#I was already gonna watch this movie but now???

[scary-grace]

Off-Script (Act 3) - a Shigaraki x f!Reader fic

Tomura's been Dabi's stunt double for almost a decade, and he's not easily impressed, but when he squares up with you for a fight scene, he finds himself caught off-guard in more ways than one. As the shoot progresses and sparks fly between the two of you, Tomura has to decide if you're worth the risk -- or if the best sparring partner he's ever had is all you'll ever be. (cross-posted to Ao3)

Act 1 Act 2

Act 3

The party’s in full swing, and even though you’ve been here for an hour at most, Tomura’s already ready to kill Spinner for forcing him to invite you. You’re the only actor at the party. Everyone keeps asking you why you aren’t at the other party, and Tomura’s getting really sick of listening to you explain that you aren’t important enough to go to that one. Once it’s been established that you’re a nobody like the rest of them, one of two things happens. If the person you’re talking to is a woman, they ask you about the fight scene you filmed with Tomura. If you’re talking to a guy, he asks you to dance – and you say yes.

Tomura thought you’d dance with him, since he’s the one who invited you. He made the mistake of saying that to Magne, who switched out the beer in his hand for the double Malibu shot she was holding and told him that unless he’d asked you to go to the party with him specifically, he hadn’t asked you out. Then Twice came by, stole Tomura’s Malibu shot and replaced it with a Long Island Iced Tea, and informed him that just because you play a mind reader in a movie doesn’t mean you can do it in real life.

Tomura threw down half the Long Island in one swallow and almost gagged. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“She’s not gonna know you want to dance with her unless you ask her to dance,” Twice said. Magne nodded sagely. “So ask her to dance. Or – do that, I guess! That works too!”

Tomura had just finished off the rest of the Long Island. Twice patted him on the pack and he almost threw up. “Go get ‘em, Shigaraki! Or go home!”

Tomura thought about going home. Then he decided that he wanted to be drunker first, so he went back to the makeshift bar for something a little less instantly neurotoxic. But that hit pretty fast, too, and it hit hard enough that Tomura decided to sit down rather than try to walk to the shuttle stop and pass out on the way. So that’s what he’s been doing instead of dancing or talking or even drinking more. Sitting on a rock and watching the only actor at the party make herself at home.

Spinner sits down on the rock next to Tomura. Tomura tries to shove him off. “No. Go away.”

Spinner gets comfortable. “Heard anything from Dabi yet?”

Tomura fumbles his phone out of his pocket to check. “Nothing. He’s going to text you, not me. You’re the nice one.”

“Not hard to be, when you’re the one saying shit like I don’t care about this,” Spinner says. Tomura rolls his eyes and gets dizzy. “Look, it was – not great – when you were just being a dick to her. Now you’re being a dick to everybody.”

“It’s your fault for making me invite her.”

“Nope,” Spinner says. “You’ve been in a shitty mood about this since you guys filmed that scene. We all think you should just –”

“Ladies, and those of you who are not ladies, eyes up front!”  Yamada’s in Present Mic mode, which gives Tomura a headache on his best day. “It’s been brought to my attention that everyone is now sufficiently wasted enough for us to begin – drumroll! – the karaoke contest! Who’s up first!”

Nobody wants to be up first, like usual. The first round of the karaoke contest is usually just people bullying their friends onto the stage. Tomura turns to glare at Spinner. “If you even think about it –”

“I wouldn’t do that to you!” Spinner actually looks insulted. “We’re best friends, not mortal enemies!”

“Since you all are being shy, I’m going to pick a volunteer,” Present Mic announces. It’s not volunteering if somebody makes you do it. “And I’m picking somebody who has the pipes for this for sure! Give it up for Jiro Kyoka, who’s going to give us her best Dolly Parton impression on Jolene!”

Jiro smacks Present Mic on her way up to the makeshift stage, and he’s apologizing right up until the music starts. Tomura doesn’t know why, and neither does Spinner, but Jiro’s a good singer even when she’s had a few. The next person who goes up is Mirio, who’s tone-deaf on zero drinks but has had enough to volunteer himself. Attention grabs aren’t really Tomura’s thing – he’d prefer to go unnoticed most of the time – but he knows why the crew gets so into it. They spend all day doing ridiculous amounts of work, only for the actors to get all the credit if the movie does well. If they want to clown around, he’s not going to blame them.

“Room for one more?”

Tomura jumps and so does Spinner. It’s you, holding a water bottle and looking sort of tired. “Go for it,” Spinner says, shoving Tomura to the side and scooting away himself. “Right there.”

You sit down next to Tomura. Tomura hasn’t said a word to you since you got here. He looks around for something to say and comes up with something stupid. “You don’t want to show everybody up at karaoke?”

“If Yamada calls on me I’ll go up,” you say. “If he doesn’t, I’d just look like an asshole for grabbing the spotlight.”

“Isn’t that all actors do? Grab the spotlight?”

“Do you actually want it?” you ask Tomura. Tomura blinks. “You and the other stunt guys are closer to the spotlight than anybody else here. Why stay out of it?”

“That’s the stupidest question anyone’s ever asked me.” Tomura thinks that’s probably an overstatement, but he’s also on the not-fun side of drunk, so he’s giving himself a pass. “Why do you think?”

“So you’re telling me that if I waved a magic wand and changed your face to whatever you think it’s supposed to look like, you’d suddenly want to be famous?”

Tomura should have been paying less attention to who you were dancing with and more to what you were drinking, because while he’s pretty trashed, you’re sober. He’s miscalculated, big-time. “It’s not a trick question,” you say. “I just want to know why you pick on people for chasing something that you don’t even want.”

“Because it’s a waste of time for most of you,” Tomura says. Spinner protests, but Tomura ignores him. You came over here. You started it. “For every big star there’s a thousand people paying union dues who will be extras for their entire careers. How long do you plan on hanging out waiting for a big break that’s not going to happen? Find something else to do that’s – not that – and stop running around getting all starry-eyed. It’s pathetic. Sue me for being annoyed.”

Silence falls. “I’m getting another drink,” Spinner says. “Want anything, Psylocke?”

You shake your head. “I want one,” Tomura says, but Spinner ignores him. Like it’s his fault, somehow, when inviting you was Spinner’s idea in the first place. You haven’t said anything yet. Tomura replays what he just said to you, and guilt strikes him like a sandbag to the back of the head. “Uh –”

“Did you ever think it’s because we love it?”

“Huh?”

“If I was doing this to be famous, I’d have quit a long time ago,” you say. You pass your water bottle to Tomura and lean back on your hands, head tipped to look up at the sky. “Most of us aren’t stupid, or naïve. We know what our odds are like. Making it on the acting side – theatre, movies, TV, whatever – takes getting lucky. Or it takes knowing somebody who knows somebody who owes your mom a favor.”

That’s how Dabi got into it. His dad’s rich, his dad owns a production company, and his dad got him a bit part in some spy movie when he was thirteen that launched his entire career. Dabi’s career is Tomura’s career, so Tomura doesn’t bitch about it. Besides, Dabi’s good at it. But lots of people are good at it. Being good at it doesn’t mean shit, even when it should.

“I know it’s not going to happen,” you say. “Getting steady work is an achievement all on its own, and even that doesn’t pay the greatest. I could make more money doing almost anything else. But I really like what I do. The win for me is getting to do the thing I love every day.”

Tomura tries to wrap his head around that one. It doesn’t work. “Actors want to be famous. That’s why they’re actors.”

“There are other ways to get famous,” you point out. “Do the right kind of porn and you’ll get famous in a hurry.”

Tomura nearly chokes on thin air. “If I wanted money, I’d do something else. If I wanted fame, I’d do something else,” you say. “That leaves you two possible answers. Either I’m really stupid, or I really love what I’m doing. What do you think it is?”

“You’re not stupid,” Tomura says, still coughing. He twists the cap off the water bottle and sucks down a few swallows. “Except maybe for sitting here and putting up with my shit.”

“I’m still trying to figure out what I did to piss you off.” You take the water bottle – your water bottle, Tomura remembers too late – and take a few sips before handing it back. “Is it really just that I’m new?”

“No.” Tomura can’t even remember why. No, he can. “It wasn’t you at first. It was supposed to be Dabi’s fight and he made me do it instead, so I was pissed. And you wouldn’t take the stupid compliment, so I was pissed about that, too.”

“And right now?”

“Who said I’m pissed at you right now?”

“You, five minutes ago, when you were calling me and ninety percent of the actors in the world stupid and naïve,” you say. “What did I do this time?”

Even though Tomura’s starting to sober up, the alcohol smacks him one last time, and it’s a critical hit. “Danced with everybody but me.”

It’s quiet for a second. Then you get to your feet in a smooth, fluid motion that Tomura probably can’t even accomplish sober. “Okay. Now I need that drink.”

You don’t invite Tomura to come with you, but he follows you anyway as you make your way back towards the party. Partway there you stop and he walks into you. You twist around to face him. “You’re mad because I didn’t dance with you? You didn’t ask.”

“I asked you to the party with me, didn’t I?” The sooner Tomura finds something to lean against, the better. He might be sober enough to know he fucked up, but he’s still pretty drunk. Not drunk enough to forget what Magne told him. “If this is just because I didn’t use the exact words –”

“No, it’s because you’ve spent the last two weeks acting like you hate me,” you say. Tomura wants to say you’re exaggerating, but given that Toga and Spinner both called him out, he can’t really say that or anything else. “Now you want to dance? What am I supposed to do with that except get trashed?”

At least now you’re both on the same subject. “Dance.”

“Do you even dance?” You give Tomura a skeptical look. “I don’t know if you can keep up with me.”

Maybe this is how you felt when Tomura acted like you couldn’t swordfight. “I can dance. I was going to go easy on you –”

“Oh, shut up.” You grab Tomura’s hand and pull him towards the dance floor. Tomura barely has time to ditch the empty water bottle before the crowd closes ranks around the two of you, locking you in.

Tomura knows how to dance. More accurately, sober Tomura knows how not to dance, and avoiding that looks enough like knowing how to dance that he can get by. But that’s when he’s sober. When he’s drunk and there’s someone who clearly knows what they’re doing standing in front of him, he’s got absolutely nowhere to hide.

He studies you, trying to see if he can copy your moves, but you don’t really have distinct moves. What you’ve got is pinpoint control over every part of your body, which is what Tomura has, except instead of using it to make it look real when you have to fake getting shot, you’re using it to make dancing look like it’s what you were designed to do. He’d never know you dislocated a rib today if he hadn’t seen the bruise. All he can see is how your moves match the music, how confident you look. It’s hot. Tomura doesn’t think you’re trying to be hot, but he’s still not sober, and he’s paying way too much attention to everything your hips and your ass are doing. He’s supposed to be dancing, too. How is he supposed to look away from that?

