation on my relationship with Robin. I think because he thinks he knew before we did.”

“Oh yeah, he was pushing you before we got kidnapped by the Russians,” Robin agrees, changing into her pajamas.

“He did,” Stevie agrees, sliding out her jeans

“It still fucks me up when you two mention that so casually,” Eddie says as he shrugs off his shirt and pants.

Both Stevie and Robin shrug at that and give a grin. Robin puts on her stolen shirt of Stevie that she has made into a sleep shirt and sport shorts, while Eddie puts on the plaid pants that he wears to bed. Stevie fingers the pink fabric of her pajamas that have become a favorite since she first dared to wear them.

A heavy hand claps his shoulder and Eddie smiles sadly and says: “If you’re not comfortable, then you don’t have to wear it. But I think they’ll be cool.”

“They probably will,” Stevie sighs. “But it will be a thing and I don’t want it to be a thing. Tonight was fun, I don’t want to risk tainting it if the thing is hurtful, no matter how unintentional, you know.”

“Resolutions can be saved for another day,” Robin calls out. “Get comfortable and get in bed. I’m cold and you’re my personal heater.”

That cheers Stevie up and she steals a pair of Eddie’s sleep pants and pulls on an old track meet shirt, before getting in bed. At peace with his soulmates around him.

Eddie has a nightmare during the night. Eddie’s nightmares are silent. He doesn’t wake up screaming like Stevie sometimes does or cry like Robin. Eddie shakes and jerks a bit, rolls off the bed from time to time.

If it were not for the fact that Eddie is always attached to Stevie’s back, he wouldn’t have noticed, however, he knows exactly what’s happening when the shaking wakes him.

“Hey, Eddie, Eds, wake up, come on,” Stevie twists in his arms, so that she can cup his face and gently talk until Eddie lets out a small gasp and opens his eyes. Then she hugs him and murmurs: “You’re okay, Eds. It was just a dream. Fucking shit dream, but a dream.”

With a wet chuckle Eddie thanks him for waking him and snuggles back into Stevie chest still shaking.

“Wanna talk about it?” Stevie asks and Eddie shakes his head no. “Smoke?” she offers, now Eddie nods.

Eddie slides out of the bed, making it easier for Stevie to follow without disturbing Robin, who’s still sleeping peacefully. If they were going to drink tea, he would wake her too, but they’re going to smoke, since there are kids in the kitchen, so he just leaves a note.

They tiptoe past the kids and make their way to the front porch, where they prefer to sit. The blanket they usually keep there is inside to keep Will warm, so they huddle close as they share a cigarette.

“I should have put on a shirt,” Eddie says. “Fuck, my nipples are cold.”

Stevie shrugs her own one off and hands it to him with an eyeroll: “You’re lucky I run hot.”

“It’s homophobic that you’re putting me in a sports shirt,” Eddie tells him, but he pulls it on before Stevie can take it back.

“Eddie, I’m literally also queer,” Stevie says exasperated.

“And yet you’re being a good christian and waiting for marriage with Robin,” Eddie replies, unable to keep a straight face as both try to muffle their laughter to not wake the kids inside.

They’ve lit up their second cigarette and are halfway through when the door opens. Both turn to see a sleepy Lucas standing there. He’s rubbing his eyes and squinting. “Eddie? Steve?”

“Yeah, kid,” Eddie says. “It’s us.

“Are you okay, Sinclair?” Stevie asks.

“Oh, uhm, yeah, I just- I heard sound outside and I had to make sure, you know, that it- that it wasn’t…” he trails off but they both know what he meant. He had to make sure it wasn’t those jocks coming for them again.

“I get it,” Stevie says softly, taking the cigarette and stubbing it as he beckons Lucas. “Here, sit with us for a bit. It helps.”

Relieved that he is invited without having to ask, Lucas quickly comes over, Eddie and Stevie moving so he can sit between them. Eddie throwing an arm over his shoulder once he has sat down on the step.

“Do you have to go and check often?” Stevie asks gently, keeping her tone non-judgmental.

Lucas doesn’t look at either of them, shrugs and mumbles: “I mean, sometimes.”

“You don’t have to talk about it, but we’re both here for you. The people inside are here for you. We all have our moments,” Stevie tells him. “Me and Eddie aren’t out here, because we love smoking in the middle of the night so much.”

“Thanks,” Lucas says after a second, then goes on: “It’s just- I’m- I’m the sporty one, I can fight the best, at school I’m the one they can hide behind. I have an in with the cooler guys so they don’t get picked on as much. But I’ve already failed them once. What if they really need me again and I fail again?”

And fuck if Stevie isn’t intimately familiar with that fear, that fear of not being enough, of not being on time next time, the fear of not keeping everyone safe.

Eddie obviously knows this too, because he sends Stevie a questioning look as he hugs Lucas closer, inquiring if Stevie knows what to say now.

“Sinclair- Lucas,” Stevie starts. “I get it, truly I do. But you did not fail. Trust me. You fought to the bitter end and everyone made it. You did not give up and you did not hesitate. Just because you lost that fight, doesn’t mean you failed.”

“But Max got hurt,” Lucas says. “Erica got hurt. I sleep in her room sometimes, because she gets scared of someone finding her. That’s unfair.”

Stevie’s heart is breaking at Lucas’ confession. And she wraps an arm around him as well and agrees: “It is unfair, Lucas, it’s so unfair. El deserved to grow up better, you kids and Robin deserved to not get dragged into it, Eddie didn’t deserve what happened to him. It is unfair and you’re allowed to be upset about it. But you don’t get to think you didn’t do enough, or that you failed. I have lost almost every fight I’ve been in. Do you think I didn’t do enough? That I failed?”

“No, but-”

“How is Billy beating the shit out of me any different?” Stevie counters before Lucas can say something. “It’s not. He got his hands on you and he wasn’t supernatural. You fought Carver while Vecna was gunning for Max. That’s two vs. one. That’s already not a fair fight, but you fought it and you ensured Max is alive and breathing in that room down the hall today. You did enough, Lucas, you did enough. Trust me.”

Silent tears leak down Lucas’ face and all Eddie and Stevie can do now, is hold him, while Eddie agrees with Stevie and Stevie whispers soft comforts.

They hold him for five minutes, until he’s calmed down. Voice still a little shaky as he says: “Thank you, I- I needed that.”

“It’s what we’re here for,” Eddie replies, bumping his shoulder softly.

“And if anyone give you trouble at school, you can tell us too,” Stevie adds. “You’ve been through enough not to deal with it and I don’t mind showing up with my bat. My reputation already sucks, I can fight some high schoolers.”

Lucas laughs at that and they’re both relieved to see him smile again. “I think I’m good, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

“You think you can try sleeping again?” Stevie asks.

“Yeah, I think so,” Lucas says. “Sorry for barging in on you.”

“Don’t apologize,” Eddie tells him sternly.

“Our door is always open,” Stevie agrees.

They softly say goodnight and sneak back to their sleeping places. As they lie in bed again, Eddie whispers to Stevie’s neck: “I noticed you didn’t include yourself on your list, princess. You know you didn’t deserve it either, right?”

“I’m working on it,” Stevie whispers back.

“Good,” Eddie nods, hugging him closer. Then softly, Eddie says: “Thank you for waking me up and going outside with me.”

“Of course,” Stevie says, because Eddie doesn’t need to thank her. And she knows he knows that, but it’s just who he is. It brings a smile to her lips and with that smile, she falls asleep again.

~~

A/N:

This is your friendly reminder that only the people involved in actions and relations can decide what intent behind those are <3

Also the fic had been lacking in Robin, sorry, I hope this chapter is making it up! (though to be fair, it made sense for her not to be in that last chapter lmao)

Btw, I’m really soft about the idea of the three of them being old and having queer youth around them and being mentors and just having that album to show their happiness despite everything and kldsdfgk let me cry in peace y’all

Also also, my boy Lucas deserves the world and oh my god, I wanna hug him so bad, like can u imagine the guilt this kid has? Heartbreaking.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Reorganisation

I’ve spent part of this week on a reorganisation binge, wanting to effectively tidy my various workspaces. This seems to be going relatively well thus far but is going to involve various bits of chugga-chugga-chugga for this particular phase. So here’s what I got and what I’m doing / have done with it.

New Spice Rack and Spice Jars: I had one spice rack - little wooden thing, left on someone’s retaining wall on the route between the clinic building I used to have my fibro management group at and the bus stop in the traditional “Free To A Good Home” style. (I have a couple of good bits of furniture from that sort of thing - the spice rack; a set of wire mesh drawers that serve as my computer parts storage, meds storage, and stand for my second monitor; a shoe rack that gives me something to prop my foot on when doing up the laces.) Anyway, point is that when I started getting a little more adventurous with the cookery that I could manage with the fibro, I also started getting more spices. The curry in particular really upped the amount of spice jar lying around. Thing is, my little wooden spice rack wasn’t up to the task, so I had a lot of little spice jars eating into my already minimal counter space. So I bought myself a pretty little wire mesh spice rack and some spice jars to make things a little more uniform, and spent a good hour or so yesterday tidying up everything, and here is the result, which is far superior to little jars of curry spice cluttering the counter:

New Power Strip: When I got my hand mixer and started doing smoothies, I got a new power strip for the kitchen. However, when I started working from home, I needed that power strip to plug in my work PC, because the number of power outlets in the study is insufficient for the level of tech that lives in it. Thing is, if the study doesn’t have a whole lot of power outlet, the kitchen has even less, so all I can really plug in is the dehydrator, the microwave, the kettle, the fridge, and the stove. So I made a plan, which will be enacted in full tomorrow morning when all the electronics are off. I bought a six-plug power strip, which will go in the study to give me more outlets near my PC, and then the one that used to be for my PC and peripherals will go to the kitchen so I can plug in my kettle, toaster, hand mixer, and Instant Pot without having to do too much rummaging around the back of the microwave. This should help matters.

External Hard Drive: I have an entire collection in my Steam library that is simply titled “Uninstalled”. It’s not that I don’t want them installed; it’s that I don’t play them often and I just don’t have the space. A lot of these are the Big Huge Games - you know, the ones whose file size approaches or exceeds 100GB. Thing is, I want to decide which I want to stay installed and which belongs in the Nope collection (which is the one for games I can’t actually play and / or ended up disliking) and which I would like to pick up and at least try a bit. Now, ideally I’d love to just install a new hard drive in Gilmore, but the set-up of Gilmore’s case is such that it becomes difficult to actually install a hard drive in there. Thus, external hard drive - 1TB, since it was relatively inexpensive. (Though does someone want to tell me why the fuck they charge £10 more for a blue or purple one than they do a red or black one? IT’S THE SAME INSIDE, FOR FUCK’S SAKE.) Anyway. So. It took some messing around, but I did get it properly installed and recognised by Steam, and my test install of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey seems to be going relatively well. From what I Googled about running Steam games on an external drive, I should be fine at this point. However, that didn’t feel like quite enough, so I’m doing a couple of other bits of reorganisation on the PC. I don’t actually watch a whole lot of my videos, so I’m currently in the process of moving them all to the drive in my external drive dock, where I can watch them if I switch the thing on but save the space on the main drives for other stuff. Thus, more games. I mean, probably not too many more games, because we are talking about more than ... well, my current love affair with small indie games leaves me with a lot of games that don’t take up so much disc space, thankfully, but shit like any recent AC game or anything like that just ... sooooooo much data.

So now I’m watching various bits of externally connected drive go Chugga-Chugga-Chugga because I don’t really want to slow anything down by playing a game or whatever. It’s fine; I have plenty to occupy myself meantime. Though mostly it’ll be an exercise in watching over all this in the spirit of “watching paint dry”, but only because I’m slightly paranoid and want to be here to appropriately poke at it if anything goes wrong. Well, at least it’ll give me a reasonable organisational foundation on a couple of levels, mostly without too much in the way of physical activity and thus fibromyalgia pain.

