#I had no clue there were shrimp here

[emuwarum]

Got some snails. I have no clue what species they are

They seem way too big to be bladder snails, found them in the aquatic plant tank at the pet store (free snails since they don’t sell them and don’t really want them)

I haven’t seen their faces yet, but they seem to have long eyestalks and they are much stronger clinging to the wall than my bladder snails are, they are going to go into my big bladder snail tank either way but I would like to know what they are so I know how many eggs to expect

[romanreignseater]

Cinematography. (This Is Cinema ~ Roman’s Part)

Roman Reigns x Black Female Reader

Rating: 18+

Warning: Smut; Rough sex, p0rngraphy, oral (m&f receiving), slight spit kink, and other nausty (ikyk) thingsssss..

“Already having made an absolute masterpiece with Mr. Jey Uso, you didn’t think you’d be stepping to the so called “Tribal Chief” so soon. But he put himself next in line and you weren’t mad at it.

A/N: This has been the most requested in my inbox and I have been dying to continue this story/series for you all. Here’s the first part of this series. Thanks for the support on my last Roman fic, what a warm welcome back 🥰🥰. More coming soon, I got a lot of ideas brewing up. AND MY HUSBAND IS BACK, TURN UP BITCHHHHHH 😝😝!!

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GIF: @jeysuso

It has been about two weeks since your last adult video dropped and it was the talk of the town. Scratch that, it’s talk of the whole world at this point. You filmed with a member of the hottest porn group there is, Mr. Jey Uso, and he most definitely rocked your world. As that video did your bank account.

The video reached 1 million views in just an hour and over the course of two weeks it was at 205 million views. Those numbers meant shopping sprees and palm trees. But, also trips to the masseuse, cause Jey did not play no games with you. He wore you out to the point where your management thought it was best to put you on an “injury reserve” list.

Yeah… it was that bad and honestly unnecessary.

But, good at the same time. Jey made you feel things you haven’t felt in a long time. What you didn’t know was a storm was brewing and headed straight for Casa Y/N.

As you stood in your kitchen making yourself some shrimp alfredo pasta with your teacup poodle, Rex, by your side being your little sous chef. The doorbell rang. Rex instantly began barking and running to the front door, trying his best to be your guard dog.

“Rex, calm your little ass down.” You yelled as turned the stove off and moved the pan of pasta to the side, wiped your hands and headed to the front door. You had no clue as to who was at the door, you weren’t expecting any company. Maybe it was a package, as your online spending habits always seem to leave your mind the second you purchased something. Or maybe fan mail, as you tend to get a lot of those from random men wanting to marry you.

“Rex back up from this door and stop all that barking please.” Rex sat quietly and tilted his head curiously to the side as you opened the huge door. You were surprised to see manager, Vanessa, standing at the door with a big grin on her face. As you opened the door even more, your breath completely stopped and your heart skipped a beat. Stood next to Vanessa was a 6’ 3, tatted, tan, and muscular Samoan with the face of a Greek god.

Your mouth stood agape as you admired his innate beauty, glaring at you with that smirk… that smirk that possessed all the women he’d ever worked with. Made them shrivel in their panties, made them wet for days, and made them absolutely numb to his body and his body only.

Roman Motherfuckin’ Reigns.

The leader of this adult film group aka “The Bloodline”, stood at your front door, with your manager. You couldn’t believe it!! Roman only had 8 videos up… 8 videos!! He’s only ever worked with 5 women in his entire pornstar career and they were quite the professionals. But now he stands at your door, which you could only guess what that means.

“Earth to Y/N, yoohoo. Y/N!!” You snapped back into reality as Vanessa began clapping her hands in your face. “Vanessa, where I’m from clapping your hands in someone’s face means you wanna fight. So, let’s not do that again. Got it?!” Vanessa looked taken aback as Roman just laughed with that dreamy chuckle of his.

“She is really feisty Nessa, just like you said, I like that.. a lot.” Roman whispered that last part into your ear so sensually that it made you want to take your phone and make this tape right here at the front door. But you remained professional as you knew Roman didn’t mess with little fan girls. He only worked with confident women who are professional and know what they want out of him.

And boy oh boy, you knew exactly what you wanted from him.

“Well let’s not waste any time with the long introductions. Y/N, Roman. Roman, Y/N. Shake hands and let’s get this party started.” Vanessa waltzed her way right into your home and picking up Rex in the process as she then said, “Ooo, is that alfredo I smell girl?!” You both watched as Nessa helped herself into the kitchen to feast on the meal you prepared for yourself.

“Your manager is really something, but she’s definitely a smart one and knows what she’s doing with you.” You faced Roman as you just gazed into his chocolate brown eyes as he did to yours. “Yeah that’s my girl. Why don’t you come in and have a seat?!” Roman removes your hand from the door, lets himself in and shut the door behind him. He then immediately picks you up and flings you over his shoulder. You gasped and begin giggling uncontrollably.

He gives a firm smack to your ass and heads his way into the kitchen.

“Oh, imma have fun with you baby.”

You bit your lip as you let Roman navigate his way through your home by following the smell of the pasta which would lead to where Vanessa stood chowing down per usual.

“Okay Groot, put my girl down. She’s on the injury reserve list and I can’t afford to have her down for another week.” You mentally curse out Nessa for mentioning this stupid injury reserve thing in front of Roman. He sets you down and takes a seat on the barstool across from Vanessa on the kitchen island.

“How did you get injured?!” He stares at you with curiosity in his eyes as you weren’t bandaged up, nor needing any sort of crutches or wheelchair. You played with your nails as you looked around the room trying to avoid eye contact with him. “Welllll… it’s kind of a long story. See what-.”

“Oh my god, she’s taking too long. Her last porno with your cousin, Jey. Messed. Her. Up. She’s been done up ever since.” Roman’s eyes moved from Vanessa’s to yours. You shut them not even daring to look back at him.

“Oh please, when I’m done with her she’ll be on that list for months. Why do you think I’ve only worked with 5 women my whole career?! Cause I broke em’ down, claiming they could take it but always proved me wrong. With you though… I know it’ll be different.”

Roman said that as he stood behind you massaging your ass with one hand and massaging your neck with the other. Roman’s massive hand travels from the back of your neck to the front of it as he choked you out. His hand on your lower half took the same route to your front, rubbing your pussy through your shorts. His pillow soft lips laid kisses all over your face, but grazing your lips every time you thought he was gonna go in for a kiss.

You completely crumbled. Cupping your entire clothed mound in his hand, massaging and torturing you. Making you squirm for his viewing pleasure. You lose your breath and awareness of your surroundings as he begins rubbing you out harder and enforcing a rougher choke around your neck.

“Ummmm, get your hands off my girl. You ain’t sign this contract yet.” Vanessa said with a mouthful of pasta, throwing the contract down in front of you both.

“Yeah you’re right. Can’t fuck the shit out of her without this little deal we curated.” Roman released you from the shackles of his hands and you felt like you could finally breathe again.

“Wait, what deal?!” You stared at your manager trying to regain your breath, as she continued to slurp down the pasta.

“Wellll… you see, what had happened wasss.” You looked at Vanessa in utter disbelief as she was out her making “deals” without your approval.

“Ah she’s taking too long.” Roman began to speak on Vanessa’s behalf. “We have curated a little deal princess, where we will have a committed “porn” relationship. Basically committing to film with each other, and each other only for a period of time. But as of right now, we’re doing a little tester. Seeing if we have the chemistry before we go lighting any sparks here.”

You stood giggling not minding the sound of this little “deal”. But you can’t help but notice that Roman’s come flocking after your tape with Jey and you’ve heard about the slight competition between the both of them.

“Okayyyy, and why now?! Is it because I filmed with your little cousin and you’re nervous he’s doing bigger numbers and has bigger things than you honey?!” You continued your uncontrollable giggles as you looked to Vanessa who stopped in her tracks.

Roman shut his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Those words deeply triggered him. Him and Jey were always in competition with one another. Since they were in little league football to now slanging that dick for all of America to see. Despite Jey being a twin, they were more of an inseparable duo rather than frenemies.

Of course Roman had immense amounts of love for his family, he helped bring them into the industry and helped change all of their lives for the better. But he was a firm believer of not letting the people you allowed in to over throw you. He stood at the Head of the Table and he wasn’t gonna allow little cousin Jey to take that from him.

“Vanessa… call the camera crew.”

——————————————————————————

You didn’t even sign the contract and a camera crew was at your home setting up for what you could only assume was gonna be an absolute movie.

Roman didn’t speak to you after asking Nessa to invite the camera crew over. He must’ve not liked to hear you compare him to Jey, but it was all harmless fun… well to you at least.

You find Roman and Nessa in your bedroom with the camera crew setting up angles all around your bed. You slowly walked up from behind your bedroom door and Roman and Nessa looked up towards you. “Well don’t you look all cutesy girl. I haven’t seen you this dressed up since your first ever video..”

You visibly cringed at Nessa constant embarrassment of you as Roman chuckled his life away. “At least she’s all dressed up for a good reason. A great one at that." You dressed in your best lingerie. Red, tight, and riddled with lace.

Just how you liked it and assuming that’s how Roman liked it as well by the way he was eyeing you down.

“How about we get started, why don’t we?!” Roman sat on your Queen sized bed and waited patiently for you sit next to him. You slowly walked to the bed, as if you were unfamiliar with it. “This is your house, your bed sweetheart. Why you being all shy?! I don’t bite, well I might not bite right now.”

You blush and take a seat next to Roman on your bed. You look at Roman as he tells the main camera man where to stand.

“Sooo… there’s no game plan?! Just jumping straight into it?!” Most stars you’ve worked with have a certain setup for how their videos began and Roman seemingly didn’t have one. Most of his films sort of jumped straight into the last minutes of foreplay, then cut right to the sex.

“Sweetheart, this is my show and I’m running it. Just follow my lead and follow like a good girl, alright?!” Roman’s deep voice put you into a trance and hearing him call you a good girl nearly made you drool.

“Oh-okay.”

Roman pats my thigh and smiles at me.

“Good girl.”

He then signals the cameraman, which prompted him to start a countdown.

“In 5…

4…

3…

2…

1…”

He signals his finger towards us meaning that the camera is rolling. Staring directly into the lens, you were completely frozen. Your nerves began to get the best of you and those jitters you had when you first became an adult film star all came back.

You could feel the warmth of Roman peer closer to you. He places one of his large hands on your thigh and the other on your face, making you look him dead in his eyes.

“Don’t be nervous alright. Daddy’s got you.”

Before you could respond, Roman blesses your lips with a passionate kiss. Our lips smacking together in sensual harmony. His tongue swirled on the inside of your mouth, exploring every part of it.

Then the kiss became even slower. Your tongues fighting in a brute of passion, trying to figure out who asserted the most dominance. And of course… the Head of the Table won.

He moves from his spot next to you on the bed and stands in front of at the edge of the bed. He begins to massage your taut breasts through your lingerie, before removing it completely.

“Fuck baby, you look amazing.”

His comment only added to your nervousness, but his heavenly kiss brought you back to down to Earth.

He catches you by surprise as he yanks your hips to the edge of the bed and rips your soaked panties clean off. He spread your legs wide causing the glory of wetness to be revealed to him and the camera.

“You real wet huh mama?! Want Daddy to eat you out??”

You could only nod as his breath nearing your pussy could only cause you to shiver. He smirks and lowers his head down into your heat.

He begins eats you out messily, tossing your knees over his shoulders, and circling your clit until you soak his beard. He then sucked on each individual fold, licking and slurping covering it in saliva. You became a whimpering mess as he shook his head ferociously against your clit, with eyes rolling back, hands tangled in his luxurious hair and legs shaking and closing around his head.

“I’m gonna cum Dadddyyyyy.”

“Let it go mama.”

Your legs enclosed Roman’s head as they shook with maximum strength. Your back arched off the bed and Roman’s fingers gripped your thighs harshly, definitely leaving marks later.

You pant heavily, trying to regain your breath from the insane climax Roman just gave you. Without wasting anytime, he took his tank top off as well as his sweatpants and boxers.

His body a legit masterpiece. Sculpted by the gods.

Shocking you once again, he grasps the back of your knees, forcing them together and then crushing them into your tits. The head of his cock glides against your cunt, still convulsing from the feeling of that climax. 

Roman slams into you, not giving you any time to adjust. He just pounds you into the mattress. The room was filled with sounds, only sounds. The grunts and the wet slaps of his pelvis smacking against yours over and over again with his hand between your legs, rubbing your wet cunt and the place where it stretched around him.

“You like that mama?!”

“You feel it in your stomach, huh?!”

“Daddy’s going in real deep huh?!”

Your entire bed shook, the headboard slammed into the wall to the point where you believed the drywall began to crumble and holes will most definitely appear later on. You begin taking mental notes to tell Vanessa to send Roman a bill for your damaged wall.

His moans made you even wetter than you were before. It almost sounded like he was whimpering over your pussy.