Someone bumps into him, and he stumbles forward a few steps, right into your personal space. It doesn’t throw you off even slightly. “I was wondering when you were going to join in,” you say, barely audible over the music. Probably only audible because you’re pressed up against him and your mouth’s barely brushing his ear. “Is this you going easy on me?”

Tomura thinks he could be the best dancer on the planet and he still wouldn’t be able to compete with you. His hands come up of their own accord and settle on your waist, like the two of you are slow-dancing at a junior prom, completely out of sync with the music. You laugh, quiet and dark, but you wrap your arms around Tomura’s neck and rise on your toes to whisper in his ear again. “Pretend we’re fighting.”

You were just fighting. Weren’t you? It takes Tomura a second, but once he gets it, he gets it, along with a rush of adrenaline that’s absolutely insane. He pulls you in tight against him and you lean in, lining your body up with his centimeter by centimeter, limb by limb. One of your arms peels away from around his neck and traces down along the line of his shoulder, and Tomura raises his arm to match, ready to catch your hand by the time you reach his wrist.

Once he takes it, you spin out and away from him, like the two of you are ballroom dancing or some shit. But you come back closer than before, your back pressed to Tomura’s chest, leaning against him. Still holding his hand.

The handholding is fucking with Tomura’s head. He lets go and wraps both arms around your waist, and you twist in his grip to face him, a moment before tipping sideways on purpose. Tomura knew you were going to do it. He felt you telegraph it, the same as you did during the fight scene, and he’s ready to catch you. It looks like you’re ballroom dancing – again – and Tomura’s friends are probably losing their shit watching it, if they’re watching – but you trust Tomura to catch you, and he does.

He sees a smile cross your face before he pulls you back up, and you instantly tip the other way. He’s not as ready for that one, but it doesn’t matter as much, because you’re hooked one leg over his hip and caught yourself.

It’s like you want to break Tomura’s brain. Fuck it. If you’re fighting, he can fight back. He wraps one hand around your back to help you up, but he catches the crook of your knee with his other hand and pulls you tight against him. He feels you startle; then you lean into him again, not quite grinding on him but close enough that his cock doesn’t notice a difference. Or it wouldn’t, if Tomura hadn’t drunk so much earlier. He’s never been so thankful for whiskey dick in his life.

He doesn’t let go of your leg, and you don’t pull away. You wrap your arms around Tomura’s neck again and you tilt your head, studying him, your gaze flicking downwards, then back up. Tomura’s pretty sure you were looking at his mouth, and with your head tilted like that – do you want him to kiss you? Is that why you’re looking at him like that? If he’s reading this wrong, he’s going to fuck everything up, whether he kisses you or not. So he might as well get one kiss in. Tomura squares his shoulders beneath your hands and leans in.

“Hey!”

It’s possible that Tomura’s never been as pissed off at anybody as he is at Spinner right now. Spinner’s standing right there, looking sort of panicked, and you pull away from Tomura instantly, clearly embarrassed. “What?” Tomura shouts at Spinner. It’s lucky that the music’s loud. He can get away with shouting. “What the fuck is –”

Spinner holds up his phone, the screen brightness cranked to maximum. Dabi’s texted – both of them, only Tomura didn’t notice, because he was with you. get me the fuck out of here right now

Shit. Spinner turns and heads off the dance floor, and Tomura follows him. He grabs your hand on the way, so you won’t think he’s ditching you completely, and instead of pulling away, you come along. Once the three of you are clear of the dancers, Spinner turns to Tomura. “If he texted us, that means it’s bad,” he states. Tomura’s not going to argue. “I’m too drunk to drive.”

“So am I,” Tomura says. For a little while longer at least. “If we wait fifteen minutes or something –”

“He said right now,” Spinner says. “It’ll take fifteen minutes at least to get there. He fucked himself over in thirty seconds last time.”

Thirty seconds is generous. Dabi’s managed to get himself into cops-calling trouble in fifteen seconds or less before. Tomura didn’t want to be involved in Dabi’s sobriety, but he didn’t want to fuck him over, either, and this qualifies. That’s not even mentioning what’s going to happen to his career if Dabi drops out of this movie. “We blew it,” Spinner says, his face ashen. “He’s never going to forgive us –”

You tug lightly at Tomura’s hand. “I can drive.”

Tomura looks at you. So does Spinner. “I don’t know what’s going on here,” you say, “but I can tell it’s urgent. I don’t need to know what’s going on to be your designated driver.”

“You didn’t drink?” Spinner asks. You shake your head. “Great. Can you drive stick?”

[heartsforjh]

Success

Quinn Hughes x Fem!Reader Social AU

previous part here

au masterlist

youruser

liked by _quinnhughes, jaybayleaf, juliaroberts and others

youruser you guys should like… totally watch my new movie

view all comments

_quinnhughes already did, it was great y/n

youruser thank you quinnifer

quinnfan6 he is desperate up in these comments

juliaroberts gonna miss you!

youruser gonna miss you more!

y/nfan9 outfits ate

_quinnhughes

liked by jackhughes, colecaufield, youruser, and others

_quinnhughes glad to be back home 🗣️ #3-1

view all comments

lhughes06 good game bro

_quinnhughes ty bro

quinnfan8 i fear this could’ve been a text

youruser 30 minutes of ice time !!

_quinnhughes i’m just nasty like that

quinnfan9 we all saw the score quintin

quinnfan10 let him have his moment

quinnfan6

liked by youruser and others

quinnfan6 quinner what is this

view all comments

quinnfan11 he’s trying to post good pics of himself now to impress y/n

quinnfan5 they’re not even a thing im so tired of yall

quinnfan12 this would work on me

quinnfan13 shades always looks SO good on him

quinnfan14 Y/N LIKED OMG

☘︎ part 4 - coming soon !!

☘︎ guys sm of this is just little easter eggs that are inside jokes, it’s so funny 😭

[domesticgoddess22]

wish upon a cowboy

chapter 7: queen - Joel's POV

pairing: raider!joel miller x fem!reader

Summary: A rugged raider takes you under his wing after hunters leave you for dead. The two of you form a team and you quickly grow attached to him–mumbling, grumbling, protective Joel Miller. When you divulge your wishes to experience life before the outbreak, Joel decides to make them come true. All of them.

warnings: age gap (early 20s/mid 40s), praise kink, breeding kink, daddy kink, unplanned pregnancy, unprotected piv, canon-typical violence, light choking, dom!Joel, angst, joel is bad at feelings, drunk sex, pregnancy sex word count: 3.5k words (chapter 7) rating: 18+ explicit MDNI

masterlist | Ao3 | My Booktower @orcasoul @guiltyaschargedmf @idrkman

a/n: I'm posting again this weekend so that we are now caught up with the chapter updates I posted on Ao3. Get ready to meet Bill and Frank, everybody! ~~~~

Joel was starting to notice little things about you. Things you don’t notice about someone unless they were someone that mattered. Like the way you’d stick all of your trash in a little plastic grocery bag instead of tossing it on the ground. As if cleaning up meant a damn. The garbage man wasn’t coming around to pick up shit when the world was the way it was, riddled with the debris of buildings from the early bombings. The world was a graveyard of the fucking undead. Tossing discarded cereal boxes and soup cans into the mix wasn’t going to change that. 

Yet somehow, you still cared about the world and the state it was in. He’d watched you pick up all of your used Campell’s Soup cans and stuff them in a trash bag. You buried them in a ditch by the highway and clapped your hands together, proud of yourself.

“’s the point of that?” Joel frowned at you. You were wasting time cleaning up when the two of you could have been a mile down the highway by now.

“I don’t like tossing trash around if I don’t have to. No reason to make the world messier than it already is.”

“Just ‘cuz we don’t see it don’t mean it’s not there. It’s gonna be in the soil for years to come.” Joel argued.

“This is how they did it before, so it’s how I’m gonna keep doing it. Whether you like it or not.” Arms crossed, you stare up at him. The sun is in your eyes and it’s making your face look more annoyed than you probably are as you squint.

It wasn’t just the garbage thing either. Joel noticed the way you would put effort into other mundane shit, like the way you’d clean up houses you’d crash for the night. Before sitting down to eat, you’d wipe down the table and then place a chipped vase at the center of it, filling it with a branch dotted with little red berries. It’d have to do since flowers weren’t in season, you’d say.

Joel felt dumbfounded that you’d go the extra mile just so you could crack open Chef Boyardee cans that were long since past their expiration date.

It was one thing to play pretend. He liked when the two of you had your imaginary date and role-played that it was 1995 again and everything was fine. He likened it to things like reading or watching a movie. But cleaning up? Decorating? There was no fucking point to that. It was delusional. The world was ugly and it always would be. You wouldn’t be staying in this house tomorrow, and chances are no one would ever again.

“So how long until we get to Bill’s?” You asked as you finished your last ravioli.

It’s been awhile since he saw his friend Bill. An unlikely friend considering how reclusive he was, but Tommy had a way of making friends with anyone. And thank fuck he did, because it saved his ass when a raid had gone bad and left him with a mean knife wound on his side. He still had the scar from that night even though Frank, Bill’s partner, did a hell of a job stitching him back up. 

“‘S not too far from Austin and we’ve been makin’ good time. If everythin’ goes as planned, we should arrive by nightfall tomorrow. ” Joel replied.

“You sure have a lot of friends out in the wild. The Doc that saved me, now Bill and Frank.”

“Not really friends. More like people I’ve done business with once or twice. I scratched their back they scratched mine sort of thing. Tommy was the one who made friends with everybody. Not me.” Bill and Frank never really liked Joel now that he thought about it. It’d be the first encounter he’d have with them without Tommy. He hoped that they’d soften up with him if they saw he was with a woman. “Tommy knows how to make people smile. He’s a good guy.”

“Sounds like Tommy is a pretty cool person to be around. I never saw him around the QZ before. Maybe if I had a friend like him, I would have stayed there a little longer.”

“What made you leave?”

You sighed and he watched your little mouth twist in thought. Strands of your hair fell around your eyes. He fought every instinct to reach out and tuck them behind your ears.

“Nothing. I just didn’t have a reason to stay, and I think that in itself was a reason to leave. I had to see what was out here.”

“I know shit was bad in the QZ, but you were safer in there than you are out here.” Joel’s eyes fell on yours.