I’m waiting until the weekend to vacuum the carpet.

[valentinoappreciator]

Step And Spit On Me

Media: Hazbin Hotel

Pairing: Valentino / Female Reader

Rating: E for Explicit

Wordcount: 1.5k (a short king)

Warnings: None apply / All is consensual

Tags: Daddy kink, trampling, spit (swallowing), choking / asphyxiation, gags, praise kink, dirty talk, slurs against sex workers / women in general, established relationship,

Author's Note: I have no excuses for this one, except I wish this was my reality <3 Valentino is a steaming piece of shit, and I hope he dies, but in the meantime, I want him to step and spit on me!! Enjoy Can also be read on AO3, under the same title, and the username TheWeirdDane!

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

“Get on your back for me, baby. No, not the couch, on the floor.”

You weren’t sure how you had gotten to this state - a state where you would obey Valentino’s every whim - now were you sure why you were so eager to comply. In the back of your mind, a small voice whispered it was because you adored him. Another voice whispered it was because of the infamous red smoke that doubled as an aphrodisiac. Yet another voice whispered it was because you were scared of the consequences if you didn’t comply. 

In the end, you obeyed, laying down on your back on the floor. The carpet was plush and oddly nice to lie on. 

“That’s a good girl. You’re always so eager, aren’t you?” he purred, his voice deep and sickeningly sweet as he towered above you. 

You nodded, your heart working double time as sweat began springing forth on your forehead. You wanted to agree verbally as well, but the ball gag strapped around your face made it impossible. 

He didn’t need to steady himself as he lifted a foot. Keeping his balance perfectly, he ran the sharp snout of his black, shiny, latex boot along the length of your leg. You shivered, about to close your eyes when...

“No no, baby, keep your eyes open, alright? There you go...”

Slowly, Valentino’s boot moved from your naked feet, over your ankle, up your calf. He nudged your thighs apart rather forcefully, before pressing against your cunt. 

You gasped sharply, balling your hands into fists. 

“What’s this?” he said in that tone of voice that said he was deeply amused. “You’re already wet? My my, what am I going to do with you? I’ve barely done anything, and your pretty little cunt is already begging for some action.”

A whimper escaped you, then a shuddering moan when he worked the tip of his boot over your clit - repeatedly. 

“You’d think a slut as popular as you would appreciate some down time,” he snickered, gradually sliding his boot lower to press against your hole. You gasped again, squirming slightly and prompting him to laugh at you. It was incredibly humiliating and dehumanising, and you hated how aroused it got you. 

“But, of course. I should’ve known better,” he continued, dragging his now glistening boot up over your pussy and pressing it against your belly button. You whimpered, your body starting to tremble all over. “Whores like you are always desperate for something to fill your pathetic, hungry holes. Isn’t that right, babygirl?” 

A muffled moan, and you tried to say ‘yes Daddy!’ but failed, making him snicker again. 

“I can’t quite hear you,” he teased, leaning down over you with a wide grin splitting his face. His teeth glistened faintly, the gold one catching the light in a hypnotising way. 

“Mmhhhmmmh!” 

“Aww, you want it that bad?” 

He straightened again so he could run his boot over your stomach, until his heel caught on your flesh, making the breath hitch in your throat. Saliva trickled out around the gag and down the sides of your face. It was gross, and it was hot, and you wanted to wipe it away, but you knew it wouldn’t be permitted. So, you lay there, drooling all over yourself while Valentino sent you a look. It wasn’t tender, or to check in on you, but it was to warn you that he was going to step on you now. Enough teasing. Enough games. 

“Well then. I’ll let you have it. I’m just that generous.”

He allowed you to take a steadying breath before he shifted his weight so that all of it rested on his boot on your stomach. The pain was sharp, immense, and immediate, but you could only let out a muffled, pathetic kind of scream. 

“Fuck, that’s pretty,” he grinned, wiggling slightly on his foot to jam the heel into your stomach. Your eyes widened, and you writhed beneath him, like a worm he had hooked. “Can you make that sound again?” 

Of course you could. The pain intensifying, it bubbled out of your gagged mouth in another scream that, no matter how subdued it was, scratched at the back of your throat. 

“Mmhhhmmmhhhh!” 

His grin grew. 

“Ohh, that’s it, baby, just let it out. Daddy’s here, isn’t he?”

Tears stung your eyes as he continued to step all over you, while at the same time, your cunt throbbed. Pleasure coiled in your belly, provoked forth by his heel as it dug into your flesh. 

“That’s a good girl,” he cooed, reaching down to grab your jaw with his hand. “What do you say?”

“Mmhhhmmmhhhh!” 

“No, no no, you should use your words, like a big girl.” 

You looked up at him through the tears that slowly started spilling, dripping from your eyes and being swallowed by the carpet under your head. 

“Lift your head. That’s it.” 

He undid the gag’s clasp on the back of your head, and you moaned softly as it fell from your mouth. Finally able to close your mouth, it felt almost weird. 

“Well? Daddy’s waiting, babydoll...”

“Thank you, Daddy,” you rasped, sniffling softly. He still had his boot on your stomach, and although he wasn’t heavy, his weight was starting to, well, weigh down on you. “Thank you.”

His grin widened, and he finally removed his foot from your stomach. You inhaled shakily and were halfway through sitting up when he shoved you onto your back again with his boot. Surprised, but also deeply aroused, by this simple move, you looked up at him with narrowed eyes. 

“Val, what are you---”

He slapped your cheek. Not hard - and certainly not as hard as he was capable of - but enough to make your cheek hurt, and enough to make you shut up. 

“It’s Daddy, or nothing. Understand?” 

You nodded meekly.

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl. Now, open your mouth wide. Stretch those muscles,” he purred. 

Nervous about what he had in mind - you hadn’t negotiated anything other than you being stepped on - you hesitantly opened your mouth. Closed it again. 

“Good. Keep your mouth open. Daddy has a present for you.”

Naïvely thinking he was talking about his cock, you eagerly opened your mouth wide, looking up at him expectantly. He laughed mockingly and stroked your cheek, but although his touch was light, there was no tenderness to it.

“Oh, baby... you look really pretty when you get all excited. But, no. I won’t give you the pleasure of sucking my cock.”

Confused, your mouth closed just a little bit, and he instantly grabbed your jaw to force it open again. 

“Nu-uh. Keep wide open, babycakes,” he purred, so sweet and deep you knew he was being so very serious. 

You kept your mouth open, even when he tentatively let go of your jaw. 

“There you go. Was that so difficult?” he said mockingly, before he straddled you. 

You couldn’t help but blush, but he didn’t comment on it. Leaning down over you, his long, slimy tongue slithered past his lips and pushed into your mouth. Your eyes widened, but you let him do it. 

He hummed, pushing his tongue to the back of your mouth and into your throat, making you gag. His hand came up to grab your neck when you tried pulling away. Squeezing firmly, he pinned you in place as he began fucking your throat with his tongue. 

You mewled softly, squirming beneath him once more. Even though you were starting to run out of air, pleasure built steadily within you, and your eyes closed a sliver. He didn’t seem to mind this. 

When he finally pulled back, he chuckled darkly. His hands retained its tight grip on your throat. 

“Good girl. Now, keep that pretty mouth wide open.” 

You moaned, obeying his command while still wondering what he had in store for you. 

It was when he hovered above you, his own mouth open and his tongue dripping with saliva, that you got an inkling of an idea as to what he had in mind. And it made your cunt throb and your stomach jump in sudden delight. Yet, at the same time, it was so disgusting that you almost - almost - closed your mouth again. 

“Stick out your tongue, baby.”

And indeed, the big dollop of saliva that clung to his teeth and tongue finally fell. Your eyes widened, but you kept your mouth open and your tongue out, like a good, obedient girl. The glop landed on your tongue, making you shudder and grimace slightly. 

This, he noticed. 

“What is it? Are you not delighted, honey? Are you not overjoyed by my gift?” 

You couldn’t keep a moan at bay, the humiliation sweeping through you and making pleasure boil within your chest. 

“Yes, Daddy, I am,” you moaned. You didn’t want to swallow - it was gross to swallow another person’s spit - but he tipped your head back with his hand, grinning down at you. 

“Swallow for me, baby, come on, I know you want to...” 

With another deep blush adorning your face, you forced yourself to get a grip. It was just saliva! It was natural! Everybody produced spit! It wouldn’t kill you to swallow! Yet, it was with something akin to trepidation that you did swallow, but it was replaced with deep pleasure when Valentino bucked against your stomach. 

“There’s a good whore. Always so eager to swallow, aren’t you? That’s why you’re my favourite...” 

[omega-tech]

my opinion about emulation

Emulation:

I could go many ways of my dislikes or likes but I will say a couple of things. 

I feel that emulation would help archive old video games that have been forgotten or lost from documentation. How else are we supposed to know the history of video games if we don’t save them? Many old games from the cartridge era are dying from chip rott or chip failures. Some cartridges are just beyond repair or saving. And as for disc base from pc to playstation. Those are getting hit harder than cartridges due to the disc rot and scratching on the data on the disc. Once it's gone, it's gone for good. That is why I feel that emulations should be a thing to save these games before being lost. 

What I don't like about emulation is the use of it. Over in China, you could buy loaded retro box or handhelds that have thousands of games from the eight bit to sixteen bit, even twenty four/sixty four bit games roms for over twenty to eighty dollars. Some come in the form of an arcade fight stick. And another thing i am seeing is software or hardware devices that you can mod your current console and play rip games. Nintendo went after a company that makes the switch emulation that you can run on your pc or steam deck. And the ps4 just got a linux based emulation and runs pretty well if you got a beefy pc to run it, only if it linux os then windows os. Those of the emulation I don't like but that is my opinion. 

But I do see why people do it, and the reasons that come with it. I mean, I would love to have a red cab neo geo mvs arcade system but those are going for $900 to $3000 a pop from a one slot to four slot. I would rather emulate the cab on my pc than buying the cab. Also the mvs carts are getting so pricey. And there are some games on the snes I wish I could afford but can’t. I would love to have most of the jrpg games on snes like secret of mana, chrono trigger, and super mario rpg. But those games are running around $80 to $400. Same thing on ps2 the king of jrpg. I wanna get my hands on the .hack series and also tales of the abyss, star ocean, fantasy star universe, and tales of rebirth. Again, those games are getting so pricey and scary due to disc rot. And if I have to use an emulation to play them. So be it. 

The world of retro game collection in 2024 is pretty bad now since everyone is getting into it. I got into it with my little brother back in 2009. I am lucky to have most of my childhood games but the games I was curious about that I mentioned before will be outta react unless I get lucky online from facebook market space or ebay. Emulation is my way to play games i haven’t had a chance to play when i was a kid. Even through it all sources of wrong or good. I feel that emulation will be the only way to preserve video game history and its contents that come with it. So I am 50/50 on the emulation. It is good for preservation and it is wrong for piracy from the current gaming consoles we have now. Again, that is my opinion about emulation. 

[rottenbrainstuff]

BG3 playthrough - Wasting time at the southern checkpoint

Spoilers below

Guess who backtracked about 5 hours of game time because they only just discovered that the newspaper actually changes every day based on what you did that day, and now they need to go back and collect them all? This is why I’ve been playing since October, have over 500 hours on my steam account, and still haven’t finished one single playthrough yet…

I’ve been playing since October. Wow. This game has just totally taken over my brain. On the one hand it’s been amazing to have my brain so thoroughly distracted, cause things have been getting really rough, and I appreciate the distraction, so so much. But on the other hand… I do sometimes wish I could be spending all this effort doing something actually useful. Last year I had been making some progress on personal projects, and I’ve had no desire to touch it at all since October. Sigh.

