#I do not regret this decision as she is gorgeous and also as it turns out polyamorous as I romanced Halsin as well!

[atomskdluffy]

I finished Baldur's Gate 3 tonight, and I am almost completely satisfied. It was a spectacular game! A lot of thought and patience goes into it, especially when you play like I do with mods that expand the party and my insatiable need for loot. The story and the characters are all beautifully written, and I can see how there might be thousands of different ways to play it! I think the only addition I could possibly ask for is for something at the very end, one of those sequences where the narrator tells us what each character in the party goes on to do after the credits roll. Other than that, I am quite satisfied with how it turned out! I got the endings I wanted, the mods I used upped the quality of life to the max, and I had so much fun playing! If you have the time for a game as involved as this one, I absolutely 100% recommend it!

[katiascraft]

"So sue me for moving on and doing everything right. For being something you can't forget" | LN4

Parings: Lando Norris x Bisexual!Reader.

Summary: after that night where you saw lando with the opposite of you, you made sure he regretted leaving you behind. You both continued with your lives but you being friends with all of his friends made things tricky. Did you both really move on?

PART 2 OF "OPPOSITE"

Now playing: "Sue me" by Sabrina Carpenter.

Word count: +2,7k.

Warnings: reader has a girlfriend. Mentions os sex. Insinuating. Angst. Not a happy ending I think (?). Not a native English speaker so there could be errors. Not proofread.

Author's note: hope you like it and it's enough as a sequel! Don't forget to like or reblog! And follow me so we can be friends :3 (and have mate together!)

MASTERLIST

Since that tragic and heartbreaking night when Lando ate another girl in front of your nose who didn't look any closer to you - you decided it was real-time to move on.

The fact that he had the audacity of calling you beautiful after kissing her was too much for you to handle.

But you also decided to make his life a living hell if you could. You were vengeance. You would make him regret his decision as long as you needed to. The thing was you kept on seeing each other because you had so many friends in common that it was just impossible to not see each other ever again.

After that night you fell into a depressive hole. It was really hard and intense. You needed to grieve him. You didn't know how to function properly anymore. Your brain tortured you with contrasting images of Lando calling you beautiful, perfect, gorgeous, pretty, cute, baby. You constantly were rumbling around it. The whole day. And the whole night. Hou felt miserable. Your whole life together felt like a completely stupid lie. You felt stupid. Very stupid. How could you believe him? How could you not? You were so in love with him. For you, he was the one. He was your favorite song - the one that just comforts you and makes you feel happy and special. He made you feel special. But it turned out you weren't because he chose to date the opposite of you a few months after allowing the end of your relationship. It felt so unreal. It felt terrible. The image of them kissing made you nauseous. And you had to run to the bathroom and throw up. It was embarrassing. Shameful. It was heartbreaking to see. You were sure that if you didn't have your friends to back you up you wouldn't have done it. Sadness was your new personality and you lost all of your confidence. You didn't even know how to talk to people. You thought they wouldn't ever like you because you didn't look like her. Or even laugh like her. Or touch like her.

Did she touch him better than you did? Was she a better sight naked? Was she as fun? As loyal? As empathic?

You didn't want to know. There was no self-confidence left in your person. You were just an outsider in your own body. You didn't feel enough. You changed your style to baggy huge clothes so you could hide in them. Yes, they were more comfortable and expressed your personality better in your opinion. But on the therapist, the truth was you hid. You hid from the world because you felt so humiliated by the fact he chose her after you. She was better than you in every aspect.

You became obsessed with her for a while. Stalking her socials like crazy comparing. You couldn't stop. Every picture she uploaded with him was dissected destroying every single bit of your heart. She was gorgeous. Flawless skin. Trendy lips. Brown eyes. Blonde hair. Skinny and curvy. Everything you felt you were not. You always ended up sobbing in your bed. You couldn't believe you believed he loved you. That he found you attractive. All the times he said he needed you turned into nightmares. How could he need me if he now has her? There was nothing that could help you make you feel better.

Carlos was that one guy friend you are grateful for. He helped you so much. He knew Lando but he also loved you. And he was as much of a friend to him as he was to you. And he didn't fail you. He was one of the reasons you are better healthier and happier now. He listened to you every night. And made sure you knew you weren't the monster you thought you were. Also, your best friend didn't leave your side for a second. She was everything to you. Without her, there wouldn't be you.

It took you a few couple of months to start to progress. You started feeling better day by day. Your friends always made sure you were comfortable and if you needed to talk they were there for you - always ready to cheer you up.

Things got tricky when the birthday parties started. You knew it was impossible for Lando not to attend to his friend's birthdays so you needed to go through that test. The scariest test. Which was to see Lando again without crying or dying trying. It was the hardest part for you. You didn't want to ignore him but the few could of first times you did. You couldn't even look at him. He came along with his girlfriend. That girlfriend. And it was painful for you to watch. Seeing him kiss someone else. You missed his lips so much. He touched her the way you loved. You thought of stopping being friends with everyone so you didn't have to go through all of that. But eventually, you stopped carrying. You started talking to other guys and girls and you now have dates again and regaining confidence in yourself.

Once you felt you were back to your best version that's when Landon regretted everything he did. And realized he had made the worst choice of his life. And that there was no coming back from there.

One day he was just driving around when he remembered he had forgotten his rings to Osxar’s apartment. So he asked Oscar if he could stop by and pick them up. He agreed and mentioned you were there because you were very close to Oscar’s girlfriend. He got nervous. He doubted for a few seconds at the red light. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate. Since that horrible night, as he remembered it, he didn't know how to talk to you. He was lucky you only saw each other in crowded and public spaces so you didn't have to talk or look at each other. You could just ignore each other and that was it.

He broke up with Hanna, his ex, a few weeks ago. The relationship was going nowhere and she was very toxic at some point. He always knew he didn't love though. He didn't want to admit he chose her so he could forget about you faster. But of course, it didn't work. And he hated himself now for purring you into so much pain. He just didn't make the best decisions in life. But he decided to get his shit together and fix himself. No dating life till he figures it out. Or that he wanted to believe.

After a few minutes of driving he accepted to go to Oscar’s. He needed to face reality once in a while. You two couldn't keep ignoring each other and make everyone uncomfortable. Maybe there was still a possibility you could be friends at least. Or he hoped for that.

You were at Oscar’s happily chatting and eating fruit in his living room. You had your papaya-matching pajamas with his girlfriend. You loved them both so much. You just were gossiping about the drama happening at the University you attended. You were studying engineering. You were proud of yourself. Your dream was one day working on an F1 team. You loved strategy so maybe one day you could win a championship. The bell rang capturing your attention. Oscar answered and announced it was Lando. You felt weird instantly. Uncomfortable. But tried to brush it off as if it was nothing. Because it wasn't right?

You said hi to him like you normally said to anyone. He said hi to the three of you and asked for his rings.

When he saw you he felt he was about to faint. It's been a while since you two last saw each other. And you looked beautiful. Orange was your color. He loved it on you. He always fell for you in orange. He didn't know if it was part of your plan or just destiny torturing him. He tried to play it cool like he wasn't feeling what he was feeling.

Your eyes were locked on his frame. You haven't seen him in a while. You felt kinda excited to see him again to your surprise. He looked incredibly handsome from your point of view. The Sunlight was brightening his face making his eyes bluer and shiny. You just tried to brush off this thought in your head. You have a girlfriend now. And it's been more than a year since everything ended. You shouldn't feel this way. You wouldn't feel the need to take off his hoodie and give him head. So you could feel your effect on him. How he begs you for more. That you're such a good girl. His best girl. The prettiest one.

You just looked to the other side. Ashamed of such a thought. Of course, the air was tense and the interactions were a bit awkward between the four of you in that silent apartment. You readjusted in your site and swallowed hard. You looked at him again now with his rings on smiling and talking happily with Oscar about paddle matches and barbecues with the boys. You licked your lips. Your heart was racing fast and you just needed to get out of there. You stood announcing your departure. The boys looked at you a bit confused because you kind of interrupted his conversation.

“Yeah I think I should head out too,” Lando said while you picked your stuff up off the sofa. You glanced at him a bit and hugged Oscar's girlfriend with a smooch on her cheek. “See you beautiful,” you said. And she smiled. You then hugged Oscar and he led both you and Lando out of his apartment.

When he closed the door you called the elevator. Uncomfortable silence between you two. Tense. You didn't want to look at him. And he didn't wanna do it either. The elevator arrived and you both jumped in.

“Do you need a lift?” he asked breaking the silence between you too. His voice is a bit shaky. You finally looked at him.

“If that's okay I'll take it” you answered softly. He nodded giving you a little smile. You didn't even know why you accepted. This will get you in so much trouble. But you couldn't help it. It was Lando. And whether you wanted to believe it or not - he was the love of your life. It never mattered how son of a bitch he was to you. One way or another you just fell for him like the first time. Though you don't like thinking about it when you are in a relationship.

You got out of the building in silence neither of you wanted to say anything. The tension was cutting deep in both of you. Landon led you to his car. A very not-so-secrecy car. He opened the door for you and you just hopped in. He rounded his car and got up on the pilot seat. When his door closed the silence intensified. You didn't say or look at each other for a few minutes. He didn't even turn on the car. You sat there in silence.

“You still live where you always lived?” he finally asked turning on the car. You looked at him. Your heartache intensified.

“Yeah, I do,” you said in almost a whisper. He nodded and started driving towards your place. He turned on the radio and it was Ed Sheeran playing. You tried to concentrate on looking by the windows if possible the whole trip.

He looked at you by the corners of his eyes. He didn't find words to say. But in some twisted way, he found comfort in this situation. You looked so gorgeous he just couldn't stop looking at you every chance he had while driving.

“You could try to be not so obvious. You're eating me alive with your eyes” you told him out of nowhere making him skip a beat. You looked at him directly for the first time since you got out of the apartment.

“I'm sorry. You look too gorgeous I can't help myself. I know I shouldn't and it's disrespectful but yeah, I won't lie about it” he kind of defended himself. You rolled your eyes a little irritated surprisingly.

“I don't believe you anymore when you say that about me if it was true you wouldn't broken up with me” you spitted. A mix of hurt and anger in your voice.

“Oh c'mon y/n. I told you I was sorry. I was an idiot that night. And I needed to focus on my career and yeah in that I lied to you because I jumped into another relationship quickly. And… I don't care if you believe me or not but I dated her just because I wanted to forget you and I thought it would work but it didn't. I felt stupid. Because you were right. You're always right. I was a selfish asshole. I was in love with you for real but I fucked it up. And yeah I've felt like shit since then so I already paid for my sins” he said with a deep crackly voice. A mix of desperation and upset in his voice. He was sad and angry at the same time. At him.

You looked at him trying to figure out whether you were being fooled again or not. You sighed stressed. You wanted him to rot in hell for what he did. But as of right now, you don't know if that's what you wanted.

“I have a girlfriend you know,” you told him not looking at him. You didn't wanna cry. And you knew yourself too well to be sure that if you did you would break.

“I know,” he said shortly and coldly. You played with your fingers nervously. “At least we could try to be friends?” he now says with a cracky voice. Your heart wouldn't take any more of this. You felt so gutted.

“No, we can't be friends. I never wanted to be your friend in the first place” you answered him. You heard him have a deep sigh. He didn't know what to do anymore.

You stayed in silence for the rest of the ride. When you got home he stopped by your door. You didn't move for a few seconds.

“I really hate you, Lando. I hate you made me love you so deeply that I will never be able to get over you. And all of the memories we made will haunt me for the rest of my life and kill me” you confessed. He was looking at you but you didn't. “I hate that I really wanna kiss you right now and lose my shit just to be able to feel you again but I won't.” you finally looked at him. He got into a trance. His heartbroken yet he wanted to kiss you so badly. He stared at your face analysing every feature. Your lips looked so tasty in that lipstick. Those shorts showed your beautiful and sexy legs. He knew you weren't wearing a bra. He leaned to you, but you stopped him with your hand.

“You need to pay for your sins still baby boy” you whisper so close to his face that sent shivers down his spine. He was so turned on now. And you knew and you were enjoying it. You were too but you won't let him win. “You’ll have to sue me for looking so pretty while you can't have me. Sue me for wearing your favorite color and you can't do anything about it. Sue me for being something you won't be able to forget Lando. You can't have me anymore and I just wish this is the karma for you to rot in hell for what you did” you whispered so sexy. With a needy voice. And a malicious undertone. You had him speechless. You smiled victorious though you really wanted to fucked him right there and show him what is like to have the best sex you'll ever have in your life. But you just pushed him away from you softly and got out of his car without saying anything else. You close the door behind you and get into your house not looking back.

Landon can believe what you did. And how he felt. He was already hard. And you left. And you hated him. But then why did he feel you wanted him as much as he did a few moments before?

—————————————————————————————-

Hope you liked it 💌 if you have any ideas my inbox is open so feel free to send your requests!

[wileys-russo]

Kcc "ky,no,thats just for childs" shopping center

changed the wording up just a smidge for kidsII k.cooney cross

"babe are you done now?" you rolled your eyes at the whine from outside, fixing the top of the dress you were trying on and looking at yourself in the mirror.

"no! just sit patiently ky." you chuckled at the groan which followed, kyra slumping back down into the chair and tapping her feet, already bored of everything on her phone as her eyes roamed the store.

you'd warned her when you'd made the plans to go shopping that she shouldn't come, knowing how easily she got bored and detested shopping for the most part.

but kyra still insisted on accompanying you, though as she sat waiting in what felt like the 100th store she was starting to regret her decision. you had a family wedding coming up and needed to find something to wear, and kyra should have known you'd test out every possible option before deciding on anything.

"what do you think?" her attention snapped up as you stepped out of the change rooms, twirling as a smile settled on her lips. "i think you look gorgeous babe, just like you did in the last five." kyra complimented as you shot her a playful glare.

"i've got two more to try on and then we're done." you promised sending her a smile as she sighed in relief, tapping her lips as you rolled your eyes but pecked them anyway.

"good! i can't wait to go home." kyra sighed happily as you gave her a funny look. "done in this store baby, not done done." you corrected before pulling the change room curtains shut as your girlfriend let out a long and tired groan.

it was two hours later that kyra's thin veil of patience disappeared all together.