“I was alone in there. My parents were executed for leaving when I was a teen, so I lived by myself in one of the apartments. Made a few friends I guess but I wasn’t close with anyone. FEDRA was getting stricter when it came to regulations. Executions became more frequent, officers became more aggressive, curfews were enforced… It just didn’t feel like home. I don’t think it ever was.”

Joel thought back to when you said you slept with an officer to steal his ration cards. He wondered what else you had to go through in a place that didn’t even have enough food for its people.

“When’s the last time you felt like someplace was home?” Joel looked at you, swallowing a lump in his throat and then shifting his attention to his ravioli can. He’d already eaten all of the ravioli, but he scraped his fork along the inner lining and pretended to busy himself with the sauce. There was a part of him that wanted to hear you say that you felt at home now. With him. But that would be fucking stupid.

“I was young when everything went down. Too young to remember much, but I do remember some things. When I was around five, my parents would drop me off at my gram’s house whenever they needed her to babysit. Gram and I would spend the day together and I remember bits and pieces of it, like the way her house smelled like oatmeal cookies because she always had a batch ready for me. That was the last time I remember feeling at home.”

You smiled and Joel felt his heart swell at the sight of you. He liked seeing you happy, but shit, you hadn’t felt at home for twenty years and he hated that.

“I remember watching The Lion King while sitting in her recliner in the living room. I always cried when Mufasa killed Simba’s dad, and Gram would rub my back and say that it’s okay to feel sad when bad things happen.” You said wistfully. “She was right. But fuck, I wish sad things wouldn’t happen. I wish she hadn’t left when she did. The way she did.”

“She was infected?” Joel asked.

“Not with cordyceps.” You shook your head. “Fuckin’ cancer.” 

“Shit. Sorry, darlin’.”

“It’s okay. The way I look at it, she was too good of a soul to have to live through all of this. She left the world when it was the way it should have been and that’s all she’ll ever know of it.” 

You watched Joel quietly as he finished scraping the last remnants of sauce in his can.

“How about you? Did you lose anyone?” Your voice was so gentle and quiet that Joel almost didn’t hear you. He could read your lips in the warm candlelight and see the way your chest expanded slightly. You were nervous. It was probably something you’d been wondering about him for a while and he could tell. It was a normal question anyone might ask nowadays. ‘Who’d you lose?’ or in his case ‘How many did you kill?’

Joel knew he didn’t share much about himself and he wanted to share more with you. To open up to you. He just… couldn’t.

Joel didn’t let himself think about the people from before. He hadn’t said Sarah’s name out loud in probably twenty years. It was easier to just pretend it never happened. That Sarah never happened and therefore she never died. He never held her in his arms and watched the life drain from her body. It. Never. Happened.

The same mindset applied whenever his thoughts would accidentally stray and he’d think about his mom or his dad. He’s stop himself from thinking too much about it. He and Tommy never drove to their house and he never saw them turned.

He flicked his gaze down to his watch, long since broken but he wore it anyway. He didn’t know why, he just did.

“I didn’t have family other than Tommy.” Joel lied. “My parents and I weren’t close. Saw some of my friends and neighbors turned, but not anyone important.”

“I see.” You said softly. “Then it must have been easier for you.”

“Yeah.” He felt strained in his response. This isn’t the direction he wanted the conversation to go.

“So no dead wife then?” You asked, brow arched with the corner of your mouth twisted upward in a way Joel found unbearably sexy.

He laughed.

“No. No wife. I mean, I was married when I was really young, but it was a mistake. We divorced a year later and I was on my own for a while after that. Never had the time to get serious I guess.” Joel left out the part where he was a single dad to their child.

“Can’t say I’m not a little relieved.” You bashfully look away. Joel thinks he sees pink stain your cheeks but it’s hard to say with what little light the candle’s flame has to offer.

“Relieved that ’m not a widow?”

“Yeah. It’d be hard to compete with that if you were still hung up on your dead wife or somethin’.”

“Then I could say the same about you. How do I know you don’t got a boyfriend somewhere?”

“I was five when the outbreak happened, Joel.”

He tuts. “Meant in the QZ.”

“Yeah, and I just left him there so I could explore the world. Because I’m a masochist and like to abandon my lovers like that.”

“Could have been a bad breakup you’re not tellin’ me about.” Joel leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest in a way that strained the fabric of his flannel.

“Can’t breakup when I’ve never had a boyfriend.” You smirked knowing you’d won the little debate. 

Joel stiffened, trying to hide how he felt. Why did it feel good to know you never had a boyfriend? He knew you fucked before, but it wasn’t out of attachment or love, and for some reason that made him swell with hope and maybe a little bit of pride. Or was it possessiveness? He had the opportunity to have something no other man had before, and that was you. Body and soul.

He wanted that with you, but he felt like he didn’t deserve it.

****

There was a chill in the air that made Joel’s joints ache and he could tell you were reaching your limit with hiking. It was close, he just needed to be careful about how he introduced Bill to someone new. He wasn’t a friendly guy, and sure Frank had softened him up a little, but he was still cautious and that’s something Joel needed to plan for.

“Stay close behind me. Don’t stray, don’t wander, don’t make a sound until I tell you to.”

“Okay,” you looked a little worried and Joel hated to scare you. He knew everything would be fine, he just didn’t want to surprise Bill. He had to do this slowly.

“Joel Miller.” A rugged man strolled down the road, armed with his trusty shotgun. His beard was more clean-cut since the first time Joel had seen him. “It’s been a while. Where’s Tommy?”

“Hey, Bill. Tommy’s in Wyoming.”

“Wyoming?” Bill sounds surprised.

“Yeah. ‘M tryin’ to find him.”

Bill narrowed his eyes at that. Bill was always thinking ten steps ahead of everyone. He probably wondered what Joel did to make Tommy leave. Bill didn’t trust Joel, and now knowing that Tommy fled without his brother made Bill inclined to be even more suspicious.

“Why’d he leave ya behind?” Bill asks, not letting his grip off the shotgun.

“We decided to go our separate ways.” Joel said vaguely and Bill gave him a pointed look. “I’m traveling with someone else now.” Joel continues. 

“Who?”

Joel stepped to the side and revealed you. Your baby bump wasn’t visible in with how big the sweatshirt you were wearing was. 

“Hi.” You said softly, eyes darting between the two men.

Bill's eyes widened.

“You know I don’t like new people, Joel.” Bill aimed the barrel at you.

“I know, and I’m sorry. Look we just need a little bit of help and we’ll be on our way.” Joel said pleadingly as he stepped back in front of you. “She’s harmless. Please.”

Bill frowned, looking unconvinced.

“Joel?” Another voice called. It was lighter. Airier. The sound of someone who liked people and didn’t want to shoot them on sight.

“Hey, Frank.” Joel called.

“Long time no see!” Frank singsonged as he approached the fence. “No Tommy?”

“He left. Trying to find him. Could use a little help though, but BIll here doesn’t seem to trust us.”

“Us?” Frank arched a brow.

Joel stepped aside, slower this time. His eyes were locked on Bill’s and his gun. His hand twitched at his side, just inches from his revolver. You were revealed once more and Frank smiled jovially at the sight of you.

“Oh, she is lovely, isn’t she?” Frank turned to Bill and then back to you. “Hey, sweetheart. I’m Frank and this is my partner Bill. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Hi,” you said warily, eyes shifting to the harrowing dark holes at the end of Bill’s gun. 

“I’m sorry about him. Stop it Bill, you’re being dramatic for Christ’s sake. It’s Joel.” Frank rolled his eyes and urged Bill to lower his gun. He obliged.

Joel was grateful for Frank’s existence and he realized he didn’t need Tommy to smooth things over between him and Bill. Frank was enough, at least with you around.

Frank invited the two of you to dine inside for dinner. He’d decorated a table with plates, wine glasses, and flowers. Joel didn’t care for the charades but he put on his best face and tried to be polite. Joel needed their help to make it to Wyoming, and what he was about to ask was going to be a big request.

“It could take us months to make it to Wyoming on foot,” Joel said in a hushed whisper to Bill. You were in the kitchen helping Frank with dinner..”Maybe more if we run into trouble.”

“So you want a car?” Bill says and it’s more of a statement than a question.

“Yes.”

“And what makes you think I’d just give it to you?”

“I’ll pay you back.” Joel tried to channel his brother’s negotiation skills. Joel’s form of negotiating had always been a little… unorthodox. For your sake, he wanted to try to be humane. “Anything you need. You know I can get it done.”

“We have everything we need here. Besides, you’re the one who owes me.” Bill scoffed. “For the stitches.”

“I owe Frank, not you.” 

“Same difference.” Bill contested. “Just because I like Tommy doesn’t mean I have to be nice to you.”

“Look, I can play nice, or I can play nasty. You decide.” Joel was already starting to feel impatient.

Bill slammed a handgun on the table, cocking it but letting his hand rest loosely on the grip. “Don’t threaten me in my own damn house.”

“Get that gun out of my fuckin’ face, Bill.” Joel said through his teeth.

“I never liked you. Only tolerated you for Tommy’s sake and now Frank’s, but I don’t trust you. I know what you’ve done and what guys like you are capable of. Tell me, what are you doing with that girl, hmm? You fuck her?”

“It’s not like that. Look, I know what you’re thinkin’...”

“Do you? Because the way I see it, you’re running around with a girl half your age who looks scared out of her mind. I’m thinking she’s teaming up with you by force, not by choice.” Bill snapped back.

“No, I’m not forcing her to sleep with me, Bill. Jesus Christ. She’s the…” Joel trails off, uncertain if telling Bill about you being pregnant would make matters better or worse. Before he could continue, you and Frank returned. 

“I’m not giving you a fucking car, Joel.” Bill hissed quietly so Frank couldn’t hear.

“Bill, can we please just eat in peace for once without pointing guns at our guests,” Frank griped as he put the last of the spread on the table. A bowl of peas. 

“I know Joel can be grumpy, but he means well,” you say sweetly, filling Bill’s glass with a thirty-year-old bottle of red wine. 

“I’m not pointing my gun at him, it’s flat on the table. The barrel just so happens to be aimed in his direction.” Bill mumbled as he cut across his steak, dipping it in the chimichurri sauce and then stuffing it into his mouth.

“This is probably the best food I’ve ever had. Thank you both.” You looked at Bill and Frank with gratitude. 

“Thank you for coming. We haven’t had guests in months and it’s been quite lonely. We’d love for you to stay the night A few nights if you need to.”

Bill dropped his silverware and exhaled heavily. 

Frank ignored his partner. “We have the rooms to spare. Hot water in the bathrooms too.” 

“Hot water?! That’s incredible!” You were practically radiating with excitement.