After finishing the backtracking and collecting all the papers, guess who found Carm’s Garms and wasted a few hours dressing everyone up like barbie dolls? I am NEVER going to finish this game!!! Look, it’s not my fault that Astarion looks so fabulous in so many things. I think my favorite dye for him is the white and scarlet, but sometimes the black and furnace red has good results. My tav used to wear a lot of red but has lost his taste for it - reminds him too much of what he wore as a bhaalspawn. He’s been using the azure and blue dye a lot.

So of course I finished the Open Hand Temple investigation. That was super interesting but also super sad, more tiefling refugees getting shit on, and the only person who really cared about them got murdered for his trouble. I like the little touch that Astarion disapproves of any religious comments that you make: on brand. I only just noticed getting a statue made gives the subject a permanent buff. Enjoy, Astarion. (and everyone else in the camp: enjoy Astarion) Found Petras and Dalyria at the flophouse. Trying to kill each other - that’s how you know they’re really siblings.

Obviously if I was at the clothes shop, I ran into Naaber. Oh boy. I didn’t get the joke at first and was quite bowled over by how strange and out of place he is, though I did find it funny and listened to everything he had to say. Then I looked him up online and found out he’s a running gag brought over from BG2 which is funny… But I ALSO came across a discussion where people were, as far as I am able to tell, asking in complete earnest if there was any way to deal with him besides killing him. ??? Look I know there’s no “wrong” way to play and whatever way makes you happy is the right way, but like damn. WTF are some of you doing? He’s an annoying dude to be sure, but it is a LITTLE bit funny, and if you don’t like him, you don’t have to even talk to him at all. (right? It almost sounded from what people were saying that he was following them around being a nuisance, but he definitely didn’t follow me. Did he used to follow players in previous patches or something?)

And then I went to Sharess’ Caress. Boy oh boy, the devs really liked this location didn’t they, they put in a ton of detail, lol. It’s kind of funny how everyone wants to meet at Sharess’ Caress. I thought it was just a funny brothel, but apparently it’s a respectable taphouse as well, judging from how many people just hang out here / conduct business meetings? Or is this like the people who claim they like to go to Hooters for the wings? Anyways I adore the cat, I adore mamzell Amira, I adore the put-upon chef. I adore how Amira introduces Raphael and makes the services he’s offering sound ambiguous. I wonder if she knows full well what he’s actually doing in that room, but this is how she introduces him, and some poor asshole who just wants a quick blowjob gets talked into selling his soul instead, or if she really does just think he’s some kind of freelance gentleman whore, temporarily renting out a room from her. I can’t decide which is more funny.

Drow twins: god the dude is hilarious and the girl is interesting. I must have spent at least one solid half hour just reloading and trying out all the different dialogue branches with them. What do other races get to talk to them about, I wonder? Being a drow I had some options to ask about their history and how they ended up here, and also point out that Sorn’s Menzoberranzan Love Trick is just a name to make customers excited. I assume at least that non-drow characters have other paths to get to their backstory? I wasn’t able to see the foursome because I was romancing Astarion, and he’s not comfortable with that, but I checked them out each on their own. Everything with Sorn made me laugh and laugh. If you say you aren’t sure what you’re into, he chats with you a bit, and dark urge has a few extra little options that are so funny. The only thing I didn’t get to see was what happens if you fail the athletics or persuasion checks. Nym was kind of an interesting encounter - first you have the humour option of just complaining and crying to her for a couple hours, or you can actually just talk, listen to her talk about herself or get some weight off your own chest. If you choose to talk about boundaries, she will talk about how the female drow stereotype is a spicy dominatrix, but she doesn’t feel comfortable doing the rough stuff. That suits my drow just fine - as his boundary, a male drow can say he’s uncomfortable with dominant drow women. It was very interesting. And apparently my tav keeps his gauntlets on during sex. Not sure if that was a bug or on purpose but it was funny, lol.

That was just me checking things out for my personal curiosity anyways - in my actual save game, I didn’t do anything with either of them. I know Astarion says he’s ok if you fool around, and whether he actually is or not is debatable (he seems more comfortable here than when you talk to him about Halsin, IMO), but my tav just really has no interest if Astarion isn’t there.

I walked in on the nymph and her client… I had no idea what happened there so that was a shocking surprise.

I was stuck for a while trying to decide what to do about Raphael offering the contract. I had said that I would do anything in my game to trigger his hilarious little monologue at the epilogue party. It sounds like you must sign the contract then break it in order to get that. But everyone in the party is so freaking mad about it, I don’t have dialogue options to indicate I’m doing it fully intending on going back on it later, I don’t really want to deal with the Emperor being pissed off just yet, but if I lie to him, what do I do with Voss? Lie to him too? Man I dunno. I think it’s simpler just to tell Raphael to fuck off. Plus it’s also pretty funny to go and steal the hammer from him later. He’s the one who made me aware of the hammer: if he hadn’t mentioned it at all, I wouldn’t have known about it, but now that I know that he has it, BECAUSE HE TOLD ME, I’m going to go steal it? I just think that’s hilarious. Idiot.

HOWEVER IN THE END: I decided to do the contract. I have a second playthrough that I started and put on hold with a tiefling paladin, and since she would NEVER sign a contract with Raphael, I think I’ll make my durge do it. But besides just meta game reasons, I also reasoned… he just recently found out he’s a bhaalspawn, and I think he’s feeling like his crummy soul is forfeit. No big deal signing over his soul to a devil when he’s already completely fucked. Who knows, maybe Raphael and Daddy Bhaal will have a fistfight over it later and that would be hilarious. That’s where my tav is coming from.

I also did Gortash’s big fucking coronation but I’ll write that up as its own thing I think. Goddamn I am enjoying this game so much.

[thetoxicgamer]

Big Metro Exodus Mod Changes Are Coming, So Pick It Up Cheap on Steam

Metro Exodus mods will undoubtedly get better in both quantity and quality thanks to a recent announcement from developer 4A Games, which not many studios make. Get ready for tonnes of mods because 4A Games will soon release the SKU for the post-apocalyptic FPS game series. After almost three years since its release, 4A Games has announced official Metro Exodus mod support, as it gives modders access to the Metro Exodus SDK for free in an effort to further help out the modding community and allow them to create bigger, bolder, and more breathtaking content for the game. “This isn’t just simple mod support – we’re giving you our full Editor as it was the day we released Metro Exodus, with the ability to create standalone content run from a basic executable,” 4A Games says. “Along with some tutorial levels and as an example of a fully featured, shipped level, we’ve included a full unpacked Metro Exodus sandbox level for you to tear apart using our tools. Feel yourself a 4A Games team member – we’ve provided you with everything our designers, artists, and animators have access to!” Metro Exodus is also at a 75% discount on Steam right now, down to $7.49 USD / £6.24. So if you haven’t played it now’s the perfect time to pick it up on sale ahead of all of these great Metro Exodus mods. The only major thing 4A Games notes about these Metro Exodus mods is that you can’t use what you create from the Metro Exodus SKU for “commercial purposes” – meaning you can’t sell your mod work or put it behind a paywall. So, what exactly does the Metro Exodus SKU mean for the modding scene? It means Metro Exodus mods are about to get a whole lot easier to make and could start getting a whole lot bigger too, as 4A Games has essentially handed over the keys to its own IP and said ‘go nuts.’ Many are excited about potential overhaul mods with calls for a Stalker overhaul – in the vein of Fallout 4 mod Fallout London – which (on paper of course) would see the core mechanics and landscapes of Metro Exodus turned into a sort of brutal survival shooter. The possibilities and scale of mods have always been endless, but this Metro Exodus SKU going public is great news. I love a good mod, and communities behind games like Skyrim still see wacky and wonderful daily mods over a decade since its release. Even the Skyblivion project – which aims to remake the whole of Oblivion inside of Skyrim (another great overhaul example) – just had four hours of raw footage shared, and another Skyrim mod made every NPC the Dragonborn too, because why not. 4A Games clearly understands its community, and the fact that there’s no money involved shows that the studio just wants to keep its community alive and let the passionate fans create even bigger and better content, which is undoubtedly a smart move while it works on its next project – whatever that may be. If this has encouraged you to jump back into the post-apocalyptic series or try it for the first time, we’ve already broken down the Metro Exodus endings and got the best Metro Exodus settings on PC for the best performance. Read the full article

[satoshi-mochida]

Maid cafe adventure game Maid Cafe at Electric Street to be published by PLAYISM

Gematsu Source

PLAYISM will publish Adventurer’s Tavern-developed maid cafe adventure game Maid Cafe at Electric Street, the companies announced. It will be available for PC via Steam. It will launch in 2024.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

Maid Cafe at Electric Street is a leisurely maid cafe adventure set in the otaku haven of Nipponbashi, Osaka. The protagonist of our story quits his job at an extremely toxic workplace and finds himself at a run-down maid cafe tucked away in a quiet part of Nipponbashi. There, he meets the maid Shiro. One thing leads to another, and he eventually gets appointed as the temporary cafe manager and put in charge of the management of the maid cafe. As the new manager, his first task is to scout cute girls to work at the cafe. Time to explore Nipponbashi and all the otaku stuff it has to offer!

Key Features

Get to know the four unique main girls: Shiro, Miyu, Favna, and Honoka, all voiced.

Immerse yourself in lighthearted stories about everyday life with the cute maids.

Enjoy the modern and gorgeous pixel art graphics depicting even the finest details, including the meat buns next to the convenience store cashier and the figures on the shelves of an anime shop.

Go on fun dates at Nipponbashi, from anime shops to arcades to the cinema!

The Four Main Girls of Fuwa Fuwa

Shiro – “Um, please be the new manager of the cafe!” A maid who loves Fuwa Fuwa Cafe. A huge otaku for anime and video games, she talks really fast when she’s gushing about the things she loves, and often splurges on merch without thinking whenever she visits an anime shop. A little clumsy, but works hard every day to become the cute maid she’s always wanted to be.

Miyu – “Hey Mr. Manager, thanks a bunch for hanging out with me today~☆.” A game otaku and gyaru with a big appetite. Loves both eating and cooking, and apparently really enjoys serving her cooking to customers at Fuwa Fuwa Cafe. Is actually Shiro’s friend on the online game Magic Angel, so they knew each other before actually meeting in real life.

Favna – “I am the Slayer of the False God, the Queen of the Kingdom of Darkness, the All-Seeing Oracle, the Guardian of the Dream of All Things—.” A mysterious girl dressed in gothic Lolita fashion. Speaks in riddles and demands the protagonist become her familiar. She sometimes accidentally drops the edgy act when she’s taken by surprise though, so maybe she’s just got a serious case of chuunibyou…?

Honoka – “Ya want a thrivin’ business? That there sounds like a job for our shrine!” A girl with a Kansaiben dialect who works as a shrine maiden at her family shrine. Practically in charge of the shrine, she is reliable and very good at handling money, and has a strong sense of responsibility to boot. On top of that, she’s also the only glasses girl at Fuwa Fuwa Cafe!

Support Your Maid Cafe Employees as the Manager!

As the cafe manager, it’s your job to allocate work to your maids. Make sure to give the right girl the right job! For example, Shiro is always enthusiastic to serve customers, and Miyu is great in the kitchen. Of course, you can’t just sit there while they work. During opening hours, you’ll also have to make coffee and help out on the floor, so it’s not as easy as it sounds!

The Stunning Sights of Nipponbashi

In order to recreate the atmosphere of the real Nipponbashi, the game features several real stores you can find there, such as Surugaya, Sofmap, Dragon Star, Super Potato, and Karaoke Rainbow, among many others. Don’t forget to pay them a visit when you’re shopping or taking one of your maids on a date!