Was the big man really whimpering over how good your pussy is?!

Before you could even relish in the sounds of his moans more, you legs shook once again as you felt your climax approaching and it was approaching fast.

Roman caught on to your short gasps and convulsing legs, he then began beating up your sweet cunt. Throwing your knees to the side of your head, making them touch your silk sheets. Pounding into you harshly, not missing a beat until you squirted all over his lower half and the sheets underneath you.

“Oh my goodness.” You let out an exasperated laugh as you closed your legs together to staph off that feeling. You winced as Roman let out a sharp smack to your ass. You opened your eyes as you watched him pleasure himself in front of you.

“Come suck this dick mama.”

Say no more.

You followed as Roman laid down and you took the position in between his legs, sniper style.

You grabbed at his flesh pole and it felt so hot and heavy in your hands. He most certainly was big. Like BIG. Although you didn’t want to compare lengths, Roman was massive compared to his cousin Jey. Maybe he liked to call him lil cuz for a reason.

“Whatchu you keep staring at?! Get to it princess.”

You innocently brought your mouth down and sucked the head. Moaning with his cock in your mouth and hands massaging at this balls. You slobbered down his length, bobbing your up and down head slowly. You peer your eyes up as you listened to the moaning and groaning Roman made from the moment you made contact with his member. His legs shook as you continued the pleasure.

His eyes rolled back and he grabbed the back of your head, bobbing your head up and down. Your eyes watered and you gagged as he stalled his hips in your mouth.

His cum coated the entirety of your throat. He groaned as you swallowed his cum while he was still in your mouth. His strong arms brought you up as he gave you a long kiss. Intaking all his cum and yours from earlier in each other’s mouths. A string of saliva hung from your lips to his. You both smile at each other, looking each other in the eyes.

“And… CUT!!”

You slightly jumped as you completely forgot about the tape you guys were filming. “That was absolutely perfect guys. Roman, Y/N… you both got a money maker on your hands right here.”

The camera crew began to clean up and take down the lights and mics. Roman tried to help you up off the bed, but you were so weak in the knees you couldn’t stand.

“I think we’ll keep on that list sweetie.”

You rolled your eyes at his comment and he began to chuckle. “Whatever Roman, just let me sit for a little.”

He smiled at you once more before he lowered himself to your ear. “Definitely better than Lil’ Jey huh?!”

This man is a problemmmm…

A good one though.

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THE END.

HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED 💕💕!! Probably my fave Roman fic to date!!

MY TAG SQUAD: @cyberdejos2 @thesamoanqueen @nayys-world @mzv11 @babybatlover @vogueyonce @harlem11680 @seeingstarks @thewarlordsworld @alyyaanna @southerngirl41 @christinabae @pitlissa22 @thealliasylum @fame-ass-ers @iluvthebloodline @jeyusos-girl @ah-fin3sse @solosikoasgf @msbigredmachine @rollinsland @angelicflower2020 @theogsamoanqueen @saintsvenust @headoftheetable @romanreignsbae @li-da-savage

Let me know if you’ll like to be added to my tag squadddddd!!!

[girlokwhatever]

ʚɞ✧˖ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ- end of beginning,, pt.2

part one

emily engstler x fem!ex!reader

you got ready in record time. the combination of your nerves and excitement together spurred you into a frenzy, encouraging you to bounce around your hotel room like you were being rushed.

emily said she’d pick you up soon, causing you to hurriedly make the finishing touches on your look tonight. there was that feeling still, deep down, that you wanted desperately to impress her.

the shared conversation you had echoed in your mind the moment the two of you departed. she asked you out to dinner. your mind teetered on the line between two ideas: she wanted closure so you two could be teammates without your history getting in the way, or, maybe she hasn’t moved on.

you think in some ways you have, but was that even true? if emily came to you with a confession of love that she never let go of, what would you do?

there wasn’t time to ponder the thought because your phone dinged. it was a simple message from emily telling you she’s here. ‘waiting for you outside’ she said, simple but enough to make your heart beat faster. you gathered your essentials and left the ghost-like hotel room to meet emily outside.

when you caught sight of her, leaning against her car, hands buried deep in her pockets and ankles crossed, you knew you were done for. she looked so beautiful, no less than you remember.

“hey, sorry, i know i’m a bit early.”

“it’s all good, i was ready anyway.”

she eyes you up and down, smiling to herself because she recognizes the bracelet you’re wearing. it’s one of the many she bought for you during your relationship. a token of her love for you.

“i was thinking we could get some hibachi, your hotel is kinda close.”

you nod, affirming it’s a pleasant choice. the car ride there is filled with simple conversation. you realize it’s the kind of conversation you’d have with someone you barely know, but then again, it’s been two years since you’ve seen emily.

she is different. but so are you.

“okay i’m gonna warn you, i’ve heard mixed reviews about this place.”

the two of you had been seated almost ten minutes ago and still haven’t been given drinks. you didn’t mind much but you could tell by her bouncing leg that emily was losing patience.

“and you didn’t feel like that was worth mentioning earlier?”

“well i remember you like hibachi and this is the only place i know of that serves it.”

she’s giving you a playful shrug as her fingers toy with the lanyard attached to her keys. you can’t help but let your eyes linger, watching her facial features shift slightly when she breaks eye contact or noticing the almost invisible shake in her hands. she seems much more reserved, a lot quieter than you know her to be.

“hey do you remember that time,” she smiles as she pauses to collect her thoughts, “when we got hibachi and the guy accidentally burnt you with the shrimp?”

“oh my god- yes. i still, to this day, have no clue how he managed to flip it on me instead of the stove.”

“dude that was classic. i mean, unfortunate for you but definitely funny.”

emily leans back against the wooden chair, relaxing into the seat. she was looking at you again and still smiling at the contagious happy memory. it was a popular story to tell during your relationship.

“yeah okay, but when i mention that time in the park when you fell on your face it’s not funny?”

“no. you threw the ball way too high. i don’t even know how you threw the football like that.”

“from practicing when we went to the beach that one time, remember? we’d throw the ball on the beach at night.”

all the recounts of priceless stories never to be forgotten makes your chest swell with fondness. to see the way emily smiles when talking about them warms your heart even more because she’s genuinely happy and you sense no resentment in her tone. she’s appreciative of the time she got to spend with you, even if it was short-lived.

“i don’t think i could ever forget that. it was the best vacation of my life for sure. it was so good, school had kinda been stressing me out and all so i was just happy to get away with you. i remember our first night there you wore that really pretty dress, the white one, and you asked me to take pictures of you at sunset but it was so windy and you kept getting mad. oh my gosh you were so mad. i still have the one picture where you’re pulling that piece of hair out of your mouth and you got so upset because i took the picture and sent it to myself. but you looked so beautiful anyway, it was good.”

you don’t say anything, too shocked to properly collect yourself. though you knew ex’s could be friends, you weren’t aware it was like this. you’re in awe of her really, feeling your cheeks grow warm at her compliments of your beauty.

your eyes stay trained on emily but she’s looking straight ahead at the wall, rummaging through all her memories containing you. you’re all she can think about in this moment and she’s not aware how obvious that simple fact is. she was too lost in thought, too busy missing her past to realize her word vomit.

“i remember too how an ocean wave knocked you over and you got a bunch of sand in your hair,” she leans back further, trying to submerge herself in the memory. “and i had to help you wash it out that night cause your arms were tired. then for the rest of the week you made me go in the ocean with you every time so i could help hold you up, i think i can still feel how tight you’d grip me when a wave came. and we’d always get burnt cause we’d float together for ages. but i didn’t even care because i was just happy to be there with you. nothing else mattered to me.”

the intensity of her words finally dawn on emily, immediately stiffening and clearing her throat. the air between you is thick and her confession weighs in the space between. you have no idea how to react or what you could possibly say to her, but you don’t have to because someone is finally asking what you want to drink.

the rest of dinner was tense with very few shared words. every now and then emily would comment on the quality of the food and you’d say nothing in return.

what could you say?

the ride back to your hotel was even worse. the soft hum of the radio and an occasional road bump was the only noise to fill your space. your eyes stayed glued on the sunset out the window the entire time, trying to remember how you ended up in this situation.

you thought back on everything. from the moment emily asked you to be her girlfriend, the moment you broke up with her, to earlier in the night when she asked you out to dinner. anecdotes of your shared past with her flooded your mind and refused to leave. it wasn’t until she parked at your hotel that they drained, leaving you with a teary waterline and regrets of past decisions. and current ones.

“thanks for taking me out tonight.”

“yeah, no problem.” silence lingered as you climbed out of her passenger seat but once you were about to shut the door she spoke up again, “i’m sorry.”

but it was too late and she wasn’t even sure if you heard her because you just kept walking. shaky breaths and silence consumed the walk back to your room, nothing in your mind but blame on yourself.

you should’ve said something, acknowledged her admission and reciprocated it. instead you sat there silently and visibly watched her shrink in on herself.

you were a coward.

you were a coward back then when you broke up with her, not able to face the uncertainty change would bring. it had only gotten worse. you realized that maybe some things don’t ever change.

the harsh opinion you harbored for yourself only made you feel worse. once you reached your room the tears began to fall one by one down your face, a pent-up sob escaping you from your spot on the bed.

emily was still parked outside, watching the time pass by. with each minute she debated on going inside, straight to your room. she wasn’t entirely sure what she’d do or say when she got there, but she just wanted to see you again.

it had been thirteen minutes since you left. thirteen minutes since she saw you. thirteen minutes since the opportunity to win you over again had passed. thirteen minutes sitting in silence waiting for you to text her something, anything. but you never did.

she couldn’t leave knowing she didn’t try.

so she didn’t. she remembered seeing your key card, your floor and room written across it in bold lettering. that’s where she found herself now, standing on your floor gathering the courage to just knock.

finally she did, hearing you shuffle on the other side of the door. she could swear a drop of sweat was dripping down her forehead, bringing the back of her hand up to wipe at it.

“emily?”

“can i talk to you?” she was going to throw up, she was going to throw up, “please?”

“yeah.. are you okay?”

“are you?” emily looks at your face, makeup disrupted by wet streaks and eyes slightly red, red enough to be noticed. her tone came out harsher than she meant it to, pushing her way into the cold room. you don’t answer, instead busying yourself with shutting the door and turning the lights on.

“can i sit down?”

“go for it.”

she props herself up on the end of your bed, hands resting on her bouncing knees as you approach. you lean against the wall a few feet away as she begins to speak.

“i’m sorry for dinner, if it made you feel weird or anything. i think i should tell you, just get it out of the way, that i still think about you. all the time. and, like, i miss you. i know we’ve both probably changed and we’re different people now, i get it. but nothing, nothing, amounts to the way i felt with you. when i saw you today i felt like old me again. i want nothing more than to be like that again.” emily catches her breath, the jumbled confession coming so suddenly. “i went back to louisville last summer, just to see jeff and stuff. being there reminded me of you. i felt better there because i felt like part of you was there with me.”

she looks at you expectantly, waiting for some type of reaction. you just stare at her with an unreadable expression, tears dipping at the corners of your mouth and you bring a gentle hand up to wipe them away.

“do you ever..” she buries her head in her hands, dragging them down her face, “do you ever feel that way? tell me you don’t and i’ll leave if you want me to. i just have to know so that i can move on with my life.”

“emily..”

“it’s okay” she whispers, “it’ll be fine.”

she stands, tucking her flyaways behind her ear. your eyes connect with a silent message as you try to find the right words. you turn your head away from her direction because you feel like she’s peering into you, dissecting every thought and tearing you apart to find what she wants.

“i think about you all the time.”

it’s short but effective. emily’s heart skips a beat and so does yours, the gap between your bodies lessening.

“getting on the court with you again was so amazing and for that reason alone i’m happy to be here. i left louisville because i couldn’t do it without you. and i spent, oh my god, so many nights regretting my decision. i miss you emily. i’ve missed you for two years.”

neither of you have any words left as she surges toward you, pulling your body into hers. your lips meet in a passionate kiss to make up for lost time, finding peace within one another. emily holds the back of your head to press you as close as possible because she fears you’ll slip away again if she doesn’t. she finally has you back, nothing is taking that away from her.

you’re the first to pull away, placing your forehead against her own. your noses rest side by side, lips touching and fingers tangled in hair as you both pant from loss of breath. you’re so relieved that you’re almost convinced it can’t be real.

there’s no negative feelings plaguing either of you anymore, finally feeling complete.

the rest of the night is spent with tangled limbs and gentle kisses to pass the time. she never leaves your embrace and you don’t leave hers, feeling content right where you are.

you can finally wave goodbye to the end of your beginning with emily, ready to move into the next chapter with her.

ʚɞ✧˖ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

thank you @astroph1les for literally giving me all the motivation to do this

i hope no one forgot about pt.1 i know it’s been a minute 😬😬😬🤗

not spell checked yet but it will be later!!

pls enjoy!!!!!!!