“Do you each need your own room?” Frank asked, a smile creeping up on his face. It was a friendly gesture but Joel could tell that he was dying to know what his relationship was with you.

Joel stiffened. Bill’s eyes were on him. “Separate.” 

And as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he made a mistake. The light in your eyes dimmed just as fast as it had appeared. He had to say it though. Couldn’t let Bill think he was taking advantage of you. He needed him to think that you were just surviving together. No sex. Definitely no baby on the way. It was the best chance at convincing Bill to give him the truck, or some supplies at the very least.

He was doing this for you.

“Thanks for dinner. ‘M gonna go get cleaned up now and head to bed.” Joel nodded once to you. Your eyes shifted downward, avoiding his gaze. He had no idea what you were thinking.

When Joel finished showering, his back was against the stiff quilt of the bed as he looked up at the oakwood ceiling. Muffled piano music filled the silence, and Joel thought it sounded like Bohemian Rhapsody. Thoughts of you stirred through his mind, and shifted to what Bill had accused him of during dinner.

Maybe there was some part of him that did know what he was doing with you that night. He had fucked you raw and spilled himself inside you. Maybe he wanted to get you pregnant. It could be some subconscious part of him that wanted to start over. To make it right. After he failed Sarah, maybe there was a part of him that wanted to prove to himself that he wouldn’t fail again. 

But it was wrong to take advantage of you like that for his own selfish desires. Joel could hear you singing downstairs as Frank played. Your voice was beautiful and it didn’t cease to amaze him how you managed to win over Frank and Bill. There’s no way in hell Bill would have let just Joel come inside.

You were a good girl and all Joel had done to you is ruin your life.

There were other possibilities, right? You did say you wanted kids. It was part of your little bucket list of things you wanted to experience. There could be another subconscious part of him that listened and wanted to make it come true for you. 

The music stopped playing and he heard shuffling in the next room. You were in the room adjacent to him and he wanted nothing more than to feel your skin against his. He wanted to pull you into him and rest his hands on your belly and feel the pulse of something that was his. 

His cock felt heavy in his sweatpants as he thought about you in your pajamas. What you looked like underneath them.

The worst part about this was that even if Joel did get you pregnant on purpose, he felt unapologetic about it. He’d do it again if he had the opportunity. He’d fuck you full.

Bill was right. Joel wasn’t a good man. He was capable of horrible, awful things and this was probably the worst thing he’d done yet. ~~~~ a/n: Thank you for reading and for embarking on this writing journey with me. Also, your comments mean the world to me! <3 Also the next chapter is ready but I have some editing I need to do for it, but I'll try to get it out as soon as I can. masterlist here

[moonbaby6]

Word count: 1631

Warnings: Murphy has a Nun Kink, Swearing, Oral Sex !F receiving, Fingering, Sex, Unprotected Sex(don’t be silly guys) 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Being Murphy MacManus' girlfriend wasn't for the weak. Considering a number of factors including but not limited to: his job murdering terrible men, having to live with him and  his brother, and his kinks. You'd been through several, but this one? You were kinda flabbergasted.

Last night

You and Murphy were watching a movie in the apartment you shared with him and his twin brother, Connor. Connor was out for the night, and Murphy spoke up, "Have ya ever considered doing it ina confessional?" You looked over, chuckling at him, "No Murphy, that's just weird, and wouldn't that be considered disrespectful or some shit?" He chuckled too, "Probably, but think of how hot it would be....especially if you wore a nun's costume." Now at that you started genuinely laughing, "You're joking?" He shook his head, a mischievous grin on his face, "Nah, I'm serious love. Dead serious." You stopped chuckling and stared at him in disbelief, "You're insane, I'm not doing that." "Oh c'mon love it'll be exciting, spice things up a bit, yeah?" You chuckled again and shook your head as he got closer to you, "Please? I promise I'll make it worth your while." You debated for a moment, he looked hot as hell and you couldn't deny that the idea make you excited. You finally sighed, "Fine. Fine, okay. But where the hell are you gonna get a nun costume?" He smirked, "Already got one, I knew I'd convince ya." You shook your head and rolled your eyes playfully as Murphy stood, offering his hand to you. You took it, and the two of you made your way out of the apartment.

Once at the cathedral you quietly walked in, looking around to see that nobody was around. Murphy handed the costume to you, nodding towards the bathroom. You took it and shook your head, still in disbelief that you were really doing it.

You came out of the bathroom, feeling quite stupid but also really excited. The costume was a little slutty considering you were supposed to be a nun; but it was clearly like that on purpose. You found the confessional Murphy was in and entered the small space; he smirked and pulled you close to him. "Damn lady, ya make a sexy nun." You blushed and he leaned down, capturing your lips with his in a sexy, hungry, kiss. His arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you against him so that you could clearly feel how excited he was over this whole thing. You put one hand in his hair, and the other held the back of his neck. He groaned into the kiss as your tongue licked his lips. You both opened your mouths and your tongues moved together in time with your lips; exploring each other's mouths.

He put his hands under the short skirt of the costume, gripping your thighs and lifting you up against the wall. You gasped as he pressed himself against you, his hands beginning to wander your body even more. You traced your fingers along the hem of his shirt before lifting it. He broke the kiss long enough to raise his arms and take it off; tossing it aside. You ran your nails down his chest as he took off your shirt too. He wasted no time in unhooking your bra and grabbing your tits. He broke the kiss to trail open-mouthed kisses down your neck and chest, sucking your tits while groaning like he enjoyed it more than you did. He pulled back, searching your eyes as he unbuckled his belt. You tugged his neck and crashed your lips back into his. He undid his jeans, shoving them down. You broke the kiss, looking at him and smirking. "Ya like what ya see so far sweetheart?" You nodded, "Duh." He kept his smirk as he said, "You'll like what ya feel even better love." You bit your lip as he reached his hand between your thighs; slipping a finger in the hem of your panties and tracing it before moving them to the side. You gasped lightly, feeling overwhelmed with excitement.

He took his finger and traced your folds, "You're already soaking for me love...." You shivered, watching every move he made. He teased you with his fingers, tracing you then pushing one in slightly before removing it. "Fuck you Murphy, stop teasing me." He smirked, pulling his fingers back up to his mouth to lick whatever of your wetness was on them. "Oh sweetheart, the teasing is just getting started." He moved you from the wall to sit you on the small bench inside the confessional; then he got on his knees. Murphy began kissing his way up your inner thighs, holding them apart as he sucked and nibbled on your skin. "Oh Murph-" You moaned, gripping his shoulders. He slowly worked his way up your core, his breath warm as he hovered over you. "Please Murph..." You were so desperate to feel his warm mouth on you that  you didn't even care if you begged anymore. He smirked, "Anythin' for you love.." 

He slowly and deliberately licked his warm, wet tongue up your needy pussy; taking his time as he looked up at you with his lustful blue eyes. He wanted to watch you squirm at his touch. You tossed your head back and let out a whine as he buried his face deeper between your legs, his nose pressing into your clit as he tongue licked up and down; in and out. "Oh shit Murph~" You mumbled, your hands gripping his hair tightly as you felt the pressure building in your core.  He  took his index finger, slipping it inside you and curling it around to hit your sweet spot. You let out a sigh of pleasure as he slipped a second one in. He worked relentlessly as you tugged his black locks, whimpers and sighs falling from your lips that he found more erotic than anything else he'd ever heard before. Right as you felt yourself about to go over the edge he pulled away, smirking, his face glistening with you. He brought his fingers to his lips, slowing sucking you off of each one, "Ya really thought it'd be that easy? Nah love, you're gonna finish around me." 

He pulled you up from the bench of the confessional, his lips locking on yours in a desperate kiss; you could taste yourself on his lips and tongue. He pulled away and turned you around, pushing on your back with just enough force so you'd be bent over; ready for him. You looked over you shoulder at him shoving down his boxers; his erection springing free. He smirked and stepped closer to you. He slid your panties off in an impatient motion before placing one hand on your back, gentling rubbing you up and down as he watched you shiver in nothing but the skirt. His other hand held his cock, rubbing it slowly up and down your slick pussy. 

"Ya ready love?" He asked, locking his eyes on yours. You nodded and he spoke again, "I want ya to keep those pretty eyes on me when I push into ya, yeah?" You shivered and nodded again. He slowly began to push his tip in, pulling it back out to tease you. You whined and he pushed back in slowly as your eyes began to shut and your head fell, "I said eyes on me love." He repeated, beginning to pull back out. You eyes quickly snapped open, locking on his. He smirked, and with one swift motion he completely buried himself inside of you, letting out a deep gutteral moan of his own. Your head fell back down as he gathered your hair in one of his hands; the other gripping your hip tightly. 

He began to slowly move in and out of you as you sighed with pleasure. "Fuck ya feel so good aroun' me." He groaned, his pace quickening as he began to pound into you relentlessly. Your moans grew louder as the sound of slapping skin filled the confessional. He tugged on your hair each time he slammed back into you; "Fuck yer gonna kill me darlin'." He said between breathless moans, feeling his orgasm building up. "Fuckin' come for me love, let go on me." He practically begged, his thrusts becoming sloppier as he licked his hand and found your clit; rubbing in tight circles, chasing your release for you. You gasped in pleasure, pushing your body back onto his with each thrust as you felt the familiar warmth coursing through your body.

"Oh shit Murph- I'm gonna-" Your words were cut short as you let out short, gaspy moans; his own deeply strangled moans mixing with yours as he yanked your hips back, releasing his warmth inside of you. You rode out your orgasms together as he rested his head on your back, gently kissing your back and shoulders. You sighed happily, weak in the knees as he pulled out of you and stood fully; pulling you back into his arms. You turned towards him and he kissed you deeply, his tongue tracing the entirety of your mouth.

"Now that, was hot." He grinned, his blue eyes captivating you as you smiled back. "Yeah, it was. You were right." "Yeah? We'll have to do this again sometime then, huh love?" He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows goofily. You rolled your eyes playfully as you both got dressed, "We'll see." He chuckled before opening the confessional door, letting you step out first. His hand found the small of your back as you exited the cathedral, walking side-by-side back to your apartment.

You knew there'd be plenty more to come in the future, it was never a dull moment with Murphy MacManus.

@ffsjustletmesleep <3

[vaporwavebeach-writes]

Ghost Story

BTAA Scarecrow x Reader

Summary: After a drug deal, you two watch A Christmas Carol (and make out)

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: Enjoy this late as BALLS Christmas post 😭😭 Merry LATE Christmas @tr4sh-pl4nt I was ur secret Santa (nobody is surprised)

-

Despite the cloudy skies and flurries of snow, a soft reflection of the frost outside streams a bit of light into the office as you pull back the blinds. The sidewalks and alleys are empty- nary a car on the street. If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve thought you were in Silent Hill rather than Gotham City. There’s nothing but grey, blistery, snowy solitude. This was good. With nobody around, this was sure to be an easy buy.