"kyra. two more stores! come on." you held your hand out and wiggled your fingers as she shook her head, rooted to the spot with her arms crossed and a scowl.

"you've already bought two options, pick one and lets go." kyra huffed, holding the car keys captive in her pocket as you shook your head. "i warned you i'd be awhile and you still insisted on coming, you're being a child!" you warned as the girl shrugged.

"alright, fine." she turned on heel as you exhaled and started to follow after her, not really having much of a choice since she also insisted on carrying your bag which had your phone and wallet in it.

"what are you doing?" you asked deadpan as she stopped and sat down on a childrens carousel, far too large for the small firetruck she somehow squeezed herself into.

"ky no, those are for kids." you warned as she shrugged unbothered, wiggling her way in until she was comfortable. "well if i'm acting like a child then its fine. you go shopping, i'll be here going around and around until you're done!" your girlfriend tapped her card to start the carousel as you stared in disbelief.

"you are unbelievable." you sighed, grabbing your bag off of her as she span past and held it out before walking off and leaving her behind.

but as she did with nearly everything, kyra eventually grew bored of the carousel, having rode it around and around for about half an hour still with no sign of you returning. but as the ride eventually came to a stop, kyra was met with yet another problem.

a grunt came from her mouth as she tried to pull herself out of the small firetruck but found she could only get one leg out, the other wedged inside as the australian let out a groan.

"kyra? ky!" the midfielder winced hearing some new voices call out her name, glancing over her shoulder to see charli and a couple of her spurs teammates making their way over.

quickly jumping back in to save face kyra plastered a smile on her face and waved as the girls arrived. "why are you sitting on a kids ride?" charli snickered as kyra shrugged.

"girlfriends shopping, we've been here since ten." kyra groaned as charli grinned, her friends excusing themselves to wander into a nearby jewelry store.

"let me guess, she told you not to come but you did anyway?" charli smiled knowingly as kyra rolled her eyes but her lack of answer was enough of an answer anyway.

"and, you're stuck. aren't you?" charli's smile widened as kyra stuttered trying to come up with an excuse but failing to do so hung her head. "yes." the brunette mumbled as charli's laugh echoed around and kyra reached out to smack her.

"shut up!" kyra warned with a huff, her best friends laughs dying down to chuckles as she stepped in to try and help, arms hooking under her elbows and trying to pull her out to no avail.

"charli?" the blonde glanced over her shoulder seeing you stood with a bag in hand and a confused look in her eyes. "kyras stuck!" the australian grinned gleefully as kyra groaned and punched her in the arm.

"didn't i tell you these were for kids?" you sighed, shaking your head in disappointment as you came closer, your girlfriend avoiding your gaze all together, apparently the only one who felt sorry for herself.

"right, you grab her knee, i'll grab her arms." you dropped your bag on the floor with the rest of them kyra had stayed with and sighed, you and charli moving positions and counting down.

nodding you both started to pull and tug at the midfielder, ignoring her constant overdramatic whines of pain, both of you telling her to shut up and reminding the only person who was really to blame was kyra herself.

eventually a few people had gathered, clearly catching onto what was happening as a couple of security guards were next to follow, charli's friends returning and watching on in amusement as you and charli stepped aside and the guards took over.

with their much larger forms and kyra falling silent at the manhandling, face burning red with embarrassment as you took a few photos, kyra's ears heating up as eventually she was freed and the small crowd clapped.

nodding her head at the stern warnings from centre management not to do anything like that again the crowd was dispersed and everyone went about their day, charli and her friends also heading off after teasing kyra who huffed and hung her head in shame.

"come on babe, lets go home." you grinned, tugging on your girlfriends hoodie as she wandered beside you with her arms crossed, having pulled her hood over her head as a means to try and disguise herself.

"careful, don't get stuck." you quipped teasingly as kyra slid into the car and shot you a glare, clicking her seatbelt in with a huff as you loaded your bags in the back and did the same.

"stop pouting! its your own fault you idiot." you laughed, leaning across the console to press a few kisses to the brunettes jutted out lips before shifting the car into drive.

"babe you sent the videos to the entire team!?"

[clairescotcoutts]

So, about The Veilguard.

This post is:

Long.

Spoiler full.

Read at your peril.

So.

The fact that I devoured the game in virtually less than three days should speak for itself; I was worried about the playing style, I was unsure about the combo system, and having only two companions travel alongside the MC felt a little alien to me and also added to my anxiety. (Yes, I’ve played Mass Effect, yes, I’ve been in a fighting trio before, but never in Dragon Age.) I thought, “There’s only three of us?! We’re gonna die so much and so hard.”

Turns out I didn’t die so many times as I’d expected, so yay me.

I had refused to watch anything that had to do with the plot, with the exception of the trailers, because I wanted my experience to be fresh and untainted by expectations. Of course, I had hopes — but other than that, I dove in blind and without any sense of direction.

As you know, the depths of the ocean hold both horror and beauty, so here are mine; I shall start with the horrors so all the bad air is cleared out first.

My primary horror is that, save a few points, the game very clearly follows BioWare’s own canon, in which the Hero of Ferelden must have died to stop the Fifth Blight, and thus there is no Kieran. Morrigan plays a pivotal role yet again, but her presence implies that the decisions made in previous games are… well, your own, but not the world’s own. So, no Kieran, and it is heavily suggested that it was Morrigan who drank from the Vir’Abelasan. Even if she hadn’t, turns out she ends up with a piece of Mythal inside her anyway, granted by a regretful (and finally gone) Flemeth.

Story-telling wise, well, I don’t know if it was the best choice— I just know it bummed me out a bit to find some of my decisions discarded, not considered at all.

My second horror is the absence of either Hawke or Stroud. The events at Amaranthine are mentioned, but (unless I missed a codex entry) there’s no word on what happened to the brave soul left in the Fade to fight that giant monster demon. Since I always leave Stroud behind (because Alistair is and always will be a king to me), I can’t say I’m suffering to know his fate, but it would’ve been nice to confirm something. 

At the end of Inquisition, Morrigan narrates that should Hawke live, they go to Weisshaupt, but soon all news from there ends. What happened?! Am I missing something found only in the comics or books?

Also what happened to the rest of the companions? What about the woman made Divine in Inquisition? Whether it’s Leliana, Cassandra or Vivienne, you’d think the Divine would have something to say about two ancient elven gods turning the world tits up.

What about the Qunari who are not part of the Antaam? Are they in agreement with Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain? Is Seheron torn asunder like Minrathous?

Why is nobody remarking on the fact that the Crows buy (or used to buy) people?! I love the Antivan Crows, I do, but one cannot forget Zevran and all he told us about them.

Those are my particular points of horror. 

Now, to the rest.

Veilguard is a game that doesn’t hold back. It’s out to punch you in the guts and kick you in the feelings, and boy does it do it brilliantly. The sacrifices are real. The choices are heavy and carry weight on them that slumps you down (especially if you’re extra sensitive, like me) throughout the game. The dilemma and problems your companions face are heart wrenching, and you want them all to thrive. Yes, even the one who was hardened because you can’t bloody be in two places at once. These companions are well fleshed-out, they’re alive, they’re complex and they are so beautiful to live and travel with. The emotional moments they have, I felt them, I suffered with them, I cried. I /cried/, which had never happened to me with a videogame before. And not just because this companion is my favourite or that topic hits a bit close to home— not just that. It’s because they’re amazingly written and acted out. They feel so real.

The locations are gorgeous (I especially fell in love with Treviso), and I love how much you’re able to explore. I love that you can pet animals. I love that you can interact with the world in front of you. I /love/ that you don't miss dialogue even if you get into a fight because the companions re-start conversations now.

The NPCs? My children. Isabela is fire, as always; Antoine, Evka, Viago and Teia have my whole heart. The Mourn Watch is fascinating and the Shadow Dragons are bold, united and righteous. I really like that the Veil Jumpers don’t diss on the Dalish just because they know more— they understand that, as a people, they are one. And they’re accepting of everyone, not just elves!

I simply adore Rook as a protagonist. Not just because they give purple Hawke, and I love Hawke, but because again, they feel human and real. They know this is well above their paygrade, and they’re in way over their heads, but they still step up and lead because damn, someone has to. Iron Bull would be so proud. They are fun, they are caring, they are talkative and they know they’re drowning, but can’t afford to stop swimming.

Both in Origins and Inquisition it felt as though we were The Chosen One, even if in the latter one tried to swear it off and deny any possible divine intervention, but in DA: 2 and here, we are just people trying their best with the worst circumstances, and to me, that’s beautiful. Rook is a delightful protagonist.

The game allows you to choose who you’re going to be and /how/ you’re going to be thus. You can be cis, you can be trans, you can be neither and you can be both. No limits now.

Which leads me to another point I simply adored: how the questions of gender are treated. It’s really big to have an NB character go through their own acceptance process before our very eyes. While in Origins (and a bit in Inquisition too) you have the choice to be shocked that there are people who like their same gender, this game is Thedas saying “The world is big, the world is complex, and people everywhere are not defined by your expectations or rules. It’s not even an option. Deal with it.”

Regarding the magic, I’m not even mad it looks and feels different. After all, Dorian used to say that “the South is so charming and rustic”, and now I see that’s because what he saw in Ferelden and Orlais was not what he is used to. Even in Absolution we see that the way Tevinter used magic is distinctly unique and not how it is done south of Arlathan. I understand it. I like it. It’s not as if there had been no changes in the designs of demons and darkspawn before, and now that’s what they look like. It’s fine. Time has passed and people are allowed to make different creative choices.

Now, to Solas… Solas. Oh, Solas. I understand you so much better now.

Veilguard really helps put into perspective some bits of dialogue from previous games. Why does this 8-ball care so much about spirits and the Fade? Gods, because he /is/ them, and the Fade used to be his home. Every time he has to hear that spirits are monsters or unreal he takes it personally, and how could he not? People are saying he’s a monster, he’s not real, and nobody knows any better because they wouldn’t believe him anyway. Now I understand why he gets so worked up if you make Cole more human—you’re doing to him what Mythal did to Solas himself. You’re forcing him to be something else and Solas knows it hurts. (Also, Cole is happier as a spirit— “Thank you for helping me find this again. For believing in me. You don't know what it means”, he says, and now it hits so differently.)

I have to remark on some things I’ve read that have shocked me— first of all being the interpretation of Solas and Mythal’s relationship. Like Taash, you can assume “they were doing it”, however, I don’t think they ever loved each other like that. Their bond, to me, is that of a queen and her most loyal knight, a “king and lionheart” sort of situation if you will. Solas knows her better than anyone else, certainly, but the way I see it, that right there is his commander, inspiration and also, his heaviest shackle.

Their relationship merits another post altogether, I believe, as does Solas and Lavellan’s.

All in all, the good, to me, far outweights the bad.

Give the Veilguard a chance before you discard them, enjoy the appearance of some of the characters you love, enjoy getting to know the new heroes. Give yourself the option of having an informed opinion before you love or hate.

Also, petition for Solas to let his hair grow out again.

That's it, for now.

[tooneys-russo]

YOU DECIDED FOR US

Plot: Riley and Alessia have a messy history. Now that Alessia is back in the UK can they work out their issues?

CHAPTER 1

Alessia and Riley had both grown up with a football glued to their feet, they had both gone into the youth teams together and competed with each other in many tournaments. There had always been some tension between the two, with a few kisses exchanged and a drunken night spent together when they were 17 just before Alessia left. Alessia had signed with UNC for her college years to develop her football further. Riley cut off contact during Alessia’s college years and had signed for Arsenal and had become close with Leah Williamson.

As soon as COVID hit Alessia went back to her family’s home in London, she continued training while her agent and brother Luca was talking to Manchester United about a potential contract. She saw an Instagram post from Riley of her in a park not too far from Alessia’s house having a kick, which was allowed with the COVID rules. Alessia watched the girl’s technique and it was flawless, she sent a message to the Arsenal player. ‘Hey Riley its Alessia, I saw you were at Gosche’s Paddock having a kick. I live near there. I was just wondering if you wanted to have a kick sometime?’ Riley was back at Leah’s having dinner when the message came through, she looked at it and showed Leah. “Oh shit, Alessia Russo. Maybe she wants to reconnect.” Leah wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Shut up.” Riley threw a roast potato at her Arsenal teammate. “We made out a few times years ago, we slept together once. Haven’t seen her in ages.” Riley responded and looked at the message again. ‘Yeah sure. I am going down tomorrow at 2. See you then.’ Riley glared at Leah who knew that Riley couldn’t resist the pull of a gorgeous blonde girl. 

The following day Riley showed up at the field in London, she had set up some cones and put out a bunch of footballs ready for Alessia. Riley had also set up some water and gatorade for them while they trained. “Nice set up Riley.” The blonde striker walked over. “Kind of shocked that you pulled all this together for little old me.” Riley turned to the blonde, she looked a little older but still just as gorgeous as the last time she had seen her. “I guess I just had to impress the UNC superstar right?” Alessia laughed. The two went through some drills. It wasn’t an incredibly hot summer in London but the two were sweating after an hour. “Holy shit Riley this is mental.” Alessia sat down by the water and laid back, Riley smirked and grabbed a water, she poured it over her head and it trickled down her body. Alessia stared at her and watched as she took her shirt off. “Take a picture Russo. It’ll last longer.” She threw her Arsenal training shirt at the blonde striker. “Just amazed that you are still standing.” Alessia choked out. “Yeah sure.” She rolled her eyes and offered a hand to Alessia to help her up. Riley pulled her up and they stood starting into each other’s eyes, they were the same height, Riley caught herself and stepped back. “Lets keep going. No WSL side will sign you if you are lazy.” Alessia grabbed Riley’s hand. “Wait, how did you know I am going to join the WSL?” 

Riley laughed at Alessia. “Oh please, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes. You have two fantastic seasons at UNC, then suddenly you are back and your brother was spotted at United a couple weeks ago?” Riley shrugged. “He kind of stands out.” Alessia watched Riley as she set up another drill. “What? Want me to get out some paper to show you how everyone worked it out? Come on Less you went to College it is obvious.” Riley walked back over to Alessia. “You will do great there, you would be better at Arsenal but I guess you don’t always make the best decisions now do you?” The question had a bit of venom that Riley regretted immediately. It had been three years since they had slept together, only for Alessia to tell Riley that she was leaving in a few weeks, meaning that Riley cut off contact and hid from the girl even at Lioness camps. Alessia looked down. “It was the best for me. For my football.” Riley didn’t respond, rather she walked over to their next drill.