[liliths-missing-pen]

hii!! This probably sounds weird but im gonna try making it sound better😭😭

I would like to request floyd, idia, azul, and lilia (or malleus instead of lilia) with a bitey s/o! That sounds weird but i mean- an mc who bites them, but not too hard,, almost playful, and friendly (?) I would like to clarify that theyre not a child, just a really bitey 18 y/o😭

Can be platonic or romantic! Tysm for even reading this, and writing this even tho it sounds so, so weird, and silly😓😇 (honestly not sure if ure even gonna write this but hopefully nlng,, thankyu po😇)

Floyd, Idia, and Azul with a S/O Who Likes To Bite Them!

I hope you don't mind that I made it kind of like impulsive thoughts that the mc actually goes through with. But oh my goodness I had this request sitting on the bottom of my inbox and drafts because of school... I also had no clue what to write for Lilia or Malleus so I apologize. I hope you enjoy it though!

Masterlist

Floyd Leech

Okay but like let's be honest here. Floyd is biting you back lmao.

The first time you bit him he was probably confused but probably giddy just from excitement.

I can see Floyd being a bitty child as he grew up just trying to bite anyone he could. Yes, Floyd has at least tried to bite Azul once when they were children. This would be an expression of him being happy, content or protective of a friend Floyd.

So when he realized you liked biting him, he was excited he could regain his bitty habits, much to Azul's dismay.

If you ever bite him whether it be in public or private be ready to be bitten back.

"Oh, Shrimpy wants to play today?~" Floyd stated as he gave you a toothy grin. You laughed nervously, glancing up at the 6-foot lanky eel. "So what if I do?" You joke, turning your heel to head to the VIP room which Azul had called you to previously in the day.

Floyd wasn't having it though, gaining a tight grasp on your wrist and pulling you back to see his heterochromatic eyes staring down at you. "Nuh uh uh~ Shrimpy want to play, so I want to play too!" He said gleefully as he went to nibble on your ear, making you shriek.

"Floyd we're out in public you can't do right now," you scolded him. "Big talk for a shrimp who bit me first,~" he slyly smirked at you as his grasp on your wrist loosened but as you started to walk away into the Monstro Lounge's VIP room you knew that this incident wasn't going to be dropped when you visited Floyd later.

Azul Ashengrotto

Once again I headcanon that Floyd was a biter as a child. This means that Azul has had his encounters with people who seem to not think exactly before they do something

Not saying that you were exactly like Floyd but it does give Azul flashbacks when he feels your teeth on his supple skin.

He has and will yelp if you catch him off guard. Depending on whether you're in public or not he will shoot you a glance saying "Stop, people are watching."

He's learnt how to deal with you and your... Biting tendencies and he loves you for it. He's begun to tease you for it at times as well when he's bold just to see that red hue creep up on your cheeks and that adorable embarrassed face you make.

However, he won't be as pleased if you and your impulsive thoughts bite him when he's in an important meeting for the lounge...

Ever since you and Azul got together, it became normal to see you sitting in his office, sometimes even during his meetings. In the dimly lit room chatter amongst the two parties, "Mr. McCo, I understand there's been a recent storage of chickens but that's no reason to jump the prices by 10 dollars by the pound."

"Mr. Ashengretto, that's just how it works there's been a much more scarcity of chicken that I must make this price jump."

You were just sitting beside Azul not paying too much attention to the bargaining at hand and instead the light on the ceiling. Your eyes wandered till you saw Azul's shoulder. You wondered how it would feel if you just..

CHOMP!

Well, there goes that business deal.

Idia Shroud

Congrats, you broke him.

Okay but seriously though, Idia has never really had confidence and this concept bled into his thoughts about his appearance. He has flaming hair and sharp, shark-like teeth due to his family curse. Anything related to it he despises with all of his being.

I could see the two of you petty bickering about something, probably game-related and it morphs into something else leading to his appearance. Off-handedly mentioning how he's "scary and could eat you with his sharp teeth."

You can imagine at that goes over, the two of you bursting out in laughter at the stupidity.

Then suddenly, CHOMP!

You jokingly made an attempt on his arm.

Idia yelped at the sudden movement you made on him pulling back his arm. "What- What was that for?!" He exclaimed, "There's more than one person who can bite." You snicker, and in return, Idia stares at you in horror.

"I- What the hell is wrong with you?!"

---

Yeah... Maybe don't bite Idia lol

I take commissions!

[rainbowsky]

On GG's album, and hints of what was to come

As everyone here likely already knows, I'm completely losing it over the news of a full album from GG. There's a lot more to all of this that I haven't yet discussed, so let's dig into it. I have thoughts...

Disclaimer: Most of what's discussed here is rumor and interpretation, and could be inaccurate. We'll find out what's really happening soon enough!

I never dared dream that GG would put out an album. I have been begging for crumbs of a song for years now, it would have seemed completely outrageous to dare to dream of an entire album!!!

But now that it's on its way, and I've heard more info/rumors about the release (more on that in a bit), I can look back over the past year and see some signs that have been there all along, of what's to come.

More on the release

Promo has already begun, and we now know more about the release schedule based on what's posted on the streaming platforms.

The songs will be released in 3 waves, with the first wave happening on the 12th, the next one on the 19th and the final one on the 26th.

The physical album is going to be coming in December, and there are some tantalizing rumors about what that will include:

The album cover was drawn by GG.

A Xiao Zhan Studio red gift box containing various items including postcards, t-shirts etc.

There will be a CD version and a limited edition vinyl version.

A music video is also rumored to have been completed. This has been confirmed, and will be premiering on the 12th.

Clues we've had all along

What's interesting to me is that for months I've been posting updates about changes to XZ Studio's business license, that have been clues to what GG might be up to.

In January a license was obtained to establish a domestic performance agency.

In March that license was expanded to include services for film production and live performances.

In June there were some legal trademark applications made, pertaining to office supplies, calendars and paper gift wrapping.

And now we know that he's releasing an album, at least some editions which will likely be sold with bonus gifts, paper products and packaging (I think this is a very credible rumor because if he's going the physical album route, it's likely designer GG will want to do special editions like this).

Licenses recently purchased protect the studio's exclusive rights to produce and sell such items.

We also know GG and his studio love to produce stunning high quality videos. Was there ever any doubt that he'd make a music video? Maybe even more than one.

Licenses purchased earlier this year give the studio the right to produce such commercial videos.

And there's another license that is associated with live concert performances! I think it's highly likely we'll see a concert from him in the coming year or two.

Generous GG

As Fat Shrimp mentioned, the songs will be free on streaming. This has made a big impression on some fans, and there has been a lot of discussion about it, and about how much this album will have cost to produce, for GG to give it away for free (here's a compilation of some of the comments via Nili, and another from Estefanita).

People have expressed so many thoughts about this. Everyone agrees that it's almost unheard of to give an entire album for free. One or two songs, maybe, but just as a teaser for the full album - which must be paid for.

A lot of people have talked about the 'old days' (ack, I feel old!) when people would buy physical albums, often after having heard only one or two singles on the radio (although where I'm from people could go into a record store and listen to the full album before buying).

They say that he's opening himself up to that evaluation before people are expected to commit to paying for it, and that it's very generous and honorable, but that it will also open him up to being heard more by passersby who wouldn't otherwise be willing to pay for the music - therefore expanding his possible audience.

I personally think there are a few possible factors contributing to why he chose to share his album for free:

To me, this feels almost like GG's bigger 'debut' as an independent solo singer. He's finally releasing music entirely on his own terms. He wants to share and celebrate that with the world, as a gift to the world and to the fans. "I'm here. Please enjoy."

He's inviting people to listen to his music and judge for themselves whether it's worthy of their investment. It goes along with his personality as someone who wouldn't want people to associate any sort of 'buyer's remorse' with something he's sold them. He's always saying, "people are free to like or to hate," and this is his way of giving people that choice without judgment. "Listen and if you like it, buy it. If you don't, that's fine too." By doing this he's likely to build a bigger audience than by doing a traditional release, because everyone has a chance to hear and evaluate him without any up-front investment.

He wants to avoid any possibility of a repeat of what happened with Spotlight, where he was criticized because fans were buying dozens of copies as a means of boosting sales, and then bragging that their idol was the biggest seller of all time. He doesn't want fans to spend all their money on his songs or on boosting his 'sales', nor does he want any perception that the success of his album was bought by fans.

He could be bargaining on making more overall sales via charging for only the physical copies than by selling both, due to the expanded interest a free release is likely to generate.

He has confidence in what he's created, and is happy to share it openly.

He's doing this out of the joy of it more than anything else, and money isn't a central factor for him.

To me this approach, along with the stated plans for rolling all of this out, feels like a marketing plan, and we all know GG has a professional background in that kind of thing.

Yes, all those other elements of artistry, generosity and magnanimity come into it as well, of course. Marketing is treated as a dirty word, but we must remember that every marketing plan is based deeply in the values and intent of the individual/organization doing the marketing, and is focused on their goals.

I feel that his plan will have considered the factors I mentioned, and will be aligned with his values, intentions and goals.

This is just my take on it, of course. Only GG and his studio really know for sure what his plans and goals are.

Can't wait!!!

Whatever his feelings or plans are, I can't wait to hear this album, I can't wait to buy it, and I can't wait to see what kind if interest and critique it generates!!

I also hope that this is just the beginning - that he will be releasing more music, and hopefully doing concerts in the future.

[weirdsht]

Lost - lotcf & reader

notes: hi ahahahaha I've been gone for what? 1 or 2 years? So many things happened lol. I'm gonna do my thesis next year, I think I'm about to become an orphan? My extended family is out to get my life, I think it's the same for my bio dad, overall life has been a rollercoaster. Like every time I try to get back to my hobbies something happens, but I won't let that stop me from fangirling lol

Anyways! that's not what y'all are here for, you're here for the fic!

tags: novel spoilers (late part of book 1), set in endable, transmigrator!reader, naru calls ws "eldest uncle" because that's what the wiki says (but i'm not sure because i forgot huhu), reader is a shrimp stuck between two whales

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms are more than welcome

Requests are open and welcome

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Navigation Masterlist

@eggb67 said: So imagine this, reader is from a complete waste land of a dimension and she crash lands into TOCF with no clue of where she is. She runs into WS and the first thing she does is attack him because he looks similar to the person who had been really close when it came to killing her.

The world you came from was one in chaos. Everyone has to fight to survive as if only barbarians lived there. It hadn’t always been like that. One thing leads to another; before you know it, the world is deserted, and only the strongest or the wittiest survive.

Survive, that was exactly what you were trying to do before you lost. Of course, the day you try to get food you encounter some bloodthirsty madman and die…

Well, at least you thought you did. 

You were sure the knife was going to stab your heart. To be honest, you accepted it, living in that world was tiring. You figured that since you have nothing left, no family, friends, or material things, then it should be fine if you disappear.

That’s why you were shocked when you opened your eyes and saw that you were in a different place. The place may be different but you can see the same madman that tried to kill you. 

And it would only be just to try and strike back right?

However, as you were about to swing your arms, that’s still injured, two men who look like knights blocked your movements. This made you fall over and sit on the ground.

“Explain yourself! Who are you and how did you appear here out of the blue?”

Now just what kind of roleplay is this? You were certain that you were in some dingy alley before. But now you look like you’re in a castle, or at least some luxurious lodging.

“Explain myself? I’m the most confused here. Who the hell are you people and where am I? Also, that bastard over there looks like the dude that killed me earlier.”

Now that you look at it properly the man that supposedly tried to kill you was the same but at the same time different. This man also had red hair and was wearing a white mask, but their clothes looked vastly different. Their aura was also different. This one feels more shrewd and has the vibe of a ruler.

Speaking of the mysterious man, he only looked at you as if he found a new toy to play with. That look only lasted for less than a second before it was replaced by a look of concern.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, but first… Naru are you okay?”

Only then did you notice the white-haired kid near you. He looked shocked but seemed to be fine otherwise. Usually, you were soft when it came to kids.

But your instincts were telling you that this one isn’t a kid.

You have no way of proving it, but years- no decades of trying to survive in your forsaken world has honed your instincts. And your instincts were telling you three things:

The white-haired kid is not a kid

The redhaired man is dangerous

The kid is dangerous too but you’ll have a better chance of survival with him.

“Don’t worry Eldest Uncle no harm was done.”

“That’s good… Well usually we would send attackers like you to prison but as I said there seems to be a misunderstanding. You also don’t seem to be from here and look lost.”

Everyone around you started whispering about how merciful this White Star guy is. From the not-so-hush whispers, you gathered that these two are big shots in this place with the redhead being their ruler. 

That also confirms that you’re now in a world you have no idea of.

Your world doesn’t have a ruler. Well, it had one before but that was decades ago. The sight of people being orderly and following a single person seems so foreign to you now.

“Eldest Uncle if I may, can I take this person with me back home? I wish to treat their injuries and find out how they got here.”