Collectable Gachapon

If you’ve been to the real Nipponbashi, you’ll know that there are gachapon machines all over the area. In this game, you can also try your hand at collecting your favorite gachapon series and experience that unique gacha thrill of not knowing what you’re getting. As you collect more gachapon, you can even bring them up in conversations with the girls. Keep cranking those machines until you’ve collected them all!

Watch a new trailer below.

Publisher Announce Trailer

[ronearoundblindly]

Old Dog, New Tricks

From a lovely 'Sweet Sunday' ask!

Prompt from @whiskeytangofoxtrot555: Our soft boi Steve is in a relationship with a fellow Avenger (but not Keeps—this is in another timeline) who is just as sexually inexperienced as he is, but when Steve comes back from a particularly long and dangerous mission he realizes life is too short to not “take it to the next level’ with his girl—and she feels the same way.

WC- 4306 (🤯 yeah, what the hell happened, you ask? i don't know. you get what you get 🤷🏻‍♀️) Also completely written in a couple of hours, so if there was editing, it was all a joke and everyone can laugh with me...

If you couldn't tell from the prompt, THERE'S SMUT. Minors DNI.

Steve didn’t notice anything until months and months of fighting with you—no, that sounds wrong—beside you. He fights beside you, and sometimes behind you where he gets to see the sides of you, all of you really, and the curves…he just…

He’s having trouble putting it all together basically. You’re highly efficient and dedicated to the Team; you have been since day one. It started with Steve admiring that dedication, and seeing a lot of his own workaholic tendencies in you—oh dear, no, that’s also. Uh boy.

Steve can’t seem to pull it together.

The real problem started with a very typical situation. The Team came home from a mission, and to blow off some steam, they played a game. Since they love to tease each other about how little they all get to have personal lives, “Never Have I Ever” is a favorite. Steve takes it on the chin, but he notices that you never play. Sure, being too tired or wanting to check in with your family and other friends is a good excuse for a while, but every single time over months is…suspicious. When Steve saw that familiar shy smile, the one he puts on right before the game starts, he knew, and suddenly, so many things made so much sense to him.

So he didn’t feel so alone. That was really nice for a while. Then he accidentally noticed you—that way—because he thought “why wouldn’t she?” He knows why he has no experience, but look at you! It doesn’t make sense to him. Well, it does. He gets it, but…

Steve can’t find the words to describe how angry he is at other men for not noticing and wanting to touch you…except, he really gets angry thinking about if other men did that now. He knows it’s not fair to be jealous or possessive of someone who he is not with and has no right to, but…Steve has hopes.

In classic Steve Roger’s fashion, though, he sits on those hopes. He thinks he’ll die with those hopes, and that’s fine until a bullet catches your shoulder during a fight. You were pushing Natasha out of the way while she took out targets from another direction, and Steve was too far away to chance running all the way over. He had to let someone else get you back to the jet. He had to pay attention and finish the mission, so they could all get out of here and get you to real medical help.

He may have punched a few guys much harder than was necessary to knock them out. It’s not like he killed anybody… He just let Natasha kill a few extra people. No big deal. One of them shot you, so…justice?

Steve tries to play it all off from the moment Sam says over comms that you’re stable and will be fine. Steve doesn’t feel any better about it, but he starts rationalizing immediately.

It’s a through and through.

They’ve got the best med team on the planet.

You’re a fighter and a trouper and a strong woman, and you’ll be fine. Fine. Fine.

The word echos in his head, rattling around while the meaning warps back and forth until he’s sitting in the cargo hold, swallowing thickly while you’re leaned against him, his hands on either side of your shoulder keeping pressure on the wound.

“Just one more hole, eh, Cap?”

How much morphine did Sam give you? You’re pupils are dilated, and you’re taking this pretty well. You have a bullet wound, and you’re giggling. Nat’s even smiling. Steve glares at her for taking this too lightly, and Natasha puts her hands up in defeat and walks away to check on Bruce.

Your tongue rolls slowly over your bottom lip. “I’m thirsty.”

Steve swallows what feels like a whole bottle of saliva at once, but he can’t move his hands from your shoulder—which is also incidentally very close to one of your breasts—but he’s not thinking about that, is he?

“I gotcha,” Bucky obliges, coming back with a canteen, holding your chin still while he slowly pours water into your mouth—and get it together, Steve. This isn’t the time.

Buck pours too fast for a second, and water drips down to your chest. It’s ignored for the most part.

“Better?” Bucky releases your chin as you nod, and he heads up front to Sam.

Your head tilts down, your free hand slowly, clumsily raising to swipe the droplets from your tact suit. “If I could learn to swallow,” you mumble.

Mother of mercy, Steve would give anything not to have super-hearing at this moment. That’s going to haunt him while he’s alone—alone at night, he reminds himself. He wants to disappear into the shadows just so he won’t have to control his face (or body) for five minutes while all these thoughts bounce around in that giant head of his. No. Stop, punk, do not.

Steve’s so fucking screwed and not in a good way.

He’s sweating worse when the jet lands than he was in the throws of battle. He lets the med team take over and get you on a gurney, but he stays seated because…he just needs a minute.

Of course, Bucky notices.

“She’ll be fine, pal. Don’t worry.”

“I know,” Steve says far too quickly. “It’s not that.” He can’t lie worth beans.

“Uh huh.” Buck clicks his tongue. “Right, well, I think we’ll all feel better after we get cleaned up.”

Steve comes down to the conference room after his shower, but he had to actively think of what he’d normally do instead of rush to the infirmary to check on you. Debriefs. Those were a thing after missions. You are usually at them, too, which makes his heart sink a little lower in his gut to realize.

They can’t start the meeting yet because Tony isn’t down. He takes the longest showers on the planet, so all the military personnel sit and twiddle their thumbs per usual while they wait.

Steve takes his usual seat by Bucky, not expecting an incredibly unusual conversation.

“Go ahead. Ask me anything.”

Steve looks rightfully confused while sipping on a cup of coffee.

“Look, if you don’t get off your ass, one of us is gonna lock you two in a room until you fuck.”

Scalding hot coffee spews across the table, and while Buck may have truly whispered all that, everyone is now staring at Steve.

He sets down the cup and says the first—and stupidest—thing that comes to mind. “It’s hazelnut.”

Bucky smirks. “Stevie hates hazelnut,” he deadpans, slapping Steve unreasonably hard on the back a few times.

The burning in Steve’s mouth is nothing compared to the glares he feels. He’d be lobotomized by now if looks could kill, but the group takes it in stride, ignoring the profuse and almost scary shade of red that creeps up his neck.

The flush hasn’t fully dissipated by the time you’re wheeled in. The chair is not from injury but because you’re shaky on pain meds and will need rest. He wants to fawn over you and ask to do a million little things for you, but all Steve manages is a crooked smile and intense fear of whatever Bucky’s about to do.

But it’s not Bucky.

Sam Wilson charms his way around the back of your wheelchair slowly, pushing you up to the table right beside Steve, and coos, “can I get you anything? A coffee perhaps?”

He doesn’t have to do it though because Natasha is already setting a mug down in front of you.

“Careful, dear. It’s hazelnut.” Natasha puts on her best if-you-could-hit-a-woman smirk and aims it right at Steve’s cardinal red face.

“Ooo,” you squeak quietly, “I love hazelnut.”

Steve determines he’ll make a move anyway, but in a very typically, shy, Steve Rogers way.

When the meeting’s over, he volunteers to roll you back to your room for some sleep. He’s overly polite and cautious helping you out of the chair and changing out of partial hospital clothes. They cut away the top of your uniform, but your gown keeps you covered while he yanks off the pant legs of your skintight suit. He’s proud of himself for keeping it professional and friendly until he chickens out and tries to leave.

You’ve started to cry and ask for, of all things, a hug.

Steve’s melting faster than a Coney Island ice cream cone in the dead of summer. Of course, he’ll hug you. He’s literally dying to hold you.

It is, however, awkward with your injured arm. After trying a few angles, he swings around to wrap his arms at your waist and set his chin on your good shoulder. Steve’s never hugged anyone for so long and yet it was not long enough.

He never officially asks you out. He just keeps coming around every day and helps you do everything. When you’re in rehab for your shoulder, he helps with your muscle stretches, but he also simply hangs out near you.

When you two are alone he holds your hand or puts his arm over you. Eventually, he just snuggles up to you, standing, seated, or prone. Steve adores touching you, but not like that, not yet.

In hushed conversations, fingers wrapped together, cheek pressed to his chest, you’ve explained that it’s just never happened for you. You weren’t comfortable or a guy was too pushy or the timing was all off. Steve’s terrified now because he wants nothing more than for you to be comfortable, to not push you to anything ever, and—GAH—he hopes he has good timing. He’s pretty sure he doesn’t, but he relishes what you two have.

He especially relishes the one night when you two fell asleep in each other’s arms only to wake up—and it’s only because of what happened that Steve will admit this—horny as all hell. Nobody even removed clothing, but he was rock hard and moaning as you tossed a leg above his hip and rubbed against him. If he’s not mistaken, his poorly muffled shout when he came pushed you over the edge. That or Steve’s tight grip on your ass to help you move at a feverish pace.

Steve Rogers is a terrifically patient man, however, so he follows your lead and enjoys lots of intimacy even without, ya know, penetration. He cares and he wants to, but he doesn’t really care and doesn’t need it. If that makes sense. He’s not sure whether that’s wholly true or whether he’s just justifying stalling. He’s afraid of hurting you or being awful at it—or both. Could be both.

Luckily, the Team has now assumed you two are, well, having sex, and misinterpret the pair of you excusing yourselves from “Never Have I Ever” as a way to hide what you’ve done, not what you haven’t done. Steve isn’t correcting anyone, but that means he can’t really ask for advice without admitting very personal things.

He eavesdrops on conversations, even jokingly, that other Avengers and agents have about their sexcapades. He’s fascinated and a little shocked to learn a lot has changed since the good ol’ days when his Ma explained the birds and the bees to him.

Steve will need to do what? Right where? Is that legal? Wait, multiple times? He’s a logistics guy, so the hand-waving of specifics is irritating. How come the clitoris and G-spot have to be so damn hidden? He’s got a cock and balls. Boom. They’re out there for the world to see, well, no, sorta, but it’s certainly easier to get the gist where to touch. Instead, he’s gonna have to dig around and try angles? He has to control his tongue how?

The more Steve tries to plan and prepare himself, the more nervous he gets because this isn’t some sort of practice round: it’s you.

It’s such a strange thing that breaks him. On a mission that ends up being more of a retrieval of some evil douchebag from his palace in another country, Steve sees a woman. She may be the guy’s wife or mistress, but she has that look, the exact same look you had when you told him about men who did not treat you right. He understands why it bothers him so much in that moment.

She thinks that’s what she deserves. She thinks that’s all there is.

Steve feels sick with that thought the entire way home, and he knows you don’t understand when he shows up pounding at your door in the compound. He knows you don’t understand what’s happened when he takes you in his arms, cradles the back of your head, and kisses you like you’ll both be gone tomorrow. He knows you sense something has shaken him when he hoists your legs around his waist and carries you to your bedroom, but then he knows it’s time to talk.

“I love you, and I need you to know it.” He’s stern even when pinning you to your sheets and holding your face to only see him.

“Ok,” you gasp breathlessly. “I love you, too, Steve.”

“No, but—“ he’s had hours in a quinjet to figure out how to say this and he’s still fumbling “—I need you to know you deserve love.”

He watches that hit you harder than his body in the doorway, watches the soft refocusing of your eyes, watches the tensing brow in disbelief, watches the barely-there quiver of your lip. All of this, he watches, and that’s how he knows you heard, even if you don’t understand yet.