Once their session was finished Riley began picking her things up to take to her car. “Riley, I am really sorry.” Riley shrugged. “Don’t be.” She said coldly. “Let me know if you want to do another session. Tomorrow is my recovery day so I won’t be around.” Riley couldn’t look at Alessia as she packed her car. Alessia followed Riley, “So you don’t want to talk about what happened between us?” Riley sighed and turned to face Alessia. “To be honest no. It was hard as shit to get over you Alessia but I did it, alone. All of that is just a memory for me, a great memory but I am different now. I just need to focus on myself and my football. Just like you did. I will see you around Less-Alessia.” Riley corrected herself and closed the boot of her car and drove off leaving the blonde watching her pull away. Alessia messaged Riley a few days later, wanting to meet up for another session. ‘Sorry, heading into club training. Maybe another time.’ There was minimal contact between the two, Alessia being the one to initiate contact. Riley couldn’t bring herself to let the girl back into her life, not like she used to be.

When it was announced that Alessia had signed with Manchester United, Riley had liked the instagram announcement but never reached out to the blonde and Alessia sat with the message box open unable to type out anything to the girl. After a couple celebratory drinks with Ella she messaged Lotte, ‘Hey, Ella and I are in London and we are having a little bit of a party to celebrate me signing and the COVID restrictions easing. Come over and bring some of the girls. If possible, can you bring Riley?’ Lotte showed up at Leah and Riley’s place telling them about the sneaky party. “Nah I am fine thanks.” Riley said not bothering to get off the couch. “Come on please, I will let you wear my vintage Arsenal jumper that you had your eye on.” Riley looked up at Lotte. “Fine.” She trudged upstairs to get changed, she threw on an oversized white t shirt, black skinny jeans, a pair of Nike Jordan’s and a backwards Nike cap. On the way Riley stayed quiet, nervous about seeing Alessia again after their last encounter and the fight. 

Alessia and Ella were already tipsy when they arrived at the house. They both wrapped their arms around Lotte, Leah and Riley. Alessia’s hug lingered on Riley for an extra second before the girl pulled away and looked at the ground, Alessia smiled at the girl. “You liked the post.” She said matter of factly. “Can’t hate me that much.” She sipped her drink. “Just being polite, would be weird if someone who had known you for ten years didn’t like that you were coming to WSL wouldn’t it?” Riley moved past Alessia to grab a drink. Alessia watched Riley closely as they both got slightly more drunk with every passing minute. Riley stumbled out the back into the yard and sat down on a chair by the fire, she was happy no one else was out there so she could have some peace and quiet. It was quickly ruined by a drunk blonde who pulled up a chair next to Riley. “You hate me.” Alessia said and sipped her drink. “Oh shit, how did you work that out?” Riley smirked and leant back on the chair. “I know I fucked up but you also know I had to go.” Alessia put her hand on Riley’s leg. “Yeah I know. But I also know that you could have told me. I would have waited for you. I would have done fucking anything for you Alessia.” She looked into the blonde girl’s eyes. “I am sorry.” Alessia leant towards Riley. “Fuck your sorry.” Riley leant in and spoke against Alessia’s lips before standing up. She felt an empty can hit her back. “Fuck you Riley.” Alessia spat. “Oh princess you already did. Or don’t you remember?” Riley turned and walked quickly to Alessia so they were inches apart. “You think I didn’t miss you? I spent fucking ages trying to get over you. I wanted nothing more than you.” Alessia held back the tears. “You had me. I know for a fact you got with someone two weeks into being at UNC. Good to know two weeks is ages for you. I don’t want anything to do with you Alessia. You are fucking poison. Have fun at United, at least I will only have to put up with your shit for 180 minutes a year.” Riley finished her drink and stormed out of the house. 

Alessia spent the rest of the night drinking more and began talking with Jill Roord, the rest of the night was a blur for Alessia until the next morning. She woke up next to a girl, part of her prayed it was Riley that they maybe had some heated hate sex. But that was quickly dashed when the girl rolled over and it was Jill not Riley. Alessia sat up and rubbed her face, her phone had messages from a few of the girls with pictures of her and Jill dancing together and kissing. She groaned and got up from the bed, she had to head back to Manchester that afternoon and knew she would be feeling a bit poorly the whole time. Jill rubbed her eyes and looked at Alessia. “Well good morning to you.” Alessia smiled at the girl. “Good morning. Sorry to be that girl but I have to leave back to Manchester today.” She grabbed a shirt from the ground and put it on. “Oh no don’t worry. We have a team meeting tonight, maybe next time you are in London you can let me know, we could catch up again.” Alessia didn’t respond, she was putting everything together in her head of who Jill plays for. “Um maybe.” Jill rolled her eyes and got up from the bed. “Okay guess not.” Jill got dressed in silence and left the house without anything else being said. 

Ella and Alessia headed back to Manchester in the afternoon. “So you and Jill.” Ella smirked, Alessia sighed and put her sunglasses on. “I had a fight with Riley then the rest is a blur.” Ella examined Alessia’s face. “What ever happened between you two?” Alessia ran Ella through their stolen kisses at youth camp and everything leading up to their first time. “Oh Less.” Ella said sympathetically, Alessia having a few tears escape her eyes. “I never knew. I am so sorry. Are you okay?” Alessia just nodded and kept looking out the window of the moving train. 

Riley showed up at the Arsenal team meeting with Leah, they were just chatting about the upcoming season. They sat towards the front of the theater as the rest of the team came in. Jill walked in giggling with one of the other players, Riley saw that she had a few hickeys on her neck and Riley laughed and whispered to Leah. “Seems like someone had fun at the party last night.” Leah cleared her throat knowing exactly what had happened, and who gave Jill the hickeys. Katie laughed loud and announced. “Oi Rood, nice neck! Russo sure as shit marked you up.” Riley clenched her jaw and looked down. The meeting and subsequent team dinner was wasted on Riley, she barely paid attention and disappeared without saying bye to any of the girls. She went for a walk after she got home, she walked all the way to the local football field and started running trying to keep her tears from falling. 

They had not spoken since that night and there was no instance where they ran into each other either being in two different cities. The night before they were to play each other both were in London getting ready to play at the Emirates. At the Arsenal and Manchester United game Alessia warmed up with the team and continued glancing at her ex friend. Riley was phenomenal in the midfield, she had a game awareness that most 21 year olds would kill for. Riley had worked her ass off the whole game, there wasn’t much else that she could do when the rest of her team was playing below their best. Alessia watched on in amazement at how far the other members of the good peeps had come. Ella and Lotte were fantastic but Riley was on another level. It was clear how frustrated Riley was as the game got closer to the end, she was starting to make almost reckless tackles leading to Katie Zelem to get in her face, all Riley gave back was a smirk as she took her yellow card. Alessia collected the ball from Ella in the midfield and began heading towards goals, she could hear someone running up beside her but before she could process what had happened she was on her ass and a whistle was blown. Alessia looked up to see that Riley and Katie Zelem were face to face again both pushing each other. “Maybe if she could actually take a tackle and not fall over every second she’d be able to handle herself in this league.” Riley yelled at Katie, she was quickly pulled back by Leah to avoid anything else happening. “Get up Alessia, this is the big leagues now, not some backwater college competition.” Alessia was quick to her feet and storming over to Riley. “What is your issue? Still fucking hung up on me?” Alessia bit back at Riley who tried to lunge at her. The referee gave Riley a red. “Off you go, you need to go to the changerooms.” Riley clenched her jaw and grabbed her shin guards as she walked off the field. 

Riley got back to the change rooms and sat in front of her locker. She kept her head down holding back the tears. She showered and got changed into her training gear. When the girl’s re-entered the changeroom they avoided Riley, even Leah couldn’t speak to Riley because of her actions. Riley was ripped through by her coach, she nodded knowing that she had gone too far. “I will meet you at home.” Riley said coldly to Leah as she walked out to her car. There was a local bar nearby that she would frequent when she had a bad game. She sat at a booth with her beer as she watched the people enjoy themselves. 

Suddenly she saw a bunch of familiar faces, the Manchester United girls were celebrating their last game for the year as well as their win. Riley kept her head down as she got another drink, the United girls were loud and dancing together. Riley sat back in her booth finishing her fifth drink, she decided that them being so joyful was punishment for her behaviour. Alessia recognised the lone figure in the booth and felt the rage from the game rise in her. She stormed over and slammed her drink on the table. “You calmed down yet? Or are you here to start another fight?” Riley didn’t bother raising her head. “Alessia, honestly fuck off. Go call Jill, she probably misses you.” Alessia leant down and said into Riley’s ear. “Don’t pretend you aren’t jealous. We both know you wish it was you that I marked you up.” Riley stood face to face with Alessia. “Oh please. You would have imagined me that night. We have a fight and you need a fuck to get me out of your head.” Riley snapped back at Alessia. The blonde swallowed and looked at the brunette in front of her, Riley grabbed onto Alessia’s shirt, the striker praying that maybe she would kiss her. Instead Riley pushed Alessia back so she could leave, she stumbled past the Manchester United players and turned to Alessia. “It’s not hard to hook up with someone, Russo.” She turned and kissed Ella deeply, Riley pulled back and walked out of the bar towards a cab. Ella stood there stunned as Alessia raced out of the bar following Riley. She grabbed her wrist and turned her around. “You really are an asshole.” Alessia grabbed onto Riley’s shirt. “You are so frustrating! When I saw you in the park it all came back, all the feelings, all the good and the bad.” Alessia was close to tears as she spoke to Riley. “Alessia, I loved you. With everything I had and you still left.” Riley looked at Alessia, she had never been so vulnerable. Alessia pulled Riley against her and kissed her deeply, trying to put as much love as she could in the kiss, but Riley pulled back and almost fell over some bins. She began crying and rushed off to the waiting cab. Alessia stood there watching the cab pull away.

Chapter 2

[sparring-spirals]

Fearne looks at Imogen and asks "Are you sure it wasn't intentional?" and, oh boy, like-

Ashley says that Fearne is dealing with all kinds of new emotions since leaving the feywild- anxiety and fear and a gutwrenching feeling when someone you love is- not there anymore. However briefly. Fearne is still learning about the ins and outs of these emotions, the way they can take you over.

But it also means, I think, she lacks a certain kind of shame about it, about the way fear cracks her voice when Orym disappears from her sight, about the way she gets a little frantic at the thought of losing him- of losing any of them.

(And Fearne still feels bad about the coin toss- still grappling with it when she looks at Laudna. Because that was a snap decision with other people she loves on the other side, and maybe Fearne is still figuring out what to do with this kind of regret- what you can even do, in the throes of that kind of fear. but. i think that's its own meta.)

and Fearne has never been one to fear power, on its own- just marvelled in it, in the way that enemies fall and the air grows heavy and the world turns darker. It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? Just stunning. Gorgeous.

Fearne watches Imogen, who has been growing quieter and more frenzied and on edge, who is beautiful and powerful and who was, she knows, at some point hovering above them all, as their bodies lay strewn about a battlefield, so many of them ripped away from her and lost. And asks: "Are you sure it wasn't intentional?"

Referring to levelled city blocks but. Maybe thinking of- the bottomless pit that opens up if she thinks of a gap where Orym should be, of "Orym is dead" and a body in her arms, and maybe thinking of that threefold, crackling power in her veins, thinking of a panicked coin toss that tastes sour, weeks later, and all the other decisions a person might make, with that kind of fear in them.

And I don't think there's a world where Fearne would hold Imogen's answer against her.

But Imogen- Imogen who has been hearing, over and over, warnings about giving into the storm, about searches for answers going wrong, danger on their heels, who has power tinted red churning inside of her and keeping her friends safe, keeping everyone safe, who has been sneaking out to try to get answers from a mother who is- working with the enemy. Who can't even say the words, that Laudna was. dead. (Laudna is back now, Laudna is okay, Laudna is back.) Who has new entities she can summon that hurt her and the people around her but get the job done.

Who has all of this power, and all these reasons to use it, and all the ways it could hurt everyone if she does. Or maybe if she doesn't.

(Or maybe- maybe the choice isn't even in her hands at all, right?)

And there's a long silence, there's a long pause, where she doesn't look, she doesn't move,

and she says "I don't-." and she says "It just happened, Fearne, after Laudna-

It just happened."

And I don't know if she believes it, and I don't know if Fearne does, and I don't know if it matters (it probably does?) and- oh boy.

[6-atlas-6]

She loves me, she loves me not

Alexis x (gn!)reader

Alexis decided a pour soul's garden needed help, and who's better for the job than the princess herself?

Tags: @dani-ya-dig @cyc-chilla

Alexis was tired. This was all such bullshit. Almost half of the solaire clan was invited to some humans house she didn't even know for some sort of party. Why did she come you may ask? She was forced to. She felt like she was watching paint dry. Sitting in a mildly uncomfortable chair, staring at the wall, and glaring at anyone who even thinks about starting another endless boring conversation.

She needed some air. Alexis made her way to the door leading to the backyard and instantly regretted her decision. She was met with an abundance of colorful plants, and even some vegetables. To anyone else it would be gorgeous. Alexis was not anyone else.

The only thing on her mind were the dead plants scattered across places in the garden. She was frankly appalled. Does this person water their plants? They look like they get less sun than she does. Is that even possible?

She walked back inside, her knack for dramatic entrances causing heads to turn her direction. She stormed up to the random human this house belonged to, saying she needed to speak with them, and then dragging them outside by their hand.

Usually, she wouldn't care about something as simple as a humans garden. I mean, not everyone can be as good at it as she is, but she was bored and this gave her something to do.

She turned to face the human who looked surprisingly unconcerned about this turn of events. "I don't think I've met you yet, who are you?" the human asked.

"Alexis. Alexis Solaire. And also, apparently your fucking savoir." She aggressively pointed in the direction of a wilting plant. The human furrowed their brows in confusion looking from the plant to Alexis' face.

