#I made Veronica a Black girl

[igottatho]

fanart, this is a snapshot I made for my #fnv comic ... still working on it.

[oneforthemunny]

take as needed |bouncer!eddie munson x bartender!reader|

prompt: a hectic week at the hideout has you burnt out, fed up, and on the path of destruction. eddie is in your path, and tries to course correct.

contains: minors dni. smut. dom!eddie x sub!reader tones this time. soft!dom!eddie. emotional release spanking. masturbation male. angst, fighting, they're kinda mean to each other but ends in fluff. based off this blurb from a while ago.

"Behind you." Veronica held the beers over you, shimmying through the crowded back area towards her customers at the end of the bar.

It was way too busy for The Hideout- for Hawkins. College was out for the summertime, all the college kids that fled as fast as they could after graduation were dragged back for the summer. Most of them would rather be at some stuffy bar that with their families, and you couldn't blame them, so they found there way here. On a Friday night, slammed and the karaoke machine in full effect from nine til midnight. Thankfully, you got off at ten, only an hour of enduring the screeching off note wails of the drunken patrons.

"Great song choice, man. Super metal." You looked up to see Eddie, all black even in the summer heat, sliding behind the bar, fist bumping the drunk kid who'd belted Welcome to the Jungle complete with the filthy moans into the mic. It had made everyone laugh, hoot and yell out encouragements at him. Everyone but you, it just irritated you.

"Hey there, pretty girl." Eddie muttered, grabbing your waist while he slid past you. "When you get a chance, can you make me a drink, please?"

"I'm super busy right now, Ed." You huffed, fishing a pen out of your back pocket, setting it on the bar for the drunk sorority girl to sign.

"I know, baby," Eddie cooed, ringed hands rubbing down you arms gently. You knew the act was to soothe you, calm you down, but it did nothing to relax you, only pissing you off further. "Whenever you get a chance. 'm on my break. You need any help? Wha'dya need me to do? How can I help?"

"No." You grit, shoving the ice scoop into the clumped, melting ice with a rather hard shove. "Can you just get out from behind here? It's crowded enough, Ed. 'M boiling and you're in my way."

"Easy, ease up." Eddie frowned at you. "Just trying to see if you need any help."

"I'm fine." You slammed the glass down on the counter, Veronica's eyes cutting over towards you carefully. You'd been on edge all night, frustrated and annoyed from the moment you walked in, such a contrast to your usual very sweet and bubbly demeanor. The customers seemed to notice too, seeing as your tips were practically cut in half, even on a busy night.

You tilted the bottle up, not even bother to properly measure the amount of vodka you were dousing into the drink. Veronica raised her brows at Eddie, shaking her head gently. You pressed the lemonade tap before turning to him. "I'll make your drink if I have time."

"I got it." Veronica offered, pulling two glasses out. "What do you want, Ed-"

"-I can make it, Veronica." You sneered, jamming a straw in the drink and adding it to the tab. "Just gimme a goddam second."

"Hey," Eddie's eyes narrowed at you. "What's gotten into you? Take a fucking chill pill and relax."

"I am relaxed." You sneered, slamming the drink on the counter in front of the wide eyed girl. "You are pissing me off."

"Hey, the both of you," Ellen huffed from her place behind you. "Why don't you both go on your fifteen." She suggested. "Cool off, alright?"

Eddie didn't give you a chance to protest, wrapping his arm around your bicep lightly, dragging you back towards the kitchen. You grumbled the whole way, whining about your tips, scuffing your feet along the sticky tile, until Eddie pushed the back door open.

"...and fucking Veronica has been taking all the regulars tonight, and I get all these young fucks who don't tip. Fucking bitch, like, she knows that's not fair-"

"-What is your problem tonight?" Eddie frowned.

You blinked, a scoff leaving your lips. "Me? What's my problem? Are you- are you fucking serious?"

"Yeah. You're being mean tonight. What's going on?" Eddie's jaw clenched, teeth grinding together.

"Oh, fuck you, Eddie. I am not being fucking mean, you're such a-"

"Hey," His ringed hand caught your jaw easily, light but firm. "Enough of whatever you're pissed about, alright? You gotta get yourself together. You're being mean to everyone. Not a good look. Killing the vibe, babe."

Your lips pursed, shoving him off of you. "You're a fucking piece of shit, you know that?" You sneered, reaching for the handle of the door. "I'm killing the vibe- fuck you! I'll kill the vibe if I want to."

Eddie's hand smacked onto the door, shutting it before you opened it completely. "What has got you acting like this?" Eddie demanded. You shoved him again, reaching for the handle. "Hey, stop it. I'm being serious, alright? Did someone mess with you? You're supposed to tell me or Ellen. I'll take care of them you know I will. Won't let them mess with you. Just- Can you tell me what's going on with you. Why are you being so mean tonight?"

"You're so fucking annoying." You huffed. "Nothing it wrong with me. You're just pissing me off."

"Yeah? Well, you're pissin' me off, too." Eddie snapped. You faltered at his biting tone. "Pissing me off, and everybody else off with your horrible little attitude."

"I don't have an attitude." You mumbled.

Eddie scoffed. "Yeah fucking right. You've been awful all night, and honestly, I'm sick of it. So is everyone else, so you better stop it now. Alright?"

It was your turn to scoff, a heavy eye roll accompanied. "Yeah? Or what? Huh? What the fuck are you or anyone else gonna do huh? Send me home? Cut me? Please, be my fucking guest."

Eddie moved, pinning you to the door, hands on yours, closing around them firmly. "If you don't quit acting so bitchy and mean, then I'm gonna treat you mean. Give you a taste of your own medicine." Eddie growled, eyes pointed in a fiery glare that had your knees buckling.

"You got me? Keep this shitty little attitude up, and I'm gonna drag you to the back and give you an attitude adjustment. That what you want?"

Your heart jumped at the threat, tummy flipping and pooling with warmth. "Y-You're not going to-" Your voice shook, Eddie's challenging look cutting you off further.

"No? You sure? You really think I won't? Keep it up." Eddie snarled, letting your hands go. "I'm sure everyone would love to see you get put in your place after how awful you've been tonight."

You let out a shuddering breath, watching him reach for his reds, sifting through the pack, curls falling in front of his face. Eddie turned to you, cigarette around his lips. "What?" He asked, flicking the lighter. "You want one?"

Your nose scrunched, grabbing the door handle and yanking it open furiously. Eddie rolled his neck, inhaling deeply. It was going to be a long night.

Though your attitude subdued through most of the night, enough that at least you weren't so hateful outwardly, not slinging mean comments. Instead, you took to glaring, shooting daggers at Eddie. Thankfully, the bar died down enough for the two of you to go home in time, Ellen giving Eddie a wary look over your head while you wrote your time.

"Fuckin' asshole." You sneered, sifting through the wadded bills, flicking the cash into the drawer.

"What's wrong?" Ellen asked, passing the check to the group of girls across the bar.

"That jackass only tipped a dollar." You grit, tucking the singular bill into your bra. "Six beers and four shots, and he tips a dollar? What a piece of shit."

Ellen's lips pursed. "Well, maybe if you were nicer-"

"-I was nice." You snapped defensively.

Eddie's shoulders tensed at your tone, even from his place by the door he could hear it, much clearer now that the place had started to clear out.

Ellen's brow raised, looking at you then to Eddie. He could feel his face flush, mortified at your attitude. "You know what? It's died down, and you..." Ellen shook her head. "Veronica and I can close up tonight. You can go home early."

You scoffed, dumping the glasses into the tray. "I don't have a ride. I came with Eddie. It's fine, I'll start the-"

"-No, Ed!" Ellen waved him over. "You two go home early, alright? Last calls in an hour, it's dying down. We got it."

Eddie wanted to die, melt into the floor. He felt like he was in grade school again, getting in trouble because someone was talking to him, grouped in with the trouble when he was innocent.

You didn't argue, huffing when you split the tips in the jar, stomping away towards the back. "Ellen, hey, I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with her tonight. I think she's just in a bad mood-"

"-That's an understatement, Munson." Ellen grumbled, eyes rolling. "Did you two fight or something on the way here?"

"No, we didn't-"

"-Because I'm glad you two are together. I think you're real cute, but if it's going to effect your work like this. I'll have to stop scheduling you two together." Ellen gave him a pointed look. "And that's really gonna be a pain in my ass."

Eddie swallowed, hands buzzing, twisting his rings nervously. "No, I get that. It won't- You don't need to do that. I'll get it under control. This was just a one time thing. She's just having a bad day."

Ellen held his gaze, a stern glare that had Eddie's heart picking up, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I hope so. I'm choosing to believe you because I agree, that," Ellen waved towards the back where you were no doubt sulking. "Is out of character."

Eddie nodded, muttering a sigh filled apology. Ellen waved him off. "Hey just make sure you two are good on Tuesday, alright? We'll start fresh. Have a good weekend."

"You too. And you, Veronica, thank you." Eddie waved, pushing the swinging doors towards the back.

He found you next to the lockers, arms crossed and leaning against the wall, foot tapping in annoyance. "What took you so long?" You snapped.

Eddie flinched, blinking back at you in disbelief. "What?"

"I've been waiting. It took you forever." You huffed. "You usually run out of here and tonight, when I'm already in a bad mood, you take forever? Are you just trying to piss me off?"

"Are you?" Eddie snapped. Your eyes widened, face falling at his tone, furious, annoyed.

"What?" You swallowed.

Eddie shook his head at you, grabbing the lock on his locker, spinning the combination. "You're..." Eddie scoffed lightly.

"What? I'm what?" You clicked your tongue in annoyance.

"You're being a real asshole tonight." Eddie looked over his shoulder at you. "Embarrassing, acting like this. Getting sent home early? How are you not embarrassed?"

Heat filled your chest, heavy and suffocating, different that the bubbling rage from before. "I thought you'd be ready to crawl in a hole after Ellen sent you home." Eddie flung the metal door open, letting it hit the others with a loud clank! that had you flinching.

"Then you get me sent home too, and you've got the fucking audacity to be mean? To talk to me like that?" Eddie glared at you over his shoulder. Your frame shrunk, heart pounding in your ears. It was the most subdued you'd been all night.

"I-I didn't get you sent home-"

"-The fuck you didn't." Eddie scoffed, grabbing his keys, his wallet out of the locker, smacking it shut. "You wanna know what was taking to long? I was talking to Ellen. She was telling me if we can't keep our personal life out of work, we can't work together. I was trying to tell her that we didn't get into a fight, and she didn't believe me."

Eddie took a step towards you, time card in hand. "She couldn't believe you were just mean like that unprovoked." Eddie shoved the card in the clock. "So what? You mad at me? Is that what's going on?"

"No." You muttered, looking down at your beat up sneakers, covered with sticky stains from the night.

"So what then? Care to tell me what's wrong? I mean, shit, we're getting sent home now. Feel like you should let me in on what's goin' on." Eddie threw his hands up, keys rattling between his fingers.

"Nothing's wrong-" You sneered, barely registering the ringed hand that caught your chin. Fingers squeezing your cheek in a firm grasp, pulling your gaze to Eddie's.

His eyes lidded, nostrils flaring down at you. "You better watch it." Eddie gritted. "Keep this shit up, and I'll lock that door and fix that attitude in here."

Your tummy flipped, swallowing thickly around the lump in your throat. Agitation fizzled into arousal at the threat. You cursed yourself for feeling that way.

Eddie's eyes squinted, head tipping towards yours slightly. "That what you want?" He huffed, hand still firm on your cheeks. "You acted like this because you wanted me to be mean to you-"

"-No." You sneered, wiggling in his grasp, scared he could feel your cheeks burning with embarrassment. "That's not why."

"So tell me why." Eddie's hand loosened, eyes still pinning you with his gaze. "Tell me what's goin' on."

Your chest sunk with a heavy guilt. Burnt out from tireless hours of work, cranky from lack of sleep, annoyed that Ellen let Pat off for the week when the place had never been busier. All of it eating away at you throughout the week until you finally snapped.

"I just wanna go home." Your tone was softer than before, still teetering on huffy. "I don't want to be in this place for another second. I'm so sick of being here."

Eddie nodded, tongue sliding over his teeth. Keys clenched in his hand, he stayed silent. The car ride uncomfortable silent, neither of you speaking first, the hum of the radio the only refuge.

"You gonna tell me what's going on?" Eddie broke the silence after nearly an hour. The two of you had gotten back to his trailer, going your separate ways to cool down. He finished a cigarette on the steps, let you do whatever you needed to inside.

He found you by the sink, scrubbing your makeup off. Mascara and eyeliner smeared down your lids, normally, he'd laugh. Squeeze your sides and tell you how metal you looked, silly and playful until you were giggling with him.

Not tonight.

A part of you wished he would have. It would have made you feel better.

That gnawing feeling of uncomfortableness was eating you alive from the inside out. Had your chest feeling tight, skin crawling with irritation. It had only grown worse, now that you were left to reflect on the night- on how you acted.

Eddie moved into the mirror behind you, pulling his shirt off, tossing it in the hamper. You brought the wash cloth back to your face, cleaning the smeared makeup from under your eyes.

Eddie's shoulders slumped. "C'mon." He sighed, softer this time. "What's wrong, baby?" His hands slid over your arms, pressing a small kiss to your shoulder. "Tell me what's goin' on. I know something's wrong."

Your nose burned, pressing the warm washcloth to it. "I don't know." You muttered, opening the mirror, plucking the faded lilac case from the shelf.

"I just... I don't know." Your eyes rounded, locking with Eddie's through the mirror. "I just- I don't know how to describe it. I just feel off?"

Eddie nodded slowly, hands resting on your back gently. "Off, how?" Eddie hummed, arms wrapping around your body, pulling you into him. You didn't fight him, melting into his embrace instead. "Tell me what's wrong, honey. I just want you to feel better."

Your head tilted back to his chest, his arms heavy over your frame. "Just off." You muttered. "I feel like I need to just get everything out. Hit the reset button because I'm just so- so, bleh."

Eddie's lips curled gently, swaying you lightly in his arms. "I just am, like, unsettled. I'm so tired from work, but then I get home and I can't sleep, and then people are so fuckin' rude-"

"-Who's rude to you?" Eddie pressed, frowning behind you.

"Just the kids." You roll your eyes, shoulders tensing. "Snotty college kids. They think they're better than you or something."

"So come get me when they do that." Eddie's chin hooked over your shoulder lightly. "I'll take care of them. Kick 'em out."

"Then we'd have nobody." You shook your head lightly. "It's just- I don't know. I just feel really off." You paused, craning your neck to look at Eddie. "I feel like I need to get it all out."

Eddie stilled. "You-You want me to help you with that?" He knew what you were asking. "You want me to... To spank you?" It wasn't the first time you'd done this, still his cheeks burned at the word.

Your sex life was far from vanilla, teetering on outright debaucherous at times. He was no stranger to being mean to you in the bedroom, just like you weren't to him. Still, when you'd asked him the first time, to give you emotional release in this way, it felt a little odd to him at times. To bring pain to you, even if you asked, when all he wanted to do was smother you with affection.

Still, he'd do anything for you. You knew that, he did too.

It was why he swayed so easily. Your eyes rounding, lashes batting so sweetly up at him. "It really would help me feel better." His heart skipped, a sweet tone he'd been longing for all night. "I really think it would help."

Eddie nodded, hands sliding down your arms again, squeezing your elbows gently. You picked the hairbrush off the counter, handing it to him, taking his free hand and guiding him to the bedroom.

He let you settle over his lap, wiggling until you felt comfortable, a pillow under your face. Eddie twirled the hair brush in his hand, fidgeting while you settled. It was still new. How hard did he hit in this scenario? Did he soothe you? Scold you? Say anything at all? When you were playing, it was easier. In a headspace that came naturally with the moment.

"Ok," You hummed, turning to look at him, cheek pressed to the pillow. "'m ready."

Eddie hesitated. "You- And you're gonna tell me, right? When you want me to stop?"

"Yes." You nodded gently. "Just don't stop until I'm crying."

Eddie's cock throbbed, a roller coaster like drop in his stomach at your words. "Baby, I'm serious-"

"-I am too." You frowned. "Eddie, I promise I will tell you if it's too much, but... just please? Until I'm crying then you can stop."

"O-Ok," Eddie's breath stuttered, hand smoothing over your pantie clad ass, cheeky cotton panties that had his brain trailing off. "I'm gonna, I'm starting."

You settled back into the pillow, Eddie's hand rubbing down your back soothingly. Your free hand snaked up, folding over the middle of your back, fingers wiggling at Eddie's. A sweet gesture that made his heart swell, interlocking his fingers with yours, pinning your hand gently to your back.

The hair brush's smooth wood pressed to your ass, tapping in a warning that had your hips clenching lightly. Eddie hesitated, bringing the hairbrush up, then lower, readjusting his aim, before letting it fall. A soft clap met with a tiny grunt from you.

"You can do harder than that, Ed." You muttered.

"Harder? Are you sure?" Eddie hoped you couldn't feel his heart beating. "I don't wanna hurt you when you're not feeling good, baby."

"You're not hurting me. You're helping me. I swear." You said softly, squeezing his hand gently, reassuringly. "You can do harder than that. I'll let you know if it's too much."

Eddie brought the hairbrush higher, sending it soaring down with a firm smack that had your breath hitching. He waited, your hips squirming in his lap.

"That was good. Just like that, Ed." You whispered, taking a deep breath in through the burn in your nose.

Two identical hits fell to each of your cheeks, a tiny squeak of a cry coming from you. Your grip tightening against his hand with every fall of the hairbrush. Eddie was more confident, fell into a rhythm that felt more comfortable.

Hips wiggling, tiny whimpers and cries coming from you, rotating from cheek to cheek, lower then higher. Eddie brought the hairbrush down, a flick in his wrist that was sharper, stinging against your skin.

A tiny hitch, a sniffle that sounded watery had his ears perking. Eddie paused, feeling the hitch in your chest. "Keep going." You gritted, a white knuckled grip around his hand. "Keep going, Ed. Please."

Eddie brought the hair brush down again, twice, sharp flicks that had you crying out- a real cry, broken and breathy. Unsure, Eddie shushed you sweetly, letting the hair brush fall onto your upturned ass again.

"Shh, it's alright. You're doin' good, sweetheart. Let it out." Eddie rasped, cracking the hairbrush down again. "Doin' good for me."

The next fall of the hairbrush had a cry breaking though your throat, tears springing in your waterline, threatening to fall. The bubble in your chest filling fuller and fuller, close to bursting with the building irritation on your ass.

"You're doin' good. I know you've got to be feeling better." Eddie soothed. "You still good? Need me to stop."

"No," You cried, shaking your head. "K-Keep going, Eddie, please, keep going. D-Do it fast. Fast ones."

Eddie let the hair bursh rain down in quick successions, all over your ass, sharp smacks that had you gritting your teeth in irritation, eyes clenching shut until finally, you felt a wave wash over you. Heavy with emotions, it crashed into you, body shaking in sobs.

Face pressed into the pillow, you cried into the soft cotton, rubbing your face against the pillow case to soothe yourself. Eddie slowed, stopping when your hand loosened in his, body slack and shaking with sobs.

Eddie held you, arms tight around you though it felt like it was more for him. Soft coos and whispers, a hand rubbing down your spine. He hoped you couldn't feel his erection pressing into you. He felt torn, arousal he couldn't help but felt wrong when you were crying. Sobs so deep, stuttering in your chest and rocking your frame.

He hadn't realized how exhausted you were, a pang of guilt ringing through his chest when you started to slump in his arms. Usually, he'd get you calmed down, finish off the night between your legs, to make you feel better or maybe him.

Tonight, he let you settling into the mattress, rolling you onto your side, tucking the pillow under your knees, how you always slept. He wasn't sure how it was comfortable, teased you about it the first time he saw it. "It helps with my back, I swear." You had giggled, hiking a leg up over the pillow and settling into the mattress. Eddie didn't care how you slept, honestly, if it meant you'd sleep next to him.

Settling you under the blankets, Eddie carried the hair brush back into the bathroom, setting it back on the vanity's counter. He pulled the Jergens off the shelf, hand wrapping around his length, relieving himself. Tomorrow, he'd take care of you, spend the day in bed with you if you wanted, hopeful but certain that you'd be better in the morning.

[lqveharrington]

Take A Break | V.

summary: it’s your daughter’s birthday, but Vox isn’t able to spare anytime for her.

pairing: Vox x Overlord!reader

includes: Vox has a normal head guys, fluff, HEAVY angst, family issues, arguing, mentions of sex tapes, Valentino being a weird ass uncle, over protective parents, cursing, mentions of murder (i think that’s it, tell me if i missed any!)

a/n: honestly, this request made me think of hamilton the musical, hence the title of the one-shot. 🤷‍♀️ (also full credits to the artist on X!)

As an Overlord in Hell, your life was somewhat easier than normal sinners. You had their souls under your belt for your own use and powers that only those ranked attained. You attended boring meetings with the other Overlords, but you didn’t think you would meet your other half during these meetings, nonetheless, marry him. As a result of the marriage, both your powers grew stronger, along with the power of his company since a new face joined.

Down the line, you somehow ended up pregnant. Was it highly impossible to have a child as a sinner? Absolutely. So the thought that you were to bear Vox’s child in Hell panicked you. However, he talked you through the entire process, ending with a healthy baby girl. She looked exactly like her father, except for the eyes. Her eyes resembled her mother’s in every shape and form.

Despite the phenomenon, you both cared for her. Well, mostly. You were the one staying in your penthouse in the Vee tower while Vox tended to his company’s needs. He worked endlessly and missed important events such as your daughter’s first steps, words, and laughter. You supposed he tried his best as he came back to you with gifts and kisses, but it never felt… right.

When your daughter’s thirteenth birthday came up, you expected him to stay home because it was a special birthday. It seemed like thirteen was your little family’s lucky number, so you thought it was an important event in his life for his only child to turn thirteen. Moreover, she finally became a teenager, which Vox deemed was old enough for him to take her out to watch the stars when she was younger.

“Happy Birthday, Vee.” You take your fingers through her black and red hair, kissing her temple. She smiled brightly up at you, pearly whites on display. “I know you’re excited, but you still have lessons to attend to.”

“I know.” She groaned, eyes flashing red for a second before settling. “Is Dad still up there?”

Your loving gaze faltered at the mention of her father, passing her the chocolate chip pancakes you made. “He’s at work already, baby. I’m sure he has something prepared for you when you get home.” You press another kiss to her head as you pull your phone out, squinting at the message Vox sent.

“Is it Dad?” Veronica murmured, twisting the fork in between her fingers.

“Don’t worry about it, yeah? It’s your birthday.” You slide your phone inside your pocket. “I’ll see you after your lessons?”

She hummed softly as you frowned, rubbing your temple. This was an important day for your daughter, and if Vox couldn’t remember the promise he made to her years ago, you weren’t prepared for the breakdown that was going to come from your new teenage daughter.

“Vox?” You enter his monitor room, blue light glasses steady on your face.

“My love?” He called back, eyes focusing on the rising and falling stocks in the industry. “What’s wrong?”

You ran your fingers through his hair, massaging when he pulled you down into his lap. You pressed a kiss to his jaw when he glared at the screen, “Do you know what day it is?”

“Uh,” He glanced back at you before muttering a curse at the stocks, aggressively typing something out on his computer. “Tax day?”

You let out a sigh, “Love, it’s Veronica’s birthday.” You tilt your head when you don't get a response. “Vox.”

“What?” He whipped his head toward you, his blue eyes swirling black and red. You steady the glasses on your face, frowning at his tone. His eyes scan your face before rubbing his forehead, “Darling, I’m sorry. But I’m really busy today. All of our shareholders decided to be assholes today and Carmilla wants a meeting about Angelic Security.”

You cup his face and press a soft kiss to his lips, “I know, I got your text message about a twelve-hour workday.” Your gaze flickered over toward the frame displayed on his desk, “But it’s our baby’s thirteenth birthday. She was looking for her dad earlier, and she didn’t—“

His phone rang out into the intensely large monitor room, causing you to look back over to him. “Look, I’ll see if I can get out of the meeting and schedule it another day. I’ll be back before the day’s over.”

“Do you promise?” You lift your pinky, the blue and red chain appearing from your wedding band connecting to his.

He lifted his pinky, locking it with yours. “I promise, gorgeous.” His phone rang out again as you leaned in to give him a kiss, raising a brow at the device. Vox chuckled at your reaction, rubbing his thumb over your lip. “I love you, but I have people to yell at, so kindly leave.” He tapped your thigh before answering his phone.

You pressed one last kiss to his cheek before stepping away from him, humming a tune while he yelled at whoever was on the other line. The link of chains connecting the two wedding bands never meant a deal was brought up, it merely signified the marriage. However, that promise meant more than just canceling a meeting and heading back home. It meant actually showing up for his daughter, saying that he didn’t forget about his promise from years ago.

“Hi, baby.” You kiss Veronica’s temple as she passes the kitchen with bags in her arms. “What’s all that?”