It was only then you remembered that you were injured. Of course, all of them were from the madman from the other world. Just remembering about that encounter made you pissed. 

You kept your emotions in check and listened in on the conversation about you. They were acting as though you didn’t even exist, but it was fine. All you have to do right now is stay quiet and not offend anyone. You have to survive this room first then find out where the hell are you after.

“Are you sure Naru? They may be dangerous and bring you harm…”

“I will be fine uncle. I really want to treat them, seeing someone appear out of nowhere weak and battered reminded me of my own health. Thus why I wish to help them.”

The not-really-brat seemed to be a good actor.

You were far from weak. You may be injured, but not weak. If you want to you can still cause havoc in this place. That Naru guy seemed to know it too. His gaze only landed on you for a second but you can tell he has a good grasp of your strength.

That’s fine as it looks like he's trying to get you away from the more dangerous man so you played along.

As if touched by the kid’s words you tried to get up but only to fall back again. You added in some coughs for a good measure. 

Naru and White Star went back and forth a bit more with White Star saying he was worried and Naru adamantly proclaiming they just wanted to help a weak person like him. Luckily in the end White Star resigned and allowed Naru to do whatever he wanted on the condition that if you did anything rash Naru was to tell him immediately.

Soon enough you were being escorted out of the hall you were in to go to Naru’s residence with the help of some servants. The whole time you could feel White Star’s gaze on you and it felt just like how a mad scientist would look at their new test subject victim.

Let’s just hope you don’t have to meet him anytime soon.

[moraysoiree]

homesick

Just my idea of what it feels like to be far away from home.

characters: Floyd Leech x gn!reader (platonic, could be read as romantic), mentions of Jade and Azul word count: 1134

Ramshackle dorm prefect’s life was in no sense easy. Sitting through classes and thinking how you can’t even put all this knowledge to good use because of your ‘magiclessness’ was, for lack of a better term, pure torture. Thank god the classes ended, finally granting you some freedom to wander off in hopes to lift your spirits by hanging out with one of the strange people that were in abundance here.

To your glee, on the way to the first floor you noticed a familiar figure on a terrace just a flight of stairs below: one of the eel guys was standing there, leaning against the guardrail with slumped shoulders. Given the idleness, figuring his current mood was no big feat. The chance was worth taking, though.

‘FLOOOOYD!!’ you started skipping down excitedly, not even bothering to get to the floor and jumping off the middle right onto the unsuspecting victim. ‘Shrimpie!’ wide-eyed, Floyd still managed to catch the falling anvil and laughed, spinning from the momentum. ‘Ye gonna kill us one day,’ he grumbled. ‘I wish I could kill you that easily,’ you pinched his cheeks, causing the displeased eel to click his teeth in a mock threat. ‘A point. You little fishies, on the other hand…’ he trailed off. Both went on to lean onto the banisters, laziness afloat in the sunny spring air. The mood wasn’t as bad as expected. Or, rather, improved rapidly, for that matter. ‘Sup with the classes,’ you tugged on the lilac ribbon hanging from his forearm. ‘Skipping, huh? What would Azul say?!’ you covered your mouth, appearing to be scandalized. Theatrical jests usually amused him, but not today for some reason. Or was it Azul’s name that got on his nerves? Either way, Floyd wasn’t really in the mood for talking, so the clue was taken and both stared off into the distance silently. And was there a lot to stare at, as college’s balconies had the best view onto the sharp cliffs, mercilessly slicing the rumbling waves into white foam.

Something occurred to you, and you asked, fidgeting with the very same ribbon still: ‘Say, don’t you ever get homesick?’. Floyd tore his eyes off the sea and gave you a thoughtful glance, ‘Mm-hhm… not really. There are a lot of things on land. I think Jade got it worse’. ‘Jade?! How come?’ It was hard to believe that Jade, who navigated human society better than the majority of humans, was, in fact, facing some trouble adapting. ‘S’ not like he doesn’t love it here, too, I mean. But y’know how he goes to wander by himself and chew on his plants or whareva-you-call-it. That’s different from me. Gets melancholic ‘nd all.’ Floyd sighed and stretched, crossing arms behind his head. ‘And you don’t? Like ever’. ‘Don’t think so? Lotta interesting things just keep happening around. This school is kinda special tho. Many fishies to squeeze, and jumping right into my jaws, too,’ he shut his eyes in delight, but his general expression shifted into something more sinister, something ascending from the murky depths, prowling and lurking. ‘Kinda like home. Ya kno’ it’s crazy down there. You can never stop or rest. Unless you wanna be eaten, ‘course. Same here,’ he waved at the Night Raven College’s walls. ‘So your bloodlust is what keeps you going? Should’ve known better,’ you scoffed, and Floyd rolled his eyes. ‘Mean! I like many of your things, like clothes, and phones, and the strange food you have. S’ not like I only care about beatin’ up some krill,’ you eyed his messy uniform doubtfully and pondered whether the eel really liked clothes as much as he claimed to.

‘But you’re like Jade, aren’t you, little Shrimp?’ Floyd snapped you from your thoughts forcefully, and you noticed he was staring at you sharply. ‘You get those sour moods and sigh a lot’. Look who’s talking about moods!? But he was right, although it came as a surprise that such things didn’t escape him. He’d always seemed too caught up in his own emotions. Or was it precisely because of it that Floyd had noticed the way his friend was a bit too quiet on one day and a tad too distant on the other... ‘I love you all, but I didn’t really choose to be here, and I don’t even know if there’s a way to go back. Even if there is, will I survive with people overblotting left and right and making it everyone’s problem?!’ Floyd laughed. ‘Nothing to laugh about in my life’, you sighed. ‘You would be shocked how hard it is to live without the little things, like my favourite songs, or the trinkets I’d collected, or the bakeries I’d always visited’. He was listening silently, letting you get it all off your chest. ‘I had friends back home, too. Will I ever see them again? Do they miss me, I wonder.. Maybe I died in my world and got isekai’d here so there’s not really a place for me to return to at all?!’ Floyd scrunched his face up at your outburst. ‘Now you sound just like Firefly Squid.’ Then, however, his expression became serious. ‘You know, Shrimpie. There are a lot of things in this world that are out of our control. You can have a down-to-the-minute detailed plan, covering the next forty years, but what use will it be if a shark gobbles you up tomorrow? You should value the ‘now’, or ya risking to miss all the fun n’ regret it later,’ his hand ruffled your hair. ‘I get that it ain’t easy for ya to be all gung-ho about it all the time, but that kind of thinking is just a waste. Say what, how ‘bout we go make Crowley get his game up with your homeworld instead? I can squeeze him real tight if ya wanna.’ You thought about it for a solid moment, seriously considering the offer. ‘I’m good. Spare the unfortunate soul, he’s got his plate served to him from people throwing hands last week’. ‘And who’s to thank for that ya think?’ Oh. Of course. ‘What a spectacular friend I have, rushing to avenge me before I even ask!’ The phrase might have been a joke, but you put your genuine gratitude for the so much needed reassurance into it. To that display of emotions, Floyd’s eyes glinted mischievously. ‘So you saying you owe me one?’ You regretted your choice of words instantly. ‘Come ooon, ain’t gonna eat ya, Shrimpie. Not yet, anyway. Speaking of food… What a rad way to repay me, huh?’ ‘Mostro Lounge?’ Floyd groaned. ‘Heell naaah if I see Azul today I’ll punch smn. Hard.’ So it WAS about Azul, in the end. ‘Canteen it is then. Takoyaki?’ ‘Ya know me best, Shrimpie.’

[lambsouvlaki]

For the Hell of It - Date Night

Characters: Jason Todd x fem!oc

Rating and warnings: G, no warnings.

Word count: 1,237

Summary: Dating a vigilante is hard, but worth it. Early on their relationship, she has to face that.

Masterlist

--------

On an early autumn night they strolled across Robinson park. Actors in Elizabethan costume were prancing around the low concrete stage, doing some warm-up crowd work. Jason’s arm was slung over her shoulder, and her dog Marlow trotted happily alongside them. 

They weren’t great at the actual Dating aspect of dating just yet. It was still early days, and they had sidled into being together by following the same trajectory as their friendship, now with sex. They supported and trusted each other, they were both loyal and committed. They had already had two years to figure all that out. 

Romantic nights out had been planned, postponed, and cancelled. Andy had eaten alone at a restaurant booked for two, not to know until later that Jason was fighting Killer Croc in a cage match. The week after he was blowing up an exotic animal trafficking ring before the major players could flee to south america. 

He was apologetic and self recriminating. She could already see the barbed little seeds of ‘can this even work?’ trying to take root in his mind. 

But she wasn’t a quitter. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d been forced to stand her up. It wasn’t even in the first five, and she’d long since made her peace with it. It just felt more calamitous because now it was called a date. 

It wasn’t a big deal, she decided. If other people could make it work, the partners of firefighters, nurses, other on-call professionals, then Wonder Woman help her, she could too. 

Despite telling herself it wasn’t a big deal and she wasn’t worried, when Friday night swung around: bright, warm, and dry she let out an audible sigh of relief. 

The light was swiftly dying but the park was surprisingly busy. It was the last Shakespeare in the Park of the year, and there were food trucks and little battery-powered candles for sale. Families and couples of all ages milled about looking for good spots. A polite group of children came over and asked if they could pet their dog, to said dog’s eternal happiness. 

“I propose a strategy,” Andy said.

“Hit me.” 

“We split up to look for clues, and by clues I mean the best food trucks. That yellow one has empanadas, and we passed a flag before that said something about paella.”

He nodded seriously. “You take Marlow, I’ll take the backpack, and we’ll meet back here in ten.” 

They broke off like fighter jets zooming away, and roughly ten minutes later they returned with arms full of delicious smelling cardboard boxes. They set up their picnic blanket on the slope some distance from the stage where they had a good view of the whole area. They’d arrived at the perfect time, because the park was filling up. 

They sat on the ground and laid out the spoils of their hunt, just as the show was starting. 

The empanadas were sold out, but they had choripan instead, which Andy picked up for Jason. The paella was with shrimp and mussels, and was absolutely delicious, if a little small. Jason had found Korean fried chicken, and little skewered things called tteokkochi that neither were familiar with but were excited to try. 

It was a confused and messy dinner that they dove into with relish, and some negotiations over final bites. 

Getting the choripan was a strategic move on her part, because Jason was a sucker for anything in the neighbourhood of a hotdog. The fried chicken was the perfect counter, he knew her weaknesses. The tteokkochi turned out to be deep fried rice cakes slathered in sweet and tangy hot sauce, that had them both licking sticky fingers and promising to try them again some time. 

Up on stage a short performance of the play within a play from Midsummer Night’s Dream was finishing up. 

Next up, and the main show for the night, was an abridged version of Much ado Nothing. Jason scrunched up their food packages and lobbed it into the nearby trash can, and Andy got out the thermos of non-alcoholic mulled wine from the backpack for them to share. 

They relaxed together on the slope, leaning back on their hands, with Marlow sitting up next to them on look out. 

Jason glanced away for a moment. 

“Hey, can I borrow your scarf?” he asked. 

“Yeah, sure.” She handed it over without questioning the strange request. 

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then wrapped it around his neck so he could pull it up and hide his face.

“I’ll be right back.”

He snuck away through the crowd. 

The play continued, the actors hamming it up appropriately. The night had set in properly now, and large lights beamed down onto the stage leaving the rest of them in darkness. The audience around her laughed at the jokes and gags. 

She leaned against her dog. 

The night was getting cooler.  

Why did it hurt more now than it had when they were just friends?

She’d had no expectation of him then, she supposed. She hadn’t wanted him to be hers.

No. That wasn’t true, she had wanted him badly for some time, but squished it all deep down inside of her. Now it was out, with promises made and claims staked, it was hard to keep that once contained desire on a leash. 

He would give his life for her if the situation demanded it. She knew that, with the same confidence she knew tomorrow would follow today. 

But he would give his life for just about anyone if the situation demanded it. He was never going to change. She wouldn’t want him to.

She looked at the silhouettes of people in the dark around her, an elderly couple on camping chairs to her side, and ahead of her a family with two children who were fast asleep on a blanket. Not very long ago this park was so dangerous people rarely came here during the day. 

She looked at her things around her, and thought about what she would need to do if he didn’t come back tonight. She would take a taxi home and bring his stuff with her, hold onto it for him until he could come to her place to pick it up. It could be in two weeks, it could be tomorrow. 

This was going to be her life, forever. 

She pulled in deep breath and leaned her forehead on Marlow’s neck.

“Okay,” she said to herself. “Okay.” 

About twenty minutes after Jason left, Marlow looked up and to the side. She followed his sight line and she saw Jason returning through the crowd. He dropped something into the trash can with such a casual air it took a few moments for her to recognise it as a disassembled pistol. Nobody else noticed him at all.