"I am going to help you fix this shit. You are going to have no complaints and do what I tell you to, got it?" Alexis was already on the move before she even finished talking, grabbing a pair of gardening gloves and tossing them at the human.

They looked confused again but ultimately followed her lead. Alexis kneeled down in the grass in front of a dead plant, already way too far gone. She patted a spot in the grass next to her, indicating the human to sit with her.

As soon as they sat down, she handed them a shovel. She explained that it would be best to dig the plant up as it was very much dead and "looked far too ugly". As soon as they picked up the shovel, she explained step by step how they're supposed to do it without damaging anything else.

She was so immersed in her explanation that she wasn't really focusing on anything else. The human however, was focusing on anything but the dead plant.

Alexis, clearly proud of her vast gardening knowledge, had changed her tone completely. The once frustrated princess' voice has now gone soft. The explanation feeling less and less like a lecture and more like a soothing conversation. There was a slight smile on her face. She was probably just happy to be talking about one of the only things she actually liked doing. Well, maybe she also liked showing off. Just a little bit.

The human smiled at her. She paused her gardening ramble, which was definitely going off course from the original topic, staring at their face. Why were they smiling?

She had never gotten to talk about this hobby of hers to anyone. Not anyone that cared. Years of ignoring people and not caring what they had to say had caused people to do the same to her. She never minded. She never really understood the appeal of talking to people for hours on end like most.

Yet for some reason, seeing this human, who had no idea who she even was, was smiling at her. They were smiling because of what she said. It felt good.

For the first time somebody had actually smiled a real smile because of her and it felt fucking amazing.

Alexis realized that she had been staring at this person and immediately looked away, her cold face suddenly feeling hot. She noticed that they had already finished digging up the plant while she was rambling.

"Should I do the other ones too?" The human asked, pointing to the other 2 or 3 dead plants.

Alexis shook her head. She finally had someone who would listen to her. She wanted them to be completely focused on her. She had no idea why.

This was just a normal human who she didn't even know about half an hour ago. A random person who was kind enough to listen to her talk about plants. A normal person she couldn't give less of a shit about.

So how come she was now sitting on the grass when everyone else had long since left, asking this human if it was okay to stay for just an hour longer?

-End-

[butterflydm]

DAV: emotional impact of second playthrough

I am finding it much harder not to take the damage in Treviso more personally and more of a failure for Rook - and I think that's because I saved Treviso in my first playthrough, so seeing the impact of it blighted now is emotionally devastating because I (the player) know these specific minor characters.

[endgame spoilers below]

And the game makes you personally need to kill them -- Heir, Fletcher, and Chance all die by your hand, because they've turned into darkspawn and need to be put down. In my first playthrough, I had no idea of the full extent of the consequences that would happen as a result of the Minrathous vs Treviso choice. I had no idea what I was losing by saving Treviso over Minrathous. In this playthrough, I know exactly what I'm losing.

Jacobus coughed the last time I talked to him in Treviso and now I am worried he will also turn into darkspawn. Every single time I stopped by Treviso in my first run, I always talked with Heir and Jacobus before I went out on whatever mission I was doing. Every single time. I wanted to keep track of him, and how he was doing after Dareth's death, and how he dealt with his pain and grief.

Looking at the blighted landscape of Treviso is so horrific because I played a whole game where Treviso stayed gorgeous -- with issues that needed to be fixed, of course, but such a beautiful city, full of vibrant life (I actually went over to my other save for a while just so that I could hang out in unblighted Treviso; sad but true).

My interactions with Lucanis have been breaking my heart. I think I read that the "Inner Demons" quest doesn't happen if you save Minrathous? So... so Lucanis will never leave the Ossuary, not in his head. He and Spite are gonna stay stuck in there together. Trapped.

(he's not even mad at you! he's just exhausted and resigned and somehow that is so much worse)

I have found that this choice really impacted the way that I'm playing my second Rook mechanically, which I did not expect -- she is much more aggressive in battles now (using the orb & dagger more often than the staff & I went the Deathcaller route instead of Spellblade as I'd originally planned), and in the scene with Solas after the dragon attacks, she was much more laden down with guilt (and lashed out at him a bit because of it). I think because she knows she chose Minrathous not for practical reasons but because it's her city, and so she feels like she made the selfish choice, especially seeing how destroyed Treviso has been as a result. It weighs on her.

My first Rook (elven Gray Warden rogue) chose to save Treviso for reasons that weren't particularly personal (since it was my first run, I didn't know, as a player, that choosing Minrathous would cut off Lucanis's romance path, so that wasn't a factor in their decision) -- they made the calculation of "vulnerable merchant city" vs "magitech powerhouse city" and figured that Minrathous had a better chance of defending itself. So while they deeply regretted that they couldn't help both cities personally, they felt like they made the best choice they could with the information that they had. This Rook (human Shadow Dragon mage) worries that she made a choice with her heart and that Minrathous would have been fine without her, and that she doomed Treviso by choosing to save her home. Needing to personally kill blighted Crows has not helped with her guilt.

otoh, I now get to learn what I gain by saving Minrathous. And Minrathous really does suffer more frequently than any other city in this game, in the sense of being ground-zero for attacks three different times -- at the start of the game, then during the Minrathous vs Tresviso choice, and again at the end of the game.

And I do love getting to talk more with the characters in Minrathous. I just went back and was able to talk to Maevaris and Tarquin. Very good conversations, especially with a Shadow Dragon Rook. I learned my character's backstory! That was exciting!

I also learned that Neve and Davrin have met before - that came out during a conversation between the two of them at the Lighthouse before Lucanis returned to us, so I'm guessing that's why I never heard that banter before. Their respective jobs intersected! That's so cool!

But, yeah, the second playthrough is rough because you know more of the consequences. I imagine that the Harding vs Davrin choice way down the line will be the same. I didn't know the distraction team leader would die in my first run, and I was playing a Gray Warden Rook, so of course I picked Davrin to run the second team! I trusted him more than anyone except my love interest (Lucanis). But now I know the distraction team leader is going to die, so that choice is more weighted now, for me as a player.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, this is my 'testing all the options' run, and I have a tentative plan in place. There are also a couple of things that I missed in my first run that I definitely want to make sure that I get to experience at some point here (Lucanis & Neve get together if you aren't romancing either of them, I believe, which obviously I didn't get to see in my first run, since Lucanis was my LI; and apparently Strife and Emmrich can get together if you have Emmrich stay mortal, so I want to check both of those out. Taash & Harding were so sweet together and I loved seeing their courtship, so I'm very interested in seeing Lucanis/Neve & Strife/Emmrich).

This little sidequest really got to me this time around. Because of Varric reasons:

[evergreen125]

It was a quiet night in a quiet neighborhood in a quiet town. I, a quiet kid with a loud mind, eased my bedroom window open, popping out the screen and setting it to the side. I perched on the window sill, toes brushing the rough shingles as I looked to the sky. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for. A sign, maybe, to go or to stay. If I was less of a coward, I would have already jumped. If I was less of a coward, I wouldn’t be on the roof in the first place.

The wind whistled, bringing a flurry of leaves with it. It was October, and soon, I would be turning 15. Or at least, that was what everyone else thought. I did not intend to turn 15 the following week. I did not intend to turn 15 at all.

In addition to being quiet, the night was cold. Wearing nothing but shorts and a flimsy t-shirt, I sat shivering, bandaged arms crossed over my sunken stomach. Everything was in order. I had written a note. I had carefully made my bed, placing the folded paper in the center of the comforter. If I wanted, I could die tonight. I craved it like my lungs craved oxygen.

I hugged myself tighter, ignoring the stinging pain in my forearms. The sky was not offering any signs to speak of, so the decision was entirely my own. 

“You’ll regret this, you know,” said a soft, familiar voice. It was a voice I hated with every fiber of my being. “Everyone does. But once you jump, there’s no going back.”

I turned slowly. Behind me stood a young adult, perhaps in their mid-20s, hair shorn into a curly pixie cut and eyes bright with something that had long been missing from my own. Their cheeks were plumper, rosier, and their face was marked with smile lines rather than the wrinkle that had made itself at home between my brows, but it was undeniable. I was gazing at an older version of myself. They were simultaneously a stranger and someone I had always known. They were all the things I hated about myself as well as everything I wanted so desperately to be. 

I turned my back and rested my forehead on my knees. I was so, so tired.

“No one wants me here,” I replied, voice heavy with resignation. “It’ll be better this way.” My older self let out a soft sigh. That sound, at least, was familiar. As I sat with my sadness, I felt a small hand rest on my back. When I turned, a young girl sat beside me.

She wore my face as well, young and carefree, as well as a pair of purple striped pajamas.

“Look at the stars,” she said, pointing upwards with wonder in her eyes. “The Big Dipper, Orion, Andromeda,” she listed. “Did you know that the Big Dipper is also called Ursa Major? The Great Bear. Remember that bear we saw last summer?”

I did. She talked a mile a minute, and her excitement was palpable. Anyone who met her would see a child with a bright future ahead of her. When had I lost that light?

“The stars are beautiful tonight,” my older self agreed. “So many things are beautiful. You’re beautiful too. I just wish you could see it.”

“I’m far from beautiful,” I said. I was all acne spots and awkward smiles, stringy hair and bony knees. Thinner, but never thin enough.

“You won’t see it now,” they conceded. “But you’ll see it someday. All you have to do is get off the roof.” My three selves sat in silence for what felt like hours. The stars shone brightly. It was a gorgeous night.

The younger me pulled a small yellow legal pad out of thin air and drew a sparkly mechanical pencil from behind her ear. She began to scribble furiously, face scrunched up in concentration. The words were ephemeral, fading in and out of existence, shifting as quickly as a child’s thoughts. I didn’t know what they said, but I knew how they felt. They felt like hope. Freedom. I was young again, stealing pads of paper from my grandpa’s office and writing as if it was breathing. In, out, in, out. I craved it like oxygen.

“Do you want to read my book?” she asked, offering me the pad. “It’s about dragons.”

I took it. It felt foreign in my hands, and I was suddenly overcome with the urge to cry. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and when I opened them, the words on the page had shifted once again. You always wanted to be a writer, they read.

I had always wanted to be a writer. I still wanted it, if I was being honest with myself, but after months of staring at the blank page, the words had become less like an exhale and more like blood, congealing in my throat and filling my lungs. Everything was so heavy these days. Was this what Atlas felt like when he held the weight of the sky on his shoulders? Like he might buckle at any moment, taking the world down with him?

“You can still do it, you know,” my older self promised. “Things will get better. You’ll discover new things that you love. You’ll see the world. All you need to do is stick around a while longer.” Sticking around felt so simple. It felt like a crushing task. Could I do it? I didn’t know.

My younger self wrapped her purple-pajamad arms around my waist, holding on tight. “I’m proud of you,” she said. 

My older self placed a steady hand on my shoulder. “Don’t you want to know me?” they asked. The last of my resolve melted. I crumbled, allowing them to guide me off of the roof and back into my bedroom. Numb fingers fumbled with the window screen, attempting to fit it back into place. The older me gently pried it from my hands and replaced it, shutting and latching the window behind them.

As if in a trance, I walked to my bed, picking up the folded note and tucking it into a book on my nightstand. I would do away with it later, maybe burn it. It was late. I was exhausted, the most exhausted I’d ever been in my life. As I collapsed into bed, my other selves curled up next to me. I slept deeply, restfully. When I woke, they were gone.That morning, I rose, changed my bandages, and got ready for school. I will make her proud, I thought. I will live long enough to know them. The next week, I turned 15. I am so glad that I did.

[queenofsimpsblog]

insecure - shuri x reader

A/N: YALL IM SO SORRY IVE BEEN MIA LIFE IS SUPER HECTIC RN BUT I GOT THIS IDEA SO

kinda wrote this for myself cuz self confidence is smth I’ve struggled with my entire life lol

shoutout to the plus sized girlies, we all gorgeous and deserve to feel like it <3

also just in case you forgot, you’re very pretty and i love you <3

@locoforshuri you alr knew i was gonna tag you <3

you gasped as the air was leaking in and out of your lungs. you trudged on the pathway while shuri was way ahead of you. you convinced her to take you for a run today, and regretted your decision moments after. shuri was easily able to run laps around the park while you felt like someone kicked you in the stomach repeatedly.

“so then i told okoye that maybe she should consider wearing something different so that riri wouldn’t—” shuri spoke and turned to look at you, but then stopped running when she realised you weren’t right next to her.

“over here!” you wheezed out from way behind her. you normally exercised but you did pilates and yoga. you hated anything related to cardio, especially running.

“sthandwa? are you okay?” she asked you and you managed to shoot her a smile, which soon turned into a groan. shuri sighed and turned back, squatting slightly and gesturing you to get on her back. you did as you were told and got on, gripping onto shuri’s shoulders so that you wouldn’t fall. she got back up and started jogging again. bast bless her new found strength. she resumed her rant about riri and okoye, but you found yourself zoning out.

the reason why you were exerting yourself so much was pretty simple. there was a big gala coming up in a few weeks, and you wanted to look your best for it. the last one was about 6 months ago, and you didn’t exactly have the best experience there.

*flashback brought to you by shuri’s smile which is SO CUTE*

it was a crisp autumn night, and the ballroom the gala was being held in was packed. people were roaming around, socialising, forcing themselves to laugh at some old white guy’s joke, drinking, eating, dancing. you and shuri looped your arms together as you went to talk to some UN members you recognised and were on good terms with.

you excused yourself to go to the bathroom, and while you were in the stall, you overheard some girls talking.

“did you see that girl with queen shuri?”

“oh yeah, what about her?”

“her outfit? eeeks, she way too big for a dress like that.”

“oh my god, yeah. i don’t get why she thought it was a good idea.”

“seriously! what is the queen doing with her? she should be with me instead.”

the girls laughed and left the bathroom. you left the cubicle and took a good look at your reflection.

your heart broke as you looked at the way your dress accentuated your body. those girls were right. you took some tissues and used them to soak up the tears so that it wouldn’t spoil your makeup. sighing to yourself, you left the bathroom to go find shuri.

*flashback over*

soon enough, shuri decided to end her run and walked back to the palace to take a shower. she set you down gently as you reached the palace doors, and made your way to your shared quarters.