He slowly inches down to kiss you again. It’s completely different from every other kiss before, slow and tender, but not at all soft. His hand slides to your hip and pulls you as close to him as possible, flush with him, fused with him.

“Do you think we could try…” he mutters into your mouth in between ragged breaths. He hears your heartbeat hammering like a frantic drumline beneath him, and you nod. He’s both so outrageously excited and petrified that he’ll lose his nerve. He just has to remember what he told himself in the jet: if he can try six different times to get enlisted into the army, he can find a gosh darn g-spot.

No one—no one—would categorize what he does as a graceful disrobing. If you weren’t clearly surprised and nervous, you probably would have laughed at him, and Steve has a mind to tear the crew responsible for his suit a new one over how many pieces there are to loosen and remove until he can finally crook his fingers through the band of your shorts and settle between your legs.

Your shirt is still on, and he hasn’t pressed himself against you because honestly, he’s admiring the view for a moment. He can’t get over how you’re chewing the ever-loving hell out of your bottom lip while looking so greedily at his naked body. Steve knows he doesn’t look the way he grew up seeing himself in the mirror. Never hurts to remind him, and it still makes him blush.

Your eyes dart between his. “It’ll hurt.”

“You tell me the instant it hurts, and we stop. I promise.” Steve lowers himself again and plants a feather-light kiss to your bitten lips. “We don’t have to, you kn—“

“No, I—“ your hands grip at his broad shoulders “—I mean, I’m…just scared, but I…”

“Sweets, I don’t think either of us is ever going to not be scared.” Steve smiles when he sees you grin up at him.

“Somewhere, there’s a grammar Nazi who’ll come find you for that one, Rogers.”

Steve has to laugh, but he doesn’t have to laugh without kissing you feverishly again. Of your own accord, your hands move down, and down, and down to his  ass (which only makes him chuckle a little more), and your hips roll up to meet his in a lazy rhythm.

A familiar heat building in his gut, Steve breaks away. “Can I touch you?”

He sees your mouth open for a witty retort, but nerves take over. You simply nod again.

Steve takes it back. It’s like jumping out of a plane into enemy terrain. With just his fingertips gliding along the soft skin of your folds, he has no idea what he’s doing. What if he tries to press into your ass by accident? Jesus, what if this is just the beginning of his confusion? He tries to press just a little, hoping it seems less exploratory that way.

You clench, and he feels it.

“I’m ready, Steve. I trust you.”

Well, that’s nice and all, but he’s pretty sure he’s made a huge mistake. If he’d been braver, if he’d thought this through, he’d’ve asked for advice. Who he would have asked, Steve doesn’t know.

He can feel it now, your entrance. One finger snags along its edge before he slowly pushes in. Your whine is quickly released into a sigh. It’s ok. You’re ok. No pain, or at least very little of it, so he presses on, smearing around some of the slick coating his finger before adding a second. That makes your fist ball up the sheets at your hips and hiss around a sob. Steve immediately pulls his fingers out.

“Alright? I can stop.”

“No. No,” you pant, “it’s just, uh, the stretch of it stings, but it’s not…I’m ok.”

Steve’s an idiot. He watches your chest rise and fall, realizing something he’s overheard a bunch of times in various ways: if you’re more aroused, you can take him easier. He forgot real foreplay.

Steve doesn’t have to know anatomy and logistics to know that he’d like to kiss you everywhere, so he nuzzles up the hem of your shirt and snakes his fingers (some wet and some dry) up your sides. He’s rewarded with breathy gasps and whimpers he could hear on repeat for a lifetime. He really loves the delicate kind of heft your breasts have in his hands and commits the balance of firm plushness to memory. The texture of your nipple across his lips and tongue is interesting, but he likes your sounds a lot more. He really likes when you arch up into him and grab his hair.

Tentatively, while you’re wholly distracted by his hot mouth dancing all over your chest, Steve returns his hand to your mound. He doesn’t need to press closer to feel the damp pooling heavily between your legs. He’s pleased with himself, to say the least, but it’s still about you even if he is oddly close to finishing untouched based on sound and smell alone. His fingers glide in almost easily now, so easily (and knowing his own size) that he adds a third which is still a stretch.

Oh lord, the guttural thing that rattles out of your throat, though, will haunt his dreams forever. He wants to make you do that again. That’s not a pained sound; it’s close but not quite, and while Steve can’t explain why, he feels pride brewing along with the heat within him.

He curls his fingers, remembering that’s one of those oft-mentioned moves, and he doesn’t expect how immediately your legs fall wider for him. He also suddenly understands the difference in feel between the ridging on your walls and this one spongy spot right there.

Steve looks up from your breast, smiling, only to see that your head is thrown back. That’s ok. He’ll just have a smug moment all to himself because he found it, and he didn’t even have to ask or look it up. Take that, unhelpful euphemisms. Steve Rogers is good at sex.

A very high-pitch whine escapes you before he realizes what he’s doing. Steve buried his fingers in your heat while in his own thoughts, resting the heel of his palm against you, and then started pumping shallowly. Oh. Oh. Alright, he’s starting to get the hang of this, he thinks.

He debates simply watching you continue to fall apart or moving on, but a flash of something deeply feral, carnal all the way down to his core, teases him with the prospect of him being buried inside you, mouths within reach, eyes aligned. It’s not a difficult sell at this point. Steve’s fully supportive of his body existing to be used in this—

“Shit,” Steve hisses. He forgot the freaking condom. He plays it off as you struggle to participate in a coherent conversation, but he’s glad you’re not too far gone when you toss out your arm.

“Implant,” you huff, another groan rolling past your trapped upper lip. “’s fine. Please.”

What kind of gentleman would he be if he quit now, huh?

His whole body is just hot, blood pumping but somehow not efficiently for any other function than to crawl atop you and bask in the look of stunned bliss behind your blown out pupils. Smug is maybe too light of a word. Steve’s ecstatic.

He’s so excited, in fact, and slightly tricked by how wet you are when he first nudges his length against you, that he plunges right in. Your yelp tells him that was wrong, and Steve kisses the few tears that escape your tightly closed eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, sweets. Let me—“

“Don’t. Just don’t move for a sec,” you whisper, though he’s not sure you mean to.

Your legs scramble up the back of his, adjusting you and your angle, shifting him deeper even though he isn’t meaning to move. It’s torturous, but he stays completely still.

The few deep breaths you take brush your breasts up against him, and Steve can’t stop himself from taking one in hand again, kneading gently.

“Yes,” you finally sigh, hips rocking a little against his. He has permission to move, and oddly, he realizes he has permission to feel your body so tight around him. It’s a consistent and sensual pressure that Steve admits might be so glorious it should be illegal, but hell, if he’s gonna deny himself this ever again.

You’re perfect. You’re so perfect. You feel so good. He’ll never feel anything as wonderful as you and—

Steve snaps his mouth shut just as the short thrusts he’s been revving up with bring him nearly all the way out of you. Every thought in his head was coming out of his mouth. Maybe he’s a little too excited. He feels a tight pool of pressure that’s not directly gripped by your body, and he’s got to focus on you again. Focus. He can do it.

But then he sinks back into your heat, and no, he cannot do it.

“You want to try…” he’s breathing pretty hard now, too, apparently “…on top?”

“Yeah,” you huff, sloppily propping up on your elbows, “how do I—“

He’s wasting no time. Steve pulls you up into him for a kiss and rolls. He flops so heavily on your mattress, you bounce on him without either of you trying and this is awesome.

It’s that instant that Steve sees the same playful, delirious enjoyment in your eyes as he feels right now. You’ve dipped a toe in, and the water is nice. Jump on in. Steve’s like to let himself drown at this point, so whatever you want…

You experiment with a few types of movement while he watches in total fascination. The style you settle on is pressing your hands flat to his pecs, leaning slightly forward (which pinches your breasts together and dangles them right before his eyes), and dragging your pelvis down over him.

He’s done for. Your tightness pulls on his cock just rough enough to drive him crazy, and that feral urge snaps to the forefront of his brain again. He tweaks your nipples between his fingers and lifts his hips each time you get closer, allowing him deeper. When your body gets tired, torn between fatigue and the heavy coil trying not to break inside, Steve’s hands latch onto your hips and help you keep pace just like they did when you dry humped each other on this very bed. Nothing dry about this though, except maybe his mouth that’s been hanging open for however long now.

He licks his lips just as your head falls and your eyes lock onto his. You whine his name in the downright dirtiest, sexiest, mind-numbing way that the feral piece of him takes completely over. He’s just frantically rutting, pumping your hips into his in whatever way feels so fucking amazing he’s—

Your choked scream startles him for a split second until a deep moan rumbles behind it. Fuck, you’re gorgeous. Fuck, he loves you. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he’s coming, and then everything dissolves in a toe-curling rush of tangible feelings and heart-stopping emotions.

And then he’s surprised again.

You both come back down to your bodies, he pulls out of you cautiously, and you lay down at his side. Steve pets a thumb over your cheek and softly kisses your lips each time your eyes open back up to him. He shifts around to cover you both in blankets and listens to you hum while you start to fall asleep. Finally, just when he thinks you’re dead to the world, you jump forward (but about as fast as a sloth ‘jumps’ forward) to snuggle against him.

Steve’s already so whipped for this. He’ll give you anything and everything just to be here with him now, all night, all day, months and months, forever. He’ll fight with you, beside you, behind you, on you, inside you. Anything.

He’s done waiting to try.

[Find more on my Masterlist]

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The Sequel: Your Dog, His Tricks

[iminarce]

exhausted

cw: it’s all fluff except for whitney tbh, he’s got some swearing, some mentions of dubcon and somno, some suggestive lines in kylar’s too ft. robin, sydney, kylar, whitney

some soft content for tired pc’s because i’ve been exhausted lately and i would do anything to be cuddled by robin or sydney tbh also: not whitney being the reason my cw note is like, one whole line longer than it would have been if i cut him from the post 😭

the week is nearly over. the day is finally winding down. it’s been a whirlwind for you lately, with obligations pulling you left and right, keeping you busy from sun up to sun down. to say that you’ve reached your limit would, at this point, be an understatement.

it has, admittedly, been a while since you’ve taken the time to check in with yourself - both physically and mentally - and it’s starting to show; your eye bags have been steadily darkening, you’ve been caught dozing off mid-conversation a couple of times now, and you think there’s a new pimple forming on your forehead, much to your dismay.

robin; with a sigh, you kick your shoes off at the door and make a beeline for your bed, falling face first onto it. the mattress is on the firmer side, a testament to how cheap it is, and you do have to brace yourself a bit for the impact, but it’s surprising how even this hard mattress brings some level of relief.

or maybe it’s just your reclined position.

your respite is short-lived, however, as only seconds later, you hear a faint knocking at your door. reluctantly, you pull yourself up to answer it, feet dragging behind you.

you swing the door open with a sigh, an irritable “go away” already halfway up your throat, but you choke on it when you catch sight of robin, standing innocently in the doorway. there’s a look of mild concern on his face, his eyebrows pulled together ever so slightly, a small frown settling on his lips.

“robin,” is all you manage to breathe out, any residual annoyance evaporating on the spot. you could never be upset with robin. especially not when he shows up at your door with a steaming cup of hot chocolate clutched in his hands, chewing absentmindedly on his bottom lip, eyes shimmering with worry.

“you seem stressed,” he says softly. you almost laugh.

“you have no idea,” you mumble running a hand through your hair, taking a deep breath. the smell of hot chocolate accosts your senses, wonderfully rich and sweet. you always thought robin made the best hot chocolate.