He stretched out on the blanket behind her and gently pulled her back against him, his hands around her waist. He returned her scarf, wrapping it loosely around her neck. The knuckles of his right hand were grazed. He drew no attention to it, acting for all the world as though nothing had happened and nothing was ever going to happen. He definitely hadn’t just disarmed whatever dangerous hooligan had been planning to do something terrible. 

She loved this man so much it hurt.

“What’d I miss?” he said in her ear.

“Not much.” She leaned back against him. “But I’m starting to think this Benedick guy doesn’t actually dislike Beatrice after all.” 

He snorted a laugh. They settled in for the long haul.

Next>>

[grotesque-marvel]

Frenrey- Love is like a camera! (it stop him in my eyes)

Summary: A short fic based on the song "ZOOM UP !" by Kahimi Karie. Benrey, Joshua and Gordon go out on an walk. Computer-virus-now-turned-human Benrey has to learn how a digital camera functions. Feelings and emotions get in the way as per the usual ! Tags: sfw, Benrey/Gordon Freeman, pure fluff, tooth rotting fluff, mutual pining (not mentioned for Gordon's side), lots and lots of sappiness, computer virus tries to learn how a digital camera works irl, not beta read at ALL

Fic under the cut, if you'd like to read it on here ^_^

“ so, this is like aaa. a shittier version of the screenshot button? „

The bitter-yet-kind air of spring nips at Benrey’s nose, making the stout man snort more obnoxiously than he otherwise would in such a pollen-riddled season. Surprisingly, being a computer virus hadn’t actually come with the advantage of being immune to actual real-world viruses (that’s what he calls this itching, anyways, no matter how much Gordon insists that no, it is not a virus, Benrey is just allergic, which is like. So much lamer.), but that’s the least of his problems right about now as he blinks sluggishly at the strange device in his palms, turning and twisting it like he was investigating a new item in a Resident Evil game, looking for clues.

The human looks amused by his antics, anyways, judging by the ugly snort he lets out followed by the smile stretching across freckled cheeks which does not make Benrey’s heart palpitate weirdly as if he’s on the brink of a heart attack. 

“ It’s a camera, Benrey,  „ Gordon carefully, patiently explains, green eyes kind despite the kid currently tugging on his pants demanding that they go to the park, dad, pleaasee!!, “ Like the- you literally had a camera in Xen, how can you not recognize it? ,,

Benrey sniffles once in reply, stubby fingers finally properly gripping the gadget before he look up at Gordon, sensing that he’s supposed to verbally respond to that question. “ uhhhh. yours is. shittier. ,, He deadpans as if that’s supposed to explain anything, fingernails digging into the sides of the camera like there’s supposed to be a hinge and the camera just doesn’t know it yet. “ there’s no- there’s no film slot thing. how are you supposed to take pictures without film, idiot? stupid useless device. ,,

Gordon snorts again, like there’s some great inside joke that Benrey had been oh so cruelly left out of, before the man bends up to scoop the fussy child up in his arms, groaning at the way his bones creak like awkward hinges that hadn’t been greased in a long time. Can one grease their bones, anyways? Is that, like, an automatic function? Benrey’s body surely doesn’t do that, judging by the constant pains in his spine. Then again, Gordon does often comment that he sits like a fucked up shrimp, so-

Finger snap in front of his dazed eyes and Benrey is quick to catch on, blinking once, twice, before his other senses catch up and he tunes back into Gordon’s monologue with a startled look. 

“ Have you- were you even listening to what I was saying? ,, Gordon doesn’t expect a reply to that, Benrey’s learnt that’s merely a rhetorical question by now- of course Benrey isn’t paying attention, he almost never is, “ I was telling you about how these are digital cameras. Don’t need film if you just have an SD card to - how do you not know about digital cameras, even? They’ve been around forever, man, that’s like- you know about gaming PCs but not about digital cameras? What even- ,,

Just like how Gordon had previously broken Benrey out of his trance, the shorter repays the kindness by flicking Gordon’s forehead just harshly enough to break him out of his rambling. At first, he quiets up, but he’s quick to continue as if nothing happened, putting one hand on his hip whilst his other, prosthetic one, is busy holding up his child who has by now begun to play with Gordon’s hair out of boredom.

“ It’s just- I’m not asking for much, man. Just one nice picture with me and Joshie, yeah? Then we can continue on our walk. ,, Gordon would be a fool to believe in Benrey having an attention span longer than a few seconds, and Benrey is already considering him a fool for thinking that he can do anything more complex than press the popcorn button on their microwave. Still, the short man shrugs and waves Gordon off, a sign that, whilst begrudgingly so, Benrey’s willing to entertain his antics.

The smile that Gordon flashes back is nearly as blinding as that of a camera’s flash, and Benrey feels like he should cover his eyes lest he go blind, yet he surprisingly doesn’t mind the thought of losing his vision due to the man’s happy grin. He does, however, mind the instant nausea effect that he gets right after that thought, world tilted just a little off its axis as he watches Gordon bound over to the spot he had picked out for the picture whilst Benrey was probably spaced out. Benrey, being the oh so diligent security guard that he still believes he is, follows shortly thereafter. Just to make sure Gordon doesn’t cause a scene, of course.

They’re dressed more fashionably than either of them are used to, really- Gordon has decided to bundle up in the bright orange sweater that he had oh so lovingly been gifted by Dr. Coomer this past Christmas, along with a stereotypical combo of blue dad jeans and sandals with white socks. His green-tinted glasses sit awkwardly on his nose, the lenses crooked and bent from probably sitting on them by accident far too many times, and his prosthetic glistens in the bright sun of the afternoon, a vivid black and orange metal that matches the design of the HEV suit almost uncannily so. Pfft, fanboy.

Benrey, on the other hand, had tried something other than the usual black hoodie and gray sweatpants, the recent dressing up games that he had been playing giving him a more refined fashion taste than before. Not like he had been programmed with a fashion taste, after all, but Benrey likes to believe he’s improved anyways. Dressed in a white tank top with a black leather jacket he’d stolen from Gordon draped over his shoulders, a pair of khaki-colored jeans that Gordon insisted on getting him no matter Benrey’s protests and whines. He had forgone a hat today, surprisingly, though he’d ended up snatching Gordon’s anyways, a bright orange beanie that matched the scientist’s sweater, coming from none other than Bubby himself.

Joshua’s outfit had actually been picked out by the kid himself, this time, deciding on a pair of cream knee-length shorts and a matching-colored bucket hat, a graphic t-shirt currently hidden by the tightly zipped up bomber jacket around his body. God, Benrey felt as if just yesterday he had been staring at a pruny baby swaddled in blankets, only to now feel his eyes soften impossibly so as he stares at the chestnut curls that bounce with the motion of Joshua’s head as he turns towards the short man, offering him a similarly blinding smile that shows off the gap in his teeth proudly so.

Snapped out of his reverie, Benrey shakes his head as if trying to get rid of a dizzy spell, focusing back on the gadget at hand as he brings it up to his face. It really is a technological marvel to him- he’s so used to static, low quality props that felt like air in his hands, yet now he can brush his fingers against the material, can feel all the ridges of the plastic casing on his fingertip, can drag his nail on the scratched up silver accents, can see the image reflected actually change as he moves the camera around, trying to get a proper angle.

He’s not exactly a photographer, per se, but it’s not like he can’t see which angles are flattering and which are very much now. He fidgets with the settings for a bit, tongue poking out as he flicks through all the filters available only to settle for the default anyways. Best not to fuck up and have Gordon chide him for it later, though he suspects the man has been going softer on the arguing lately. He tends to look at Benrey with a far more tender look, an indecipherable emotion swirling within those pupils that makes Benrey’s once-digital self feel all like scrambled code and ciphers on the inside.

Finally, he finds the perfect angle, the light reflecting off of the models just so, bringing out all the details Benrey had been striving for. At first, he fumbles with every button for a moment, unaware of which one actually takes the photo, before he promptly startles at the sound of the shutter going off, camera unceremoniously falling onto the dewy grass. Grumbling as he hears the echo of two laughters basking in his misery and shame, the short man reaches down to grab the camera, only to wince as a resounding crack comes from the small of his back, bringing forth even more laughter at his expense.

“ boo, laughing at my pain. how dare you. punishment for you both, eternal torture . ,, Benrey hisses as he finally manages to grapple the now wet camera back in his hands, using the corner of his tank top to messily wipe away the dew before pointing it the same way it had been before, huffing and puffing. The pouting doesn’t last for long, however, as Benrey’s jaw slackens at the sight reflected in the feed of his camera-

Gordon and Joshua are both leaning their heads into one another’s as they laugh, both their faces scrunched up with what must be a chest-aching amount of laughter. Like this, Gordon’s wrinkles become all the more apparent, yet all they do is make him look all the more breathless, crow’s feet tracing the arc in which his eyes are squeezed shut whilst his smile dimples in his cheeks, giving his expression just another pop that has Benrey’s breath catching in his throat. And Joshua’s smiling wildly too, the missing canine on full display as his cheeks are blotchy and red from laughter, small torso heaving with the force of his childish giggles-

Click.

Benrey remains staring there dumbfounded long after the shutter of the camera goes off, long after the pair’s laughter die down only to be replaced with concerned glances shared between father and son as they stare at the man who stands there utterly slack-jawed. There’s a blush crawling on Benrey’s face, the redness tracing a path all the way down his neck and to his chest, and Gordon lets out another ugly snort at the thought of Benrey looking as if he’d been sunburnt, the sound finally enough to once again snap the shorter out of whatever stupor he had been under.

“ bwuh- uh– ,, He flounders like a fish out of sea, glancing between the device, then the tall man, then the device again, as if there’s a puzzle slotting together right before his very eyes.

 Instinctively, not knowing what else he is meant to do, Benrey then begins waving his hand around with the camera still clutched tightly as if he was rushing the development of a polaroid, the sudden movement pulling a startled laugh out of Gordon. Eventually, after enough staring from both ends, the curly haired man merely shakes his head and kneels down to allow Joshua to practically bolt out of his arms, quick to stand back up and place his hands on his waist as he looks at the child with a happy grin before once again focusing his attention on his silent friend, his pace lazy and unhurried as he makes his way over towards the frozen figure.

“ Try not to swallow a fly, dude, ,, Gordon teases as he pats Benrey’s back roughly, said man gasping as if he’d actually choked on an insect right then and there, “ What’s up with you? Was the picture really that bad? Cmon, let me see. ,,

Wordlessly, Benrey snaps his jaw shut and passes the device silently to the taller man, Gordon’s mouth letting out an instinctual ‘thanks’ as he pulls it from Benrey’s grasp and moves to look through the gallery. Now it’s Gordon’s turn to gasp as he looks down at the screen with wide eyes, almost unbelieving of the candid photo Benrey had took- it looked near professional, really, save for the little bit of motion blur, but to Gordon’s eyes it was perfect.

“ Oh my God, dude, this is- this is awesome! ,, Gordon laughs excitedly, bouncing on his feet as he clutches the camera even tighter, “ I’m so printing this out- thanks a bunch, Benrey, you’re the fucking best! ,,

Still reeling from the events that had just unfolded, Benrey barely has the time to let out a startled ‘whuh-’ before his head is wretched by an arm wrapping around his neck, quick to hear the shutter going off as he notices the camera is now pointed towards themselves. Stumbling on his feet once Gordon lets him go, Benrey blinks as if having actually been dazed by a nonexistent flash, the shorter man having to clutch tightly onto Gordon’s forearm so as to not collapse then and there. Gordon lets him, of course, far too focused on the camera in hand to really pay any attention to the way in which he instinctively offers up his limb for the other to hold onto.

“ Gonna hang this one up, too. ,, That voice calls out again, this time less affectionate and more smug as he turns the camera around, showing Benrey the picture that Gordon had managed to sneak. It’s a pretty crappy picture, all things considered- a selfie of them that had definitely been taken in a hurry, yet Gordon’s crooked smile and Benrey’s shocked, flustered expression remain unblurred in the midst of it all, almost as if the camera is personally mocking him for existing. It’s… Cute, almost disgustingly so, like a photo you’d see in an old married couple’s album as they reminisce about their youthful love.

The thought of that alone is enough for Benrey to shove the beanie up until his eyes get covered as he grumbles and kicks at Gordon’s shins, ignoring the man’s outraged cries in favor of running away from the scene… Only to, of course, collide directly into the nearest tree due to his lack of sight. As he lays there on the dewy grass, however, and listens to Gordon’s wheezy laughter as the man undoubtedly makes fun of him, Benrey finds no annoyance in his heart, merely basking in that familiar feeling of scrambled emotions bouncing around in his heart like a game of fucked up ping pong. Maybe digital cameras weren’t so shitty, after all.

[frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe]

video stores, shopping malls, and ren faires

remember that post about getting three whole ideas from listening to my soundtrack playlist? uh..yeah, so here's part 1 of 3!

on AO3: video stores, shopping malls, and ren faires | song for this chapter

Working at one of the last remaining Family Video stores in America has its highs and lows. 