“you mind if i shower first?” shuri asked you as you entered your room. “no sweetie, go ahead,” she smiled and kissed you, letting her lips linger on yours for a moment before grabbing a sports bra and boxers and retreating to the bathroom.

you stood by the large mirror in the walk-in closet, taking a good look at your reflection. your hands moved from your face, to your arms, to your belly and down to your thighs. your body was beautiful, but you couldn’t see that. all you could see was the imperfections those women commented on that night.

you hated it.

you hated how those strangers words had so much power over you.

before you knew it, the tears started coming in and you tried desperately to hold in your sobs. but you failed, and as shuri walked out of the bathroom and made her way to the closet to find an outfit to wear, she saw you staring at yourself and sobbing uncontrollably.

“hey, hey, what’s wrong?” she asked you gently, wrapping her arms to stabilise you and calm you.

“i’m ugly,” you cried out.

shuri was taken aback. she didn’t know what to say. she always thought of you as the most beautiful moment she ever laid eyes on. and it pained her to see you like this.

“no you’re not. you’re beautiful. why do you think you’re ugly?”

you were still crying, so it took you a couple minutes to pull yourself together. you told shuri about what happened at the last gala. rage filled her eyes, but it was quickly replaced with love.

“usana, what those women said is not true. not even close. you are the most beautiful person i’ve ever seen,” she gently took your hand and kissed every one of your knuckles, before moving to your palm.

“you remember when we first met?” she asked, trialing kisses along your arm and collarbone before moving to your other arm.

she giggled softly at the memory. “it was like time froze when i saw you. i could’ve sworn i heard violins playing in the background. it was like a movie scene. i knew then and there that i wanted to spend the rest of my life with you by my side,”

she then planted kisses on your belly, making you smile. “i don’t get why you think being skinny means being beautiful. beauty is so much more than that. beauty means having a good soul. a caring heart. and you have that, sthandwa,”

shuri then moved downwards to your thighs. she kissed them both and then looked up at you. “you’re gorgeous, y/n. please don’t ever say that you aren’t.” she stood up and brought your body closer to hers.

“and i love you. my heart is yours, always and forever,” she kissed you with so much love and adoration.

“i love you too,” you whispered and smiled, before kissing her again.

fuck those girls that talked shit about you. they were just jealous cuz shuri loved you, and not them. and nothing would change that.

[amoret32]

Tit for Tat

I am not Jealous person. I really am not. Okay I am. Because Right now, my chesting is burning with the jealousy I am feeling.

I want to smack her smug face! The way she is laughing with my boyfriend. MY BOYFRIEND!!!

"Oh man You are so funny!" her laughter continues as she smacks her hand on his upper arms. I take the whisky sitting by my side, in my hand. Honestly I wanna throw it on her, but having some manners is important. I can't drop to her level, can I?

I chug the whisky whole in one time, putting the glass down loudly on the table top. "Baby, are you okay? You don't work with whisky well! I don't think you should have alcohol anymore." Dammit those big, cute eyes my boyfriend has! Tell me my oh so dear Boyfriend, you were also enjoying flirting with her, weren't you?

"No thanks, I'll pass. I wanna have more alcohol and I want to dance. I going to dance." My boyfriend holds my hand, which I release due to my anger taking over my head. "Hey Jennie or whatever your name is, it was not very nice to meet you but whatever, have fun, okay?"

The music in the club gets my attention and I get drawn by the dance floor. 'Love me land plays by Zara Larsonn in the background'

Dancing to this music kinda turns me one. Sensually moving on the beats, i feel someone's eyes on me. I know whose those eyes are! Biting my lips I ignore the eyes and concentrate on dancing.

"Hey sexy, you alone here?" This one man who looks like he comes club for only one purpose, that is sex, asks me. I don't really like attention. Especially from strangers.

"Yup all alone!" No no no that was totally not what I had planned. It just got out of my mouth. I guess I want to make someone jealous too.

"Why not join me then?" this creepo.

Maintaining a safe distancing with him I dance with him. Feeling really uncomfortable. I hate it. But the eyes I was feeling earlier have turned intense. Atleast that makes this dance fun.

This weird stranger keeps nudging me. Ugh. Yup I chose to do this. Now regretting my life decisions.

"Excuse me, Can I have my chance to dance with this gorgeous now?" without even getting the approval, My boyfriend drags me away from the creepo. I love you so much at this moment, My boyfriend.

Okay now the hold of his hand is really hurting me. But I deserve this for him jealous.

"Done making me jealous?" I chuckle. Look at his pout.

"Nope!" Seeing that he dragged me pretty much away from the dance floor, I make my way to it again only to be stopped by him.

"We are going home." he drags me in opposite direction.

"You cannot decide that."

"Oh I can totally decide that."

Suddenly my feet leave the ground and float in the air. Oh gosh. This idiotic boyfriend of mine has lifted me over on his shoulder. "Hey, this is cheating!" I try to hit him his back and as a result I get a smack on my ass.

"Do that one more time baby and I am going to lift your dress that has been teasing me all the night and spank you right here, right now."

His jaws are clenching. His voice has dropped by some decibels. More over he is angry. Mission successful.

As soon as we reach the car, he opens the backseat door and settles me in with himself. "What is your problem?"

"I should ask you same! What is YOUR problem?"

"My problem is that, My girlfriend needs attention. And when she does not get that, she misbehaves."

"And my problem is the way that jennie or whatever her name is, flirted with you! You clearly introduced me to her as your girlfriend, but still she continued to flirt with you as if I was invisible. She even dared to touch you."

He laughs. He LAUGHS. Are you kidding me? "Even if she flirted with me, did you notice that I was not flirting back to her!"

Oh fuck! I was so busy being jealous that i didn't notice what he was doing. hell i didn't even look at him because i was too busy glaring at that full of shit jennie.

"Exactly!"

"Did you just read my thoughts?"

"You think too loudly babe. Or that you facial expression really give the idea of your thoughts. We have been too long in relationship to not know you that expressions of your face."

I sulk. So what I am too readable!

"Now stop pouting and tell me what you were doing with that horny teenager?"

"He didn't look like teenager!"

"But you know, he looked like kind of a guy who would come to a club for sex."

I snort so loudly. A habit I don't mind happening in front of him. Snort laughing in front of others makes me embarrassed but in front of him? Never.

"I thought the same." Smacking his thighs I continue laughing until-

"And still you continue to fucking dance with him? Aren't you misbehaving little slut?"

Pulling me into his laps, his arms around me. He puts his lips on mine. Goosebumps taking over my whole body. This feeling I will never get used to.

"You enjoy making your boyfriend jealous, don't you?" he kisses all over my face. A act he does whenever he is jealous, angry or sad. Like he is trying to claim me, mark me. He always kisses my face but at times like this he gets a little rougher.

"I was also jealous okay?" I try to say between the kisses. His kisses shifted their focus to my neck. Some rough kissing and sucking making sure that they leave a mark.

"Not as jealous as I am! You know I hate to see other men touching you like that. That bastard kept nudging you, annoying the hell out of me. If we remained in that place for some more minutes I would have beaten him to death."

I chuckle. "I guess that makes two of us."

"You wait until we get home baby. I will make sure you wouldn't be able to sit or stand for a week."

I guess that's what I get for being too possessive.

or making him jealous.

It's me, I am the possessive kind of girlfriend.

what do you think, who was rightfully jealous?

[cidthecoatrack-blog]

Then I shall!

Produced by Guilermo del Toro, so that's a very strong place to start.

Not part of any pre-existing franchise, no sequels - is just an excellent standalone movie

About the Day of the Dead, but is not stereotypical. Treats it as a folk tale, incredibly well done.

The casting is on effing point. The lead is Diego Luna (excellent), female lead is Zoe Seldana (and you get to hear her sing!), other big strong dumb but big-hearted lead is Channing Tatum (perfect casting). The rest of the cast is freaking star-studded. Ice Cube, Ron Perlman, Hector Elizondo (probably recognize him from Princess Diaries), Danny Trejo, Placido FUCKING Domingo (yeah, the opera singer), Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin, and a whole host of other Hispanic actors.

Animated, and by GOD is it gorgeous. Watch the scene of Manolo standing in the rain. The animation of the rain on him is BREATHTAKING

So many DIFFERENT animation styles. Yes, it's all computer animated, but to give you a nesting doll of flavor: A) "humans" who are telling/hearing the story, B) wooden puppets (a majority of what we see) - THE WOOD ANIMATION IS STUNNING, C) The Dead (beautifully artistic skeletons), D) the dieties (La Muerta, Xibalba, and the Candle Maker), E) don't forget the bandits and Chakal (also puppets, but made grotesque/have metal parts)

There is SO MUCH DETAIL in the way these characters are animated. Just little details they didn't HAVE to do, but they did anyway. Like how Xibalba has skulls for pupils. Or how the wooden puppets move LIKE WOODEN PUPPETS. Or (personal favorite) how the dead are skeletons with the bones just floating near enough (no tissue and all), and then they PLAY ON THAT and let the dead just arbitrarily detach their heads, arms, etc.

THE MESSAGING. OH MY GOD THE MESSAGING. You know how Turning Red and Encanto smacked us all in the face with "dealing with family trauma"? Yeah, this movie was a decade ahead of its time. Manolo's father wants him to be a bullfighter, as is the family tradition, and he is a GREAT bullfighter, but he wants to perform music instead. When he goes to the Land of the Remembered and meets his ancestors, he finds that no small number of his ancestors regretted being a bullfighter! (They all died fighting bulls). One very specifically wishes he could have been an opera singer. And Manolo's major conflict at the end? Fighting all the bulls that his family had slain, and ends up winning by APOLOGIZING to the bulls (with a freaking BEAUTIFUL song). And just EVERY single storyline has things with that much positivty. Even Xibalba, the evil villain god, who is also in love with La Muerta (and her him!), learns his lesson and apologizes (genuinely!) to La Muerta.

Let us not forget Maria, the female lead. The two male leads are competing for her (ugh, stereotypical, I know), but they are all childhood friends first and foremost. Maria is sent off to become "a Lady", and when she comes back, they literally comment on how "normal" she looks. Now, these are the animated, exaggerated wooden puppets, and she has what I'm pretty sure is a literal pencil for a waist, so I can't really claim "body positivity" here. But they don't play up how beautiful she is. And MAN is she independent. She does NOT put up with ANY toxic crap from her father, from Manolo and Joaquín, from the village, from anyone. And ultimately SHE is the one who leads the town to victory against the bandits (because one of the running jokes is the ridiculous list of skills she picked up becoming "a Lady". Like swordfighting. And kung fu.)

And HOT DAMN the comedy in this movie is *chef's kiss*. "Frosted" churros anyone? The priest turning into a luchadore. The nuns always speaking in musical chorus. "I immediately regret this decision!" Almost everything the grandma says and does. Very self-aware of the tropes they could play on and just chucking them right back at the audience as jokes. Splendid.

AND THE MUSIC. Most of the songs are covers, but beautifully done in music and style that fits the characters and themes of the movie. "I Can't Help Falling in Love" is downright unfair in how beautiful it is. "I Will Wait" covered in Mariachi style is fantastic. Manolo singing "Creep" is also very apropos and well-done. There are two original songs: "I Love You Too Much" and "No Matter Where You Are". Both SLAP, but there's additional fun: "No Matter Where You Are" is originally by the band Us the Duo. They literally sung this song AS THEIR WEDDING VOWS. AT THEIR WEDDING. WHERE THEY PREMIERED THIS SONG. And it's just this amazingly uplifting, positive, happy, beautiful song. (Personal bias: my wife and I love this song so much that it was our first dance at OUR wedding.) And yes, they play it after Manolo and Maria get married (sorry for the spoilers for the decade-old movie).

I could literally keep going on, but I'll leave it at that

So just so y'all know, The Book of Life (2014) is a fucking MASTERPIECE, is CRIMINALLY underrated, and should have won EVERY GODDAMN AWARD.

[sunshinesteviee]

call it what you want - s.h.

summary: you find yourself on the edge of friendship and something more with steve at a halloween party. for @sparklingsin's spookinktober writing challenge with the prompt "quick, switch costumes with me!" wc: 8.1k wtf warnings: friends to lovers. alcohol consumption. smut!!! 18+!!! f!reader. a/n: this is the longest thing i've ever written and it killed me lol i hope y'all like it. feedback is much appreciated! love u sm. also huge shoutout to @sparklingsin and @familyvideostevie for reading this and helping me out and listening to me complain about this gd fic for weeks i love u so much thanks for putting up w me

Masterlist

Parties weren’t Steve’s thing. Not anymore, anyway. And Halloween parties in particular were definitely crossed off the list, especially after everything that had happened with Nancy a few years ago. He was over Nancy, they were even friends now, but something about the idea of going to another Halloween party stirred up a sick feeling in Steve’s stomach that he wanted to run from. Somehow, though, Robin had managed to convince him that it would be fun. 

Really, it hadn’t taken much convincing on Robin’s part — all she had to do was mention you, and Steve was in, though he’d never admit that to her. It was stupid, she thought, the way the two of you were constantly pining for each other, but refusing to do anything about it. She’d heard enough lovesick complaints from her best friends, and decided she’d take it into her own hands. And Halloween seemed like the perfect opportunity. She wasn’t quite sure how yet, but she was sure the night would end at the very least with confessions. She’d make sure of it. 

And so, Steve was two drinks deep in a crowded house, filled with more regret than beer. Robin had somehow disappeared after one drink, Eddie was nowhere in sight, and he still had yet to see you. Maybe you’d decided not to come. If so, the whole night would be a waste. He hadn’t missed parties one bit. The stuffy, crowded rooms filled with sweaty bodies pressed against each other as music pounded in his ears, pulsing lights making his head throb. 

It didn’t used to be so bad. He used to be the keg king, down shot after shot, maybe get lucky, and still wake up the next day more or less fine. Now, two drinks usually did him in, and he didn’t always like the feeling of being drunk. Of being out of control. To be fair, he’d taken quite a few beatings that had definitely fucked with his head since he’d last been to a proper party. But parties just weren’t enjoyable anymore. Especially when all of his friends had disappeared, and he didn’t know anyone surrounding him. 