“Uncle Val and Aunt Velvette gave me presents.” She grinned, shoving them down on the kitchen counter.

You raise a brow at the size difference of the gifts, “And what did Aunt Vel get you?”

“She got me every single new item on her new line before she drops it.” She pulled out a t-shirt that you thought was inappropriate for a girl her age. Neatly folding it, she pulled out another article of clothing, a short skirt that would have you and Vox murdering people left and right.

“Right…” You gently take away the clothes and set them to the side, nodding your head toward the box. “What did Uncle Val get you?”

“He told me to give you this before opening the gift.” She handed you a card decorated with intricate details.

You unfold the card, eyes widening at the contents. “Can I take the movies Uncle Val gave you? I don’t think they’re for you, baby.”

“Wait what? Why not?”

“Because it’s not… don’t worry about it.” You snap your fingers, sending the box of movies to your shared bedroom with Vox. Your face was flushed from Valentino handing your daughter physical copies of the videos that were personal to you and Vox. It would have been chaos if you watched the videos together with no warning. “Never mind about that, how were your lessons?”

“Boring as usual.” She rested her head on her hand, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “Did you talk to dad?”

“Yes,” You set down the dinner you were preparing, wiping your hands on a hand towel. “He’ll be back soon. He had… stuff to do.” You waved your hand in the air, face contorting in tension. “Can you set up the dining table for dinner? I’ll call your dad to see where he is.”

Veronica groaned before begrudgingly moving away, grabbing the plates and utensils. You watched her leave before leaning your arms against the counter, head tilting down in exhaustion. Not only were you running around the tower checking in on your business, but you also prepared the gifts for your daughter while checking in on your husband’s vitals once in a while. Everything was rushed and disorganized, and the only thing your daughter wanted was for her father to be there for her birthday and fulfill his promise.

“Fuck.” You quickly wipe the tear slipping down your face, pulling out your phone. Clicking on Vox’s contact, you rub the ring on your finger, anxiously waiting for an answer.

“Yes?” His voice came through your phone, more agitated than usual.

“Vox, can you take a break and come up to us?” You start pacing, not realizing your daughter was behind the wall listening to you.

He muttered something as you heard the clicking of his keyboard through your speaker, “I’ll be there in a minute, can you save me a plate?”

“Vox, can you just—“ You run your hand through your hair as your eyes flash red, the same red consuming the items surrounding you. “I understand you’re busy, but your daughter hasn’t seen you all day.”

“Gorgeous, I heard you, but I have a very important deal I need to finish making then I’m all yours, okay?” He spoke with impatience, sighing when he heard silence from your end. “In a minute.”

“Fine.” You roll your eyes and end the call, dropping your phone onto the counter. You blink a few times to get rid of the red, everything around you falling back to its original placement.

“Mom, we can just celebrate with the two of us.” Veronica came around the doorway, fiddling with her fingers. “If dad is busy, I don’t want to—“

“Baby, it’s your birthday.” You push your hair back and pull a strained smile. The look you gave your daughter was almost dangerous, reverting back to your Overlord setting. “If your dad doesn’t show up before the day is over, I will physically go down to his office and remove him from this Hell.”

Her eyes widened at your words, “Mom—“

“Let’s go eat dinner, yes?” You leave a kiss on the top of her head.

Eventually, Vox did appear, but only for a few minutes before his phone began to ring again. He sighed, pressing his lips in a thin line, and got up, squeezing your shoulder and giving his daughter an apologetic look. The worst part about meeting his daughter’s eyes was the similar feeling of knowing how she felt.

Veronica projected a recognizable emotion through her eyes, something he could tell from miles away because it was the exact same look you gave him when it was just the two of you.

Disappointment.

“Vox, what the hell are you still doing here?” Valentino entered the monitor room, pink smoke billowing from his cigarette.

“Better question, what the fuck were you going to do in here?” Vox rolled his neck as he filed another claim against older companies.

Valentino chuckled, “Don’t worry about that… If I were you, I would be worried about your daughter. Velvette and I already sang Happy Birthday to your precious girl over cake. I'm sure she would have been happier if her daddy was there.”

Vox slouched in his chair, “Val, I’m almost done with these files then I’ll head up.”

“Oh, I would be careful.” He blew pink smoke across Vox’s face. “Your wife has her Overlord filter on tonight. It’s worse than before.”

“What do you mean?” Vox submitted the file to the HR department, taking his blazer and tossing it across his shoulder.

“She’s going to murder you, Voxy.” He bared his teeth at him. “You have a lot to make up tonight.”

Vox squinted his eyes at the moth before sighing, “Get the fuck out of my room or I’m having my wife come and murder you herself instead of me.”

“Scary.” Valentino grinned maliciously before leaving, a trail of pink smoke following.

Oh, Vox knew how much shit he was in when he returned home. After all, it was already 11:26 PM and he doubted that neither you nor Veronica were still awake. He teleported into the kitchen, setting the blazer on top of the counter before following the noise to the living area. He caught a movie on the television screen as he approached the couch, gaze softening at the sight. You were holding Veronica in your arms as she slept sprawled along the couch.

He caught your gaze a few seconds later, watching your tired eyes harden. “Do you know what time it is?”

“I know, but a lot was happening downstairs with VoxTek and—“

“You couldn’t hold that off for one day?” You whisper-shout in his direction as your daughter shifts around. “Vee was waiting all day for you to take her to see the constellations of Hell, and you broke it, Vox! I don’t understand how you could just leave her with a broken promise—“

“Gorgeous, it’s not the end of the day. I can still make it up to her.”

“And what? Wake her up from the day she’s had? Vox, she’s been waiting for this moment since she was five, and you couldn’t spare one second?” You feel your eyes flare red before realizing what's going on. Vox knew you had to calm down, and typically he would help, but it was clear you wanted nothing to do with him just yet. “You didn’t even say happy birthday this morning because you already left for work.” You carefully adjust Veronica in your arms, glaring at your husband. “I understand that the company is important for our image, but destroying a relationship with your own daughter for the company is never something you should do.”

Slowly, you carry your daughter in your arms, using some of your wisps to help carry her. Vox reaches out to help but you deny him, causing him to purse his lips. “Seriously?”

“I’m dead serious.” You crease your brows. “If you can’t understand how fucking important it is for our daughter to have both her parents present during important days, I promise you that I will make your life worse than living in Hell.” As you ascend the stairs leading up to Veronica’s room, you feel the burn of his stare hitting you. “And for the sake of your mental and physical health, please take a break from work. Your vitals have been dropping.”

The life you held in Hell seemed easier to those outside of the Tower, but the three of you knew that there was never a moment in time where you could be free of the constraints you were given, not allowing a single break of freedom or contentment.

©lqveharrington - all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms

[corruptedcaps]

The Bitch Box

Gina tiptoed into her stepmom’s walk in closet, heart racing. Her stepmom, Veronica, was everything Gina wasn’t. Gorgeous, confident, and ruthlessly cruel. Veronica had made Gina’s life miserable since she’d moved in, always quick with a sharp comment about her appearance or a snide remark about her lack of friends.

Gina wasn’t supposed to be in here, but she was looking for something, anything to convince her dad to leave the bitch.

As she pushed aside the rows of designer clothes, something caught her eye. It was a black box with a black tag hanging from it that read ‘Regina’. She knew instantly it was from Veronica, only she used her full name. A name she abhorred hearing, even reading it made her shiver in disgust.

Gina worried that Veronica knew that she would be snooping around and left the box as some sort of message but then again her birthday was coming up soon. Veronica had never been the gift giving type but Gina had to know what was in the box. Taking it barely out of the closet it, she lay it on her parents big bed.

As she slowly lifted the lid she prepared herself for the worst. Maybe it would be some diet pills, maybe it would be a coupon for a salon, an insult masked as a gift. However of all the things she expected she was surprised to see a pair of tight black latex pants.

Intrigued, Gina reached out, her fingers just grazing the smooth material when, without warning, the pants sprang to life.

They coiled around her hand, slithering up her arm like a snake. Gina gasped, trying to pull away, but the pants had a mind of their own. They slithered down her torso and wrapped around her legs.

Gina’s heart pounded as the latex pants tightened around her legs, clinging with an unnatural force. Panic surged through her, and she immediately tried to pull them off, her hands frantically grasping at the slick material. But the pants seemed to have a life of their own, resisting her every effort, fusing with her jeans in a way that was both terrifying and mesmerizing.

“No! This isn’t right!” She gasped, yanking harder, but the pants only gripped tighter, inching up her thighs and forcing her hips to curve seductively. Her initial panic began to mingle with something else, an unexpected thrill that sent shivers down her spine. She could feel them reshaping her, every twist and pull of the latex transforming her body into something new, something… sexy.

Each squeeze sent a wave of heat through her body, starting in her legs but quickly spread upwards. It was a tingling sensation that left her skin humming with energy.

Her stomach was next to change as all fat evaporated, giving her a perfectly flat and toned tummy. She had seen girls in her school spend months in the gym to achieve such a look.

She didn’t have time to dwell on it as the day from her stomach moved upwards and merge with her modest boobs. She watched in disbelief as her tits began to swell, becoming fuller, more pronounced. The pants were seemingly moulding her body into something more undeniably alluring, almost predatory.

As the changes continued, Gina’s resistance faltered. “No… I need to stop this…” She whispered, but even as the words left her lips, a part of her wasn’t so sure anymore. The fear was still there, but it was quickly being overtaken by a strange sense of exhilaration.

Her hair, once wild and frizzy, straightened into silky waves that cascaded down her back. She reached up to touch it, marveling at the luxuriously sleek texture. “This… feels... mmmm so fucking amazing.” She murmured, her voice becoming smoother, more seductive. Her hands had moved from trying to rip the pants off to instead roaming them over her new body.

She could see her reflection in the mirror now, the girl staring back at her was almost unrecognizable. She looked wickedly sexy, with a hint of danger in her eyes.

Gina’s fingers brushed against her lips as they plumped up. The sharp, polished nails that had replaced her bitten ones made her smile with a newfound confidence. Thick makeup covered her face and dark eyeliner gave her a look that could kill. The initial urge to fight was waning, replaced by a growing sense of entitlement.

The more the pants changed her, the more she found herself enjoying it. The power, the beauty, the seductive allure, it all felt so right, so intoxicating. The fear and resistance that had gripped her at the start dissolved into a deep, self-assured arrogance.

Gina’s lips curled into a wicked smile. “Why was I fighting this? I feel so fucking hot and amazing.” She purred, her voice filled with satisfaction. She struck a pose, admiring the way the pants clung to her now-perfect form. The transformation was complete, and she had never felt more alive.

Gina couldn’t stop staring at her reflection. She turned slowly, letting her hands glide over her newly transformed body. “Look at me, I’m… perfect.” She gloated, her voice laced with awe. She ran a hand down her chest, feeling the firm curves that the latex had sculpted.

She struck a pose, arching her back slightly, one hand on her hip. “All those girls at school, with their cheap makeup and tacky clothes… they’re nothing compared to me. How pathetic they must seem now, trying so hard and failing so miserably.” She purred, her lips curling into a satisfied smile.

Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous confidence as she stepped closer to the mirror, her gaze sharp and cold. “They’re beneath me, all of them. From now on, I’ll be the one they look up to. The one they envy. The one they fear.” She said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Looking over to the box she spied there was still more in it. With a grin she took out a leather jacket and a pair of expensive Louboutins. Knowing what the pants did, she eagerly held out her arms and the jacket leapt up and snaked up them. She slipped seamlessly into the leather material as it complimented the pants perfectly.

She sat on the bed and held her feet out. The shoes jumped out and snugly fit onto her feet. Standing back up she gazed at her completed form with a self satisfaction she had never experience. It was intoxicating.

Gina smirked, a wicked gleam in her eyes as she struck another pose, reveling in her newfound power. “I’m not just better, I’m superior. And they’ll all learn that soon enough.” She declared, her voice tinged with arrogance.

As Gina admired her transformed reflection, the door creaked open, and Veronica stepped into the room, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. She took in the sight of Gina, now exuding a wicked allure, and a sly smile spread across her lips.

“Well, look who’s found her birthday present a bit early.” Veronica said, her tone dripping with mock surprise.

Gina turned to face her, a mixture of confusion and curiosity flashing in her now-intense gaze. “Birthday present? You did this?”

Veronica chuckled, sauntering closer. “Of course, darling. I was getting tired of having such a pathetic stepdaughter, someone who couldn’t even stand up for herself, let alone command the attention she deserves. But I knew the bitch box could help.”

“The bitch box?” Gina echoed, a mix of intrigue and wariness in her voice. Veronica stepped over to the bed and picked up the now empty box sitting there and put the lid on.

Veronica’s eyes sparkled with a dark satisfaction. “It fulfills the owner’s darkest desires and gives them what they need to become a true bitch. Inside your box were those stunning latex pants, the leather jacket that’s now molding to your curves, and the heels that give you that perfect strut. Everything you needed to unlock your true potential.” She explained, her voice low and enticing.

Gina glanced down at her outfit, admiring how her new body fit it perfectly. She flexed her fingers, admiring the sharpness of her nails, and felt a rush of power and confidence surge through her.

“So, you planned all of this?” Gina asked, her voice tinged with both awe and a newfound edge.

Veronica nodded, her smile widening. “I knew you had it in you. I knew Regina was inside you waiting to be unleashed. You just needed a little push. Now look at you. You’re everything I wanted in a daughter. Strong, beautiful, and above all, utterly ruthless.”

Gina’s lips curled into a smirk. The resistance she had felt earlier was completely gone, replaced by a thrilling sense of destiny. Hearing her full name no longer filled her with disgust. It filled her with evil pride. Gina was a loser nobody, Regina was everything. She never wanted to go back.

Regina turned fully to face Veronica, a sly smile spreading across her newly enhanced lips. “Thank you, Mommy.” She purred, her voice dripping with the seductive confidence that now defined her. The word "Mommy" rolled off her tongue naturally, with a warmth and affection she’d never felt before. Veronica wasn’t just her stepmother anymore. She was her true mother, the one who had unlocked her potential.

Veronica’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she heard the new name, and she reached out to gently cup Regina’s chin. “That’s my girl. You’re everything I wanted you to be. My perfect bitchy daughter.” She said, her voice full of pride.

Regina nodded, her eyes full of eager anticipation. “What next?” She asked, her tone laced with excitement and a newfound hunger for more.

Veronica’s smile widened as she handed over the sleek, black box that had started it all. “Whatever you desire, darling.” She said, her voice a whisper of dark promise.

With a sense of purpose, Regina took the bitch box and carefully opened it, her breath catching as she saw what lay inside. A pair of designer sunglasses, sleek and impossibly chic, resting atop the velvet lining. They weren’t there before but they were the perfect final touch to her transformation.

Regina lifted the sunglasses from the box, admiring their expensive design. They were the perfectly haughty item to finish her spoilt brat look. She slipped them on and felt the world shift through their tinted lenses.

“How do I look mommy?” Regina said as she admired herself in the irritating some more.

Veronica watched her with pride. “You look spectacular, my dear. You’ll always be my little princess but it’s time you claimed your place as Queen at school.”

Regina smirked, the sunglasses perfectly complementing her new look. “Oh, I will, Mommy. I will.”

Without another word Regina strutted out of the room and down the stairs. Veronica walked over to the window and looked at the black sports car wrapped in a red ribbon parked in the driveway. She waited with bated breath for Regina to walk out. The box would always provide for Regina but Veronica still wanted to spoil her new daughter.

THE END

[photmath]

Blue Scribbles | Trent Alexander-Arnold

Pairing: Trent Alexander-Arnold x Female Reader

Summary: Trent and you have always bumped heads, but after seeing him kiss a girl, you begin to feel something you shouldn't.

Word Count: 8.0k

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, little angst reader is drunk briefly, jerkface Trent, vomitting, loose-editing

Note: Not my best work but might as well free up space in my wips. Just a whole lot of nothing but Dominik cameos, sorrry.

“Trent, are you bringing anyone to the party?” Harvey asks, flipping through his notepad to jot down the number of guests.

Trent nods his head mindlessly, head still tucked down as he scrolls through his phone, “Yeah, just put down two.”

“Girls?” Dominik blurts. “Gonna have them meet at the same time?”

Trent looks up at his friend, a smug expression unfolding on his lips as he looks at the rest of the group. All six pairs of eyes await his answer. His eyes circle back to you, his smirk growing wider, “Something like that.”

You dart your eyes away. You don’t care who Trent brings to the party, it just bothered you that after looking at the entire group of six at the table, he stopped and stared at you to confirm his number of guests. It shouldn’t have made you feel anything, but it left you feeling bitter.

Harvey nudges your elbow, “And what about you?”

“Just me,” you murmur. Trent snorts from across the table and you look up at him, he sends you back a wink. “Say what you have to say.”

He shrugs, placing his phone face down on the table, “Nothin.’”

“Don’t start,” Veronica rubs her temple.

“Are you going to tell those two girls, who by the way, are bestfriends, that you’re fucking the both of them?” you remark, ignoring Veronica’s plea. The rest of the group groans, Jude gasping.

“You’re doing what?” His eyebrows wide.

Trent clenches his jaw, the smug expression he wore moments ago disappearing, “I’m not fucking either.”

“Yeah right,” you huff, closing your laptop and slipping it into your bag.

“Where are you going,” Tara sits up, grabbing a hold of your wrist.

“I’m going home.”

“It’s dark out, you can’t walk alone.”

“It’s not that late,” you reply, throwing your backpack over your shoulder. The sun had already set and the apartment was not that far away, although sure, it would’ve been safer to walk with someone.

You don’t notice Trent trailing behind you until the door swings open, him scurrying behind you, “Did you really have to say that so loud?”

“It’s not like we all didn’t know.”

Jude not knowing was his own fault, he was too airheaded at times to remember gossip.

He grabs a hold of your wrist and you spin around to face him. He shoves his hands into his black hoodie, “I’m not having sex with either of them.”

You shut your eyes close, “I don't need to know that.”

“Yeah, well you talk like you know everything,” he exasperates.

Huffing, you pull your jacket tighter to your chest, “Okay, fine. You aren’t fucking either of them.”

Trent purses his lips, “I’ll walk with you.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, come on,” he walks past you, bumping into your shoulder.

Trent is not someone who you consider yourself close to. He was a part of the friend group, but he was also your academic rival. The two of you bumped heads constantly in class, always on opposite sides in debate, and fighting over the better grade in biology. No amount of “forced-bonding”—as Veronica described it—stopped the bickering. Since you met him four years ago, nothing has changed and that didn't seem to be changing soon either.

Trent suddenly shuffles around in his backpack, tsking to himself as he looks back at you, “Do you have a pen I could borrow? We have that paper due tomorrow and you know, we have to write it out.”

You roll your eyes, swinging your bag around to your chest. You’re careful to make sure you don’t slip off the sidewalk but Trent stays close to the side closest to the road, him bumping into your shoulder to move you further away.

“Sorry,” you mutter, unzipping the small pouch. The only available pen you have is a brand new blue Pilot G2 pen, one that you got from the library. You sigh, “Here.”

“Thanks,” he takes it and threads it into the space between the tip of his ear and head. His locs fall on top of it.

You resist the urge to roll your eyes, only helping him because he was walking you home—but he lived in the apartment next to yours. No surprise there.

“Have you already finished your paper?” He asks, turning back to you. A cloud of condensation blows in your direction.

“Yep.”

He nods, “You had what? Romanticism?”

“Uh-huh.”

He chuckles, “What’s got you so upset? I just saw you earlier and you were fine. And then the stunt you pulled in the library? What’s up?”

“Nothing, I’m good,” you stare ahead, the apartment finally coming into view.

He bumps into your shoulder again, this time with more force, “Why are you being such an ass?”

You stop abruptly, attempting to grab your pen back but he just weaves away. “Am I supposed to thank you for walking me home?”

Trent smiles but not genuine, his tongue licking across his lips, “I try to be nice even after you’ve said something about me twice.”

“You live there too!” you scoff, and then turn back to the apartment. Scanning the key fob, the staircase doors open and Trent follows closely behind you.

“I was trying to make small talk with you,” he says calmly, rephrasing his words as if it will prolong the conversation.

“Don’t. We don’t do small talk.”

“Your mood changed so fast, sorry for trying to make sure you were okay,” he relents.

You halt, turning around and looking down at him, “Don’t act like you care about me.”

He gapes, “You’re my friend, of course I care.”

“Friends? We aren’t friends, Trent.”

“Why not?” he looks taken aback, his hand clutching onto the rail. His knuckles turn whiter the longer you take to respond.

“Because you ruined my presentation!”

“That happened months ago.”

“That was an asshole move and you know it, don’t be dense. I worked on it for an entire month and you fucked it all up, for what? A five minute laugh? You cost me my grade,” you cross your arms, feeling yourself grow hot as rage seeps through you. “I would’ve never done that shit to you. Why do you think I’ve kept my distance from you? All I want to do is punch your stupid face.”

Trent huffs, “Then do it, if that’s going to stop making you feel upset.”

You blow out a breath, “You don’t get it.”

“Then tell me.”

“I was this close to getting an A,” you pinch your fingers together, displaying the small gap you needed to bump your B to an A. All you needed was a superb presentation and you would've gotten it, but here comes Trent, infiltrating your hard drive and changing your entire presentation to Latin. Luckily, you had memorized and practiced what you wrote and was able to present it that way, the PowerPoint just a mere background. But it wasn’t enough to change your grade to an A.

You exhale slowly again, “And then you changed my presentation and I got a bad grade on it. Long nights worth of researching, gone.”

Trent glances around the stairs, biting down onto his bottom lip, “I’m sorry.”

“Too late,” you purse your lips. “It doesn’t matter now.” You turn around and head up the stairs. Trent lagged behind but then eventually caught up to your pace. You held the door open for him begrudgingly, him walking past you without a glance. His hands stuffed into his pockets as he walked down the corridor to your and his apartments.

He shuffles around in his pocket for his keys and then opens his door, slamming it closed and you furrow your eyebrows at his attitude. You slam your door back, not caring that it rattles the apartment.

-

Trent is a couple of minutes late to class, your professor going on about your papers needing to be passed down to the ends of the rows so that she could pick them up.

And for whatever reason, your eyes latch onto Trent’s appearance once he strolls into class. A black beanie covers his head as he climbs up the stairs, his backpack on one shoulder, and the black leather jacket he has on makes your eyebrow rise. Was it new?

As he passes by your seat, the scent of his usual laundry detergent is replaced with an unfamiliar cologne. You let out a cough, him glancing in your direction but then turning away as he sits down. His eyes look a lot more hooded than usual, and the sudden emergence of eye bags.

Two seats separate the two of you but the space is so small that it’s almost an arm’s length of distance in reality. You had missed the first day of class, not realizing the seat you chose the second day of class was next to Trent, neither of you daring to move away.

He takes out his paper quickly, passing it in your direction and the ink—it’s black? You give him a dubious look as you pass it to the person sitting beside you.

“Where’s my pen?”

“I lost it,” he mumbles.

“Are you serious?”

He nods, never looking at you as he props up his iPad, “Very.”

“Dickhead,” you whisper. You’d have to grab another pen. You had multiple colored pens, but nothing compared to the slick roll of a Pilot G2 pen. It was a good pen.

Class goes by without another peep from Trent, until the professor tells you you’ll be assigned a partner and topic for the next research paper. You hold your breath as you search through the class’s website to find your partner, and the universe always works against your favor:

Trent Alexander-Arnold. Darwinism.

Trent slams his iPad case closed, seemingly just reading the same list you did and you groan. The paper was due in a week.

“We can meet up later this week,” you suggest.

“I have to get to class,” he says, swinging his backpack over his shoulder and walking away.

You sigh, gathering your things and then following Trent. He is already at the end of the row when you notice a blue tab sticking out of the small pouch of his backpack. Your pen!

You pick up your pace, grumbling at your peers as they stop you from catching up to him. They crowd the stairs and take their time going down them, you attempting to maneuver through them but it’s no use. Once you exit, you stand on your tippy toes and catch the tip of his black beanie. As you beeline towards him, he turns the corner and once you round it, you stop dead in your tracks.

He’s grinning as he wraps his arm over a girl’s shoulder, leaning down to press a kiss on her lips. It isn’t a quick kiss, it’s a deep one, his fingers coming up to her cheek to draw her in deeper. Something tumbles in your stomach, making you lean against the wall for support. You turn away, feeling like you’ve invaded his privacy and you really shouldn’t have seen that. You swallow the bile in your throat and head to the library.

Dominik is the first one you see in the study room, his head perking up as he spots you, “Hey.”

“Hey,” you exasperate.

His eyebrows pinch, “You okay?”

“Mm-hmm,” you say, avoiding his gaze. “Just motivating myself for Harvey’s party tonight.”

He chuckles, “He says it should be lowkey, just us.”

And whoever Trent is planning on inviting.

You gulp, “Mm-hmm.”

“You look like you’re going to puke,” he says, putting down his iPad and standing up. He grabs the bin and pushes it near you.