High: going days without seeing a customer. Low: no idea when the hammer will fall and you’ll be laid off when this branch closes too. High: usually on shift all day by yourself. Low: you’re usually on shift all day by yourself. 

(Un?)luckily for Robin, she found herself inundated with four visitors on her shift today.

The first two arrivals were the newest addition to their trauma bonded group (and subject of her best friend’s affections) Eddie Munson, along with his closest non-inducted friend Gareth Emerson.

She glances up at the two as they enter. “Hey, Gareth…what’s up fucker?” she says to each of them in turn.

“Rude.” Eddie says, mock offended, “We go through hell together and all I get is ‘fucker’.” he shakes his head and tsks, leaning his weight on the counter in front of her.

Robin just shrugs, straightening up to stand instead of being hunched over the counter like a shrimp. “That’s how it goes, Munson. Y’all here to rent something, or just bother me?” she asks, rubbing her elbows where they had been pressed to the linoleum countertop.

“Bother you. It’s not like you were busy anyway.”

She acknowledges that with a nonchalant frown and raise of her brow, and hunches back over her twitter feed.

“What’s gonna be the subject of today’s Munson Rant, Emerson?” she asks in his direction.

“Why’d you ask hi–”

“Steve Harrington, what else?” Gareth shrugs, coming around the counter to sit on the spare stool with her.

“Ah, the tried and true favorite.” She nods in understanding. “Let’s hear it then, Munson, what indiscretion has our beloved mother hen done that you’ve latched onto this time?”

Eddie’s quiet, so she looks up from her screen. He’s gaping at the two of them like a fish, eyes darting between her and Gareth. 

“Oh! Sorry,” Robin puts her phone face down on the counter and pillows her face on one hand and gesturing for him to continue with her other “You have my full attention.”

Eddie still doesn’t continue, so she turns to Gareth with a sigh, “Care to start us off, Gare-bear?”

“Gladly. This time it was ‘Does he even know what he’s doing when he looks like that?’--don’t ask me what ‘that’ is, I have no clue,” Robin nods along, leaning on her left arm to turn towards Gareth. “Then: ‘Does he know how attractive and unfair he’s being?’ and ‘I can't let myself get suckered in, Gare.’.”

“Oh, you’d love to get suckered in by Steve Harrington.” Robin rolls her head side to look at an  incredulous Eddie, waggling her brows.

“What I want and what is theoretically possible are two very different things, Birdie.”

“He speaks!”

“Shut up, Gareth, you two are the worst. I come to you in confidence about my trials and tribulations and all you do is mock me. Mock me!”

“Trials and tribulations..” Robin shakes her head at him. “Two things you wouldn’t be going through if you just admitted your feelings for him!”

“I don’t have feelings for Steve Harrington!”

“Yes you do!” Gareth and Robin both answer.

“I can’t have feelings for that airhead. (“Hey! Take it easy on that poor sweet Dingus!”) I just can’t okay?”

“‘Can’t’ doesn’t mean ‘Don’t’, Eddie.”

“Semantics won’t get you anywhere in this argument, Gare. I do not have feelings for King Steve.”

Robin clenches her jaw at Steve’s old nickname, but stays quiet.

“Here, let me continue for him,” Gareth also seems pissed, “‘Ooh, I’m eddie and I’ve had the hots for Steve sinc—“

“I can’t do it again!”

Robin and Gareth both look over at Eddie at his outburst

“I can’t fall for another straight guy. I don’t have it in me to keep it going, so I’m trying to reverse psychiatry myself into dropping the feelings, okay?”

“…It’s reverse psychology.”

“Semantics, Gare, I thought we already talked about this.” Eddie waves him off, already pacing and chewing on the end of a lock of his hair absentmindedly (‘Ew’, Robin thinks.).

“Look, we all know he’s hot and perfect (“If you say so.” mumbles Gareth); All those damn freckles and moles that are just begging to be kissed, his stupid perfect face with those kind, dreamy eyes, his gorgeous body and hmm that chest hair…” (“Ew..” Robin says, aloud this time.).

He shakes himself out of the thought and continues on. “He loves those kids like they’re his, puts everyone else first to a fault, he pulled me out of literal hell!” He stops his tirade and turns to face her and his friend behind the counter. “I need you to tell me everything you can that he’s ever done that’s gross, or or shitty, just.. anything, Robin, please. I can’t deal with a crush on another unattainable straight man. I won’t survive it. Especially not if it’s Steve Fucking Harrington.”

Robin is quiet, glancing at Gareth briefly before turning her attention back to Eddie. “Sounds like you’re already in love with him Munson.”

“Don’t curse me with that, there’s no way I’m in love with him.” he starts pacing again.

“Uh, yeah way? Did you not just hear yourself? You just went on for like 10 minutes about all the shit you love about Steve!” Gareth points out.

Eddie stops just to blink at him.

“Also, I’m not about to slander my best friend just to make you less horny for him.” Robin cuts back in.

“Not…slander…just—“

“Sorry man, you gotta face facts. You’re head over heels for him.” Gareth cuts him off.

Eddie’s frown deepens. “Nope, no way, I’m not in love with King Steve—

“Stop calling him that you little—“ Robin explodes at him, but takes a breath and continues. “You know damn well he hates that nickname, especially with all the work he’s done to put that part of him behind him.

“And as much as you want to deny it Munson, you are also his friend—or at least he thinks you are—and his friend wouldn’t go around calling him shit he doesn’t like!” She can’t hold back by the last word and shouts it into the empty store.

The other half of her unexpected visitors arrive then.

Robin takes a calming breath at the sound of the jingle above the door, and turns to face her pseudo nephews. Her beloved Dingus’ first-born son, and his youngest, Dustin Henderson and Will Byers.

“Hey kiddos, whatcha need?” Robin checks in first, making sure there’s nothing actually wrong before stepping into her half annoying older sister, half cool uncle role.

“Nothing,” Dustin shrugs, “Just supposed to meet Steve here so he can give us a ride home.” he gestures over his shoulder towards the arcade.

“In that case, welcome to Family Video! We are doing a two for one rental deal right now, your father is bemoaning his feelings about your mother in the corner,” Eddie sputters nonsense at that implication (“Their father?? What the hell, Buckley?!”) but she ignores him and barrels on “and no you can’t have any free candy.”

“Aw man.” Dustin says, at the same time Will asks “Eddie has feelings for Steve?”

Robin and Gareth both groan as Eddie goes back into his rant.

“No! …No matter how good of a guy he might be or how hot he is, that’s just a curse I need to learn to live with if I’m going to stick around you goblins and…”

She has an epiphany then; his almost unhinged levels of ranting about how he very much “does not” have feelings for her best friend reminds her of something. So she pulls out her phone and opens YouTube.

“Hold that thought Munson,” she interrupts him mid-soliloquy about Steve’s arms or chest or something, “You three, you’re all theater kids right? Or musically adjacent?” She addresses Dustin, Will, and Gareth.

“What the hell’s happening right now..” Eddie tries.

“Uh yeah?” Dustin says, confusedly looking at the other two for confirmation, who also nod.

“Okay, back me up on this then.”

Robin starts playing the song over the bluetooth speaker she has behind the counter and immediately the four boys catch on, Eddie groaning in frustration and dropping himself face down on the counter.

‘If there’s a prize for rotten judgment, I guess I've already won that.’

“Sounds like Eddie.” Robin states to nods from the other boys, sans Eddie, who responds with a muffled “Fuck. You.”.

‘No man is worth the aggravation,’

“Steve is!” Will yells over the music, Robin pointing at him in emphasis, and catching Eddie’s expression softening already when he turns his head to smile minutely at Baby Byers.

‘That’s ancient history, been there, done that!’ to which Eddie gestures annoyingly towards the speaker, head still on his elbows.

Robin rolls her eyes at him, but starts singing along with the muses; Gareth, Will, and Dustin catch on quickly, adding onto the tune. “Who d'ya think you’re kidding? He’s the earth and heaven to you, try to keep it hidden…”

“C’mon munson, I know you’ve got some pipes on you!” Robin goads good-naturedly at Eddie.

–

Watching his friends (and his children, apparently) tease him and dance around through his bangs wins him over, and Eddie starts singing along with Meg.

“No chance, no way, I won’t say it, no, no..” he waves his arm out with a shake of his head, standing up from the counter to stalk across the floor.

His friends grin manically, Dustin and Will start over-performing the lyrics as they sing along with the muses, Will catching Dustin in a dramatic swoon. “You swoon, you sigh, why deny it? Uh-Oh!”

“It's too cliche! I won't say I'm in love!”

Eddie lets himself get into singing along; well, half singing, half speaking along to the lyrics as he keeps going, especially with the next set of lyrics hitting a little too close to home.

“I thought my heart had learned its lesson, It feels so good when you start out…My head is screaming, ‘get a grip’, UGH!” he grabs hold of his hair at the root in half-mock frustration. “Unless I’m dying to cry my heart out!”

He bellows out lungfuls of frustration along with Meg’s longer notes as his friends poke holes in his already shaky denial of his feelings in time with the muses.

“You keep on denying who you are and how you're feeling, baby, we're not buying. Hon, we saw ya hit the ceiling!”

Okay, singing long and loud aloud like this is starting to help, actually.

“Face it like a grown-up, when ya gonna own up that ya got, got, got it bad?!” He almost loses it when the four of them do exaggerated jazz hands at him. 

“No chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no.” He shakes his head again and turns away from them towards the front window.

Of course, because the universe hates him, Steve arrives just then with Max in the passenger seat, in time for the song and his friends to tease him with the perfectly timed line: “..check the grin, you’re in love!”

Damn, he was actually fucking grinning like an idiot just seeing Steve’s car pull into in the parking lot.

He scrubs the grin off his face with his hands, grabbing onto his hair like a crutch and turning his back to the window.

At this point, he’s fully into the performance. “This scene won't play, I won't say I'm in love!”

“You're doing flips, read our lips, you're in love!”

“You're way off base, I won't say it (“He won’t say it, no)!

“Get off my case, I won't say it!” he spins back around…and what a mistake that was.

His (horrible, traitorous) friends continue on as he watches the scene unfolding in front of him: Steve has carefully unfolded Max’s wheelchair, making sure each part is locked into place,  before moving to help her stand and take the couple shaky steps to her seat with a kind, patient smile.

“...It's okay, you're in love…” 

Oh.

He has to catch himself on the counter in front of him, knees suddenly weak.

Oh.

“At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love…”

–

“Hey guys, what were you singing? It looked like fun!” Steve asks as soon as Max is inside and over the lip of the doorway.

“Uh, nothing, c’mon Gareth, we’ve got that…thing.” Eddie does a vague grabby motion towards Gareth, who’s coming around the front of the counter. “Cool t’see ya, Stevie, catch you later!” 

Eddie basically books it out the door, still held open by the handicap button, with Gareth trailing behind at a normal speed.

“Hey Steve, bye Steve.” he says as he strolls past.

Steve watches them go with gooey affection clear on his face, much to the delight of the gathered peanut gallery.

“You’re so mean to him” Max chides, “That shit was playing so loud even you could hear it from the parking lot.”

“You could!? Oh man, poor Eddie.” Dustin says with a gummy smile.

“Why poor Eddie?” he asks, keeping a straight face.

Dustin’s face falls and he and Will blurt “NOTHING.” and “NO REASON.” at the same time.

He lets them sweat for a bit, but Robin’s not-so-subtly-hidden laughter gets the best of him.

“Why are you laughing? Steve do you…do you already know?” Dustin asks, worried. 

Steve shrugs, “I've had my suspicions, but I want him to get there himself first before I fully put the moves on him.”

“Put—put the moves?? You like Eddie??”

“No.”

“Steve what the hell, that’s super shit—”

“I've basically been in love with him since my scoops era.”

The silence is somewhat expected, only Robin knows he’s bi officially, but there had to have been some hints or signs that they’ve picked up on right? Steve really hopes this doesn’t turn into losing any of them.

“…In love?” Will’s voice is quiet.

“Scoops era?” Max and Robin ask in unison.

Steve silently breathes a sigh of relief. “Yeah, back before the fire? Dusty, you were there, remember?”

It takes him a second, but sure enough: “Oh shit!!”

Part 2 here!

okay confession, this is fully self-indulgent. all the way down to the fake st gang twitter feed because they always make me die laughin

also, yes, the title is a spoiler for where the other two chapters will be set

hope you enjoyed this brainrot!

[thenativetank]

VA Native Fish Hunting - 26

The wife and I went camping with a few friends in far northern VA over the long weekend. The weather held up pretty well thankfully and I was able to go wading in the stream a few times! We found lots of cool stuff, including a couple of new species to me. Take a look below the cut!

By far the most numerous invertebrates in this river were crayfish - very few snails and no shrimps here, I think the crayfish depressed their numbers. I'm normally not good with identifying them, but these guys could easily be identified as Allegheny Crayfish (Faxonius obscurus) due to the red marks at the end of their claws. Some posed for pictures, most raged at being caught.