Tipping the last of his drink into his mouth, Steve crushed the red plastic cup in his hand and tossed it into the trash can nearby that was already almost overflowing. A familiar laugh sounded behind him, a sweet sound above the loud bass, “Whoa there, champ. How many drinks have you had?!”

Steve already had a smile on his face as he turned around, and his jaw nearly hit the floor at the sight of you. You hadn’t ditched. And better yet, you looked fucking gorgeous. He let out an adoring laugh, eyebrows furrowing together, forehead wrinkling as he asked, “Champ?”

“Your costume, silly,” you nodded towards his outfit as you reached out, placing your warm palm against his bicep. Without thinking, Steve leaned into your touch, stepping in closer to you, his hand grazing your hip slightly. 

Since it had been a last-minute decision, and since he wasn’t fond of Halloween anyways, Steve had decided to pull his baseball uniform from high school out of his closet. It fit a little tighter than it used to, but would work well enough for one night. The ugly green and orange baseball jersey was tucked into a pair of baseball pants, and he’d even tucked his wild hair underneath a Hawkins high baseball hat. Steve’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, the soft pink obvious on his pale skin, even in the dim lighting of the house. “Oh, right. Yeah, I think I kinda… knocked it out of the park with this one.”

The snort that left your mouth had Steve smiling again as you clapped a hand over your mouth, “Oh my god. That was fucking awful, Steve. It does look good, though. Can’t believe you’d ruin all of your pretty hair under that hat.”

Steve flushed again, a common occurrence that he couldn’t help when he was around you, and shrugged, “What can I say? I’m dedicated to the costume. I like your costume, too, by the way; you look nice.”

Your eyes lit up at his compliment as you bounced on the balls of your feet nervously, “Yeah? Thanks, Stevie.” You were wearing a short shirt that had “Camp Crystal Lake” printed across the chest, with a picture of a lake underneath it, and a pair of red shorts that were also nearly too short; you were a counselor from one of your favorite horror movies, Friday the 13th. Quite frankly, the costume fit you perfectly, accentuating all of your best features, and you weren’t oblivious to the way his eyes had caught on you when he’d first turned around. 

“Yeah! That’s a great movie.”

“I thought you didn’t like horror movies?” you questioned, a teasing tone lacing your words. You and Eddie had had to convince him more than once to watch a horror movie on one of your movie nights, and he usually hid underneath a blanket for more than half the movie. 

“Well, no,” Steve huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he narrowed his eyes at you, “But I’ve seen that one, and it wasn’t bad. Do you want a drink?"

When you quickly agreed, Steve’s hand left your back as he pulled back from you. Before you could mourn the warmth of his hand on your skin, though, his hand was reaching toward yours. “C’mon then, babe.”

Without a second thought, your hand slipped into his, fingers slotting together easily. Steve started pulling you through the crowd, weaving between bodies skillfully. The grip he had on your hand, though gentle, was firm, as if you’d be lost forever if he let go. As if the crowds of people would swallow you whole and carry you away from him. He glanced back a few times to make sure you were alright, flashing you a small smile every single time his eyes caught yours. 

The alcohol was finally starting to hit Steve, making him feel a bit lighter, though maybe it was just from being near you. Your hand in his was enough to make him feel tipsy. To have him questioning if it was real. He definitely didn’t need to have another drink, not if you were going to be holding his hand like your life depended on it. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, to be close to you, but the alcohol had his senses dialed up. Steve knew that if he wasn’t careful, he might let his real feelings for you slip, and he didn’t want to risk the friendship you had. 

Steve shook his head in an attempt to clear it, though the alcohol was making it a bit difficult, and refocused back on you. He gave you a lopsided smile, working to untangle his fingers from yours, “Whaddya want, cutie? Punch? I had two cups and it’s kinda strong because I’m definitely starting to feel it, and—”

“I’ll have punch!” You’d listen to him ramble for hours, but the kitchen was even more packed than the room you’d just been in. You didn’t see Steve drunk, or even tipsy, often, and you adored the way his face flushed red and he started rambling. He’d clearly had just enough to have him feeling good, not enough to tip him over the edge, and it was endearing the way he seemed to let go a little bit. 

Not wanting to be away from your side for too long, Steve hurried across the kitchen to get a cup and fill it with punch for you. He pushed by a few people on his way back, trying to be gentler than the asshole who had pushed you, and frowned as some of the drink spilled over the edge of the cup and ran down his fingers. The pout was still on his lips as he approached you, holding the cup out, “Sorry, didn’t mean to spill it. Here you go, babe.” 

Taking the cup from him carefully, you smiled gratefully, glad that you hadn’t been the one to cross the kitchen, “Thanks, Stevie. You didn’t get one for yourself?”

“Nah, if I have more I’ll be suffering tomorrow,” he replied. As he talked, Steve lifted his hand that was now covered in the sticky punch, and slipped one of his fingers into his mouth to clean it off. Heat rushed to your cheeks and you stared in disbelief as Steve did it again with another finger. This time, he caught the look on your face and his own eyes went wide as he stared at you in confusion, completely oblivious, “What?”

You nearly choked on your drink, and you quickly shook your head, turning away from Steve so he wouldn’t see the reaction you were having. There was no doubt you were attracted to Steve — how could you not be? He was kind and funny and brave, and treated you better than anyone else ever had. The problem was, he wasn’t your boyfriend, and you were fairly certain he had no intention of that. He was a nice guy to everyone.  Just because he called you babe or cutie from time to time, and held your hand or shared blankets with you… that didn’t mean he was interested, and you’d done your best to shove those feelings down. You didn’t want to lose Steve’s friendship above all else, so if you had to pretend your feelings for him were strictly platonic, you could do that. But watching him lick his fingers clean sparked something in your stomach, and made your face feel hot. To be fair, you had already downed a shot with Nancy while the two of you were getting ready, so maybe you could just blame the way your thighs clenched on the alcohol. 

Instead of responding, you downed half the cup of punch just in time for Steve to look back at you, a grin breaking out on his face as he chanted teasingly, “Chug, chug, chug!” 

You nearly choked again, this time as you laughed, sputtering some of the red liquid out of your mouth, “Steve!” You wiped the back of your hand across your mouth to catch the drops sliding down your chin with a giggle, “Stop itttt.”

“Hey!” Steve’s pout matched yours, eyes narrowing at you, bottom lip pushing out, “How come you can tease me when I’m drinking but I can’t tease you?”

Your eyes may have lingered too long on Steve’s lips as he pouted, but he didn’t notice with the way he was unabashedly returning the favor as your tongue darted out to catch the last of the punch that had spilled past your lips. You wondered what his lips would feel like against yours. If they were as soft as they looked. If he was as good a kisser as the girls from high school claimed. You shook your head, desperately trying to focus so you could answer Steve’s question instead of gawk at him, “No, it’s not allowed.” 

Steve laughed hysterically as his arms wrapped over your shoulders so he could pull you into him. He got even more affectionate than normal when he’d had some alcohol. Pressing his lips to your hair, he shook his head, but was totally sincere as he replied, “Okay, fine! I’ll never make fun of you again, cutie. Promise.  Should we find Robin? Or maybe Nancy and Jonathan?” 

His words had you feeling like you were on fire once more, but you quickly agreed, needing to find someone else to get your mind off of Steve. To think of something other than SteveSteveSteveSteve. Your cheek pressed into the rough fabric of the jersey he was wearing, and you nodded against his chest, “Yeah, let’s go find them.” 

“Wait,” he paused, fingers wrapping around your arm as you tried to pull away from his grasp, “you still have…” His sentence trailed off as he licked the pad of his thumb before placing his free hand against your cheek, fingers slipping into the hair just behind your ear. His thumb pressed to your chin, rubbing across your skin carefully in an attempt to get rid of the last of the punch that you’d spilled. Steve’s hand slid down, fingers hooking underneath your chin as his thumb dragged down, pulling on your bottom lip slightly, and you thought for a moment that he was going to kiss you then and there, his eyes flashing with something you hadn’t seen in them before. But as quickly as it came, it disappeared, and Steve was back to his tipsy, bubbly self, “Got it!”

You felt absolutely breathless, frozen in place as Steve pulled away searching the crowd for anyone he recognized. “You coming or what, babe?” 

“I, uh–” you shook your head to clear it and moved towards Steve, “Yeah, ‘m coming.” 

Finding Robin seemed to be a lost cause, but Nancy and Jonathan had been easy to find, talking to some of Nancy’s friends from high school, drinks in hand. And after talking for a bit, it didn’t take much to pull your friends away to dance with you. You immediately grabbed Steve, feeling bolder than you normally would be, and pulled him into you, chest to chest. 

Steve’s heart thudded in his chest as his hands grabbed at your hips at the same time, fingers pressing lightly into the soft skin there as you swayed to the music. Had he been sober and more aware of what he was really doing, he probably would’ve been much more flustered with the way you were pressed up against him. And, had he been sober, he would’ve seen the look Nancy and Jonathan were exchanging knowingly, with Nancy in on Robin’s plan. 

–

Robin found you a bit later, the sound of your name being called over the music was enough to get your attention, and you quickly stopped dancing next to Nancy to search the crowd of people surrounding you. It wasn’t hard to find Robin, who was already pretty tall and was wearing heels for her costume. You grinned at her, throwing your arms out to her for a hug as you shrieked her name, “Robin!”

“Hey, hot stuff!” she replied, wrapping you up in her arms, careful of the drink in her hand, “Where have you beeeen? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

You scoffed, “Stevie and I have been dancing. Thought maybe you weren’t here,” you said, pushing your bottom lip out into a pout. 

“I am! I have been the whole time!” she laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world, “I’m glad I found you! We’re gonna play a game!” She paused and turned to point at Steve who had been watching the two of you, “You too, dingus! You’re gonna play, too.”

“What? No, Robin, I don’t—”

“Please, Stevie?” you asked, cutting him off with wide, pleading eyes, even though you had no idea what the game actually was, or who you’d be playing with. 

The alcohol Steve had consumed was now starting to wear off, while it seemed like it was in full swing for you. Had Robin shown up half an hour ago while he was still feeling tipsy, and was actually dancing with you, he would’ve agreed no problem. Now, as he started to think a bit more clearly, he knew that Robin’s drunk ideas usually weren’t her best, and at the very least, he’d make sure you all didn’t get into too much trouble. And, as always, he couldn’t say no to the look you were giving him. “Okay, okay, fine! I’ll play.”

Reaching out to close the distance between the two of you, your fingers curled around Steve’s bicep to pull him closer. You were giving him the brightest smile he’d ever seen as you leaned into his side, “Yay! C’mon, Harrington.”

The smile that pulled at Steve’s lips was involuntary as your hand pushed down his arm and into his own hand, tugging him behind you as you followed Robin through the house, back to the other side where she’d been beforehand with a few other friends. They weren’t really people you knew – mostly Robin’s friends from band, and Eddie and a few of his friends – but you weren’t going to let that stop you from having fun. 

“Okay!” Robin clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the small group, “Everyone stand up, get in a circle. We’re playing a new game!” 

“What game is it?” Eddie grumbled, ever the contrarian, though he was getting to his feet to do as Robin said. 

Steve had also reluctantly joined the circle, standing at one of Robin’s sides, arms crossed over his chest as he waited impatiently for her to explain what was going on. You couldn’t help but giggle at his sullen expression as you glanced at him from the other side of your friend standing between the two of you. Your laugh caught his attention, and he cracked a smile as he glanced over Robin to look at you, eyebrows furrowing together as if he was asking “What’s so funny?”

You shook your head, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth with a smile as you quickly glanced away, trying to focus on what Robin was saying. Only after you’d listen to half of the “rules” did you realize that this was some kind of speed costume changing game, and you groaned, feeling a bit too tipsy for trying to change quickly. Not only that, but this felt like a game that some boy in high school had come up with in hopes to see the girl he liked half naked. 

“On the count of three, find someone that you want to change costumes with, and then we’ll time everyone! One… two… three!” 

You’d been counting on switching with Robin, considering she was right next to you, and you could probably get into at least some of her clothes. Steve had a similar idea – who else was he going to switch with when he’d already shared clothes with her before? – and turned in her direction. Robin, on the other hand, had a different idea, pointing aggressively at Nancy who was across the circle from her, “Nance! You’re my partner!” She quickly stepped out from between you and Steve and darted over to Nancy without letting her respond. 

At the same time, both you and Steve groaned in frustration, “Robin!” She all but cackled, an evil grin on her face that you knew meant this had been her plan all along. You’d told her about your feelings for Steve, but you never expected her to use that information against you.  

Still, you turned to Steve with a grin, hooking your arm through his to pull him closer to you, “Guess you’re my partner, Harrington! No backing out now!” 

As soon as he realized that partners were being shoved in one of the closets one at a time to change as fast as possible, Steve wished desperately that he could back out. His face burned at just the thought of being in a confined space with you while you took off your clothes. He didn’t have long to think about it, though, as after two other pairs were timed, Robin quickly pushed the two of you in, closing the door behind you and plunging you into complete darkness, except for the small sliver from under the door. 

You and Steve weren’t strangers to being close to one another, but this felt like a new level of intimacy, and Steve didn’t know what to do. His heart was pounding in his ears, so loud he was worried you’d be able to hear it, too, considering how close you were. It didn’t seem to affect you as much, though maybe that was just the alcohol, and you giggled with an urgent whisper, “Quick! Switch costumes with me, Steve! I don’t wanna lose!” With that, you pulled your shirt over your head, nearly elbowing Steve in the face with how fast you were moving. Steve immediately averted his eyes to the dark ceiling, wanting to be a gentleman, though he’d be lying if he said he’d never thought about you shirtless. 

Frustrated with how slow he was moving, you gave his shoulder a weak push, “C’mon, Stevie!”

Steve huffed, amused with how badly you wanted to win, even though he knew it wasn’t going to happen, “Okay, I’m going!” He started unbuttoning the baseball jersey as fast as he could as you started to shove your shorts down your legs, and suddenly his buttons became a lot more interesting, fingers fumbling with the small pieces of plastic. The closet felt scorching hot as he shrugged off the jersey and quickly pulled the  plain white tee he was wearing underneath off as well, shoving it in your direction. “Jesus, babe. Here.”