Before you can thank him or push it away, Trent walks in. And that’s it, you bend down and hurl into the bin.

“Oh my god,” Dominik yelps. “Maybe you shouldn’t go to the party tonight.”

Trent doesn’t say a word as he sits down, you take the napkin Dominik pulled out of his bag. You wipe your face, feeling flushed and dizzy.

“I’m going to go home.”

“Do you want me to walk you?” Dominik asks.

“Uh—”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Trent says, slouching down in his seat as he types on his phone. You glance at him and notice the tips of his fingers are stained blue. You don’t question it as you get up to leave.

You can’t keep a secret. It was your biggest weakness, always making you physically ill. Trent was kissing one of those girl’s, her bestfriend oblivious that they were both going for the same guy. You had to either tell her or somehow forget about it.

Dominik huffs, closing his iPad and grabbing your backpack. He swings it over his shoulder and ushers you out of the room. Once the door closes, you blurt, “Trent was kissing her.”

“What?” Dominik asks.

“He kissed her. Her bestfriend has no idea.”

“Her bestfriend?”

“They’re both going for Trent!” You turn towards him and he’s blatantly confused, his lips part open.

“Okay, so what?”

“One of them is bound to get hurt.”

“Maybe they know,” Dominik sighs. “It’s not our business.”

“But tonight, he’s bringing them both.”

He walks you into the lift, “And? Trent can handle his own business. If he’s going for a pair of bestfriends, let him.”

“I’m breaking girl code,” you murmur, letting your head fall dramatically against the lift’s walls.

Dominik rolls his eyes, “You don’t even know them.”

“But I know it’s happening.”

Dominik sighs, letting the conversation die out. He walks you back to your apartment, making sure you eat something before he goes next door to his own bedroom.

-

Tara has you out of the apartment before you can even protest. Dominik’s already too buzzed to tell you to go back home, instead he’s pouring you a shot glass. Even though you know alcohol wouldn’t calm your nerves down, you down it anyway. It burns your throat that you turn away from the island, accidentally bumping into someone.

Looking up, Trent wears a weary smile as he looks down at you. His beanie is long gone, but so are his locs. Instead his hair is cut short, super short that you blink repeatedly at it, just to make sure your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you.

Before you can say something, he looks away and walks past you. You don’t realize his arm is clutching onto someone else, the girl from earlier following closely behind him.

Dominik coughs and you face him, he shakes his head rapidly. His cheeks flush red as he starts choking.

“Jesus, Domi.”

“What?” he rasps, bending down to catch his breath. You rub his back as your gaze finds Trent. Trent brings a brown bottle of beer to his lips, his gaze flickering up at you. “You aren’t the only one who lost a boyfriend today.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend to lose—wait what?” you pick up Dominik by his shoulder. His eyes are brimmed red, his cheeks still beet red. “What happened with you and Ibou?”

He shrugs, “He said he wants a break.”

“What?”

He looks down at his shot glasses, pouring another round of whiskey into them, “And it makes sense why you threw up, you like Trent.”

“No I don’t,” you deny, your eyes finding Trent again, hoping he couldn’t hear Dominik. Trent is too submersed into conversation to notice.

He nods, handing you the glass, “Don’t deny it, it’s obvious the more I realize it. Always has been.”

He can’t be right. Whatever chance Trent had was ruined the day he messed up your presentation. He made you sob in the girls’ restroom, there was no way you could have a crush on him.

But your stomach tumbling earlier today. The burn of your neck and cheeks. And the way your chest caved in so deep that it felt like you were choking—no.

It didn’t help that Dominik had known you so well. He was the first friend you made on campus and he had always had a knack for reading you. He ended up meeting Trent through his football team, but you had already known of Trent.

“See,” Dominik murmurs, pointing out the horror etched across your face. “He’s cute, he’s just an asshole.”

“No, Dominik, you’re wrong.”

He purses his lips, face growing somber, “I wish I was, just so I didn’t have to see the disappointment on your face. Let’s just forget about it. Ibou is supposed to come and I don’t know…I might escape to your apartment to be honest.”

“Go for it,” you mumble, tearing your eyes away from Trent and tilting your head back as you gulp down the shot. Dominik is quick to pour another, and Jesus, how many were you and him going to have back to back?

Once the both of you drink the third shot, you take the bottle away from his tight grip. The party had barely got rowdy thirty minutes ago and you had maybe fifteen minutes before you couldn’t see straight. Drinking with Dominik was never a smart idea and you were going to regret it soon.

Tara drags you and Dominik away from the island to the beer pong table. Trent stands behind you, the girl—and her bestfriend—beside him. Dominik hums in your ear, before grabbing a cup and drinking the beer.

“Dominik!” Jude yells and Dominik apologizes, a sloppy grin forming.

“You two drink too much already?” Trent butts his head between the two of you, Dominik murmuring in Hungarian as he gets startled—or annoyed—with Trent’s voice.

You look away, crossing your arms as Tara and Veronica start the round of beer pong.

Trent’s presence behind you makes you feel hot, as if you can feel his breath on your exposed shoulder. And when you miss your first shot, he doesn’t let his presence go unnoticed, “You can’t be that drunk already.”

“Shut up,” you slur, jabbing him in his rib with your elbow. The white tee he wears hugs his biceps tight that you get distracted momentarily before Dominik pulls you back to your senses. He tosses the next ball and it lands in a cup.

As the game continues, Tara and Veronica don’t let up, making you and Dominik drink more cups of beer. Your head was already spinning, incoherent words flying past your lips as you tried to distract Tara and Veronica.

Once you two lose, Dominik sits down on the couch and you groan, finding yourself in the kitchen and searching through their fridge for a bottle of water.

“What are you looking for?” Trent asks behind you, his arms folded.

“Why do you have so many eggs?” your brows furrow as you stare at the drawer filled with eggs.

“Do you need water?”

“Yeah,” you stand up, feeling the weight of the world around your head, and then you bump your head against the top of the fridge. Before you can tumble, Trent wraps his arms around your waist.

“Okay, let’s sit you down, yeah?” He ushers you to a chair and you groan, your head pounding from the sudden hit. The wave of pain seemed to only exacerbate your nausea. Your cheeks feel hot as you close your eyes to make the room stop spinning.

Trent uncaps the water and taps your elbow. You hold your hand out, “Hold on.”

“Do you need to throw up?”

“Just shut up.”

He sighs, “C’mon.” He bends down to hoist you up from your waist, ushering you into their guest restroom that was a few steps away. He locks the door and leans you against the wall. He leans against the door, watching you carefully.

“Ibou and Dominik broke up,” you slur. Here go you spilling secrets that weren’t yours to tell. “Fuck you weren’t supposed to know that.”

He nods, “It’s okay, I already knew.”

Thank God.

“And I saw you kissing that girl—ugh—what was her name, Clare? Clarissa?”

He furrows his eyebrows, crossing his arms. Your eyes selfishly land on his bulging biceps. He coughs, “Anything else you want to spit out?”

“I know you have my blue pen. And I’m really fucking drunk right now.”

Trent fights off a chuckle, it was a sight to see you flushed from alcohol. You rarely get super drunk and this seems to be the night you are going to—or already were. Your eyes are more hooded than usual, hair a bit out of place, and your face is sticky.

“Yeah, you are really drunk,” he chuckles.

“Why are you laughing? It’s not funny,” you groan. “My head, it feels so heavy and then the fucking fridge—”

Trent bursts into another loud laugh, “I’m sorry, it’s just, I haven’t seen you like this since last year.”

“I didn’t plan on it, Dominik kept pouring shots and then we sucked at beer pong.”

Trent shakes his head, “No, you sucked. He was pretty good.”

“I sucked,” you throw your hands up in surrender but it only makes you feel more unbalanced that you wobble.

Trent reaches out for you, “Woah.”

He brings his head away from yours, his lips shiny with saliva as he peers down at you. Your hands are clutching onto his arms to regain your balance and god when did his arms feel so strong? And those eyelashes, were they always this long?

“You okay?” he whispers. His voice is so soft that it makes you close your eyes, you wanting to desperately lean forward against him to settle the spins.

You are too drunk for this. Instead, you fall back onto the wall and try to stand against it as straight as possible.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

He lets go of you and hands you the water bottle, “Drink up.”

Bile teases along your throat that it hurts swallowing but you continue on, feeling the bottle crush beneath your grip. Trent watching you gulp down the water doesn’t make the room any less stuffy or hot.

“You’re drunk,” he repeats, “so you won’t remember any of this in the morning?”

You let out a dry chuckle, “Probably not, to be honest. Being in a small restroom with you, god I hope not.”

Something flickers across Trent’s eyes but it’s gone within a heartbeat as he says coldly, “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to remember this either.”

“Why aren’t you with Clarissa and her bestfriend?”

“Because I’m here taking care of you being a sloppy drunk,” he spits.

“I can handle myself, I was doing just fine until you startled me and made me hit my head.”

Trent’s nostrils flare, his jaw clenching, “I don’t understand you.”

“Save your monologue, I won’t remember this and I really want to remember the way you look like you’re about to lose it,” you say monotonously, finishing the last bit of water.

Trent grits his teeth, “Can you stop being an ass for five minutes?”

“Timer starts now.”

“Why do Clarissa and Diane bother you so much?”

“Because they’re bestfriends, that’s cruel, Trent,” you say. “They have no idea you’re playing them both. I shouldn’t be surprised after you humiliated me in front of everyone in class, but that’s cruel. And you say you’re sorry but you’re doing the same thing.”

Trent’s eyebrows crease, “It’s none of your business.”

“It’s not, but you’re an awful person. And it just makes me look at you differently. If the presentation didn’t prove you to be the biggest jackass at this uni, that does.”

“What you think of me doesn’t matter to me.” Trent snarls, looking around the restroom but only faces the mirror, where he immediately darts his eyes away from his reflection. “You made it out to be that I was playing them both, I’m not.”

You gawk, “You were right, I am too drunk for this.” You step to leave the restroom but he stops you, your head bumping into his chest that you stumble back against the wall where you were. “So what, I’m wrong and you’re only going for Clarissa? You know what, you’re right again, it’s none of my business and I’m not about to sit here and try to get it right because I won’t remember this in the morning. I’ll still think of you the same.”

“I like you,” he blurts out.

“What?”

He looks…flushed? Shocked? His eyes wide and his lips part as if he can’t believe what he just said, “Nothing. I just wanted you to stop talking.”

Silence falls between the two of you as he scratches the nape of his neck. He chews on his bottom lip anxiously. You couldn’t have heard him right. Surely the alcohol was seeping deep into you that comprehending words was much more of a task than before.

“Why did you cut your hair?” you ask quietly. Your gaze shifts to his chest, it’s heaving rapidly.

He shrugs, “Just wanted a change.”

“Oh, okay. Cool.”

“Do you like it?” He glances at the mirror and pats the back of it down.

Instead of answering, your jumbled mind reads his expression. He’s looking away from you but he’s expecting an answer, looking shy. His hands are still patting misplaced curls back into place but nothing is out of place. He waits patiently for your answer, but didn’t he say that it didn’t matter what you thought of him?

“Didn’t even recognize you.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“I don’t know,” you shrug. He looks at you and his eyes urge for you to continue. “I guess good, but then I recognized you and it became bad.”

His eyes look down briefly, “I’m sorry for hurting you.”

“Yeah yeah,” you grumble, having heard those same words over and over again.

“I want to show you something in my bedroom.”

Your brows furrow, “I’m drunk, I’m not having sex with you.”

His mouth drops, “No! That’s not what I meant.”

“I would hope not,” you gag as the image of you two pops up in your head. “I don’t think I’d want to remember that anyway, good thing I wouldn’t.”

Trent’s flustered state doesn’t go away as he rambles, “I made you something.”

“If I go upstairs, you might have to carry me down.”

“Okay,” he shrugs, holding out his hand. “Come on.”

You hesitate, “Won’t your girls get mad?”

He rolls his eyes, “They aren’t my girls. Come on.”

You clasp your hand into his but the second he pulls you, you stumble into chest. He places his free hand on your waist and helps you out of the restroom.

Dominik stands with a drunken smile perched against the wall beside the restroom, “Oh, I’m glad you two worked out.” He sends you a wink before taking another swig of his drink.

You turn back to Trent, “Make sure he ends up in his bed tonight.”

“I know,” he nods, tapping your hip so that you can lead the way. Despite your few stumbles and the death stares from the pair of bestfriends, you make it to the staircase. Trent guides you upstairs with his hand pressed against your back.

Your head still felt like it was spinning but the bottle of water helped. You just needed some kind of bread, or crackers, something.

You turn back to Trent, he stops abruptly and bends down to your ear, “What?”

“Do you have food? Water and bread?”

“Bread?” He scrunches his eyebrows, his hand becoming more heavy on your back.

“It helps with alcohol.”

He blows a raspberry, “I’ll get it for you once we get to my room.”

“Okay, thank you.” You continue up the narrow stairs, cursing as you trip over a step. Trent hoists you up quickly, his hands never leaving your waist, even after your shirt lifted and he was now touching bare skin. His fingers stung, firm as they dug into you.

Once you reach his bedroom, you plop down on the floor and lean against his bed and bed frame. He leaves to get you bread and water and you peek around his room. Not much has changed since you had last been in it. There’s a couple of books piled on his nightstand, a hoodie loosely thrown over his desk chair, and a floor lamp lighting up the room.

You expect him to return with a bottle and maybe three slices of bread, but instead he returns with a six-pack of water bottles and an entire loaf of bread. You selfishly gawk at his biceps but then feel your eyes well up with tears.

“Are you crying?” he scowls, getting onto his knees and prying open the six-pack. He then unties the bread and faces it towards you.

“You brought me a whole loaf?” Your voice trembles as you tear a piece off and eat it. Your jaw wobbles as more tears spill out, a much harder cry than you expected.

“It’s just bread…” he mumbles, sitting next to you and hesitating to look at you. He rests his hands over his perched knees while you stuff your face with the bread. A small smile teeters against his lips.

“You’re so sweet.”

“You just said I was an awful person.”

“You do awful things,” you correct.

“Wouldn’t I still be awful then?”

You nod through tears, not wanting to debate the logistics of your drunk mind because you knew somehow you’d convince yourself to see him through rose-colored glasses. You’d circle back to him being a “sweet” guy because deep down you know he is, but sometimes he does things that you don’t understand—much less he.

He shuffles up to his feet, “Let me show you what I made.”

You shake his head, “Don’t. I won’t remember.”

Trent looks back at you, his piercing brown eyes growing more gentle as he looks back at you. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

“I want to,” you confess.

He swallows, his hand on the edge of his dresser, “You’d hate it if you were sober.”

“No I wouldn’t,” you say muffled, still chewing on bread. Being thirsty and hungry, this bread tasted like the best entree.

He nods persistently, “You’d get upset that I wasted your pen. Say something about it being a good pen, probably your last because you only ever have one pen on your person. And then you’d probably throw it at me.”

You chuckle, “That does sound like me.”

He doesn’t laugh, only purses his lips as he opens his top drawer. He pulls out two things, turning his back to you before sitting back down beside you with haste.

Your head still felt a bit heavy, but with you sitting and getting hydrated, it felt a lot better. Maybe you wouldn’t wake up in the morning with a throbbing headache, and maybe you barely missed your limit before blacking out and remembering nothing.

“Here,” he says sheepishly. He pulls out a papered flower, the petals scribbled with blue ink. The flower is so elaborate with layers of petals—it was a dahlia. It must have taken Trent hours to cut the pieces into the right shape and then scribble them all blue. You knew he had to color them blue afterward because of the way the scribbles lined up, all pointing to the apex of the petal.

“Oh my god,” you gasp, twisting the dahlia from its makeshift stem.

He pulls out what he hides from his waist, “I had to buy more blue pens, thought you’d want the extras.”

The blue pens are tied together with a white ribbon, a little bow in the center. They’re in a makeshift bouquet, baby’s-breath tucked in the gaps.

“Okay now I’m really about to cry and not because I’m drunk,” you say, setting down the dahlia and wiping away the tears that cascade.

Trent’s jaw drops, “You aren’t drunk?”

“I’m getting sober,” you sob. Somehow knowing Trent wanted to show you what he made you while you were drunk and couldn’t remember doesn’t quiet the ache in your chest. Why didn’t he want to show you while you were sober? Why didn’t he want you to remember? It would’ve helped the way you see him, not as the cold-hearted persona he puts out.

Trent stays quiet as his hands twirl around the bouquet of pens. You were going to remember everything in the morning.

“It doesn’t make sense,” you whisper through your cries.

Trent looks at you, his eyes frantic, his throat bobbing as he swallows.

“You were kissing Clarissa after you made me this,” you pick up the dahlia. “Why would you do that to her? To me?”

He shakes his head, “It’s just a flower.”

“Trent, this is—elaborate. This is detailed. It’s beautiful, not something you can make within an hour. Is that why you were late to class? Why you looked so tired?”

He gulps down, “I had gotten a haircut, that took a couple of hours and then I still had to write the essay—”

“Why are you lying?” you look at him and he darts away. His jaw tenses as his hands tighten around his knees. “You didn’t write the paper yesterday. You already had it done before you asked me for the pen. You never wait until the last minute to do an assignment. You got a haircut and then you made this, tell me I’m wrong.”

A heavy exhale leaves his nose as he glances at you, “You’re right.”

As another sob escapes you, Trent’s breathing seems to become difficult. He shuffles his legs around until they’re outstretched in front of him.

You shake your head, “God I’m so fucking stupid. You are an awful person, and I should’ve never thought you were any different.”

Trent was going to bask you in gifts as if he wasn’t making out with an entire girl after giving you the cold shoulder the same day. He spent hours making and buying you something—and those pens weren’t cheap—just to screw around with someone else.

As you attempt to stand up, Trent grabs your wrist, “Wait, let me explain.”

“How do you explain that, Trent?” you ask, almost yelling. You snap your wrist out of his grip and gulp half a bottle of water.

“Just listen to me,” he stands up, pulling his shirt down. “I convinced myself it was stupid. You fucking hate me. Why would you forgive me after all that I’ve done to you? I wasted your pen and then bought you more to replace them when all you wanted was your pen. You didn’t want my flower or more pens, just like how you didn’t want my apologies after ruining your presentation. It was a joke gone too far and I get that, but I didn’t think it would hurt you. I didn’t know it would bring your grade down. I know you’re smart, I knew you’d know what to say, but fuck I didn’t know our professor was going to grade the PowerPoint so hard. I tried to tell him that I did it, but all he did was bring my grade down too, but I maintained my A. I care about you, I do, and I’m sorry for hurting you.”

You shake your head, even though you were getting sober his words were too much to digest especially when he spoke way too fast to keep you from leaving.

“Trent,” you rub your forehead. “Even if all that is true, that doesn’t explain Clarissa.”

He holds out his hand in front of you as if you are going to dash out his room. “I was distracting myself from hurting you. Yeah, I’m hurting her too. I’m not proud of it, but—I can’t hurt you more than what I already have.”

“Yeah,” you nod tiredly. “You fucked up really bad.”

You make your way to his door but he grabs a hold of your arm, physically pleading you to stay and listen to him. “Wait, okay, please—”

“You wanted to give me these when I wouldn’t remember. As if I wouldn’t realize it was from you?”

Trent nods, “I know you would’ve, but it would’ve been different with you confronting me. I could’ve lied and said it was from Dominik or something—”

“God, you and your lies,” you shake your head. “Just fucking stop. I’m not going to listen to you if you keep fucking lying, I’m done with this.”

“I said ‘could’ve,’” he says curtly. “I’m being honest. Fuck,” he rasps, pulling the ends of his curls as if he still has his locs. “I like you, stupidly and selfishly so. The only reason I went for Clarissa is because I know you don’t like me back and I’ve been trying to move on. But it’s hard when we’re in the same friend group, when I see you in class, and then get paired with you. It doesn’t help that Dominik is constantly in my ear talking about what a screw up I am because I’m not doing this right. But fuck, do you know how much it hurt for you to tell me we aren’t friends? That you don’t even see me as a friend? I made the dahlia as a gift to give to you as a friend but fuck—” He stops himself and runs his hands over his short curls.

He shakes his head, “I scrolled through your Insta and for the first time realized how I’m cropped out of your posts or barely there. Even before I ruined your presentation, you’ve always hated me. I thought we were bantering, I thought you knew I viewed you as my friend and me teasing you about grades was friendly fire. We’re both competitive, but I thought you knew I cared about you. I thought it was so obvious. After I scrolled through your Insta, I didn’t want to give you the dahlia or pens back. I thought it best to forget about it.”

You bite onto your tongue digesting his words. He has always been a rambler, especially when he was desperate and watching him nervously shift the weight of his body between his feet, the way he tugged his hair, or him constantly licking and biting his lip between pauses, it hurt seeing him like this. He wasn’t prepared to confess his feelings or his intentions, just spewing his thoughts without a blueprint. It was a mess.

He was a mess.

“Trent,” you sigh. “Do you want to talk it out or do you want us to just talk tomorrow morning? After we’ve both gotten rest.”

He scratches his face, “I don’t think I’m going to get any sleep after this.”

You sure wouldn’t either.

You nod, moving the hoodie from his desk chair to his desk before sitting in it. “Okay, then let’s talk. The only reason I cropped you out of my pictures is because you aren’t much of a social media person. You always seem reluctant to take photos, never really wanting to be in them, and posting you after you didn’t want to be in the photo in the first place seemed like I was throwing you under the bus.”

Trent looks down but the side of his lip curls up, “It’s okay to post me.”

“Okay,” your tired voice comes out as a whisper. “I know us competing in class was always friendly but you really messed up with ruining my presentation. I know you are sorry about it, I get it, it just made me view you differently. Not as my friend because friends don’t hurt each other, but obviously we aren’t strangers. I forgive you for my presentation and grade, there’s nothing we can do at this point and it makes me feel a little better that you tried to help me despite failing. So we’re friends, okay? Friends.”

You hold out your hand for Trent, he reluctantly grabs it and gives your hand a weak shake. His thumb strokes your knuckles before he lets go.

“I like you,” you admit. “I like you too, but you have a lot of redeeming to do because I’m not sure if I can ever get the image of you kissing Clarissa out of my head. And you have a lot to sort out with her.”

He nods, “Mm-hmm, I know. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I know,” you sigh.

Trent seems distraught enough. He didn't need any more of his wrongdoings pointed out. He understood the message, even if he had gone all about this wrong.

“I think we both need to stop assuming stuff for each other. Like me hating you. Hate is strong, Trent, maybe a strong dislike but that was before this conversation,” you chuckle. “And I shouldn’t have assumed you were messing with both Clarissa and Diane.”

He nods, standing upright against his dresser, “Okay. We’re good.”

-

The next morning, Tara, Veronica, and you head over to the boy’s apartment to help them clean. Dominik’s wearing sunglasses, his curls tousled as you sit down next to him on the couch.

He barely moves his head in your direction, “Morning.”

“It’s noon,” you chuckle.

“I threw up in Trent’s bathroom when he walked you next door,” he says. “He came back pissed.”

“Did you forget where your room was?” you laugh. Trent enters the livingroom, the mop in his hand as he sees the two of you settled on the couch. His lips simper as he places the mop into the sink and then sits down in the space next to you.

Dominik coughs, “No. I just wanted to be with you and him, but I didn’t realize you both left. And then it just came out.”

“You missed the loo, you idiot,” Trent replies.

Dominik waves his hand, “How was I supposed to know the lid was closed?”

Trent rolls his eyes, bumping into your shoulder, “Hi.”

“Hey,” you smile. He seems more lively than before, his teeth breaking through his lips as he smiles bashfully. His eyes scan your face and it makes your cheeks warm. You turn away, looking towards Dominik, “Well, it seems like you have a long day ahead.”

You tap on Dominik’s knee and he groans. You get up and look back at Trent, “Need help with anything?”

“Still cleaning my bathroom,” he stands up. The loose gray zip up he has on flaps open revealing his white shirt underneath.

You scrunch your nose, “You slept with his vomit on the floor?”

“He threw up a lot,” he groans, walking you up to his room. “I cleaned most of it but not a deep clean. And then forced him into his shower, but I had to stay with him because he kept crying about Ibou.”

“You’re such a nice friend,” you chuckle.

His eyes flicker away from you, “I’m not awful.”

“No, you aren’t,” you smile.

A moment of silence engulfs you both as you enter his bedroom, his sheets jostled around and his bathroom emitting cleaning fumes. You let out a cough, going to his window and propping it open.

He chuckles, “Yeah, I don’t think I was supposed to mix some of these.” As he points at the various bottles of cleaning supplies he’s opened, you let out a laugh. Your cheeks ache from smiling at his uncertain facial expression, as if he couldn’t have passed out from cleaning.

You glance down, “Oof, you are not.”

The two of you work in tandem quietly but also talk about various things. Trent even brings up the project the two of you were paired together for and hashes out the dates to work on it.

It was soothing to converse with him without feeling on edge as if he would say something to get under your skin. He wasn’t making any snarky remarks, only a few teasing words, but they were jokes, a goofy grin always following afterward.