“i thought maybe you’d like a cup of hot chocolate,” he says. “we can drink it together, and maybe play a game or take a nap together or...or something.” he shifts shyly at his words, eyes darting between your face and the door frame you’re leaning against. “you deserve it,” he adds softly.

you can’t help the smile that tugs at the corners of your mouth, a familiar warmth bubbling in your chest at the offer. robin has always been so sweet - so good to you. he’s always there for you when you're feeling down, always welcoming you with open arms and cosy blankets. and it seems like today is no different.

silently, you let robin lead you to his room, where he insists you get comfortable on his bed with him. he tucks you in gently under his blanket before offering you your mug. then, he clambers in himself, careful not to spill his own cup of hot chocolate.

robin wedges himself next to you, arms pressing close, knees knocking together, thighs touching.

“so, what’s been keeping you up?” he asks with a sideways glance, nudging you gently as if he’s trying to catch your attention. like he doesn’t have it already.

feeling cosy and comfortable here, tucked in next to your favourite person in the whole word, you can’t help but unload onto him. you leave out a couple of choice details, but for the most part, you bear your stresses to him, complaining about work, school, people. whitney.

robin listens quietly, attentively. he offers small noises of agreement where appropriate, and frowns with you when you do. he nods every now and then and hums in understanding when you make a pointed observation. his eyes are focused on you and the myriad of emotions that flicker across your face as you rant, watching as your previously tense shoulders slowly begin to relax in thanks to the ranting, the blankets, the hot chocolate, and most importantly, his company.

it’s been nearly two hours by the time you’re finally run out of things to say. by then, both of you have finished your drinks. now, without the distraction of the hot chocolate, robin takes it upon himself to wrap his arms around you, bringing your legs over his thighs and around his waist, rubbing soothing patterns into the small of your back.

silence lingers comfortably in the air when you stop speaking. another sigh escapes your lips as you lean forward, wrapping your arms around robin’s torso and pressing yourself closer to him, snuggling into him like you’re trying to steal his warmth for yourself.

you feel robin press a kiss to your hair. he whispers softly,

“are you feeling better now?”

you pull back far enough so that you can meet his eyes, warm and loving as he looks down at you. it colours your cheeks and makes you smile.

“yeah,” you say lamely, before moving to bury your face back into his chest, wanting to feel completely enveloped in his affectionate embrace.

robin indulges you, like he always does. he tries to pull you closer, until you’re nearly seated on top of him. his arms tighten around you, pressing you into his chest where you shamelessly take deep breaths, trying to suffocate yourself on his scent alone.

you can both hear and feel the soft vibrations of his humming. whether he’s humming to himself, or to you, you don’t know. all you do know is that it offers you a profound sense of comfort. one that you don’t think you could find anywhere else or with anyone else.

“let’s stay like this for forever,” you whisper into the fabric of his shirt. he shakes a little under you, soft chuckles moving his frame. you almost expect him to make some kind of witty comment about how bailey would sooner chase you two out before letting something like that happen. but instead, all he says is,

“okay. for forever, then.”

sydney; “hello? you there?”

you think someone waves a hand in front of your face, but you barely register it, eyes half closed and mind completely absent.

a hand gently shakes your shoulder, and it’s enough to finally rouse you from your stupor. still coming to, you take a second to glance around at your surroundings, surprised to find yourself seated at the school canteen. it’s pretty full too - students mill about chatting among themselves in small cliques, picking away at food on a tray.

you blink. it’s lunchtime.

when you turn to your left, you find sydney, eyebrows knit together in worry. had you dozed off mid-conversation? you didn’t even notice.

“you haven’t been sleeping enough lately have you?” sydney asks, his question accusatory, but his tone soft. you can only watch as he sighs. “there’s no need to push yourself so hard. plus, i specifically told you to take care of yourself, didn’t i?”

you smile sheepishly at his lecturing. he’s right, of course, but perhaps that little nugget of wisdom had slipped your mind while you were busy spreading yourself thin.

you open your mouth to offer an excuse, an apology, something, but sydney isn’t having it. he shoves what remains of his lunch into his bag and grabs you by the hand, hauling you out of the canteen.

out of the corner of your eye, you think you catch a glimpse of kylar frowning in a way that you can only describe as “aggressive.”

"there’s still some time before your next class isn’t there?” he asks as he drags you towards the library at an - admittedly - pretty brisk pace. a little too brisk for your drowsy self at least. “you should nap until then. i’ll wake you up, so don’t worry about oversleeping.”

“but sydney - ”

“no buts,” he interjects quickly as you two arrive at the library. he pulls you behind the counter and takes a seat. you give him a quizzical look. one that he responds to by patting his thigh.

does he want you to sleep on his lap? like he normally sleeps on yours? you’re not strictly opposed to the idea, but you also kind of don’t really want to kneel on the floor.

his insistent stare is still on you though, making you feel a bit restless, and you really do need a nap so....

hesitantly, and a little awkwardly, you begin to lower yourself to your knees, but sydney grabs your arm, interrupting you before you’re even halfway to the ground.

this time, it’s him giving you the look of confusion.

“what are you doing?” he asks. “are you trying to sleep on the floor? that’s not going to be very comfortable.” you gape at him.

“i thought you - ” you find yourself stumbling over your words, possibly out of bewilderment, possibly out of sleep deprivation. you’re not sure anymore. “i thought you wanted me to rest my head on your lap?” your statement comes out as more of a question if anything, and to your surprise, it elicits a soft giggle from sydney.

“you really are sleep deprived, huh?” he says, more to himself, you think, than to you. he pulls your arm gently, and you stumble forward. “i meant for you to sit on my lap, silly,” he mumbles, only loud enough for you to hear.

although his words and actions are quite forward as he continues to tug you until you’re seated comfortably on his lap, you don’t miss the pink blush that paints the apples of his cheeks and the tips of his ears. the sight of it brings a tired smile to your face, and you lean in to thank him with a gentle kiss on the cheek.

this only serves to brighten his blush, and further endear you to him.

“sleep,” he whispers softly to you, wrapping his arms around you securely, one hand rubbing soothing circles into your arm. he’s leaned back in his chair, seeming very comfortable himself, evident in the way his eyes threaten to close as well. “sleep, and then you can tell me all about it later - after school.”

you can’t help but succumb to his quiet whispers and tight embrace. with a soft sigh, you wrap your arms around his waist and bury your face into his chest, taking a deep breath and allowing yourself to drown in his scent, like soft cologne and clean laundry.

long fingers find their way into your hair, brushing away any stray strands from your face, tucking them gently behind your ear. you can feel the soft press of sydney’s lips against your forehead, tender and loving.

an unwitting smile paints across your face as you feel him continue to litter small, chaste kisses across whatever parts of you that aren’t nestled comfortably against him. you visibly melt in his arms, letting a content sigh slip past your lips.

any and all thoughts and worries vanish under his gentle care as you slip further and further into unconsciousness, happy and cosy.

even the thought that anyone could walk in on you two slips your mind entirely as you snuggle in closer to your boyfriend, allowing yourself this small moment of reprieve with your beloved.

kylar; “you’re tired,” he says. his voice is as soft as ever, but there’s a striking edge of confidence to it, one that you don’t hear too often.

“i...guess. yeah. i am. i’m tired,” you admit, still a little taken aback by how quickly kylar found you. you certainly didn’t see him follow you out the school gates. in fact you could have sworn you saw him heading into the school as you were heading out of it. so how did he get to you so quickly?

although perhaps i should be used to it by now, you think to yourself idly.

kylar frowns and his eyebrows knit together. you think there’s a look of concern on his face, but it’s a little hard to see his expression when he’s looking down like that, his unruly hair shading his eyes.

you don’t mind waiting patiently for him to speak up again, and you’re even rewarded with a precious little pout. though why he’s pouting, you don’t know. perhaps he saw you wave to someone in the hallway at school?

he mumbles something to you, but it’s too quiet and too under his breath.

“pardon?”

you watch as kylar takes a deep breath, his eyes honing in on you as he repeats himself, a little louder this time,

“y-you should go home. take a nap.” your eyebrows raise at his surprisingly demanding tone, but you can’t argue. especially not when that was what you were on your way to do anyway.

“that’s the plan,” you tell him with a smile. kylar shifts uncomfortably under your gaze, and you can’t help but wonder why. you think that maybe he wants to walk you home, but he’s too shy to offer, so you hold out your hand, prompting him to take it. “will you walk me home?”

kylar’s eyes light up at this, and a cute smile spreads across his face as he nods eagerly. he takes your hand in his with an unnecessarily strong grip, and sidles up closer to you, tucking himself into your side as you two make the short walk back to the orphanage.

the walk is silent, but when you glance at kylar, he’s grinning widely to himself, obviously pleased. it’s cute enough that it pleases you as well. besides, you’re too tired to make conversation. he catches your eye once or twice, and immediately turns away when he does, face aflame. you swear you can even feel the blush reach his hand.

and his sweat. you can feel that on his hand too.

when you arrive at the orphanage though, kylar seems deflated again, upset that the walk was so short. he lingers awkwardly, unwilling to release your hand from its suspiciously damp confines. the pout has returned to his lips as his eyes dart between you and the orphanage door.

he opens and closes his mouth a couple times, like he wants to ask something, but can’t will the confidence to do so. you study him silently and, knowing kylar, come to the eventual conclusion that he’s just loathe to part ways with you, especially so soon.

you wonder if perhaps this is what he had been pouting about earlier as well, when he told you to go home within minutes of seeing you.

“do you wanna come in?” you ask after having watched him fidget under your gaze, wrestling with decision of either letting you have your sleep or monopolising your attention. kylar’s eyes widen at your suggestion, meeting yours with what you’re pretty sure is awe.

“are you...are you sure?” he asks quietly. while on one hand, he would do literally anything for more time with you, on the other hand, he also wants to make sure you’re getting some well-deserved rest. and sex, although fun, is not exactly restful, he thinks. but then, you say,

“of course i’m sure. you don’t mind napping with me, do you?”

“no!” comes kylar’s immediate response, much louder than you would have anticipated. “i mean, no i don’t.... of course i don’t mind,” he stutters, back to his usual, soft tone. a stark blush rushes up the back of his neck and coats his entire face. to think, he had thought you were inviting him in for...!

“great!” you exclaim as you drag him indoors, ushering him into your room, eager to finally get some shut-eye. kylar tries his best to will the blush off of his face but it’s of no use. it’s going to take some time to recover from the embarrassment that only he’s aware of.

you, on the other hand, are completely oblivious to his plight, finding his bright blush just as sweet as ever. had you not been so tired, you would have taken the time to tease him, just to see how red he could get.

but you’d have to save that for another day, as you’re much too drained at the moment. kylar squeaks when you suddenly pull him under the covers with you, immediately bringing your arms up to wrap around his waist, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

you feel him stiffen and gulp before melting into you, bringing an arm around your shoulders to try and pull you in closer, occupying himself fully with your presence. he can feel the soft hum of content you release against his skin, drawing a shaky breath from him as it runs a pleasant shiver down his spine.

as kylar finally begins to calm down, he smiles into your hair, taking a deep breath as if he didn’t already have the smell of your shampoo committed to memory.

you fall asleep faster than normal today, he notes. a clear sign that you were as exhausted as he had expected.

and while kylar doesn’t necessarily want to see you working yourself to the bone day in and day out, he can’t help but (guiltily) be thankful for this quiet moment with you, lulled to sleep himself by the soft rhythm of your breath on his neck, the happiest he’s been in weeks.

whitney; oh no, is all you can think to yourself as you see whitney charging towards you in the hallways after school, his lackeys trailing close behind him. the week has already been long, and you’re already drained. the last thing you wanted to deal with was whitney forcing you onto your hands and knees in front of all his friends.

you just didn’t have the energy today.

perhaps the exhaustion is evident in your eyes though, because whitney hesitates when he finally makes it to you. his trademark sneer disappears when he catches sight of your deep eye bags and pallid complexion. call him crazy, but he’s pretty sure you don’t normally look like this.

he’s used to the funny mixture of shock and annoyance in your eyes when you catch sight of him at school. not this...apathy.

he immediately decides that he doesn’t like it.

his eyebrows scrunch briefly, and you almost think you catch a flicker of concern shine in his eyes before they’re immediately replaced with the usual contempt.

he turns and mutters something to his friends, but you don’t quite catch what he says. whatever it is must have been funny, though, because they snicker as they throw you a couple of lecherous glances.

you sigh, expecting whitney to demand you to strip naked again, or something else of that calibre. but instead, you see whitney’s friends scurry off, laughing to themselves. one of them even whoops for whitney.

what did he say to them? you wish you had heard.