“Something on your mind?” He pipes up.

Snapping the shade back into place, you look back to see that he’s found the stash. In a small, plastic bag, the pills are on the desk. “No, I’m all good.”

He clicks his tongue with a wry grin. “If it’s the cops you’re worried about, don’t be. There’s gonna be a huge storm tonight- I doubt the pigs would leave the barn; freezing their butts off to go after a low-life like you.”

“Low-life? Look who’s talking,” You glare, making your way over to the desk. “Scarecrow.”

As your hand goes to reach for the pills, his thin fingers come into view, sliding the bag back.

“You fuck. I already payed.” Your eyes stare daggers into his clinical gaze. There’s a knowing smirk on his face and you brace yourself for whatever psychological games he decides to play with you now.

“Look,” he slides the bag off the desk and in between his slender fingers, as if dangling it just out of reach. “I’m not dumb enough to mess with a tweaker and their drugs, but humor me for a moment, won’t you?”

“You have five seconds to give me my-”

“Have you ever seen A Christmas Carol?” He’s completely unfazed by the threat, pulling out a DVD copy of the film.

“What?” Any aggression from within you begins to dissipate, turning into utter bewilderment.

“A Christmas Carol,” he repeats. “Y’know, a grizzled, selfish old miser who is haunted by three spirits who represent the ever-changing stages of his life? How each journey into his past, present, and future make him reevaluate the way he lives his life and treats others and learns the true meaning of Christmas?”

“Yeah, I know, I know.”

“Well forget it.” He slides the DVD into the video player, watching it click into place. “Sure, it’s a classic holiday tale, but it’s so much more than that.” He springs up, flicking off the lights. “It’s a horror story.”

The blue glow from the old television illuminated the office as it came to life with some static and a startling pop. You began to wonder how old that damn thing was until you found yourself standing alone with Crane on the empty couch. Although the room was dark, you could feel Dr. Crane’s piercing gaze beckoning you over. Hesitantly, you sit on the other end of the couch.

As the film begins, the Disney logo catches your eye. “Horror story my ass…” you mutter.

“What was that?” He quips, wondering how he heard you.

“Horror story my ASS.” You annunciate clearly. Shifting in your seat you turn to him. “A Disney movie? You refuse to give me my shit for this?” You laugh bitterly.

“Oh,” he chuckles darkly. “You really don’t have any idea of what we’re about to get into, do you?”

“What the fuck on God’s green earth are you talking about?”

“Scoff all you want,” he grins, turning down the volume. “This version of the film truly captures the true essence of fear better than its other iterations. Narratively speaking, the film remains pretty faithful to the original novella by Charles Dickens, which obviously is something to be expected from any adaptation, but it’s especially crucial here to really showcase the specific fears of the time.”

“Well yeah it might be accurate, but doesn’t everyone collectively agree that this one sucks?” You reply. “I mean, look at the creepy ass mocap, it’s literally the same shit as the Polar Express-”

“Oh right!” He shifts excitedly. “The visuals only contribute to terror! Sure, motion capture gets a bad rap because it’s a little off-putting, but it really works in a film like this- perfectly seasoned with that uncanny valley effect. It really adds to the flavor of dread.”

“Whatever man,” you scoff. “It’s just some story about an old man.” You turn your attention back to the movie, straining to listen to the low volume despite Jonathan’s chatter.

He clears his throat. “An old man- who you may find, has far similar fears to you than you may think.”

You cock your head to the side, turning to him. “You callin’ me an old man?”

The sound of his laughter fills your ears. “Oh no, not at all.” He wipes a tear from his eye. “It’s just so painfully human.”

“Human?”

“Scrooge isn’t taught redemption, he’s simply being driven by fear.” He leans back on the couch. “The ghosts don’t just visit him to bring awareness to his cold heart, but they dismantle him- tearing away layers and layers of his psyche until there’s nothing left but his raw fear. It’s fascinating, really. How the fear completely reshapes his attitude in the waking world.”

You find yourself leaning back as he moves his way closer to you, only to be caught by the end of the couch.

“And you wanna know what the real scary thing is? It’s the fact that we could all end up just like him- Alone. Forgotten. Unloved. It’s a common fear that drives us all, isn’t it? The fear of abandonment? Being left behind.” You can feel the heat radiating from his body with every word spoken.

You blink, at a loss for words. It’s starting to feel all too real. “I,” you stutter. “I’m not sure what this has to do with me.”

“Oh, but it has everything to do with you.” His voice is low, as you feel yourself be closed in. “That invisibility,” he lets the words linger on his tongue. “Something that most people prefer to ignore, but it’s still there isn’t it? Lurking.”

His eyes stare within the confines of your soul. You look away from his prying eyes, but you can still feel his gaze on you like a searchlight.

You can feel your chin between his fingers as he gently forces you to look at him. “I think this little arrangement we have- these little meetings, it’s more than just a drug deal isn’t it? I think you want more than just drugs.”

Suddenly the office didn’t feel so chilly anymore. The closeness of his breath on the shell of your ear made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. He’s right. You do want more.

Your hands slide up his long arms, feeling the fabric of his shirt beneath your palms. Resting your fingers on his shoulders, you pull him closer. You speak up, words barely a whisper. “So, you gonna give me my drugs or not?”

“I’d thought you’d never ask.” A knowing grin graces his silhouetted frame.

Pulling the bag from his pocket, he opens the seal, taking out a small, ghost-shaped tablet and places it on his tongue. At first you were confused as to why he was breaking into your stash until you felt the harsh press of his lips against yours.

Pulling him closer into you, you allow your hands to slip under his shirt, feeling his flesh on your fingertips. In turn, he runs his hand through your hair while the other snakes its way down your spine, cradling the small of your back. His grip is firm, fingers digging into you, showing no sign of letting go.

Quickly, he nips at your lower lip. As you whine at sting, you fall victim to his plan when he slips his tongue into your mouth. You can feel him transfer the tablet to you, swallowing it down with his guidance. In retaliation, you sink your nails into the skin of his back, feeling him hiss into the kiss as he pulls away with a chuckle.

Breathless from the kiss, he wraps an arm around you. “Maybe this will help you understand Scrooge’s fear.” He grabs the remote, adjusting the film’s volume back to normal.

At this point you could give less of a shit about the movie. You allow yourself to fall into Jonathan’s side. You’re not sure if it’s from the pill or the kiss as you let yourself be overtaken by the waves of euphoria and adrenaline.

[kisolvetica]

Hello!!! Thanks for the tag!! <3 Didn't expect to be tagged to be honest but I'm glad I did get tagged! :D

Also I must say everyone who reblogged before me sounds like such cool people! :>

Last song: American Jesus by Bad Religion! At first I wanted to say a Bowie song because I was listening to it all day due to it having been his death anniversary but then my playlist thought to be like "I don't think so!" and played a different song I like. I am pretty much a person who listens to everything.

Favourite colour: Despite my layout having purple and blue as the primary colours, my favourite colours are yellow (especially the yellow daffodils have) and dark green! Obviously I also like my layout colours but I'd say green and yellow just feel so soothingly happy to me.

Last Book: I am currently reading Faust 1 by Goethe because my finals are creeping up and it's one of the books I may need for those lol. But I also enjoy the book quite a lot!

Last movie: The phantom of the opera! I watched it together with my mother one random evening last year and I haven't watched any movie since then. I do want to watch Nosferatu next, though!

Last TV show: My mother and I have started watching a lot of shows together (this includes DBDA but it was too gay to handle for her conservative mind and she noped out after the cat king was introduced) and the latest is "From" it's not really popular, I think, at least it doesn't have a lot of Fanfics but I did enjoy the first season. I am a little sceptical about how they always introduce a bunch of characters but I hope that they flesh them out! It does have sapphics though so that's a win.

Sweet/Spicy/Savoury: I do have a big sweet tooth but I think outside of snacks and chocolate I am more of a fan of spicy food? Like, if someone asked me whether I'd want a spicy or a sweet dish for dinner, Id probably be more inclined to choose the spicy one.

Last thing I searched online: I researched for a fanfic I want to write and so it's "Boarding schools in Edwardian Britain" (now take a big guess for which fandom!! It's so niche you will never figure it out /s)

Current Obsession: My obsession with Genshin and HSR is dying down quite a bit (let's face it, it's the fandom's fault) And now my focus is back on demons and Greek Mythology. I have the want to get into Athuriana literature as well but ugh I'm too busy for this. Outside of occultism and mythology, yeah, obviously DBDA. It hit me HARD and I'm not mad!!! ... Also my own OCs but that's something only I can fix.

Looking forward to: Graduation!! Yes, everyone is telling me that it only gets worse from now on (which,,, very promising btw) but I am so glad when I leave this school. At least at university I can choose a bit more of what I want to do. I am also gonna get a therapist which I am in dire need of and hopefully try to get gender affirming care at the end of the year. I already have a job lined up so the only other things I want to achieve this year is finishing up my driver's license and get the scholarship I applied for but that part is something I have no control over! Also, I might need to look out for apartments because of a reason surrounding my family situation but, well, I prefer living alone anyway. Just gotta see how I'm gonna support myself.

Ten people I'd like to know better: You know, I don't even know if I know the blog names of ten separate people or if they're even okay with me tagging them (what's the etiquette for that? I know that some other platforms were rather... nasty about it). So,,, if you come across this and you want to do this, I always like to read about other people's interests!! So pretend I tagged you, if we're mutuals or I follow you, I do know and like you, I am just an awkward person who doesn't know how to act with people :).

10 People I'd Like to Know Better

Thanks for the tags @gaiaseyes451 and @beerok23!💜!💜

last song: Gloria by the Lumineers

favourite colour: Red, like a deep luscious red that you know would taste good if you licked it. Don't act innocent, you know exactly what I mean by that. Red is a color that you just know tastes good.

last book: I am currently trying to read the Witcher series (per @lickthecowhappy's suggestion) so I am at the start of the Last Wish

last movie: Moana 2 (I have young kidsssss)

last TV show: My oldest is almost 10 which means she stays up late. Which also means I have so little time to watch adult things. So we've been watching the Office with her. I think I want to watch the Good Place with her next tho (I've never watched it!)

sweet/spicy/savoury: Sweet followed very, very closely by spicy. Habanero maple syrup is one of my favorite things on the planet.

last thing i searched online: How to explain a 10 year career hiatus in a cover letter (looking to return to work since having kids. It's been an interesting experience so far).

current obsession: Have not moved on from Good Omens, but recently realized that my obsession may be more in my own little connected universe of fics that I wrote rather than the actual canon at this point😳. I'm sure once we get that first glimpse of red and white hair that will change very quickly.

looking forward to: Going back to work and having a more established adult life again, honestly. I've been so lucky to be home with my kids while they are young, but I am ready. And figuring out how my newfound passion for writing is going to fit into that new life of mine. Another big year of change over here for me, and I am eagerly looking forward to how the growing pains are going to make way for something beautiful beyond.

ten people i’d like to know better:

@addledmongoose, @di-42, @afrenchwriter, @haemey, @eybefioro, @alwaystuesday, @katspause, @alphacentaurinebula, @shadesofecclescakes, @ochre-sunflower and whoever wants to do it (but also feel free to ignore!)