Lots of Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) at this location. I only caught a few of the smaller dudes, but I saw many in the 3 to 6 inch range. They were gorgeous shades of oranges, blues, and greens that compete with the longears you see so often posted. I would love to bring a pole next time and catch one.

I saw more darters on this trip than any other location I've fished at. Most were these Tesselated Darters (Etheostoma olmstedi) - common along the east coast but still fun. There's also a chance these are Johnny Darters (Etheostoma nigrum) as they are very similar and their range overlaps here. I certainly can't tell from the photos I took.

The most common fish were these Blacknose Daces - I think Eastern (Rhinichthys atratulus) but at least one person I talked to thought Westerns (R. obtusus) were more common here. I have no clue, both used to be considered one species due to their similarity. But they are a fun and beautiful species, especially in their breeding dress.

Mixed in with the daces were the occasional Central Stonerollers (Campostoma anomalom). I originally thought these were a Cyprinella spp of some sort, but no the young Stonerollers just look nothing like the adults. Kinda drab at this age but they definitely become unique looking adults.

A first for me! This Northern Hogsucker (Hypentelium nigricans) is the first member of the Sucker family Catostomidae I've ever caught! This species was kind of rare here as I only managed to catch this one - but I'm psyched all the same. There were also White Suckers here but I couldn't catch one. Oh well.

My fave catch though were these Rainbow Shiners (Etheostoma caeruleum) - another first for me! I wish I would have been able to catch a full breeding colored male here - the blue and orange is striking! - but I'm happy nonetheless. If I wasn't 3 hours and change from home, I might have snatched them up.

We found a few Eastern Elliptio (Elliptio complanata) here too, a species of freshwater mussel. Not super exciting animals but always kinda fun to find.

This was a weird find! I had no idea what I was looking at... a plant? I didn't see any roots... so an algae? I found some bits broken off so I took a closer look...

It's a freshwater sponge - a Lake Sponge (Spongilla lacustris)! I am enamored with it... while I knew suckers and darters and minnows could be found here, I had no idea that any sponges could be found in this range. I dunno if I could ever keep them successfully in an aquarium setting but I feel they would be cool tank inhabitants!

[syntia13treeman]

Case files 10.02

what I think happened in:

Case 10.02, the case of "The Trapdoor Opens" or "Releasing ancient evil – a guide."

One might say it's cheating, making a file for an event that technically isn't a case yet, in that it hasn't been noticed and recorded by OIAR. (Yet). Buuuuuuut… I don't care. :)

So. What we know: Nearly 25 years ago, in December 1999, a paranormal research facility in Manchester, Magnus Institute, burned to the ground. Reportedly, there were no survivors.

However, this might not have been true. Let's put a pin in it for the moment.

On a dark and rainy night on 09th of March 2024, two OIAR employees (on their own time) entered the ruins and conducted a very soggy and inefficient search.

The instigator of the expedition, Samama Khalid, as a child was part of some (rather shady) program for gifted children conducted here. His hazy-yet-unsettling memories of the place had resurfaced recently, and he was determined to find some answers. The resident voice of reason, Alice Dyer, assisted him by way of holding the umbrella and trying to talk him out of the whole thing.

Before she succeeded, the following things happened:

Sam found a mystery key among the debris.

Sam successfully (eventually) broke through the door to an old office (probably owned by someone named Archibald. Ha ha.)

Sam was not careful enough walking around the rotten floor, and part of it collapsed under him.

Sam did not fall into the hole, thanks to quick reflexes of Alice, who pulled him back.

Sam did, however, drop the hard-won key into the newly created hole.

Sam gave up, and agreed to leave.

And now we return to our pin. Because down below the rotten floor of the office, something did survive. It heard the key falling down. It managed to find it, and fumbled in the darkness to fit it in the lock. It unlocked the padlock. It opened a trapdoor. It breathed free air for the first time in decades.

After 25 years of imprisonment, the Ę̴̊̆R̶̗̟̝̒͛̈́̍R̵̛̯͍̠̗Ö̴̮̤́́R̴̞͍̲̞̐̓́͠ͅ ̸̡̫̣̟̏̊̇̍͜ ψ walks free.

Unnoticed by all, a lonely tape-recorder hidden somewhere in the office keeps spinning its tape.

Thus concludes the thrilling Saturday Night adventure.

I... Have Questions. Not many, but pressing ones.

The most pressing one is WHY did you crazy kids go to explore literal crumbling ruins at night? Urbexers do it for 'vibes' and 'clout' (and they don't always come back with the same number of eyes they went in with), but why would you? What made you think it was a good idea to look for clues in the feeble light of torches? Why? Just… WHY? (And why a work night? Did you take a day a night off? Are you exploring on company time? Couldn't you wait till Sunday morning?)

Another good one: does Alice really believe this is a dead end (haha) and can't be bothered with it, or is she dragging Sam away because she knows something's there, and doesn't want her baby shrimp anywhere near it?

And finally – what did they just unleash on the world? My first thought was "one of those gifted kids did not make it back home," and that's as far as I'm willing to let that thought go for the moment. Another one was: "what magical monstrosity did they create in the Artefact Research"? And another: "holy shit, it's been 25 years. How sane is ERROR after all that time (assuming it was sane to begin with)? (I know there are clues on RQ's backstage page, where the casting calls dwell, but going there feels like cheating, so I won't. Today).

[interactivestorytellingwithkalh]

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Chapter 2: Part 3

“Go have something to eat —” Ravio grunted as he pushed the cardboard boxes back into place over the stairs — “I’ll get the door.” 

Legend didn’t need to be told twice. The hazy golden memory of a fantastic scent — of warm fish stew and butter-fried shrimp — rose to the surface of his mind. He just hoped there were leftovers.

He had just figured out the switches and dials of Ravio’s Re-Heater (a truly genius invention, now that he had figured out how to make it work), when the salient smell of sulphuric ashes, fresh blood, and something wrong cut through the house.

Ravio.

Every detail sharpened. He yanked open the nearest drawer, grabbed a meat knife, and ran. 

Past the stairs, past the cupboard, towards the door at the end of the hall.

The smell strengthened — coated the roof of his mouth. Filled his throat.

He crashed through the door, into the shop, and hurled himself at the purple source of everything. 

Shouts.

Something hit the side of his head. His ears rang. His vision swam.

He raised the knife —

“STOP.”

He froze. His head felt as if it had been caught in a wrench. In front of him, a six-horned purple tiefling in light armour and a sweeping blue scarf picked himself off the floor and wiped a trickle of blood from his nose. Pupil-less golden eyes glared at him. “Hello to you too.” The tail flicked irritably. 

“DROP IT.”

Legend dropped the knife. 

“There we go.” As the pressure on his head eased, he felt the traces of Ravio’s magic — a peculiar hodgepodge of anything and everything Ravio had gotten his hands on — trickle out of his muscles. He could move again.

He straightened and stepped away from the knife. The shop felt cold. He must have dropped the covers somewhere. He crossed his arms. “Where have you been?” He glowered at War. “You reek.”

War raised an eyebrow. “A bar.”

Legend narrowed his eyes. “A bar.”

“A bar.” War pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it against his nose.

“What are you doing here? We agreed —”

“Delivering a customer.” War nodded towards a tall air genasi by the counter, who looked severely ill — pale skin, sweating, shivering — the whole package. He was leaning heavily on Ravio, whose left ear ring was still glowing with residual magic.

“What’s wrong with him?” Legend asked and approached. “Can’t handle a bit of sea air?” He turned the air genasi’s face down towards himself. “Hey, what’s your name?”

The air genasi seemed to struggle to focus.

“I found him passed out in an alley Castle-side,” War said. “Between Queen’s Square and —”

“Down Smog Street?”

“That’s the one.”

Legend frowned. Towns and cities the size of Castletown always had strange rumours attached to various areas. 13 Diddle’s Street was haunted by the ghost of a girl whose lover had abandoned her, hurling stones at windows and pulling bushes up by the roots. The trees of Lander Park came to life at night. The university housing estate was full of vampires. 

Smog Street’s rumour was comparatively benign: a haunting melody that seeped through the adjacent alleys in the hour before midnight. 

He clapped the air genasi’s cheek. “Hey, kid. Time to get your bearings.”

The air genasi frowned. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Opened it again. “Sky.” His eyes rolled back and his full weight fell on Ravio.

“Help!” Ravio squeaked.

War hurried over and manoeuvred the air genasi’s weight off of Ravio’s shoulders. “I didn’t know where else to take him.”

Legend hummed. The air genasi was clearly not local. There was dust on his boots and a faint smell of sweaty goat. He must have come down from the mountains within the last day or so. Under the travelling gear he seemed well-dressed: embroidered tunic, soft but sturdy cotton trousers, and … there. Legend peeled back the cape and the collar of the tunic. Stitched to the inside of the tunic was a small hidden pouch.

“What are you doing?” Ravio asked.

“Looking for clues.” Legend pulled the pouch out and opened it. Inside was a sealed letter, a signet ring, and ten platinum. “Now this —” he lifted the ring and turned it — “is familiar.” He handed it to Ravio. 

“Sir Sky?”

Legend closed the pouch and put it back. “That’s the one.”

[spurious]

Getting to Know You Meme

Tagged by @audioletter 🧡 who did hers here

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship? m a r r i e d

02) What was your dream growing up? i wanted to be a vet until i realized i would have to deal with animals in pain lol

03) What talent do you wish you had? not to steal audioletter's answer here but also drawing tbh.

04) If someone bought you a drink what would it be? one of those fancy starbucks iced lime drinks with the green coffee beans

05) Favorite vegetable? oooooh hm. broccoli?

06) What was the last book you read? poking at a reread of Catch-22

07) What zodiac sign are you? scorpio sun, gemini moon, cancer rising

08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? several tattoos and 2 ear piercings

09) Worst Habit? according to @audioletter, sleeping diagonally on the bed. according to Lemon, forgetting to refill her automatic feeder

10) What is your favorite sport? i like watching basketball

11) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude? uh. i don't really think of myself as an optimist but i think i kind of am a bit of one.

12) Tell me one weird fact about you. two of my chromosomes are stuck together

13) Do you have any pets? cat & borbs

14) Do you think clowns are cute or scary? if i had to choose one of those adjectives I'd go with scary but i'm not, like, super scared of clowns?

15) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? i would give myself an ass so that i can sit on hard surfaces in greater comfort

16) What color eyes do you have? blue

17) Ever been arrested? no

18) Bottle or can soda? can

19) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? we haven't left the country since before covid so. plane tickets

20) What's your favorite place to hang out at? home tbh

21) Do you believe in ghosts? not actively but like. i wouldn't be surprised if there were.

22) Favorite thing to do in your spare time? video games, crochet, watching tv, going for meandering walks

23) Do you swear a lot? i don't know what constitutes a lot? i feel like i do.

24) Biggest pet peeve? people who get on a crowded train and stand around by the doors instead of moving into the far less crowded aisles

25) In one word, how would you describe yourself? ummmmmmmm. odd

26) Do you believe/appreciate romance? yes! i'm weird at it but i like it.

27) Favourite and least favourite food? fave: probably cheese. least fave: shrimp

28) Do you believe in God? probably?

29) What makes you happy: sound of the cat purring. sitting in bed with my wife and playing our games and talking. sour candy.

30) Currently listening/the last thing you listened to: The Mountain Goats - Jenny from Thebes

31) Favourite place to spend time: i like! to be! at home!

32) Favourite lyric:

And I am this great, unstable mass of blood and foam / And no emotion that’s worth having could call my heart its home

33) Recommend a film: Clue!

34) Recommend a book: Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides

35) Recommend a band, a song, or album: have you heard of the mountain goats :)

36) Recommend a TV show: Freaks and Geeks

37) Where are you from, and do you still live there? Where have you lived? I'm from metro Detroit, Michigan, and I've lived there, in Ohio for school, and then in Ibaraki, Japan, followed by Osaka where I've lived forrrrrrrr. 13 years or so?

38) Do you have any pets or animals in your life? How did you find/get them? Lemon was found after a typhoon when I lived in Ibaraki. Niles and Nesmith came from the bird store where everyone wanted the fancy baby budgies and they were being ignored for being too Standard lol

39) What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten? WELL. If you don't know, some regions of Japan eat whale meat, and some regions of Japan use whale meat in their school lunch. So uh. One day when I worked at an elementary school I was blithely eating my school lunch only to be asked by one of the kids how I was liking the whale meat. 😐 (it's not even good)

40) How did you 'find' fandom? i actually don't totally remember? my first fic reading experience was cardcaptor sakura, and i think it was on a fansite or something rather than ff.net....and then i found my way to LJ and HP fandom.

41) Make a list of 5 things that you see without getting up. I'm at my desk at work so: rainbow glitter fountain pen, ps5 devkit, photo from our wedding, coworkers, "everything is fine" 10 of swords card from the modern witch tarot deck

42) How do you style your hair? currently a bob with bangs. i have started carrying a little comb in my handbag for this

I'm gonna tag people!