“What?” you gasp.

He nods, he tosses a wipe into the bin, “You forced me into the restroom downstairs.”

“Why would I do that?”

“You were drunk,” he shrugs, a teasing smile teetering onto his lips. Last night wasn’t much of a blur, you remembered Trent and talking to him in his bedroom, but you didn’t remember how you got up there. The pen bouquet and dahlia were placed on your nightstand but you remembered him giving them to you.

You swipe at his chest, his jacket gone, “That’s such a lie.”

Trent bursts into a laugh, “You seriously don’t remember the restroom?”

“No, what did we kiss or something?” you quip but then palm your face. “Tell me we didn’t.”

He chuckles, “I think you wanted to.”

You laugh, feeling hot but not embarrassed, just nervous. Trent’s taunting gaze is unrelenting, the smile he hides by forcing his lips into a thin line. You chuckle, pushing his shoulder, “I don’t think so. I think I would’ve remembered you and Clarissa.”

Trent’s face simmers down as looks away, “I talked to her by the way. I apologized and told her the truth. She slapped me but—” you burst into a laugh while he rolls his eyes. “Don’t laugh, but yeah, I’m not going to be seeing her again—or Diane for that matter.”

“Good,” you nod. Even if he was doing it because he wanted to now focus on you after knowing you felt the same, it was good that he wasn’t going to be leading someone on when he didn’t feel the same for them.

“So,” he exhales, his chest bowing down as he looks at you, “can we hang out alone sometime? Doesn’t have to be anything big, maybe a walk around campus or coffee? I know I have a lot of making up to do with you, but I want us to be on the same page this time.”

You resist the urge to smile. Him taking care of Dominik last night stuck out to you the most. More than him bringing you water and bread to sober up. Dominik was too much of a heartbroken and vulnerable mess to handle himself, and after seeing just how much his vomit plastered on Trent’s walls, that was a big ask of him to deal with at three in the morning.

Trent was trying, flawed, but trying. You could work with that.

“Okay, we can grab coffee,” you smile. “But slow.”

He nods, “Okay.”

He breaks out into a smile as he pokes the broom against your shoulder. You let out a kiddish laugh, turning away from him to finish scrubbing the cabinets. Trent jabs your bent knee with his foot and you don’t catch yourself before you fall forward, your head hitting the cabinet.

“Oh shit,” he says, dropping down beside you and inspecting your forehead. Your head hitting the cabinet made the contact seem much more dramatic than what it really was, but Trent’s careful and concerned eyes only make you pretend it hurts more.

“Ow,” you feign, clutching the spot. He removes your hand gingerly, getting you to sit down on the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m already fucking this up, am I?” He suddenly leans forward and kisses the spot on your forehead, swiping his kiss over the spot with his thumb.

Your chest shakes as you laugh silently, him looking at you confused. Your silent laugh can be mistaken with a cry but he groans.

“You’re fine, aren’t you?” He stands up and holds out his hand.

“You looked so scared,” you tease, taking his hand and standing up.

He rolls his eyes, “That was loud.”

“The door was open a little,” you laugh. Your hand reaches out to grab a hold of his, “Thank you for checking out my forehead with your lips.”

“Ugh,” he flusters.

You give his hand a squeeze, “Thank you, Trent. You can kiss my forehead again.”

“No,” he moans dramatically, his eyes stopping at the spot on your forehead and then he gasps, “Oh my god, it’s already swollen.”

You turn around to face the mirror so fast that it gives you whiplash. His shit-eating grin is the only thing you see, your forehead unmarked. You scowl when you turn back towards him, not realizing just how close he stood in front of you.

He chuckles, leaning forward and pressing his lips chastly on your forehead, “You craving coffee?”

----

Note: I'll write a proper academic rivals to lovers eventually. I just got lost within the plot, too delirious to make it make sense LOL. 🫠🫠

[yall-batman-fanfic]

Valerie's First Birthday | Batfam x Batsis x Batmom

Synopsis: A kiddie party with supers, what can possibly go wrong? A lot, apparently.

Time sure flies. One day you’re pushing out a melon-sized human being out of your… out of you, and now you’re celebrating their first birthday. Vivian knew that Valerie won’t remember a thing on this early stage so she opted for a small celebration for Valerie. Bruce suggested they throw a big birthday party for their daughter, considering it was a huge milestone that she’s turned one, but Vivian said that they can just save for future birthdays instead, besides didn’t want Gotham to be part of it, she wanted Valerie to be surrounded by family and friends, and it just so happens that the only friend that Valerie has in Gotham was Bunny Vreeland. Her other friends? They were a bunch of supers, and it’ll be too risky to have them all mixed up for that. 

But then Veronica had a plan. And how can they say no to that? So they agreed to do two things: share a birthday party with Bunny since they were born days apart, and then have another party in the manor with those who they were close to in the Justice League. 

Vivian and Veronica shared in the responsibility in handling their daughters’ birthday party, which was hosted in some playpen for toddlers, and Veronica was pondering the theme that had bunnies, rainbow, and princesses and witches. 

“So, Valerie and Bunny’s birthday party theme is basically Easter?” Tim commented.

“I see it more as the Wizard of Oz,” said Dick. “What do you think, kiddo?” He asked his sister who sat on his lap with her pet gargoyle, who she named Geg – Greg or Gregory, but the girl still can’t pronounce her “Rs”.

Vivian looked at the mock-ups that Veronica sent to her again. “We’re going with the Wizard of Oz, I’m calling Ronie.”

“So, I guess Val’s going to be the Good Witch?” Bruce asked, already checking Glinda’s costume online.

“No!” Jason exclaimed. “It’s like you didn’t read Wicked! She ain’t gonna be Glinda!” 

“I haven’t read Wicked, Jason,” Bruce stated.

“How about the Broadway show? Did you watch that at least?”

“Does it look like Batman’s one for broadway musicals, Jason?” Tim snickered.

“Whatever – Val’s not gonna be Glinda! I don’t care if that Rabbit is gonna be Glinda, but not Val.”

“Rabbit?” Duke asked, completely lost.

“He means Bunny Vreeland,” said Damian.

“Oh.”

“How about Dorothy?” Bruce asked.

Alfred hummed. “I think the character of Elphaba would be more suitable for Ms. Valerie with her magical background,” he picked up his granddaughter and handed her a sippy cup with her drink. 

“She’s the green one, right?” Bruce asked.

Jason groaned loudly and said, “Yes, Elphaba is the green one!”

“But isn’t she the bad guy in the Wizard of Oz?” Stephanie asked.

Jason pulled out the book from their shelves and handed it to Duke while saying: “She’s the Wicked Witch of the West, but she’s not all that bad! It’s society that made her wicked! There’s a difference between internally wicked and becoming wicked because society made you one! That’s the whole point of the story!”

“He seems to be very passionate about Wicked,” Steph whispered to Cass and Tim.

“Vivian took him to see a lot of plays, ballet, and Broadway. It’s their bonding time,” Bruce said to them. “But this is the first time I saw him like this too.”

Vivian returned to the sitting room with the announcement that they were good with the Wizard of Oz theme, and Veronica wanted Bunny to be Glinda. 

“And I think our little Val would be a perfect Elphaba, but we’re not going to cover you in green pain,” Vivian snapped her fingers and a black witch’s hat landed on Valerie’s head. It was the perfect size. 

Valerie giggled and made grabbing motions at her mother.

“Did you have that all this time for this day, Viv?” Stephanie asked.

“No, this was mine when I went to school for witches,” Vivian started humming the song Popular from Wicked while dancing with her daughter.

“You didn’t say that you went to a witch’s school –”

“She’s messing with you, Brown,” said Damian.

“Oh.”

The party went well with Bunny and Valerie wearing Glinda and Elphaba costumes – respectively – and playing with the other children. Since it was a shared birthday, the two mothers chose a date that was right in the middle, for Bunny it was a few days after her actual birthday and for Valerie it was days before her actual birthday. 

During that party Veronica insisted everyone wore costumes too. Dick was in charge of choosing the costumes of his siblings… not everyone was happy with what was assigned for them. 

Jason was the Tin Man.

Tim was the Scarecrow.

Duke was the Cowardly Lion.

Damian was freaking Toto.

Dick was Dorothy… yes, he wore a freaking dress too. 

Cassandra and Stephanie decided to wear something that was similar to the movies and the show, as the people in Emerald City; Barbara and her father were invited and came with the former as the Wizard of Oz. 

Vivian and Bruce, on the other hand, came in as the couple in the Broadway show. They dressed up as Elphaba and Fiyero. But really, Bruce just wore a blue suit to follow the character’s costume, and Vivian wore one of her black dresses. But when they saw their family all dressed, especially Dick and Damian, and Alfred who wore the winged monkey uniform from the movie, they felt bad for just picking out something from their closets.

“Shame!” Dick told them. 

“I know,” Vivian said as she held back her laughter when she saw Dick and the others. “That dress… hold on, is that my maternity dress?”

“Cool, right? I just made some adjustments,” said Dick.

“And is Duke wearing my faux fur coat?”

“Dick said that he already asked you, Mrs. P,” Duke said.

“He didn’t, but go ahead… and Damian… Toto?”

Damian glared at Dick. 

When Alfred  came down with Valerie all dressed in her Elphaba costume, she gasped and squealed when she saw her family all dressed up. Putting her down, Alfred held her hand as she waddled towards the crowd that perfectly dressed up as the characters of the Wizard of Oz and Wicked. Even when she didn’t know that yet, she was happy to see the colors and how funny they looked. 

Immediately the glares that Damian and Jason had on Dick disappeared and they were just glad that their sister was happy.

The highlight of the party was when Valerie and Bunny played around while wearing their costumes and were the perfect cast of the two characters. The two were inseparable the entire time. They held each other's hand as they roamed around and played, and even when they blew the candles on their cake they did it together.

When the two girls thought it was time to go home when Bruce and Veronica were about to pick them up for a photo, the two hugged each other and pouted.

“No!” Bunny said and held Valerie tight.

“Stay – Bunny!” Valerie made her point and glared at her father.

By the end of the party, the two girls were tired and were asleep on their mothers.

~*~

The party for the Justice Kids – and Vivian called them — was held on Valerie’s actual birthday. It was just a small one in the manor with food and games that Dick would be hosting for them. They extended the invitation to everyone in the League and the families of the Leaguers too. 

“I swear, Kent! Drop her, I will bring out my Kryptonite sword!” Damian called out to Jon who was flying around with Valerie in his arms, happily enjoying it.

“I'm not going to drop her, Damian!” Jon told his best friend but so Damian won't pop a vein, he went down and placed the girl on the ground. Valerie was confused – why did the ride stop? She was having a great time! When she saw Damian about to get her, Valerie turned to Jon and said: “Again!” While hugging his leg.

“Come on, Val. You can play at the swing instead,” Damian attempted to get her, but Valerie hid behind Jon’s leg and pouted at her brother.

“Fly,” Valerie said. “Want Jon.”

Jon laughed awkwardly and took Valerie from the ground and tried to hand her over to Damian, who was stunned with what she said, but the girl wouldn’t go with her brother. She really wanted to fly. 

“Jon!” Valerie hugged him. “Fly?”

Dick and Tim winced at the sight of Valerie preferring to go with Jon than Damian.

“I'll go make sure he doesn't kill him,” said Dick.

“Good idea,” Tim muttered. Wouldn't want a murder in a kid's party.

The Kents were the first to arrive at the Manor – not surprising. In fact, Bruce and Vivian were used to them popping in out of nowhere. Following the Kents were the speeders, with Barry driving all the way from Star City with his family to celebrate and so Valerie would also meet his own children. The twins: Don and Dawn Allen. Following them was Diana, then Hal came. Roy arrived too, with Lian.

Valerie was well acquainted with Lian and happily dragged the older girl to where she was playing with the other kids. 

But then Bizzaro and Artemis came and Valerie's attention were on the big guy who was a sweetheart and gifted her with a toy doll. 

“Not happy birthday,” Bizzaro greeted her.

“Bee!” Valerie hugged him and his gift. 

When Artemis was about to give her gift, Jason took it first as it was a weapon. 

“She's a kid, Artemis!” Jason told her. “You can have this after I teach you how to use it,” he told his sister.

The Outlaws were followed by Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance with their own son – who was a year older than Valerie – Connor Lance-Queen. 

Soon the backyard was filled with people and kids running around, playing. And while Vivian would have wanted to invite all of their super-friends, she knew that they can't just drop everything and come to the party too. Someone has to stay and watch over Earth and protect it from local and intergalactical threats. Hence the Titans staying at their tower, but Raven came with Damian's invitation. Well, he told Dick that he wanted Raven to come. 

The Young Justice too were there but wouldn't be staying too long as they also had to look after their domains. Tim was the only exception since he was in a family event.

Coming to his wife's side, Bruce handed her a slice of cake and sat beside her. “Is everything alright?” He asked.

Vivian hummed, turning to him, she said, “Yeah, everything's fine. Why?”

“You’'ve been staring at them for a while now.”

“I'm just happy, that's all. I’m glad to see everyone here – relaxing. Dad's there with Alfred, having a pint. Superheroes get to enjoy the life they fight to protect and be with their families. You're here with our family.”

Bruce wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss on her temple. “She's growing up fast. Too fast,” he whispered as he watched Valerie play with Connor Lance-Queen, and the Allen Twins. 

“She is,” Vivian sighed. “And I'll be back to work.”

“You can always not go back.”

“I know, but I want to… but I also want to be here with here — if I can, I would put her in my bag and we'd be at Gotham University.”

Bruce chuckled. “I know. Sometimes I also want to bring her to work.”

“Which one? The office job or the Bat-job?”

“Both…” his smile fell when he realized the clothes his daughter was wearing. It was a Batman costume for kids. “I don't want her to have to put on a cowl, Viv.”

“Bruce?”

“I’'m doing everything I can now to make sure that she never has to be in this line of work.”

“It's not really our decision to make, my love. It's hers when she grows up.”

“I know, but as much as I can, I will fight so she doesn't have to.”

Vivian had Bruce face her and kissed his lips. “I know, and I'd want that too… but if it means losing you to Batman's war, I don't want that. I need you, Bruce. Val needs you. Crime won't disappear, we both know that, and if it comes to it and she decides to take the cowl… then we'll be here – all of us — to make sure she knows how to continue this fight.”

Bruce rest his forehead on his wife's and closed his eyes as he felt her magic envelope them. 

“Dada!” Valerie ran to him and tugged on his pants.

Bruce picked up his daughter and lets her sit on his lap. “Tired, Val?” He asked.

Val was sweaty from all the running and hungry. Very hungry that she tried to reach for the cake. Vivian was quick to have it away from her reach and had it floating in mid-air beside her before summoning Valerie's own plate with her carrot bites and other party food.

“I will not get used to that,” Lois said as she watched the plate and drink float beside Vivian.

“You will, eventually,” the familiar voice caught their attention. Appearing from the portal was John Constantine with Zatanna Zatara, and their son, Zachary Giovanni Zatarra. “Sorry, we're late. Zee had a last show before the party.”

“Making an entrance as always, Zatanna,” Bruce got up with his daughter in his arms. He and Vivian went to the new arrivals and greeted them.

“Well we are performers, Bruce,” said Zatanna.

“She is,” John said, pointing his thumb at Zatanna. “And this little bugger, too,” he gestured to his one-year-old son, who he held in his arms. 

“Happy Birthday, Valerie,” Zatanna handed the gift to Vivian.

“Happy Birthday, love,” John greeted the girl. He then turned to his son. “Zach, remember, do not touch the shiny looking one,” John pointed at Valerie who looked at him confused.

“John, come on, they're kids,” Zatanna told him.

“I agree with him,” Bruce said.

“Bruce!” Vivian chastised him. “He's our godson!”

Zachary turned to Valerie and waved his hand at her. “Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” Valerie waved back. “Carrot?” She offered the one she had in her hand.

“Okay!” Zach took it to eat.

“Oh, so you eat your vegetables when it's from her, eh?” John playfully glared at his son. “When it's me or yer Mum, it's a bloody war.” He placed down his son, and Vivian took Valerie and put her on the ground too so she and Zach could play with the other kids. 

With the kids gone in the garden, Adam got up from his seat and approached their little group with Alfred.

“John fucking Constantine,” Adam greeted him.

“Bollocks,” John hissed. “You didn't tell me your Dad will be here.”

“And if he was?” Vivian raised a brow.

John sighed. “Adam, good to see you again — looking old.”

“John!” Zatanna chastised him.

“I am old, love – don't worry,” Adam reassured Zatanna, his gaze returned to John. “You got old too.”

“Well, can't stay sixteen forever, can't I? When was the last time I saw you – thirty-something-years ago?” John was about to light a cigarette but Zatanna and Vivian confiscated the stick.

“Something like that, all I remember was finding you in my daughter's bedroom and chasing you out into the street with your tail between your legs.”

Barry and the others froze with what they heard.

“Say what?” Hal asked. “You mean to tell me those two dated in high school?”

“They did,” Clark explained.

“Hold on – Batman dated Zatanna, and Vivian dated John… and now the exes are dating each other's exes?.” Oliver massaged the bridge of his nose. “How come we're only hearing about this now?”

“We thought it was pretty obvious since John and Vivian were close,” said Diana.

“We thought they were friends!” Said Barry.

“I think it’s interesting that you’re best friends with your ex and your husband’s ex,” said Dinah. 

Vivian sighed. “Dad, please don't.”

Adam nodded. “Sorry, love. I just didn't expect John fucking Constatine to be here.”

Turning to Zatanna, John said, “This is why I didn't want our kid to have my name.”

“That's the reason why I agreed to that too,” said Zatanna.

“Why, because you just made the name Constantine shite with all your bullshit?” Vivian pointed out.

“You know that’s the truth, Vee,” John conjured a bottle of ale and started drinking. “When’s the other family coming over?”

“What other family?” 

“He means your Endless family, love,” Adam said. “I wouldn’t mind if Dream comes over. I’d finally get to meet him.”

“I don’t know, Dream tends to just come around if he’s needed. And I think Gregory the Gargoyle is already his birthday gift for Val.” She pointed to the tiny gargoyle who was following Ace, Titus, and Haley around. The gargoyle even tried barking, mimicking the three dogs. “And no offence, but I don’t think any gift from Desire and Despair means anything good, considering they wanted to kill me the last time we saw each other.”

“Especially Death – unless, our little Goth-girl wants to make Val here immortal,” John pointed out and handed Vivian a pint. “What about Delirium?”

“The best gift she could give is probably sanity… Destruction’s been doing some art.”

“He’s not really Picasso or Van Gogh, Vee. I wonder what Destiny would give.”

“He doesn’t really interact with us… unlike with the others.”

Barry approached Bruce and asked about what they were talking about – he was confused the moment they said Dream, and then Vivian and John kept mentioning words or names that were Desire, Despair, Delirium, Destruction, Destiny, Death. Everyone was just confused now.

“So, Clark hasn’t disclosed it to the team,” Bruce said.

“It’s not really my story to tell,” said Clark.

“Last holidays, Vivian was attacked by wraiths from Hell. They were sent by beings called the Endless are anthropomorphic representations of the powerful natural forces they embody – Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Delirium, Desire, Despair. Vivian also met her father then, who happens to be an Endless – the Lord of Dreams,” Bruce explained. 

“How did we not know about this?” Asked Hal.

“It was an isolated incident. Vivian dealt with it within the night. Since then, Dream has been visiting occasionally, especially when Valerie has been showing that she has inherited Vivian’s gifts. She’s been seeing ghosts everywhere. Dream was also the one who gave her Greg..”

“Who?”

“The Gargoyle. Val has a pet Gargoyle.”

“Not really something you can bring to show and tell, huh?” Barry chuckled as he watched the Gargoyle follow Valerie around. 

“I can’t just call Dream for a kids party, John. He’s already got his hands full with Hell,” Vivian told John.

“Hold on, what’s going on with Hell? What’s Lord Morpheus got to do with it?”

“Oh, you don’t know? Luci retired.”

“He can’t do that – can he do that? Can the Devil actually retire?” John turned to Zatanna for answers.

Zatanna shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“So, any danger we should look out for with Luci now who-knows-where?” John asked.

“No. Dream said Lucifer is now vacationing at Australia… he just got tired.”

“Fucking finally! I’ve been trying so hard to get that fucker off my back!” 

“You and I both,” Vivian clinked her bottle with his. 

As the party was ending, many of their guests left. But Clark and the other members of the League stayed a little longer to help with the clean up, and because Valerie and the other kids were having so much fun showing their powers. The twins were showing their speed force abilities, Zach was showing the little magic he can do. Raven was entertaining them with the magic she can do. Jon was enjoying the magic show with the kids. Valerie, being the youngest of them all, has yet to show her magic. So far she can only see ghosts and those beyond the mortal world. 

In the middle of cleaning up, Valerie called for her parents by saying: “Mumma, Dada! Birdie!”

At first they thought she was referring to her brothers, but Valerie kept calling them, so the adults went to the sitting room where a raven perched on the shelf. Vivian and Bruce knew that raven anywhere.

“Matthew,” Bruce greeted.

“Hey! Hi! Glad you remember me!” Matthew flew down and stood on the ground. “Boss,” he greeted Vivian.

“I’m not your boss, Matthew,” Vivian reminded him.

“Well, you’re the boss’ daughter. Ms. Dream?”

“No.”

“Dreamling?”

“I will throw you in the oven.”

“Alright, sheesh. Anyway, the boss sent me to say that he’s running late and to get ready.”

“For what?” Bruce asked.

“Well, rumor spread in the Dreaming that today is  this one’s birthday,” Matthew nudged Valerie. “And let’s say, Cain and Abel were trying to make a present. Same goes with Mervyn Pumpkinhead. Lucienne also prepared something for the little Dreamling.”

“That’s nice of them,” Vivian sat on the ground with her daughter. 

“She’s talking to a bird,” Lois sighed. “This house is never going to be normal, isn’t it?”

“You should be used to it by now,” said Clark. 

“Oh! The boss is coming,” Matthew said.

From the corner of the room, a figure appeared. Dressed in black robes that were more contemporary, Dream appeared and greeted the guests with a nod. His gaze turned to Vivian and Valerie but the sight of Adam caught his attention.

“Adam Royce,” he greeted.

Adam got up and approached the Endless. “Lord Dream, pleasure to finally meet you.”

Dream shook his hand and bowed his head slightly. “An honor to meet the man who raised my daughter.”

“Well, always saw her as my own,” Adam patted him on the shoulder. “I think Mads and I did a good job.”

“You both did,” Dream smiled, slightly. 

“The birthday girl is right there,” Adam pointed to the direction where Vivian carried Vivian with Bruce at her side. 

Dream strolled across the room and greeted his daughter and his granddaughter. 

“Vivian,” Dream greeted. “And Valerie. She has grown since I last saw her… and so has the gargoyle.”

“She named him Gregory, but she calls him Geg for now,” said Vivian. “Do you want to hold her?”

Dream was hesitant but nodded stiffly. Vivian handed Valerie to him, who went with the Endless without a fuss. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Dream, curious. He didn’t feel like Mumma or Dada, or Grandpa Alfred nor Grandda. He was very different. She reached out and touched Dream’s cheek to see if he was real, and he was. 

Dream smiled at her touch and said, “I am real, Valerie Pryor-Wayne. And I am also your grandfather.”

“Gampa,” Valerie whispered. She then started to whimper and reached for her father. Dream handed her back to Bruce, his smile never leaving. 

“She’ll get used to you,” Vivian said to Dream. “We still have cake, if you want.”

“I shall be off. I simply wanted to wish Valerie a happy birthday, and to leave her these,” a wave of a hand and pile of gifts appeared at the corner of the room. “From those of the Dreaming. Death too has found something for Valerie — she mentioned it is what children these days like – and Destruction created an art piece for her. Delirium also gave her a gift.”

“Well, thank you for these and to everyone in the Dreaming, and to Destruction, Death, and Delirium… it is upsetting that you’re not staying.”

“With Hell still not having a steward, I’m afraid that I cannot stay any longer.”

“Good luck with finding a new steward for Hell… thank you, Lord Dream.”

Dream reached out and tucked a piece of her red hair to the back of her ear, and then disappeared. Turning to her daughter, Vivian took Valerie and said, “Want to see what Gampa Dream and the others gave you?”

“Me mentioned Cain and Abel,” said Bruce.

“I’m sure it’s not a bloody rock, Bruce.”

Sitting on the ground, Vivian showed to Valerie the gifts from the Dreams and Nightmares, and the other Endless. There was a book in the pile, and it was from Lucienne. Domain joined them on the ground and started handing Valerie one of the gifts from the pile and then handing Jason the things they think were not entirely for toddlers (Mervyn Pumpkinhead gave her a mini pitchfork; Cain and Abel gifted her a gardening set). 

As the family looked through the gifts with Alfred and Adam, and the other Robins and children, the rest of the Justice League watched and tried to process what happened.

“So, that was Dream — is he the same with Morpheus?” Oliver asked.