[lynnaredfield3383]

Not my characters. Aged up 24. Swearing. Reader went to UA with Bakugo & Kiri.

"Move in.”

Those two words had you looking up from your laptop and almost abandoning your apt search. Almost.

Katsuki had returned to eating after saying those words. Meanwhile, Kirishima his sexy, sweet husband, smiled at you with the same puppy dog energy he'd had since 1st year at UA.

“You've lost your mind,” you simply stated before clicking on the next available apartment.

With no warning Katsuki shut your laptop forcing you to meet his vermilion gaze. You cocked an eyebrow at him wondering what he'd say next.

The fiery blond with an attitude had softened a bit. At least with friends behind closed doors. Though you always thought he'd been soft with you. Mostly because you ignored his bitch mode.

“S'not a big deal.”

You look to Kiri wondering if someone had bodyswapped your bestie.

“He's right. There's plenty of room and we love having you around.”

Katsuki scowled at the last part of Kiri’s statement before moving to the sink to clean his dishes.

“Don't know ‘bout love, but you've already burnt yourself out since that villain fixated on you and burned your family's place.”

Your heart twisted at the memory of losing everything that held value of your childhood and family. You'd been on your own since you were 12 with a single family friend as a guardian. The guardian had seen to your basic needs but nothing more.

Your time at UA had been the first time you had a hug in 3 years. Mina had given it to you making you her official bestie. Then you fell into the friend group led by Bakugo Katsuki. No one was sure how you had become his bestie by the end of 3rd year, but it was always you, Katsuki and Eijiro.

“Not burnt out. Just needed you to cover one shift so I could have a date.”

Katsuki clicked his tongue in his usual fashion before drying his hands and getting right in your face. Except this time it wasn't his aggressive, angry expression.

“Move in. Figure the rest out later, I mean hell you've practically lived here since the fire. No reason for you to leave now,” Katsuki walked away leaving you and Kiri in the kitchen.

“Look, I know you love being independent and we respect that. Truth is we would miss having you around. It's been 10 months and…”

“Eijiro, I'm the third wheel. You and Katsuki rarely have time off and never time alone. I need to find my own place so you two can live your life together.”

Kiri stood up and kissed your forehead looking in your eyes.

“Don't let him hear you call yourself a third wheel. We like our life with you in it and always close. Maybe we're too protective or maybe we just love you too much. I don't think either of those is a bad thing. Don't stay up late or he'll throw your ass in bed.”

You smiled as you watched Kiri head out of the dining room. You moved to your bedroom avoiding the living room so you didn't have to deal with Katsuki anymore. You knew their schedule on the rare days they had off together. Dinner, dishes, workout, shower and movies before bed.

Taking down another address to look at a place tomorrow on your day off you jumped when your door opened. No knock, no warning.

“Oi, get your ass to the living room for movie night,” Katsuki snapped.

Yawning, you looked back at him and shut your laptop before answering.

“Actually, I am pretty exhausted. I'm gonna hit bed early.”

Katsuki opened his mouth as though he wanted to argue, but didn't. He snapped his mouth shut before closing your door.

In the last couple months things had been weird, but caught up in your hero work and trying to find a place to live you never put the pieces together. —-------------------------------------------------

Katsuki stared up at the ceiling. Kiri’s head rested against his bare chest. Katsuki drew tiny circles with his fingertips on Kiri’s bare shoulder.

“What are we going to do if Y/N leaves?”

Katsuki sighed, knowing this had been the dread hanging in the back of his mind since you started apartment hunting 2 months ago.

“I dunno.”

Kiri leaned up on his arm looking at Katsuki in the darkness.

“Yes, you do. We need to talk to Y/N. Really talk to them,” Kiri urged.

Katsuki looked at Kiri with such softness it melted the fiery red head. Running a hand through Kiri’s long hair, Katsuki nodded.

“I'll try to make them listen tomorrow.”

“Maybe we should do it together?” Kiri asked.

“Hmm. Probably best. C’mon, let's sleep.”

[scribblingmuchlyrexan]

my take of the day is Trolls is an improved Hazbin Hotel lol

I can't even say I'm half joking. This is only maybe 1/5 of a joke lol

(so, courtesy note that this is a "hazbin critical "post. Sort of. I don't really dig in too far. Pretty superficial and brief, although I feel like this topic could be expanded a lot)

like. a lot of the humor lines up with Vivziepop's, but a better proportion of the jokes land right

AND there's a whole society that's pretty much built on song lol

also, Poppy is i'm-not-even-kidding 95% Charlie (a bit pushier and snottier [affectionate] ) but i think written better. I unironically enjoyed watching this movie and imagining Charlie saying almost all of Poppy's lines :p

Somehow Poppy also feels a bit less naïve than Charlie. Maybe because of the snottiness lol, I'm not sure. …huh. genuinely not sure, but maybe it has to do with giving emotional moments enough time to breathe, and from giving the audience a good length of time to take in and view characters' emotional states. Even in Helluva Boss, pacing and timing are some of Vivzie's consistent weaknesses

...OK I legit may have actually broken a bone in my hand today (or at least sprained something. I'll find out tomorrow or Monday. Got some x-rays done) so I'm not gonna be writing out my whole thing (i've been using voice dictation majority of this post, but when I first made this paragraph, I was still typing almost all of it. This was originally, like, paragraph three or something XD)

(...so. yeah. I reorganized this post and I think I may have already said most of my stuff. Just a bit less wordy and not getting as specific as otherwise lol)

I need to rewatch the second Trolls, and I haven't seen the third one yet, but I remember the third was surprisingly popular and well-received when it came out. A lot of grade school kids and even teenagers, as far as I'm aware, did entire 180s on their opinions of the Trolls franchise after that one

but! I have all the movies checked out from the library right now! :) So hopefully I'll watch the second and third ones soon :)

[misfits-in-motion]

pluck my strings

(ray toro x reader)

☾ — not proofread, not word counted, this is RAW everyone. first public story in years. crazy guys. trying to keep it gender neutral for my folks but,,, i am but a molar — ☾

summary: you're a guitarist coming into the 2000s emo scene. much like many others, you have just a basic knowledge of guitar. thus, feeling a little bold, you contact your friend with the most knowledge. and,,, yeah, maybe you just wanted an excuse to see him. when you finally do make it to the studio, you can't help but let your mind wander. can anyone blame you? he's just so close....

tw?: uhhhhmm not that i can think of. sliiiiight smut if you squint. really just suggestive and tense.

☾-☾-☾

⠀Your band had come in with a fever. One second, you were working job to job, trying to desperately cram your hobbies into your free time whilst also managing friendships and your ever-crumbling dating life. Then, one half-slurred, half-mumbled, half-thought hangout idea spewed by one of your close friends led to this moment. You had a show in exactly two weeks, and still only knew maybe five or so chords. Sure, you could switch between them pretty fast and come up with decent riffs and progressions, but nothing that would sound like more than a dead kennedys knock off on stage.

⠀While my chemical romance was making their way up the ranks, they still held you and your band in close regard. You and the guys had been tight since early 2002, and you even witnessed a lot of bullets being made. which, to say the least, showed off their talents. Out of the bunch, you tended to lean toward Ray for a number of reasons. He was quiet, but not terribly quiet. Quiet outwardly, but not in an introverted sense. Ray just reserved his words for when they mattered. You could appreciate that, along with his utterly charming smile, insanely good taste in movies, appreciation for music, among other things.

⠀It seemed everyone but Ray knew you had a total thing for him. Even when you called him up in the middle of your friend's mom's house, they snickered and made obscene gestures toward you deserving of a middle finger from hell, that of which you gave to them in full.

⠀Now, standing outside the recording studio, your previous idea felt a bit more ominous. Just as you were heading in, Frank was heading out. You bumped shoulders, that unmistakeable little laugh coming from the other guitarist.

⠀"Gotcha!" Frank grinned, turning to face you as you turned simultaneously. "Knew you were coming. Ray won't shut up about it."

⠀"Oh?" He'd piqued your interest. You couldn't help the smile on your lips, your head tilted a bit to the side as you watched Frank. Maybe you'd entertain this. "How are you so sure?"

⠀Frank playfully glanced off into the sky, hands in his pockets as he rocked on his heels with an excited little smile. "Oh, you knoooow," He shrugged, "Just the way he instantly got up and started making sure everything was juuust right for your arrival. I can recite it verbatim, dude. 'you know who called-? yeah! yeah. gonna help 'em with some guitar stuff- hey, do you remember where that one amp is-?'. Gay." Frank shook his head with a laugh.

⠀The image in your mind brought some warmth to your chest. He was that excited just to see you?

⠀"You guys are so gay. Look at that fuckin' smile on your face. Unbelieveable. Well, don't let me keep you from your date."

⠀Before you could protest, Frank had already turned and raised a hand in goodbye, leaving you outside the doors of the studio in the brisk air.

⠀You turned, looking at the doors with slightly wider eyes than a few moments before. Figuring the last thing you wanted to do was keep Ray waiting, you pulled open the door and walked inside.

⠀As usual, the smell hit you first. Wood, metal, a bit of sweaty musk, and a certain "clean" smell, but clean the way carpets are. It was warmer inside, but only warm enough to keep everyone from shivering considering the instruments and equipment were top priority. You walked down the hall, finally finding the recording room Ray was settled in. As if on cue, he looked up to see you through the window in the door. You smiled, and waved enthusiastically.

⠀Ray returned the smile, and you opened the door to realize there was no one else but him. Well of course there was no one else but him, but still it was a bit jarring to be alone with him. It was always a bit difficult to come to terms with the fact that you had the fattest crush on Ray. It was obvious to a pathetic point, hence the embarrassment.

"Glad you could make it. I mean, I was getting a little worried, y'know."