“c’mon,” he mutters, grabbing you by the arm with unnecessary aggression, tugging you towards domus street. confusion bubbles in you. whitney doesn’t normally take you there. what’s going on?

he stops in front of a nondescript house, and for a moment, you think he’s going to tell you to pick the lock for him. to your surprise though, he fishes out a key from his pocket and unlocks the front door.

you’re not sure whether you should be terrified. or concerned. or both. whitney’s never brought you to his house before. why is he doing it now?

his grip on your arm is no less painful as he drags you in behind him. he slams the door shut and pulls you into a room at the end of the hallway. his room?

it takes all of your concentration to not trip over the mess of clothes, food wrappers, and random junk littered across his floor. he throws you onto his bed with - again - unnecessary force, and then turns to walk away.

you don’t think you’ve ever been more confused in your life.

you are pleased though, to find that his bed is soft and plush. and cleaner than you had thought it would be, though that really isn’t saying much.

it smells like cigarettes and body spray. like ash and smoke and spearmint gum. like whitney.

mentally, you begin to prepare for whatever lewd act he must have in mind for you, having dragged you all the way here, but the surprises today are nonstop it seems, as he points one menacing finger at you.

“sleep,” he growls. you can only imagine how confused you must have looked as he groans and rolls his eyes at you. “you’re no fun when you’re tired,” he grumbles.

surprised is certainly an understatement at this point, and perhaps it’s the bewilderment that encourages you to push your luck.

“are you - ” you cut yourself off the minute you hear yourself speak, your senses catching up to you just a second too late. you’re not even sure why you wanted to ask but, now that you so gracefully blurted out the beginnings of a question, there’s no taking it back.

you do try to act like you didn’t say anything at all, but with one sharp glare from whitney, you spit out your question without thinking: “will you sleep with me?”

there’s a beat of silence that hangs in the air. you catch whitney look you over, disdain drawn all over his face.

“fuck no, i’m not gonna sleep with you. what are you, five?” he snorts, pulling a cigarette out from his pocket.

yeah, you should’ve expected that.

well, i’ll take what i can get, i suppose, you think to yourself before cautiously tucking yourself into whitney’s blankets, snuggling into the plush of his pillow. this is eons better than what you get at the orphanage, and you certainly weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

even if that horse was whitney and had a history of taking advantage of you whenever possible. but you’d think about that later, you tell yourself.

as you begin to drift off, you feel the mattress dip beside you. the shift in weight puts you on edge momentarily, but you don’t feel whitney get into bed. at best, he’s only taken a seat beside you.

distantly, you think that you’re probably going to wake up to his dick in you, but for now, as a heavy hand comes to rest on your head, brushing your hair with an uncharacteristic tenderness, you’re content to rest here, and cross that bridge when you get there.

[becauseimaladythatswhy]

PULSE 2🌺

(Ramon Arellano “Narcos Mexico” x Fem!Reader SEX POLLEN)

POV: You’re a cop on the biggest drug bust of your career and you stumble onto the youngest Arellano with a new hot drug which leaves you two in quite an awkward situation after it goes very wrong.

Warnings: dubious consent, enemies to lovers in you squint heard enough, p in v sex, Ramon is a wild man, he’s hot I’m not sorry for my actions :) 🌺

Here’s part two! I’m going to start writing part 3 which I think should be the last part 💕

Part 1

Your week back at work hadn’t been easy. 

Trying to keep calm despite having the deadliest narco prince “maybe” on your ass, you were positive the stress was taking years off your life. 

Everything that could have gone wrong was going absolutely into the shitter. Multiple bad tips, a failed raid, and worst of all, pulse was starting to crop up in clubs. You were drowning in coffee and sleeping under your desk every night now, too uncomfortable to go back to your apartment. 

Every bump in the night you were convinced it was a sicario at your door sent by none other than the Ramon Arellano. Nights at the station were getting long anyways, there wasn’t really a point in going home you reasoned. Better then having Daniel finding your body in a ditch somewhere.

You hadn’t even moved the bag of cash out of your living room. It’s still sitting next to your fireplace. You contemplated burning it. It was dirty money after all. That cash was drug money… Ramon Arellano’s money. 

You refused to accept it. Your morality was too strong. But you couldn’t exactly turn it into the station. That would open too many questions. You know Daniel would pry, along with the chief. They’d wonder how you got it and that was definitely out of the question. You absolutely couldn’t tell them you slept with the enemy in a drug induced haze and in return he left you a bag of cash… and he also happens to know where you live now. 

You decided once your anxiety about returning to your apartment died down, you’d take the cash and give it out to the charities around town. Hopefully some good can come from it. 

“Another night under the desk?” Daniel asked snapping you out of your thoughts. He came into the office with a bag of pastries as a steaming cup of coffee. 

“Yup.”

“Y/N, you need to actually get real sleep. You’re starting to look like a corpse.” He nodded in your direction. 

“I just don’t want to be alone.” You sighed and rubbed your eyes. 

“I know being trapped in a concrete box is like traumatizing and all that, but you’re going to burn out if you don’t sleep.” 

“I am sleeping.” 

“Laying on a pallet under the desk is not good sleep.” Daniel spun around in his desk chair, “Besides, you’re going to see a lot more traumatizing shit with this job so you gotta get over it sooner or later.” 

“How do you do it?” 

He shrugged, “I don’t know. I just do.” 

“Officer Y/L/N and Officer Ramirez, I have another case here from the Chief.” The secretary you see every day came skipping into the office with a manila folder. 

“Thanks, Maria.” Daniel smiled at her watching her leave in her tight pencil skirt. 

You shook your head and reached for the folder. Daniel saw you and snatched the folder up before you could get your hands on it. 

“Nuh uh.” He shook his finger at you, “Go home. You’re calling in sick today and you’re going to catch up on your sleep. I can’t have you running around on half a tank. You’ll get us killed if you’re not on your A game.” 

“Are you serious?” 

“Mhm.” Daniel stood up taking his coffee with him along with the report. 

Giving you no choice, you stood up feeling the fatigue in your body. You bent down and grabbed your bag along with your house keys and a fully loaded gun. You said your goodbyes to the other officers and detectives before informing Maria you were going home for the day. She was sweet about it, and told you that she’d let people know you were out. With a smile, you turned to leave the station. 

Walking down the stairs towards the car park, you started to feel the all too familiar anxiety creep up on you. You hadn’t been in your apartment for days. You sighed and unlocked your car, started it up, and drove home. Luckily the station wasn’t too far, but the lull of the engine had started to make your eyes feel heavy. 

Pulling into your street spot, you hopped out of the car and locked it dreading the climb up the stairs to your front door. You groaned internally and flipped through your keys before grabbing the one to your door. 

You heart started to race as you pushed the front door open only to find everything exactly how you left it. You sighed in relief and threw your work back on the floor next to the door along with your shoes. You walked into the kitchen only to find the fruit in the bowl on the counter had molded and pretty much everything in the fridge was spoiled. 

Deciding to throw everything in the trash, and just order take out later was the best decision you had ever made. The second your back hit the plushness of your mattress you were out, and you couldn’t care less about food at the moment. You didn’t even change out of your uniform. The exhaustion of the past week finally had caught up to you. 

You had been in the deepest sleep of your life until a loud bang startled you awake. Reaching for your gun, you sat up feeling your heart race. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

Standing up, you quickly force the sleep out of your system. It was replaced with vicious adrenaline. You were about to step out into the hallway when you heard your next door neighbor through the wall. 

“Shit.” You shook your head and put your gun back in your belt to rub your eyes.

They must have slammed their door again. 

You took in a deep shaky breath and settled down. You chastised yourself for being so pathetic. 

Ramon probably just sent the money as a one time thing. There is no reason for him to be lurking around here. 

You were a cop after all. A low ranked one at that too. You weren’t important enough to waste any time on. You were being paranoid.

Once you talked yourself down and got your shit together, you stripped from your uniform and turned on the shower to scrub the last week off. Once clean, you put on your comfy clothes and phoned in your order to the restaurant a few blocks away. The clock read 6:00pm and you frankly were impressed you were able to sleep for so long without being awoken. But, now you were definitely passed hungry and very excited for take out.

You grabbed your purse and looked at the gun on the nightstand. You went to reach for it, but remembered what Daniel had said earlier. You just have to do it. Your gut knotted up with uncertainty but ultimately you decided to leave it. 

Your ego couldn’t handle seeing yourself as weak and decided since the restaurant was only a few blocks away you’d be fine. Making sure you have cash on you, you slipped on your filthy sneakers and left the apartment to grab your dinner. 

You waved at your neighbors on your way down the steps before stepping out into the street. Everything was busy as people were making their commutes home from work and you saw all the familiar faces you had gotten to know over the past few months after moving into this town. 

The lamp lit roads guided your way down towards the local restaurant and you actually had felt relaxed. 

The warm breeze was comforting along with the music spilling out from people’s balconies as dinner time approached. 

You turned right into the yellow painted restaurant were you smiled at the receptionist. She took your payment and handed you the bag of take out that smelled heavenly. 

You waved goodbye before making your way back home. This definitely beats the break room food you’d been barely surviving off of the past few days that was for sure. 

Your stomach growled as you unlocked your door and stepped inside to kick your shoes off. Making your way over to the kitchen you set the steaming bag of food down along with your purse and turned to grab a plate from the cabinet. 

The moment you set the plate down a shuffling noise made you freeze in place. 

“Princesa.” 

Your blood ran cold. 

No. 

Putting your fork down, you turned very slowly towards the living room by your couch. Sitting on the leather chair next to the window was none other then Ramon fucking Arellano. 

You instinctively reached for your gun only to find your waist band empty. 

“Looking for this?” He stood up holding up your weapon giving it a good wave. It looked small in his hands. 

You were scared. You’ve never felt so naked before. Standing before him now, he seemed so visceral. He radiated power and strength. He reminded you of a jaguar. He was wild, and untamed and it made your blood run ice cold. 

You felt like a deer in the jaws of a predator, waiting for him to snap your silly little neck. 

You put your hands up showing him you mean no harm praying he’d let you live. 

“What do you want?” You trembled. 

“Where have you been?” He asked leaning against your mantle. 

“What?” You narrowed your eyes. 

“You haven’t been here.” He looked around at your apartment. 

“You’ve been watching me?” 

He snorted and crossed his arms, “Of course.” ...of course... you shivered.

Your heart thumped in your chest. You felt like you were going to faint. Nothing felt real anymore. There’s no way Ramon was in your apartment right now. You forced yourself to suck in oxygen.

“I thought you would have sent one of your boys after me.” You studied his lax posture. He raised a brow watching you shift your weight... you wanted out. You were nervous.

 You sighed, “I was at the station.” 

“For five days?”

“Shits been crazy no thanks to you.” You accused with snark.

He smirked. You realized he likes it when you’re feisty. He makes that face.

“And I wasn’t wrong.” You gestured to him, he in fact did come after you, “So what do you want? You want to kill me? Just get it over with.” 

He crossed his arms keeping your weapon in his grasp. 

“I don’t want to kill you baby.” He stood up straight and took a few steps closer to you even though you backed up into the kitchen, “But I definitely can’t just let you go.” 