@alienfuckeronmain @sga-owns-my-soul @stargatebarbie @texasdreamer01 @acrowbyanyothername

@colonelshepparrrrd @queen-x-ishtar @hearteyesmcgarrett

[rainbowsky]

Here's a bit more fandom history for everyone.

It's been a long time since I've heard this incident talked about, but I guess turtles are reminiscing a bit about the kind of things GG's fans subject him to, and this has come back up.

Back in 2019 when GG was in Nanjing for The Untamed fan meet, a hotel staff member left this adorable Jianguo pillow with a little note 'from Jianguo' wishing him success with the concert. GG clearly enjoyed it because he posted it on his Oasis.

At first shrimps were enjoying it because they assumed it was a shrimp who'd done it, but when they realized it was a turtle they freaked out and launched a major cyberbullying campaign against the turtle and flooded the hotel with hundreds of phone calls complaining and trying to get her fired. Some of them threatened to keep calling the hotel every day and overwhelm the phone lines until she was fired.

GG had no choice but to delete the photo. He replaced it with a solid black image, and put the line, "post whatever you want" in his profile.

Just imagine how awful he must have felt, that his fans attacked and harassed a sweet fan who'd made him a lovely gift, nearly getting her fired - all from a post he made showing his appreciation for this cute, thoughtful gift.

If you wonder why GG and DD don't acknowledge turtles and why GG hasn't mentioned XFX by name in years, this is a bit of a clue as to why. GG especially has a lot of reason to be wary of being too personal and open with fans (and no doubt 227 didn't help with that at all). GG and DD know that acknowledging turtles will only harm them and lead to more hate and war from solos.

And GG has repeatedly said - including in his statement on the anniversary of 227, which was the first time he made a direct personal statement about it - that he doesn't believe anyone should identify as "I am ___'s fan."

"I want to tell my fans, everyone has the right to like and hate. No matter if you like or hate, it should be respected and allowed in their own spaces. Of course, this right should be based on rationality and not hurting other people, while following accurate values. I hope that my fans can understand that no matter what field or age, your personal likes and actions shouldn't cross the line or go against that field's ethics or morals. No matter if it's on the Internet or in real life, everyone should be responsible for their own actions. Even more, hope that none of us should be represented by the label 'xxx's fan.'"

GG realizes something that XFX can't seem to get through their heads: when you speak of "fans of Xiao Zhan," that is not synonymous with "XFX," no matter how much they would like everyone to believe that they're his only fan group. Actually, turtles are GG's fans also, as are all people who love and support GG, regardless of how they identify themselves and regardless of how deep or casual is their appreciation for him.

So pretty much ever since this era, and especially after 227, you never hear GG refer to his solo fandom by name. And I don't think that's because he has contempt or disregard for them (although I don't doubt he must harbor 'feelings' about everything they've put him through), rather I think it's because he wants to be inclusive toward all of his supporters, and not let it be thought that he doesn't appreciate everyone, regardless of 'affiliation'.

[unhappycylinder]

Hellfire’s Newest Member (Eddie x fem!Reader) Pt. 9

warnings: smut...again...little naughtier this time

--

By the time the two of you were ready it was almost 3 PM, you had spent hours laying around, making out, and talking to each other. Being around Eddie made you feel so safe and loved, and you felt nothing but excitement for your future with him, whatever it may entail.

Eddie checked his watch, "shit sweetheart it's already 3"

"Have we really been sitting around here for that long?" You asked, "you really know how to keep me entertained, Munson"

"Yeah, well I promised my girl I'd show her around town, and I'm a man of my word, so we better get a move on," he said, hopping up from the couch and extending a hand to you.

You walked out your front door, bringing the money your dad left, locking it behind you and Eddie. The lock was stuck and you were struggling, rather embarrassingly, to get your ket out

"Need some help there princess?" Eddie asked, bending down so his face was level with the lock, his eyes looking up at you

"No its fine, its just-"

You were cut off by a third voice coming from the street

"Well I'll be damned," Dustin scoffed, putting a hand on his hips as Mike and some other kids his age piled up behind him, "I can't say I expected to see you two coupled up"

Mike looked absolutely shocked, while the other kids just stood there, eyes on Dustin.

"Henderson, its not-" you began before Eddie cut you off, pulling you away from the door, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder

"Gentlemen, Mayfield, I'd like to introduce you...formally that is...to my beautiful girlfriend - y/n y/l/n" Eddie said proudly

"Girlfriend??" Mike yelled

"No way in HELL you got a girl to go out with you, Eddie," Dustin said through laughter

"The hell did you say, shrimp," Eddie said, pulling away from you and walking towards the kids. Your key finally slid out of the door

Dustin froze, his laughter fading as he thought Eddie was about to beat the shit out of him. Instead, Eddie tackled him backwards

"Nah man, I'm just as surprised as you are. She's perfect, and she's mine," he said looking back at you, now walking down to stand by him, "and I have no fucking clue what she sees in me, but hey, I am not complaining"

Mike stopped you as you walked towards the group, turning to the two other kids with him

"Oh hey y/n! This is Max," he gestured to the redhead girl next to him, she waved, "and this is Lucas, the guy you subbed for last night"

"Nice to meet you guys," you said

"I heard you defeated Vecna all by yourself," Lucas said with a nod, "pretty impressive if you ask me

You chuckled, "I wouldn't say that, I had some amazing help, but it definitely felt good to put that son of a bitch in his place"

"Hellfire's first girl...not a bad intro if you ask me," he said, "We've been trying to get Max to play for years but she says its a little kids game," he teased her. Max just sighed and got on her bike, starting to ride away. Lucas followed her, then Mike.

Eddie finally let go of Dustin once he noticed the rest of the kids were leaving, letting Dustin join his friends

"Congrats you two!" Dustin yelled as he rode down the street.

Eddie picked you up and spun you around, smiling up at you.

"I like that kid," you said.

"Henderson? Yeah he's the best. If I ever had a kid, I think I'd want one like him," Eddie said while glancing down the road where they had gone.

"I agree Eds, they seem like a good group."

He set you down, taking your hand in his as he led you to his van, opening the door for you as always.

"My dear," he helped you in, closing the door after you.

----

Eddie took you all around town. He took you to the arcade, down main street past all the shops, through different neighborhoods, past the remnants of an old mall that he said burnt down the year before, and to some of his favorite spots outside of town. Of course he had metal music playing in the background the whole time, most of which you recognized and sang along with.

He showed you skull rock, which he explained was a famous makeout spot

"Wanna make it a little more popular?" He asked, pulling you in for a kiss

"You're gross Munson, but this rock really does look like a skull," you commented.

"Yeah, I guess it lives up to its name," he said.

Suddenly, Eddie jumped out of the car and ran around to open your door.

"Eddie? What are we doing?"

"Follow me, its a surprise!"

He grabbed your hand, running through the woods with you behind him. You couldn't help but laugh as he spat his hair out of his mouth as he ran, muttering a curse here and there.

After a few minutes of running you reached a beautiful view, a gorgeous lake lined with trees, the sun just beginning to set across the body of water.

"Lover's Lake," Eddie said panting, leaning against a tree.

"Oh really now," you responded, "I didn't take you for a romantic view kinda guy Munson."

He chuckled

"I bet you take all your ladies here don't you, tell them its your special spot," you taunted, walking towards him slowly

"HA, no y/n, it was never a special spot til now," he replied, pushing his back against the tree

"And why's that?"

"Cause I've never had a lover to share this lake with," he said dramatically, throwing his hands over his heart and knocking himself to the ground, making you laugh.

He stayed on the ground, playing dead. You knelt down, straddling his hips, placing your hands on his shoulders. He didn't move, just opened his eyes a little bit to see if you were looking at him before closing them tightly and sticking his tongue out.

"No! My dearest Edward!" You played along, throwing your torso down onto his chest, putting your body weight on him, "how will I ever live without you!"

"Stay there and you might actually kill me princess, I can hardly breathe," he coughed as he pushed you off him, rolling on top of you and propping himself up on his elbows.

"You're beautiful Eddie Munson"

"You're perfect y/n, y/l/n," he started before rolling off you, laying next to you with his hands resting on his stomach, "I mean if someone had told me yesterday that the crazy new girl I picked up off the highway would be the DnD playing, Vecna slaying, metal loving, sexy, gorgeous, smart, hilarious woman of my dreams, I'd say they were crazy. But you're right here."

He turned to face you, you did the same, your eyes locking as you listened to him.

"I really don't know what I did to deserve you, like at all, but you're perfect. You're perfect for me. Hardly anybody gives me the time of day here and all you've done is shown me love and kindness."

You laid on your side, running your fingers through Eddie's hair and against his cheek as he spoke. You were in heaven.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you. Thank you, and I love you. I'm really, really in love with you, y/n," he stared deeper into your eyes than ever before.

"Ditto, Munson. You've made me feel things I've never felt before. You make me feel safe and cared for and appreciated on a whole other level. I can't thank you enough, Eddie. Honestly. I love you more than anything," you said, leaning in to kiss him.

He grabbed your face feverishly and pulled you into a kiss, rolling your body on top of his once again. His hands trailed down your back until they reached your ass, where they stopped. Eddie squeezed and then slapped one of your ass cheeks, making you jump and let out a little yelp.

"Eddie!"

"Sorry sweetheart, you're irresistible"

He pulled you back into the kiss, keeping his hands on your ass and the back of your thighs. He pulled himself up by your legs so that you were sitting on his lap, your chests pressed together. You shoved your hands up his shirt...your shirt...while you kissed, making him shudder.

"You wanna do this?" He asked

"I thought you'd never ask," you replied in a whisper

And with that, your shirt was gone, and so was his, and his ringed fingers were working on unbuttoning your pants while you did the same with his. The cold metal of his rings tickled your lower stomach as he unzipped your pants. He picked you up by your hips and laid you on your back so he could remove your pants entirely, doing the same with his once he was done with you. In the meantime, you reached to unclasp your bra

"Uh-uh princess," he stopped you, grabbing your arms, "that's my job"

His hands trailed down your arms until they met your hands which were holding the clasp of your bra. His hands replaced yours as he pulled the thin lace material off your shoulders and down your arms, your breasts springing free.

"So. Fucking. Perfect." Eddie said as his mouth traveled to your breasts, roughly kissing the skin just above your nipple

"Eddie, you're gonna leave a mark!" You said, running your fingers through his hair

"That's the whole idea darling, except nobody will be able to see them but me," he smirked

Your chest now adorned with bruises, Eddie pulled away to briefly admire you.

"Flip over for me baby"

You did as he asked, propping yourself up on your elbows as Eddie positioned himself behind you, snaking your panties off you.

Oh fuck yes. I love this man and everything about him.

He entered you slowly, moaning and growling as he slid in and out, giving you time to adjust to his length.

"I need you, Eddie, all of you, right now" you pleaded over your shoulder

"Anything for you baby" he said before he started ramming his hips into you, grabbing your hips with both hands, lifting one to smack your ass every few thrusts, catching you off guard every time. The little whimpers you let out drove him crazy, he loved knowing he was pleasing you...genuinely pleasing you.

"Fuck Eddie, oh my god," you said, throwing your hands up around your head.

"Give me those," he commanded

"What?" You asked, confused, looking back at him

"Your hands, give me your hands" He said between breaths, holding a hand out to catch them.

You did as he asked, Eddie holding both of your hands behind your back with one of his, balancing you on nothing but himself and your knees. He pulled you back with each thrust, making him go deeper.

"I'm close Eddie, so close" you said through gritted teeth

"Go on beautiful, let go for me," he said, keeping his pace

As you climaxed he snuck his free hand around your front, pulling you up so your back was against his chest as his thrusts got less intense. He thrust upward into you, barely moving, making you feel more connected to him than ever. With a final thrust he pulled out of you, pressing himself tightly against your back, his cum dripping down his front and your back, as he grabbed your stomach and breast with his hands.

"Fuck babe" he said into your ear.

You both looked an absolute mess. Hair all over the place, dirt in places it shouldn't be, and sweat and cum covering your bodies.

He held you close for a second before letting you go, admiring the view as you both caught your breath.

"I love you so much" you said to him, turning to face him, pulling the hair out of his face.

"I love you too sweetheart," he brought you close and kissed your forehead gently, his unsteady breath beating against your skin.

----

After the sun had set, you two walked back to Eddie's van and drove to his trailer. With metal music playing the entire drive as usual, Eddie placed a hand on your thigh and drew little circles with his thumb as he explained his living situation, his relationship with his uncle, and how excited he was for you to meet him one day. You smiled at him as he spoke, feeling warmth and excitement about the long, happy life you knew you were just beginning with Eddie 'the freak' Munson.

--

Part 10

Taglist: @definitelynotecho @sadbitchfangirl @lfaewrites @tlclick73