"Oh- pff, yeah. I had to walk here... No car, and all..."

"What-!?"

⠀The way Ray's jaw dropped made you nearly shrink.

"You walked here? Dude-! I-..." He let out a small laugh of disbelief, "I could have come picked you up. It's way too cold outside to be walking. Besides, what if someone kidnapped you?" Ray shook his head as he pulled two chairs close together, facing each other.

"I mean, I didn't want to bother you-"

"Oh shut up! You can always bother me. Always. Takes only a little gas to get to you. And if it meant you were gonna be warm, then that's what I would have opted for."

⠀Again, that same little smile crept up your lips along with a certain warm flush to your face. It was nice for him to worry so much. For him to care. It almost gave you a liiiiittle spark of hope that he felt the same.

⠀You pulled off your jacket, which Ray was quick to take. Just for a moment, his finger tips brushed along your biceps. The ghostly sensation was enough to raise instant goosebumps along your arms. And oddly enough, you couldn't help but think about how warm his touch was despite it being barely there. You wondered what it'd feel like for him to hold you with purpose. With his hands placed strategically, with meaning. Just for a second, you wondered what that warmth would feel like on the more private areas of your body. How would his hand feel clasping the back of your neck? Cradling the underside of your thighs snaking further up until he could cradle your ass in his palms? Would he be gentle? No. No, Ray would be gentle in theory. But he'd want to grab you. Hold you. Make sure you fit just right in his hands, slotted together like pieces of a puzzle.

"You ready?"

⠀You turned quickly. "Yeah! Yeah, sorry. Lot on my mind, I totally zoned out."

"All good... You okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

⠀You could have laughed if you weren't so tensed with both embarrassment and anxiety. Paralyzed with the realization that was now setting in: the man you had dumbly imagined a future with, sex with, dates with, and intimacy with was now going to be mere inches away from you while your mind strayed and tried to come up with every last sexual situation this moment could lead to. What a set up.

"No! No, it's nothing like that!" You gave a nervous laugh, waving your hand as you finally convinced your feet to move and walk you to the chair beside him. "Just... Nervous I guess. It'll be my first time playing on stage like that. I don't think high school band and choir count." You laughed again, softer this time. What you didn't see was the way Ray's lips curled up slightly at your more genuine laugh. The sound was sweet, no matter how much you tried to deny it. He loved it.

"That's okay. Here, we'll start simple? Okay? Just nailing down some scales and stuff? You gotta remember scales from band and all, right? These'll be your base blocks."

⠀You gave a few nods and desperately tried to focus on the guitar he placed in your hands. It only took a few seconds to realize it was one of his personal electrics. Ray carefully reached forward and guided your fingers into position. Again, you felt that same rush of heat. His hands were larger than yours, and now closely studying them, you wondered what they'd feel like in your hair. Running through it, or perhaps holding it tightly. Maybe even tugging on it.

"My fingers go here?" You quickly tried to end run your thoughts by paying attention, which was most likely important considering these lessons were meant to help you get ready for being in a proper band.

"Yeah. Just like that. See? You're already catching on."

⠀The little amount of praise nearly made your stomach jump into your chest. It was practically like he was trying to give your mind ammunition to fluster you with.

"Alright. You've done picking before, right?"

"Just some. I'm not too good, if I'm being honest."

"Don't say that. I'm sure you're great, but don't put yourself down. Try picking top string to bottom string. That's your low E to high E."

⠀You did as he instructed, and for a little while it was just that. Ray told you what to do, showing you little tips and tricks along with some position corrections and adjustments while you desperately tried to fight everything off in your mind. Now wasn't the time to debate whether Ray was into you. Now wasn't the time to question if Ray found you just as attractive as you found him. Attractive didn't even cut it.

⠀It seemed everyone knew about your 'thing with Ray', so you had spoken to your friends about it in the past. And boy, could you gush. Between his eyes that seemed to twinkle and shine whenever he was interested in something, to his smile that creased up his eyes in the most adorable way, and then there were his lips which were so plush and perfect looking. They paired perfectly with his cut jaw, which led down to an oddly hot-looking neck, and don't even get started on his broad shoulders-

"Are you really okay?"

You nearly jumped three feet in the air.

"Fine! Sorry, I'm so sorry... I think I'm just ready to move on. If you think I'm ready, that is."

"Yeah, I'd say you're pretty good on scales for now. I mean, if it comes down to it I can just give you another lesson. Meet back here again and polish everything, you know?"

"I... I'd really appreciate that, yeah."

"Great. Then we'll meet again for lessons. Until then, why don't we move on to some chord progressions?"

"Sounds good to me."

⠀Ray explained a few shapes, but it was a bit difficult considering he didn't have a guitar in his hands, too. He was moreso explaining them to you, guiding your fingers, and then having you strum. And for the simpler chords, it worked. But as they grew more complex, you could feel the gears slowing in your brain. Not to mention, being able to smell Ray's shampoo, deodorant, and cologne didn't help. You were growing desperate. Fast. You wanted to smell like him. Be so close, so enveloped in him, that your skin took to his cologne. Your skin smelled like his skin.

"Okay, this obviously isn't going amazingly, so let's try something a little different. I'm gonna move you, okay?"

⠀You nearly got up before you felt your chair move with you on it. Ray had tugged your chair over directly in front of his. So close you could see his shoes beside your chair. Then, his arms came from behind you. One of his hands settled on your waist, the other wrapped around your hand on the fret board. You could scream.

⠀He was so close. You could feel the heat radiating off of him. Hold me. Hold me, not the guitar. Say whatever you'd like, just hold me, please. I want your arms to squeeze me.

⠀You decided to royally fuck any mental restraint now. You wouldn't feed into it physically, but there was no point restraining your thoughts now. God, this had to be purposeful. Friends don't hold each other gently by the waist, thumb absentmindedly stroking back and forth along the fabric of your shirt. He had to be moving in on you, and you weren't complaining a bit.

"Here. Your index, or first finger, goes here, second here, third here, and your pinky goes here. Hold that, and strum a few times."

⠀His voice had dropped lower. Slightly softer, but richer. He was speaking just to you. Just for you. Saying words he only wanted you to here. The way his fingers tightened ever so slightly around your side made your breath hitch slightly. You assumed it was because you strummed the chord beautifully.

"Sorry, is this okay?" Ray asked gently, his voice carrying a slight gravelly undertone from being lowered.

⠀Realizing what he meant, you flashed a reassuring smile. "You're okay." You nodded a few times.

"Good."

⠀Ray's hand shifted a bit lower, his grip hugging the side of your thigh as he moved in closer. His head was over your shoulder and you could feel his chest pressed against your back. If it weren't for the stupid fucking chair, you'd be able to be perfectly snug against his figure. And, fuck, did you want to be.

"Let's try another chord. You're doing great."

⠀Ray's lips nearly brushed along your ear. You could feel his breath warming your skin, even feeling his chest rise and fall. If you paid any closer attention, you would be able to tell that his heart was racing the same way yours was. Being so close to you was a blessing for Ray. One you didn't exactly know about, but could guess by now. His fingers guided yours again, and made a different chord. You strummed, and and a string buzzed obnoxiously, as if wanting to be seen.

"That's okay, I think it's your pinky. Shift it a little to the right. Strum again?"

You did as he directed.

"Perfect." Along with his praise, he gave a small rub and squeeze to the side of your thigh. There was a small, trapped sound that caught in your throat, whether out of surprise or enjoyment. Either way, you didn't see the smile plastered on Ray's face.

⠀Just as Ray was about to say something else, his phone buzzed in his back pocket and played a Bauhaus song.

"Shit- sorry. One second."

⠀Just as his warmth had wrapped around you, it was gone twice as fast. He had pulled away and gotten up, answering the phone in the corner of the room. If you listened close enough, you would be able to make out whatever he was saying. You opted to pluck mindlessly at the guitar, even practicing a few of the picking patterns Ray had taught you.

"Okay, sorry about that. Gerard called, wanted to know if I would be down to practice with everyone else. Which, in Gerard talk, means everyone else wants to practice and needs me too. But, uh, I wanted to ask you, first." He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Ask me..?"

"If you didn't mind ending this lesson here. But not forever-! Just... For now. How does same time tomorrow sound?"

⠀You stood, leaning over to switch off the amp before you unplugged the cable and guitar. You handed the guitar over to Ray with a sweet smile, that of which he returned. It wasn't hard to see you were both seeing each other as newer people.

"It sounds perfect to me."

"Perfect. So I'll... Come pick you up, too?"

"I dunno. Maybe I'll... Walk here again. Just so that you'll have to do whatever you did back there to warm me up."

⠀Ray faltered for a moment, then laughed as he registered you addressing the moment. "Right. I'll do you one better. I'll pick you up a little early and make sure you're nice and warm in my car, yeah?" Ray took the guitar from you and put it away, safely in its case. He then grabbed your jacket, and held it open for you to slip your arms into.

"I don't think I can argue with that one." You grinned.

"Good. It's settled." Ray helped your coat on, then rested his hands on your biceps. He leaned down beside your shoulder again. "See you tomorrow?"

⠀Your face flushed again, this time, you turned slightly so that your lips were a few inches from his own.

"See you tomorrow."

☾ — mueheheheeeee i hope this was good. any comments are greatly appreciated, positive or constructive critcism, either way i'm down. ermmm debating a part two?? but idk it feels kinda finished to me ',:|. either way, hope u liked ittttt tags n shiz below but yeah :3 — ☾

[castlebyersafterdark]

let's play a sleepover game and imagine what the cast, somewhat drunk, were like playing spin the bottle as a little last night fun! its on theme for the show haha. imagine them in the little hangout space basement set, sprawled on the couch, weird afterhours feeling in this former workspace.

the adults are there too, but they peel away after a few joke pecks on the cheek or lips, david kissing winona with gusto, then pretending to go in for a full-on smooch with one of the party and them squealing away.

then the teens' actors stay, but they are a bit more i'm 30 years old about it all haha, sat back on the couches. meanwhile the young cast are having a BALL

i think caleb would be game to kiss anyone, but it would be that kind of spin the bottle kiss where you want to show off youre a good kisser, but its not like you're freaking out and actually enjoying enjoying it for emotional reasons, you know? like imagine the grins as noah and caleb crawl towards each other across the bottle. they would GO FOR IT haha. noah a blushing mess sits back afterwards and playfully fans himself in a swoon while everyone laughs. caleb is smug and playing it cool. it was a nice kiss.

meanwhile if caleb and sadie kissed... its a little more meaningful between them but also nothing new, you know? it's tender, friends and costars. everyone kind of claps and cheers softly. end of an era.

millie is reluctant cos she is married. but in the end she kisses sadie, very sweet and girly sleepover style but a proper lip kiss! the boys kind of reboot a little because thats a surreal thought they've definitely had at some point in their teens even if they're not all into girls lol 🤭🤭 caleb especially clears his throat

then gaten and finn have to kiss and it takes them a lifetime because they can't stop laughing. in the end gaten is grabbing finn's shoulders like 'just kiss me, dude!' and finn is giggling covering his face with his hands, and everyone is yelling and quoting the show that kissing is better without teeth, obviously, finn! duh! and gaten rolls his eyes and shows off his lovely teeth. in the end they peck and grimace afterwards, taking a drink each haha

and of course the tension builds when its finn and noah's turn. everyone hollers despite (because?) they've spent a fair portion of this year kissing already. it still feels like a well-kept secret though, special until the show is shared w the world. they are suddenly more nervous than filming the actual show, looking at each other with suppressed smiles and soft eyes. they slowly move towards each other while the others quietly whoop and goad them on...

carry on vinny? 🤭🤭🤭

Spin the bottle??? 💋🍾 Well, I spun yall a tale under the cut, in typical lofty Vinny style. I certainly carried way on. I wanted to get simple and silly, but my muses had different ideas. Sentiment and sap, not spice. Here's something...