The shirt you’d been wearing had been quickly dropped to the floor as you pulled Steve’s shirt over your head, immediately engulfed in his scent. He always smelled nice, and this shirt was no exception. As much as you wanted to hug yourself and breathe in Steve’s comforting scent, you also wanted to win, and slipped the jersey on, motioning for Steve to take his pants off next. Your voice was frantic when you spoke again, “Pants! Give ‘em to me!”

The giggling from his friends outside the door was distracting to Steve as he thought of ways he could get back at Robin for this. It was torture, really, being shoved into a small space with the girl he liked while they undressed, but in a situation where he couldn’t touch her without seeming like a perv. He was only snapped out of his thoughts when your hands reached out towards his waist, going for the button on his pants. There was no way he could let that happen, and pushed your hands away, all but shouting, “I got it!”

He quickly shimmied out of his pants and traded them with you for the tiny shorts you’d been wearing. Groaning internally, Steve pulled them up his legs and knew immediately that he looked ridiculous. They barely fit over his thighs, and his ass was nearly hanging out. It was bordering on completely inappropriate to be wearing in public; he might as well just be wearing his boxers with how little it left to the imagination. “These do not fit.”

Just then, you stumbled forward as you tried to get Steve’s baseball pants on, hand catching on his chest for the second time that evening. His hand shot out as if on instinct, grasping at the bare skin of your hip to steady you, even though there wasn’t really any place for you to go. You were giggling like a maniac, breathless as you murmured a thanks and pulled the pants up all the way. It was only as you buttoned the pants that you realized your shirt had dropped on the ground, and you grabbed it, shoving it into his hands, failing at your horrible attempt to avoid looking at his bare chest, “Last one!”

Steve stared at the fabric in his hands skeptically; the shirt was already short on you, there was no way this wasn’t going to be the most extreme crop top anyone had ever seen on him, “I don’t wanna rip it!”

“You won’t!” you reassured him, “‘s okay if you do, anyway. ‘M never gonna wear it again.”

Letting out what was possibly the most dramatic sigh you’d ever heard, Steve pulled your shirt over his head. The fabric stretched around his arms and chest, the hem falling just below his pecs. His entire stomach was exposed, and while it wasn’t exactly what he’d prepared for that night, the smile on your face in the dark made it worth it. 

As your hand reached for the doorknob, Steve realized you were missing one last piece of his costume, “Wait! Can't forget this.” He lifted his hat off of his head and placed it on yours carefully, running his hand through his hair, “Okay, we’re good.”

Your heart fluttered in your chest as he placed his hat on your head, and you nearly dropped everything to kiss him then and there, but the sound of someone laughing outside the door caught your attention. You gave Steve a grin and then pushed the door open, nearly falling over yourself as you shouted, “We’re done! Did we win?!”

Steve’s hand was at your hip again to steady you as he followed you out. He finally felt like he could breathe again. The whole thing couldn’t have taken more than a few minutes, but it felt like he’d spent a lifetime in the closet with you. So close, but so far. 

So wrapped up in his own thoughts, Steve missed everything you and Robin were discussing, until there was a loud wolf whistle from someone else in the group, “Damn, Harrington! Who knew you had all that ass!”

 Without even glancing in the direction of the noise, Steve knew who it was. He flipped his middle finger up but grinned at his friend, “Fuck off, Munson!”

You let out a laugh as you turned to Steve to say something, but you felt like all of the air had been sucked out of your lungs when you finally properly saw Steve. It’d been too dark in the closet to really see what your clothes looked like on Steve, so you were surprised to see how little of your costume actually covered him. His biceps, stomach, and legs were on full display, and somehow, it still wasn’t enough. Your eyes caught on his arms, the small moles and freckles that covered his stomach, and then, the trail of dark hair that disappeared into the waistband of the much-too-short shorts. 

Robin, who was standing next to you, nudged your shoulder, a smirk evident on her face. Her plan was working. You were short-circuiting. Even though your head was feeling less fuzzy due to the alcohol, you might as well have been drunk on Steve. You watched for a few seconds as he found space on the couch to sit down, his cheeks flushed a light pink, and then turned to your friend. 

“Robin!” you hissed her name, grabbing at her elbow to pull her closer to you. You gave her the most menacing glare you could muster, but before you could say anything else, she let out a low giggle. 

She looked quite pleased with herself, leaning in and whispering loudly, “Did anything happen in there?” 

“No! How would that even be possible?” you asked, laughing a little yourself at her ridiculousness. 

“Dunno, but a girl’s gotta try. Still have the rest of the night to make something happen.” 

As much as you didn’t want to give in to Robin’s hand, you were starting to realize that if she was trying this hard to get something to happen between you and Steve, it probably meant that Steve felt something for you too. You narrowed your eyes at her and then huffed, all but stomping away in search of Steve. If something was going to happen, it had to happen before you lost the confidence. 

He was still sitting on the couch, chatting with Eddie, but quickly looked up as you walked over, eyebrows furrowed in concern at your seriousness, “Are you okay?”

“Will you come with me?” you asked instead of answering his question, holding your hand out to him. 

“Yeah, of course,” he replied, still confused, but took your hand in his and stood up, allowing you to lead him away. You weaved in and out of people, trudging up the stairs to find a quieter place to talk. 

When you finally found an empty bathroom, you flicked on the lights and pulled Steve inside, shutting and locking the door behind you so no one would bother you. The music from downstairs had quieted to a dull thud and suddenly the idea of confessing your feelings felt much more daunting in the harsh light of the bathroom. You quickly turned away from Steve to try to take a deep breath, wringing your hands. Steve watched in concern, reaching a hand out to rest on your forearm gently, “Hey, what’s going on? Are you okay? Did something happen?” 

You were just going to have to go for it. Turning around quickly to face him again, you started rambling, “I don’t really know how to say this, so I think I just have to jump into the fucking deep end and say it. Especially since Robin’s getting on my nerves with all of the scheming and smug smiles, which I’m sure you’ve noticed, but if I’m reading this wrong, I’m really sorry, we can just pretend it never happened, and–”

“Say what, babe?” Steve interrupted, shaking his head which caused his hair to bounce slightly, “You’re worrying me.” 

“I really like you, Steve. A lot.”

It was silent for a moment, and you couldn’t tell what Steve was thinking with the way he was staring at you so intently, nearly scrutinizing. Your heart began pounding in your chest, worried that you had read the entire situation wrong. His arms crossed over his chest and he let out a soft sigh, “You’re drunk.” 

“I’m not!” you insisted quickly, shaking your head vehemently, “Maybe the tiniest bit tipsy, but mostly sober, I swear. I’m– I’m serious, Steve. I just… I thought maybe Robin had a point? And honestly, you look so fucking good in those shorts, and I–”

You were cut off as Steve surged forward, one hand moving to cup the back of your head, the other grabbing at your hip to pull your body into his. Before you could process what was happening, Steve’s lips were on yours and he was kissing you desperately. Your hands struggled to find purchase as they landed on his shoulders and you kissed him back, hardly able to believe that this was actually happening. That you were kissing Steve. But just as soon as you’d started to wrap your head around it, Steve pulled back, eyes wide, chest heaving. 

“You don’t…” he stopped himself and shook his head as he looked down at the floor for a moment before looking up to you, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that. How long I’ve liked you.”  His hand that had grabbed at your side flattened as he smoothed over the fabric of the baseball pants, his gaze dropping down to the floor again bashfully. 

“Are you drunk?” you asked in disbelief. 

Steve laughed, a soft and amused sound, as he shook his head and repeated your earlier sentiment, “No. Just barely tipsy, almost completely sober. I feel sober now.” 

The kiss had sobered you up, too. Your hands slid down from his shoulders, palms resting flat against his chest as you tilted your head up so you could see him clearly. You could count each individual eyelash if you wanted. Count each and every freckle on his face. But all you really wanted was to kiss him. 

Your lips met his again as you pushed your chin up, fingers curling into the fabric of the shirt as Steve sighed into your mouth. Both of his hands dropped to your waist, pressing against your body gently until the small of your back bumped into the counter behind you. He squeezed your waist again as he murmured against your lips, “Up.” 

You jumped just enough as he helped to lift you onto the counter. His palms grasped at your thighs, fingers digging into the softness there as he stepped into the space between your legs. Once his lips were back on yours, his hands dropped down to your ass and pulled you forward on the counter easily. The feeling made you gasp; your shorts on him left little to the imagination with how you were pressed against him, “Steve.” Your own hands slid down from where they were resting against his chest and pushed against the soft lines of his abdomen, feeling up towards the tiny shirt on him.

“Mm?” he hummed, distracted by the feeling of your hands on his skin. His lips trailed along your jaw, nipping at your skin softly. 

“Want you,” you breathed out, eyes fluttering shut momentarily at the feeling of his lips on your neck. 

This caught Steve’s attention and his eyes lit up at your admission, “Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” you nodded quickly, cheeks filling with heat as you recalled the moment earlier in the evening when Steve had licked the spilled punch off of his fingers, “Want… want your fingers.”  

“Shit, okay, babe. Just let me…” he trailed off as his fingers hooked into the waistband of the baseball pants. You lifted your hips to help, letting him drag the fabric down your legs and drop them to the floor. Steve’s eyes caught on the wet spot in the center of your underwear and he cursed softly as his hands slid back up your legs, thumbs sliding up the inside of your thighs. A smirk was growing on his lips, “Y’already so wet, baby.” 

You let out a soft huff of embarrassment, cheek pressing into your shoulder to ease the burn as you looked up at Steve, “You’re… you just… you look really fucking hot in basically a crop top and short shorts and then you’re kissing me like I’ve never been kissed before, and–”

“Relax, cutie. I got you,” Steve’s eyes softened, the pads of his thumbs rubbing small circles up your inner thigh, inching closer and closer to the hem of your panties. At the same time, the tip of his nose brushed down the length of yours before gently nudging up against yours until he caught your lips with his own. 

He kissed you a bit softer than he had before, murmuring as his fingers slipped under the hem of your panties, rubbing back and forth against the delicate skin, “Can I get rid of these?”

Instead of answering, you lifted your hips off of the counter again so Steve could pull the fabric off. It dangled off of your ankle for a moment before falling to the ground to join the pants. Steve’s hands were warm at your knees as he pushed your legs apart, but before he could properly touch you, you grabbed at his wrist, fingers circling around it carefully. He watched you in confusion, about to speak but quickly cut himself off when you finally did what you’d been wanting to do all evening. 

You pulled his hand up to your mouth, kissing his palm once before your tongue darted out to circle his middle and ring fingers. Steve’s jaw dropped open slightly, eyes somehow growing even wider as you took his fingers into your mouth, his breath hitching, “Jesus fucking christ, babe, I—” Your hand still wrapped around his wrist gave it a small tug, releasing his fingers from your lips with a small pop. “Fuckin’ hell, baby.”

Steve kissed you like it was his last chance, tugging at your lips and licking into your mouth, distracting you enough to let his hand drift back down to your center. You jolted forward, whining into his mouth as his spit-slick fingers traced up your center until his fingertip nudged into your clit. “Please, Stevie.”

“I got you, baby,” he replied softly, emphasizing his words with another circle over your clit. Then, as if reading your mind, he slipped two fingers into you, drawing quiet moans from the both of you. “Shit, you’re so tight.”

His words had you clenching around his fingers as you leaned back, pressing your palms into the cool countertops beneath you. Finally, he started moving his fingers, thrusting them in and out of your cunt at a slow pace. “Steve, I need— oh, shit— I need more.”

Happy to oblige, Steve picked up the pace a bit, fingertips just grazing the spot that was going to make you see stars. Ever in tune with you and your body, he heard your soft whimper, and saw the way your fingers curled over the edge of the countertop, knuckles white with how tightly you were gripping it. He didn’t really have to ask, but did anyway, a knowing smirk settling over his lips, “Right there?”

“Ri-right there,” you repeated, voice breaking as you nodded frantically and rolled your hips against Steve’s hand. He curled his fingers inside of you and then he doubled down, fingertips repeatedly rubbing against the same spot that had you keening before. And when his thumb pressed to your clit, you nearly fell apart then and there.  

“C’mon, baby, know you’re close,” Steve muttered, rubbing his thumb over your clit again and again and again until you were clenching around him and falling over the edge with a loud moan of his name.

Your head fell back, thudding against the mirror on the wall behind you as you gasped for air, knocking Steve’s hat on your head off, chest heaving, “Fuck, Steve, I–” The words died in your throat as your eyes fluttered open, only to find Steve with his fingers halfway to his mouth. 

He paused for a moment but quickly took note of the way your breath hitched, eyes wide, and slipped his fingers into his mouth, sucking them clean for the second time that evening. You squirmed against the counter, trying to shuffle off of it as Steve hummed around his fingers and then pulled them from his lips, “Mm, y’taste so good, babe.” 

“Holy shit, Stevie,” you gasped as you stumbled off of the counter. 

Steve’s hands shot out, grabbing at your hips to steady you, “You okay?”

“More than okay,” you replied, nodding as your hands trailed down Steve’s chest. To prove your point, you leaned up on your toes and pressed your mouth to his. One of your hands curled into the tiny shirt as you kissed him, and the other slid down his chest and abdomen, brushing over the soft hair that disappeared under the waistband of the shorts. You paused, pulling your mouth from Steve’s to look up at him through your eyelashes, “Can I?”

“I— yeah,” Steve nodded hard, hair bouncing with the movement. He looked so pretty — prettier than normal — with his messy hair and wide hazel eyes, lips pink and shiny from your kissing. As he dipped back down to kiss you again, you slid your hand under the waistband of the shorts, but over his boxers. He groaned as you began palming him, and you nearly did as well. 

The shorts left very little to the imagination — you knew Steve was big, but feeling him hard in your hand was something completely different. You wanted him, and you weren’t sure you could wait much longer. Your fingers tugged at the shorts and his boxers, discarding them into the pile of your clothes, and you pressed a kiss to his hipbone as you straightened up again, “What… what do you want, Stevie?”

His chest heaved as your hand wrapped around his length, stroking him slowly while you waited for an answer. Steve felt like he couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t function. Not when you were finally, finally touching him. He wanted to do so many things with you, but most of all, he wanted you. “Need to be inside you, baby, fuck.”