“Yes — I think so,” said Diana.

“Does that make Vivian a half-god—demigod, too?” Barry asked.

“Well,” Stephanie joined them with her ice cream. “Last we saw Dream, he said Viv has the power of creation and life. So, I guess Ariana Grande was right — god was a woman… or in this case, god is their mom.”

“Does that make the squirt,” Hal referred to Valerie. “A quarter-god? Batman has too much power in his cave.”

~*~

“I think it’s adorable,” Zatanna said as they watched Valerie and Zachary play in the middle of the sitting room. With the two toddlers was Haley and Greg. “I think they’ll be best friends.”

John scoffed. “As long as they stay friends.”

“I have no idea what your problem is if Zach and Val…” Vivian shrugged.

“She’s not going to date,” said Jason from the couch where he ate cake. “Not when I’m around.”

“Agreed,” said Damian.

“That. That’s why,” John pointed at the two brothers sitting on the couch watching their sister closely. 

“They’re joking, John,” Vivian told him. “Bruce, either you stop it or I gouge out your eyes.”

Bruce turned to his wife and sighed. He pulled her to sit on his lap and then took a bite from the piece of cake she had on her fork.

“Hey!” Vivian pouted.

“If she starts dating then it’s official, she’s growing up way too fast,” Bruce said to her.

“Nothing we can do about that, my love,” Vivian leaned down and kissed him. “We just have to be here and watch her grow up and make sure she makes good decisions, and not play with OUIJA boards during slumber parties.” She kissed him again. “We’ll be fine. She’ll be fine, Bruce.”

He hummed. “Seventeen more years.”

Vivian pouted. “Seventeen more years.”

“Mumma, Dada! Look!” Valerie called for them. 

Turning to their daughter, they watched as she grinned at them, then she grabbed Zach’s face and placed a kiss on his lips, then said to them: “Kiss, kiss!”

Bruce and John held their breaths. In fact, all of the Robins were holding their breath after seeing that. 

“Relax, it’s just an innocent kiss!” Vivian told them and joined her daughter and Zach on the floor. “But Val, next time when you kiss Zach just on the cheeks, like this,” Vivian called for Zatanna, and when the woman joined them, she kissed her on the cheeks and Zatanna returned the gesture.

Wanting to try, Valerie kissed Zach on the cheeks and giggled. Zach too wanted to try and kissed her on the cheeks.

Damian was about to get his batarangs but Jon stopped him.

“Don’t teach them, Ma!” Jason told her.

Adam chuckled and patted Bruce on the shoulder. “Got no one to blame but yourself. You and Vivian are not really discrete.”

Bruce groaned and ran his hand down his face. This was not what he wanted to see on his daughter’s first birthday.

[foptbw]

Artist note -> I redesigned Gary a little because in the drawing he had buck teeth and brown hair like Timmy and it always bothered me that they gave him black hair)

Timmy: You guys know about Chloe and AJ and Chester and me…. as for Crocker I don't… don't know… after he broke into my old home and… with the help of AJ I got a restraining order against him. Mom and dad thought it was unnecessary. You'd haveta ask AJ I think he knows more about that situation than me.

After… well… anyway Trixie actually was pretty nice to me. She would bring me new comics and Veronica defended me from the other popular kids. According to Trixie helped her realize that life is more important than what people think of you. She's a comic creator now. Vernonia and Trixie got married a few years ago. Vernonia is a child therapist now! I think Chloe is still friends with them! She's the godmother of their daughter! They were all really good friends since they were cheerleaders together. Their daughter is adopted but according to Chloe she's just like her moms but sweeter.

I don't know what happen to Vicky… I duh wanna see her again. I don't need ah babysitter anymore. After everything changed for the first year I haddah had a babysitter again and it was so much worse. And Tootie was pushy too pushy. She never knew when she was takin things too far and Vicky always was going on about if I thought I was too good for her little sister. But, luckily like magic my… cousin stayed with us over the summer and Tootie fell in love with him and she left me alone. I don't remember having a cousin Gary. But, that's who he said he was and my parents agreed, I don't remember a lot of thing so. Yah. Chloe says that they have twins now, a boy and girl Tammy and Tommy. She showed me since they are my family I guess and because her goddaughter was in the picture.

It's best to leave this to AJ or Chester they keep in touch with people more than me. They know more bout that stuff than me.

Chester: Crock pot is still out there hunting fairies. He appeared at the reward ceremony that Galax hosted and made a big fuss. Luckily Timmy can't go to Galax events because he triggers the magic detectors so he hadn't been there. As for Trixie, like Timmy said she is happily married to Veronica now with a little girl of their own. Total tomboy. Chloe's little monster buddy.

…. After Timmy's memory loss his parents started hiring Vicky to watch him again. They had stopped when he was 13 leaving him to just fend for himself mostly. For the first few months it was mostly bad days for Timmy. He's able to take care of himself a lot better now, and only have bad days sometimes. If you think Vicky was mean to kids, you couldn't imagine how cruel she could be to a 15 year old who mentally was around a confused 9 most the time.

Tootie's obsessive crush had gotten worse and worse as we all got older. Despite what many would think, Vicky is rather protective of her little sister. Which make putting your foot down and telling Tootie off rather hard. Tootie wanted to prove that she'd be by Timmy's side even after his memory loss.

Well lets just say Timmy didn't miss them once AJ help him move to Dimmadelphia. Lasts I heard Tootie got together with that Gary guy, I think he was Timmy's cousin or something. They have kids now.

As for Vicky I heard she works as a private school art teacher and party princess. How she is still working with children I will never know.

[h0nology]

For The Cameras

You have a crush on Pedro but he’s already taken…apparently

warnings: slightly shy reader, jealousy, cussing, talk of body image, kissing, slight bullying, implied smut minors dni

You were Pedro’s new assistant, how that happened, you really didn’t know. It was such a fast process, and now here you are, attending an award show with him. You guys arrived at the hotel earlier that morning and it’s been chaos ever since, you we’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off the entire day trying to make sure everything was in place.

“Tie or no tie?” Pedro asked everyone in the room, everybody responding with tie, but your mouth twisted at the sight of the purple tie with his suit.

“It adds a pop a color and matches Veronica’s dress.” His stylist had said.

Right, Veronica. Pedro’s bitchy supermodel girlfriend, the two honestly didn’t even look right together. She was a pretty girl, nice curvy body, long brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes but her personality was trash. You thought she was a terrible person, rude and bossy to everybody she came across. Hate is a strong word, but you were sure you hated her.

Pedro looks over at you, “What do you think?”

“Um…” You trailed off, “No tie.”

He slightly smiled, removing the tie from his neck. You watched as he smoothed out his jacket, you wished you could tell him how effortlessly handsome he is. This man could wear anything, and you’d be attracted to him, was this appropriate? No. But you couldn’t help but admire him in the all black suit, with the silk black shirt that he didn’t button up all the way. And his hands, and those rings. How’d you love for them to wrap around your throat as he f—

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” Pedro’s voice snapped you out of your explicit thoughts.

“Oh!” You shook your head, regaining focus. You were still in your jeans and plain t shirt, “Y-yeah, I should.” You quietly chuckled.

Pedro looked at you for a moment, about to speak until his phone ringing gained his attention. You were able to sneak at glance at it before he picked it up off the table. Veronica.

“Hey, V.” He says, you wanted to cringe, “Ho-hold on! I can’t hear you.”

“Okay everybody! Give Mr. Pascal some time alone!” You took it upon yourself to clear the room, shooing for everyone to get out. Once everyone was out, you grabbed your things and went to follow after them.

“Hey!” Pedro calls out.

You spin on your heels and look at him with a questionable look as he stood with the phone to his ear, listening to whatever Veronica was saying.

“I can’t wait to see what you wear tonight.” He slightly smirked.

Your body froze. Was he talking to you? No, he can’t be. He’s talking to his girlfriend. Veronica. Maybe he had forgotten what he was going to tell you. Yeah, that’s it. You shot him a awkward smile before walking out of his hotel suite. You quickly made your way to your room, opening the door and throwing your things onto the bed. You took a speedy, hot shower and wrapped your towel around yourself as you entered the now freezing room. You only had an hour until the car was here to take Pedro and the rest of the little crew to the venue. You rummaged through your suitcase, looking for your dress that you were wearing tonight. Once your finally got your hands on it, you threw it on the bed along with your shoes and mediocre accessories.

You sat on the edge of the bed and moisturized your body down, running your hands over your freshly shaved legs. You throw your towel across the room, sliding on your red lace panties, skipping putting on bra since it wouldn’t look right with your dress. You picked up the said dress and quickly slipped it on, you ran over to the mirror, smoothing out the silk black mini dress that had a little flare at the bottom. It hugged your body perfectly but was a tad bit short, it had stopped a little above your knees. You bite your lip, contemplating if you wanted to wear it or not. You didn’t want to draw attention to yourself, this is Pedro’s night. He was invited to the award show, not you. You’re just his assistant that had to tag along. You let out a loud sigh, going to look in your luggage but not finding anything that met the dress code.

“Oh, fuck it!” You slightly yelled as you saw the time, you quickly put on your necklace and earrings and slide on your red kitten heels.

You rush out your room and back over to Pedro’s suite, repeatedly knocking on the door.

“Pedro, the car is here to take you to the venue!” You talk through the door, “Pedro!”

Yeah, okay, you were a nervous wreck around the man, but you took your job seriously and one thing you hated was being late.

As you continued to knock, the door swung open, revealing Veronica. You hated to admit it but she looked beautiful, her dress was dark purple with beaded detailing and her long hair was now curled, and her makeup was gorgeous. She was gorgeous…until she opened her mouth.

“We heard you.”

You pursed your lips together, “Veronica! You look amazing.” You managed to say.

“Thanks! I know!” She smiles, “You ready, baby?”

“Yep!” Pedro appears from behind her, eyes locking on you immediately. He continued to smile as he looked you up and down, eyes scanning over your body.

“Great!” You clap, “Let’s go!”

The two walked out ahead of you and were met by Veronica’s security at the elevator, you were on and off within minutes and was now in the lobby, outside was already flooded with paparazzi.

“Remember, big smiles, big smiles and breathe!” You say as the doors opened and the lights started flashing.

You stood back and watched as the two walked out hand in hand, quickly posing for a few pictures before climbing into the SUV. You waited for the cameras to stop before you and the rest of the little crew walked outside to get into the car, you were surprised when a few flashes blinded you on your way out there. You and the rest of the crew climbed in, and the car took off.

The ride there consisted of you going over things with Pedro, whose eyes haven’t left you since you got into the car. Not really sure if he was actually listening to you, only nodding here and there but his eyes never left yours. You encouraged Pedro to take some behind the scenes photos for his Instagram, you snuck a few pictures in the process, knowing his fans loved off guards (and so did you). When you told him to take bts photos you meant of him and his girlfriend, maybe even some random shoe pictures, so when his camera was pointed at you, you were caught off guard. Awkwardly smiling as you sat there with your legs crossed.

“The woman who keeps me in check!” He says behind the camera, “Are you taking a video?” You nervously chuckled.

“Yes.” He continues to point the camera at you for a minute before panning it over to his manager who sat beside you, “My wonderful manager.”

“My beautiful, beautiful lady.” He turns the camera at Veronica, who blows a kiss at the camera, then finally turns it to himself, “And then there’s me.” He says into the camera before ending the recording.

The ride continued on for a little longer before you all arrived at the venue, cameras and fans swarming the car already. The security got out first, then Pedro who helped Veronica out, the crowd going crazy once they saw the two. You scooted your way out the car, Pedro offering you his hand, taken by surprise you skeptically took it and it seemed like once your hand was in his, the camera flashes went crazy. You quickly get out, quickly smoothing out your dress before being joined by his manager.

“Go on, Pedro.” They say, urging him to join Veronica who was waiting on him.

“Remember, big smiles, big smiles.” You take his phone to hold it for him while he’s on the carpet, “And breathe, I got it.” He winks, before walking off to grab Veronica’s hand and entering the red carpet.

You and his manager trailed along, standing behind the cameras, watching as they walked along the carpet. Seeing the two actually made you sick to your stomach, but you had to pretend like you loved them on social media. You didn’t post Pedro on your account THAT much, but when you did you always included Veronica and how much the two were ‘couple goals’ even though you hated every bit of their relationship.

And you knew you shouldn’t be jealous, and that it wasn’t right. But you couldn’t help it.

After the carpet, day turned into night and it all was a bit of a blur. A lot was going on, you were once again trying to keep everything in order and trying not to lose your mind. Pedro had won an award for his role in his recent movie, that being said it was almost mandatory for him to attend the after party they had put together, and you just happened to get dragged along as well.

Anddd you were on picture duty again, snapping the night away. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t exhausted, you’d been running around since seven o’clock in the morning, it was now a little past midnight. You had your fun for a little bit but decided to call it a night once the clock hit one, calling for a ride back to the hotel, leaving Pedro to dance and party the night away.

Once you were back at the hotel and in your room, you plopped down onto the soft bed, letting yourself sink into the comforter. Another busy and stressful, yet successful day. You were so tired you didn’t even want to move, laying in the bed still fully dressed, staring up at the ceiling. You grabbed your phone, figuring you should make a few posts before officially calling it a night. You scrolled through your photos, favoriting the few of yourself that you had taken throughout the night and some of Pedro while he was on the carpet and the stage accepting his reward. You quickly put a collage together on your Instagram story, adding the pictures of yourself, some scenery and Pedro.

“amazing night tonight! & big congrats to @pascalispunk for well-deserved win. remember, big smiles, big smiles and breathe!! ❤️”

Some likes to your story trickled in, some replies, fan accounts already reposting the pictures of Pedro you had taken. You were about to shut your phone off until a familiar username popped up at the top of you screen, you clicked it almost immediately.

“Come celebrate with me, beautiful 🥂”

“Don’t you think you celebrated enough tonight?” You replied.

“Never enough. Come to my room.”

And just like that you weren’t even tired anymore, your body pumping with adrenaline. Oh, but this was wrong, this was so wrong. You work for him, he’s your boss, he has a girlfriend! Why isn’t he celebrating with her?! The voice in your head screamed no but your feet were already headed towards the door, leaving your room and making your way to his. As you approached, your heart started to beat out your chest. You lightly knocked on the door, taking a deep breath trying to calm yourself down.

“I was wondering if you’d come.” The door swung open, he stood there with his shirt untucked, missing his suit jacket and a few more buttons unbuttoned.

“Of course.” You smile, walking into the room.

“I didn’t get to party with you last night.” He says from behind you.

“Well, I–it’s really not my job to party with you.” You tell him, “How come it’s not?” He asks.

“I’m your assistant, Pedro.” You half laugh, “I’m here to assist you.”

“Then you assist me by partying with me next time.” He grabs a bottle of champagne off the table, “You do good at your job, and I thank you for that. But just relax for now, celebrate with me.” He pours the liquid into a glass, “Here.”

You take the glass from him, “Thanks.” You take a sip, “Cheers to you.”

“Cheers.” He says as he takes a sip as well, leaving the room quiet for a while until he spoke up again, “You look beautiful tonight, by the way.”

Your cheeks heat up at the comment, taking another, much larger sip of your wine. Looking around at everything else other than his eyes that were locked on you.

“Thank you…”

“Every day, really.”

You didn’t even know how to respond to him right now. Where is all of this coming from? What is he even talking about right now? How was he over here calling you beautiful when he had the hottest supermodel girlfriend! Half of the time your hair is messy and you’re running around sweating in sweatpants.

“Mr–.” You say, in a warning tone, “Pedro.” He cuts you off.

“Pedro.” You corrected yourself, “I-I don’t even know what to say, I’m flattered but…Veronica…”

As much as you wanted to entertain this, run with it and let him feed you compliments it just wasn’t right. And you weren’t that type of girl. You weren’t about to be the hot talk of the internet for being a home wrecker.

“What about Veronica?”

“What do you mean what about her? She’s your girlfriend! Your hot, supermodel girlfriend! I’m your assistant, why are you sitting here trying to flirt with me when you have her?!” You stood from your seat, placing your glass on the table.

Pedro began to laugh and all you could do was stare at him with a blank face.

“You’re laughing?!”

“Veronica is not my girlfriend. She’s only my girlfriend for the cameras.” He tells you.

“What? No, no. Don’t lie.” You shake your head, “Why do you two act like that when the cameras aren’t around?!”

“Nobody is allowed to know; I couldn’t even tell you. We have to act like a couple around everybody.” He further explains, “It’s all a contract, just a messy publicity stunt.”

“You two sure as hell are doing a great job.” You muttered, crossing your arms.

All those times you had been jealous...for nothing!

“We’re actors, it’s what we do.” He shrugs, cocky smile on his face.

“You’re an actor, she’s not.”

“Trust me, she is.” He says, “She doesn’t live the way you think.”

“Okay, so what? You’re telling me all this why?!”

“I see the way you look at me, how you act around me. I read people well.” He starts, “And I’m certain you feel the same way about me, how I feel about you.”

“And how is that?”

He didn’t answer you, only walking closer to you. Closing the gap between you two, you quietly gulp as he tilted your chin up, looking into your eyes for a moment. You caught yourself leaning forward, eyes fluttering shut and before you know it his lips were on yours, taking your breath away.

“Does that answer your question?” He says as he pulls out the kiss, hand still underneath your chin.

part two??

[thatdumbmexicanbimbo]

everyone was sword fighting in her mouth.

Perv!Mean!Bully!Eddie Munson x Bimbo!thick!latina reader

A/N:*INHALES LOUDLY* I cannot stand the lack of people, writing for latina's, SO I'm just gonna write myself *grins evil like*, but with a twist, HEATHERS AU!!, Eddie is ram Sweeney bc he's my fav, and reader is like Veronica Sawyer in the situation :P, Chrissy is heather McNamara, Nancy is heather duke, heather Halloway is heather Chandler!

WARNINGS: SMUT!!, NONCON,drugging ,impiled oral sex(F only), virgin reader!, PIV

you wonder how your life would be if you stayed in New Jersey, you sighed as you unloaded your boxes to your new house.. well trailer, you and your papa have been slightly struggling, your pink suitcase was heavy so your papa came to help, it wasn't a shabby trailer it was quite expensive, 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom was okay for you and your dad.

Now it was your first day , you've been to racists schools your whole life, casually getting rude remarks on your weight and race, but ever since you moved away from Hawkins temporarily, you can't shake the thrill of coming back!, you struggled, to slide your white skirt on, you made sure your thong wasn't peaking out so your dad wouldn't see, you put on a lacy white bra obviously!! a push up, a pink tube top,and cute black backpack a bow on the zipper!

When you arrived you got loads of flattering and a few un-flattered looks, you just looked at your schedule, you go to your locker number

seeing a woman already there, but the sudden turn around revealed a long-haired man, "Whats with the staring,baby doll?" he chirped,

"my apologies, I'm confused on how to open my locker? I forgot how, I use to be at this school I just moved but came back for personal family issues", he looks you and up down scanning your hot thick body up n down,

"you ain't new then?". you nod meekly, "ah okay, well let me tell ya sweetheart I don't recall seeing you 'round these halls" he says while pulling a cigarette out, you look away embarrassed,

"I was slightly overweight, glasses and baggy clothes..i-i was called chunky y/n.." you say stuttering,

he looks at you "oh now I know you, you looked HIDEOUS, those glasses were not for you" he says chuckling, his smile fading seeing your face form a frown,

"is a pretty face and body all that matters to you?"you say annoyed,

"well, what else is there to offer?", you scoff and storm away, fucking guy judging your body fucking looking at you like a pervert.

you skip your 3rd period class, your lip liner was fading, fashion emergency!, you reapply your lip-gloss as 3 girls walk in, one of them goes into a stall and forces themselves to throw up, another girl trails behind another, LOUD RETCHING NOISES, "god Nancy hurry up!" the main girl shouts checking her pores

a teacher walks in to use the restroom, "what are you lady's doing out of class??", you were quick to write fake passes after you recognized your first period teacher's handwriting and signature, you quickly hand the 3 girls one and say

"um Ms Burn-ham gave us each a bathroom note" you show the teacher, "oh very well you ladies stay out of trouble" she said as she exited the bathroom

"sick forgery, thanks for helping" the main one says, "the name's Heather Holloway, i'm pretty popular, among the school",

the second one chirps up, "ugh didn't even bother to introduce us Heather, i'm Nancy wheeler, and this is Chrissy Cunningham", Chrissy waves shyly,

"I see you being a popular girl stick with me and you'll be on top of the other low-life losers" heather says wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

a month has gone by heather wasn't fully wrong you were popular with her guidance, But so much people noticed you finally, even that sick pervert hasn't stopped trying, you were laying lazily on your bed, and get a call from Chrissy, "y/n I need help i'm at the cemetery"

before you could respond Chrissy hangs up you made your way to the cemetery, you see Chrissy in her car

, "uh why is uh Eddie munson passed out?" you questioned

"well nancy, steve,eddie, and I were ya know hanging out and they dung into the booze, then Nancy and Steve were together and Eddie tried hooking up with me..and he wouldn't stop trying to grope me..." she says blankly

"so after all this happened why'd you call me??" you say tugging at your annoying socks

"oh well that was the deal, if I called you Eddie promised to leave me alone"

"SO you avoided date rape by volunteering ME for date rape?"

"gosh you make it sound so ugly"

eddie groans drunkly, "HEYYYY Y/NNN, I WAITED HOURS FOR YOU!!"

he passed out, Nancy comes from Steve's car, him attached to her while she buttons her skirt, "Chrissy, open the door" she says sharply

"UGHH don't leave me like this baby!!" Steve whines. he lays on the grounded passing along-side Eddie

Eddie rises, when Chrissy and Nancy drive away, "so you're my reward huh" he says says while smirking

"as if , you have a left hand use it" you reply with disgust you hear a noise off in the distance looking away.

he whimpers, but replies, "there's some alchol left?" he was quick to slip in a roofie

"welp this Friday was shit i'll take it" you chug it down

"I don't feel so awesome" you pass out but Eddie catches you

"oh trust me sweetheart you will soon.."

your eyes flutter open, still in a ditzy unable to move trance, you feel an odd stomach twisting feeling between your thighs, a long- haired man between your thick thighs, you cry as he shoves fingers into you, you gush out more slick and cum

"fucking naughty girl, getting her tiny unused cunt violated, n getting wet off it, pathetic" he says degrading you

you whimper, and try moving or screaming unable to from the roofies effects, he tugs his boxers down, aligning his cock to your virgin cunt, you sniffle as he shoves his cock in, he thrusts uncaring if you're enjoying it

"so fucking tight, mmm yea just for me, fucking bitch you rejected me??, I don't fucking think so, you are enjoying this you're clenching go ahead slut, cum for me, cum on my cock"

you sqeaul and cream on his cock. after this everything fades to black

you awaken in your bedroom, you walk into your bathroom, hickeys everywhere, bruises, you sniffle knowing it wasn't a dream..

you arrive at school seeing Nancy cleaning out heather Holloway's locker, you heard she was kidnapped by billy who also died or dissappeared,

"jeez what are you rummaging for??" you say

"a little respect, I'm cleaning out a loved ones locker" Nancy scowls at you

"I don't think heather would want you going through her stuff-"

"lets not focus on me right now, more about your new reputation, Eddie n Steve have been telling the whole school about a scandalous little three way last night after Chrissy and I left" she said smirking

"there was no three way, I don't even recall doing anything with either of them-" you get off by the boys giggling

"THEY"RE WAS A BIG SWORD FIGHT IN HER MOUTH DUDE!!"

"MY BIG SALAMI BENT HER LIKE ORIGAMI!!" they both cheered

you ran into the bathroom crying terribly.. it was just a rumor but what could you do..

possible part 2?

[strong-with-the-sarcasm]

Part 17: the stars are shining their brightest light

"We can get lost in fears that we make for days that feel black as night, but there in the dark, you'll find that the stars are shining their brightest light." -If You Love Someone by The Veronicas

Regent Masterlist Part 16

“This is my girlfriend, Queen Regent Jasmine of the Infinite Realms.” 

If there was ever a way to silence the Bat-family, it was with an introduction like that. 

Sure, Jason knew the family was fully aware of Jasmine Nightingale (thanks to Replacement), but he was positive that he had just rocked their world by just casually dropping the fact that  Jazz was not only royalty of the same dimension but also ruled it in the stead of the true monarch… He was certain that his family would figure out what he wasn’t saying soon enough. 

Beautifully executed and dinner hadn’t even started. 

The shock that permeated the room was delicious, feeding his ego as he led Jazz to their seats the furthest from Bruce, with Jazz safe at his side where he could intercept any perceived attack aimed at her. He’d ignored the rule about weapons at the table, packing his favorite desert eagle at his back and an ecto-gun strapped to his ankle that was a thoughtful gift from Danny. Jasmine had her bracelets uncharmed for the evening, desiring transparency with his family, and he knew how quickly she could summon her armor and Faithkeeper. They were as prepared as they could be and it made him proud that he had someone like Jazz to watch his back.