It was like the cameras were on them again. No heavy lights this time, where they tried not to focus on the brightness to the sides, or the sweat from Georgia heat and stress which always summoned the assistants to attack their subtle application of make-up with touch up brushes and towels yet again. Stop fussing. Let us get this over with. No, not over with. Do it finally. Ten years in the making.

They'd spent so much time together on and off set. And... something... had been brewing. Long conversations, soft words deep into the night, much later than responsible when call time was so early the next day. Well, the clock showed it was now that morning.

Curled into each other on the couch at Finn's house, or Noah's apartment, movie credits stuck on pause as they rolled into hour two of breaking down the movie they just watched.

How many times had Noah thought - what if I just kissed him now? We're already going to do it. We were always gonna do it. Well, not it. Actually, that's in the script, too. The scene in bed. All that kissing. And movement and simulation and how the fuck am I going to survive kissing Finn and pretending to have sex with Finn? All for a scene that is going to get edited and cut down and no one will see the hours I had to spend in bed with the guy I've had a crush on for years, skin to skin as we kiss and pretend.

I want so much more. What if I just kissed him now?

He didn't. They saved it for the scripted moment, not knowing it was something that was mutually even being saved, built up into something so big, so life changing on screen - and it was.

The set had been abuzz, with too many crew and staff lingering for The Moment that defined the show. Mike and Will screamed and argued and sobbed and Noah and Finn crashed together under simulated spray of water, passion in the rain, all to be enhanced in post but drenching them now. Cut. A near perfect take. A near perfect kiss. Noah felt like his heart and soul were somewhere up in space as his human form orbited elsewhere. In that moment he was Will Byers, and Will Byers had just been kissed by the love of his life and knew he'd gotten the boy. And Noah fell back into himself and on take two, he kissed Mike as Noah, and Mike kissed back as Finn. They both knew this. Take three they shook it off and let the bleed between realities settle. Take four.

The set was quiet, as empty as they could get away with for the other scene. A skeleton of people. Skin on skin and giggles and gasps - fake, and some real. Their eyes flashed and locked at the real ones, knowing which those were. Professional, of course, and decidedly mostly unsexy with the bright lights and cameras honing in on every pore and choreographed movement, but bodies were bodies, and bodies felt good together. How far did playing pretend take you and where was the line when someone's tongue was in your mouth and hand on your ass?

There were so many kisses in the end. The first kiss in the rain. The kiss that was meant to feel like goodbye when Will pulled Mike close, then ran into what was written to feel like mortal danger. The reunion kiss, when Will survived. The kiss at graduation, short and sweet, blink and you miss it. The kiss at the bar, a final act of bravery to prove that happily ever after could be found for boys like Will and Mike, having faced much stranger -

Yeah. There had been a lot of kisses.

This wasn't like any of them.

All the sudden they were facing each other again. No fake rain. No camera, though Gaten had his phone whipped out. No big, bright lights. Hot still, from the blush of blood on cheeks, flushed from drinking and proximity. Noah took another step closer with a crooked, nervous smile on his curving mouth. Finn had downed a lot of drinks, but he felt stone sober as Noah stood there facing him. Expectant. Scared out of his mind. So fucking happy.

Gaten shushed Caleb from goading a hurry up, dudes as he hit the record button, and Millie eyed the whole scene from her perch on top of the couch with suspicion. She'd seen right through them for a while. The whole year. She was quite over it. Wanted to yell at them to get it over with, having seen cuts of the footage already of the big, passionate moment that would push them into international conversation. Old news. Just kiss. Again. Sadie squeaked out a laugh and covered her mouth as Finn stepped closer and placed hands on Noah's shoulders, looking down at the source of his own personal conflict.

He'd wanted to kiss Noah every single one of those highly tense, intimate movie nights and afternoons stolen away in their trailers in between scenes. Never, quite, almost. Now.

The rest of the room wasn't paying much attention, save for David nudging Winona with giddy intrigue to look over. She winced and cooed and channeled Joyce's supportive smile, then turned back around before anything happened. One less pair of eyes.

And Finn leaned down and pressed terrified lips to Noah's waiting ones. Take number one. He thought he'd memorized the shape of them. Felt different. But it felt right.

Eyes slipped closed. The kiss was chaste. But Noah was up in space again and he was Will Byers, kissing the love his life. Who was he kidding? He and Will were as one. It had been that way for a long time, and for a long time he'd fought it. Where would he be without him? Who would he be? Noah kissed back, all too aware of the most important people in his life staring at him as they unknowingly watched him kiss the guy he'd fallen in love with.

Finn took Noah's face in his palms after the chaste kiss, one where their lips had barely moved as pulses raced. Take two. Noah pulled away to say something in response to the cheer and whoop from their friends recording them on the couch, but Finn pulled him back, sealing his mouth over Noah's a second time. It wasn't enough. Dozens and dozens of takes combined from all of the kisses on set and it wasn't enough.

Finn was a man in the desert and Noah was an oasis. Noah held the wrists of the hands cradling his face with a gentleness and he wished they were anywhere else but surrounded by their fellow drunken cast mates and phone cameras and an open room and a discarded bottle that had spun somewhere under the armchair.

On the last turn - Finn's spin after his kiss with Caleb - Millie had proclaimed that the bottle was pointing at Noah and Finn hadn't protested, but he knew it was pointing at her. Sometimes, friends do lie. And sometimes a lie is better than the truth.

The truth was - Finn did not kiss like Mike. Noah kissed like Will. Until he didn't, until it was all him. The part of lips, too involved for spin the bottle and just like that, all too real. Sadie and Caleb had been suppressing laughter, leaning on each other with hands over mouths as Gaten zoomed in, but he shut the video off when they all saw the way Finn pressed in deeper, opening to Noah who dropped his hands and pulled Finn closer by the elbows, then braced on his chest. Felt good under his hands, solid and defined and Noah missed the skin on skin feeling from the bed on set. He could feel it again, if they wanted. They could do anything they wanted to now. He wasn't afraid anymore.

And there was nothing funny about it as Gaten and Sadie and Caleb exchanged a look. Millie was already back on her phone. Old news. Boring. It was inevitable and there was nothing more for her to do.

"Noah." Spoken against a mouth that sought take five and six. Wanted to outnumber every kiss sitting in digital record on some hard drive to be scrutinized and edited and enhanced by dozens and dozens of people so millions and millions of people could see it and do the same.

They were going to be broadcast kissing into so many living rooms that it made Finn's head spin. They'd probably make it into the newspaper, some struggling magazine. Thousands of blogs. Some random person's lock screen. And one more recorded kiss that was to live alone on Gaten's video gallery.

Finn felt every pair of eyes, real and hypothetical, and wanted nothing more to kiss Noah where no one could ever play it back to him. He wanted a kiss that was his to give to one person only.

"Finn." Noah looked around, tried not to make eye contact with anyone still paying attention. "We should-"

"We should talk. Let's-"

Noah stepped away and backed out of the little set up couches and chairs and spared the group no glance. Finn was at his heels, pace brisk as they zipped through the scattered folks who were stoned or tipsy or both, thankfully disinterested in the antics of the twenty somethings playing a childish game off in the corner. They slipped through the door that stood in between the pinball machines and led down an open hall next to the main sound stage.

Rounding a corner, down another dark hall, Finn grabbed Noah's arm and pulled him towards the wall, where he fell against, bringing Noah up against himself like they'd been standing in the fake basement set.

"Can I kiss you?

"Uh, yeah? Haven't we done that enough that you know how I, I mean. You have to know-"

Finn, giddy, pulled at Noah's shirt and drew him closer, hand around Noah's neck, fingers tapping at his nape to sent a jolting shiver down his spine. Fitting.

"I know. I know. I just wanted to ask. I've never gotten to ask you."

"Have you... wanted to ask?"

"Yeah. For a long time."

Noah beamed and went to say something, but with permission already granted, Finn leaned in and kissed Noah for take number - didn't matter. He kissed him, finally, like no one was watching.

💋💋💋💋

[smoreal]

THAT MARIO MOVIE COMMERCIAL WAS THE CUTEST THING IVE SEEN ALL DAY OMFG???

[tianhai03]

i watched re death island today!!!!!1 it was really good!!!!!!!!! had to draw smth to celebrate :)

[moogghost]

was gonna post something else but i had an. idea. a horrible idea. and unfortunately needed to make it. real

[crystallizsch]

hi so Yuuyu Laya is back??? i guess??? (he's gonna be neglected </3)

this is my previous post about him (a lot of the initial ideas are changed/scrapped now) and in a nutshell:

yuuyu (he/they) is my twst tinkerbell oc and who is one of the first batch of ramshackle members

he's not yuu/mc, he is just called “yuuyu” (which is just a nickname so not his real name)

the “real yuu” in question is in their second year and is officially the ramshackle prefect/housewarden

sneak peak of my very convoluted oc lore below the cut:

[anna-scribbles]

h-how do you ever finish any of your work? genuine question because you seem to be productive despite your agreste syndrome and I need to learn your ways. but also how do you ever finish any of your work

unclear. last night i stayed up and finished a report worth 25% of my grade at about 5am, arrived on time for my 9am lecture, and spent about half of it zoned out while thinking about seventeen year old emilie agreste. and i was one of the most active participants in the class discussion

[arsenicdecay]

I love him so much I’m adding him to my list of husbands immediately