Your breath hitched a little at his admission and you nodded quickly, wanting whatever he wanted, “Okay. ‘M yours, Stevie.”

“Fuck, you’re gonna be the death of me, baby,” he groaned, fingers sinking into the soft flesh of your hips again to help you back onto the counter and pull you towards the edge. “Do you— um, I don’t have a condom, I—”

“‘S okay,” you shook your head quickly, leaning back into your hands as one of your legs hooked around Steve’s waist and pulled him in closer to you, “‘m on the pill.”

“Are you sure?” he asked softly, eyes searching yours carefully. 

“Positive, Steve. I want you. Have for a long time.”

That was enough for Steve, and he shuffled forward, one hand resting against your waist while the other reached down to line himself up at your entrance. You sucked in a sharp breath as Steve pushed in slowly, your hands sliding into his hair at the back of his head. It was more of a stretch than you were used to, and it must have shown on your face because Steve’s hand left your hip and came up to cradle your cheek carefully, lips pressing to the corner of your mouth, “Okay?”

“Mhm,” you breathed out heavily, eyes flicking open to find Steve’s face centimeters from yours. His thumb rubbed soothingly over your cheekbone, back and forth a few times, and you nodded, “More, Steve.”

Steve nodded, pressing another soft kiss to your lips as he pushed forward again slowly, searching your face for any sign that you wanted to stop. And when he found none, he continued until his hips were flush with yours. His jaw clenched, fingers digging into your thigh that was around his waist, and hitched it higher up his side to push a bit deeper. “Tell me when you’re ready,” he murmured, dropping kisses to your shoulder. 

Your mind was racing, but with thoughts of only SteveSteveSteveSteve once again. Your senses were flooded with him; the smell of his cologne and sweat, the sound of his heavy breaths in your ear, the taste of his lips on yours, his hands on your body and his cock buried deep inside your cunt. With a gasping breath, you pulled Steve’s chest to yours, your other leg wrapping around his waist. “Ready. ‘M ready. You can move.” 

His hands slid under your arms and wrapped around your back to hold you against him as he began to move his hips slowly, “God, baby, you— fuck— you feel so good around me. So good for me, huh? Been wanting you like this forever.”

You rolled your hips into his as you all but sobbed his name, pressing your heels into the small of his back. He took the hint quickly and picked up the pace, the filthy sound of his skin smacking yours filling the small bathroom. Your hands searched over his shoulders and back, slipping underneath the shirt of yours that he was somehow still wearing, nails digging into his skin. 

Steve’s chin hooked over your shoulder, and he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror behind you. He looked just as fucked out as he felt; eyes and hair wild as he clung to you. What really got to him, though, was the sight of his last name sprawled across your back. Maybe, just maybe, you’d finally be his after all of this. Heart racing at the sight, he set a punishing pace, “Look so fuckin’ good in my clothes, sweetheart. You’re so… so fucking perfect.” 

“Steve— oh fuck— you feel so good. Gonna come soon, ‘m so close—” you were mumbling incoherently into Steve’s neck, trying your best to meet his thrusts, which became harder as one of his hands snaked down between the two of you to rub over your clit. You clenched around him again at the feeling, pulling the best noise you’d ever heard from the back of Steve’s throat. Your moan echoed his, completely oblivious to the fact that you were still at a party and that someone could probably hear you. 

“Gonna come for me, my pretty girl?”

My pretty girl. His and only his. It was enough for you to come undone, Steve’s name intertwined with the curses and filthy moans you couldn’t hold back. His thrusts faltered, hips stuttering against yours as he came, your name spilling from his lips in a way you wanted to hear again and again and again. 

Your chest heaved against his as you both tried to catch your breaths, and you left soft, open-mouthed kisses to the crook of his neck where you’d buried your face as you’d come. His hands were gentle as they pushed up your thighs and hips, around your back to slip under the shirt of his you were wearing. They were exceptionally warm, tracing over the curve of your spine as he pressed your body into his, voice soft at your ear as he murmured, “Are you okay?”

You let out a soft laugh as you kissed up Steve’s jaw, fingers slipping into the slightly damp hair at the nape of his neck, twisting a strand around your index finger, “‘M perfect, Steve. Are you okay?”

“Fuck,” he laughed, shaking his head in amusement, popping up from your shoulder to look into your eyes, “I’ve never been better. Meant what I said… been wanting you forever.” 

“Yeah?” you asked quietly, feeling bashful, like he wasn’t still inside of you.

“Oh yeah,” he nodded, dipping his head down to press a soft peck to your lips. At the same time, his hands moved back down to your hips, holding you tightly as he finally pulled out. You winced slightly at the feeling, causing a soft apology to tumble from Steve’s lips, followed by another soft peck. 

It was quiet as you cleaned each other up as best as you could, stealing sweet kisses from the other more often than necessary. The sound of the music had finally come back into focus, and you realized that it wasn’t as loud as you’d remembered. Still, you’d do it all again, even though you weren't sure you could walk, and you knew your friends were going to give you shit for how long the two of you had disappeared. 

As you redressed, you finally swapped your clothes back, but just as you were about to give Steve the last piece of his costume — the jersey — he shook his head, cupping your cheek in his hand, tilting your head up, “You wear it. Looks better on you. And besides, need everyone to know you’re mine now.” 

You didn’t put up a fight, grinning and shrugging the jersey back over your shirt that Steve had definitely stretched out. Smoothing down your shirt, you held your hands out to your sides slightly, “Good?” 

Steve laughed again, reaching out to swipe a thumb under your eye in an attempt to remove some of the mascara that had smudged, “As good as it’s gonna get. And still perfect. Ready?”

Before he could open the door, you grabbed his hat off of the counter and brushed his hair back before placing it on his head, “For the sex hair. Oh, and Steve?”

“Yeah, cutie?” 

“Good game!” you giggled, slapping his ass before bolting out of the bathroom, leaving Steve to stare after you for a few moments with the biggest grin on his face. 

[thismessymasterpiece]

You’re an Idiot, Eddie Munson

Summary - Eddie Munson needs a little motivation to study. Luckily enough, he gets it.

GN!Reader (no pronouns used!) x Eddie Munson

Category - Fluff but we get a little angsty <3

TW - Insinuation of 18+ content (No application!)

Please let me know if I missed anything!

Author’s Note - Yes, I was inspired by that scene with Nancy and Steve from The Vanishing of Will Byers and I did, in fact, spiral from there. I will also openly admit that this is not proofread but that I do intend to proofread it tomorrow. I am about to pass out, I apologize in advance if I miss anything for the time being.

"Wait," I pause, jutting my hip out to hold Eddie's front door open, "your uncle is not home, right?"

"Of course not, sweetheart," he answers. Walking closer, he leans in and mumbles against my neck, "Why? Were you hoping for something?"

"Was I hoping that maybe you might actually focus on why I am here this time?" I ask as I push him off of me, "Yeah, I was."

He grabs my waist and pulls me flush against him, fitting perfectly between his parted legs. He grins smugly as he whispers to me, "What fun is that?"

I chuckle along in good humour before pulling my face back to look him in the eye, "None... but at least you'll make it to graduation."

He pouts when I wink at him, walking away down the hall.

When I do not hear any following footsteps, I grab onto the doorframe to his room and turn to face him.

"C'mon, honey," his pout saddens me, "I made you personalized flashcards!"

He cannot help but grin when he sees my enthusiasm. Clearly, this is a special gift, maybe not his favorite type but it is from me and it is very obviously an exclusive present. He reaches out his hand to meet mine, finally caving to the inevitable.

"Eddie," I groan, dropping my hand, flashcards and all, to my lap.

"What?" He responds, a little defensive as he turns to face me.

"I know she's gorgeous and all but I need you to focus."

He pouts again as he strums the strings of his guitar, hanging prettily on his wall.

"But she's calling to me," he whines.

"So am I," I glare at him expectantly.

His hands fly to his head, tangling in his long locks.

"I'm torn," He whimpers, and he is, very obviously. His indecisiveness is absolutely rampant on his features.

"Stop making this so hard," I squeal, burying my face in his pillow.

"What do you mean?" He swoops down to the bed in immediate concern.

"I wanna give you what you want," I frown deeply, looking up at him where he hovers above me.

"Then..." he pauses for dramatic effect, sticking his bottom lip out, "do."

"I said I want to," I correct, hitting him with a sad smile, "not that I can."

"Why not?" He is clearly distraught over this choice.

"We have to study," This does not go over well.

"Why?" He whines.

"Because, Eddie," I exclaim, suddenly sitting up.

"Because why?"

"Because when I walk the stage this month, I want you to come with!"

The words swoop out of my mouth without my permission and I immediately regret them. His smirk is wiped, a dumbfounded look replacing it.

"Is that really how you feel?" He asks, voice soft as he looks at his hands.

"I mean..." I hesitate, my guilt is sweating off me in waves, "yeah. It would be nice."

"Okay," he huffs, an air of solid, decisive rigidity suddenly about him.

"Hit me," Eddie reaches for the cards I previously dropped, shoving them in my hands.

"Eds, hang on," I request, stopping his arm as it reaches for the third stack of rubber band-wrapped flashcards.

"What? What's up?" He quickly interrogates, hair bouncing in his haste to face me.

"'What's up?' What's up with you? You have not asked if you can get up for a beer for two hours. You always want one when we study."

He smiles to himself, glad I know him so well.

"I just want to respect what you want," The puppy dog eyes he gives me could melt my heart right then and there, "I want that, too. I know I need to try harder if I want..."

The tone of his voice as it trails scares me.

"Hey," I reach for Eddie's chin, pulling him up, "talk to me."

"I don't want you to get... I don't want you to realize you could do better than a metalhead three-time super senior with no prospects. I need to do something to fix this."

"Hey, hey," I grasp his cheeks, knowing he misunderstood, "that's not- even... Eddie, I-"

I stop to take a breath, "That is never what I would think of you. I love you, Eddie, exactly as you are now. I just want good things for you and... this will be a good thing for both of us."

"I know," he smiles and I relax when it meets his eyes.

"You thought I could ever stop loving you? God, you're an idiot, Eddie Munson."

I hope it is not too early for the jest; as a grin overtakes all his features, I breathe easier.

"You are gorgeous, Y/N Y/L/N."

[hatchetation]

Apparently some people are not happy as to why Kate rejected her DIA promotion to be with Lucy when Lucy didn't do the same for Kate. I get that a little but I think their relationship is so much stronger than before and can take the distance (and so much more) whereas in the past it was just fledging and they had a lot of issues to work on. Besides, no one forced Kate to reject the promotion and she doesn't seem to regret it one bit so I don't get what the fuss is. Her relationship with Lucy has changed her priorities. It's not a bad thing to sacrifice something for someone you love once in a while, it's what you do in a relationship.

Also, think of all that "last night together" sex and "I haven't seen you in a long time and I've missed you so much" sex they're gonna have when Lucy gets back 😏

Yooo people are so out of pocket about Lucy sometimes 😂🙄 I'm so glad I just ship kacy in my little corner of tumblr where the #kacy takes I see range from "I don't agree but totally fair" to "Absolutely gorgeous, flawless character analysis."

Entering a relationship doesn't involve signing a Hammurabi's code-inspired "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" contract. Kate rejecting a long distance promotion does not mean that Lucy is then obligated to reject any future long distance promotions. In fact, in most healthy relationships it's two people who want the best for each other.

I actually think it is fair to say that there's a parallel between Kate being offered a promotion and Lucy being offered a promotion. The commonality in the end is not whether they say yes or no to the promotion, but that at the end of the day each character made the best decision for herself. Kate, who has historically felt lonely and isolated, who has a hard time making friends, who has always put the job before anything else, needed to turn that promotion down so that for once she could choose happiness in Hawai'i (I mean, we know that it was a winding path to happiness but still). Even without Lucy in the picture, I think staying and joining the FBI was the right decision for Kate.

On the other hand, Lucy is just starting out in her career. She's ambitious, she's adventurous. She wants to make a name for herself. But, as she said, she also has trust issues and part of her just wants to sit on that hill and look out in the distance with her girlfriend forever. Honestly I think it's so beautiful that Lucy has moved from the stage in her life where she was dreaming of getting out and seeing the world, to the stage in her life where she is actually seeing the world. Her younger self would be so proud of her.

I thought that last scene was beautiful and showed the strength of Kate and Lucy's relationship. It's a shame to me that some people have reduced those moments to something transactional. But...their loss I guess!

Also lolol yes to the sex and may I add--Skype sex 😜

[leolgc]

PRECIOUS MEMORY

it shouldn’t be longer than maybe three months since jiah arrived in korea. the weather was still cold but not biting, and she still tried to navigate life in a new country where she only knew a few of her relatives and no one else. her company was doing the best they could, she imagined, to attend to the necessities of their trainees, but part of jiah was already starting to regret her decision to sign with them.

with how loose her schedules were, she had taken the time to try and incorporate herself into her day-to-day life. otherwise, if she let her decision to stay lay solemnly in the hands of her company, she might as well just admit she gave up. 

and now, not only she had a job in a random emart 24, but she also had one of her best friends around to be with her in what turned out to be one of the luckiest coincidences since moving to korea. as soon as jiah saw yunxi’s car, she waved excitedly and ran towards the passager’s door. “hi, bestie,” jiah opened the door to greet her friend with a keen smile. “you’re looking gorgeous as always. thanks for picking me up. what are we doing today?”

the second he saw his cute best friend run excitedly to his car, he couldn't help but chuckle. he wasn't used to people around him actually being 'cute'. the moment she complimented his he rolled his eyes exaggeratedly straighening his body back in the seat. "such a liar" yunxi chuckled before tapping his thigh thinking for a moment.

since both of them were trainees, they couldn't go anywhere too public. he didn't want to get her in trouble with her company, nor him with his. but he didn't not wanna do something to hang out with jiah. they didn't get a crazy amount of time to spend together, and he would be damned if he let the job completely dictate who he could be friends with or not.

"theres not alot that we could do. what about karaoke? i can at least get us a private room. or we can see a movie. or we can go do lazor tag. maybe with our masks no-one will know a thing" he chuckled looking over at jiah with a cute smirk on his face. "or we can go get something to eat and you can tell me all about your company"