(He loved fighting back-to-back with her.) (Almost as much as he loved keeping her safe.) (The Lady and her knight.) (He was in love.)

It was Dickolas that spoke first, barely containing his excitement, “Little Wing, I’m so happy for you!” Which allowed pandemonium to follow from the rest of his siblings. 

“Oh my gosh-” 

“A member of royalty-” “-you’re-” 

“Jason pulled-”

 “gorgeous!” 

“New sister?”

“-is willing-” 

“A queen?!” 

“-to date you?” 

“Nice one man.” 

The once-Revenant could practically taste Jazz’s amusement, relishing in her amusement-bafflement-love as they waited quietly for the others to settle down so the couple could answer the questions no doubt waiting for them.  

The first question Jazz could answer was probably the one that she dreaded to answer. 

“How’d you meet?” Tim asked, eyes switching from Jason to her and back again. 

Jason was swift to reply, “At a bookstore.” “Got to talking and Jason asked me out.” Jazz added with a soft smile at the memory of a blushing Jason. 

The dark-haired girl at the table, Cassandra Wayne, signed something far too quick for Jazz to read completely. Though Stephanie translated right away, “Cass asked how long it took Jason to ask you out.” 

Jazz chuckled a bit and set down her cutlery to sign her response, though the movements were somewhat stilted- she hadn’t used sign language since the last meeting with Heppa, a mute acropolis amazonian that once acted as Jazz’s sparring partner while under Pandora’s tutelage. 

Some signs were muscle memory (stop, peace, fight), but others were difficult to recall. The ghost equivalent of ASL (ESL or ecto sign language) was far easier to fall back into than ASL, given that it also used emotions to communicate. [Two days, nervous, very cute.] Jazz signed, projecting the fondness-love she felt for her soulmate as she did. Cass tilted her head, the faint prickle of curiosity evaporating into the air almost as soon as Jazz registered it, but one of the other men at the table turned the attention away from the two women’s silent conversation. “I can’t believe little wing got a queen to date him!” Dick exclaimed. 

“Tt, a member of royalty should have better standards than to settle for Todd.” That comment came from the youngest Wayne, Damian, where he sat to his father’s left. The head of the house studied Jazz with a quiet air of protect-wariness. 

Ah, yes. They’d met as their alter egos- her the Regent and him the Batman. How concerning it must be for her to find her way into his son’s life and to his dining table with his other children. Bruce no doubt saw the evidence of the extent she would go to for Phantom. 

One slash, two, three Blood is on your hands already. 

Fourth, fifth slash Ask the ghosts if honor matters, buried amongst the ash.  Slash six, seven Sharpen your love into a weapon

“Jason is a wonderful person and partner.” Jazz replied, electing to ignore the DadBat’s stare into the side of her skull. Cass’s hands moved again, a bit slower than the first time, much to Jazz’s relief. [Do ghosts use sign?] 

[Yes. Emotions with words.] Jazz answered with a small smile as she once again projected her emotions, fondness-anxiety-amusement, for those present even if they couldn’t register them. 

“What are those shadows behind you?” Duke blurted out, eyes still locked onto something over Jazz’s shoulder. 

“Shades.” The manor was full of weak shades, no doubt belonging to ancestors of the Wayne lineage. “Weak ones” she clarified. 

Bruce spoke up this time, “The weakest form of ghosts?” he asked for clarification as if he wasn’t in possession of the Ghost Files, which she knew had information on shades. 

(Among other beings.) (She tried not to think about her own file.) (The evidence of patricide and matricide.) 

“Yes. These ones are probably just curious about my presence.” It was true, as far as she could tell. Jazz was the most liminal being in existence, after all, not to mention the Crown of Fire she bared as Regent. Thankfully, she couldn’t make out any hostility from the ancestral shades, not with her permission to be here and an escort of a Fraid member (Jason) was not an intrusion. 

“You are aware we know your identity,” Damian stated, with a glare that would cut down weak men. “And that you know ours.” 

(Well, no shit Sherlock.) (Jason’s Red Hood.) (No need for a corkboard and red string.) “Demon spawn-” Jason growled, but Jazz took his hand in hers to calm down the anger she could feel bubbling up to the surface. He took a deep breath in and out before he squeezed her hand back. “Damian. I trust Jazz with my life, she won’t betray us or our secret identities.” 

“Phantom trusted you with the Ghost Files. If he considers you worthy, then so will I.” Jazz swore. 

Dinner passed far quicker than Jason expected. He sat back and basked in his Lady’s presence at the dining table as she answered questions, as they had agreed before arriving. Bruce hadn’t spoken much, no doubt content to watch the interactions between his kids and Jazz. 

Jason hoped the old man could see how wonderful his Lady was. She was his guiding hand through darkness and fire, made his worries melt away, and offered him peace in his second chance at life. 

Gave him her heart, him, the eight-heads in a duffel bag crime lord. Let him meet her little brother, her reason for surviving thus far, her world. Let Jason’s scarred and bloody hands hold her close to his still-beating heart and Proto-core. 

He couldn’t offer her much, not really, but he could offer her a piece of him- this, his family, his Fraid. It wasn’t a lot, not when compared to what Jazz had given him before he ever knew her name, but it was all he had to give that couldn’t be offered so easily. 

(Jazz would never hurt his family.) (Not unless they hurt him first.) 

One day, the two of them would be comfortable in this manor side by side, but not now with the newness and wariness he could feel from his Fraid

Perhaps he shouldn’t ask Bruce for that favor quite yet. 

A/N: I am thrilled to announce that with this update the Regent is no longer in Hiatus! With the AO3 version comes more fuel to write (comments & kudos) and of course that gives me more encouragement to write. There will be gaps between posts still, but I will be posting parts again. AO3 link in Regent masterlist, parts combined into longer chapters. beta'd by the awesome @meditating-cat

Thanks for reading!

[bloodibambiidoll]

American Idiot: King!Steve Harrington x Goth!reader.

Summary: Enemies (kinda?)to lovers, opposites attract, early 00s college AU. Steve Harrington had it all. Money, popularity, the perfect girlfriend. He had his whole life planned and laid out for him, and he accepted that. Working for his dad and marrying his collage sweetheart wouldn’t be so bad, right? That’s what he thought at least, until he got paired to do a project with you and you turned his world upside down. WK: 6.1k 18+ MINORS DNI

Warnings: angst with a happy ending, steve is still “king Steve” in the beginning, reader kissing someone other than Steve, oral(M&F receiving) unprotected sex(reader is on birth control), lil bit of daddy kink, Steve and reader kiss before he dumps his gf but he does it like right after though, reader smokes a lil weed. I think that’s it? Lmk if I missed any!! My masterlist

A/N: this was born from something I was tagged in where you saved the last character and song you listened to and I got Steve and American idiot and the fact that I have seen so many Eddie opposites attract fics and not enough about Steve with an alt GF. The reader is very much self indulgent for me but I left her description as vague as possible. I think the only thing I mentioned is the shirt she’s wearing and the fact that she’s wearing a skirt. Also I added “Dylan” because I really wanted to make him Eddie but I knew I’d end up involving him too much if he was in it at all lmao. I hope you guys like it!! I’d love feedback so much!✨

You aren’t exactly sure how you let Robin talk you into coming with her to this party but you are deeply regretting it. You were standing in a corner of the packed living room with a red solo cup that you took one sip of and then gagged because whoever made the punch was probably already wasted. Robin was dancing with Vickie, which made you smile. She told you all about how she had the biggest crush on her in highschool and when they both ended up at the same college she took it as a sign and finally made a move.

You glanced around the room and rolled your eyes at what you saw. You really thought by your third year of college the whole “clique” thing would be behind you. But no, for whatever reason the people here still wanted to abide by the conformity of the highschool food chain. You weren’t popular in highschool and you aren’t now, you made friends with Robin your freshman year when you were assigned each other as roommates but you honestly don’t have many other friends.

It’s not like people straight up bullied you like in highschool but the atmosphere was very much the same with the “popular” crowd. They all thought they were better than everyone else. You let your eyes wander to the cluster of people all dressed in the black, white, and green Chicago state colors and scoffed. At the center of it all was the bane of your existence, Steve Harrington.

He thinks the world revolves around him just because everyone in this stupid school kisses his ass. The teachers, all the students, even ROBIN is friends with him. She worked with him the summer before they left for college and she INSISTS that he isn’t actually as big of an asshole as he seems.

Steve Harrington had it all. Perfect car, perfect friends, perfect grades, he was the star of the Chicago state basketball team, and he had the perfect girl. Steve and Veronica had been together since freshman year. They met when he was leaving basketball practice and she was starting cheer practice and the rest was history. Yes Steve Harrington had it all, the perfect American life for the perfect American boy but apparently that wasn’t enough. He needed you too.

It started off when you had been partnered for a project in your English class and you spent some time together working on it. It was all going way more smoothly than you anticipated, you guys were getting along surprisingly well aside from you not being able to hold in your eye rolls and passive aggressive remarks towards him when he said something meat headed. But he would just laugh it off. On the last day of the project things changed drastically. One second you were finalizing your notes and the next thing you knew Steve’s lips were crashing into yours. You were so confused at first, frozen in place.

Then after a second you pushed him off “What the fuck are you doing Steve?? Is this some kind of joke to you? I think I’ve made it pretty fucking clear that I’m only toleranting you for this grade so I don’t understand where your wires got crossed thinking you could just kiss me?” He stared at you wide eyed before catching himself and scoffing “what? Don’t act like you didn’t want it, I could see how you were looking at me.” he gave you a smug look. “This is exactly why I didn’t want it, you ever thought not every single person wants to worship the ground you walk on? Has no one ever rejected you in your life? Get over yourself Harrington, I’ll see you tomorrow for the presentation” you grabbed your notes and swiftly exited the library after that.

That was two months ago, and since then Steve couldn’t let it go. You weren’t wrong, no one had ever rejected him and you continued to over and over again every time he would try and talk to you or approach you in any way and it was doing things to him. It kind of felt amazing, you couldn’t lie. The golden boy chasing after you like a little lost puppy. Especially since you were very much his opposite. You weren’t anywhere near rich, your car was an old piece of shit, and you definitely weren’t preppy in any sense of the word. So yeah, Steve Harrington pining after the quiet goth girl was kind of giving you an ego boost.

You watched him shotgun a beer while everyone around him cheered him on, tossing the can on the ground when he was done. He must’ve felt you looking at him because his eyes locked with yours and he smirked. As you were rolling your eyes Veronica’s arms shot around his neck and she started sloppily making out with him right there in front of everyone. It was honestly pretty gross to watch, you felt like you could hear their tongues and lips smacking from across the room, it made you want to gag.

Just as you were turning to head outside for a smoke break you felt a hand on your arm. When you looked up your breath hitched, because god damn this man was beautiful. It was like he was crafted with Peter Steele from Type O Negative in mind when they made him. “Hey, I like your shirt” he smiled sweetly at you. Suddenly you couldn’t remember your own name let alone what shirt you were wearing so you looked down and saw your Deftones baby tee before you looked back up at him and smiled “oh, thank you. I like yours too!” You pointed to his Korn shirt “their self titled album will always be one of my favorites of all time” he sent you another sweet smile “hell yeah, me too. I’m Dylan.” He held his hand out for you to shake and you took his much larger hand in yours and shook it for maybe a second too long before telling him your name.

“Pretty name for a pretty girl” you suddenly felt a little shy, it’s been a while since anyone (besides Steve, unfortunately) had really given you the time of day and this beautiful goth rock god just started chatting you up so you were a little nervous “do you smoke?” He pulled a joint out from behind his ear, offering it to you. “Yeah, totally, I’m down.” You tried your best to sound nonchalant but you were screaming inside. You decided right then that if this man wanted to take you home? You were fucking going.

You guys passed the joint back and forth and chatted for a bit, he was really cool, you had a lot in common and you enjoyed talking to him. When the joint was almost gone he held it up to you and raised his eyebrows “shotgun??” You bit your lip and nodded. He took the last large pull off the joint before cupping your cheek in his hand and leaning forward to let the smoke into your mouth. You inhaled and let a giggle out on the exhale, his face was still so close to yours, he smelled really good, and the weed was giving you confidence so you grabbed him by his shirt collar and brought his lips back to yours. His hands went to your hips as he kissed back passionately, pushing you up against the wall and deepening the kiss.

You guys had just started really making out, his knee pushed in between your legs under your skirt, his hand groping your chest over the shirt and your fingers tangled in his hair, not even caring that you’re in the middle of a packed party. Then he was suddenly ripped off of you. “What the!?” You opened your eyes in confusion and were met with Steve, shoving Dylan away from you “can we talk??” You scoffed “are you fucking serious right now Steve? I’m obviously busy, so you can get lost now. Dylan? Let’s go.” You started to walk past him but he grabbed your wrist “I want to talk to you. Alone. Please?” His demor changed by the end of the sentence and you saw a softness in his eyes you’d only ever seen a few times when you worked together on your project “Dude. She literally said she was busy, why don’t you just back off?” Dylan came over and stood next to you again glaring at Steve.

“Okay?? And I said I want to talk to her so you can get fucking lost before I make you” Steve got in Dylan’s face and basically growled at him before he shoved him against the wall and grabbed your arm, dragging you through the party and into one of the empty rooms and shutting the door behind you. You ripped your arm out of his grasp “What the fuck do you want Harrington!? You are being a serious cock block!! Did you SEE him?? I could slap you right now!”

“I didn’t like it. Seeing him kissing you like that when I want to be the one kissing you like that! I honestly couldn’t fucking stand it!!” He ran his hands through his hair and dragged them down his face in frustration.

“Okay Steve, I don’t know what your sudden fucking obsession with me is. If you’re just trying to prove a point to yourself that you can have any girl or if this is some kind of bet you have going with your stupid fucking friends but it has GOT to stop!! This is TOO FAR!! You’re keeping me from getting dicked down now and for what? Just let it go, you better hope he’s still out there or I’m going to track you back down and murder you!!” you go to walk past him and leave the room but he grabs your hand, making you turn to face him.

When you look at him you see that same look you saw a few minutes ago, the normally smug look on his face replaced with something softer. “Wait, please? Please just hear me out and then I’ll never bother you again.” You ripped your hand from his grasp and rolled your eyes. “Oh my god. Okay, you have two minutes, that’s it.”

He sighed deeply “Okay. I’m sorry, I know I’ve been bugging you a little-“

“PFT!! A little?” You rolled your eyes again, you honestly think if you have to talk to him much longer they’re going to get stuck in the back of your head.

“Oh my god. Can you just let me talk without interrupting me for two seconds?”

“Okay, yeah, sorry. Continue”

“Anyways… I know I’ve been bothering you a lot since we finished our project… and it’s not just because you rejected me, yeah that didn’t help, it just made me want you more but I wanted you before that. When we were working on our project together I just.. I started to fall for you. You were just so real compared to everyone around me. You made me feel like a person, you didn’t treat me like ‘king Steve’ or just do things how you thought I’d want you to. You told me like it is, and that was so refreshing to me.” He let out the deep breath he felt had been holding since you were still working together and waited for you to respond.

But you didn’t right away, you just stared at him with wide eyes stunned at his confession. “Please… say something, anything.” He gave you that pleading puppy dog look again.

“I… Steve you don’t mean that. You have everything. You’re popular, rich, you’re the star of the basketball team, you probably have some fancy office job lined up with your dad for after you graduate, and you have Veronica. I definitely don’t fit into that equation in the slightest.” You looked at him confused, searching for any kind of explanation that would make this make sense.

“Okay? Yeah I have all those things but I don’t WANT them. Most of those things are what my parents want for me, what my DAD wants. Basketball is fine, I’m good at it so it’s cool I guess, but did I really want to spend all these years just doing that? Not necessarily. And yeah if I work for my dad’s company I’ll be financially stable for the rest of my life but is that what I want to spend my life doing? No, it’s not. And Veronica? We may seem perfect to you but we aren’t. We fight all the fucking time and she’s honestly only with me because of who I am, because I’m king Steve. She doesn’t love ME, she loves the basketball star, she loves daddy’s money, she loves the extravagant wedding, white picket fence, and 2.5 children that we don’t know how to love because no one ever showed us so we just fill that void by showering them with material things. I had that life growing up, and I hated it. But you? You’re different. You’re free. You don’t care what anyone thinks and if you do, you don’t let it change who you are. You’re true to yourself, you don’t treat me like I’m some kind of god, you treat me like a person. THAT'S why I want you.” He took a step closer to you and grabbed your hands, ducking down so you’re forced to look him in the eyes “also you’re so beautiful, like so beautiful I feel like I can’t even breathe when I look at you.”

You looked into his eyes, searching for any kind of falsehood in his words but you didn’t find any. Instead he was looking at you adoring, hopeful. “Steve, I…” you didn’t really know what to say, you had never really entertained the idea that he might actually like you. You didn’t want to even have an ounce of hope in that aspect, because of course you thought Steve was hot. You also couldn’t deny that you did sort of like the side of him you saw during your project, and you liked what you saw now. Maybe you liked HIM and you didn’t even realize it. Maybe you did see the real Steve and maybe you liked that person. Before you could truly think about it you put your arms around his neck and pulled his lips to yours.

You had never had a kiss like this one, Steve’s lips were so soft, and he brought his hands to your face and cradled it like you were something precious. You got lost in the kiss for a moment but soon pulled away from him entirely, bringing your hand to your mouth and staring at him wide eyed “we shouldn’t… we shouldn’t have done that. This is a bad idea. I have to go find Robin.” You turned to leave and once again you were stopped by his hand in yours. “I honestly think this is the only good idea I’ve ever had actually” is all he said before putting his hands around your waist and pulling you into another kiss. Rationally you knew you should pull away, but your heart and body had other ideas.

Suddenly you absolutely needed him to touch you, anywhere and everywhere. You wrapped your arms around his neck and licked into his mouth, deepening the kiss. You went on standing there making out until you were both pulling away breathless “Fuck. You are so amazing.” He pushed some of your hair that fell in your face over your shoulder and left a soft kiss on your jaw. You tried to hold in the little whimper that escaped, but you couldn’t and just hoped Steve didn’t hear it. But he did, and he looked into your eyes again and gave you a mischievous smile before ducking his head to place more little kisses along your jaw.

You let out more little breathy whines and it was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. You grabbed his face, pulling it from your neck so he would look at you “I think… since you DID totally ruin what I had going with that guy out there, you kind of owe me now” you smirked at him and bit your lip.

“Yeah? You want me to make it up to you baby? Bet I can make you feel better than he ever could.” He ran his hands down your shoulders and around your back, sliding them down until he had two handfuls of your ass, your skirt riding up. “Yeah? I bet I fuck way better than Veronica. What’s she into? Missionary and reluctant blow jobs? Girls like that never like giving head” you smirked at him, not even feeling bad for shit talking his girlfriend. She didn’t deserve him anyways, Steve was yours now, you weren’t giving him back after this.

You were more spot on then Steve liked to admit but he can’t deny hearing you say those things was doing something for him. “Yeah? You like doing it then? You wanna get on your knees for me, pretty girl? Is that what you’re saying?” That’s exactly what you were saying, so instead of responding you dropped to your knees and looked up at him through your lashes while you reached for the button on his jeans, pausing before actually unbuttoning them “I’m going to give you the best blow job and fuck of your life, but only on ONE CONDITION”

“Okay, anything, whatever you want honey, it’s yours.” The nickname sent chills down your spine, you wanted to hear him call you every pet name under the sun. “You’re gonna go out there, and you’re gonna fucking DUMP Veronica, and then when you come back to me, I’m going to blow your mind Steve Harrington.” You stood up from the ground and booped his nose “Can you do that? Or were you bluffing when you said ‘anything?”

He meant it. He would quite literally do anything for you, not only in this moment but just in general. “Okay, I’ll do it.” Was all he said before he walked out the bedroom door, closing it behind him. You stood there stunned for a moment, mouth hanging open, staring at the closed door. You couldn’t believe that actually worked, Steve Harrington was about to throw away his “picture perfect” life for YOU of all people. If he even wanted to be seen with you. If he even did it, if he even came back.. His friends would never approve... God, his PARENTS would never approve of you. Before you could start to fully spiral you heard yelling coming from the other room.

“YOU CANNOT BE FUCKING SERIOUS!!!!?? THIS IS A JOKE RIGHT!!???” Veronica. You walked closer to the door to try and get a better listen but all you could hear after that were jumbled voices. So you decided fuck it, and walked out of the room into the crowded living area. Except people weren’t partying like they were before, pretty much everyone was silent, gawking at the couple they all thought were perfect. When you pushed through some of the bodies and were able to see them your breath caught in your throat. Veronica looked fucking pissed, she had her hands balled into fists and she stomped her foot on the ground several times like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“What the fuck are you talking about THERES SOMEONE ELSE!? Are you serious right now? Who is she? Some other bitch on the cheer team? Swim team?” She scoffs and then makes a gagging noise “oh god, is she in the DRAMA club? Or some nerdy girl you tricked into doing your homework since you can’t do it for yourself?” That last comment had you seathing, giving you insight into how she probably talks to him all the time.

“God Veronica, can you be any more shallow? Not everything is about popularity or some fucking club. We aren’t in highschool anymore, grow up.” You looked over at Steve who honestly looked like he would rather be doing anything but having this conversation right now. “That’s rich, coming from you, KING STEVE!!! Since when do you not care about all those things? I thought that was our whole thing?” She let out a dry laugh “you think anyone else really wants to deal with you? I only dealt with you because of all the perks that came with having a life with you. You think I actually loved you? You think anyone will really love you and your pathetic, whiny, daddy issues bullshit??” Steve looked stunned, he knew she felt that way but hearing it coming out of her mouth hurt a little. He never really loved her but there was a point when he did at least actually like her.

You couldn’t take it, between what she said to him and the look on his face you snapped. You walked over there without even caring about the consequences and got directly in her face. “You’re. Wrong.” You snarled at her.

“Excuse me, what? And what the fuck does it matter to you, mistress of the dark??” She looked you up and down with disgust.

“It matters a whole lot to me actually, because I DO like Steve. I don’t give a fuck about his popularity, or basketball, or how much money he has. I don’t need any of those things because he’s so much more than that!” You thought back to when you worked on the project together, at the time you hadn’t really allowed yourself to notice how different Steve was with you but he was. He told dumb jokes, he smiled sweetly at you and fumbled over his words. When you would tell him like it was, or act annoyed by him he didn’t say anything, just took it. You guys would talk sometimes for an hour or more after you had already finished working, and In that moment you realized that he let you see parts of him he probably didn’t show to anyone, you were just too dumb to see it. “He’s funny, like the stupid kind of dad funny that’s kind of embarrassing but down right endearing at its core. He’s sweet, caring, and listens to me when I talk. He’s not stupid, he’s incredibly smart. You just never took the time to see him and you’re the biggest fucking idiot for it!!” You didn’t move, stayed directly in her face, staring into her eyes daring her to do something.

Her eyes widened and then slanted into a glare “HA!!! Oh my god!!! You’re dumping me for this freak!? You’re even more of a joke than I thought Harrington! Talk about a downgrade, you really think your parents would ever approve of HER? Your dad would cut you off as soon as he saw her, your mom would-“

“THAT'S ENOUGH!!! Just SHUT. UP. For once in your fucking life Veronica stop talking! Don’t talk to her like that, you don’t know anything about her. Or me for that matter. Stay the fuck away from us.” Steve grabbed your hand and started dragging you away towards the front door “come on baby, we are leaving” you let him drag you to the door but before you walked out you turned around and flipped Veronica off “I win, you lose! Dumb bitch!” You stuck her tongue out at her and started cracking up at her stunned face on the way out.

•

Steve took you back to his apartment, your immediate reaction was to feel uncomfortable because of course even his apartment was way nicer than yours. But before you could even really get a look around he was on you. Kissing you in a way that made you feel like you were going to melt into a puddle on his carpet. You pulled away from him and smirked at him before dropping down on your knees in front of him and he felt himself starting to get hard instantly. “I believe I promised you the best blow job of your life, did I not?”

He reached down and caressed your cheek “Yeah you did pretty girl, but honestly you don’t have to, we can just watch a movie or cuddle or something. I wanna do this right with you. I don’t want you to think that’s all I want, ya know?”

“Hey Steve?” You smiled up at him sweetly “yeah sweetie?” You reached for the button on his jeans and popped it open before pulling his zipper down, placing a gentle kiss on the small sliver of skin exposed where his shirt rode up “Stop talking. I want to, I like doing it. If I’m being honest I wanna suck your cock so so bad Stevie” he groaned at that “fuck, yeah, okay baby. Whatever you want.” You smiled at him triumphantly before grabbing his pants and boxers and pulling them down in one swift motion.