“Why? Is it the money?” You shook your head, “I don’t want it, just take it.” 

“It’s not the money baby.” He crooned and set the gun down on the table next to the couch. He continued his prowl towards you, and there was nothing you can do but press yourself into the pantry door and pray. 

“I didn’t tell anyone.” You started to tremble again as he neared. When he came into the full light of the kitchen you could see his features clearer than ever. The last time you had been this close he was so far deep inside you, you were seeing stars. 

His scent was beginning to fill your senses again and you couldn’t stop the chills that ran down your spine. Fuck.

“Of course you didn’t baby.” He backed you up into the pantry and boxed you in. His voice was honeyed as he towered over you. You looked down at his exposed chest and undone buttons, intimidated by his intensity, but Ramon didn’t like that. He pushed a finger under your chin forcing you to look up at him. The same hand brushed against your cheek and then moved your freshly washed hair out of your face. 

You trembled under his touch, and looked up at him with wide eyes, “Why are you here then?” 

He leaned down to whisper in your ear, “I want you, Y/N.”

Chills vibrated through your entire body setting it on fire. You turned your head away from him desperate for air. 

“Why?” You whimpered. He ran his fingers down your neck like he had that night, and it made you weak. Suddenly he firmly wrapped his hand around your neck pinning you in place. The images of a deer in the jaw of a lion replayed in your mind, and in this moment you had no doubt that Ramon held your life in his very strong hands. He could snap you in half right now if he so pleased. 

He leaned forwards and placed a kiss to your forehead, “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head princesa. I smell you on me…my clothes, you’re like drug baby.” He squeezed your neck a bit feeling your pulse race beneath your skin, “those damn pigs have been keeping you away from me, hm?” He pressed another kiss into your forehead, “I came to see you a few days later, and you were gone.” 

“How did you find me?” You whispered. 

He chuckled, “You’re one of three female officers in this town.” He smoothed your hair back, “I saw your cafe punch card and put it together.” 

You sighed. You had no idea it was that easy. 

“My men also have been keeping their eyes on you. Didn’t want my princesa getting hurt now, hm?” 

You looked up at him suddenly feeling a bit more bold, “You ruined my Santiago Street raid!” 

“Obviously.” He rolled his eyes playfully. 

You scrunched your brows, “I got in so much trouble for that!” You shoved him even though he still gripped your neck. 

He smirked, “I’m sorry baby.” He leaned forward but you shoved him again. 

“Arellano!” You chastised. 

He hummed. 

“Arellano, you gotta go.” You whined, “You can’t be here.” 

“Why not?” His eyes trained on your lips, “I like it here.” He looked hungry.

“Because!” You tried pushing him off again but he didn’t budge, “I’ll lose my job. They’re going to think I’m your informant.” You tried to wriggle out of his grasp, “My partner he’ll-“

“Your partner?” He gripped your hip in his other hand possessively. 

“Yeah, my partner.” You felt his thumb push past your waist band and rub warm circles into your hip bone making you stutter, “H-he’s going to n-notice.”

“Ramirez right?” He smiled wolfishly. 

You swallowed thickly praying this wouldn’t lead anywhere bad. You nodded a yes. He obviously already knew there is no point in lying.

“You like him princessa?” He asked. 

You shook your head no, “not like that.” 

Ramon smiled at that, “And what would Ramirez think if he saw you right now, hm?” His hand moved further up your belly pushing your shirt up as he felt your burning skin. 

“He’d t-think I’m a traitor.” You whimpered feeling Ramon’s hand cup your breast. You struggled to breathe feeling the heat spreading throughout your body. 

His touch was becoming rougher as he squeezed you through your bra making you gasp. You instinctually grabbed onto the fabric of his shirt. Before you could correct your actions, Ramon surged forwards and pressed his lips to yours. You melted immediately. He felt so good. All the memories of that night flooded back and you moaned into his mouth. 

He responded eagerly and shoved a knee between your legs only adding to the desperation. Your bodies melded together as the two of you pushed into each others clothes desperate to feel the other. 

You broke the kiss first trying to suck down air making him growl and surge forward again. He needed to be on you, he was addicted to it. With your hair like this and out of it’s slick bun, you looked just like you did that night. He couldn’t control himself. He deepened the kiss and pushed his tongue into your mouth feeling you get even more turned on. He felt your little hands on his chest, feeling the fabric of his shirt before you shoved it open and trailed your hands all over his firm chest. 

And then just like that, you snapped out of it. 

Breaking the kiss, you looked at him and reared your hand back before slapping the absolute dog shit out of him. 

His head whipped to the side and you immediately covered your mouth in shock you had just done that. 

Cursing yourself, your saucer eyes watched him turn back to face you as he felt where your hand had collided with his cheek. 

“I…I-“ You stuttered also in shock. Your words weren’t coming to you.

He narrowed his eyes and studied you for a second. Your heart raced and you were sure he was going to gut you like a fish for that. 

He took a step back to look at you, leaving you pressed up against the pantry. Then without a word, he leaned forwards and bent you over his shoulder before lifting you, and carrying you out of the kitchen and down the hall of your apartment towards your bedroom. 

You yelped as he threw you onto the mattress with a bounce. He was on you in a second with a fire like you hadn’t ever seen before. 

“R-Ramon-“ You tried to get the apology out, but he had his lips on you again clearly not interested in hearing it. You realized the slap had made him even more feral as he tore away at your clothes like he had that night high as fuck on pulse. The man was animalistic. 

He shredded your panties off, promising he’d buy you more. 

Ramon had every intention to keep seeing you, you realized. 

He wasted no time shoving your legs apart and diving in with his mouth. There was no lead up, he needed you on his tongue and he needed you now. The fantasy of it had plagued him for the past two weeks. 

You cried out feeling his hot tongue on your leaking pussy. Your hands went straight to his hair as he licked and sucked with ferocity. You thrashed and flailed with the intensity of it all. He had you on the brink of screaming with his no mercy approach to eating you out. He pinned your hips down not giving you an inch. 

“Ramon!” You cried out feeling your orgasm approaching. 

He just latched on harder refusing to let you go. He wanted to watch you fall apart. He needed it. Just as quickly as it it had started, it came to an end. You came as he licked up your orgasm ignoring the way you flinched from overstimulation. You quickly realized Ramon was one for taking what he wanted, and right now he wanted you to come as quickly as as hard as he could make you. 

He second he let you go, he started kissing up your thigh giving you a moment to recover. You panted heavily but wanted to feel him against you. He had too much clothing on. You had to change that. 

Sitting up, you pushed him back to paw at his shirt. He watched you with awe as your shaky fingers shoved the fabric from his shoulders. He hadn’t understood where this obsession was coming from. 

In front of him, you were all woman, but he knowledge that you were forbidden to him only made you so much more intriguing. None of the other girls in his social circle kept a death grip on his mind like you had. 

The Narco and the Cop. 

He liked the danger you provided.

You weren’t like any other woman he had ever come across. He knew after he had scaled the bricks of pulse and shimmied out of the vent windows, that he had to see you again. His boys told him you weren’t at your apartment and he had started to get impatient. The moment they confirmed you were in fact back home, he dropped everything to come here. 

You snapped him out of his thoughts when you pulled at his chains again. He bent down to push his nose into your hairline breathing in deep while you peeled his pants away from his body. When he was bare, he couldn’t help but shove you back into your plush pillows. He liked your bed much more than the hard concrete floor back in the distribution site. Your body glowed under the light of the moon coming from the window, and he dragged his fingers down you side admiring everything about you. 

“Pretty girl.” He muttered before knocking your knees apart and lining himself up. 

You gripped onto his biceps as he surged forward and stretched you open. He caught your moan in a kiss before slowly beginning to thrust feeling all too familiar. 

Unlike the night on pulse, he actually gave you some mercy. You grappled at his smooth and toned body as he picked up the pace. He was brutal and calculated, listening to every little noise you made he made sure to fuck you just how you liked. 

He was addicted to watching you come. 

He realized he’d do anything to hear you moan like you do. 

Then suddenly, with a burst of strength, you maneuvered him over onto his back with a swift shove. He looked up at you startled as you began to ride him with no abandon. None of the girls he has been with take charge like this. He thinks he likes it. Usually they just let him do whatever he wants. 

But not you... not his princesa.

Sliding his hands up your body, he cupped both of your tits and gave them a good squeeze making you cry out. You looked so pretty riding him. He couldn’t help but buck up into you watching your tits jiggle. 

“Arellano!” You moaned out clenching around him feeling your orgasm approaching. He then grabbed you by your neck and flipped you over onto your back pinning you in place. He drove down into you at a punishing pace living for every moment that you clenched viciously around him. 

“Come princesa.” He growled. 

“Fuck!” You threw your head back as you came. You nails dug into his back and arm throwing him over the edge. He bucked into you spilling himself inside your velvet walls with a grunt. 

He stayed on top of you for a moment before slowly sliding off to the side making the mattress bounce. Breathing heavily, you turned to look at him with those same doe eyes from two weeks ago. He was in trouble he reasoned. One look with those eyes and he’d be on his knees.

You ran your fingers over his dewy skin causing bumps to arise as he cooled down. The higher you went, you were met with his midnight eyes. He looked down at you and you swore you saw a moment of softness come from him. 

“Why me?” You were unable to hold the question in any longer, “Aren’t you supposed to stay far away from people like me?” 

He shrugged, “I don’t know.” 

He was being sincere. You could tell. You might be a new cop, but you could always tell when someone was lying. Maybe he’s attracted to the thrill. Riding on the edge of being caught by the police. Who knows? Maybe there’s still pulse in his system and he’s partially delirious. 

You sighed, “You’re making my life difficult you know.” 

He smiled, “What part?” 

“All of it.” You shook your head, “I should be arresting you, but instead you’re in my bed…naked.” 

He smirked, “Aressting me?” He crawled on top of you. “You want me in cuffs that bad baby? All you have to do it ask.” 

You huff, “That’s not what I meant.” 

“Sure princesa.” He squeezed your hips sending a chill through your body. 

You shove him playfully, “I’m serious.” 

“Well you’re off for the weekend, yeah?” He leaned over to the discarded clothes on the bed and pulled out a tiny envelope handing it to you. You took it and sat up to look inside. 

“Is this what I think it is?” You looked up at him with a raised brow. He nodded with a boyish grin. The hot pink powder inside the envelope was unmistakable. 

“Arellano… I am not doing drugs with you.” You put the envelope down, “I just spent the whole week busting my ass trying to get rid of this shit.” 

He nudged your cheek with his nose before planting a kiss to your forehead, “Just a little?” He then pressed another kiss to your neck and then another. 

“Arellano, I’m a cop for fucks sake.” You whimpered as his mouth suctioned to your delicate skin. He was marking you, you knew it. 

“You don’t have to be baby.” He purred using his weight to push you back into the pillows. 

“But-“ You moaned softly as he made his way down to your nipple and suctioned onto it, “I want to be.” 

“You want to be the good guy, huh?” He crooned moving to the other breast and repeating his actions. 

You moaned in response.

“You want to stop the big bad Narcos, don’t you princesa?” He moved his hands further down until he reached your pussy. Sliding his pointer through your wet and swollen folds, he settled on your clit and moved in very precise circles. You whined pathetically as the pleasure surged through you. 

“How about this baby,” He bit down gently on your nipple, “I have some very very bad men in my way and I’ll give you tips on their whereabouts as an apology for ruining your raid.” 

You shuttered as be brought you hurtling towards another orgasm. 

“And what do you want?” You heaved, “In return?” 

You were getting closer and closer to your release. 

He smirked and released your nipple to look you in the eye, his fingers never stopped until he saw your pupils dilate and you hurtled over the edge. 

“You.”