His cock sprang out and you forgot how to talk for a moment because holy shit it was the biggest and most beautiful cock you’ve ever seen. “Wow…” was all you could manage, spitting on your hand and wrapping your hand around his girth, giving him a few strokes before leaning up to kitten lick the salty precum from his tip. “Oh shiiit that feels so good” you gave him a few more licks before abruptly taking as much of him as you could at once. He involuntarily jerked forward sending his cock further down your throat, causing you to gag before he pulled back “oh shit, I’m so sorry”

“Don’t be, I like it” you said before you took him back down your throat as far as you could, causing yourself to gag again before pulling back and repeating the action causing spit to drip down your chin and all over Steve’s cock. Steve was a mess, he was making whining sounds he’s never heard from himself and he seriously needed you to stop soon or he was going to bust before he even got to fuck you.

You pulled off and looked up at him “I want you to fuck my face, daddy” that was it, he was obsessed with you. “Oh god, I want that too baby girl but I will seriously cum if I do that right now and I really really want to fuck you.” He pulled his pants up before pulling you up on your feet grabbing your hand and walking towards the bedroom. He closed the door behind him and turned to place a gentle kiss on your lips when he pulled back you pulled your shirt over your head and his eyes nearly popped out when he saw you weren’t wearing a bra “holy shit honey… these are the best fucking tits I’ve ever seen” he grabbed them in his large hands, squeezing them before he leaned down to take an already hardened nipple in his mouth. “Mmm daddy, your mouth feels so good.” He groaned at the sound of you calling him daddy again. He’s always wanted a girl to call him that, it’s just no one he’s been with has been into it and you calling him that in your own accord was making him crazy.

“I know where it’ll feel even better.” He said before pushing you back until you were laying on his mattress with your legs hanging off. You propped yourself up on your hands so you could look at him. “God, you are so fucking gorgeous I’m not sure how you’re real. Sitting all pretty on my bed with those beautiful tits out. I can’t wait to see the rest of you” He pulled his shirt over his head and you didn’t even have time to properly ogle him before he got down on his knees in front of the bed and ran his hands up your legs until he was at the bottom of your skirt. He looked to you for permission, and you nodded excitedly. That was all he needed before he was pushing the front of your skirt up to reveal your red lace thong that had a very obvious wet patch.

“Look at these pretty little panties… too bad they have to go.” He looped his fingers in the band and ripped them off, throwing them over his shoulder. “This pussys is waaaay prettier than those panties anyways, god damn.” He started kissing your calves and the inside of your knees, leaving soft kisses and little bites as he made his way up to your thighs. He bit into the meat of your thigh before soothing it with his tongue and repeating the action on the other side. He left little kisses and licks down your inner thighs until he reached the spot you wanted him most. He kissed the top of your mound and then held his mouth over your clit for a minute letting his breath hit you while he looked you in the eyes “I’m going to fucking devour you”

He licked a stripe all the way up your entrance and to your clit, circling it a few times before sucking on it. Your hands reached down and tangled in his hair and your back arched immediately. “Jesus Christ Steve, your mouth feels so fucking good.” You whined.

He unlatched from your clit to look up at you “Steve? There’s no Steve here right now, only daddy.” You outright moaned at that and he smirked, circling a finger around your entrance before pushing it inside you. “Fuuuck daddy, that feels so fucking good. Put your mouth back on me, please?” You looked down at him with big round eyes and he felt like he was actually going to cum in his pants this time. His tongue started circling and sucking on your sensitive clit, he slid a second finger inside you and that was it for you.

You came so hard, probably the hardest you’ve ever cum in your life. Your grip on his hair tightened and you rocked your hips against his face “oh f-fuckkkk fuck, holy shit.” You pushed his face away “s-sensitive, come here” you reached your arms out for him and he put his arms on either side of your head, looking down at you adoringly. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into a heated kiss, groaning when you tasted yourself on his tongue. “Please please fuck me now, I want you so bad” you couldn’t even believe you thought you hated him just a few hours ago and now you were laying under him begging for his cock. He stood up and took his still unbuttoned pants off, now standing completely naked before you.

“God damn.. you are so fucking HOT holy shiiiiit, get over here and fuck me right now.” You pulled your skirt off and scooted up to the head of his bed and spread your legs wide open “how do you want me, daddy?” You giggled a little, feeling high on him. “Fuck, baby, will you ride me?” He walked over to the side of the bed and looked at your naked form, biting his lip. You grabbed his wrists pulling him down on the bed, pushing him on his back and climbing on top of him. You ground down on his dick, sliding your pussy easily up and down his length with your wetness. “Condom?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at you. “I’m on the pill, I wanna feel you, I want you to fill me up.” His eyes rolled in the back of his head “oh goddd, fuck. Yeah? You want me to fuck you full of my cum?” You didn’t even answer, just raised yourself up so you could line his cock up with your entrance and began to sink down on it.

“Holy fuuuck baby, that feels so good.” You were still holding his cock, sliding the head in and out of you slowly adding more of him inside you with each thrust until he was fully inside you and you could feel his hair at the base rubbing against your clit. You just sat there for a second, adjusting to his size. “Oh shit, you are so fucking tight oh my god.” You move back and forth, just the slightest rock of your hips. “Fuck daddy, you’re so big. I feel so full.” You whimpered. You raised up until you reached the head of his cock and then slammed back down out of nowhere and he let out a moan that you wanted to record and use as your fucking alarm clock. That egged you on, you started riding him hard and fast after that, sitting up fully with your hands on his chest to stabilize you. His hands were on your hips, head thrown back, he felt like all he could do was moan. He was pretty sure you were sucking his soul out of his dick and he had never felt this good in his entire life.

“Jesus Christ, you are such a good girl. You look so fucking beautiful riding my cock.” He moved his hands to your ass and slammed up into you, quite literally fucking the shit out of you. He moved his thumb up to your lips “Suck.” You took it in your mouth and swirled your tongue around it a few times before he pulled it out with a ‘pop!’ And brought it to your clit. Rubbing tight slow circles on the bud. “F-fuck, I’m g-gonna I’m gonna cum” he started fucking you faster, the circles on your clit got quicker “cum for me, cum on my cock like a good girl” your orgasm hit you hard, falling forward on Steve’s chest, letting out loud moans and pulling on his hair. That combined with the feeling of you clenching around him had Steve cumming right after you, filling you up just as promised. “Holy shit, holy fuck, I’m fucking cumming! God baby you feel so fucking good!”

You both just laid there for a moment, catching your breath and coming back into your bodies. You placed a soft kiss on his chest and sat up to look at him. “Wow Stevie. That was amazing, seriously.” He gave you a huge smile “Yeah it was. Holy shit. I’m obsessed with you.” You sent him a shy smile and tried to hide your face on your shoulder but he put his hand on your chin and made you look at him “Hey” he said your name softly “I mean it, I really fucking like you. I really do think you’re beautiful, you literally ruined me for any other woman ever. I’ve never met anyone like you. I’d really like to take you on a real date, like you deserve. If you’ll let me.” He gave you the most bashful adorable smile ever but you couldn’t help the little laugh that escaped you “Steve. You’re literally still inside me right now and you think I don’t want to go on a date with you?” He shrugged and chuckled, “I just wanted to make sure, I didn’t want to assume anything, ya know?”

You rolled off of him to lay next to him, resting your chin on his chest. “Of course I want to go on a date with you silly. It took me a minute to realize it, but I think I’m kind of obsessed with you too, Steve Harrington.” You tilted your head up to kiss him, soft and sweet, different from all the other kisses. “I just hope I didn’t ruin everything for you. I feel like you threw everything away for me.” You sighed and looked down at his chest, running your fingers through the hair there. He said your name more sternly than you were expecting “Look at me.” You looked up into his eyes and suddenly felt extremely shy under his intense gaze. “You didn’t ruin anything, you made everything better, you saved me from a life I was miserable in. I’ve never been more happy than I am at this moment. I don’t give a fuck what my so called “friends” or my parents think anymore. I did it for you, of course, but also for the first time in my life I did something for myself too. I’m not sure what exactly my life is going to look like now, but I know if you’re in it, it’s going to be beautiful.”

You felt tears welling up in your eyes at that, no one had ever said anything like the things Steve had said to you tonight. He kept talking so much about how you see him that you didn’t even realize how much he saw you too. “I think so too Stevie.” He saw you and you saw him, and the rest you would figure out together.

[swiss-mrs]

EDDIE MUNSON X SINCLAIR!READER

just me rambling on again about how Eddie loves a black woman from infinity to infinityyyy

there's a 'face claim' under the cut because i said so. you've been warned

okay, listen here.

Ever since your family moved to Hawkins, life has been... different

You just turned 13 when your family uprooted to the small town in Indiana. Lucas was 10, and Erica was only 6.

It was a bit easier for your younger siblings to adjust, but you had to start fresh during your last year of middle school, going into high school. That sucked like a bitch.

Transitioning from a larger city with a decent mix of races to a predominantly white town was about as smooth as it sounded, not at all.

Though racism was not terrible, there were plenty of backhanded compliments, passive aggressiveness, and snarky comments.

You were always so "well-spoken", "well-mannered", "presentable".

You didn't "sound black".

You didn't "act black".

You were "pretty for a black girl."

Whatever the fuck that means.

You knew that begging your parents to move elsewhere was not an option, waste of time, so you always knew that the moment you had the chance, you weren't gonna stick around for too long.

Going into high school at the end of '82, just shy of a year after moving into Hawkins, was how yours and Eddie's paths crossed, just barely.

Since you could practically count on one hand how many black families were in Hawkins's population, not knowing one another by name was near impossible.

You know Jeff by proxy.

Your parents knew each other, and you were the same age, so of course you knew each other.

You wouldn't call him a friend per se, but you were friendly enough to exchange quick greetings in passing.

Jeff was with three older kids when you passed him in the hall.

A chubby, curly haired, white boy, a pale brunette girl, and a slim, lanky kid who looked like he was trying to grow out a bad haircut, all of which were decked out in jean and leather.

The polite smile and wave he gave made the lanky boy to turn and see who Jeff was waving at.

As soon as you caught each other's eyes, his curious expression turned into a lovestruck one.

You didn't pay much attention to it, though.

"Who is that?"

"Oh, no one. She's just the daughter of some friends of my parents."

Since you were in separate grades, you didn't regularly cross paths with any of the people you saw with Jeff often, but you did end up having an elective class with the brunette girl.

It was a couple of weeks in when you were partnered up with her for a project.

"Veronica is my government name. Call me Ronnie."

During lunch, Ronnie mentioned to Jeff how adorable you were.

"You got to meet her?!"

Ronnie would then go on about how you were so nice and polite, but you were also extremely smart and sassy.

She got to witness your wit first hand when you made a sneaky comeback at someone who gave one of those stupid 'for a black girl' comments.

"I think Eddie is going to blow a fuse."

"You got to meet HER?!"

The boy was starstruck every time you would unknowingly pass him in the hall or when he saw you from across the cafeteria.

"Would you just go up and talk to her, numbnuts?" Ronnie would say as she smacked the back of his head when she caught him staring a bit too hard.

"I can't just 'go up' to her!"

"The fuck not?"

He'd reply with silence, not really knowing what answer to give.

You were too good for him? He'd have no chance? You'd dismiss him? Reject him? What would he even say?

"I wouldn't know what to say..."

"Maybe try, 'Hello'."

He spent the next four years pining over you from a distance.

Now, in your senior year, you were more excited than anything to get out of this shit hole.

The cute super super senior with the loud mouth, long hair, and less than stellar reputation had always caught your eye, but you both still had yet to actually say anything to each other. Paths never crossing further than beyond the hallway.

You never bothered to make a move on him.

You were convinced that you weren't his type, or anyone's type for that matter, especially not here.

But you're both seniors now.

Much to Eddie's surprise and delight, you now had classes together.

He never once liked being in high school for longer than necessary, but here he was, oddly thankful for being held back.

Your schedules are almost completely aligned, save for the fact that you had a couple honors classes.

For the first few days of your senior year, Eddie was a ball of anxiety every time you were around.

He sat either behind or beside you in the back of all your shared classes.

It wasn't until one fateful Tuesday, in the second week of that school year, that your pen ran out of ink, and you finally said your first words to him.

"Hey, do you have a pen I can barrow?"

You were turned around in your seat to look at him behind you. He was stuck for a few beats before he blinked away his shock.

"Uh, y-yeah. Here." He handed you the very pen he was using to doodle in his notebook instead of actually taking notes.

The small smile and the gentle brush of your fingers against his nearly made his heart stop on the spot.

He was absolutely gone.

It was in that moment that he realized he'd never properly heard your voice before.

He wanted to hear it again.

You even remembered/bothered to give him his pen back at the end of that class.

He spent every single one of his classes for the remainder of that day coming up with a full ass tactical plan to approach you.

Every day that passed, he for some fucking reason just couldn't find the right moment to put his plan in action.

It wasn't until a few weeks later when you threw his plan through a loop.

You showed up to a Hellfire meet just as they were all leaving out the drama room.

He heard your voice coming from outside once some of the freshman members walked out the door.

"Hey, Baby Bro! How'd it go? Have fun?"

Eddie eyes widened, and he stilled for a second before he dropped what he was doing to rush out the door.

He tried to play off his stumbling by leaning against the wall right outside the door.

"Oh, Hey! You're in this club too?"

"This is Eddie. He leads the club." Your little brother's curly haired friend, Dustin, clarified immediately.

Before Eddie could give Dustin a look to 'shut the fuck up before he ruined his shot', you raised your brows with somewhat of an impressed look on your face.

"Oh, so you're Eddie."

The way his name rolls off your tongue makes him want to melt into the floor.

All the false confidence he once had completely depleted, and he was back at a loss for words. Thank God you didn't leave room for him to make a fool of himself.

"The boys talk so highly of you. Thank you for looking after them for a couple hours after school. See you tomorrow!"

He watched, awestruck, as you walked away with your brother and his friends.

"Y-Yeah, no problem!" He'd finally yell after you a you made it to the exit doors.

You turned to wave bye before fully exiting the building to the mostly vacant parking lot.

Eddie waved back weakly.

"See you tomorrow." He says to himself in the empty hallway, still waving even after you couldn't see him anymore.

A cheesy grin would grow on his face as he went back into the drama room to collect his DM stuff.

"Holy shit. You actually exchanged words!" Jeff would say.

"~See you tomorrow~" Gareth mocks, clasping his hands together, resting them on his cheek and batting his eyelashes.

Eddie glares at the younger drummer. "Shut up, asshole."

Early October is when he finally leaned forward to ask you a question.

"Hey, I don't really understand what's going on. Could you help me?"

There it was.

You accepted, falling right into his hands.

His plan was now officially in motion.

You were smart and nice. Of course, you would help tutor him.

Eddie knew that would work.

You were well aware of his academic status, or rather lack thereof.

You couldn't help but let that little 'I can fix him' part of your teenage brain take over.

You really wanted to help him pass and graduate, ESPECIALLY since he reached out to you for help.

You couldn't say no. wtf

You two had spent all of October studying together.

Even though he was distracted by you most of the time and always going off topic to get to know you, he actually was kind of learning something.

A win-win for him.

"Hey, so, uh, you know, Halloween is right around the corner, and, uh, there's a special rescreening of 'Alien' this weekend. Would you, uh, you know, if you're into it, would you like to go see- watch it, like, with me, I mean?"

The question came at the end of your recent study/tutoring session.

Over the last few weeks, you had shown nothing but kindness towards Eddie. You two even had conversations with one another out in the open, outside of the safe privacy of the library.

He finally had the courage to ask you out.

You hesitated.

"Oh, uh..."

Your apprehension was not for the reason he was thinking, but it was enough for his mind to start caving in on itself.

"I mean, I just want to show you my appreciation, you know, for all your help. There's no- no pressure at all. I get it if you don't wanna be seen with me too much. I won't blame you."

His response takes you aback.

"Hold on. That's not what I was trying to get across at all."

Your firm tone made his chest tighten with anxiety. If that wasn't it, what was it? Did you have plans already? Maybe with a boyfriend? Shit, why didn't Eddie make sure to get your current relationship status out of you before asking.

"It's just that, uh, I'm kind of a... wuss... with scary movies. The sci-fi part of it seems intriguing enough, but I heard that it was pretty scary... The Boys snuck the VHS during one of their movie nights a couple years ago. I just remember Lucas being on edge for weeks after watching it." You chuckled nervously.

Eddie chuckles, relieved by your answer.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be there to protect you from all the monsters." The use of his DM voice at the end goes straight to the pit of your stomach like hot coals.

You hold back a girlish giggle, not wanting to show how much that effected you.

"Okay, fine, but if I fail our test due to a lack of sleep, I'm blaming you."

After you agree to go on a date with him, he fully unleashes his inner flirt.

His surprising change in attitude towards you makes butterflies erupt within you.

His overt flirting brings out your sassy side as you two go back and forth.

That movie-dinner date was the first of many.

Eddie wasn't huge on physical PDA.

He was always super respectful and reserved in public, but he almost always made a show of you.

"There she is! The most beautiful woman to ever exist!"

"Look at her. A goddess among us mortals!"

"Here she comes! Make way for the queen!"

You eventually got used to his over the top antics, going from telling his to "shut up" with a shy grin to just embracing your new 'royalty status' with your head held high and a bright smile.

You'd been dating for months.

Your tutoring actually helped raise Eddie's grades, especially after you told him how much you wanted him to graduate with you this year.

Come spring, Lucas is now unsuccessfully splitting his time between Hellfire and basketball.

When Dustin and Mike bring in the third Sinclair into the drama room, Eddie can't help but cave quickly once she shows off her dnd knowledge.

Erica definitely gets her sass from you, though she's a lot more blunt with it.

Eddie can't help but form a huge soft spot for her, even after the game is over.

While Erica, Dustin, and Mike were waiting in your car to leave, Eddie stopped you.

"So, you know, we've been dating for quite a while now-"

"Five months and counting." You beamed.

Eddie grinned happily. So, you were keeping count.

"Yeah, soon enough it'll be six, then seven, then ten, then 12, then-"

"OK, OK" you giggled. Eddie's smile only got bigger.

"So, I was wondering..." That shy boy who could barely ask you on a first date returns, bringing a soft grin to your face. "Do you... Would do... I... Will you be my... my girlfriend?"

"Of course." You smiled without missing a beat.

"Really?!"

As the news sunk deeper and deeper, it became harder and harder for him to physically contain his excitement.

He jumped up and down, grabbing you by the shoulders to pull you into a hug, bouncing up and down with you in his arms.

Your shared laughter filled the empty parking lot of Hawkins High.

From that moment on, the word 'girlfriend' was used in place of your own name for months.

"I'm convinced you've forgotten my name."

"I could never forget such a thing, girlfriend~"

He introduced you to metal music.

You introduced him to leave in conditioner.

You two were high school sweethearts, ones that would last forever.

🥹🥹🥹

[uneeorchidee]

personal style inspired by film noir

Film noir is mostly known for it’s two achetypes — femme fatale, and to a lesser degree, the girl next door. Inspired in 40’s and 50’s, it’s style is made of sharp lines, silky and form-fitting pieces. Alluring, mysterious and always moving with elegance and determination, everyone knows of the femme fatale. I picture a beautiful girl wrapped in long coat, dark sunglasses and stiletto heels, and a sillage of lovely perfume worn on her wrist like a sparkly bracelet.

The silhouette is cut by two horizontal lines, enhancing the waist and the shoulders. It’s usually done by high waisted pants/skirts, and dresses that are tied, wrapped, cinched or cut at the waist. The neckline is either in a sleeveless sweetheart type of style to show off the shoulders, or in a closed/v shape necklines with padded shoulders, creating that sharp line across them. Also seen in more casual type of outfits are long flowy wide-leg pants, or suits. They can also be made out of softer materials to give a sultry touch to the look, rather than androgynous one. This style is more monochromatic and minimalistic in it's colours, patters and layers, but it's always feminine and luxurious, accessorized with elegant details. Some of the go-to pieces are – silk or sheer blouses, balloon sleeves, peep-toe heels, velvet pieces, furr, structured/trench coats, diamond jewelry, long form-fitted/slit dresses, high-wasted pants and suits, sheer hosiery, dark sunglasses, hats/veils, gloves. Actresses to find inspiration from – Gene Tierney, Lauren Bacall, Ava Gardner, Veronica Lake, Rita Hayworth, Barbara Stanwyck

colours – since it was filmed in black and white, the colours had to be bold and with a lot of contrast. deep colours, mostly different shades of black, white, red, green

hairstyle – side parted, lots of volume, with sleek continuous waves framing the face, today known as the hollywood waves

makeup – defined sharp brows, long lashes with minimal eye makeup, lined lips and red lipstick

film noir outfit inspiration

sultry, red lips, enhanced waist, silky dresses, elegant, alluring, sharp lines, wavy hair

[v-era-18]

Earth's Armor

{Meliodas x Black! Reader}

Prologue: Fabric and Ale

‘Lady Earth is rumored to be very selfless with beauty beyond imagination! Plus, I heard she can kick ass!’- Princess Veronica Lioness

0

The winter was harsh and unforgiving this year in the kingdom of Lioness. Crops and stock were not scarce due to the prosperous spring they had earlier that year, yet many mouths were unfeed. There truly wasn’t much that could be done with the poor, as the many arguments nobles pointed out. However a certain maiden did the impossible, each night a new form of shelter would be built outside of town. In payment for the homeless silence of the maidens' identity, they provided them food to last for two months if rationed properly. 

‘No one is going to starve this winter.’ was the promise of the savior many wanted to give their lives to. Word quickly reached the castle, from the mouths of knights to the ear of servants; The king wanted to thank the maiden personally for their assistance, it wasn’t everyday a heroine would emerge giving hope to the people. King Bartra didn't send out a search however, due to the fact he already knew who the maiden was rescinding inside the castle walls. The young woman pushes herself too much really, if the Sins were to find out-the leader would be very displeased. 

Laughter emerged within the left wing of the castle, the girl's giggles could be heard outside the room as two guards stood beyond the door. The three princess teased and chatted, Veronica was currently having her hair brushed as she sat in the maidens lap. 

Elizabeth sat patiently waiting her turn, it was no secret that the young girl felt drawn to the woman. Each night the lady would tell her stories, in the morning help her get dressed, and even played outside with her when she had time. Her sisters sometimes joined in of course, but when it was just them she felt as though it was meant to be.

“Lady (Y/n),” Veronica spoke getting the lady’s attention. The woman hummed telling her to continue, “There’s been a story circling around the castle, about a woman that resembles Lady Earth.”

“Lady Earth?” Elizabeth questioned. 

“Yes, there’s a story centuries old about a young woman that one day emerged from the earth as a peace offering to restore balance among all races,” Margaret informed, as she placed the book she’d been holding down. Her eyes sparkled in memory of the old tale her father told her so many times before, “Skin brown and soft as soil, her heart was clear and still as a pond, pure as her voice of wind.” 

Elizabeth turned to lady (Y/n) with a smile, “Like you lady (Y/n)? Are you too sisters?!” 

The lady broke out into a bubbly laugh, “Who knows,” She finished the last section of Veronica's hair drawing it up into a nice bun, “Maybe we are, simply separated at birth.” 

Veronica felt the bun, pleased with the hair out of the way. The young girl switched positions with Elizabeth, much to the girl's pleasure. (Y/n) soon went to work on Elizabeth's hair, brushing through the silver tangles from a long day of adventure outside. She made sure to dip the brush into warm water before adding attention to each section needing to be groomed. Margrete and Veronica watched patiently, awaiting the moment the maiden would be done with their sister's hair. 

“Do you think we'll get to meet Lady Earth?” Margaret questioned, she played with the spin of the story (Y/n) would read to them in a few moments for bedtime, “I want to see her. I've heard so many stories from Father about her kindness and beauty.” 

The lady hummed for a moment, poking Elizabeth's cheek a bit in a teasing manner; an instruction for her to stay still. The young girl got a bit too excited sometimes with stories, hence why she waited till they were in bed before reading. 

“I believe you can when all three of you are older, but I must ask-why do you wish so much to see her?” (Y/n) questioned, she found the conversation amusing from the three girls she practically raised from time to time. She had grown close to all of them, making sure they studied, properly dressed, and took aim to be the best queens Lioness had ever seen. 

There were moments where they called her ‘mom’ by mistake and they all had to apologize afterwards. They honestly couldn’t help it, she mothered all of them. One time she went as far to scold three knights for not watching Elizabeth and Veronica properly when they both fell off the bridge. It took a certain captain to get the lady to show mercy unto them, Barta was actually going to allow the punishment-but thought better of it when all three men were hung upside down by vins for ten hours. 

An excited giggle erupted from Veronica, “Lady Earth is rumored to be very selfless with beauty beyond imagination! Plus I heard she can kick ass!”. A scolding frown made its way on the maidens face, letting the princess know she didn't approve of the language used. However there was a twinkle of amusement within her brown eyes. 

“That language is not becoming of a lady, little knight. Though I must say I'm amused you brought looks into your reason, fighting is more up your alley.” The maiden laughed lightly, Veronica puffed out her cheeks in pout. Her tomboyish nature was an enigma to many formal women, however to (Y/n) she encouraged the behavior. She even went as far to train her in the early hours of the morning with the basics of sword wielding. 

“Fighting is exciting! It’s not my fault others can’t appreciate it!”

“I know little knight. Just remember patience is a virtue even among those who fight.” (Y/n) finished brushing Elizabeth’s hair with a smile. 

The three princesses camored together in Margaret's bed for the night. It was a tradition for them to switch between rooms to fall asleep in, sometimes (Y/n) would join them in bed if she was tired enough. Although she did stress her dear friends when they had no notice of the occasion. They simply worry too much on her behalf. 

“If I were to meet her, the first thing I would have her speak about would be her adventures she had,” Margaret's smile was more on the childish side this time to the lady’s pleasure. As the eldest it was rare she had these moments, but in (Y/n)s perception as a child she has as many of these moments as they can. “Or she can grow me my own GARden of roses!” 

Veronica stuck out her tongue in dissatisfaction, “A rose garden? We already have tons of gardens in the kingdom!” The second eldest stood on the bed, piping her fist in the air. “What I think we can agree on is that she needs to be the captain over the holy knights!” 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Margaret snapped, “Gilthunders father is in charge! And is amazing at what he does!” 

“The old man can drop dead-”

“Veronica.” 

The girl was instantly silenced, her cheeks grew red in embarrassment from what she was about to say. She knew it wasn’t right to say those things, but she honestly wanted to see women in the field more than men. It was disappointing that she didn’t have that many figures to look up to. 

“Apologize this instant.” (Y/n)'s tone was firm, showing she had no room for disagreements. 

“Sorry…,” Veronica really did mean it. The princess settled back underneath the covers beside Elizabeth who was watching the whole ordeal silently. She seemed to be thinking hard either after she would need or want from lady earth. 

“I think I’ve got it!” Elizabeth exclaimed. The girl's sisters glanced at her, both exchanging a look of wonder and excitement. Their sister after all was a simple girl, she didn't ask or require much from others, only attention and mutual affection. 

“Oh,” (Y/n) tilted her head, “and what's that?” 

“I would give her a hug!” The youngest princess smiled, “She’s done so much for others without asking for anything in return she deserves it!” 

(Y/n) paused for a minute and let out a bright laugh, it was filled with warmth, causing the three girls to smile, “Oh but I know she would do that for you with pleasure Elizabeth! Are you sure there’s nothing else you would want from her?” 

Elizabeth shook her head, “No! That is it! She does enough as is.” 

“Really? Out of everything to ask for just a hug?” Veronica said, “Couldn't you just ask for something more useful-”

Margaret punched her sister in the arm silencing her sister, “That's a wonderful request Eli! I'm sure lady earth would appreciate it!” 

“Really?” The smallest princes asked. 

“Of course,” (Y/n) chimed in, “Everyone knows you give the best hugs my angle.” The lady wrapped her arms around the small girl in an embrace before giving her a soft kiss on the head. The girl giggled happily in response.

“Now,” The maiden clapped her hands softly, “Let's get started with that story shall we. Then it's off to bed.” 

The castle halls were quiet as she made way back to the sins chambers. If she played her cards right she could sneak out again without the others knowing and build one more shelter to make sure everyone is okay. The last shelter was big enough for the rest of the homeless to reside in but it wouldn’t hurt to build one more just for future matters. Maybe she could add a section solely for the children to sleep separately from the adults, she already had women sleeping with the children but it wouldn't hurt for the mothers to sleep a night by themselves. 

The door creaked and groaned as she entered the common room, and as expected no one was there. This time of night her friends were either out drinking or turning in for the night for their next assignment. She missed them greatly, but the princesses would distract her until their return. She allowed herself to relax, her shoulders slumping from keeping the posture of a proper maiden. She couldn’t wait to take off her corset-.

(Y/n) recoiled back in shock as she ran into the invisible field that surrounded her, it wasn’t till after she collided with the barrier was she able to sense her other comrades. She damned herself for not double checking like usual. 

“Oh you’ve done it this time buttercup. Captain got real upset after we heard where you’ve been sneaking off to.” Ban emerged from the other side of the pillar, his words held no malice, only disappointment and concern. 

“Oh? And where have I been sneaking off to exactly? Don’t tell me you found out about my secret lover?” The maiden feigned innocence. 

“You have a lover (Y/n)?! And you didn’t tell me?!” Diane finally exposed herself, her lips pouting displaying her hurt expression, “I thought we tell eachother everything?” 

“Not everything apparently,” King floated over in front of the barrier, he bore a serious expression, much like Ban his eyes spoke volumes, “She felt the need to sneak around without consulting us first.” 

She bite her lip, “You all would’ve said no-“ 

“For good reason,” It was Merlin this time. The enchantress waltz over to the perfect cube casted around their fellow comrade, a frown lacing her lips. “You know you’re supposed to be resting your powers, any more strain on them and you’ll end up sick again.” 

(Y/n) felt a frown make way upon her plump lips, her frustration was rising, “The kingdom's people were starving. Did you expect me to do nothing-?!” 

“Enough (Y/n).” 

The maidens mouth closed quickly at the words spoken from the corner of the room. She watched the feared captain-the sin of wrath make way down the stairs and towards her. Meliodas rarely got upset with her, he would sometimes talk her down from ‘spontaneous’ decisions or often decided to help when he saw she wasn't going to back down. 

Emerald green eyes met Brown, a silent conversation had seemed to start between the two causing the other Sins to tense considerably. Gowther analyze the situation taking into account of the captain's feelings towards the woman and how he might go about her punishment, it wouldn’t be a harsh one-just one to get the message across. 

“You told me you were staying with princesses late at night,” The sin of wrath started, the maiden decided the painting near Diane was more interesting to look at, “I had to find out from three other men on the street about what you had done. The symptoms of fatigue you seemed to have after producing so many crops from enriched soil that the winter can't produce-” 

“In the beginning, yes I was fatigued,” She locked eyes with him once more, this time challenging, “but after three shelters were built my powers no longer struggled-they in fact improved.” 

He simply shook his head, “And what if it hadn't improved? You're still at risk of pushing your magic to the max! You could've at least had Merlin go with you to watch, but instead-you decide to risk your life without even thinking about the consequences-” 

“I was fine-!”

“This time! But what about the next?!” Meliodas questioned in a growl, “Are you going to push your powers till there's nothing left of you?!” 

Ban exchanged a look with King, the two looked at their captain with worry. They both obviously knew of his feelings towards the woman, hence why they thought he should’ve stopped why he was ahead. At this rate the argument would escalate. 

“If it means another person gets to live then so be it!” 

The room grew deathly silent after the maidens' statement, the sins were ultimately shocked with her proclamation, Gowther especially didn't see it coming. Meliodas' form shook slightly, Ban almost felt compelled to say something on her behalf but didnt know what to say. 

“(Y/n), do you understand what you just said?” Merlin questioned carefully, the lady strode forward and stepped between her and the captain, wanting eyes on her. “We all know things could’ve gone south for you with your magic being unbalanced, dire consequences would ensue. Even the possibility of your death.” 

Diane gasped, “That-that’s not true is it? (Y/n)’s magic couldn’t possibly kill her could it?!” 

Merlin didn’t answer, only staring down at the maiden; her dearest friend, “Be honest with us (Y/n).” She stepped closer, eyes staring hotly at the girl's smaller form, “Do you want to die?” 

The girl paused for a moment before a sad smile graced her plump lips. 

“Does one’s embers burn the entire night?” 

~ ☀ ~

The village streets were busy with noise and laughter of its people. Stalls and stores were filled with each turn and glance of an eye. The afternoon was nice, the sun provided warmth from the breeze rustling the leaves, and the sweet waft of pastries filled the air.  

Three men however stuck out like a sore thumb; A red jumper and red tight pants caught the attention of many ladies walking by, a boy floating on a green pillow had many children gasping in awe, and finally a short blonde haired man walked in the middle, he seemed to be focused with the task at hand. 

Red eyes glanced to the right, spotting a shop with  dresses and clothes adorned in front of the windows. The man scanned the clothes quickly, the stitching, all the way to how the fabric seemed to be made from love. He swiftly turned the other way, catching the attention of the other two who followed without question. 

Pins were pressed between plump lips as (e/c) eyes focused on the hemmed cuffs of the boy's pants. Philip was a short boy, his brown locks framed his round face nicely, where his hazel eyes were easy against the autumn sunrise. He was growing a bit, hence why his father brought him in for new clothes. 

(Y/n) loved it when the children were regulars, she always found it exciting to see them grow into young men and women that would one day contribute to many things in the world. 

Dalton watched the woman with alluring eyes from where he sat, he had a good view of where she crouched before his boy leading his imagination to run wild. Like many men in the village the father was guilty for wanting the lady to himself. As a single father, it was important that Philip had a mother figure in his life. And a mother figure is what he was determined to provide. 

“You’ve been growing a lot I see, soon you’ll be too big for me to help you anymore.” (Y/n) pouted, teasing the little boy. 

Philip gasped, shaking his head, “N-no! I’ll always need lady (Y/n)’s help! Who's gonna help me tie my shoes so I won’t trip and fall?” 

The lady giggled in response, “I’m sorry love, but I won’t always be here to tie your shoes. Plus I’ve taught you numerous times, have you already forgotten?” 

A shake of a head was the response, “no, I just need you to here in case I make a mistake in towing them. It hurts when I fall down and scrape my knees, plus the other kids pick on me when I fall.” 

A hum left her lips as she pinned the fabric in place, “And what have I told you to do about bullies?” 

“To throw stones at their heads?!” The boy shouted in excitement. 

“What?!” Dalton laughed in disbelief.

“N-no that’s for them hurting you! I mean when they say mean things.” 

Philip hummed, seeming to think hard to remember what the lady told him to do. A gasp left his lips in remembrance, “To let them wallow in their self pity?” 

(Y/n) smiled and pinched the boy's side, Philip giggled in retaliation, “exactly, they only want to steal your joy to make them feel better about themselves. So remember,” the woman places a chaste kiss against the boy's cheek, leading another giggle to leave the child’s lips, “your joy is yours, don't let anyone take it from you.” 

Dalton's face turned determined, his eyes filling with adoration and lust for the woman treating his son as if he were her own child. Yes, she was the woman he needed within their home, he needs to ask her now. 

“Speaking of joy-“ the man’s voice was cut out with the ring of the store bell drawing his attention from the sight before him. Dalton bristled a bit watching the three men enter the shop with ease, what threw him off was the intense waves of power that radiated off of them. It was intimidating and left his nerves on edge, any man who would’ve been in his shoes would’ve left immediately not wanting trouble. But he wouldn’t waver, his determination setting in. 

“Welcome in!” The lady chimed without turning around, she pinned the last hem of the boys dress shirt and would soon get to hemming once they were gone. “I’ll be with you in just a moment.” 

The man in the red get up smiled, it was wide with excitement, “We’re in no rush buttercup take your time.” 

The woman froze for a moment at the familiar voice behind her. She could feel all of their magic combined, the feeling felt euphoric, she hadn’t seen or heard from them in so long. However, she felt at peace here, that was her only dilema. 

“Miss (Y/n)? Am I able to look now?” Philip's voice cut through the tension in the room. The maiden looked back up at the little boy with a wide smile before nodding. With an excited smile the boy hopped down before rushing to the changing room. 

Dalton chuckled at his son's antics before turning to the lady beside him, “They grow up fast huh? Soon he’ll be taller than me and an even better man” 

(Y/n) nodded in agreement, “It feels like a pain knowing that I won't be able to see the children grow up as I want to,” The man in the red jacket turned to her back slightly before continuing through the shop pausing at another pair of pants snatching them off the hanger. They were exactly his size. 

The man chuckled lightly, taking his chance slowly, “You know miss (L/n), I'm surprised you don't have any children of your own,” The other men came to a halt in the shop, hearing the tone of the man's words, The blonde peeked his head out from the isle of lady undergarments, one that the fairy had silently begged him not to go to. “Any man would be lucky to have a woman like you.” 

(Y/n) felt her face flush slightly at Dalton's flirtation, she wouldn't lie the man was handsome. However, he had dark brown hair, clearly not the bright blonde she remembers from her repressed memories, meaning he wasn't her true mate. “O-oh, is that so Mr. Landar-” 

“Dalton,” The male uttered, “I've never liked formalites between us, in fact it feels a bit foreign dont you think-” 

A bell went off at the desk causing the two to turn their attention. In front was a blonde haired male, a foot taller than Phillip, with an area of nightgowns in his grasp. Dalton couldn't help but feel a tad bit irritated that a customer had interrupted his flirtation with the maiden, after all it was going so well. 

“Mr-I mean Dalton if you would..,” 

Snapping out of his daze the male gave a forced smile, “Y-yes of course, you do have a business to look after,” the man stepped aside as the woman made her way to the front desk, paying attention to her light steps of grace and posture. It was like watching a goddess in disguise, Miss (Y/n) never wore shoes-they were deemed constricting and hurtful upon her feet. So in her store she made sure to sweep the floors frequently throughout the day, to keep it clean. 

The maiden stared down at the shorter male, his smile wide as he held the nightgowns up to the counter for her to take. She stared a bit at the area of them, the diversity of lace and trim on different shades of green. One of them was her favorite, a sage green nightie with white lace trimming for straps and along the bodice. “How can I help you sir? Did one of these catch your eye?” 

The blonde nodded, “Yes! You see the maiden I'm getting these for loves the color green, I'm trying to see which one would be best for travel yet relaxation!” 

(Y/n) hummed softly, playing along, “Well the dark green one would be a good choice in concerns of travel, but for comfortability I would go with the emerald. Silk is good for the skin and the doubled layered fabric is perfect for the cold nights,” Her words were indeed true for the nightgowns. The dark green was tripled layered with thin fabrics for the cold and heat, but it might be deemed slightly uncomfortable for bed due to stiffness. However, the male couldn't help but notice her eyes shifting back to the sage green, the one she could see herself twirling in the mirror to. 

“What about this one?” The blond held up the sage green nightie, he felt the fabric before looking at its opened back portion, “Are you sure she wouldn't like this alot better? I bet it would look nice against her skin and its silk, yea?”

The maidens lips twitched a bit upwards, “Ah, yes, that one I spent three days on, handmade. It reminded me of lily pads from a certain forest. I'll be sad to see it go, but I know your maiden will be a lucky woman if you decide to buy that one.” 

“I see…, well then! I'll get this one-” 

“Ms (Y/n), I'm done!” Phillip rounded the corner, his clothes had suited him very well, from his brown slacks to the nice white shirt she sewed him. A wide smile emerged on the maidens face in response, coming from behind the desk to hoist him up on her hip, “Do I look nice?” 

“Dear your gonna knock the other maidens dead when they see you,” 

The boy cocked his head to the side, “Like my dad?” 

The woman sputered in embarrassment, She could feel the men's eyes on her, “Y-yes, just like your father.”

“Then can we have you over for dinner this afternoon Ms. (Y/n)? My dad caught a deer yesterday, he heard it was your favorite!” 

(Y/n) smiled widely turning to Dalton, the man was shuffling on his feet slightly-cheeks turning pink, “You hunt deer Dalton?” 

“On occasions, my father was more skilled at it though,” He stepped forwards with a hopeful smile, “I'm glad I paid attention, hoping to win over a maiden such as yourself.” 

The maiden hummed, slowly putting Phillip on the floor, “Is this your way of attempting to court me?” 

“Is it working?”

“This man is bold,” The man in red whispered to his floating companion. 

The male on the pillow scrunched up his nose watching the interaction, “I know, I'm surprised Captain hasn't kicked the man out of the store yet.” 

“He's got a kid with him, you know buttercup loves them. Who knew a man would use his son to pull her heart strings.” 

(Y/n) shared a long look with Dalton before finally answering, “You know what you have to do to truly win me over?” This caused the men to take a step back, evil smiles appearing on their faces as the blonde male went back to the women's aisle looking for a lingerie set for the maiden to wear. 

“What is it? For you , I'm willing to do anything.” 

‘Here we go’

“Fight me,” (Y/n) smiled. 

Dalton's face scrunched up in surprise and mortification, “Excuse me? I think I heard you wrong. Did you just say-” 

“I said if you want to win me over,” The maiden stepped forward, her voice becoming sultry, “You have to fight me.” 

The man stared at her baffled, but she didn't laugh or falter on her words. The maiden was serious with her request, the other men in the shop were not surprised, simply waiting for the man's response so they could close the shop. 

“Well, are you gonna do it or what?” The red eyed male cut into the awkward silence. Dalton turned to the man in shock , whereas (Y/n) since the first time arrived busted out in a fit of giggles. The male was confused at this point with how the maiden could want a man to do such a thing, sure he had heard of female holy knights but he was expecting the maiden to be a lot more soft and feminine than anything. 

“Ban,” The fairy hissed. 

“What?” Ban shrugged, “He said he was willing to do anything. Even though we know he won't win.” 

“I'm not fighting her,” Dalton's words were firm, yet he shot a pleading look to the woman in front of him, “Please (Y/n), are you sure there's no other way.” 

The woman shook her head giving a sad smile. 

“I see,” The man's posture deflated, before digging in his pockets and pulling out a yellow envelope, “Here, I truly hope you do find a man worthy of you Ms. (Y/n). Just remember our door is always open if needed.” 

“Of course,” The maiden took the envelope before crouching down to the young boy, she had expected him to be sad instead he was all smiles, “I hope to see you again soon Phillip-” The boy wrapped the maiden in a hug cutting her off. 

“I hope to see you again too Ms. (Y/n)! Take care!” And with that the two males left hand in hand a bag filled with clothes for the young boy. 

(Y/n) went to the shop door waving them off, before locking the bolt and turning the shop sign to ‘closed’. It was a bit early in the evening to do so but she knew better, that was the last item she would sell for a while. With her former captain merging in the shop it could only mean trouble was on the horizon. 

“Baaan,” The maiden whined, “Did you see the look on his face? He was so handsome too!” All she got from the sin of greed was a boisterous laugh before she was pulled in a secure hug. 

“Don't be so upset buttercup I'm sure there will be a man up to the challenge soon,” Ban looked back over to his best friend, who was hauling a suitcase behind him, “He’s a lot closer than you think,” He muttered to himself. 

“I don't understand how he thought he had a chance anyway,” King floated over, his expression bored at the thought of the man, “He couldn't be able to give you the luxuries of what you want and need out of a proper husband.” 

(Y/n) cocked her head to the side, “You guys didn't come here just to discuss my horrible dating life did you?” 

“No, we didn't,” Meliodas came up behind the maiden, she stiffed for a moment feeling his hand on her rump, “But while we're at it, we could possibly discuss our date this weekend-” The blonde was smacked hard enough to be send flying in ara of an amount of coats. King and Ban cringed, the first day back after not seeing her for so long this was what their captain decided to do in greeting. 

“That's not how you ask Meli,” (Y/n) crouched before him before a soft green glow limited from her hands healing him, “Although a nice purchase of that nightie might help.” 

King blushed, feeling as though they were intruding, “Should we let them be?” 

“Nah, you know she doesn't like public displays of affection too much, we're in the clear,” Ban responded. 

“ Alright, what's the situation,” The men watched the woman lift her hands slightly, using her powers to clean the store, putting clothes in bags and arranging quilts in a pile. This was what she had built of herself while they were gone, a business. By the actions that she was doing with taking the many clothes of the hangers and placing them in boxes it was telling that she was coming with them willingly, but she had a bit of loose ties to finish here.  “I felt a shift not too long ago , I figured it was the sins getting together, but I didn't know why.” 

“Elizabeth has asked for our help,” Meliodas answered swiftly, he opened the trunk for her, allowing her magic to do the folding and placing, “The king of Lioness needs us as well as its people. There's something bigger going on, and it'll be so much more convent to have you come along.” 

(Y/n) faked a pout, “And here I thought all of you came because you missed me,” Meliodas was quick to smile, taking the maidens hands gently  before giving a soft squeeze. It was moments like this she missed with her friends besides the many missions they ensued for the kingdom's protection. 

The image of the small princess she raised flashed in her mind, causing her smile to widen. It had been so long since she'd seen her last, since she had said goodbye in a haste before her memory of that day was wiped and she found herself here in a village. She left the princesses behind, it was her responsibility now to make up for it anyway she could. 

“Well,” The maiden huffed, “Who’s gonna help me deliver all these quilts and clothes before we depart, hmm?”

[sprnklersplashes]

I'm bored so here's my ranking of some if not all of the Veronica outfits in Heathers.

I am just going to be talking general costumes, so I won't be doing a new post for each alteration, but I'll talk about them if I can.

2014 Off-Broadway (worn by Barrett Wilbert Weed/Charissa Hogeland/Cait Fairbanks)

honestly.... 10/10. I love this costume. I love the dark blue. I love that while blue is the dominant colour the grey skirt and white shirt stop it being all-encompassing. I love the subtle pattern on the skirt. I love the square buttons and I don't care if they are impractical because she just rips that bad boy open in Dead Girl Walking anyway. I love the little sparkly thing at her collar and I love the dark outline on her collar. And I love her watch! She accessorises!

Most of all... I love those shoes. So much that I saw a similar pair in a charity shop window and got them and sometimes consider painting a section blue. They are adorable.

(Also, fun rumour; apparently they had considered having Ronnie wear heels in the Off-Broadway version but they scrapped it because Barrett Weed is 5'9" and when she had heels it meant Veronica was taller than JD. Which would've been amazing but we got these shoes in the end. And it also made me notice that Veronica is the only one of the Heathers not wearing heels and she is still the tallest)

(also the original line in Beautiful was "ask me how it feels wearing these badass heels")

Overall, I feel like this costume just feels very real. I didn't live in the 80s, but I look at this and I don't see A Costume. I see something a real girl would wear in this fictionalised version of the 1980s.

2021 West End (worn by Christina Bennington)

Solid 9/10. My favourite detail is the blue plaid miniskirt, I just think it's a cool little unique detail. And yes I said above that I liked that the Off Bway one wasn't all blue, but I think the variation in shades makes up for it and also I'm not consistent in anything. I also love the oversized blazer, it's so cool and I think it fits Veronica's character as a messy misfit who doesn't fit in and is essentially trying to be something she's not. Also I love the navy shoes.

2023 Off West End/Tour (worn by Miracle Chance and Lizzy Emery)

8/10. I love overall that it's a fun change from the standard Veronica outfit. I love the almost military-style jacket, it's a cool silhouette and it makes the outfit a bit more interesting. As does the black and white skirt. I swear there used to be a darker version of the jacket somewhere which would bump it to an 8.5, but overall I love this outfit.

Also, you can't see them in this picture but the brown and blue shoes are a plus, I love them. I love splashes of blue on Veronica's shoes in case you can't tell.

West End 2018/UK Tour 2021/Off West End 2021-2022 (worn by Carrie Hope Fletcher, Olivia Moore, Becca Wickes, May Tether, Ailsa Davidson, Kaleigh McKnight and probably some more)

6/10

sigh.... Listen I don't hate this outfit. I just think it's quite basic. I mean the shoes are cute and overall it's nice. The bow is a nice touch I do like the bow. The bow is nice. I'd prefer a darker shade of blue. Up close you can see some details on the skirt but at a distance it looks quite plain. Kudos to Carrie for accessorising with skull earrings though.

There are some variations. I like Becca Wickes' blue skirt, as we know I'm a sucker for a blue skirt.

Also the little necktie.... on its own it's fine, but I'm not a fan of Veronica and the Heathers all having matching neckties. I like the Off Broadway version gave them some variation.

Argentina (Julia Tozzi)

A whole 10/10. I love this look so much. I love the waistcoat, always put Veronica in a waistcoat. I love the tights and the boots? Holy shit I love the boots. I am so in favour of giving Veronica a tie. This outfit has so much character in it and I am in love with it. Does it look a bit too modern? Maybe. Do I care? Hell no. This outfit eats, no wonder JD was in love with her.

[ladygatuna]

a little bit of what I thought!

Veronica Thorn recently returned to gray Gotham City, intending to stop running from her demons!

Your adventures with your spider friends have come to an end, but it was great while it lasted!

She joined the spider society very early, after all, she became a spider very early. Veronica was a child surrounded by violence, but very intelligent, getting a scholarship to a rich school, and that only made things worse, since children can be very cruel!

And it was in a heavy bullying session, on a school trip to GothCorp. She ended up trapped in a secret room, where there were several spiders being studied, a frightening sight for a child. As she tried to get out of there, she ended up breaking one of the aviaries, and there was a very strange black widow that bit her.

This should kill her, at least that's what the doctors said, at least the hospital bills were paid, after all, they were just kids playing. And after a lot of pain, everything disappeared, she was back, and her mother bought her silence by accepting money from dirty people. however, she didn't return to that shy girl, who was afraid to even breathe too loudly around her bullies.

She realized that that spider was not normal, and the symptoms appeared a while later, they were classic. Then, others appeared that were very useful for his revenge. She acquired some characteristics of the black widow, and the best of them was poison.

No one has discovered how people so young ended up getting involved with drugs, and how much of a politician can be such a liar!

After all, heroes aren't born from violence and neglect, at least not in Gotham!